Chapter 6
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 6
Surprisingly, a faint blush crept across Mary’s pale cheeks.
“Ah. Mr. Ross’s nephew?”
“…That man is Mr. Ross’s nephew?”
“Yes. They say his name is River Ross.”
Vanessa stared at Mary with wide eyes. Even by the most generous standards, Mr. Ross was far from a handsome man, and his hair was more dark brown than black. Besides, the River Ross she remembered…
Vanessa pushed the thought aside. Then again, who would know now? No one who remembered those days remained in this castle.
“He’s a sergeant in the Navy. Apparently, he recently fought in the Battle of Potsdam and was granted a long leave for his service.”
Mary seemed unusually excited as she chattered on. Her flushed cheeks gave her the look of someone newly in love, but just as she was about to continue, her expression turned bleak, as if she’d been jolted back to a harsh reality.
“Anyway, he’s not the kind of person you’d expect to find in a countryside like this.”
At first, Vanessa thought Mary might have been mistaken. But in the time that followed, two other maids gave the exact same answer.
River Ross. Nephew of the gardener Hugh Ross, and a noble, honorable officer of the Ingram Navy.
He was said to be unattached and twenty-three years old. He possessed a robust, solid physique befitting his height, a kind and upright nature that led him to volunteer to help his ailing uncle in Gloucester during his summer leave, and above all, that face.
Vanessa bit the end of her pen, her expression serious. Listing his qualities on paper made him seem even more unreal.
“Vanessa. What has you thinking so hard?”
Rosalyn, who had been lounging with an ice pack on her forehead, stumbled over. Just how much had she drunk last night? Groaning from a hangover, her face was paler than ever.
Resting her chin on Vanessa’s head, Rosalyn picked up the paper from the desk.
“Is this the protagonist of a new novel? A naval officer?”
“Something like that,” Vanessa replied, her gray eyes blinking calmly.
“What do you mean, ‘something like that’?”
“If there’s something you don’t want to sell, you just have to make sure there are no buyers.”
“What?”
“What if it develops a flaw so severe that no one would dare buy it?”
She spoke in circles, mindful of any potential eavesdroppers, but her meaning was clear. Rosalyn stared at Vanessa in disbelief, then shook her head and slumped back onto the couch.
“A minor flaw won’t be enough to deter your uncle. He only rests easy when you’re within Gloucester’s walls. The moment you cross the castle threshold, you’ll be under constant surveillance. What are you even thinking?”
“That’s why he’s even more perfect.”
At the strangely ominous reply, Rosalyn sat up straight. Vanessa’s pale face usually looked gentle, but her eyes, upturned like a kitten’s, often gave an unexpected impression. Just like her nature—seemingly timid yet bold, generally gentle but unyielding once she made up her mind.
“What wicked scheme are you plotting now?”
Vanessa offered a bright smile to the bewildered Rosalyn. She felt guilty for keeping her plan from her best friend, but she had no intention of dragging Rosalyn into this.
The scandal had to belong solely to Vanessa Siren Somerset. In that sense, River Ross was suitable in many ways.
Even if the truth came to light, he could simply return to the military or apply for an overseas deployment. As a commoner, he had no noble honor to protect. His status as a gardener’s nephew was also ideal for ruining her reputation. Furthermore, a commoner who had risen to the rank of sergeant in a Navy teeming with aristocrats had to be capable.
‘And his physical attributes are exceptionally splendid, too.’
Evaluating him as casually as if grading livestock, Vanessa put down her pen and smiled. No matter how she looked at it, the man must be an apostle sent by God to save her. For the first time, Vanessa decided to believe in fate.
* * *
For the next few days, Vanessa watched River Ross from a respectable distance. There was no need for any extra effort. Simply sitting by the drawing-room window gave her a clear view of him working in the garden.
As she watched, she realized that River Ross seemed just as unfamiliar with gardening as she was. However, his ability to learn a task and adapt was faster than anyone she had ever seen.
Now, he looked as if he had spent his entire life felling dead trees, tilling the earth, and trimming bushes. Yet, through it all, he never once lost his soldierly discipline.
“Vanessa. You should be looking at me.”
Vanessa, who had been unconsciously searching for River Ross among the workers, snapped back to attention. Across the tennis court, Blair was watching her with a subtle smile.
“If you don’t focus, you’ll lose this time too.”
Vanessa sighed, gripped her tennis racket tightly, and took her stance. She had no idea what had gotten into the twins, who rarely woke up in the morning.
Blair, who had been complaining of restlessness since dawn, had finally succeeded in dragging her out to the tennis court. Vanessa toyed with her racket, feeling a strange wave of nostalgia. When they were ten, she used to be quite competitive, but now, it was just exhausting.
Vanessa wiped the sweat from her chin with the back of her hand. Her blouse was soaked through, clinging stickily to her skin.
“Want to stop if you’re tired?” Blair asked, tossing her a canteen.
Vanessa nodded eagerly. Unlike her, who was utterly exhausted, Blair looked perfectly refreshed, as if he had merely taken a light stroll.
After emptying his own canteen, he handed his racket to a nearby servant. “Rosalyn was worried. She told me to tire you out so you wouldn’t have time to think about other things.”
“Ah… No wonder you were so persistent.”
“Let’s go inside. We can wash up and head to Bath for lunch. We’ll leave getting your uncle’s permission to Rosalyn.”
Just as she readily agreed, she saw him. River Ross was standing alone on a secluded path leading to the Rose Garden. He had skillfully shaken off the maids who had been trailing him like a school of sharks. The moment she saw him, the words left her mouth before she could think.
“Wait a moment, Blair.”
“What is it?”
“I just remembered something I need to tell Mr. Ross. It won’t take long.”
“Is it urgent?”
“Go on ahead. I’ll catch up in a moment.”
“Whoa, don’t push.”
He staggered playfully from her light push, looking back with a curious glint in his eyes.
“You’re not sending me away to go meet another man, are you?”
“…Blair.”
“Alright, alright.”
He shrugged, picked up his canteen and towel, and left the court. As soon as Vanessa was certain she was out of Blair’s sight, she turned and began to walk quickly. The faint, sharp scent of strong tobacco lingered in the air, and as it began to fade, her anxiety grew.
Where did he go? He was right here a moment ago… The path to the Rose Garden was overgrown with untamed weeds that obscured her footing, and the ground was a muddy bog from the rain a few days prior. After struggling to the end of the path, Vanessa was dismayed to find a firmly locked iron gate.
This was the only path from the back garden and the tennis court to the Rose Garden. If River Ross had turned back, he would have had to pass her. If not…
‘He must be inside.’
Vanessa stared at the garden with conflicted eyes. The iron gate was far too high to climb in her voluminous skirt, and it was dangerously wrapped in the dead rose vines that had been neglected for the three years she was away at boarding school.
‘This is no time to hesitate.’
Vanessa clenched her fists, steeling her resolve. Standing around would change nothing. She quickly knelt, reached her arm through the iron bars, and groped beneath a tilted statue.
‘I used to keep the key somewhere around here.’
Was her memory failing her? No matter how far she stretched, her fingers brushed against nothing but cold stone. Just then, a rustling sound was followed by approaching footsteps. She hastily scrambled to her feet. The presence was drawing closer, heading straight for her.
In her panic, she failed to notice a wooden plank lying on the ground. The moment she stepped on it, the thin board snapped, and her left foot plunged straight through.
“Agh!”
Vanessa cried out and tumbled to the ground. Excruciating pain shot up her leg as her full weight came down on the twisted ankle.
Swallowing a groan, she sat slumped on the ground, clutching her ankle. Only then did she recall the butler’s warning not to go near the garden. He had said they were digging up the ground for electrical wiring… It was laughable how her single-minded goal had made her forget something so important.
Just as she was feeling utterly miserable, covered in mud, a dark shadow fell over her. It was like a frost descending on a summer garden.
“What on earth is this stunt?”
* * *
Theodore looked down at the woman sprawled on the ground, an unlit cigarette between his lips. He felt as though he had been dragged onto the stage of a cheap play, an unwilling actor forced into a role he never asked for.
Women were always like this. In his presence, they would drop things, get lost on the way to their rooms, trip over their own feet, or suddenly fall gravely ill. Every last one of them employed the same dramatic, cliché tricks.
Of course, Lady Vanessa’s condition did seem more serious than a feigned illness. The ankle visible beneath her mud-stained hem was already swelling, turning a deep shade of purple.
Theodore narrowed his characteristically cold eyes and reached out to support her. Before being an aristocrat, it was a soldier’s instinct to protect the weak.
“You…”
Lady Vanessa gasped, grabbing his arm with a damp, muddy hand. Her grip wasn’t strong, but it was desperate enough to feel surprisingly firm.
“I have a proposal for you, River Ross.”