Chapter 157 - It's Cleanup Time

I remained standing with my back straight and interrogated, "It has been a while, Marchioness Hessen. What is the matter that you've called me all the way here?"

"Oh, child. How could you act so cold toward me after all this time? Did you forget you used to address me as your mother? I am truly disappointed!"

Upset, I let out a sigh. However, I decided to calm my nerves. It wasn't like I didn't know about her vile personality before. I continued to stand firmly on my feet as I glared at her and said, "Back then, I was dating Mikhail—with marriage in mind, of course. But he is nobody to me now."

"Nobody! You astound me."

Her way of speaking was still the same—always stalling without getting to the point. I recalled how difficult it was to curry favor with her given her indirect speech. In addition, she had chastised my shortcomings—trampling on my self-esteem and causing me to always be tense around her. The one different thing was that I was not the same Jubelian anymore.

"If there isn't much to be discussed, I will be leaving."

"You…" the lady fumed. She then sighed and admitted, "Mikhail is down with an illness."

I honestly didn't know how to react to her statement. Perhaps it was because I was not even a bit interested in him anymore, but I felt completely indifferent. "Oh, I hope he recovers quickly. He was always a strong person, so I believe he will return to health soon." I did my best to sound faultless, but the lady furrowed her brows resentfully.

Glaring at me, she yelled, "My goodness! I would have never taken you to be so uncaring! He is bedridden because of you! Do you not have any sympathy for the poor boy?"

That was when I realized… how much of a pushover and a fool I was in the past. I couldn't believe I clung to Mikhail despite being treated like this! I wanted desperately to say something but held my breath. My original purpose of coming this far was to kindly tell her not to contact me anymore. Besides, she was Mikhail's mother—I couldn't ignore the lady's status and the immense influence she had on the nobles in high society. It was all for the best—a safe breakup. Mikhail and Beatrice would meet soon, and that was going to solve everything.

Without my knowledge, the marchioness was standing close in front of me now. Afraid, I froze in place.

"You must have been feeling sorry for dear Mikhail, too, haven't you? So, stop being proud and come with me. I'll take you to the mansion." The lady tried to grab my hand then, to which I flinched and staggered backward. Before the woman could say anything about my impolite behavior, someone rushed in to stand between me and the woman.

'Merilyn? Why did she…?' I couldn't understand. She was a rather timid and soft-spoken person. So why was she trying to protect me?

"Your Ladyship, I apologize for the intrusion. Lady Jubelian is—"

Slap! The marchioness interrupted by slapping Merilyn in the face.

"How dare a lowly maid intervene in a noble conversation!"

My mind went blank as if I was the one who had been hit. A sharp noise sounded in my ears and grew louder, giving me a headache.

"Child, didn't I say a noblewoman needed to discipline those under so that they don't walk all over you?" the marchioness screamed with a distorted expression. My heart pounded rapidly, and my head throbbed as blood-boiling anger began to overcome me. Yes, I was well aware of these feelings. I also knew that I needed to suppress them at this point instead of letting them consume me.

"I understand. We'll make our way to your mansion," I agreed once I managed to quell my emotions, to which the lady showed a satisfied smile.

***

On the way to her estate, Marchioness Hessen observed Jubelian with care, not taking her eyes off of the young lady for even a moment. Her eyes were slightly mellow, which was unfamiliar, but the woman didn't mind the meek behavior. It seemed that the spoiled brat had finally matured after all.

The marchioness had heard once that the most effective way to tame a stubborn hound was to scare it by taking it to an unfamiliar place. And it looked like the method was working well. The only issue left was the reconciliation with the duke, but this was not a concern since his daughter was already in her hand.

"By the way, are you still keeping the gifts from me?" Jubelian broke the silence, interrupting the lady's rude thoughts.

"Of course, dear. I have them stored in the safest place in the estate," the marchioness responded with a pleasant smile. The only reason she was keeping them was because of their expensive cost, but she decided it would be better at this point to comfort the girl.

Sure enough, Jubelian grinned. "I'm glad to hear that."

Jubelian jumped off the carriage once it arrived at the mansion. She then rushed to the coachman's seat to tell Geraldine and Merilyn, "Stay here until I come back." The lady then bolted to the entrance of the estate, which made the marchioness burst into laughter. Although Jubelian had acted like she didn't care, it seemed she missed Mikhail very much. Thinking so, the woman sauntered toward the entrance to her house.

Clang! A loud noise sounded from inside just then, causing her to flinch. Ominous feelings pervaded her, prompting her to quicken her steps. The lady widened her eyes in disbelief once she stepped into the foyer. The debris scattered on the floor was likely from a porcelain pot imported from the Far East.

"Who was in charge of cleaning today? Where is the butler?" she raised her voice into a violent tantrum at the fact that one of her valuables had shattered into pieces.

"Oh, that was me," answered a voice. It was not the butler nor one of the maids. It was Jubelian, who was holding another vase in her hands—an urn which cost similar to luxurious jewelry.

Her eyes almost twitching, the marchioness snarled, "Jubelian, what are you…"

That was when the young lady threw the jar onto the floor, smashing it. The marchioness remained still, unable to say anything. Regardless, Jubelian spoke in a collected manner, "I thought these items were unseemly sitting in your house when I parted with Mikhail a long time ago. It's about time to clean them up, don't you agree?"

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Hope you enjoyed it,

Love,

Biji ^^,

Nov.3.2023