The Serpent of Paradise - Chapter 15

The maids supported Anastasia as they took her upstairs. Though it was called supporting her, it was actually closer to grabbing her arms from both sides and dragging her along. Unable to move properly because of the bandage wrapped tightly around one foot, Anastasia’s leg dragged across the carpet. They took her to the room in the farthest corner of the third floor, the highest floor of the mansion.

Though it was in a remote corner, it was still a room in the main building, so it was just as neat as any of the other guest rooms. It was also the room farthest from Mikhail’s room on the second floor.

Once the door closed, the maids released her arms, and Anastasia staggered before sinking to the floor. Anastasia was thinking that even the carpet was soft when she realized the countess was still in the room and hurriedly prostrated herself.

‘I’m going to be punished.’

In the past, the countess had even ordered a servant to whip her. But this time, Anastasia had committed an offense incomparably greater than that one, so she couldn’t even imagine what sort of punishment awaited her. After staring at Anastasia for a long while, the countess finally spoke.

“I won’t punish you separately.”

“…!”

Startled by words completely unlike what she’d expected, Anastasia raised her head. Blue eyes were looking at her. Eyes of a blue similar to Mikhail’s. But the emotions within them were entirely different.

“There’s no need for unpleasant noises before an important occasion. So I’ll overlook the commotion you caused this time.”

“Thank… you.”

When Anastasia lowered her forehead to the floor and prostrated herself, faint contempt once again flashed across the countess’s face. Even servants didn’t prostrate themselves and beg like this. And something like this bore the Lauderdale name.

If she could do as she pleased, she would have Anastasia disowned, strip her of the Lauderdale name, and send her far away. But that authority belonged to the Count of Lauderdale. It wasn’t something the countess or Elizabeth could do.

The countess turned and ordered the head maid, “See to it that there are no further problems until our guest leaves.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

As though she wanted to spend no more time there, the countess left, and the head maid gave instructions to the maids. Before long, a bathtub was brought into the room adjoining the one where Anastasia would stay and filled with warm water. Realizing they intended to bathe her, Anastasia hurriedly said, “I’ll do it. I can do it by myself.”

“We must finish quickly. Please remain still.”

“I really can finish quickly. So….”

When Anastasia proved more unwilling to relent than expected, the head maid sighed. The countess had entrusted Anastasia to them, but frankly, she was irritated that she herself had been made to come and tend to her. They were already overwhelmed because of the guest, and now she had to take care of this wench as well.

In the end, the head maid decided to compromise with reality. She called over a young maid and said, “Starting today, you will attend to Miss Anastasia.”

“What? Me? But I’ve only done cleaning until now….”

“It won’t be difficult. If there’s anything you don’t know, ask the maids who attend Miss Elizabeth or Miss Catherine.”

“Yes….”

Realizing that the head maid had no intention of withdrawing the order, the young maid hung her head.

“The water has already been prepared, so help Miss Anastasia bathe on your own. And make sure she doesn’t leave this room until she has fully recovered.”

“…Yes.”

Seeing that the maid still seemed dissatisfied with her assignment, the head maid inwardly clicked her tongue and coaxed her.

“Once this matter is over, I’ll tell Madam about your hard work and see that you’re given the Edenhurst name, so do your best.”

“Yes? Truly? Thank you!”

At the promise that she would be given the Edenhurst name, the maid immediately brightened as though her displeasure had never existed and bowed. Once the head maid took the other maids downstairs, the young maid approached Anastasia and said, “Miss, I’ll bathe you first, so stay still and behave. Understood?”

Her tone was insolent beyond measure, but Anastasia could only nod.

***

After Anastasia was taken to the room prepared for her upstairs, the mansion regained its former calm. Since she remained holed up in a corner of the third floor and never came out anyway, everyone soon forgot that Anastasia was even staying in the main building.

The servants weren’t the only ones with time on their hands. Mikhail lay sprawled across a sofa, grumbling, “To think there isn’t a single horse to ride. What kind of situation is this?”

Edenhurst had only horses harnessed to carriages and horses used to pull freight wagons. There were no horses suitable for riding. He was told that after the count died in a riding accident, the countess had gotten rid of all of them. Because of that, Mikhail had no choice but to spend most of his time around the mansion.

Igor, who knew how tirelessly Mikhail moved about all day when he was at Sokolov, asked, “Shall I go buy a horse?”

“Do you think the countess would stand for that?”

At Mikhail’s sarcastic response, Igor added, “The butler would make a fuss, and so would the head maid.” Irritation tinged Igor’s voice.

Igor didn’t like the Edenhurst mansion. Not the building, but the people inside it. More precisely, those who had no idea how the world worked and were so intoxicated by the hollow glory of nobility that they thought themselves important, along with the servants beneath them who believed they were superior as well.

“When are you going to Sokolov?”

Igor missed Sokolov. A city of freedom, a city of trade, and a city that was kind to those with talent. Gunshots rang out and knife fights broke out from time to time, but that too was part of Sokolov’s charm.

When Igor spoke glumly, looking as though he hadn’t seen his mother in years, Mikhail clicked his tongue.

“So impatient.”

“I’m beginning to miss the restaurants in Sokolov.”

“How old are you, whining over food?”

“Then I’ll go buy a horse. I’ll bring back a good one.”

“If Yuri heard that, he’d ask whether we had money to burn.”

“We do, so it doesn’t matter.”

“Is it your money?”

“We’ve known each other for a long time now. You should start sharing some of it with me.”

While Mikhail indulged Igor’s silly whining, the sound of carriages came from outside. Hearing several of them, Mikhail stood and patted Igor on the shoulder.

“It seems the things I ordered have arrived. You look bored, so come along.”

When the two men went to the entrance, Yuri was already outside inspecting the items being unloaded from the carriages. Upon seeing the splendid carriages from the capital, which hardly looked like freight wagons, all the mansion’s servants poured outside to watch.

“It’s been a long time, Lord Mikhail.”

A middle-aged man stepped down from the ornate carriage that had accompanied the freight wagons and bowed politely to Mikhail. While the servants wondered who he was, the head maid came outside and looked troubled by the growing piles of goods.

“Lord Mikhail, what is all this…?”

“Although it wasn’t intentional, we caused a disturbance while caring for Miss Anastasia. I ordered gifts for the countess and the other young ladies to apologize. See that they’re put away.”

“Even so, piling all this up without saying a word….”

Just then, footsteps sounded on the stairs, and Catherine appeared.

“What is all this?”

She gazed rapturously at the growing pile of gifts, then caught sight of the carriages outside and ran out, overcome with excitement.

“My goodness, that’s Ilenka!”

Ilenka was an enormous trading company in the capital. Its shop was frequented mainly by members of the imperial family and high-ranking nobles, and it procured anything its distinguished patrons desired. Its merchandise ranged from ladies’ hats and jewelry boxes to rare animals from foreign lands. Even in the magazines Catherine secretly obtained behind her mother’s back, the place was described as a realm of dreams. Since no one could even enter without an invitation, ordinary nobles were said to dream of being invited inside by a great noble and purchasing something there.

And such a place had sent two entire freight wagons? When every single item it carried was said to boast an exorbitant price?

While Catherine was unable to conceal her surprise and delight, the middle-aged man who had exchanged greetings with Mikhail approached them. Mikhail introduced him naturally to Catherine.

“Miss Catherine, this is Ivan Vasilyevich Chicherin, the proprietor of Ilenka. Vanya, this is Miss Catherine Lauderdale, the second daughter of the Count of Lauderdale.”

Vanya? Catherine’s eyes shone even brighter when she heard Mikhail address Ivan by an affectionate nickname. He was close enough to the proprietor of an extraordinary establishment like Ilenka to call him by a nickname. Moreover, Ivan, who appeared to be twice Mikhail’s age to anyone who saw them, was bowing his head to him.

‘I heard even members of the imperial family have difficulty summoning Ivan Chicherin….’

Because he traveled constantly between different countries and dealt exclusively in luxury goods, he was said to spend few days in Novgod. Even when he was there, he was busy answering the summons of members of the imperial family and high-ranking nobles. Yet such a man had come to Edenhurst?

Unlike her older sister, Catherine hadn’t been able to make a proper social debut due to their circumstances. Some of her friends sent letters to console her while subtly boasting about how lavishly they were living in the capital. Today I went to the imperial palace. Today I met so-and-so. Today I bought this.

Catherine was both delighted and horrified whenever letters arrived from her friends. She was glad to hear even fragments of news about the society she hadn’t been able to enter, but she had nothing to write in reply. That was why Catherine couldn’t stop reading magazines. She needed the news and goods she saw in them to fabricate lies that she was still enjoying an affluent life.

But not anymore. Two wagonloads of goods from Ilenka had arrived. She had even met Ilenka’s proprietor!

Thrilled with delight, Catherine glanced at the stacked boxes, and Mikhail signaled to Ivan Chicherin with his eyes. Quickly grasping Mikhail’s intention, Ivan began telling Catherine where each item had come from and who in the capital had coveted it. Catherine listened to his explanations in a daze.

Just then, a well-dressed employee approached Mikhail carrying a small box.

“Lord Mikhail.”

“Ah, you brought it.”

Mikhail accepted the box from him and opened it, smiling in satisfaction.

“Take this to my room.”

It was an item for the Lauderdale, who was not present.