Chapter 5: RMTOP

Chapter 05

This was his fourth marriage, and his two daughters were older than Diane.

Even so, Lady Selden—who had lived her entire life within high society—seemed to sincerely think that Louis Boden was not such a bad match. After all, noble marriages were essentially contracts between families.

Diane had once thought the same.

She believed she had an obligation to marry a man chosen by her family.

That was what she truly believed—until she was sent to a mental hospital.

“Diane, I’m leaving.”

Her mother had left home that day as usual.

The news of her accident was shocking.

“I’ll be back soon, Diane. It’s just a night walk. Nothing will happen.”

Her father’s death—who had gone out late at night saying he only needed some air—felt like a betrayal.

Her distant relatives, Walter and Maria, never felt like family. They were simply people trying to solve their growing debts by using her value.

And when their plans were at risk, they slapped her, and sent her to a mental hospital until she “came to her senses.”

A gray cell with no windows.

The stench of strong medicine and mold.

Her limbs bound to the bed, her mind growing hazy.

Even a sane person would go mad in such a place.

Diane realized that the name “Rockwood” no longer protected her.

Her mother who followed her father into death, the greedy new count couple, Louis Boden who never stopped sending marriage proposals—everything felt hateful and unbearable.

So she abandoned her duty.

The honor and legacy of the family—she no longer cared. There was only one thing Diane wanted.

Peace.

So she formed a polite smile and lied.

“I think so too.”

Then she moved to the main point.

“Lady Selden, would it be possible for me to rely on you during this social season?”

Lady Selden’s eyes widened in surprise.

“The social season? You mean…”

“If my engagement with Mr. Boden is settled, I will soon be married. Before that, I thought I should build connections within Brit’s high society. But as you know, the new Count and Countess only recently inherited their title and are not familiar with social circles.”

“That’s true. They probably don’t know a single person in Brit.”

“It would be difficult to consult them, and the social season is just around the corner while they are currently traveling. In this situation, the only person who can help me is you, Lady Selden.”

Lady Selden lowered her gaze in thought.

Poor Diane still seemed unable to rely on her new guardians. Thinking back, those two indeed lacked proper refinement.

How lonely she must have been all this time.

Feeling a faint sense of guilt as her godmother, Lady Selden finally raised her head with determination.

“As your godmother, I have never properly fulfilled my role until now. If I can make up for it, there would be nothing that would make me happier.”

She no longer wanted to leave Diane unattended. It was time to fulfill her duty.

Diane widened her eyes slightly in surprise, then slowly smiled.

“Thank you very much, Madam.”

Seeing her flawless composure, Lady Selden smiled warmly.

At the same time, she was already mentally listing the people she needed to write to in order to introduce Diane into society.

Diane seemed to have recovered completely from that tragedy, and people needed to know it.

Meanwhile, Ellie—who had been listening to their conversation—was growing uneasy.

What is the young lady thinking?

Stealing glances at Diane, who calmly sipped her tea with perfect composure, Ellie felt an increasingly ominous premonition.

Diane’s disappearance was going to last far longer than she had expected.

At the central train station, another train arrived with a heavy whistle, releasing thick black smoke.

As soon as the doors opened, passengers poured out as if they had been waiting. The crowd of people greeting them quickly filled the platform.

Julian, wearing his hat low, merged into the flowing crowd and was pushed along as he exited the station. He stopped near a passage after passing those waiting in line for carriages.

Leaning against a wall as if waiting for someone, people in fresh clothes passed endlessly in front of him. Occasionally, armed police patrols stopped them and demanded identification.

Brit, filled with the spirit of spring, was still a lively city—but clearly more tense than before due to the serial murder case.

“What a mess.”

Julian muttered indifferently and reached into his pocket, pulling out a silver cigarette case. He lowered his head, took out a cigarette, and lit it—when something fluttering caught his eye.

A white mansion, green lawn, cobalt-blue sea.

It was a postcard of Windbury.

Come to think of it, he had bought something like this.

Was that why the woman’s eyes had felt so familiar?

A thought crossed his mind.

Then, along with those vivid blue eyes, a cold voice replayed in his head.

“Madam, I am not this gentleman’s companion. Please take him with you.”

The most firm and solemn voice he had ever heard from a lady.

“Do you know me?”

That expressionless face, that irritated and exhausted voice.

And those frightened eyes.

By the time he realized something was wrong, it was already too late.

The woman’s retreating figure had looked far too fragile.

Julian had tried to follow her immediately, but Lady Stroth had grabbed his arm and delayed him long enough to lose her.

There had been no news of a young woman found collapsed anywhere.

And yet, she lingered in his mind.

Those eyes. That unusually blue gaze.

Julian frowned and flicked his lighter. A flame sparked, the cigarette tip glowed red, and pale smoke spread into the air. He inhaled deeply, then exhaled like a sigh. Smoke drifted into Brit’s unusually blue sky.

Watching the hazy sky, he slightly furrowed his brow.

Suddenly, on a whim, he pulled out the postcard again and stuffed it back into his pocket.

At that moment, a carriage with no markings stopped in front of him.

“Captain. Welcome back to your homeland. Lady Clemens is waiting for you.”

Julian Harber began his slightly early summer leave.

It was due to a summons from the Marchioness Clemens.

He would have preferred to refuse the invitation, but he had no choice but to step into the carriage.

Just like that, the woman he had suddenly remembered was forgotten again.

As expected of a great noble family of the capital, the Clemens Marquisate stood in the heart of the city yet boasted an enormous estate.

It had once been his home, but now everything felt unfamiliar.

“This way, Captain.”

The butler guiding him looked vaguely familiar—perhaps he had been serving there for over ten years.

“My lady, Captain Julian Harber has arrived.”

Ironically, the Marchioness’s reception room was the most familiar space to him.

The Marchioness sat like a painting in the seat of honor on the sofa, as always.

A faint smile that revealed nothing of her thoughts—like a mask. She was an ordinary-looking noblewoman.

But whenever she faced Julian, her expression always hardened into contempt.

Of course, there was no reason for her to be kind to her husband’s illegitimate son.