No One Ever Loved Me - Chapter 80

Sarah lowered herself flat to the ground. I tilted my head at the sight.

After I escaped from the Linton estate, Sarah had gone to stay at the Rosette household.

But now that I was under Marchioness Federica’s protection, Sarah had outlived her usefulness.

Lady Rosette was not the kind of person to treat a maid kindly—especially one who knew too much.

I had assumed Sarah had taken her payoff and left quietly for some province. And yet, here she was, in the maze garden of Marchioness Federica’s estate.

“What are you doing here?”

At my question, Sarah’s shoulders hunched up even tighter.

“Did you come here with Lady Rosette? If so, you’d better go back inside before anyone gets the wrong idea.”

She didn’t answer. Instead, she hesitantly got to her feet and stepped aside. Another footstep followed—the sound heavier, more deliberate.

“M-My lady… I brought the Count.”

Before she could even finish her sentence, the man she referred to appeared.

It was Edgar.

His face hadn’t changed much since the last time I’d seen him—still strikingly handsome—but his complexion was worn and tired. The aftermath of the recent fire must have taken its toll.

The moment Margaret saw him, she stepped in front of me protectively.

“Count Linton.”

Edgar glanced at her, then scoffed.

“If you’re here to harm Cecilia, forget it. If you take a single step toward her, I’ll scream and bring everyone running.”

I gently pulled Margaret back.

The Viscountess of Damier may have appreciated Margaret’s honesty, but she wouldn’t be pleased by outright confrontation.

“A husband coming to see his wife—surely that’s not worth such hostility. Everyone has their own experiences, so let’s not assign too much meaning to Lady Margaret’s… enthusiasm.”

If Edgar had married Lady Rosette, they would have made quite the match.

The way he tried to gain the upper hand by hinting at Margaret’s family situation—just as if they had agreed on it beforehand—was proof enough.

What was strange, though, was that while Lady Rosette had a tragic past—married in as a second wife due to her humble birth—Edgar, despite his pride in being from a noble line three generations strong, behaved exactly like her.

“Looks like the Marchioness is treating you well, Cecilia. You’ve filled out.”

Edgar turned away from Margaret and spoke to me instead.

I glanced down at myself. I may have gained a little weight, but I was still thin—far from “filled out.”

“I’ve been so worried I couldn’t eat or sleep. I’ve wasted away. But I suppose it’s better for one of us to be sick than both.”

But Edgar didn’t look wasted away either.

He was tall, and his build was slim—nowhere near the solid frame of Ricardo. If the two of them stood side by side, young girls would blush at Edgar, while married women would secretly admire Ricardo’s muscles.

It was no surprise Isla had said she wanted to take care of Edgar.

He had probably visited Lady Rosette for emotional support more than once, and Isla, seeing him often, must’ve started noticing just how attractive he was.

“I thought Sarah had gone to the Rosette estate.”

I gestured slightly toward Sarah, still crouched low to the ground.

Edgar shrugged.

“Where a maid goes isn’t my concern.”

“If this ‘unimportant’ maid helped you sneak into the Marchioness’s estate, I think it suddenly does concern you.”

Sarah’s back trembled.

Edgar turned on her, voice rising.

“You! Did I threaten you?”

“N-No, my lord. I… I just thought you missed the lady, and I wanted to help. I knew it was risky, but I wanted to give you a chance to see her.”

Edgar shot me a smug look, as if to ask, “Satisfied?”

“You can go now. I have something to say to my wife.”

Still staring at the ground, Sarah backed away and ran.

Margaret started to reach for her, perhaps to stop her.

“Lady Margaret, I think you should excuse us now. Surely you have more sense than a servant girl, don’t you?”

Margaret stood her ground, shaking her head firmly.

“Whatever Count Linton thinks, I won’t be dismissed like a maid. And don’t get angry just because a baron’s illegitimate daughter dares to challenge a count. I may be a bastard, but I’m still the Lady of House Artois. A real gentleman doesn’t force a lady to leave.”

Edgar closed his eyes, clearly trying to contain his temper. He wasn’t good at hiding anger.

His bright blue eyes vanished beneath his lashes for a moment, but when he opened them, they were still burning with rage.

“Whatever. Cecilia, are you sure you’re okay with this?”

I hesitated.

Most of Edgar’s actions were predictable, but every so often, he would surprise me—like when he suddenly decided to send me to a convent.

I glanced at Margaret, who stood beside me, ready to defend me no matter the cost to her dignity.

In another place and time, that would have been fine. But right now, we were at Marchioness Federica’s estate—and the Viscountess of Damier was here.

The Damier family valued stability above all else.

They had even turned down a higher title from the King, just to preserve the status quo. There was no doubt they prized discretion and order.

Margaret’s earlier outburst at lunch had been just enough—spirited but contained. The Viscountess could accept that.

It had happened among women, in a controlled setting. At worst, Lady Rosette’s feelings were hurt. No real damage done.

But Edgar was a count.

Even if he wasn’t particularly trusted by the King, his title still outranked the Damiers’.

And this confrontation was far more dangerous.

If Edgar blamed Margaret for disrupting the social hierarchy, things would escalate significantly.

The aristocracy was a conservative society; titles and status were sacred idols to them.

Margaret was merely the illegitimate daughter of the Baron of Artois.

If rumors spread that she recklessly confronted the Earl of Linton, it was obvious that even the Viscount of Damier’s household wouldn’t accept her.

“Margaret.”

“I’m not going.”

“You have to. Please, if you don’t want to cause me trouble.”

I made my decision and calmly tried to persuade Margaret.

She crossed her arms and paced for a moment, then finally nodded.

“If anything happens, blow this.”

She handed me a whistle with a cord, unfastening it from around her neck.

“It’s a riding whistle. It’s loud, so even a short blow will carry far.”

Edgar twisted his lips.

His expression made it clear he wanted to force Margaret to her knees for treating him like a scoundrel.

“Alright.”

Knowing Margaret wouldn’t go if I refused even this, I accepted the whistle.

As the sound of footsteps faded, Edgar slowly approached and sat on the bench.

I had already stood the moment he appeared, so I avoided the discomfort of sitting next to him.

“So, you’re determined to become Her Majesty the Queen’s lady-in-waiting.”

“You know why the Marchioness hosted this luncheon. Everyone says I’m well-suited to serve Her Majesty.”

Edgar gripped my wrist tightly.

“And then what? What happens after you become the Queen’s lady-in-waiting? Spare me your idealism. I already know you think of the Linton family as nothing more than mud on your shoes.”

His words were unfair. I never treated the Linton family with such disdain.

I merely saw them as an obstacle in my path.

“If it weren’t for Countess Rosette, you’d have never known. She said you were so jealous of Elodie that you decided to destroy the Linton family.”

“I’m not jealous of Miss Elodie.”

Edgar’s grip tightened even more, and a low groan escaped my lips before I realized it.

“Really? Then answer me—where is she now?”

“Why ask me about Miss Elodie’s whereabouts?”

“Because you’re the one who hid her!”

At last, Edgar shouted.

“You hid her and blackmailed her into breaking up with me. And as if that wasn’t enough, now you’re planning to infiltrate the Queen’s court and bring down the Linton family. How far are you willing to go? This is beyond cruel—it’s idiotic. The late Count Rosette would be weeping in his grave.”

Inside, I felt relief.

Elodie had sent Edgar a breakup letter just as I instructed.

After the mansion fire, he’d lost the hostage that could be used to threaten me.

With misfortunes piling up and now his lover leaving him, it was no wonder Edgar had lost his composure.

“Think carefully, Cecilia. You’ll always be the Countess of Linton. If the Linton family falls, so will you. Even you wouldn’t be foolish enough to let yourself go down with them.”

Edgar yanked me toward him by the arm.

Now that we were closer, I could see how pale his face had grown.

“Fine. I’ll give up on Elodie. She’s just a theater singer, after all. Fun for a while, but not someone to build a life with. The fact that you got rid of her proves you still have feelings for me.”

I ignored the nonsense that spilled from his pretty red lips.

“You love Miss Elodie.”

“Love?”

Edgar scoffed.

“Sure, I liked her. She wasn’t bad-looking and had talent. But I’m the Earl of Linton. If she’d stayed in the theater, I could’ve played the patron of the arts. But you ruined everything. She’s gone, and the theater’s on the verge of bankruptcy without her.”

That’s when I saw a pale yellow hem behind the bushes.

A large hand was covering the mouth of the woman wearing the dress. Could it be Elodie?

“I’m giving her up. So, you need to give up that ridiculous idea too.”

Suddenly, Edgar whispered in a smooth voice.

“If you don’t change your mind, becoming the Queen’s lady-in-waiting is a good thing. I’ll support you with everything I’ve got. This is a chance for the Linton family to rise as a distinguished house. And if you bear a son…”

I twisted my wrist free from Edgar’s grasp.

The pale-yellow dress behind the bushes seemed to collapse as if the wearer had lost all strength from shock. The man holding her intentionally revealed his face.

It was Elodie.

And the man who had brought her—there was no need to wonder. Only a handful of people knew where she was staying, and even fewer had the right to remove her from that place.

Ricardo.

“You asked what I planned to do?”

Edgar blankly stared at his empty hand as I slipped from his grip.

“I’m going to take back my life. I never planned to destroy the Linton family.”

“Then why…?”

“Because you’re in the way.”

I pointed straight at Edgar.

“You’re the obstacle in my life—not Miss Elodie, not the Linton family. If I want to live as myself, you need to disappear. It’s unfortunate that your downfall will hurt the Linton family too, but that’s just collateral damage.”

Edgar’s face contorted with rage.

He rose threateningly and stepped toward me. I brought the whistle Margaret had given me to my lips.

“One more step, and I’ll blow this.”

“Cecilia!”

He flinched, and I drew in a deep breath.

Edgar froze, a defeated expression on his face.

“You’re insane,” he muttered.

“I should’ve trusted my instincts. You’re crazy. Only a madwoman would say such outrageous things.”

People who had been wandering the maze garden seemed to be approaching as they finally found the path.

Edgar turned away but stepped toward me one last time and growled a metallic warning.

“Remember this: there’s only one place for a madwoman to end up.”

With that, he vanished quickly in the direction he’d come from.

I watched as the woman in the yellow dress was carried off into the distance, then sat down on the bench.

As soon as I composed my expression, people arrived.

They congratulated me, clearly unaware of what had just transpired.

I responded appropriately and returned to the Marquess’s residence with them.

By then, the sun was setting. The guests began preparing to leave.

“Take care, madam.”

Countess Rosette forced a smile at my farewell.

When I had entered the greenhouse with the others earlier, she had looked at me as if she couldn’t believe her eyes.

Now I was certain—Sarah had brought Edgar here on Countess Rosette’s orders.

Support