Chapter 11

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As soon as Eliana arrived at the Baron’s mansion, she ran into Karman Hunter. He had an attitude as if he had been waiting for her.

“Where did you go?”

“Bookstore.”

Eliana answered indifferently and passed him by. Complete indifference was the answer to a man named Karman Hunter.

A man who disguised his lover as a foster daughter and changed his wife three times, was a lousy b*stard. It was absurd that such a man would become the new head of the Hunter family. 

Eliana remembered the head of the Hunter family, who would be paying attention to her steps. 

He must have known the existence of Sharchen and was trying to get rid of it. Is he her husband’s enemy?

Is he on her side? Eliana was choosing the next opponent to reach through Gillian.

It had to be that person. Eliana was spinning her head like a treadmill and taking her steps when Karman’s voice caught her.

“We’re not going to this party together.” 

“Didn’t you say that already?”

“I meant you can’t ride in the same carriage with us, and you can’t enter in the name of the Hunter.”

Eliana was a little perplexed. Those words were tantamount to a declaration that the Hunter family would not officially help her socialize. Eliana lowered her eyebrows and looked at Karman.

“Karman, it seems you are always interested in insulting me.” 

“Don’t say nonsense.”

“Did you really have to say that here? Right now, when I came back from going out after enduring loneliness and abandonment in this mansion?”

“You are a woman who knows nothing about loneliness.”

“Who said that? Sharchen?”

“Eliana, don’t use Sharchen’s name recklessly…”

“Or is it you? Either way, both of you are cold hearted. I live here alone here with no one on my side. But I don’t know about loneliness?”

Eliana smiled as if she was sad. It was a smile that was half sincere. Karman’s lips flinched and he couldn’t speak. 

Eliana pretended to be as miserable as possible. Some of the guards guarding this place now were guard Joseph’s friends. 

Then she needed to show her pitiful appearance. What moved Josef was his loyalty to the wretched Baroness who was no different from his situation. Eliana knew it was a very useful card for her.

She opened her mouth, thinking of Joseph rather than Karman or Sharchen.

“I’m going to stop talking wastefully. Unlike you, I do not want to embarrass you, the face of this mansion.”

“…I don’t mean to embarrass you.”

“Then why are you going to let your poor wife enter the social world alone? I’m already rumored to be a vicious stepmother, so everyone who loves Sharchen will look down on me.”

“…..”

“The Baron is well aware that the social world is like a battlefield for noble women. If you don’t want to embarrass me by telling me to fight with bare hands like that, then what is it?“

“You’re so good at talking. You pretend to be so desperate and say such nonsense…..!!”

Karman said as if it had exploded. With his raised voice, the people inside the mansion had gathered a little more. Among them was Sharchen. She may have been hiding somewhere from the beginning. Eliana continued, barely swallowing a snort.

“For the Baron, it seems that I am less trustworthy than the dirty and vain rumors.” 

“Now, look at your clothes again and tell me.”

“What’s wrong with my clothes? Have you ever gifted me clothes? Have you ever told me what to wear? You just threaten me not to get close to Sharchen!” 

Eliana’s voice cut through the air as sharp as a blade. But it also sounded so lonely. Eliana looked directly at Karman with tears in her eyes and continued.

“You open your ears only to those who slander me and attack me.”

“….”

“The Baron told me that I’m nothing. I will think of you that way too, so no more.”

“…”

Eliana looked into the eyes of the guards and the maids one by one with eyes filled with tears. Then, finally, she made eye contact with Sharchen.

“In front of so many people……”

“….”

“Don’t trample me. Even if the Baron doesn’t, I’m humiliated enough.”

“You are misinterpreting everything I say.”

Sharchen, who was reading Karman’s countenance, opened her mouth.

“Really, ma’am. Don’t misunderstand the Baron’s words. It was all my fault.” 

“Sharchen, it’s not for you to apologize. Eliana was the only one who misunderstood.”

Eliana chuckled, ‘Ha,’ and smirked. Then she spoke helplessly.

“Ask your servants. What I’ve been struggling with.”

Eliana said while looking at Karman. Tears in her eyes dripped down her face. There were no fake tears. Eliana was furious. Shewas horribly frustrated with each and every day of the barony that would have to be thoroughly and daily broken if she did not have such a strong heart. Eliana couldn’t turn back. There were sick parents and younger siblings to care for. She will thoroughly trample on this funny love game. Eliana’s tears originated from her determination.

Karman shuts his mouth as he sees the tears dripping from Eliana’s big eyes. There seemed to be no more words to say.

Eliana bowed down to greet Karman and uttered her last words. 

“I understand well about the party. Excuse me first.”

As she straightened up, Benny naturally came to her side and supported her.

This time, Eliana’s body was really shaking. Her legs trembled from anger, and her body had lost its strength. Eliana smiled softly at Benny and headed to the room with a helpless expression. It was the room of a baroness who only existed in name. Sharchen glanced at Eliana with sharp eyes. Eliana walked towards her room without even giving her a glance.

“Don’t be shaken, just go forward. Eliana.”

As Benny whispered quietly, tears fell from the corners of Eliana’s eyes. Those words weren’t just about the steps towards her room now. It also meant the path that Eliana had to take.

Eliana kept her back straight. She went into the baroness’s room without looking back. The guards and servants left in the hallway could not even whisper carelessly.

Karman looked only at Eliana’s back until she disappeared completely. Only Sharchen’s eyes were busily moving between Eliana and Karman.

***

As soon as Eliana arrived in the room, she washed off her makeup and changed into a comfortable indoor dress. In the meantime, Benny and Lujan were preparing dinner for her. Eliana had no appetite, but there was only one thing she wanted to eat.

It was potato soup. Potatoes were good for feeling full and cheap, so they were a common ingredient in the Rose family. However, Benny’s expression didn’t look good whenever she served it as a main dish for the whole family.

There was a time when the two of them made a promise together while crying, saying that one day they would definitely cook a better dish, such as a big turkey or shiny deer.

However, contrary to their promise, the family gradually declined, and later, eating potatoes became a luxury. Since then, she had been eating potato soup. But it was too watery to be a soup. A slippery, warm water that smelled just like potatoes. Eliana told  Benny she wanted to eat it.

Benny, who was quick-witted, brought potato soup along with a pretty nice dinner. It was a soup she made herself. It was much better than what they had eaten in the past, but it was shabby compared to the other dishes served together.

Eliana performed in front of Lujan and Benny. A sad expression while her hands shook gently.

“I don’t want to eat.”

“How about some soup?”

“Take everything away. I don’t want to eat it.”

Benny told Lujan to clean up the rest with the other maids, as she will try to make Eliana eat the soup somehow.

Lujan said she understood and started to carry food away. As she was about to leave after clearing the plates, Eliana said, blinking her long eyelashes slowly.

“Lujan.”

“Yes, madam.”

“Don’t let today’s events leak out of the mansion. This is my sincerity without any intentions. It’s not helpful to the Sharchen you serve, to the Baron, or to me.” 

Lujan’s eyes shook. She had never seen Eliana struggling so much.

Lujan replied that she understood and left the room. Everything was cleared out but some grapes, some almonds, and some potato soup remained. 

Eliana looked out the window until the door closed, with a pitiful expression on her face. Then, when the sound of footsteps completely disappeared, she started drinking potato soup. It wasn’t the same as in the old days, but the way she ate it with a relaxed and free manner wasn’t at all like a Baroness should.

She scooped out the soup with a spoon and drank it. The thin soup had the same taste as Benny had made.

“Eat slowly, Ellie.”

“I was hungry. It would have been nice if we could eat the bread we used to eat together.”

“If we had continued to eat that bread, everyone in the Rose family would have broken their teeth and live only with their gums.”

At Benny’s words, Eliana burst into laughter. The only bread that could be bought at a low price were hard ones. No matter how hot the soup was, the bread didn’t get soft enough, and after eating it, their jaws hurt. Still, even though it was difficult to eat, it was good to be able to eat a little bit.

To Eliana, the bread and potato soup meant poison. That was the reason she had to survive in this mansion. Eliana, who had somewhat filled her stomach, came to her senses and looked at Benny.

“Benny.”

“Yes.” 

“Spread the rumor that the Baroness enforced strict enforcement on today’s affairs. If necessary it’s okay to scold or punish someone.”

“Are you going to use it in reverse?”

Eliana nodded her head. Then she picked up a large, colorful grape.

“Originally, if you tell the top not to do it, the bottom ones will want to do more.”

Eliana smiled softly. She knew the psychology well, starting from the bottom. She was even looking forward to it. Rumors of a tragic Baroness will be exaggerated and inflated as if it had wings and spread around the barony.