กลิ่นนาง (นิยายชุด หอมรัญจวน)

Rosemarie's POV

I stood outside in a pale blue, plain, modest dress that fell to my knees, with white stockings and simple black shoes. My luscious, dark hair sat in a neat bun. No makeup was powdered onto my face. No adornment sparkled my ensemble.

After the death of my mother, Lady Janine Mazur, I had found no reason to be the center of attention. I hid behind plain clothes, despite being a nobleman's daughter, and only had a few friends. Even though I had always been a beautiful girl—a young woman with soft curves, flawless skin, dark chestnut eyes, and gorgeous hair—I didn't flaunt or exploit it. I believed that beauty came from within, and it should be viewed as an undiscovered, masked treasure.

Kindness, love, and a pure heart was all that mattered.

The sky was nearly black, and the utter grimness of the clouds threatened to depress me. A strong, earthy smell filled my senses—rain was approaching. Suddenly, the sound of wooden wheels bouncing along cobblestones surfaced. A fanciful carriage stopped in front of Mazur Manor, the sophisticated coachmen abandoning the reins to attend to the passengers. A black door opened to reveal three ladies clad in delicate, expensive clothing. Their dresses were colorful and wide as they walked to me, haughty looks etched onto their pale faces.

"Excuse me, housemaid, but do you know where Lord Mazur is?" asked the older woman in a snotty voice, her jade-green eyes staring with obvious disgust.

I gave a polite smile despite the hurt stabbing at my chest. "I'm sorry, madam, but I am not a housemaid. I am Rosemarie Mazur, your stepdaughter," I corrected as dignified as possible.

She blinked in surprise, her action mirrored by the two, younger ladies that seemed to be my age. The woman placed a hand to her throat. "Oh, you're my husband's daughter?" She gave a scrutinizing, judgmental look before pretending to be nice and sincere. "Please forgive me, dear, I had no idea. I am Lady Rhea Dragomir, your new stepmother. And these are your new stepsisters, Vasilisa and Jillian," she introduced, gesturing to them.

I hoped these girls were nice...Their mother already wasn't...

And the last thing I needed in my life was torment.

Putting my hand out, I said, "Pleased to meet you, Lady Dragomir." Even though I had implied that I was a lord's daughter, she pursed her thin lips and frowned at me like some peasant. When my stepmother refused to make contact, I dropped my hand and held my head down, silent as the dead. She gave a cruel laugh that sent shivers down my spine. I had a sudden urge to bolt into the manor and lock myself in my bedchamber.

Suddenly, Vasilisa came forward, followed by Jillian. They held out their hands. "It's great to—" Rhea stopped her daughters from finishing by sending them a sharp glare. The girls obeyed, much to my dismay, and folded their slender arms over their small chests, copying their mother's glare. It was getting so uncomfortable that I just decided to talk.

"So, do you have any luggage?" I wondered kindly.

Rhea gestured to the parked carriage with a gloved hand, the silk fabric seeming stark against the dark sky. "Yes. It's in the passenger area. The coachmen will help you," she answered haughtily, her pale green eyes filled with absolute disgust again. I kept my gaze down as I walked over to the carriage and began taking out leather suitcases. They had so many that it was borderline ridiculous.

I struggled getting them into the manor, my legs buckling as I moved. Rhea, Vasilisa, and Jillian just stood aside watching me in sickening amusement as I made a fool of myself. When I reached the steps, my foot missed one and I tumbled to the concrete, scraping my stockings and dropping all the suitcases. My stepmother and stepsisters cackled maliciously as they incredibly belittled me. Tears threatened to erupt, but I held them back and remained strong.

There was no way I would let them break me.

After recovering, I stood up and dusted off my dress. There were a few smudge marks from the fall, but it could be easily cleaned out. Right then, my father came out and rushed to me. His presence made the cackling cease. I was glad. "Rosemarie, are you all right?" he asked concernedly, gazing down at my dirty dress and ruined stockings. A horrified look crossed his tanned, handsome face. "Good heavens, what happened to you?"

I kept my eyes away from my wicked stepfamily. "I fell," was all I replied. Father looked me in the eye, searching for truth—it was as if I was staring at myself in a mirror, since we shared the same eye color. He arched an eyebrow in disbelief before nodding and leaving me alone. Father's gaze traveled to Rhea, who instantly put on a sultry smile. She ran into his arms, pressing her body into his. I shuddered.

"Ibrahim! I'm so glad to finally see you, sweetheart," Rhea squealed like a little girl. She pulled back but the proximity was still close. "We left our manor right after lunch, but the ride took ages and the road was painfully bumpy. It was dreadful! The girls and I are so happy to move in," she said sweetly, as if she meant it, as if she loved the idea of becoming one, big, happy family.

Father smiled at Vasilisa and Jillian. "Welcome to your new home, girls. I'm looking forward to you becoming my new daughters and you gaining a new sister," he said wholeheartedly, his chestnut-brown eyes sparkling. They beamed at hearing him accept them as his children, but they scowled at me once he mentioned me as their new sister. I tried to look friendly, yet their glossed lips puckered and their styled hair swung as they turned away.

Father didn't seem to notice—he was too happy.

Rhea, however, grinned evilly and sent me a tortuous stare. This new life was going to be very difficult.

A drop of rain suddenly splattered onto my hair. I cocked my head back and got splattered again on my cheek. Wiping the wetness away, I said, "Father, it is beginning to rain. We must all get inside." Immediately, Vasilisa and Jillian screamed like pansies and clutched Rhea, whining about how they couldn't get their precious dresses wet and ruined.

Father witnessed their behavior and quickly ushered all the ladies inside. I stood alone as the rain fell harder, my hair falling out of its bun, my clothes and shoes becoming soaked. The carriage drove away as the coachmen realized the weather wasn't going to get better. I was finally about to go inside the warm manor when I realized that the leather luggage was still on the concrete. Sighing, I bent down and gathered them in my arms, raindrops dampening the material.

I hoped my stepmother and stepsisters wouldn't be upset, but knowing them, they definitely would be.