TMRDWMP CH 7
- Mar 3
- 8 min read
Chapter 7
• ────── ✦ ────── •
Gentle Daughter
Madam Mollet had been consistently kind and gentle. Even when she frowned at Riella, a smile never left her lips. But, for the first time, genuine bewilderment appeared on her face. At the same time, her gaze shifted to Monica’s hand.
“Monica?”
Monica felt that gaze clearly, yet calmly bent down and gathered the torn pieces of the letter from the floor. If Madam Mollet’s gaze had been a spear, Monica would have been pierced through by now. Monica unfolded the letter, which was torn twice into four pieces, in front of Madam Mollet.
“What is this...”
“I forgot my bag was so old, Madam.”
Monica held up the small handbag she wore around her waist.
“The neatly folded letter got torn while I was taking it out of the bag. I am truly sorry.”
“Monica, I don’t quite understand...”
It looked as if someone had deliberately torn it. It was even crumpled. Madam Mollet looked at Riella with a look of astonishment. When Riella’s eyes met the madam’s, she reflexively looked at Monica. But Monica didn’t even glance at Riella, instead looking calmly down at the letter of recommendation. Madam Mollet’s eyes fell on the back of Monica’s hand.
“...Monica, you’re bleeding.”
“Oh.”
At the back of her hand. Red blood was beading in drops. Madam Mollet looked at Riella again. A brief look that that seemed to ask if she know anything. Riella looked flustered.
“Well, Mother. Monica scratched the back of her hand on a splinter on the door while entering this room.”
“Oh my. Is that true?”
Madam Mollet looked back towards the door in surprise. Monica blinked, then glanced at Riella. Riella stumbling over her words.
“So I was startled and, um…”
“Of course, you would be shocked! Oh my. Where were the maids?”
“M-Mother. Please let me finish.”
Riella quickly stopped Madam Mollet, who was attempting to go and check the door. However, she didn’t seem to know what she was saying herself.
“Well, um. I offered to treat her, but.”
Her voice was uncertain. Even Madam Mollet also seemed to sense something was amiss.
“Riella, are you alright? You seem to be...”
“...I remembered that I had ointment in my bag.”
Ultimately, it was Monica who interrupted Riella’s rambling. Monica sighed and quickly made up a lie.
“I said I would apply the ointment I had in my bag. As you know, I used to be a nurse, Madam. But then I realized the ointment was at my lodging. In my fluster, I remembered I hadn’t given you the letter of recommendation yet.”
Monica could see Riella staring intently at her out of the corner of her eye. Monica tried not to look at her and finished her explanation.
“But while hastily taking it out of the bag, the letter of recommendation got torn.”
“But this looks like someone tore it on purpose...”
“Mother, you see.”
Riella interrupted again.
“I was also shocked and, while trying to ask if she was alright, I accidentally tore it one more time.”
“...You did?”
Madam Mollet’s gentle eyes narrowed. Riella nodded.
“Well, you know how clumsy I am. This carpeted floor...”
Riella took a step forward from under her dress hem and lightly tapped the carpeted floor with her toe.
“The maids must have forgotten to properly smooth it out while cleaning, it was wrinkled, and I almost tripped. Then Monica...”
Riella took a deep breath and made up her mind.
“...held me up.”
“Oh, dear.”
Madam Mollet sighed. But, a slight distrust still lingered in her eyes.
“But Riella, I don’t think that’s the maids’ fault. Are you possibly lying to me right now?”
“...What?”
Madam Mollet narrowed her eyes, and Riella nervously gripped her skirt. Monica was also so tense she couldn’t breathe, yet even in that state…
“You’re smart and pretty. I get scolded by the director every day... I’ll never get a chance. Because I’m a stupid, useless girl! But you’ll have another good chance, won’t you?”
Lizzie Offen, who would clutch her apron every time the orphanage director scolded her. Suddenly, Monica felt a pang in her chest. But Madam Mollet glowered at the tense Riella, pulling in her chin.
“My dearest daughter, Mother knows everything.”
Poor Riella stiffened her shoulders and looked only at Madam Mollet. Madam Mollet placed her hands on her hips and spoke sternly.
“That dress, you had Madame Noir at the Yellow Brick Boutique make it just recently, didn’t you?”
“...Yes? Yes, but... Ah.”
Riella’s expression changed. Embarrassed, she bowed her head, and pretended to be cautious.
“I’m sorry, Mother. I actually lengthened the hem a bit.”
“I knew it!”
Madam Mollet stamped the heel of her shoe on the floor and glared. Monica was bewildered, but soon understood what the two were talking about from Madam Mollet’s outburst.
Apparently, Madam Noir had recommended the fashionable hem-grazing length to Riella and Madam Mollet when they went to have the dress made recently. That dress, which became popular after a young Nottingham Duke caught a maiden who almost fell because she wore a dress too long for her height, and she later became the Duchess of Nottingham.
As Monica knew, it was a style only possible for young ladies from very wealthy families.
But Madam Mollet had refused the dress because it was dangerous.
“Young people, honestly, they don’t even think about the danger for a fleeting fashion! Riella!”
Madam Mollet stamped her foot.
“I’m sorry. But Mother, think about it.”
Riella slightly whimpered.
“You’re worried that I’m not getting married soon, aren’t you? I just recently thought I wanted to look my best for a certain gentleman.”
“Oh my. Is that perhaps.”
“Yes, it’s Lord Soliven.”
“Riella!”
Whatever the name was, it clearly pleased Madam Mollet. She laughed playfully, as if her glaring moments ago had been a lie. Riella drew her shoulders in shyly, like a girl in love.
“So seeing that handsome man in person moved your heart after all?”
“I suppose so.”
“But Riella! That dress is too dangerous!”
“If I stumble in front of Lord Soliven because it’s dangerous, wouldn’t he also catch me?”
Riella pouted her lips like a child, and Madam Mollet burst into laughter.
“My daughter! Honestly, still so childish at this age!”
“Anyway, I’m sorry. I had a hand in Monica’s letter of recommendation being torn, so...”
Only after her name was suddenly mentioned did Monica regain her senses. Riella linked arms with Madam Mollet like a naive young lady who had truly known nothing but love since birth. Every time she blinked, her long, thick eyelashes fluttered like a doll’s.
“Please understand Monica’s predicament, Mother.”
“Oh, you.”
Madam Mollet pinched Riella’s arm like a merciful but strict mother. Riella pretended to be in agony.
“It can’t be helped then. But I have a condition. Monica, listen closely. Since there’s some fault on your side too, you must promise to strictly adhere to what I’m about to say from now on.”
“Yes? Oh, yes.”
The suddenly stern from the madam spoke to Monica. Monica was startled, but then Madam Mollet winked at her.
“From now on, if my daughter wears a dress longer than ankle-length inside this mansion, you must inform me. Understood?”
“Mother!”
“It’s good that you’re becoming friends with my daughter, but you also have to be my most loyal spy.”
The affectionate mother and daughter had a brief scuffle. Monica forced a smile and nodded. Madam Mollet took the pieces of the letter of recommendation from Monica’s hand.
“I’ll have the butler carefully glue them together and send them to Madame Oran. Anyway, I’ll send some first aid with the maid soon. Since Monica’s bag is at the lodging. Do you like the room?”
“The room is very pretty. Thank you, it seems more than I deserve. Oh, and I can treat the wound myself since I was a former nurse.”
All the while, Monica’s eyes were fixed on Riella, who was linked arm-in-arm with Madam Mollet. Riella had replaced the playful expression she had worn for Madam Mollet with a fiercely cold face as she watched Monica.
“Shall we go, Riella? I need to find my dearest son as well.”
“Since he hasn’t returned, he probably chased Anvie to the incinerator.”
“That boy, honestly! Ah, Monica. Don’t forget dinner. Get some rest until then.”
The madam and Riella left the room, arm in arm. Monica curtsied and watched the two of them disappear down the corridor through the open door. Riella did not look back even once. Only after they were completely gone did Monica close the door and collapse to the floor.
Monica was left alone in the beautiful room, but her mind was a mess, like a battlefield. The sudden air raid that was Lizzie Offen had left behind a devastating trail.
The fear, the shock, the hostility towards her that was etched in Riella’s eyes, and the fist that was tightly gripping her skirt. Riella... no, Lizzie Offen, completely changed her expression and smiled at the kind madam.
Monica rubbed her face fiercely.
• ───────── ☽༓☾ ───────── •
“But Riella. Should I hire a young lady who is clumsy enough to tear up her own letter of recommendation?”
As they walked down the corridor. Riella glanced at her adoptive mother’s face. She knew very well that her mother was always gentle, but uncompromising when it came to Martinel.
“Mother, that’s...”
“You almost tripping? I know everything, Riella. My gentle daughter.”
The madam sighed.
“Honestly, you can’t just ignore someone in need every single time.”
Riella bit her lip. Madam Mollet was by no means a narrow-minded woman. She had already figured out that the things the two young maidens were saying in their fluster were fabricated. So, if Riella wanted to drive Monica away, she only needed to say a few words.
Yes, I actually lied. I said that so as not to embarrass her, as she’s my age, but someone definitely tore it on purpose... Maybe she’s involved with troublesome people? Even if she’s a nurse, a letter of recommendation doesn’t prove her skill...
Countless excuses passed through Riella’s mind. Eventually, Riella smiled.
“It probably wasn’t intentional. And it was true that she held me up when I stumbled. She’s a very quick young lady.”
“Is that so?”
“You know Martinel’s knees are never intact, right? I think she’ll take good care of Martinel.”
“I hope so! Well, then, shall we wait a few days, while the butler verifies the letter of recommendation...”
Madam Mollet thoughts turned to her beloved son, and chattered on. Riella, barely listening to her mother’s words about her son’s mischief making their lives difficult despite him turning eleven soon, looked down at her dress. The front of the expensive linen dress was badly wrinkled.
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