Escape from the evil lady (GL)
Chapter 77 - 27. Mother’s Ring

Chapter 77: Chapter 27. Mother’s Ring

The carriage of the Northern Duchess was approaching the Edelweiss residence. Despite the fact that she managed to finish her business even earlier than planned, the woman refused the opportunity to take a break and decided to return to her castle immediately. The work that needed to be done was done. There was no reason to stay any longer.

Upon arrival, Selina de Loon went straight to the main hall. But after the servants opened the doors for her, the woman couldn’t hide the surprise on her face.

The ice palace, which always had a calm atmosphere, was much more noisy than usual today. The room was hastily decorated with lots of colorful ribbons and other decorations, and most of the staff were lined up in the lobby.

When the Princess of the North entered the hall, several firecrackers immediately went off in the air. Confetti was now scattered across the perfect marble floor.

"Welcome back, Your Highness!" The servants bowed their heads in unison.

Selina, who was more than not expecting anything like this, just froze on the threshold. For a long time, the Duchess couldn’t find the words to say anything.

— What’s all this about? — That’s all she asked.

— Your Highness, welcome back! I... just wanted to throw a surprise party for you.

The Duchess’s attention shifted to the young man who was at the center of it all. He had also fired one of the firecrackers along with everyone else, so that confetti now lay randomly on his red hair. This sight made Selina hesitate and doubt what she was really seeing.

The woman had a strange premonition. As if...

— Happy birthday, Your Highness! — this awkward congratulation came from the lips of an excited Jeremy.

When Selina heard these words, everything inside her froze.

Was this really her birthday celebration...?

The staff, who, as it turned out, were preparing a birthday party, also froze, carefully watching her reaction. For a long time, there was no sound in the main hall.

Until finally, the mistress of the northern lands raised her voice:

— What’s that supposed to mean? Who gave you permission to do something like this without my knowledge?

— Th-this...

The servants exchanged glances with pale faces.

— Your Highness, forgive us, it was my lord’s initiative! We couldn’t disobey! — An exclamation was heard from the crowd. One of the servants gave him away.

Jeremy was nervous at that moment, too.

And when Selina, who was clearly angry, turned to him, the guy found no other way but this one to relieve the tension.

— Your Highness, although this is unexpected, you must take into account the fact that we have tried very hard to prepare this for you!

«.....»

— ...So please accept this gift from all of us!

The next moment, the baron’s youngest son suddenly got down on one knee. Selina’s gaze stopped at the guy’s hand. There was a small box tied with a ribbon.

"The box...?"

The Princess of the north didn’t know what it was.

— I hope you like it... — Jeremy muttered this with flushed cheeks.

The box turned out to be a modest gift that Jeremy had prepared for the Duchess’ birthday. Of course, since there was so little time, he didn’t have time to prepare something more grandiose. It was just a ring, which was one of the few personal possessions belonging to Jeremy.

A discreet ring with a single gemstone, mother-of-pearl, which was also tarnished due to its age. This ring once belonged to the mother of the baron’s youngest son.

It was rumored in Seibel Manor that the mother of the youngest offspring of the head of the house was an ordinary maid, and this was indeed the case. But the circumstances of the incident were actually somewhat different. There were rumors that she was a vicious woman who deliberately attracted the attention of the baron in order to enhance her position in society. And then, when she realized that she couldn’t do it, she just ran away.

However, this was only the version presented by the baron himself. In fact, the woman did not run away, but was driven out by the old lady, Rowan Seibel’s mother. Before she left, she left her newborn son her only valuable ring, which was passed down in their family from generation to generation.

Jeremy himself accidentally found out about this story a few years later, from one of the maids who also worked at the manor at that time.

He’s had the ring ever since, and it’s just been lying around. In addition, the color of this stone was combined with the shade of Selina’s eyes. Therefore, it was the best solution he could come up with in such a short time.

His only concern is: How will the Northern Duchess react to this gift?

Selina de Loon stared at the ring for a long time. Finally, she slowly opened her mouth:

— That won’t be necessary.

— What...?

— I don’t need a birthday present.

Jeremy Seibel looked up, startled.

— But...

— I said I don’t need it. So take it away.

The woman’s tone was cold, and it became obvious that if the guy continued to insist on his own, the situation might not end well.

And yet...

— This ring belonged to my mother, — he murmured softly, — I was going to present it to you as a token of my appreciation. Really... Are you really unable to accept it?

After finishing his words, the Prince of the North cautiously looked up.

There was a strange expression on the Duchess’ face. It was as if she was really confused.

«.....»

"What the hell is this man thinking...?!"

***

The Northern Duchess’ birthday celebration ended rather chaotically. More precisely, even before the event began, it was canceled because all this noise was getting on the Duchess’ nerves.

After ordering the servants to clean up the mess on the first floor immediately, the woman was about to head to her office. However, before she could do that, the baron’s youngest son still managed to catch up with her.

— Your Highness, wait...!

Panting, the red-haired youth stopped right in front of her.

— ...

— I’m sorry... But of course... What about your gift?

— I already told you that I don’t need him.

Selina de Loon looked down at her flushed husband.

Jeremy himself thought as follows.

"Well, even if you didn’t like the gift, isn’t it proper to at least accept it?" At least the Duchess could at least accept it out of politeness and never wear it.

— I... — before Selina could say anything, Jeremy, fearing more objections from her, quickly handed the box into her hands. And then, running away to a safe distance, he shouted one last thing:

— Just accept it!

— ...

That’s how it turned out in the end.

Despite the lateness of the hour, the princess was still in her office, lost in thought. She should have been angry that something like this was organized without her knowledge, and at first she was really angry.

But now Selina was experiencing feelings similar to confusion.

"And what should I do about it...?"

Selina looked at the ring lying in front of her in a red velvet box, and did not know what to do with it next. Maybe we should just throw it away.

However, even though it was the simplest solution to the issue, the Princess of the North still hesitated.

And all because of the words that her newfound husband dropped.

"This ring belonged to my mother."

"Mothers..." The word pricked her painfully for a moment.

The reason why the northern Duchess had not celebrated her birthday for several decades was known to few in the mansion. Only those who had served the ducal family for a long time were aware of it. And yet... Selina was sure that the baron’s youngest son definitely couldn’t have known about this reason.

The woman sighed heavily, continuing to examine the ring, which involuntarily continued to be in her field of vision.

At that moment, there was a soft knock on the office door. At this late hour, it could only be one person.

— Your Grace, I’m coming in...

Philipps’ butler entered the Duchess’s office before she could get her mind off her thoughts. Therefore, seeing the strange expression on her face, the servant involuntarily fell into a stupor. In the next moment, Selina quickly corrected herself and turned her gaze to the butler.

— What are you doing here?

— Oh, I... — the old man hesitated. — Your Grace, I would like to explain myself to you.

— ...

— I didn’t know Milord could cook something like that! It was extremely disrespectful... I’m sorry that I could have overlooked such a thing, and it really was a manifestation of my lack of professionalism...

Philipps paused, watching his mistress’s reaction carefully. To his surprise, Selina de Loon was not as furious as he had expected. And for a moment the old man doubted his foresight.

Finally, the Duchess of the north slowly opened her mouth.

— It’s already late enough today. It’s not an urgent matter to deal with at this hour.

— I beg your pardon...?

Phillips blinked absently.

— Today you can go to rest. As for what happened... — Selina was silent for a moment, "It doesn’t really matter.

«.....»

Philipps was really taken aback by the Duchess’ reaction. However, Selina had already indirectly made it clear to him that the old man could be free. Therefore, not wanting to disrespect the lady, the butler had no choice but to obediently bow his head and close the door behind him.

Left alone in the office, Selina continued to think about what had happened for some time. For some reason, the damn ring and the words of her new husband kept her in suspense.

Thus, Selina de Loon really found herself at a dead end. Despite the fact that it was already very late, the woman could neither go to bed nor immerse herself in work, as she usually did.

Instead, she found herself continuing to brood over something so useless.

"Annoying..."

This guy really annoyed her.

And there was only one thought in her mind right now.

"What the hell is this guy trying to achieve...?!"