The Heiress's Comeback
Chapter 38: [Volume 1] - 38- Uninvited.

Chapter 38: [Volume 1] Chapter 38- Uninvited.

"No, no, it’s not what you think!" Esme said hurriedly, her voice pitching higher than usual as she waved her hands in front of her defensively. "I mean... we’re just... it’s nothing like that!"

But the servant only gave her a smile that said everything. A polite, awkward smile that confirmed Esme’s worst fears—her reputation, at least in the eyes of the servant, was completely and utterly ruined. She could see it now: whispers in the halls, knowing glances exchanged behind her back.

She sighed internally, realizing that nothing she said would erase the image now firmly planted in the servant’s mind. After all, she wasn’t *Esme Valhalla* anymore; she was *Rose Reinguard*, and Rose Reinguard had just lost another piece of her carefully constructed persona.

"Well," Esme said, finally giving up, "What brings you here?"

The servant, trying to compose herself, straightened up. "Breakfast has been prepared, and the elders are expecting you all in the dining hall shortly."

Esme nodded, glancing back at the Aron brothers, who were still awkwardly holding onto the crumpled blanket. "Thank you. We’ll be down soon."

The servant gave one last knowing smile before retreating, leaving Esme to close the door softly behind her. As soon as the door clicked shut, she leaned her forehead against it, letting out a long, exasperated sigh.

"Great," she muttered. "Just great."

Kai snickered from under the blanket. "That went well."

...

After thirty minutes

As Esme and the Aron brothers descended the stairs, the air thickened with tension. Below them, a group of elders sat, varying in age from their forties to their sixties, each wearing expressions of thinly veiled arrogance. Their eyes followed every step, like predators awaiting the perfect moment to strike. At the front, a woman—sharp-eyed and draped in a traditional robe—raised her chin haughtily, her voice cutting through the room.

"Now you’ve even started making your elders wait, huh?" she sneered, her voice laced with cold authority.

Esme, who had mastered the art of maintaining a calm and collected facade, met the woman’s gaze with an equally smug smile. She didn’t flinch, didn’t waver. If anything, her confidence seemed to grow with every passing second. "Well, Auntie," she began, her tone as sweet as it was condescending, "if you’d given us a heads-up before barging in, maybe we would’ve been prepared to greet you properly."

She let her words linger in the air for a moment, deliberately slow as she descended the last few steps, carrying a rake in her hand as if she were strolling through her own private garden rather than walking into a tense confrontation. The audacity in her tone was impossible to miss, and it hung heavily between them, electrifying the atmosphere.

"But you see," Esme continued, her smirk deepening, "when you come unannounced, and so early in the morning at that, how could we possibly know to expect such... illustrious company?" Her sarcasm dripped like honey, its bite well-disguised by her charm.

The woman’s eyes flared, but before she could retort, one of the older men seated next to her shifted uncomfortably, clearly not expecting Esme’s brazen defiance.

The old man, barely able to contain his irritation, tried to speak but was cut off by Esme’s sudden sharpness. Her smile vanished, replaced by a cold, hardened look as she added, "This is our home, not your playground. You can’t just march in here demanding respect when you offer none. Barge in all you like, but don’t expect us to roll out a red carpet for you."

The room grew deathly silent, the elders exchanging uneasy glances. The woman who had spoken first clenched her fists, visibly fuming but at a loss for words. Esme’s cutting remark had landed its blow, and she knew it.

Behind her, the Aron brothers stood tall, their gazes locked on the elders. They remained silent, but their presence was unmistakably united, backing Esme with unwavering loyalty.

Ray sat beside her as she bent down, picking a grape from a basket on the table. She casually peeled the skin off the grape while continuing their conversation. "So, what brings you all here so early this morning?" she asked, her tone light.

Instead of addressing the elders, she placed the peeled grape in Ray’s mouth. He nodded with approval. "Yeah, it’s good." The elders, observing this, were increasingly perturbed. They couldn’t believe that this woman—who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere—was now taking control of their hard-earned properties. Even the previous lord had never dared to speak to them in such a manner. Their frustration grew; they wanted to make her understand her place and show her who the elders were.

But the woman remained unbothered. She didn’t even offer them a seat and continued to openly display her affection for Ray, treating the situation as if it were a casual affair. Ray smiled contentedly as Esme, noticing Ray’s satisfaction, asked, "Want more grapes?" Ray shook his head. "No, I want an orange."

Esme began peeling an orange and handed it to Ray. Then, turning to the elders with an icy tone that starkly contrasted her previous demeanor, she asked, "Why are you here?"

The elders realized they needed to adjust their approach if they wanted to be taken seriously. Their anger was palpable, but they knew they had to maintain composure. Esme, sensing their discomfort, couldn’t resist adding a final taunt. As she peeled the orange and placed it in Ray’s mouth, she mockingly inquired, "What’s the matter? Have you all become so old that you’re now suffering?"

The elders’ frustration intensified at the insult, but they forced themselves to keep their anger in check, understanding that they needed to handle the situation with care to get their message across.

As Esme peeled the orange for Ray with unhurried precision, the elders sat in silence, their pride visibly wounded. Her nonchalant demeanor, paired with her complete disregard for their authority, was something they had never encountered before—especially from someone so new and so audacious. Ray, sitting beside her, smiled contentedly as he chewed on the orange, oblivious to the tension thickening in the room.