Chapter 97
Chapter 97
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 97
Chapter Title: Exam Season and Family Secrets
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It's already exam season for the family education.
Neither I nor Dietrich had attended the family lessons since Dad became Count Rommel—not with everything going on with Professor Seller, too.
'We did study separately with a home tutor instead.'
Only Erich, the one who'd sparked the whole incident, had stubbornly shuttled back and forth between the main house and the count's estate to keep up with the lessons, out of sheer stubbornness.
"If you skip the midterm altogether, it's an automatic fail anyway."
But even so, since we'd at least dipped into the family education for a bit, I knew the curriculum inside out.
Those taking the family lessons had to sit for four exams a year.
For each one, you had to choose: either submit a substitute assignment or take the actual test properly.
The assignment submission window was already closed, though.
"Failing without even taking the exam is a world apart from taking it and still failing, Mariella."
What a brag.
I wish she wouldn't proclaim the philosophy of a chronic failure with such proud conviction.
I already lacked confidence in my own grades, and now I had to worry about everyone's stares too!
"Think about it. Erich and Dietrich going with us? They're both guys. It'd be awkward dragging them to cute dessert cafes or clothing boutiques, right?"
"That's true, but..."
It wasn't so much that they wouldn't come along. It was more that both of them stuck to my side like glue, force-feeding me desserts and buying me piles of clothes.
Watching Dietrich's blatant childishness clash with Erich's sneakier brand of immaturity just drained all my energy.
Florian would come along too, but... yeah, there were definitely spots that were more fun and comfy with just the girls.
Sensing my hesitation, Lavinia whispered in an even more coaxing tone.
"We could stay up all night swapping fun stories, have a pajama party with the maids... Please, save me."
That did sound tempting.
"I'll ask Erich about it."
"Yes! When we get to the Duvayer County, I'll buy you all the snacks you want—just please convince him to let me tag along!"
Good grief. Instead of begging like that, she could just study a little.
I stifled a laugh and turned away.
Erich, catching my eye, waved at me—and a chorus of stifled gasps rose from the cluster of girls around him.
A few of them whipped their heads toward me, then made as if to stand from their seats.
'If I stick around here, I'll end up with another hundred plates of snacks!'
Thanks to Lavinia, I'd barely escaped the young ladies' clutches. I couldn't let them snag me again.
Dodging the nobles who were using me as an excuse to approach Erich, I slipped quietly out of the banquet hall.
The sky visible through the window had already taken on a deep indigo hue.
Maybe I should take a short stroll before heading back?
My stomach was stuffed from all the overeating at the banquet anyway...
"What are you doing chasing after me dressed like that? And where did you even get that dress?"
The sharp, irritable voice grated on the nerves like nails on chalkboard.
I couldn't help turning toward the sound.
There, at the edge of the corridor, stood my aunt.
I could only see her from behind, but the flamboyant dress that drew far more eyes than Erich or the rest of our family screamed "aunt."
And the girl standing beside my aunt, decked out in that fiery, extravagant gown...
"You thought you could show up looking like that in front of all these nobles? I specifically told you to stay in your room and fake being sick."
"S-Sorry, Mother. I just... I only wanted to say hi to Mariella and leave."
"Wasting your energy fussing over that lowborn cousin of yours? You should've used that effort to fix up your appearance!"
The one wearing the yellow dress I'd gifted her was my cousin, Monica.
She looked a bit plumper than last time I'd seen her, but...
I spotted my aunt pinching Monica's arm, the girl hunching even smaller.
Monica didn't resist.
She just quietly rubbed the red mark blooming on her arm—a sight all too familiar.
"Get back to your room right now. If I catch the maids sneaking you food again, I'll lock you in the attic. Got it?"
"B-But... I haven't eaten since lunch."
"You won't die from skipping a meal or two. If I were in your shoes, I'd starve for a whole month!"
Having thoroughly berated Monica, my aunt whirled around and stormed back into the banquet hall.
Aunt Katrin was still at it, huh.
I remembered her slapping Monica's hand away whenever the girl tried to eat something.
Blood relation or not, that was too much...
I waited until my aunt was completely out of sight before stepping out from my hiding spot and approaching the dejected Monica.
Spotting me, her teary eyes widened.
"M-Mariella!"
"You okay?"
This was right after the commotion in the corridor.
Pretending I hadn't seen a thing would just be an obvious lie.
Instead of glossing over it, I asked directly—and tears came spilling from Monica's eyes.
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine. It's... It's because I'm so hopeless that I hear stuff like this..."
"No way that's true."
"Mother's not entirely wrong, though. I hate that I sneak around eating every day—how must it look to her?"
"You still sneaking midnight snacks every night like before?"
"I-I don't want to, but... when I'm starving, I come to and I've already eaten without realizing. Why do I keep messing up like this?"
Binge eating disorder?
I'm no doctor, but I knew it was a condition mostly striking young women, fueled by excessive stress and body image obsessions.
'I had a client like that once.'
She'd already succeeded at dieting and was plenty slim, but she'd occasionally lose control, binge, then overexercise to compensate—ruining her joints in the process.
She'd pedaled a stationary bike for sixteen straight hours without warming up, or so she said.
She'd nearly triggered rhabdomyolysis—a real close call.
We had to count our blessings it was just some knee damage.
'Joints aside, breaking that midnight binge habit took a ton of work.'
Treating her at the hospital, rehab exercises—we went through years of trial and error, slowly making progress with that poor client.
Her struggles overlapped with Monica's in my mind.
Of course, there were differences.
Monica seemed trapped in a cycle of starving and binging, no exercise—with or without her own will in it.
"Does Aunt blow up like this often?"
Just asking about her mother drained the color from Monica's face, leaving her ghostly pale.
"I-I gotta go. I said hi after so long, so... that's enough."
"Monica, wait..."
"If I stick around and someone sees me, Mother will get even madder. Everyone mocks a daughter like me anyway."
She was so terrified, it was hard to even hold her back.
She just gave me a quick nod, covered her face, and bolted.
'After we get back from Duvayer County, I need to have a proper talk with Monica.'
She'd always been timid and shy, but not this bad.
Her stuttering had gotten worse too.
The most developed city in Duvayer County lay about five days by carriage from Kalena.
'At least this trip keeps the carriage rides short.'
I'd gotten decent at horseback riding by now, so whenever the carriage got too boring, I'd switch to a horse mid-journey.
That made the five days fly by.
Plus, traveling down with Count Duvayer—who'd attended Erich's coming-of-age banquet—meant plenty of banter with Stefan and Saskia to keep things lively.
The moment the carriage pulled up to the count's estate, the count and his wife hopped out with buoyant energy.
'A prestigious house with generations of accumulated wealth.'
The residence of vassals powerful enough to intermarry with the northern ducal house was dazzling beyond words.
Beautiful mosaic tiles, sculptures, and enormous tapestries on the walls seized the eye at once.
"Welcome, everyone, to our home."
Count Duvayer, ever the affable sort, spread his arms wide with a kindly smile.