Romantic Psycho - Chapter 4

From the moment the carriage entered Britt, Ellie couldn’t take her eyes off the window.

The electric trams she’d only heard about rumbled past, and there were so many people. She had thought all the people in the world had gathered in Martenly—but compared to Britt, it hardly felt like a city at all.

The dizzying scenes rushed by, and at some point, the atmosphere shifted. The carriage crossed a bridge and entered Bellington, the heart of Britt.

Ellie murmured in a daze, “I can’t believe I’m in Bellington…”

And what was Bellington? One of the wealthiest districts in Britt—no, in all of the Kingdom of Rosen.

Rows of luxurious mansions and upscale townhouses belonging to famous figures whose names often appeared in the newspapers, and embassies from various nations flying colorful flags.

Though the entire kingdom was abuzz over the serial killings in Britt, the streets of Bellington were surprisingly peaceful, elegant, and clean. That only made it feel more surreal.

Diane, who had been silent all along, suddenly murmured, “Me neither.”

Startled, Ellie looked back at her.

Having removed the blouse and skirt she had hastily put on in Martenly to hide her identity, Diane had returned to her usual appearance.

With her face veiled, it was impossible to guess what she was thinking.

Even without the veil, it would’ve been the same. Diane was always expressionless. Even Mrs. Willoughby, who had worked at the mansion the longest, couldn’t have known what went on in her head.

Ellie suddenly felt tense.

After all, this was the same young lady rumored to be insane, who had even been admitted to a mental hospital a few years ago.

From afar, she had seemed a bit gloomy but composed enough to appear normal. Maybe the rumors were true after all.

The shock she felt when Diane suddenly demanded to go to Britt while the new earl and his wife were away on a voyage to the New World—

‘How on earth did someone who’s always locked in her room know I stole the ring?’

Having been thoroughly caught by Diane, Ellie was now swept up in her belated escape. The view outside the window stirred her feelings again.

“Miss.”

Diane didn’t respond.

“Wouldn’t it be better to return to Winderbury now?”

“……”

“The Earl and Countess in Midros must know by now that you’ve disappeared, and they’ll be worried.”

Ellie hadn’t expected that Miss Lockwood would actually listen to her, but the frustration was making her breath catch.

And so everything she said afterward was more or less a monologue.

“What if this causes problems with the engagement?”

Miss Lockwood likely didn’t care to listen to the voice of a mere maid.

“At this rate, I’ll be dismissed. Maybe I already have been.”

It was just when Ellie began to forget her own mutterings that Diane suddenly spoke.

“A noble’s engagement doesn’t fall apart over something like this. It’s not that easy.”

Ellie flinched at the unexpected response. A very ominous thought flashed through her mind.

Unfortunately, Ellie hadn’t finished basic maid training yet—and she blurted out exactly what she was thinking.

“…Don’t tell me, is the problem your engagement to the Boten family?”

Diane’s rounded eyebrows furrowed slightly. It was only for a moment, but it was there.

The unspoken confirmation left Ellie flustered. If Diane really had run away because of the engagement to the Boten family, this was no small matter.

…No, surely not. Ellie was trying hard to deny it when—

For whatever reason, Diane answered honestly.

“Yes, that’s right.”

Reflexively, Ellie lifted her gaze. For a moment, she felt their eyes meet through the veil.

Strangely, it was hard to look away. She couldn’t find a reply and only fumbled with her lips.

“I don’t want to marry Louis Boten.”

Diane stated it plainly.

Ellie couldn’t hide her confusion and stammered clumsily, “B-but… I mean, I wouldn’t want a husband thirty years older either, but still, like you said, noble marriages are—”

“His age isn’t the problem. That doesn’t matter at all.”

Diane’s reply only deepened Ellie’s confusion.

“…Then what is?”

Diane silently stared at Ellie, who looked at her with a face full of incomprehension.

“He’s going to—”

Just as Diane’s lips moved, as if to say something more, the carriage stopped in front of a mansion.

Ellie blinked in surprise. As if it had all been her imagination, Diane’s lips closed again.

***

The sunniest drawing room in the Sheldon family’s mansion.

A noblewoman with soft brown hair neatly tied up paced near a tall, narrow window. She seemed to have arrived at the mansion just moments earlier, as she hadn’t yet taken off her outdoor hat.

Diane took a quiet deep breath and removed her veil.

“Madam, Miss Lockwood has arrived.”

At the butler’s voice, Lady Sheldon, who had stood still, slowly turned around.

Her gray-brown eyes widened in surprise when she saw Diane’s face.

“…Diane?”

“It’s been a while, Lady Sheldon.”

“My goodness, Diane…”

Unable to take her eyes off Diane’s face, Lady Sheldon approached in a daze and took her hands.

“I always thought you looked like William, but you resemble Lizbell so much. Especially your eyes…” She couldn’t take her gaze off Diane’s eyes.

Diane, briefly flustered by the intimate contact, quickly forced a faint smile and replied, “It must’ve been sudden. I’m grateful for the invitation.”

She was the very image of a polite and graceful lady. Standing quietly by the wall with the butler, Ellie was secretly surprised that Diane could behave like a sociable lady.

Lady Sheldon, brushing away tears from her eyes, barely managed to contain her emotions as she replied, “Of course, I was truly surprised by your sudden letter. Even while searching for the fastest ship, I kept wondering if the letter was really from you.”

After marrying, Lady Sheldon had moved across the sea to Midros with her husband. Having now spent more years in Midros than in the Kingdom of Rosen, she rarely returned. Yet Diane had sent her a telegram saying she would be waiting at a hotel in Martenly.

“And still, you sent someone to Martenly for me.”

“It would’ve been a serious problem for you to be there alone without a proper guardian. I…”

Lady Sheldon had returned to Midros immediately after William Lockwood’s funeral. Her husband’s business had taken a downturn, and her daughter’s wedding was approaching.

By the time her husband regained stability, it was her second daughter’s turn to marry—and before she knew it, five years had passed without returning to Rosen.

“Oh dear, where are my manners.”

Finally regaining her composure, Lady Sheldon took Diane’s hand and led her to the long sofa. Sitting side by side and gently holding hands, she paused.

“…You look well.”

“It has already been five years.”

Lady Sheldon was genuinely happy to see Diane in good health, though she couldn’t stop the tears as the Lockwood family’s long tragedy came back to her.

Diane, wearing a faint smile of shared sorrow, calmly met her gaze. It was the look of someone observing—but Lady Sheldon, overcome with emotion, didn’t notice.

“To be honest, I thought you were still in poor condition until very recently.”

She must have felt guilty for the long years of distance.

“They said you were mute, and that you never left your room…”

“Yes, that was true for a time.”

“So when Mr. Walter Lockwood—or rather, I suppose I should call him the Earl now—contacted me about your engagement about a month ago, I was so shocked.”

“Ah…”

“Yes, your engagement! Is that why you suddenly reached out to me? Do you have good news?”

Diane shook her head with a troubled smile. “Unfortunately, no. Nothing has been decided. The Earl and Countess have just grown closer to Mr. Boten than before, that’s all.”

“Then I’m sure good news will come soon. Considering the circumstances of the count’s household, Mr. Louis Boten is certainly a fine match.”

Having been acquainted with the Lockwoods since the time of the previous count, Lady Sheldon knew their private affairs better than most.

The Lockwoods needed a large sum of money to keep their estate and land, and Louis Boten—a newly wealthy man—wanted noble blood. That much, she understood.

Louis, who wanted a son with noble lineage, was looking specifically for a young and pure bride. Diane fit that profile in every way.

Their interests aligned perfectly, so the marriage talks seemed to be going smoothly.

“Of course, Mr. Boten is a bit… older.”

Louis was, after all, a fifty-year-old man.