[TKOSINM] 7 – Searching For A Way To Leave This House (1)

“Hahaha.” Irene laughed at how ridiculous the situation was.

The way that Irene was so easily disregarded, her feelings stepped on, and her problems ignored, it was utter ridicule. They were her family, yet even so, they did not genuinely care for her at all. She could say, her whole life, they treated her more like an outsider than a sister and a daughter.

I’m used to it; I’m used to being treated like this.

Irene knew deep in her heart that no one stood on her side in this house all along. However, she had held onto that shred of hope and turned a blind eye to the situation. After all, even though they never acted like one, they were still her family, and to Irene, they were the closest people she knew. 

“Irene, now that the misunderstanding has been cleared… Hey, where are you going?”

Count Chase became surprised upon seeing Irene get up and leave the dining room without any hesitation. Irene could hear his voice shouting her name from behind, but she ignored him. For the first time in her life, she had done what they had given her her entire life.

“Miss…”

Her personal maid, who was waiting outside the dining room, chased after her with a startled expression.

“How about the meal?”

“I do not have any appetite to eat. Besides that, do I have a schedule to go out today?”

“What? Oh, I think you do not have any schedule for today.”

“How about the invitation and letters for me?”

“I will go back and look for it.”

Hearing that answer, Irene stopped and looked back at the maid; her face was frosty. 

For a maid, an employee of this noble house, acting promptly and performing all tasks dutifully was an obligation. Therefore, any letters and invitations should have been delivered to the owner upon arrival without needing to be warned. However, this maid had never once delivered the invitations and letters properly to her. It was not because Irene was not interested in the invitations and letters that came but rather because the maids found the process of sorting and delivering letters bothersome. They looked down upon her, and despite her being their mistress, did not hold an ounce of respect for Irene.

Irene also had not paid much attention to those matters before, but it was a different case now. She no longer wanted to care about people who ignored her.

“Sort out all of the letters and invitations that came before and deliver it to me the next morning.”

“What? All of it?”

Irene’s maid asked, taken aback by the sudden demand. The shock was written on her face as she gaped at Irene, like a fish out of water. It was because Irene was the eldest daughter of a count family. Therefore, the number of letters she received, was without a doubt, numerous. Thus, the maid had to quickly go and work nonstop to sort them all if she wanted to deliver it to Irene the next morning.

Irene was aware of that fact; however, she did not sympathise and nor did she retract her order. She knew that it was not wrong for her to order so, and it was on her maid to take accountability for not performing her work diligently before.

“Yes, you must sort all of it and deliver it to me the next morning, and I want you to get me several dresses.”

“Yes? Why do you need several dresses?”

The maid warily looked at Irene before asking that. Usually, the maid would be bold and speak up against her mistress. However, today, it was difficult to treat Irene due to her unusual attitude recklessly.

Irene turned away, completely ignoring the maid, and continued to walk without answering the maid’s question. The maid became speechless and could only follow in her footsteps.

♔♔♔

“I have sorted out all of the letters and invitations that were sent to you last week.”

The maid managed to sort out all of it and put a bundle of letters and invitations on Irene’s table this morning. Irene merely glanced at the maid and began to open the envelope, then she said.

“Well done. You must be tired. But you still must go to the boutique and get me some dresses. I know you have good taste in choosing dresses.”

“But earlier, Miss Riel had asked me to prepare a light snack.”

Hearing the maid’s answer, Irene stopped reading the envelopes and spoke in a cold tone.

“I know that I have asked you to prioritise Riel’s orders before, but from now on, because you are my personal maid, you should prioritise my orders first.”

“Ok, Miss. I understand. Then, I will go and get the dress for you.”

The maid spoke in a hurry and left the room. It was clear that she was embarrassed and ran away. If it had been before, Irene would have told her to prioritise Riel’s order, even though she was her personal maid, because Irene never placed herself above Riel. Riel’s requests were paramount in the face of Irene’s desires. That was how low Irene had viewed herself before. However, the current situation had taken a turn for the better. Irene’s personal maid would, from now on, prioritise only her orders first.

Besides, Riel had many people besides her who could help her when she needed it. 

Irene could not count how many times her personal maids had assisted Riel. Besides, other maids probably had prepared light snacks for her. No matter what it was, she did not want to yield to Riel anymore.

I really was a fool before…

Irene let out a sigh. She dismissed her thoughts and continued to open each letter on her table. It was either an invitation to a tea party or a banquet.

Because Riel had a weak body, she could not attend an event like that, so Irene could not participate either because Irene had always looked after Riel in case she collapsed. After all, Riel was frail and delicate and needed Irene. That was why Irene could not even attend her own debut ball. So, because Irene decided to leave this house, she needed to make friends and gauge how society worked from an outsider. Above all…

I do not want to see my family anymore.

No matter how determined Irene was to endure the situation, she still felt hurt. She had always considered herself not lacking in patience, and this time, no, these years, she had stretched that limit over and over again. 

Her first step to finding her freedom and escaping was to attend a social event.

Many invitations came from all the provinces of the country, but only a few letters were left on her table to pick the right place to attend. One of the letters caught Irene’s attention. The date of the event was tonight. It was a ball at Duchess Jasmine’s place.

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