You Are Bold

"Madam..." Jason and the maid exchanged one glance with each other and then looked at me with pity. I was fine, so I comforted them with a smile. "I'm fine. Who will prepare the dowry for a stranger?" I felt bitter but knew my place well.  Mrs. Smith was a stepmother to me. She was the second wife of my father. Therefore, Mrs. Smith had nothing to do with me.  She had raised Odette for nineteen years, and I was just a stranger to her.  My value to her was to marry the dead Carroll for Odette. Therefore, it was reasonable that she gave me a necklace with a fake gem.  I felt fine. After one glance at my well-bandaged finger, I went back to my spot, took one piece of cake, and sent it to my mouth. The cake soon melted in my mouth, but it tasted different from those of yesterday.  The cakes yesterdays were sweet, greasy, and fresh. The cakes today were more delicious and delicate.  My bitterness had disappeared. "The offerings are delicious today." "Madam, the cakes are offerings." The maid burst into laughter. "Mr. Carroll deliberately prepared them for you." "Really?" I was a bit surprised. Only then did I find that the food on the small table was completely different from the offerings before the coffin. The offerings were basic pastries, and the food on the small table was popular recently. I had seen them on TV and in magazines.  Suddenly, the maid bent down seriously, and this bow was quite standard. Startled, I moved aside and pointed at the dark coffin behind me. "Well, didn't you make a mistake? The coffin is there." "I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Rose. From now on, I will be responsible for your daily life. I will do whatever you ask me to do." Rose? Wasn't it seasoning? Didn't her parents name her too carelessly?  I didn't pay attention to Rose till now. Rose seemed to be in her twenties. She had a medium build and tanned skin. Her facial features were beautiful though she didn't look like a native.  Compared to Jason, Rose looked a bit silly. I served others in the countryside, but there was a maid waiting on me. I didn't know what to do for this twist. I pondered for a while. Then, I patted the empty chair beside me and said, "Do you like to sit for a while?" "May I?" Rose looked at Jason timidly.  "Mr. Carroll is not here, so Madam is the boss now." After Jason nodded slightly, Rose sat happily next to me. "Madam, you're so nice. You aren't aloof at all." Rose peeled an orange and handed it to me with a bright smile. I took the orange and asked in a low voice, "Do you know how long this funeral will last?" "I don't know." Rose shook her head like a rattle and answered in a low voice like mine, "Old Madame Brown will have the final say here. She is in charge of the funeral." Old Madame Brown! That old woman who didn't like me! I sighed and looked at the door. Few mourners came this afternoon, apart from Odette and Opal. Could it be that what I had said this morning worked? Did Old Madame Brown tell others not to come? If my word did work, why... With a bright smile on my face, I turned my head, looked at the photo of Carroll, and thought, "Why don't we save all the trouble by burying the empty coffin?" "Jason! Jason!" I beckoned to Jason and pointed to another chair. "There are only the three of us, so why do you stand there? Come and sit with us." Jason hesitated for a moment. "Madam, I try to show respect to Mr. Carroll." I lowered my voice and said, "Come on! Mr. Carroll isn't dead. What respect? Come and sit down." After a short astonishment, Jason took the chair a bit far from mine.  "Jason, what do you think of burying Mr. Carroll at a good time and a good place?" I handed one plate with cakes on it to Jason with a flattering smile. There would be no more trouble after the empty coffin was buried.  Carroll faked his death, so the etiquette wasn't so important now. Jason, who had accepted my cakes, bounced back more than half a meter as if he had seen a ghost. He looked at me in shock and said, "Madam, you are bold." "Am I?" Jason and Rose nodded at the same time. I tilted my head and looked at Carroll in the photo. Carroll looked cold, elegant, and intimidating even in the photo.  From my arrival here, everyone kept reminding me of how terrifying Carroll was. Even Nathan had a hint of fear on his face at the mention of Carroll. However, Carroll was the nicest man to me over the past 19 years.  In my eyes, he was not scary at all. When I thought of how to convince Old Madame Brown to bury the empty coffin, Opal reappeared. Opal angrily walked to me with a kraft bag in his hand. I was in astonishment.  Rose, Jason, and I sat on our chairs respectively and formed a circle. Rose had half an orange in her hand, and Jason had cakes on his plate. As for me, I was chewing the orange in my mouth... It seemed we were having a tea party rather than in a funeral.  "Why did you come back?" I swallowed the orange in my mouth and got up reluctantly. "Didn't we agree that the Brown family would help me get an ID card?" With contempt on his face, Opal stuffed the kraft bag into my arms. "Use it to fix the necklace." "Oh, the compensation." I opened the kraft bag and saw piles of cash.  There was thirty thousand dollars in total. I made a fortune. I jerked my head up and looked at Opal. "Thanks." I owned so much cash for the first time.  Opal seemed disappointed when my eyes lit up for the money. "Do you see nothing but money? Our eldest brother will be home tomorrow night. Remember to come home on time." Well, Opal and Odette seemed to try to get me to their house in all ways.  Did the return of their eldest brother have anything to do with me? Did they want me to cheer for the family love among them?  My instinct warned me that there might be a trap tomorrow night and that I shouldn't go to the Smith's place.  "I won't go." My acceptance of the money didn't mean that I would go to the Smith's place.