Chapter 7 - The Attic Room
Eight days after Opal had moved into the attic room. Waking up, Opal stretched wide, loosening the stiffness in her body. At first, the hard wooden bed had made it difficult to sleep, but she had grown quite used to it now.
Outside the room, she could hear the stirrings of the servants beginning their day. At this hour, she was certain she would not run into Stella, or even Hubert, so she had made it her time to be active. The servants still treated her as if she were invisible, but they would respond if she spoke to them. They had been quite startled the first time she had come downstairs on her first day sleeping in the attic.
She had brought several dresses with her that she could put on without assistance, intending to take them to what would become her new home before the marriage. She had a few of them in the attic room, and today, she changed and headed downstairs. Now that she knew the location of the library, her initial reason for speaking to a servant, she visited it daily and brought a few books back to the attic room. Out of the entire day, apart from this small morning walk and returning to her originally assigned room for baths and washing up, she spent all her time in the attic. She would read, then do exercises to move her body. She would do embroidery, and when she tired, she would do more exercises. She would eat the three meals that were brought to her and then sleep. It was a life like that of a privileged prisoner, but to Opal, this marriage felt much the same.
But I'm not a prisoner, and being this stubborn is starting to feel ridiculous...
She had already read through most of the books in the library that suited her taste. Opal thought to herself as she walked slowly between the shelves. Hubert had said she could do as she pleased, as long as she did not appear before Stella. If that was the case, then she might as well leave this estate altogether.
She would return to her family's fief, where she had planned to go after the season ended anyway. Her father and brother would not be coming back, so she shouldn't have to see them. If she called it a short visit home after getting married, everyone at the fief would surely welcome her with joy. As for her husband's absence, saying he was busy would be a sufficient explanation. In fact, she had often seen from her small attic window how busy he seemed to be with Stella.
She would tell Hubert this morning and depart tomorrow morning. That way, she would arrive at the estate by evening, and if she had the coachman stay overnight and return, Hubert would only have to endure two days without a carriage. In the worst case, he could use a public coach. Having come up with a brilliant plan, Opal was humming to herself as she walked through the aisles of the library, when a book suddenly caught her eye.
It was a history of this ducal family. Looking around, she saw several other books about the fief. Come to think of it, I don't know the details of where this ducal family's fief is located, Opal thought, and picked them up. Since she had married into the family, it wouldn't hurt to know, even if she was planning to divorce in about a year. She took them back to her room. From then until Beth brought her breakfast, she spent her time reading the biographies.
"Beth."
"Yes, my lady?"
"I have something I wish to discuss with my lord husband, so please ask him if he could make time for me as soon as possible. And be sure to tell him that if he specifies a time and place, I will come to him."
"...Very well, my lady."
To avoid a repeat of what happened with Lady Northem, Opal made her request to Beth in clear, emphatic terms. Beth agreed with a blank expression and left the room. After that, Beth did not return for quite some time. Since it was unlikely they would skip her lunch, Opal did not grow impatient and instead read the books she had brought from the library. Following the biography was a record book about the ducal fief. As she traced the map in her mind while reading, the more recent the records became, the more questions filled Opal's mind.
It seems I'll need to put some serious effort into this...
Just as Opal was thinking this, a knock came at the door, and her lunch was brought in. Beth glanced at Opal, and seemingly displeased to find her reading so leisurely, her lips curled slightly. Apparently, Opal was supposed to have been angry about the delayed response to her message. Opal smiled inwardly with a touch of malice and closed her book.
"Thank you, Beth. Today's lunch looks delicious as well."
To be honest, it was the kind of food the servants at the count's house might eat, a menu that seemed questionable for a ducal household. But she assumed this was due to their efforts to cut food costs. It made her wonder what the servants here were eating if this was their menu, but she held her tongue so as not to take over Lady Northem's duties as mistress. For now, the servants did not look malnourished.
Then it occurred to Opal that perhaps it wasn't just a matter of food costs, but also Lady Northem's lack of experience. She had never heard of the McLeod ducal house hosting balls or tea parties. The rumor was that the Duke did not care much for socializing, and she had assumed they avoided inviting people because of Stella.
However, if Lady Northem was simply unfamiliar with how to act as the mistress of a ducal house, it would make sense that they hadn't held even small events. Of course, financial problems would have been a major factor in recent years. Still, managing the internal affairs of an estate was different from hosting guests. To be recognized as a proper mistress, one had to be capable of both. Now that she and Hubert were married, many people would surely have expectations for the coming year.
Ugh, what a pain... But if I don't host anything, they'll mock my abilities as a duchess...
Of course, since he was a duke, no one would criticize him openly. They would just whisper and gossip behind their backs again. In that respect, getting married at the end of the season had been a blessing.
Well, let them talk if they want. I'm getting a divorce when I turn twenty anyway.
Sitting alone at the dining table, Opal began to eat, stabbing a boiled potato with her fork as if to vent her various frustrations. She put it in her mouth and chewed slowly. The salt was a bit lacking, but it wasn't so bad as to be called unpalatable.
"Um, my lady..."
"...Is something the matter?"
"I inquired about Lord Hubert's availability..."
"Ah, yes, that's right. And?"
"Eh?"
"Yes, what was his reply?"
Opal's response, her mind having been completely elsewhere, seemed to have confused Beth. If that was going to be her reaction, she shouldn't have been so coy in the first place, Opal thought coolly, and prompted Beth to continue.
"H-he said to please come to the south tea room after your meal."
"I see. And where might this south tea room be?"
"I will guide you."
"Very well. Please do."
Opal answered simply and resumed her meal. The thought that she would be leaving this estate tomorrow made everything else seem trivial. Just as she was trivial to the people of this estate, who only needed the money she had brought with her marriage. After finishing her meal, Opal did not bother to change her clothes or redo her hair. She merely glanced at her reflection in the clouded mirror to ensure her face was clean, and then followed Beth out of the attic room.