CH 28

The thought of meeting Baron Stephen before boarding the carriage yesterday made Gloria overwhelmed. She just wanted to get away. Then, the scent of figs that resembled Claude’s body scent came from behind the open door of her room. She unconsciously walked into Claude’s room.

“Claude has a clean room.”

Since the first time Gloria stayed over in this house, Claude’s room had always been kept neat and clean. Seeing everything organized neatly without any disturbance, Gloria thought his perfect personality was also visible through the way he organized his room. Gloria took a deep breath in the room to compose herself.

Then Gloria spotted something.

There was a square box on the table. It was made of rough wood, but there was a ring of thin gold thread inside. It was the kind of thread that were commonly used by men to propose to women.

Gloria looked at the ring and her heart swayed. For some reason, this ring seemed to be her lifeline.

‘Does Claude also have feelings for me?’

When Gloria moved into this house for the first time, Claude ignored her and treated her as if she wasn’t there. Gloria was disappointed by his treatment to her. However, every time that happened, Haley would make her realized her thoughts and find excuses to diminish the bad thoughts out of Haley’s mind.

‘My little brother is more shy than he looked.’

‘He’s very shy.’

‘Claude will warm up to you soon.’

Haley was right. After living together, they became close and he occasionally showed Gloria his smile. Come to think of it, the village girls who followed him and said they liked him would never be able to see Claude’s ultimate smile.

Gloria thought that during their stay together, Claude probably had opened his heart to her.

For a moment, she was mistaken. It’s because when they were in the carrige together yesterday, she was convinced that Claude would propose to her. That was how Gloria let herself lost in her made-up happy imagination.

Gloria put the ring box in her pocket. She intended to ask Claude what he would do with the ring.

She always recalled Claude’s words and actions that seemed to have been heartless for her and make her miserable, so she could not return the ring box to Claude until now.

Gloria was afraid of being mistaken as a thief. Therefore, she woke up early in the morning. Her initial plan was to sneak up on Claude’s room and returned the ring secretly.

If there really was the God of Fate, he must be really cruel to her. That’s how she thought before she witnessed the scene where Claude kissed Haley and confessed his love for her even though Haley is fast asleep.

On her way to Baron Stephen’s residence, Gloria took the ring box in her pocket and became anxious.

“Should I go back and return it to him?”

She closed her eyes tightly and shook her head. If she didn’t enter Claude’s room again mindlessly, no one would know what they were doing this time.

“It’s when you told me to do well. Haley, you are a bad friend.”

‘Maybe Haley enjoys and feels superior when she sees me getting swayed by my unrequited love.’

Gloria’s eyes grew dim at that thought. This ring seemed to be justification of a reward for betrayal. Toward a friend who played on her own innocent feelings and that she wouldn’t have any mercy towards her.

*  *  *

“Oh? Where is it? Noona, did you clean my room?”

Since morning, Claude has been busy looking for something. This kid must have lost something in one nook of this house. He searched under the bed, under the table and chairs, and even the storage room.

“What are you looking for? Do you want me to help you look for it?”

I was interrupted by Claude while reading the note left by Gloria, and I urged him to tell me what was missing. However, then Claude became panicked shortly after.

“Oh, no. You should do what you have to do.”

Dude. Are you looking for ‘The Red’, the book that I published?

He must have secretly enjoyed the book last time as well. Seeing that Claude was looking for the book I published when it was still early in the morning, I assumed my little brother had became very healthy again. He was already mature enough to think about women. At this rate, I wonder if he would bring someone home and tell me he’d be getting married soon.

‘I’ll be the cool sister-in-law.’

I wasn’t the sister-in-law who tend to talk about people secretly like my aunts in my previous life, but I want to be the sister-in-law who would support and help her younger brother and his wife live properly.

I smiled softly as I imagined Claude getting married in the future. He was still sweating and concentrating on finding the missing items for now. There was a loud sound of items falling from the storage room.

“Oh, you’ve been so agitated since this morning. What are you looking for? Just buy another one!”

Claude also shouted hastily after I shouted with eyes directed at the storage room.

“Don’t mind me! I’ll look for it myself.”

If he was looking for the book, there are many more left in my printing office.

After breakfast, I was thinking to put another book in Claude’s room later. I could do this for him as an older sister, because I was the only great older sister he had.

I looked again at the note written by Gloria and read it once more.

[Thank you for your support. I’m already happy all this time, thanks to you. See you at the wedding. I decided to marry Baron Stephen.]

The friendship we had built in less than a month ended with these four sentences. Did Gloria not have the courage to stare at me and say it directly? Or did something change her mind when she saw the lake became a big hole yesterday?

I heard that people change their personalities and thoughts when they witness death right before their eyes.

‘I’ll drop by the Baron’s residence on my way to work later.’

I want to talk to her about more detail. Gloria even decided to go to the Baron’s residence by herself. I wondered how painful and difficult was it for her. As a friend and the author of this novel, I wanted to comfort her. Even though it wouldn’t help her much.

‘Maybe I despise myself for not solving her problem.’

As a female lead with the personality that could only harbor resentment, there were probably a lot of things she couldn’t tell me. I was very concerned about my friend, Gloria.

It was time for the whole family to have breakfast, with bread and tea prepared along with soup. Claude, who had been looking around for a long time, asked me with a worried face.

“Noona. What are you doing tonight?”

“Tomorrow is the first issue of our newspaper, so I think I’ll be very busy today.”

“Oh, really?”

“What, do you have something to say?”

“No. Next time, then. I’ll talk to you next time.”

Claude looked around and said nothing else. I felt he was hiding something from me, but I decided to ignore it.

For me, tomorrow’s newspaper was a bigger deal that I have to think about. I’ve finished all the other articles, and I just needed to take a photo of Baron Stephen and Gloria today, which would be attached on the front page of the newspaper. I already told Baron Stephen yesterday about the extra photoshoot, so it should be fine. Actually, I was going to tell Gloria this morning. I didn’t expect her to leave the house so early in the morning.

My mother dipped the soup into the bread while looking at me with cloudy gaze and muttered.

“Today, poor Cloud and Gloria. They must have a lot of things between them.”

“Huh? What’s going on?”

“Just enjoy the inevitable things that are about to happen.”

My mother just said ambiguous words. As if a witch, Mother had good foresight.

I shook my head as I watched my mother speak so mysteriously. If she was going to tell me words of wisdom, she should have given more detail. For some reason, mother never told me that something would happen in detail. If she did this to her daughter, how many people who came to her as customers also experienced this when she used to work as a witch?

Did she do that on purpose because she was afraid she would be embarrassed if she was wrong?

*  *  *

Before going to work at the newspaper office, I rode the carriage to Baron Stephen’s residence with the darkroom. In order to take shoot with the Collodion wet plate method, the darkroom had to be planted right beside the camera. Although it was annoying, I spent a lot of money to buy a horse-drawn carriage and then converted it so that it would be able to bring the darkroom, as well as wagon bars to put the camera in the wagon. Of course, I brought along a moveable blackout tent as well.

When I arrived at the Baron’s residence, the butler, the one from yesterday, opened the living room door and told me.

“You’ll have to wait longer today.”

“Longer than yesterday?”

“Yes, His Lord and Miss Gloria are very busy preparing for the wedding.”

The wedding would take place in a month. Was there so much to prepare? I wondered if a nobleman’s wedding was different from commoner’s. I didn’t know because I had never been married in my previous life.

I set up the camera and the simple darkroom tent in the living room, and I waited for a long time again this time. After waiting for quite a while, Gloria opened the door and walked in. In such a short time, her appearance had changed 180 degrees, as if she had been dressed up by the baron’s servants. She was no longer a commoner, but a noble wife from a noble family.

“Gloria!”

I saw her and immediately got up from the sofa. First of all, her changed appearance was amazing, and at the same time, I felt happy for her.

“I heard from the butler. You need to take a photo of me and the Baron?”

Gloria’s words felt cold today. Something felt strange.

“Yes. That’s right… Gloria. Are you okay?”

“?”

“No, I think you’ve sort of different from usual.”

“I’m going to be promoted from commoner to baroness, so of course I’ve to change.”

A thin gold ring was visible on Gloria’s right ring finger. However, on the fingers of her left hand was a large, colorful diamond ring, which looked to be approximately ten carats.

“Is this a wedding ring? Wow, it’s beautiful.”

Gloria snorted at my words. She murmured in a low voice, playing with the gold thread ring on the fingers of her left hand.

“That’s an expensive stone.”

“Well, even so. Did the baron prepare that attire for you? It suits you.”

“Oh, that’s right.”

Such a strange answer. It was not like Gloria at all, who used to be sweet. Gloria used to be a good girl to everyone when we lived together. Was she upset at me?

“Gloria. I’m sorry.”

“What are you sorry for?”

“I visited the Baron yesterday to settle the matter of your marriage. In the end, I failed to negotiate with the Baron. However, I pushed back the wedding date, probably a week? If you wait a little longer…”

“I’m getting married because of my father’s mistake, so you don’t have to feel guilty about me getting married to someone else. Actually Haley, the relationship between us isn’t that special, right? We’re not siblings by blood either. However, there are many things we hide from each other to be best friends.”

“Huh? Uh…, You have a point…”

“Look, I think I’ll be a little busy matching my wedding dress today. When the Baron arrives, let’s take a picture so you can leave the residence as soon as possible.”

As soon as she finished her words, Baron Stephen rushed into the living room.

“Oh, reporter. You’re here early. Come with me and Julie …. Oh, I mean! Please put Gloria’s picture in the newspaper.”

Julie? I was surprised by the name that the Baron mentioned unconsciously. What kind of man to mention the name of his first love in front of his new bride? Worst of all, he said while she was looking at him.

“Yes, can you walk near this window?”

I liked the sunlight that came through the window today. Since there was no other light to use in this world, I would have to shoot using the light that fell through the window as well. I dragged the single purple-colored sofa to the window.

“Step here Gloria, and I think the baroness can sit down over here. And, please stand behind your wife,Your Lord, and place your hand on her shoulder.”

As the baron’s hand touched Gloria’s, she frowned for a moment, as if out of fright. Luckily only the butler and I saw it. The baron looked awkward behind Gloria.

“Excuse me, Your Lord? Can you smile?”

Baron Stephen smiled awkwardly, though actually it looked like he put a strange expression on his face as if someone had pulled the corner of his mouth forcefully.