Episode 33: The Great Madam Arrives
A mixture of tension and fear ran through the housefolk lined up in the entryway.
The air was so thick, I felt like everyone would snap if someone even sneezed. And naturally, that made me want to do it.
I held Ati’s hand and stood at the very front of the line. Well, it’s not like I wanted to be on the front lines.
Since Marquis Karamanlis was away, Ati and I were there to greet her in his stead.
I didn’t want to, but there was no choice.
The sound of a car engine grew closer.
The air between the housefolk seemed to compress even further, making it hard to breathe.
Their tension was contagious, and I started to get nervous too.
The engine stopped, and silence fell.
Then, the entrance door opened.
Bathed in dazzling light, a woman appeared, her back ramrod straight, radiating an aura of dignity.
Her dress wasn’t flashy, the decorations were simple, yet it was clear that it was of the highest quality.
Her back was so straight, it was as if she had an iron plate inside, making her neck look long and slender.
However, she exuded so much pressure, it was as if she was carrying Niō on her back.
I couldn’t help but feel my knees tremble.
Yikes. Pressure like a Bear. What is this presence?
“I apologize for the sudden visit. That boy wouldn’t show me his wife, so I decided to come without prior notice,” she said.
Her voice was low, calm, and refined. It was pleasant to listen to, but couldn’t she do something about that Niō-on-her-back aura?
“Not at all. Welcome.
I am his wife, Selene. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m honored to make your acquaintance.”
I bent my knees and lowered my head.
Ati also pinched the skirt of her dress and gave a little curtsy. Ah, that movement is absolutely adorable. I want to see it again.
No, I can’t escape reality. I need to focus on the Great Madam.
“Unfortunately, my husband is out today. I haven’t been able to reach him yet, but I’ll let him know to return. Until then, please make yourself comfortable.”
I heard that the housefolk were supposed to contact the Marquis.
There aren’t any cell phones or smartphones in this world, and not every place has a telephone, so they’re trying to reach him, but he hasn’t received the message yet.
Until the Marquis returns, I have to face this Niō-sama…
“So, you’re the wife,” Niō-sama muttered.
But at that moment, I felt an incredibly aggressive aura directed at me.
Eh, what?! Just saying one word, and I feel like I’m being crushed by a press. What is this pressure?!
Is she a Niō?! Is she really a Niō?!
My body was reacting as if it wanted to run away immediately.
But there’s no way I can do that. I gritted my teeth so no one could see and gave Niō—I mean, the Great Madam—a bright smile.
“Please, come this way. I heard we’ve acquired some rare tea leaves. Please, enjoy them.”
I had heard from the housefolk that the Great Madam loved tea and what kind of tea leaves we had, so I’ll use that to keep the conversation going!!
I somehow hid my trembling knees and led the Great Madam to the lounge.
In the lounge, I sat on the sofa facing the Great Madam and sipped the so-called rare tea.
I can’t taste anything.
“Grandmother, it’s been a while,” Ati said, fidgeting as she greeted the Great Madam from beside me.
Perfect. As expected of Ati. This quality at four years old. Flawless. No one can surpass her. No one can even compare. The best!
At that moment, the Great Madam’s expression softened.
“Ati, you’ve grown so much. You’re looking more and more like Aula.”
Aula was the name of Ati’s deceased biological mother. I didn’t know that because she didn’t appear in the Otome Game, but I looked it up properly.
“Grandmother, you’re as beautiful as ever,” Ati replied, taking the Great Madam’s words.
Amazing, isn’t it?! Is this child a genius?! Samuel (tutor) had desperately drilled it into her beforehand, but she said it properly! This quality at four years old (omitted below)
“Well, you’ve become quite the charmer, Ati,” the Great Madam said with an elegant smile, her eyes widening for a moment as if she hadn’t expected Ati to respond that way.
Good. Let’s keep things light and cheerful like this and wait for the Marquis to return—or so I thought.
The Great Madam’s eyes narrowed sharply, piercing right through me.
Ouch. Her gaze is physically painful.
“By the way. Why didn’t that boy introduce you to me?”
“That boy” refers to the Marquis.
I don’t know. Who knows what he’s thinking? Until recently, I was locked up in the mansion, my presence erased.
“It must be because I hadn’t馴染んでいなかった馴染んでいなかったsettled into the mansion yet. I apologize.”
I’m absolutely certain it’s not my fault, but I’ll apologize anyway. Not that there’s even 1mg of apology in my heart.
Why do I have to apologize for something the Marquis did? I’m definitely going to beat up the Marquis (that guy).
“Is that so? It doesn’t seem that way to me.”
An absolute zero attack from the Great Madam!
“I feel like I’ve finally settled in recently. My husband may not see it that way yet, though.”
I dodged the attack! But I took some damage!!
“Is that so? I heard you’ve been doing whatever you want.”
A critical hit from the Great Madam!
Guah! Someone in this mansion has been reporting on me regularly?! Crap! That one hurts!!
“…My husband was just worried about me settling into the mansion quickly, so he allowed me to do as I pleased, which is why it might seem that way.”
A desperate counterattack! But it doesn’t reach the Great Madam! She snorted dismissively!
Damn it!
It’s true that I’ve been doing whatever I want because I wasn’t allowed to do anything! But that’s because the Marquis (that guy) didn’t explain anything to me in the first place! Why do I have to clean up after the Marquis (that guy)?! And this person is the Marquis’s mother! How annoying!!
Perhaps growing impatient with my refusal to break (though I was already slightly broken), the Great Madam turned her face away and looked into the distance.
Haa. The barrage is over? Good.
I was relieved and took a sip of tea when it happened.
“Speaking of which. When are you going to have a boy?”
Bwah!!
I choked violently on the Great Madam’s words.
What is this person suddenly saying?!
The Great Madam looked down at me with a look of disgust as I sputtered, and then she spoke again.
“…How long have you been married? It wouldn’t be strange if it happened soon, would it?”
“Well, even if you say that, Great Madam…”
The housefolk who had rushed over to wipe me and the soiled floor were flustered, and I desperately tried to think of an excuse.
I couldn’t exactly say, “We haven’t done it yet.”
But you know.
In the first place, even if she is the Marquis’s mother, I don’t want her meddling in such matters.
Even if she were to meddle, don’t tell me. Tell the Marquis (your son).
Besides, there are things that can be done and things that can’t be done just by being told. Well, I haven’t even done anything for that purpose, but I don’t want a complete stranger to me prying into such vulgar matters.
However, I also understand that marrying the Marquis means dealing with such things.
I racked my brain.
“Um… Surely, talking about such things in front of Ati is…”
I tried to escape!
“Why?”
But I was cornered!! The Great Madam’s attack!!!
“A noble lady should be talking about such things as a matter of course. Ati will eventually take on that role as well. It’s fine for her to hear it now. No, rather, she should be hearing it from now on.”
There’s no way that’s true.
I have no intention of turning Ati into a tool for producing boys, not even a speck of dust.
Not only escaping the fate of being executed as a Villainess, but Ati’s life is still full of impregnable walls after that?!
What a thorny path this child’s (Ati’s) life is!
I absolutely don’t want her to walk down such a dangerous path.
The Great Madam, who had been unconsciously making outrageous remarks from the beginning, continued.
“You know it has to be a boy, right? That’s why—”
“No. That’s not true.”
I interrupted her firmly.
I don’t want Ati to hear any more.
“That statement could hurt Ati.
Wanting a boy can sound like you don’t want Ati, who is a girl.”
This Great Madam (person) is too insensitive to the fact that seeing her own grandmother urging her parents, “Where’s the boy? Where’s the boy?” right in front of her is insensitive.
Perhaps she’s become numb to it because she’s been treated that way herself.
“If only you were a boy.”
The adults who said that probably didn’t give a second thought to how I felt at the time.
“Another girl, huh?”
I still can’t forget the faces of my other sisters when they were confronted with the disappointment of the adults around them upon seeing my newborn little sister.
What’s wrong with being a girl?! Huh?!
“If I may,”
I stood up abruptly and looked down at the Great Madam sitting on the sofa.