NOVEL WEB Chapter 3 - Nagging Rope
Scene 003: Nagging Rope
“Wendy!”
“Y-Yes!”
Wendy, who had been crouching in the corner, lifted her head to see Julie standing there with her arms crossed.
“Ugh. How many times did I call you? There’s chaos downstairs right now.”
“J-Julie, unnie…”
“Hmm? What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
A ghost!
Yes, it must have been a ghost.
Without warning, Wendy threw herself into Julie’s arms.
“Unnie!”
“Eek! What’s gotten into you all of a sudden?”
“I… I just saw something terrifying…”
The ghost had the face of their master. And who was the master, you ask?
None other than Tristan, the infamous Count of Ruelberta.
Among all the heads of the family throughout history, Tristan had the worst reputation. His greed was uncharacteristic for a noble, and his personality was nothing short of sinister. A prideful man armed with immense wealth, Tristan looked down on everyone; he was a tyrant who ruled the mansion, where all the servants lived in constant fear of his wrath.
As a new servant, Wendy often bore the brunt of Tristan’s scoldings for her inexperience.
She had come from a poor farming family. She could handle farming—but serving a noble? That was a whole different story. Clumsy at best, Wendy worked hard regardless. Wendy didn’t mind the scoldings—what she feared most was being kicked out of the mansion.
As the eldest daughter, Wendy sent her wages back to her family in her hometown. Wendy’s income was a great help to her family. No matter what, she couldn’t afford to return home empty-handed.
Today, she had prepared herself for another harsh scolding. But something was different. Instead of the usual barrage of insults, she heard something entirely unexpected—kind words. Just thinking about that eerie tone made Wendy’s heart race.
“Unnie… Did I make some huge mistake?”
“Mistake? Hmm, there are too many possibilities to guess.”
“You’re so mean….”
Tears welled up in Wendy’s eyes as Julie gently pushed her away.
“We don’t have time for this. Let’s go downstairs, quickly.”
“What?”
“Didn’t you hear me earlier? The master is… Just follow me. Hurry.”
Before Wendy could process it, she found herself following Julie downstairs. When they reached the first floor, they were met by a group of maids huddled near the door.
“Huh? Senior, what are you all doing here…?”
“Shh!”
“Mmph.”
“Quiet. If you’re too loud, they’ll hear us.” whispered one of the senior maids, gesturing toward a narrow crack in the door.
Through it, Wendy could just barely make out Tristan speaking to someone.
“What’s happening?” Wendy whispered, straining to see.
“Look. Arthur is here,” one of the maids whispered.
“Arthur…?”
Julie, noticing Wendy’s confusion, explained, “Arthur is one of the great elders of the Count’s family.”
Does that mean he’s like the Count’s grandfather?
Julie continued, “I overheard earlier—they might kick Tristan out as head of the family.”
“What?! Kick out Tristan?”
“Yeah. Arthur and the other elders are furious about something that happened recently.”
A week ago, Tristan had been rejected by Lady Bella, the daughter of Duke Isaachel. Since then, he had locked himself away in his study. Lady Bella, known as the most beautiful woman in the country, had been pursued by Tristan for quite some time. His rejection by her had shaken him.
The maids gossiped among themselves.
“Honestly, Bella was too good for him anyway.”
“Hmph. Arthur’s right. Someone else needs to take over as head of the house.”
“Whoever takes over would surely be kinder than that man.”
“At the mention of the word ‘kind,’ Wendy flinched.
“Huh? What’s wrong?” asked Julie.
“N-Nothing….”
Kind.
That word triggered a memory for Wendy—the strange words Tristan had spoken earlier.
—”Are you okay? You’re not hurt?”
Could she have misheard?
Wendy made up her mind.
`I-I need to see it with my own eyes….’
Was her once-terrifying master truly the same person? Or was it a ghost in disguise?
Determined, Wendy squeezed her way through the other maids and peeked into the room.
====
“Tristan! You’ve finally done it.”
Before me sat an elderly man with white hair—Arthur Ruelberta, the current pillar of the Ruelberta family, respected by all. To me, however, he was none other than…
“Uncle…”
“That’s right, you rascal. Do you even know what people are calling you?”
“Uh…” I had a vague idea.
“They’re calling you the mad pig of the count’s family, a genius of wickedness…!”
“Hah!”
The derogatory nicknames were so childish, I couldn’t help but laugh.
Arthur immediately scolded me. “Do you think this is funny?!”
“Oh, I apologize. I didn’t realize that’s how everyone thought of me.”
“Foolish boy… You need to start acting like the head of the Ruelberta family.”
Arthur shook his head in disapproval. That was typical Arthur Ruelberta—a pillar of the noble house, sincerely worried about me but always harsh with his words. To me, though, he is just a nagging old man.
“So, Uncle, what brings you here today?”
“Do you seriously not know? The entire nobility is abuzz with rumors about you! They say you insulted Lady Bella!”
“Ah, right….”
“You called her a vulgar woman, as cheap as a second-rate fan!”
“…No, I never said that. And for the record, it was just a regular fan. 500 Kael, nothing fancy.”
“This madman…”
This is ridiculous. Rumors get twisted as they spread, but the worst part is that no one would be surprised if I had actually said something like that. With my reputation already in the gutter, it’s no wonder rumors like these are flying around.
“Enough! You need to go and apologize immediately.”
Arthur’s sharp eyes cut through the air, defying his age.
“It’s not too late. Go to the Duke’s estate and beg Lady Bella for forgiveness.”
A week ago, Lady Bella Isaachel had formally broken off our engagement. Even if I hadn’t said anything, the outcome wouldn’t have changed. The engagement had been arranged without her consent, and her fiancé was none other than me, Tristan Ruelberta. On top of that, I had coerced the Duke into agreeing to it in the first place. Arthur probably had some idea of that.
“I don’t care how you got the Duke to agree to the engagement, but insulting Lady Bella is something I can’t ignore. No matter how powerful our family is, an count is still beneath a duke. That’s just how it is.”
Fair enough.
“The family council has made its decision. If you don’t rectify this, we will not recognize you as the head of the family.”
So that’s the real reason. In short, they want to kick me out. I’ve always been a thorn in the Ruelberta family’s side, so this reaction makes sense.
In the original story, Tristan handled this situation in the simplest way possible—he killed every single one of his relatives in a bloody purge. This lunatic wiped out everyone who opposed him, all in one night. That event later became known as the Tragedy of Ruelberta.
Even Arthur, his dear uncle, wasn’t spared. That’s how Tristan operated. Maybe that would be the easiest solution.
But… this man isn’t Tristan’s real enemy. This old man isn’t an obstacle. He’s the one who cares most about Tristan within the family. If he truly hated me, he wouldn’t bother showing up to nag me.
I am not Tristan, the villain. I will change this story. That’s the only way to prepare for what’s coming.
“Are you listening, Tristan?! No matter how much of a scoundrel you are, ignoring the decisions of your elders is disgraceful. If you keep being so stubborn—”
“I’ll go.”
“What…?”
“As you said, Uncle. I’ll apologize to Lady Bella.”
That was my plan anyway. But Arthur hadn’t expected it. His voice trembled.
“W-What did you just say?”
“I said I’ll go. I’ll apologize to Lady Bella.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes.”
“Then… can you swear it? On the name of Ruelberta?”
“Swear on the family’s name?”
“Yes. Prove you mean what you say.”
Why is this old man being so petty? I stood there, exasperated, as Arthur clicked his tongue.
“Tsk. See? You’ve never kept a promise…”
“Fine.”
I got up from my seat. “I swear on this wretched family’s name. So don’t worry, Uncle.”
“W-What?! How dare you speak like that!”
“I should hurry. If I don’t leave now, I won’t make it before sunset. I’ll take my leave.”
“Wait!”
“Take care.”
“Didn’t I tell you to wait?! You brat! I’m not finished talking! Stop right there!”
Without bothering to listen, I opened the door to the parlor. At the same time, I heard some odd noises.
“Hey, hurry up! Let’s get out of here!”
“W-Wait, don’t push—!”
Thud.
It felt like a small puppy had blocked my way. For some reason, a young maid was sitting on the ground in front of me, her fluffy red curls bouncing as she stumbled.
Well, that saves me the trouble of finding her. I called her name.
“Wendy.”
“Y-Yes?!”
“Prepare the carriage. We’re going to the Duke of Isaachel’s estate.”
“Y-Yes!”
“And…”
“?”
I looked down at Wendy. “You should get ready too. I’ll need someone to accompany me.”
A brief silence. Thankfully, she didn’t freeze this time.
Her eyes widened in disbelief. “M-Me?!”
Who else would it be? There’s no one else here.
—
Note:
-“Unnie” (언니) is a Korean word that means “older sister,” and it is used by women to refer to an older sister or an older female friend.