"Rebecca."

As Laila concealed herself completely, Cain rose from his seat. Rebecca, who had been looking down at him from the table, now had to raise her head as high as possible to meet his gaze. Matthew, who had come in after observing the situation outside, noticed the unsettling confrontation between the two. Knowing it was not his place to intervene, he stood aside and maintained silence.

"Yes, Your Grace. Please speak."

Rebecca said to Cain in a dry tone.

"I want to hear something other than the title, Your Grace."

"What shall I call you then?"

"You should call me 'Master.' After all, I am the owner of this house, am I not?"

Cain chuckled and addressed Rebecca. Most people referred to him as Your Grace, but Rebecca had a different reason for using that term.

She didn't want to call him 'Master.' She didn't want to acknowledge him as the owner. She was displaying remarkable insolence for a servant.

"The owner of this house is Madam."

"No, Rebecca. It's my house. My father left it to me."

"But it was promised to Madam."

"That's true. But we can't hold it against the dead, can we?"

Cain laughed bitterly as he replied. His father had declared in front of lawyers and family members during his illness. He would leave this mansion to his wife, Rose. However, he changed his mind before his death and bequeathed it to his son, Cain. When Rose discovered the sentence written in the will, she went into a frenzy. She wanted this house, but Cain didn't give it up.

"The reason my father changed his mind and gave me this house..."

As he took two steps closer to Rebecca's side, he looked down at her with a sidelong glance and spoke.

"It's because this house belongs to the Vanderbilt family. Not the Herzents."

Louis Vanderbilt, who lived here over two hundred years ago, was an unnamed knight. However, with his exceptional skill, he became a knight of Everdeen and led the Erkusans in a victorious war in the southern lands.

"He gained greater wealth and power by receiving the title of Viscount from the Emperor. To the Vanderbilts, this house represents the roots of their lineage and the source of their fortune."

"Even though my father loved my mother dearly, he was not sacrificial enough to give up everything."

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"So, the owner of this house is me, and my wife. Do you understand what that means?"

Silence hung in the air.

"If you can't comply, it means you should leave immediately, Rebecca."

Silence persisted.

Cain's voice was low but chilling. Faced with such coercion, Rebecca refrained from uttering a word. She had a primal instinct that speaking another word would result in her being dragged out of here.

Things had changed. Cain Vanderbilt was completely different now.

Rebecca pondered, her teeth clenched as she stared at the wall. She had been a servant of the Hergenstauf family. She followed Miss Rose here when she married Walter Vanderbilt. Cain was only six years old at that time. He attended boarding school when he turned sixteen but returned to this place every weekend. And when he turned nineteen, he left for college in the capital. When he returned to Heavenly Hill for the holidays, he was completely transformed. In retrospect, she should have noticed the gradual changes that took place even before he fully left. She had felt a trace of sympathy for him before, but once he completely departed, she became wary of Cain. The bird that flew away and then returned, flapping its wings, had grown a long beak and sharp talons.

"In any case, this place..."

Cain put his hand in his pocket and fidgeted uncomfortably.

"Whether it's now or before, nothing has changed."

Muttering disdainfully, Cain left the room.

Rebecca clenched her fists. The strain in her neck was visible as it protruded tightly. As she did, Matthew approached her, clicking his tongue and wagging his finger.

"That's right. Why bother provoking his lordship unnecessarily?"

"Who is that woman?"

Rebecca finally relaxed her tense jaw. The reason she was so sensitive to Cain's appearance was because of that woman. It was as if fate had conspired to make Laila resemble someone she knew. Rebecca couldn't deny the shivers that ran down her spine the moment she first laid eyes on her. Surely, Madam would have noticed it even more.

"What's with that woman, bothering Madam."

"Matthew!"

Rather than answering, Rebecca winced at the sting of the retort. She had expected him to come out like this, but now that they were face to face, she felt a mixture of resentment and anger.

"Alright, I get it, Rebecca."

"...."

"No one knows who Madam is."

Matthew sighed in response.

There was a sudden letter from Cain, announcing the arrival of his wife, but it did not mention her name. He didn't even invite the people of Heavenly Hill to the wedding. Astonishingly, even the Vanderbilts in the capital were unaware of his marriage news.

Clearly, it was not a normal situation. However, it was impossible to decipher Cain's true intentions. They could only wait and see. Finally, Cain's wife revealed herself before their eyes.

Laila Vanderbilt.

A woman of such mesmerizing beauty that one couldn't look away. Yet, her manner of walking, gestures, and the way she drank her tea hinted that she had not been raised as a noble since childhood. However, it would be unfair to label her as utterly common, for she possessed a peculiar charm. Curiosity and self-assurance occasionally flickered in her downturned gaze.

Her untamed grace was not light but rather a natural, refreshing liveliness. When she let her guard down and smiled, a mysterious aura surrounded her. It emanated a clean and sophisticated essence that could not be artificially created. Perhaps that's why Matthew believed there must be a reason why Cain chose her as his wife, discarding the negative aspects that people tend to associate with him.

"Something doesn't feel right."

Rebecca murmured, her eyes filled with unease, in response to Matthew's answer.