The Stand-In Villainess's Contract Marriage: I Was Divorced After a Year, But For Some Reason, My Ex-Husband Seems to Be Looking for Me - Chapter 19

“Thank you for your effort.”

When I expressed my gratitude, the maid, who seemed to be about the same age as my sister, said that the main dish was still being prepared, so she asked me to wait a little longer.

“No, it’s getting late, so this is enough.”

Since I had a small appetite, I declined the main dish that was going to be made and decided to take only the bread and soup.

I carried it to the table myself and ate alone.

(Delicious…)

The bread was soft, and the soup was hearty, enough to make me feel full just from that.

After finishing my meal, I was instructed to leave the dishes on the wagon outside the room, so I quietly opened the door and placed the dishes down.

The hallway, which had been bustling a short while ago, was now eerily quiet.

Kararize was likely living deeper in the mansion, so the staff were probably there too.

Feeling a slight sense of loneliness as if I had been left behind, I reminded myself that I must not make my presence known.

If I were to leave my room feeling lonely, I would be in serious trouble for violating my contract.

I had to live quietly and obediently.

After finishing my meal, I did a bit of sewing and then crawled into the bed I had made for myself.

The bed was surprisingly soft, and since I had grown accustomed to a hard bed, I found it difficult to fall asleep, merely gazing at the moonlight through the curtains.

Although I must have fallen asleep late at night, I woke up early in the morning out of habit.

The guest room assigned to me had a bedroom and a sitting room, as well as facilities for water.

After getting ready there, I changed into an old dress and tied up my long silver hair.

Thinking I shouldn’t open the curtains too wide, I opened them just a little to bask in the sunlight.

It seemed to be a sunny day, and I could see the gardener watering the flowers from early in the morning.

I wondered if the letter I wrote yesterday had safely reached my sister.

Since Dr. Amalia would have taken care of the payment for her, she would continue to send her medicine as well.

My sister, who had been told that it would be difficult to conceive due to her weak body, would surely continue taking the medicine for her wedding a year later.

Dr. Amalia had promised to keep me updated on my sister’s condition, but of course, the recipient of the letter wasn’t the Kirina Duke’s residence.

I had a convent that I had helped out at since long ago.

There was also an orphanage on the premises, and being skilled at sewing, I often reused old clothes to make garments for the children.

I had asked for the letter to be sent there, as I was sure that at the convent, I would be allowed to go out a few times.

(That’s right. I need to sew clothes for the children.)

If yesterday was any indication, I would probably have breakfast after Kararize, the master of the mansion, left.

Thinking that, I decided to reuse the clothes I brought from my childhood to sew for the children at the orphanage.

(I remember this dress. It was sewn by my mother on my seventh birthday.)

It was a lovely dress, and I recalled being so happy that I hugged my mother multiple times.

My mother was also skilled at sewing, and if she couldn’t find a design she liked, she would sew a dress herself.

I remembered how many she had made for both my sister and me.

While it felt sad to unravel a dress my mother had made, I thought that it would make her happier for the children to wear it than to keep a dress I could no longer wear safely tucked away.

For my sister’s medicine, I had to sell the precious jewelry she left behind, and the dress would lose its original form this way, but the memories would never fade and would always remain in my heart.

Carefully, I unraveled the seams and resewed them into a more comfortable and washable shape.

As I became engrossed in my sewing, a maid finally brought me my breakfast around noon.

Just like yesterday, it was only bread and soup.

However, there was so much bread that I couldn’t finish it, and the soup was a hearty one made with the finest ingredients.

I was told that the main dish would be something I liked, but I informed them that this was enough.

This was plenty, and if I had too lavish a meal, I would feel guilty toward my sister.

Besides, I could only enjoy such meals for a year.

I needed to restrain myself, not to become accustomed to luxury.

“It’s almost noon, so I don’t need lunch. Please continue to provide only bread and soup for breakfast and dinner.”

The maid, who seemed to be about the same age as my sister, silently complied with my wishes.

She asked me to leave a note with the dishes if I had anything I wanted or messages to convey, and I agreed.

“I’m fine for now. Thank you for your consideration.”

After two or three days, I was thinking of requesting to be allowed to visit the convent.

Returning to my room, I had a meal that combined breakfast and lunch, then placed the dishes back on the wagon outside.

In the afternoon, I continued to sew to pass the time.

Having worked diligently morning and night until now, I felt almost guilty for having so much free time.

At this rate, I would likely finish sewing for the children within a few days.

(I should take on some work too.)

After visiting the convent, I would also ask to be allowed to go to the town’s tailor.

As I was thinking this and diligently moving my needle, there was a visitor.

“Yes?”

I reflexively answered in response to the light knock on the door.

Thinking it was a maid, I was surprised to find that it was the butler, Felice, who had come to see me.