I was writing down notes on our progress when someone knocked on the door. Parfeil answered it and turned to me with an awkward expression on her face.
“Parfeil, who is it?”
“Um... It’s Lady Fenetra,” she said. “She seems to want to talk to you.”
It would be uncouth to turn her away when she had come all the way here. I had no choice in the matter, so I asked Parfeil to let her in.
After a quick greeting, Fenetra approached me. I motioned for her to sit on the couch, and she gracefully sat down. Van should have asked Marquis de Noisette for her to refrain from interacting with us, but it looked like she’d gone ahead and met me by herself. I couldn’t help but be scared to talk to her face-to-face after hearing about her terrible actions from one of her maids.
Parfeil, seemingly having sensed my trepidation, sat right beside me. She was able to do this without issue right now as we were both attendants of equal standing.
I broke the ice. “So, what brings you here?”
“I have a request for you,” Fenetra said.
What could the lady of House Noisette possibly ask of me, a woman disguised as a mere attendant? I braced myself for what it could be.
“I would like for you to recommend me as a concubine to the Dragon Duke.”
“Excuse me?!”
“Are you not Lord Vacherin’s favorite concubine?” she asked.
I was at a loss for words. Just how could she possibly see me as the Dragon Duke’s favorite concubine?
“To tell you the truth, when I was much younger, I had been selected as a candidate to be engaged to the Lord Dragon Duke,” she began. “However, in my youth, I had no confidence in myself, so I refused. To this day, I truly regret my decision. There had been talks of holding another selection for the Dragon Duke’s fiancée, but while I dawdled, thinking about whether I was fit to be his better half, news that Lord Vacherin had gotten married reached Diamant...”
Listening to Fenetra’s side made it feel like I had come in and stolen Van when he already had a fiancée selected for him. It was a strange feeling, to say the least.
“I think I would be a good fit as his concubine, so I came here to ask you to recommend me to him,” Fenetra concluded.
I could only sigh in response. What a ridiculous request.
“First, may I say something?”
“Please.”
“I am not the Dragon Duke’s concubine,” I said.
“But when Lord Vacherin heard that you went missing during the blizzard, he rushed out of the mansion to look for you. Even so, do you still insist that you are not his lover?”
“That’s right.”
Fenetra looked confused. “Then what are you to him?” she pressed in a soft voice.
“I am merely his personal maid. That’s all,” I answered.
Fenetra covered her mouth with her hand and gazed at me, seemingly in disbelief.
Well, I’m actually his wife, but I definitely shouldn’t reveal that to her right now.
I had thought that our conversation would end there, but Fenetra didn’t back down. “Then, Miss Millefie, could you please recommend me as a concubine for the Dragon Duke?”
“The Dragon Duke has only just gotten married. Where in the world would you find anyone who would recommend a concubine to a newlywed man?”
“It’s just that I have not heard a single word about their marriage being favorable...” she said.
In other words, she’s asking if our marriage was one of political convenience. In that case, I’d love to ask her just what she thinks Van had to gain by marrying the daughter of House Forêt Noire.
The Dragon Duchy of Éclair had nothing to gain by marrying a random noble’s daughter. In fact, that was the entire reason Van’s councillors had been against our marriage.
“Regardless, I am not in the position to recommend you as a concubine,” I told her. “Please give up on this idea.”
“But...!”
Apparently, Fenetra had been ordered by her father Marquis de Noisette to stay away from the Dragon Duke, so she had banked all her hopes on approaching me. She started sobbing profusely, seemingly out of shock from being refused. I motioned to Fenetra’s attendant behind her to take her back to her room. The attendant supported Fenetra as they left.
When I heard the door close, I let out a big sigh. “What a ridiculous turn of events,” I complained.
Parfeil nodded in agreement. “My, my, nominating herself as a concubine for the newlywed Dragon Duke? She’s quite a gutsy woman!”
“Parfeil, there truly are all sorts of people out there,” I mused.
“I agree, milady.”
Parfeil and I were completely dumbfounded at what had just transpired.
I thought that Van would pay me a visit that evening, but he didn’t show up. It wasn’t as if we had promised to meet up with each other, but I couldn’t help but feel lonely.
“Milady, please get some rest,” Parfeil suggested. “If the Lord Dragon Duke shows up at our doorstep, I will wake you up.”
“Okay. I don’t think Van will come, though, so you should get some rest too.”
“Yes, milady.”
I lay down on the bed and the white squirrels huddled around me. Parfeil lay down next to me. I drifted off to sleep surrounded by such soft, fluffy creatures.