Yet whenever she tried to raise complaints against the gossiping girls, they’d just snicker and laugh at her. They seemed convinced that they could get away with treating someone they viewed as lesser than them however they pleased. That in itself was another reason Jeanette could never grow to like high society.
I bet if he wasn’t engaged to me, Lord Claus wouldn’t have to put up with such terrible rumors! That had been a concern of hers for years. If only he could’ve gotten engaged to some other young lady of better family standing, then no matter what the people thought, surely they wouldn’t voice their opinions so openly.
But I might finally be able to put an end to it at last! Jeanette clasped her travel bag shut with a snap, and then raised her head. Thanks to my father, House Guivarch was able to recover. I do feel bad, since Father wanted me and Lord Claus engaged, but if I want to free Lord Claus, then now’s my chance! she decided, tightening her fist. I’ve got to find a way to make me into the bad guy and have him break our engagement off!
If they simply called off the engagement now, it might make things harmonious between herself and her stepfamily, but the naysayers might start claiming that Claus had used the Roussel family just to get their money. To avoid that, Jeanette had to find a way to make it clear that she was the one at fault for the cancellation of their engagement.
Her reputation had already hit rock bottom, so she had nothing to lose.
Having pondered all of that, Jeanette suddenly remembered something. “Wait, has Lord Claus come back from his study abroad yet...?”
At present, Claus was studying abroad in the eastern kingdom of Yafruska with the backing of his father. That had been the reason Jeanette and Claus hadn’t married yet.
If he’s back, I should’ve received a letter from him by now...
While Jeanette was busy thinking, Sara smiled at the sound of Claus’s name and approached her. “Are you thinking of going to Lord Claus’s place? A splendid idea, Milady! You two can get married, and we can all live in their mansion!”
“No, Sara,” Jeanette quickly refuted her maid. “I’m thinking about having him break off our engagement.”
“What? Are you crazy?!” Sara exclaimed, her eyes growing wide. “You may be my lady, but I’m going to do everything in my power to stop you!”
Jeanette was bewildered by this. “Huh? Why?”
“I should be asking you that! Why would you want to let go of such a wonderful man?!” huffed Sara.
Jeanette gently pushed the maid away and responded with a troubled look on her face. “I mean, no matter how you look at it, it’d be better for him to not be engaged to me. I fully agree with you that he’s a wonderful man, but it’s mostly my fault that he’s being disparaged.”
Sara stared at Jeanette in disbelief. “Milady... Could it be that you haven’t noticed?”
“Hmm? Noticed what?”
But instead of answering the question, a sullen look crossed Sara’s face. “I... I see. In that case, you should meet with Lord Claus as soon as possible.”
“Yes! I’ll go right awa—Er, I would go right away, but I should probably find an inn to stay at first.”
“Very well,” said Sara. “Then I will get ready as well, so please wait a moment!”
This time, it was Jeanette’s turn to look surprised. “Sara... Does that mean you want to come with me?”
“Of course!” Sara exclaimed. “My place is at your side!”
“Sara... I may have some savings for now, but I can’t guarantee how things will look in the future. It might get rocky, so I think it’d be safer for you to remain here...”
“My lady.” Sara interrupted Jeanette and smiled at her. “Have you forgotten already? The reason I came to this house was because you found me.”
“Well... That’s true, but...”
In fact, Sara was a girl Jeanette’s family had adopted from the orphanage when Jeanette was eight years old.
“Everyone always bullied me at the orphanage and foisted all the work onto me,” Sara continued. “But it was you who called out to me and asked me to go with you, Milady.”
“Yes. Of course I remember.”
Sara was two years older than Jeanette. Back when she was ten years old, she was so weak-willed that it was almost unimaginable when compared to her present self. The adults at the orphanage forced her to do all kinds of chores because she was dexterous and skilled.
One day, the orphanage held a bazaar selling handmade crochet, which Jeanette had attended. The adults claimed everyone had chipped in to make the items, but in reality, Sara had made every single item all by herself. Yet only Jeanette had been able to see through the lie and realize the truth.
Jeanette smiled fondly at the nostalgic memory. “Yes, I remember it well. There was a lovely variety of items for sale during the bazaar, but I was able to determine they’d all been made by the same person based on the stitching style and color arrangements. And judging by the sheer number of items, I was certain the kids would have calluses on their fingers from all the crocheting. But nobody had them except for you.”
When Jeanette had said as much to the director of the orphanage, they’d simply scoffed and laughed at her. But when she’d proclaimed she wanted her family to adopt Sara, the director had immediately begun panicking. Jeanette’s father had silenced their protests in the end, but Jeanette still remembered the director’s crestfallen expression.
Sara’s face broke into a smile at Jeanette’s recollections. “The moment you held out your hand to me back then, my life gained meaning. So wherever you go, Milady, I shall follow! If you try to leave me behind, I’ll definitely chase you down and find you!” The maid started rolling up her sleeves while huffing and puffing, and Jeanette let out a laugh.
Grateful for Sara’s kindness, Jeanette gently held the other girl’s hand. “All right then,” she conceded. “If you’re that determined, then let’s go together. And, to be honest...I did feel a little disheartened at the idea of going off all by myself. So I’m really happy that you want to accompany me!”
“My lady...” Sara’s eyes had grown damp, and she quickly wiped her tears before they streamed down her cheeks. “If you’ve made your decision, then I shall go and make preparations as well!”
In mere minutes, thanks to her efficiency, Sara returned to Jeanette’s side with her own bag of belongings. Then, the two of them sneaked towards the back gate of the house, with the staff helping them to stay concealed so that Leila and Ariel would be none the wiser.
For a moment, Jeanette lingered outside, looking up at the mansion. “My precious family home... Goodbye for now,” she said calmly, and then turned her back to it.
✦ ✦ ✦
“What did you say...? What do you mean, Jeanette is gone?”
Claus had just made his way to House Roussel’s reception room, where Leila informed him Jeanette wasn’t there. Her words caused his eyebrows to twitch in concern. Both mother and daughter looked surprised to see Claus’s expression, since they’d only ever seen him smile in the past, and he’d never raised his voice before.
“I came back from my studies abroad right away when they informed me about Sir Roussel’s disappearance, but for Jeanette to disappear too...” Claus murmured, pressing a hand to his forehead.
Leila and Ariel quickly tried to reassure him. “Th-There’s no need to be so concerned, Lord Claus. That girl said herself that she wanted to leave, I assure you. Right, Ariel?”
“That’s right, Lord Claus. Besides, even though Jeanette is a noble lady, she always tries to get herself involved in business and goes around doing the sort of things gentlemen should do. I’m sure she’ll find some impudent way to live, so there’s no need for you to worry.”
Something flashed in Claus’s eyes at their words. Though he was usually known to be so gentle and amicable that others called him a “saint,” that was merely a front. In reality, in his heart of hearts, he always harbored much harsher thoughts than anyone ever realized. Jeanette’s father has just gone missing, and now she’s suddenly decided to leave her house of her own volition? Even if that is true, I have no doubt that these two women are behind it somehow.
However, that was just Claus’s conjecture, and he had no way to prove it. He suppressed the urge to snap at them and asked, “So where did Jeanette go?”
“My, I haven’t got a clue,” Leila responded. “Perhaps she went off to a distant relative or some such thing?”
“Right, since she has no friends,” Ariel added, and the two women snickered.
Claus had to do everything in his power to stop himself from raising his voice. I want to curse these harpies at full throttle, but...as unlikely as it is, if Jeanette’s life is in their hands, that could be a fatal move on my part right now.