02. Realizations
The first to notice the anomaly was Emma, the head cook.
"Why is it empty?"
When the young maid said there were no potatoes, Emma told her not to talk nonsense. However, when the maid insisted it was true and asked her to check, they went to the food storage room, and indeed, there were only a few potatoes left in the burlap sacks. It wasn't just the potatoes. Flour, ham, butter, even milk. Almost nothing remained. It was just like last winter.
'That can't be.'
When she asked what on earth had happened, she was told that the wagon from the village grocery store, which usually came three times a week, hadn't shown up all week. Emma scolded the young servants for not reporting it sooner, then scrambled to gather the remaining ingredients to prepare a meal for the masters.
She then prepared a meal for the staff with what was left, but naturally, the food was woefully insufficient.
"What is this? You expect us to work after eating just this one bowl of soup? Do you think gardening is a joke?"
"Is this bread from yesterday? It’s hard and tough."
At the grumbling, annoyance filled Emma’s face. She handed the ladle she was holding to another maid and stomped up to the first floor.
"I’ll have to give that grocer a piece of my mind."
She needed to tell the butler to contact the village grocer immediately and refill the empty pantry. Just as she was looking for the butler, she heard voices, and a familiar man dismounted from his horse. It was the very grocer she had intended to call.
"You!"
Emma approached him aggressively, pointing a finger and shouting.
"Are you out of your mind? You didn't send any supplies all week? Do you have any idea what kind of trouble you’ll be in if there’s a problem with the Countess and the young ladies' meals because of you!"
Emma naturally expected the merchant to bow his head and beg for forgiveness, saying he had committed a grave sin and to let it slide just this once. Instead, he glanced at Emma once and tried to walk into the manor.
"What is this? Can’t you hear me? Can’t you go back to the village right now and bring the supplies?"
"Keep it down. I didn't come to see you. Where is the butler, or no—where is that Mr. Yuri?"
"Yuri? Ah, Mikhail’s subordinate. Why are you looking for him?"
"Why, you ask? He paid every week like clockwork, but for the last two weeks, the money stopped coming, so I’m looking for him. I won't be bringing any new supplies until I get those two weeks' worth of payment, so pay up right now. Mr. Yuri! Mr. Yuri! Where are you!"
"Hey, what kind of rudeness is this! Can’t you be quiet!"
Startled by the commotion, the butler ran out, and Yuri told him that he had returned to Sokolov and was not at the manor. The merchant then raised his voice, saying he didn't care about that and demanded the money immediately. Only after the butler paid him did he stop shouting. He then declared that from now on, he would require payment in advance.
Neither the butler nor Emma could understand the merchant's behavior. What kind of place did he think this was to act so vulgar? To scream and cause a scene like a common street thug at Edenhurst just because he hadn't been paid for two weeks. Besides, transactions for a manor of this size were usually calculated on a monthly basis. Sometimes, they even settled several months at once.
"Who do you think will continue to trade with you? Do you think you can just ignore the Lauderdale family and keep doing business?"
When Emma said this to the grocer as he climbed onto his horse, he pulled on the reins and scoffed.
"I heard the family was on the verge of ruin, but look at you putting on airs. I’m just glad I heard the news early. I wonder if the guys coming after me will even get paid at all."
The grocer scoffed and rode away. Emma coughed at the dust kicked up by the horse and brushed off her clothes.
"That rude bastard! How dare he!"
A few years ago, the Countess had transferred the ownership of the land, so the village was no longer part of the Edenhurst estate. Even so, they were people who had paid taxes to the Lauderdale family for decades; how could they act like this?
"Where did they hear such belated news to act like this!"
There had been a brief moment of danger last winter, but that was all in the past now. Yet, to hear those rumors and reveal such a vulgar true nature now. Emma glared at the disappearing merchant and went to ask the butler.
"Butler. Please change our supplier. Even if it takes a bit longer, I think we should ask the neighboring village."
"I shall do so. But really, what a mess this is... It’s fortunate the Countess is out in the garden and didn't hear this."
The butler also glared at the path where the merchant had vanished. Then, he thought of his own money he had just paid the merchant.
'Come to think of it, I haven't heard from Mr. Yuri.'
He had said he would return soon after going to Sokolov with Mikhail, but there had been no word from Yuri yet. Furthermore...
'Recently, there have been no replies to the young ladies' letters either.'
Since Mikhail had left, the Countess, Elizabeth, and Catherine had each written him letters. The first letter had arrived with a reply in scented, high-quality stationery along with gifts for the three of them. But that was it; no other letters came.
'He must be very busy.'
According to the Countess, it seemed that the date and venue for Mikhail and Elizabeth’s wedding were all that remained to be decided.
The butler remembered what Yuri had whispered to him the night before he left. He had said the butler at the Sokolov manor was quite incompetent, and that he wished the butler would come to Sokolov instead. He had added that Mikhail was very pleased with how he managed the manor.
Yuri had then mentioned a salary more than five times what he was currently receiving. When the butler looked surprised, Yuri had laughed and subtly mocked him, saying if he was shocked by that much, he wouldn't be able to survive life in Sokolov. But he hadn't felt offended. It was a future he would soon have in his hands.
'Once that time comes...'
If he waited just a little longer, Mikhail and Yuri would return. Then, they would immediately repay the pittance he had just paid the merchant, and perhaps his loyalty in serving his masters would be recognized, leading him to become the butler of Sokolov even sooner. And perhaps, eventually, he could become the butler of an even more prestigious noble family...
The butler turned around, lost in pleasant daydreams. First, he had to contact a grocer in another village.
***
"Look at this! Valentina must be dying of jealousy!"
Catherine giggled on her bed, looking at the letter from her friend in her hand. The head maid next to her told her to behave with more decorum, but it didn't reach Catherine's ears.
Lately, every day was enjoyable for Catherine. After Mikhail’s visit, her mother had once again begun inviting people from the capital, just as she used to. Thanks to that, Catherine was able to have proper clothes made for the first time in years.
'And twenty of them for each season, at that!'
She had never even had that many made when her father was alive. At first, her mother had told her to only get three of each. Catherine had glanced at her mother and said:
"We’ll have many occasions to go to the capital once we go to Sokolov, so why only three? I’ll be visiting friends' houses often, I’ll be making my formal debut, and I’ll be invited to tea parties and banquets—three is nowhere near enough. What would people say if I wore the same dress twice?"
At Catherine’s words, the Countess thought for a moment and nodded.
"There is logic in what you say. If we wait until we go to Sokolov to have them made, it will take time. And there are so many places we need to visit right away. Let’s just have them all made now."
The Countess readily accepted Catherine’s request. At the same time, she ordered Elizabeth to order even more banquet dresses.
In the past, she would have worried about money first, but it didn't matter now. The Countess had listened to Mikhail and realized his wealth was far beyond what she had imagined. They said he had more money than the Imperial family. Since he would soon be marrying Elizabeth, he would be responsible for the Lauderdale family’s finances as well. If that was the case, it was better to order to her heart's content now rather than worry about it after the wedding.
The one thrilled by this was the madam of the dress shop. She had them try on the samples and clothes she brought, taking measurements while sharing the latest news from the capital. At the same time, she didn't forget to shower the Countess and her daughters with flattery.
"I heard that good things are being discussed with Mr. Mikhail Sokolov. Please be sure to look for me again for the clothes for the auspicious day. But truly, congratulations. Many people wanted Mr. Mikhail, but in truth, everyone just clung to him, and he never reached out to anyone first. Well, I suppose it’s only natural for Miss Elizabeth. You were chosen as the Rose Queen at your debut, weren't you?"
The madam’s sweet voice continued endlessly, but neither the Countess nor Elizabeth stopped her.
After the clothing orders were finished, the three of them checked the letters that had arrived from relatives and friends in the capital and wrote replies. As if the rumors had already spread, letters arrived not only from relatives who hadn't written before but even from people with whom they had lost contact. Catherine wrote to a friend who had been sending her letters of pity, telling her that she had received mountains of items from Ilenka from Mikhail Sokolov. She felt it was fine to let them know about the relationship between her sister and Mikhail now.
As expected, letters from friends poured in. It went beyond that; some even wrote asking if they could come to visit Edenhurst right away.
'Of course, I politely declined.'
Catherine recalled the list of high-ranking noble families she had seen in magazines. It would be good to associate with people from such families now. Of course, she didn't know what they would say about Mikhail’s background, but he would soon be a Count, and she would be the daughter of the wealthiest noble family in the Empire.
Catherine got up from the bed, went to her desk, and took out a women’s magazine from the capital that she had been hiding from her mother. The magazine contained detailed information about the latest rising shops, as well as people and goods.
Catherine took out some stationery and began writing a letter to Mikhail. She asked him to make reservations for her at these places when she went up to the capital with her sister. He would surely grant her request. There was no way he would refuse a request from the sister of his future wife.
*** The last person to notice the change was Anastasia. It was only natural, as her meals were now brought to her room twice a day by a maid, and she had naturally come to eat alone in her room. While it was nice to be able to eat quietly in a sunlit room without having to worry about others, she could no longer hear the servants’ conversations.
The channel through which she could hear news of the world had vanished, but Anastasia did not feel it was a loss.
After placing her finished meal on the cart outside, Anastasia left the manor, still wearing several layers of clothing. Perhaps it was because the Countess had moved her to a different room than before. Although the servants of the manor still ignored her, they no longer looked at her with overt contempt. Thanks to this, Anastasia was able to walk along the path under the sunlight and head toward the forest.
Entering the forest and arriving at her sanctuary, the ruined chapel, she immediately looked under the stone chair. That spot, the safest and most comfortable place in the ruined chapel, was covered with straw, fallen leaves, and old, ragged clothes. These were what Anastasia used as a bed when she was here.
As she pushed them aside, the still-beautiful red box was revealed. Anastasia sat on the chair and stroked the box.
‘I wish he would return soon.’
He had said he would come back. So, she had to wait.
Anastasia knelt in the center of the chapel and began to pray. Ever since her mind had found peace, Anastasia had revived memories from long ago to offer a proper prayer. It was a very long prayer that began with a prayer text, confessed her sins, sang hymns, and earnestly begged and begged for what she desired.
The prayer text she had memorized while being beaten by her father still remained in her mind. A smile never left Anastasia’s lips as she prayed.
Oh, God. Please protect Mikhail. And please let him return soon.
The prayer continued until the sun began to set.
Realizing that it was late, Anastasia hid the box back under the clothes and returned to the manor. If she went back to her room, a maid would bring her dinner. However, as she approached the manor, she heard a loud commotion.
"Pay back the money!"
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