Chapter 1
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 1
It was him. She’d only seen him from a distance, so she couldn’t be certain, but for a fleeting moment, Vanessa thought she had. It was impossible. She would have recognized him anywhere, no matter how lost he was in a crowd.
“Vanessa.”
Just the thought of his voice was enough for the memories she had suppressed to instantly regain their color and scent. Summer nights, the sweltering air, languid breaths, a garden overflowing with roses, and that voice.
“I’ve been waiting for you.”
She couldn’t breathe. Was it a hallucination, a phantom that had chased her ever since that night? Or had the cruel afterimages, shameless as ever, decided to haunt her in broad daylight? In any case, it couldn’t be real. How could he possibly be here? They were in the middle of a war, and he was an officer from the enemy nation…
“Are you all right?”
Someone grabbed Vanessa’s shoulder as she swayed, reeling from the onslaught of memories. Startled, she pulled away, only to see the concerned face of a strange woman.
“Young lady, your face is as white as a sheet. You look like you’re about to faint. I work at the hospital over there.”
The woman, dressed in a nurse’s uniform, spoke in a sharp, clear voice. Vanessa hurriedly pulled her hat down low. By now, even the people rushing past were glancing their way with suspicion.
“I’m perfectly fine. Thank you.”
“I don’t think you are. Wait here. Just for a moment…”
“No. I have to go.”
Had her accent been perfect? It didn’t matter. Vanessa quickened her pace, hurrying out of the shopping district.
She had to get home as quickly as possible. First, she needed to send someone to Marquis Winchester to see if passage out of Amiens had been arranged. If not, she had to get the child to safety first…
“Ah.”
Misfortune, as always, came in waves. Failing to notice a stone jutting from the ground, Vanessa tripped and fell with a thud. The paper grocery bag she was clutching crumpled, spilling its contents across the filthy stone pavement.
Potatoes, bread, and even a can of powdered milk she had managed to acquire only by paying a premium… The can rolled and rolled until it hit the shoe of an officer approaching from the opposite direction, finally clattering to a stop. At that same moment, Vanessa, who had been frantically gathering the bruised potatoes, froze.
Why? The moment she saw the officer’s immaculate shoes, the ghosts of the past began to bloom once more. It was as if she had returned to that garden, in that season. Even though the scent of sandalwood he favored couldn’t possibly be wafting through this dirty back alley.
Not daring to look up, Vanessa kept her head bowed. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the man bend down gracefully to pick up the can at his feet. For a brief, terrible moment, there was only silence.
“Lady Vanessa.”
At last, he spoke her name, the sound like a dry laugh. Ah. The moment a vague premonition became reality was always this dizzying. She managed to lift her gaze. There, at the end of the path where the pale sunlight shattered between old, shabby buildings, stood him.
Theodore. Her usurper, her beautiful deceiver, and the man she had abandoned in that garden long ago.
“And here I thought I was going mad, that my eyes were playing tricks on me.”
A slanted smile touched his red lips. His skin was a little more tan than she remembered, his powerful frame perfectly fitted into a naval officer’s uniform. His eyes were sharp, his cheeks a bit gaunt…
And yet, he was still breathtakingly handsome, a man who held the power to shake her very soul with a single glance.
“Tell me. Why are you here, in this state?”
A languid sneer soon crept into his eyes, which swirled with a myriad of emotions.
Vanessa couldn’t bring herself to meet his gaze and closed her eyes. Why was she here, in this state? To explain that, she would have to go back to a much more distant past. To the very beginning…
* * *
Happiness is difficult to recognize when it arrives, but when misfortune strikes, everyone knows it for what it is. And misfortune never has the decency to come alone. Vanessa Siren Somerset learned this truth in the spring, just two weeks before her thirteenth birthday.
“From now on, everything will be different.”
The man, who had been silent the entire time, finally spoke as the train pulled into Bath Station. Vanessa, who had been staring out the window with her back ramrod straight, turned to look at the man who had introduced himself as “Mr. Wyatt’s lawyer.”
Mr. Wyatt, her younger uncle with whom the family had long lost contact, had sent for her just after her parents’ funeral.
“The title of Count Somerset will pass to Mr. Wyatt, your uncle. Therefore, you can claim no rights to the estate or the family. From now on, Mr. Wyatt will hold all legal rights and responsibilities concerning you, Lady Vanessa.”
“When you say all legal rights…”
“It means that everything—what you eat, what you wear, what you spend—will be entirely up to him.”
“…”
“In time, when you are of age, that will include your marriage as well.”
A pale shadow flickered across the clear face of Vanessa, who was dressed in mourning black. The man watched the child with a strange expression. He hadn’t expected a thirteen-year-old girl to understand everything he was saying.
However, the girl was unusually composed for her age, and his client, Mr. Wyatt, had demanded he explain every last detail to his niece. That way, he wouldn’t be bothered by pointless questions later.
“It seems the train will be stopping soon. I’ll get your luggage.”
Glancing out the window, the man folded his newspaper and rose from his seat. The girl’s luggage, stowed in the overhead rack, consisted of a single small handbag. When he handed her the bag, she took it with both hands and placed it neatly on her lap.
“When you get off the train, someone will be there to escort you to Gloucester Castle. You just need to follow them.”
“Aren’t you coming with me?”
“I get off at the next station. I have a mountain of work for other clients.”
The man replied in a slightly softer tone, glancing at his pocket watch. The train ride from the capital to Bath took a full nine hours. It was a grueling journey even for an adult, yet this young girl had remained composed the entire time. She hadn’t sniffled, slouched, or shown any sign of irritation.
Considering it had been less than a month since she had lost her parents, it was a commendable attitude.
“What is my uncle like?”
He was pulled from his reverie by Vanessa’s question. The man’s eyes, which had narrowed as if sizing her up, returned to their usual impassive state.
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
“I heard you’ve been business partners for a long time. Abroad.”
“Well… he is not a kind man. Still, you are his only blood relative, so I doubt he would treat you cruelly.”
“…”
“And in seven years, when you come of age, many things will change for you again.”
Vanessa’s eyes widened in surprise. Her golden lashes, which densely framed her pale gray eyes, fluttered like a butterfly’s wings.
“What will change?”
“You will get married, of course. Then you will inherit the pension that was paid to the Dowager Countess. It will likely be about thirty thousand pounds a year.”
“Do I have to get married to inherit the pension?”
“Either that, or you have a child, Lady Vanessa. According to Imperial Law, the right to inherit a pension is granted when one has a family to support. Until then, Mr. Wyatt—no, the new Count Somerset—will manage your assets splendidly.”
The girl nodded gracefully, her posture still perfectly straight. Not a flicker of emotion crossed her face, even upon hearing she wouldn’t have access to a single gold coin of her own fortune until she came of age. He wondered if she even understood what he was saying.
Then again, it was only natural for a girl her age to be uninterested in such tedious matters as pensions and inheritances. The train soon hissed to a slow stop at the platform, billowing clouds of steam.
“North Somerset, Bath Station in North Somerset! Passengers disembarking, please don’t forget your luggage! The train will depart after a ten-minute stop!”
At the conductor’s sharp cry, passengers poured into the aisle. Vanessa, her face a little tense, clutched her bag and stood up abruptly. But she swayed and staggered before she could take more than a few steps.
“Good heavens.”
The man grabbed Vanessa’s arm in alarm. He hadn’t realized it, as she had been sitting with such perfect posture, but the child was burning up.
“You must call for a physician as soon as you arrive at the castle.”
“Thank you for your concern, but it’s not that serious.”
“You have a high fever.”
“Are you going to tell my uncle?”
“Of course I am.”
“It’s not a serious illness. It’s probably… because I’m looking forward to what’s to come.”
“Looking forward?”
“I’ve made good memories every summer I’ve spent at Gloucester Castle. My sorrow is very great right now, but if I stay here, I’m sure I’ll be happy again someday. Won’t I?”
Touching her hot cheek with the back of her hand, Vanessa continued with the frank smile unique to a child.
“So please, keep it a secret from my uncle. I don’t want to cause him any unnecessary worry.”
The man was momentarily speechless. Even he, who could accomplish any task he was hired for, felt a sense of shame before this innocent young lady. But the only words he could manage were these:
“I wish you the best of luck in your future, Lady Vanessa.”
“Thank you. You’re very kind.”
“You should go now. The train will be departing soon.”
After getting off the train, the child turned to him and waved. The man watched the girl walk away bravely, trying to swallow his belated guilt.
It might be difficult for her now, but Lady Vanessa’s future seemed more promising than anyone’s. With her round forehead, high-bridged nose, elegant eyes, and angelic smile, she would surely grow into a great beauty who would one day shake high society.
After all, a woman’s happiness and success had always boiled down to who she married. No matter what a swindler and a cheat Wyatt was, he wouldn’t be foolish enough to sell the jewel in his hand for cheap. And with looks and a disposition like that, she would easily capture any husband’s heart.
Perhaps I’m worrying for nothing. She’s bound to make headlines all over the country in a few years with news of her marriage to a man from a fine family.
The man pushed down his uneasy feeling and unfolded his newspaper again. He was very tired and wanted to get to his hotel and rest in a soft bed before the sun went down.
And exactly seven years later, just as the man—and everyone who knew Lady Vanessa—had predicted, the girl did indeed cause a stir across the nation.
Not with news of her wedding, but with a scandal.