Chapter 4.2

“Jake.”

She nodded at Jake and said hello. Unlike Viscount Aston, who was a bit short, Jake resembles his mother and has a good physique. That’s very fortunate. Oh, of course, that was what grown-ups said.

“It’s you?”

Jake asked abruptly as he entered the parlor. She was more impressed with his rough tone than the content of the question.

“What?”

“Jake!”

At the same time as she asked back, Viscountess Aston was startled and scolded Jake. What was that? She struggled not to strike a hostile pose. What meant not putting her hands on her waist or crossing her arms in front of her chest.

“Eugenie came for us. So don’t be cocky with her.”

“Am I cocky? Mother, you speak very carefree. Today my father’s work is mine.”

That was the problem. She tried not to react to Jake’s cocky attitude toward his mother in front of the guests. The reason why Jake has not yet been engaged despite being the heir to the wealthy Viscount Aston was that too. And was the reason she rejected his proposal.

Jake Aston was no slouch.

“Now, tell me, Eugenie. How did you attack my father? Did he beat you very hard?”

“Jake!”

At Jake’s accusation, the Viscountess glared at his son. He told to the Viscountess with an annoyed expression.

“Mother, be quiet. Didn’t she become this way because of that bastard’s prom? Aren’t you sorry for father?”

‘Oh my God.’

Who would want to be in a situation like that? It was so terrible there right now. Viscountess Aston was white with her shame and wounds, and her servants vanished in an instant.

Jake Aston wasn’t just cheap.

She had to do her best not to look sympathetically at the Viscountess. How embarrassing would that be? His own fucking son doing that in front of guests. The sympathy was so great that the anger subsided. She looked at Jake with an expressionless face.

“It’s all my fault.”

“Ah, God.”

When the Viscountess began to weep, Jake cursed in annoyance and left. She sat down on their sofa and comforted the weeping Viscountess.

“It will be fine.”

After seeing Jake, she thought the troublemaker in her house was at least human. At least Oliver doesn’t talk like that to his mother.

She comforted Viscountess Aston by rubbing her back. As if this were quite common, servants came in with hot tea and handkerchiefs as soon as Jake left. She didn’t like seeing other people’s family affairs like this. As she was thinking about that, the Viscountess, who wiped away her tears, spoke to her in a subdued voice.

“I’m sorry to show you an embarrassing image, Eugenie.”

Shameful look. If Oliver had behaved like that to their mother in front of the guests, she would have strangled Oliver in his sleep that night. But she spoke softly, as she did not wish to disgrace the Viscountess any longer.

“I understand. No one would be sane if their father wasn’t conscious.”

At her consolation, Viscountess Aston smiled sadly. She knew. Jake’s behavior wasn’t out of concern for his father. He’s such a guy. But at least saying that would ease the Viscountess’ shame a little.

Fortunately, the Viscountess comforted her hand and said,

“I don’t know if I’m happy or sad that you rejected Jake’s proposal.”

She laughed silently. After rejecting Jake’s proposal, the relationship between her house and the Viscounts Aston had become awkward for a while. Fortunately, through the efforts of both families, they got closer again. If anyone were to ask her what effort Jake put into bringing the two families back together, she’d say that he didn’t even poke a nose at the ball yesterday.

“My servant said you saw a man.”

She asked cautiously as she went upstairs with her. She described in detail where she met the man and what he looked like. Of course, she moderated how she met the man. She didn’t see Julia, so there’s not much good from rumors that she’s been looking for her.

“So I asked the servant to check upstairs. I thought the man was trying to steal something or have a tryst.”

She went to the place where she bumped into the man and told the Viscountess and her maid who followed. The Viscountess nodded her head and turned to her maid. Then her maid quietly withdrew.

“Have you ever told anyone else that you met a strange man here?”

If she told someone? She put on a bewildered expression at the Viscountess’s question. Aristocrats want to keep the unsavory incidents in their homes a secret. Of course she didn’t tell anyone.

“Are you suggesting that at the ball, a lady made a noise about a man stealing?”

She pointed out gently. It’s rude to the person who did that, but it’s rude to ask if they did it. Fortunately, the Viscountess blushed at her remark, and she quickly excused herself.

“I’m sorry, Eugenie. Actually, the constable came this morning.”

“A constable?”

The names were slightly different, but every city has an organization that manages public order. There was a constable in the capital, but it was not very common for a constable to come to the aristocratic neighborhood. It’s not that they didn’t trust or ignore the constables. Because when a constable came to a house, it meant that something dishonorable had happened to that house.

A fight broke out or a robbery broke out.

Either way, being known in an aristocratic family was unwelcome. Of course, most nobles tried to solve it quietly, and if they needed help, they contacted a knight they were close to or a higher-level investigator.

“Someone reported it.”

The Viscountess whispered, blotting her tears with her handkerchief. It means that someone reported to the constable that the Viscount was attacked. Naturally, none of them would have reported it. She opened her mouth in surprise and asked quickly.

“Didn’t the servants report it?”

“No. There was a report this morning, but from last night to this morning, no one has left this house.”

It seems that the Viscountess has already checked with her butler. Then, naturally, the reporter becomes an outsider. She asked with a frown.

“What report did the constable come here with?”

That’s important. Was it a report that the Viscount Aston has been robbed or that the Viscount was unconscious after being attacked?

When the Viscountess heard her question, she looked startled. She whispered as if she hadn’t thought of it.

“Oh My God.”

It seems it was the latter. She whispered that no one would hear her.

“I heard that my husband had a big fight with someone…”

Indeed, that’s how it was reported. Of course she would have checked the servants. And then she doubted her. The reporter picked it up and reported it so that the police officer could check the Viscount’s condition. If so, the reporter was the most suspicious.

“Thank you, Eugenie. Thanks to Jake…”

The Viscountess, who had been holding her hand and saying that, hesitated. Jake? She looked at her and asked.

“Does the constable suspect Jake?”

A mistake appeared on the Viscountess’s face. Right. That’s why Jake was hostile to her earlier. Because he could clear himself by finding the culprit who attacked his father.

Wait, was that really a false accusation?

She got out of the Aston mansion after listening to the Viscountess’ request to keep the story a secret. She wanted to see Viscount Aston, but she had no choice but to leave because he was still unconscious.

Oh, of course, she was asked to keep the fact that the Viscount was unconscious as a secret.

“My lady.”

On the carriage ride home, she wondered if Jake might have attacked the Viscount. She saw how he treated his mother, the Viscountess. Would he who behaves like that to his mother obey his father? Thinking hard, she belatedly realized that the coachman was calling her. When she opened the window and asked why, the coachman said.

“Looks like someone is following you from behind.”

From behind? When she checked behind me, as the coachman said, someone was following her wagon. It’s insane to ride a horse and run at full speed in a city like that. She frowned when she saw that it was Jake who was chasing her on horseback.

“Let’s just go, lady.”

Anne said so, but she directed the carriage to stop. She just wanted to ignore him and go. However, she thought she would feel guilty if someone was seriously injured by Jake’s words.

Of course, she’d be willing to ignore it as long as there was a guarantee that only Jake would get hurt.

“Jake.”

As the carriage stopped and Jake approached, she opened the carriage window and greeted him. If he apologized for the rudeness earlier, she was willing to accept it generously. But Jake Aston was Jake Aston. Instead of apologizing, he jumped off his horse and slammed the carriage door open.

“Eugenie Biscon!”

“Mother!”

Ann, who was sitting across from her, was startled and screamed at her. ‘What the hell is this?’ she said frowning.

“Did you follow me all the way here to check my name? Don’t you think there are more important things than that?”

Her accusation forced Jake to pause. He made a face as if he didn’t understand her accusation, then asked again.

“Is it you? Is it yours?”

She was pretty sure Jake’s grades in English were terrible. Oh, of course, she didn’t think the other class scores would have been high.

She added with a sigh.

“I heard that the level of education at the academy is high, but I guess it wasn’t necessarily like that.”