Welcome to the Rose Mansion - Chapter 29

“Uwaaah―!”

The twins, regaining their senses, burst into tears, lying sprawled on the floor. Richelle found herself strangely paralyzed, unable to move a finger.

Was it the sound of their crying that numbed her brain, or was it Madam Otis’s cloudy sky-blue eyes that turned her body to stone?

She did not know.

A rough breath barely managed to escape her constricted throat. By then, a radiant face was already in front of her nose.

“Miss Howard.”

The voice calling her name was as gentle as if nothing had happened. Richelle, with trembling hands hidden behind her back, forced herself to look up at Madam Otis.

“…Yes, Madam Otis.”

“About those children, Miss Howard.”

A hand in a lace glove touched Richelle’s shoulder. The edge of the parasol scraped against her thigh.

Madam Otis, with eyes slightly curved, spoke in an extremely kind tone.

“I believe I made myself clear last time. I told you to prevent them from approaching me, didn’t I?”

“…”

“I only asked for one thing, yes?”

“…Yes.”

“And yet, why are they before me? Was that one single request beyond your capabilities?”

The pressure on her shoulder intensified. Her chest felt like it was about to burst from the tension.

But as always, there was only one answer she could give.

“No, Madam. I… I will… pay more attention.”

A light laugh tickled her ears. A soft touch patted her shoulder.

“Let’s have tea together sometime. Tea parties alone can be lonely.”

The sound of footsteps receded. Richelle, barely managing to keep her legs steady, approached the twins sitting on the floor. They had stopped crying and were looking up at her with big, watery eyes.

“…Are you okay?”

Oh, Richelle Howard.

To ask such a foolish question to a child struck by her mother’s parasol.

Suppressing a surge of self-loathing and helplessness, she gently examined Penny’s arm. Despite the likely pain, the child made no sound of complaint.

Instead, with a tear-stained face, the child whispered to Richelle.

“Teacher, does Mommy not need Penny and Nero?”

“…Huh?”

Richelle looked up from examining the arm, meeting the children’s earnest gaze.

“Mommy doesn’t love Penny and Nero?”

“She used to smile at Penny and Nero.”

“Now she must hate us.”

“Teacher, how can we make Mommy love us again?”

Should we try harder?

Richelle’s lips quivered. Are you asking me that?

She knew it’s not her place as a teacher to say this, but really…

I also…

“…I don’t know.”

She reached out and hugged the children tightly, not letting go even as her embrace became damp. This was all she could offer these pitiful children at the moment.

Numerous servants passed by them, not a single one sparing them a glance.

***

Darkness fell outside, and the mansion sank into silence.

Richelle closed the book on her lap and looked out the window. It was past midnight.

The garden, illuminated only by the faint moonlight, had a couple of shadows moving about. The shadows, lengthening and shortening, seemed to dance in a drunken stupor.

She followed their movement with her eyes, mesmerized. People shouldn’t be outside at midnight, so who could they be?

“Ah.”

Only when she felt the coolness of the window latch did Richelle snap back to reality. A chill ran down her spine.

“…Let’s go to bed.”

Richelle double-checked that the window latch was securely fastened before standing up. After drawing the curtains and about to put the book back on the shelf, her eyes caught sight of a paper flower on the desk.

The twins gave it to her after dinner earlier this evening.

Richelle picked up the flower, filled with earnest effort despite its slightly clumsy appearance.

“……”

The flower originally wasn’t meant for Richelle. However, the children ultimately couldn’t present it to its intended recipient, knowing too well that the moment they tried, it would be cruelly trampled and utterly destroyed.

The words ‘I love you, Mommy’ written on the large petals were clear. Richelle’s green eyes darkened as she twirled the paper flower’s stem between her thumb and forefinger.

It was during dinner in the children’s room a few hours ago. Richelle had cautiously asked the twins about their family. The children’s responses were nonchalant.

—I dunno about Dad. I can’t even remember Dad’s face.

—Mom doesn’t come to see us either.

—Alan ignores us.

—It’s just normal like that.

After saying so, the twins laughed. The sorrow from moments before, when they lamented their mother’s hatred, seemed like a lie.

‘Have they become accustomed to it?’

She couldn’t hide her troubled feelings. Of course, it’s common in high society for children to be neglected and not raised directly by their parents. But even so, this was…

‘It doesn’t make sense that not a single person in this large mansion cares about the children.’