It had been so long since they last shared a meal alone together.
They had hardly done anything befitting an engaged couple, and dining together was one of those neglected experiences.
Now that they were actually doing it, an inexplicable restlessness tickled at Angelaâs fingers and toes.
ââŠâŠâ
ââŠâŠâ
With conversation absent from the table, Angela found the silence awkward and focused solely on her wine, drinking glass after glass without touching her food.
Seeing this, Kalian placed a salad in front of her, the fresh greens generously topped with chunks of cheese.
âDonât drink too much on an empty stomach. Eat with it.â
Angela took a portion of the salad onto her plate but didnât eat it. Instead, she asked,
âAre you worried about me?â
She had remembered how the maids had told her, while she was bathing, that His Grace worried more about her than he did about the entire kingdom.
At her question, Kalian let out a breath, looking utterly incredulous.
âHave you ever gone a day without giving me a reason to worry? Even todayâwhat were you thinking, leaving the estate alone? Please, remember this before you act next time: eight out of ten of my worries are about you, Angela.â
Angelaâs eyes widened.
Confirming that the maidsâ words were true was one thing, butâhis way of addressing herâŠ
She wanted to ask where âLady Biltonâ had gone, but she was afraid that if she did, he might say it was a mistake.
She was afraid she would become âLady Biltonâ again.
So instead, Angela busied herself stabbing at her salad with her fork, as if she had no interest in the subject.
She wanted to enjoy this feeling just a little longer before it slipped away.
âAngela.â
But instead of pushing her off the edge of a cliff, Kalian gave her wings.
She couldnât say anything, afraid that if she opened her mouth, the emotions swelling inside her would spill out in the form of tears.
âYou can stay at my estate as long as you need to, until youâre at ease.â
Angela didnât respond with wordsânot even with a simple âthank youâ or âokay.â
She only nodded.
Kalian placed small pieces of sliced meat onto her plate.
The meal proceeded leisurely.
Their plates remained half-full, not because of any fault in the chefâs cooking but because Angela deliberately ate slowly, wanting to prolong her time with Kalian.
Fortunately, he was a gentlemanâhe matched her pace without complaint.
By the time their long meal finally came to an end, Kalian personally escorted Angela to her room.
It wasnât a long walk, but Angela was grateful for the chance to delay their parting.
Just before they reached her door, Angela called out to him.
âBring Mary here.â
âIf itâs a maid you need, my estate has plenty. You wonât be lacking in care.â
Angela hesitated before speaking again.
âSheâs being mistreated at the estate because of me. I donât want to leave her there alone.â
ââŠYou must care for Mary a great deal.â
âSheâs a girl who follows me well.â
ââŠâŠâ
âKalian?â
ââŠIâll send someone to the Bilton estate first thing in the morning.â
Kalian had been staring at her absentmindedly before answering.
Angela gave him a faint, relieved smile.
ââŠâŠâ
It was only after watching Angela step inside her room that Kalian finally turned away.
But, just as she suspectedâhe was lost in a labyrinth.
Tonight, Angela was exactly as she had been in the past, leaving Kalian utterly disoriented.
Walking down the corridor, he changed direction.
Instead of heading to his bedroom, he went to his office.
No matter how exhausted his body was, it was clear he wouldnât be able to sleep tonight.
—
The atmosphere at the Bilton estate was unusually chaotic.
The maids whispered amongst themselves whenever they crossed paths, talking about how Angela had been slapped by Yvonne and had run out of the estate.
Rita, despite knowing that Angelaâs situation wasnât much different from her own past, didnât want to comment on the matter.
So, she quietly distanced herself from the gossip and focused on finishing her remaining chores.
As she carefully inspected the hallways to ensure everything was in order, she noticed somethingâ
A terrace window had been left open.
Cold air was seeping inside, threatening to chill the entire mansion.
Hurriedly, Rita moved toward it.
But just as she was about to close the window, she heard soft sobbing from the terrace.
Had someone left the window open while airing out the room and forgotten to close it?
Cautiously, she peered outside.
Sitting on the terrace, crying, was the second young lady, Beatrice.
And sitting across from her, unsurprisingly, was Lady Yvonne.
Yvonne was holding Beatriceâs hand tightly.
Realizing that this was not a conversation she should be interrupting, Rita turned to leave.
But thenâ
ââŠMiss Angela⊠sniff, sniff⊠she was only trying to help⊠but now, sniff, what do we doâŠ?â
Rita froze in place.
Without even realizing it, she found herself listening.
ââŠSniff, Lady Matheson⊠s-said such cruel things⊠I was scared, sniff⊠b-but Miss Angelaââ
Beatriceâs words, mixed with sobs, were halting but still understandable.
The conclusion was clearâAngela was innocent.
Yvonne had struck her for no reason.
âBeatrice.â
At the sound of Yvonneâs voice, Ritaâs heart sank, even though it wasnât her name being called.
Her tone was so heavy that it was hard to believe this was the same woman who had always been kind to every maid, no matter how much Angela tormented her.
âSheâs not a young lady. Never call her that again. I wonât be using honorifics with her anymore, either.â
ââŠMother.â
Beatriceâs single-word plea was laced with fear, as if she couldnât understand how her mother could say such a thing.
But Yvonne was unwavering.
âThink about everything sheâs done to us. The way she tormented us. How cruel she was. I endured it all. Every time you cried, every time you got hurt, I wanted to tear that devilish child apart, but I held back.
So donât you dare feel guilty about this.
Donât apologize for it.â
Hearing this much, Rita shuddered at the sheer hatred laced in every word.
She had no business eavesdropping on this any longer.
The thought pushed her forwardâ
She needed to leave.
She had just taken a step to escape whenâ
ââŠB-but⊠but that was⊠because of us, wasnât itâŠ?â
Beatriceâs sorrowful voice shackled Ritaâs ankles, halting her steps.
—
Rita couldnât shake the uneasy feeling.
No, calling it unease was an understatement.
Her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it might burst out of her chest.
Of all the maids in this mansion, why did it have to be her who overheard this?
She should have just joined the other maids in gossiping about Angela getting slapped.
Now, she wanted nothing more than to slam her head against a wall and erase the last few minutes from her memory.
ââŠDamn it, seriously.â
Dragging her heavy feet, she finally returned to her roomâ
Only to find Mary lying on her bed, her face buried in a pillow.
Although Angelaâs fiancĂ©, Kalian, had sent word that she was safe and staying with him, it was obvious that Mary was upset simply because Angela had gone through such an ordeal.
And now, Rita found herself feeling the same way.
Ever since the day Angela had handed her money for her fatherâs medical expenses, thinking about Angela had felt like having a thorn lodged beneath her fingernailâuncomfortable, irritating.
But now, it had gone beyond that.
The things Beatrice had said were shocking.
AngelaâŠ
Ah, she almost longed for the time when she had hated Angela without knowing anything.
Her chest ached at the thought, and she rubbed at it roughly with the palm of her hand.
Just then, she heard Mary sniffle, swallowing back tears.
Had Mary always known the truth?
Was that why she was so fiercely loyal to Angela?
âHey, Mary. Get up.â
Rita sat on the edge of Maryâs bed and shook her shoulder.
Mary flinched and tried to shake her off, but Rita stubbornly forced her to sit up.
Her swollen eyes glared at Rita.
It was going to be a long night.
—
Even though this place suited Angelaâs tastes, it was no different from the Bilton estate when it came to sleepless nights.
She knew it couldnât be helped.
If a mere change of location could solve her chronic insomnia, she would have snuck out of the Bilton estate every night.
Clutching the blanket tightly, she lay still, pretending to be asleep as she always did.
Thenâ
Knock, knock.
A soft knock came from outside.
Her maids wouldnât come to her room at this hour.
Instinctively, she thought of Kalian.
Forgetting to even invite him in, she threw off the bothersome blanket and rushed to the door.
âWhat brings you here?â
The moment Kalianâs face appeared in the doorway, Angela realized she had let her excitement show too much.
âI was wondering if you were having trouble sleeping since your surroundings have changed. Didnât I tell you? Eight out of ten of my worries are about you, Angela.â
ââŠSo Mary told you. You two mustâve gotten pretty close while I was asleep.â
Kalian neither confirmed nor denied it, but Angela knew she was right.
â âMy lady, you normally have trouble sleeping, but since youâve been resting for so long, I wondered if you were making up for lost sleep.â
â âDoes she have insomnia?â
â âYou didnât know? Yes, she canât sleep at all. Weâve tried everything thatâs supposed to help, but nothing works. I worry about it a lot.â
Angela would never know how much Kalian had been ashamed when Mary asked him thatâwhen he realized he hadnât known.
Even now, as he watched Angela awake at such a late hour, he felt a sense of disgrace.
Hiding it, he spoke.
âShould I help you sleep?â
ââŠYes.â
She had no idea why Kalian had been treating her like a child since dinner, but she nodded and let him into her room.
If Kalian would accompany her through this sleepless night, then insomnia didnât seem so bad.
âHow exactly do you plan to help me sleep?â
Angela asked, eyes full of curiosity.
Kalian seemed momentarily at a loss, as if he hadnât thought that far ahead.
Then, he walked over to the bed.
Gathering up the blanket that Angela had carelessly tossed aside, he neatly arranged it and patted the space beneath it.
âLie down here.â
Angelaâs ears burned as she stiffly made her way to the bed and lay where Kalian indicated.
Her body refused to move naturally, no matter how much she tried.
But it seemed Angela was the only one with such thoughts.
Kalian, after covering her up to her chin, simply sat at her bedside and gazed down at her.
ââŠIs that all youâre going to do?â
âIâll stay here until you fall asleep. So donât worry and just rest.â
At those words, Angela abruptly sat up.
âIf anything, thatâs going to keep me awake.â
Kalian, who hadnât expected her complaint, thought for a moment before suggesting another idea.
âI need to write a report for the imperial palace. Would you like to sit with me and read a book while I work?â
Ah, thatâs right.
He had been away on an imperial mission.
Angela realized that the cape Kalian had wrapped around her had been part of his uniform.
âMy office is a mess, but I can find a place for you to sit.â
Kalian warned her, asking if she was fine with it.
Angela nodded without hesitation.
It was better than lying in bed and agonizing over nothing.
Butâ
She hadnât expected it to be this bad.
Stepping into Kalianâs office, Angela stood blankly, waiting for him to clear a seat for her.
The mountains of paperwork piled high on his desk looked as if they were just waiting for the slightest touch to come crashing down.
She stood still, wary of causing an avalanche.
âCome this way.â
Kalian reached out a hand toward her.
Angela gently took it and carefully maneuvered her way through the stacks of documents, making sure her dress didnât brush against them.
âSit here.â
The seat he had prepared was a plush single-person sofa.
It had originally been meant for meetings, positioned by a conference table.
But the table had long since disappeared beneath layers of documents, and the other chairs had been swallowed by paperwork as well.
Angela sat down and quickly discovered the best thing about this seatâ
It had a perfect view of Kalianâs desk.
She could watch him work.
âWhat kind of book would you like?â
Kalian glanced at the tall bookshelf beside his desk as he asked.
His brow furrowed slightly, as if he had just realized something.
Angela smirkedâshe could tell just from that small reaction that the shelf was probably filled with military strategy books.
She didnât mind.
She liked books of all kinds.
Even if she had to read about warfare, it wouldnât be too bad.
But instead of choosing, she shook her head.
âI donât need a book.â
âYou wonât get bored?â
Kalian seemed determined to find her something to read as he meticulously scanned the titles.
âI told you, I came here to watch you work.â
ââŠThat sounds incredibly boring.â
Even as he said that, Kalian eventually picked a book and handed it to her.
It wasnât a strategy book but one about the origins of various weapons.
Angela accepted it and countered his words.
âI doubt it.â
With that, Kalian sat at his desk and began working.
Angela pretended to read, but through the pages, she secretly observed him.
His meticulous handwriting, his focused expressionâit was a side of Kalian she would never have imagined when they first met.
It made her feel oddly proud.
Thenâ
ââŠYouâre going to wear a hole through me.â
Kalian muttered, having finally realized that Angelaâs attention wasnât on his reports but on his face.
âââ  ïœĄïŸâ§: *. ê„ .* :â§ïŸ. âââ
Finally a refreshing chapter. I’m glad they’re getting along đđ
Thanks for the translation. And go to hell Yvone đĄđĄ