As the sun slowly went down, Leila stood in the dimly lit room, staring vacantly at an empty sofa. Usually, Ariel, her one and only daughter, would be sitting there. Ever since the girl had found out that there were bad rumors spreading about her in high society, she’d stopped attending public events. Instead, she’d sit here and embroider, or diligently water the plants in the garden.
Leila had been irritated with Ariel and had watched her while stewing in anger.
“You’re fleeing high society just because of a few bad rumors? That’s utterly pathetic! Just look at Jeanette! She had such an awful reputation because of you, but she still attended balls like it was no big deal!”
“She’s a special case! Don’t lump me in with such shameless creatures like her!”
“Then stop being so hung up on Claus already and find yourself another husband!”
Such shouting matches already seemed like a thing of the distant past to Leila. Has this room always been so big...? she wondered while slowly looking around the living room. She had never noticed how large it was before, because the Roussel father-daughter duo used to always run around and make a ruckus. But now, the empty room was deathly silent.
Everyone left one by one, and I’m all alone. First my husband, then his daughter Jeanette, and finally my Ariel... Reminiscing about it caused Leila to space out again. But she had to be married off. There was no other way.
After all, Leila hadn’t had the money to pay off her debt, and she couldn’t rely on Jeanette because she couldn’t guarantee how the girl’s methods would affect her. The only two choices Leila had had left were going to work at a brothel together with Ariel or marrying Ariel off to Marquis Balladur. Rather than having them both fall into ruin, having her daughter marry a high-ranked noble was the better option, even if it wasn’t ideal.
Not to mention, the daughter of an upstart baron wouldn’t have normally been able to marry a marquis. In a way, it was like gold digging.
Yet even as she thought that, Leila’s mood didn’t improve. She continued standing absently in the dim sitting room, when suddenly a loud clamor resounded somewhere within the mansion. Wondering what was going on, Leila glanced at the door right as it flew open.
“I’m baaack!”
A foolishly loud, vulgar voice echoed within the room. Leila only knew of one man to whom it could belong.
“Clement! W-Welcome back...!”
Her husband and the rightful head of the house, Clement Roussel, was standing before her. Leila quickly rushed over to greet his slightly thinner self. In front of him, she was able to play the role of a good, wise wife and mother.
“I’m so glad you’re back safely! Jeanette left while you were gone, and Ariel got married... I was so lonely by myself!” she cried with exaggeration, hugging him.
Clement gently hugged her back. “I’ve put you through a lot, huh? Claus told me all about it.”
Leila’s eyebrows twitched at the mention of that name. She didn’t want to hear about Claus because he was aware of all of her wrongdoings. “M-My, I wonder what he told you...?” she inquired, batting her eyelashes at him.
Her husband smiled in good humor. “Oh, this and that. Like how Jeanette moved to the Guivarch residence for the sake of her marriage. And how you handed over Roussel Corporation’s title deed to her. And of course, I heard all about Ariel’s marriage too! She married a marquis, right? That’s incredible, Leila!” His expression was bright and cheerful, as though he’d truly only heard good things.
O-Oh? I guess he didn’t find out about the details? Did Claus not explain everything? But why?
On the outside, Claus seemed like an upright saint of great integrity. But on the inside, he was filled with a shocking amount of darkness. If he hadn’t told Clement everything, he had probably done so for a reason. With that on her mind, Leila stared at her husband’s face, trying to read him.
“All this talk of marriage is making me nostalgic,” he went on. “Do you remember our first meeting, Leila?”
Our first meeting? Leila frowned at this sudden change of topic. The baron had never brought this up before. Maybe he’s feeling sentimental from coming home after such a long time away? I suppose I can humor him for now. All the better if Clement forgot about what he’d been discussing with Claus.
Leila put on a fake smile to play along. “Yes, how nostalgic. How many years has it been already?” For the sake of keeping up with the conversation, she thought back to their first meeting.
One night a few years ago, she had been walking down the path of certain doom. She had been headed to a high-class brothel. She’d had no other choice. Her previous husband’s family had cast her out, and her birth family had abandoned her as well. Her erstwhile in-laws hadn’t wanted to keep Ariel since she was a girl, so if Leila didn’t find someplace for them to live, they’d both starve to death.
Leila hadn’t wanted to go to a brothel, but fortunately, she was a beautiful woman. Deciding it was better than starvation, she had made the bitter choice. But on the way, she had stumbled across the drunk baron, rolling around in the street.
“When I opened my eyes, I was on the ground with you taking care of me,” Clement reminisced.
“Indeed. Goodness, it was hard to endure the stares of the passersby, you know?”