Episode 164. Experience (5)

Fortunately, Winnie’s residence had been moved into the castle before Edward returned. So, there was no pressure to visit Winnie. Monica, after quickly washing up and changing into casual clothes, headed to the largest of the guest rooms-Winnie’s room.

Beolkeok-

“Winnie! …She’s not here?”

Usually, she’s up to something until dawn every day, then sleeps in late every morning. Did she really change her lifestyle after having a baby? Winnie was nowhere to be seen in the room, let alone lying in bed. As if to make up for it, maids had started cleaning the room early in the morning… and among them was ‘that maid,’ supervising them.

“Ahem. You there.”

“Did you call, Count-nim?”

‘That maid,’ who had shared skin with Edward. Originally, Monica remembered the names of every single servant and called them by name, but doing so to this maid felt like admitting defeat for some reason, so she called out without using a title. ‘That maid,’ who had been politely bowing her head, answered her call with courtesy. Monica didn’t like it one bit.

That unreadable expression. Those unwavering eyes. Pretending to be polite and exemplary on the outside. But behind the scenes, she not only seduced her husband but also made him do all sorts of perverted and strange things. Thinking about it made it seem like the corners of her lips were slightly raised, mocking her… To prevent herself from becoming twisted, Monica took a deep breath and asked again.

“Do you know where Winnie Melbourne is?”

“…I have not heard anything about that.”

“Hmm… is that so?”

Hearing the answer ‘I don’t know,’ Monica closed her eyes and pondered. If she kept looking at that face, she felt like she would find fault with things that didn’t make sense, like, ‘Why are you pretending not to know when you do?’ or ‘Are you deceiving me right now?’ If she weren’t her mother’s favorite maid, she would have just… Ehyu, why did Edward have to pick someone like this?

She slightly opened her eyes and scanned her surroundings. There were so many maids. Why did he have to pick the woman she had the hardest time dealing with, making her head ache? Hmm… Was it because she had the biggest breasts? Among them, the one with the closest to Monica’s own large breasts was ‘that maid.’ Men all liked big breasts, they said… Or perhaps he liked her mother more? Monica was lost in pointless thoughts when she made eye contact with a maid who was mopping the floor.

Ttak-

“What is it?”

“Ehh? Yes?”

“Do you have something to say?”

A young maid was terrified when she made eye contact with Monica, who was in a bad mood. Was her expression that bad? She tried to relax her expression as much as possible, softly, again.

“Do you have something to say?”

“It seems like you’re looking for Melbourne, Jajak-nim…”

The young maid glanced slightly to Monica’s side. Was she reading ‘that maid’s’ face right now? In front of her, a Countess? Feeling unpleasant, she looked at her, but ‘that maid’ still showed no change in expression. Thinking she was just imagining things, Monica softly asked the maid again.

“Yes. Do you know where she went?”

“Yes, she… said she was going home to get something…”

“Okay, thank you for telling me.”

There was a child who knew, but she didn’t even try to find out, and her neck was so stiff that all she could say was, ‘I have not heard anything about that.’ It felt presumptuous, but there was no clear reason to pick a fight, which made her even more annoyed.

“But Melbourne…”

“That is what I heard, Countess-nim. I am glad if I was of help.”

“Huh?”

Now she was interrupting even her words, not just her speech? How dare she?

“What are you doing while I’m talking?”

“…It was a coincidence.”

A coincidence. It was possible to overlap when trying to speak, but no matter how she thought about it, it felt like ‘that maid’ had interrupted the young maid’s words. As if there was something she shouldn’t know, and she was afraid she would blurt it out without realizing it. As proof, the young maid, who was about to say something more to Monica,

“I, I definitely heard… that is what I was going to say.”

Hwik-

With these anticlimactic words, she closed her mouth. Monica turned around sharply, but ‘that maid’ showed no emotion on her face, so she had no grounds to pursue it further. Saying more would only hurt her feelings and damage her dignity as a noble and superior, so Monica left. The words that continued to annoy her were a bonus.

“How about having a meal before you leave?”

“Don’t meddle presumptuously.”

“…I apologize.”

Since she wasn’t there anyway, she probably went to her house. Monica thought that she should have just guessed and gone, instead of asking and feeling bad. But she couldn’t vent her bad mood on someone other than the cause of it. She couldn’t bring this bad mood with her to see her friend, especially when she was about to ask Winnie for a difficult favor.

‘Hmm? Here…’

Monica hadn’t used it much before, so she didn’t know, but the scenery outside the corridor leading to Winnie’s Melbourne mansion was quite nice. Thanks to the low winter sun, the atmosphere wasn’t gloomy, and it was a good day for a walk. Edward and the other knights would take off their shirts and train in this kind of weather, they said.

And as if on cue, the training ground that Edward used came into view. The spacious clearing in a slightly secluded area that Edward said he liked. There were many better spots, so she felt bad for giving him a bad spot, but she had reluctantly agreed because he said it was comfortable for him. There was still some time before lunchtime, so her husband was probably swinging his sword here-

‘…He’s not here?’

Her husband was gone again, and the dusty clearing was empty. No, it wasn’t neatly organized. And seeing that the sword she had gifted him, which he had used several times in actual combat and praised as a perfect fit, was there, it seemed like he had just stepped away for a moment.

‘Did he go to the bathroom or something?’

She thought about just seeing his face and leaving, so she waited for a bit, but her husband didn’t return. Well, what she was about to do was something she was trying to do without her husband’s knowledge. Her goal was to increase her stamina without Edward knowing, so that by the time of the next, or maybe the one after that, he returned from deployment, she would be the woman he desired. If she reached that point… he wouldn’t need another woman.

Following the flat promenade paved with cobblestones, she headed towards the Melbourne mansion, which was currently unoccupied. Well, Winnie would be there now, but Winnie had been staying at the castle lately.

‘What did Winnie go to get?’

Did she leave something behind? She had written down everything she needed on paper and checked it several times before moving it all. Anyway, her friend was known for being clumsy. If she really needed something, she could have asked someone to bring it, but she insisted on going herself with a baby… Or was there something that important?

Monica wondered what kind of secret item it was that she had to sneak out early in the morning to get. Soon, the promenade ended, and the Melbourne mansion appeared, looking exactly as it had on Winnie’s moving day a few days ago.

With familiar steps, she crossed the gate and stood in front of the main door.

Kongkongkong-

A light knock.

No response from inside.

Deolkeongdeolkeong-

‘It’s locked?’

What kind of important secret was this? Winnie usually left the door unlocked, asking her to come wake her up. Her curiosity grew more and more. But she had prepared something for times like this…

‘The lock is the same as the old one~’

It was the spare key to the Melbourne mansion. Winnie had always been clumsy and constantly losing things. Once, she lost her house key and couldn’t find it, so she was scolded by her mother and received a new key. Later, Monica found the original key in Yulstein Castle and kept it, intending to use it for a prank someday… It was useful in times like this.

Kkiik-

Monica lightly unlocked the door and went inside. Winnie only used the innermost room anyway, so there was nothing to see in the other rooms. Winnie’s room had a slight gap, letting a ray of sunlight into the dark hallway. Heuheung. Monica, intending to surprise her friend, tiptoed quietly, but a sound she never expected to hear froze her in place.

“Haaht, euung❤”

The sweet voice of her close friend, a voice she never imagined she would hear. If she had only heard this voice, she would have simply thought, ‘Winnie is finally meeting her husband!’ and quietly retreated, not wanting to disturb their time. But the sound mixed in with the high-pitched female moans kept bothering her.

“Haa… haa…”

A very familiar, deep, and pleasant voice. The rough breathing of a man, sounding excited.

No way.

No, it can’t be.

She kept denying it.

She shouldn’t look. She should just believe it wasn’t true. She screamed in her head.

But the suspicion that had been dormant in her heart since her mother received her marriage proposal awakened.

And although she knew she would regret it, she couldn’t resist her curiosity. She put her eye to the crack in the door.