Chapter Eight

Despite having sent my reply only that morning, another letter arrived from the Duke’s estate that afternoon. Ethen would visit tomorrow around three o’clock. I had nothing to do until then.

Bored, I began to pace about the mansion.

“My lady, is anything bothering you?” Annie asked, her lips trembling.

Was it so strange to walk around my own house? “No.”

“You haven’t picked out a new dress since returning from the palace, and you said you’d host a party on the day of the Lord’s return.”

A party for such a trivial occasion? I supposed it was nothing strange for Mary Bell. She was crazy about parties and looked for any reason she could think of to throw one. “You know what? I don’t even care. Whatever I wear, people are going to stare at my face. And why have a party at all? It’s so annoying to plan one. I’m canceling it.”

I thought I sounded like Mary, but Annie’s face turned as white as if she’d been sentenced to death, and her hands trembled. She anxiously inspected me. “My lady, are you all right? Maybe you’re still in shock from yesterday.”

“What are you doing? Get away from me.” What kind of person gets questioned about her health simply for canceling a party? It was unbelievable.

Still trembling, she circled me, looking worried. “But you already ordered a thousand roses for a surprise party when the lord returns. We can’t cancel those.”

The extravagance of these people was amazing. And Annie looked ready to run to the doctor if I didn’t throw this party.

I had no choice but to say, “Well, my parents would be disappointed if I didn’t greet them properly.”

She nodded furiously. “Of course, my lady. The lord and lady love the parties that you throw for them. I’m sure they’re looking forward to it.”

I’d never planned even a birthday party in my entire life, but now I had no choice but to throw a homecoming event for my parents. If I was to live as Mary, I would have to get used to parties whether I liked them or not.

I decided to think of this as a sort of training. Trying to be positive, I continued my walk around the mansion.

***

The next day, I began getting ready to meet Ethen five hours before he was due to arrive.

“My lady, I prepared the dress you received from Lord Frangert,” the maid named Lilian said.

The dark-blue dress she carried in looked expensive. With tiny jewels adorning various details, it would sparkle even from a distance. Mary Bell, who liked expensive, shiny things, may have liked this dress, but it wasn’t to my liking. But since I didn’t have another dress in mind and I’d been told this was a gift from Ethen, I decided to wear it without objection.

“How would you like your hair done?”

“I’ll leave that up to you.”

“Lord Frangert prefers a neat look. Perhaps you should wear your hair up to reveal your beautiful neckline.”

I admired Lilian’s ability to slip in a flattering comment with every sentence. I shrugged. “Well, I suppose that’s a good idea.”

“It just so happens that the hair ornament that the lord brought home from his last trip to the eastern continent is a similar color to this dress you’re wearing. It would also complement the color of your hair, my lady.” She pulled my hair up and fixed it in place with several pins, proficiently holding it up in a tidy bunch. My fair white neckline looked as fetching as Lilian said, making my dramatic features look a bit more elegant.

“Anna, get me the hair ornament,” Lilian said.

“Here it is.” Anna pulled out the hair ornament, which resembled a traditional ornamental hairpin.

Lilian lodged it into my hair, carefully applied makeup to my face, and led me to a mirror. “Lord Frangert is sure to be enamored.”

“It’s true. You look beautiful every day but especially so today, my lady.” Anna managed a clumsy compliment and nodded her head. Such a pity she was so timid.

I clicked my tongue at her and turned to examine myself in the mirror. Mary Bell was a mean, rude woman, but she sure was pretty.

Rap, rap.

A soft knock came at the door. Annie poked her head out and pulled back with a confused expression.

“What is it?” I asked.

“There’s a guest for you, my lady. A lady from a family I’ve never heard of.”

Was it Aria? Why today, of all days? “What does she look like?”

“A beautiful—I mean, a lady with platinum hair and green eyes.” She’d almost unwittingly complimented the guest’s appearance, but she stopped herself and finished quickly.

It was Aria, plain and simple.

I checked the time. It was a little before two o’clock. I wasn’t planning to talk to her for long, so there was no risk she would run into Ethen. “She is indeed my guest. Show her into the drawing room.”

“But isn’t Lord Frangert—”

“I’ll take care of it. No buts.” Don’t worry, I know he’s coming.

I headed to the drawing room.

After a brief time, a maid brought Aria into the room. Aria entered awkwardly. Her modest clothing contrasted my shiny dress. “It’s been a while, Lady Bell.”

“A while? It’s only been two days.”

“I wanted to visit yesterday to make a real apology, but something came up, and I had to come today.”

“What happened?” I said bluntly, the opposite of my true feelings. In truth, I had already picked out a dress that would look perfect on Aria. I didn’t let my excitement show and offered her some refreshments instead. “Let’s talk over some cookies. These were made by a famous chef, and I’m sure they’ll taste better than what you’re used to.”

“Oh, thank you.” She picked up a cookie and took a tiny bite. So cute.

I pushed down my affection. “So, aren’t you going to tell me why you came today and not yesterday?”

“My father. He drank quite a lot while I was out. I had to take care of him the next day.”

In the novel, Aria’s father, together with Mary Bell, was one of the greatest obstacles in her life. He saw his daughter only as a potential source of a bride's dowry. He was a pathetic man who got drunk daily and picked fights wherever he went. If I could have done as I pleased, I’d have told him to stop being so pathetic and given him a nice kick, but that wasn’t going to happen while I was stuck in this body. “If he was merely sick from drinking too much, did he really need you to take care of him? You could have left him to rest on his own.”

“When I leave, he starts drinking again right away. Once, he got seriously ill from drinking, and ever since, I’ve made sure to keep an eye on him.”

How pathetic. I frowned at the surge of disgust that rose inside me. This was one hundred percent my feeling, not Mary Bell’s. It was perplexing how a pathetic father like that could sire a wonderful daughter like Aria. “Are you planning to look after him forever?”

“He’s the only family I have, so I want to do everything I can.”

Oh no, just no! I screamed inside, knowing how much harder her father, Edward, would make her life. I didn’t want to get involved in the storyline, but maybe I could help this once.

“Pathetic,” I said flatly.

“Pardon?” she said.

“When you do anything for your father, does he ever thank you for your efforts?”

“No, but he’s still my father.”

“That’s only true when he does his part as your father. Didn’t you tell me he was lying in bed, sick from drinking too much? That’s pathetic.” I gave it to her straight, without beating around the bush or being nice. I would have preferred to convince her in a more calming way, but this was the best I could do with a mouth that wouldn’t obey me. “If you continue like this, he may rub off on you, and you could end up like him.”

Wait, had I gone too far? I peered at Aria, worried about how she’d react.

Sure enough, her face, which had been gloomy before, hardened into anger. “Lady Bell, he may be pathetic, but he’s still my father, and he’s raised me until now. I’m a bit offended.”

I knew it had been a rude thing to say. I wanted to tell her that I didn’t mean to offend her, but my mouth clenched as though someone was holding it shut.

“Maybe you thought I was pathetic because I made a huge mistake when we first met,” she continued. “Or maybe caring for my father when I can barely care for myself seems pathetic to you. But I don’t think I’ve ever behaved in a way that I deserve to hear something like that from anyone.”

Rather than shutting up, my mouth spat out shameless words instead of an apology. “It wasn’t meant for you. I was talking about your father.” Oh, no. Sirens began to blare in my head. I had invited Aria here to befriend her, but now she would remember me as the rudest woman she’d ever met. Maybe this was how we would become estranged, putting me on the path to becoming a villainess.

“That’s not what you said,” she said. “And even if it was, does that make it all right? I am his daughter.”

“I may have spoken a bit harshly, but you and your father aren’t the same person.” I want what’s best for you, for you to live without constantly worrying about your father, was what I wanted to say, but I’d gotten it wrong from the first word. Was I doomed to have a complete falling-out with Aria? I didn’t want that. Please, God, let me shut up.

Bam!

Just as I was hoping to faint, the door burst open. Rendered mute by the crash of the door, Aria and I both turned our heads to see who had barged in.