Chapter 14: An Unwelcome Shadow.
Chapter 14: An Unwelcome Shadow.
Osborne stepped out of his chambers before quietly pulling the heavy wooden door shut behind him, after which he released a slow breath and began making his way through the broad corridor, his footsteps echoing faintly against the polished marble floor as servants carrying trays and such, respectfully stepped aside to clear his path.
"...What do you think you’re doing?"
The cold voice drifting from behind him caused Osborne’s brows to knit together in mild irritation before he slowly turned around, only to find Rebecca standing several paces away with her arms folded beneath her chest, her sharp blue eyes fixed upon him as though she had already convicted him of some unseen crime.
"I’m sorry, but why exactly does my whereabouts concern you?" Osborne asked calmly, refusing to allow the annoyance rising within him to reach his expression.
Judging by the direction she had come from, it appeared she had only just stepped out of her own room and happened to notice him walking through the hallway.
"It concerns me because you clearly have sinister motives," Rebecca answered without the slightest hesitation, her voice dripping with suspicion. "Don’t think you’ve fooled everyone simply because you’ve spent a few days lying in bed."
’Is this bitch serious?’
The curse escaped only within the confines of Osborne’s mind, yet the thought alone was enough to make his expression darken considerably as he stared at the woman before him.
’After everything that happened, she still believes that brat’s lie?’
His gaze lingered on Rebecca’s face for several moments, attempting to determine whether she genuinely believed those accusations or whether this entire performance was merely another attempt to make his stay here unbearable until he abandoned the engagement of his own accord.
Neither possibility pleased him in the slightest.
What he simply could not understand was why the two sisters refused to persuade Roseline to dissolve the engagement if they truly despised the arrangement so much, choosing instead to make his life miserable despite the fact that he had never once expressed any desire to marry into their household.
’Are nobles always this unreasonable?’
The thought had barely crossed his mind before he immediately shook it away.
’No... that’s insulting Father, Mother, and Ruby.’
His parents had been kind people despite their modest status as frontier nobles, while Ruby had risked offending her own sisters simply to save someone she barely knew.
The problem was never nobility itself.
The problem was that Rebecca and Rachael happened to be insufferable.
Having no intention whatsoever of wasting another moment arguing with someone determined to misunderstand him, Osborne simply turned around and resumed walking through the corridor as though she did not exist, silently reminding himself that he still had something important to accomplish today.
"Excuse me... what exactly do you think you’re doing?" He said.
Osborne’s eyelid twitched the moment he heard another set of footsteps following directly behind him, prompting him to cast Rebecca an increasingly impatient sideways glance.
"Tsk... is something wrong with you?" Rebecca clicked her tongue before raising an eyebrow at him. "What, am I no longer allowed to walk through my own house?"
Osborne could already feel another headache beginning to form.
Rather than continuing forward, he came to a complete stop before turning around once more.
"In that case," he said while forcing a polite smile onto his face despite the strain it placed upon his patience, "would you kindly walk ahead instead?"
Rebecca’s expression immediately twisted into one of utter disgust, as though she had just heard the most revolting proposal imaginable.
"So you’ve finally decided to show your true colours," she sneered while crossing her arms once more. "You expect me to walk in front of you so you can stare at my body without restraint."
She looked him directly in the eye before delivering the next accusation with complete confidence.
"My younger sister’s body wasn’t enough for you, so now you’ve set your sights on mine as well."
"The hell is that supposed to mean?!" Osborne snapped before he could stop himself, his composure cracking for the very first time since the conversation had begun.
The words had scarcely left his mouth before he bit down hard upon his teeth, forcing the anger threatening to erupt back beneath the surface.
’Calm down....Calm down Ozzy...’
’She’s clearly trying to provoke you.’
Taking another slow breath, he simply turned away once more before continuing down the corridor without another word.
Rebecca remained standing where she was for several seconds, seemingly surprised that he had refused to continue arguing, before quietly resuming her pursuit while maintaining almost the exact same distance between them.
Although the sensation of someone constantly watching his back irritated him beyond measure, Osborne ultimately chose to ignore it because there was little else he could realistically do without giving her another excuse to accuse him of something absurd.
For someone who complains so much about being watched from behind, she certainly doesn’t mind following someone everywhere they go.
By the time several more minutes had passed, Rebecca had followed him through practically half the mansion without once attempting to hide the fact.
*******
Eventually, Osborne reached the spacious grand hall where a few servants were just taking their leave, while standing near one of the pillars of the hall, was the very person he had hoped to find.
"Good day, Young Master Osborne," Guinevere greeted with a respectful nod before her composed expression wavered ever so slightly upon noticing the silver-haired woman trailing several steps behind him.
"...And Lady Rebecca?"
Her gaze moved between the pair several times before settling upon Osborne once more.
"Pardon me, but is something the matter?"
"None at all." Rebecca answered before Osborne even had the opportunity to open his mouth, speaking with such certainty that anyone unfamiliar with the situation might have believed her immediately.
Osborne shot her an unimpressed glance before turning back towards Guinevere.
"Forgive the interruption, Lady Guinevere, but I came because I wished to ask you for a small favour."
"It had better not be something obscene," Rebecca interrupted with an audible scoff before adding without the slightest concern for anyone listening, "although I suppose someone shameless enough to pursue little girls wouldn’t hesitate to make advances towards a half-breed either."
The lively atmosphere filling the hall disappeared almost instantly.
Several nearby servants froze where they stood.
Others quietly lowered their heads before pretending to busy themselves elsewhere.
Osborne stared at Rebecca in complete disbelief.
Insulting him was one thing.
Dragging Guinevere into it for absolutely no reason was something else entirely.
For the briefest moment, he expected Guinevere to react.
But she didn’t.
Her expression remained as calm and unreadable as ever.
"And what might your request be, Young Master Osborne?" she asked politely, her voice remaining perfectly steady as though Rebecca’s remark had never been spoken.
Osborne found that harder to accept than if she had become angry.
"It’s nothing particularly complicated," he replied with a somewhat awkward smile before rubbing the back of his neck. "I was hoping to borrow a carriage."
"A carriage?"
Guinevere blinked once.
’Don’t tell me...’
’ He’s planning to leave already?’
After everything that had happened over the past several days, the thought appeared perfectly reasonable from her perspective.
Rebecca’s expression changed as well.
Although she quickly masked it beneath her usual scowl, the brief flicker of surprise crossing her face suggested she had arrived at precisely the same conclusion.