She would occasionally leave meals outside the door instead of Mrs. Wells, but was not permitted to enter the Duke’s room herself. She could only be heard from outside the door.
Knock knock.
“It’s Mary. Mrs. Wells is away for a bit, so I’ve come in her place.”
Mary brought a trolley to the Duke’s door, left it there, knocked, and departed.
Though still young, Mary was the servant who had worked at the Duke’s Mansion the longest after Norman. Her mother had worked alongside Mrs. Wells managing the household, but passed away early due to illness.
Mary became a servant at the mansion instead of leaving. Her taciturn nature and deft hands earned Mrs. Wells’ trust, to the point of being groomed as the next head housekeeper.
So when Mrs. Wells was occasionally away, Mary was tasked with bringing the Duke’s meals. Nothing more, nothing less–she simply followed Mrs. Wells’ instructions to the letter, never uttering another word from what they had witnessed.
It was always the same routine–three knocks at regular intervals, then “It’s Mary. Mrs. Wells is away for a bit, so I’ve come in her place.” Everything was peaceful.
These ordinary days, not described in detail in the original work, had helped heal Carol, who had fled the grief of losing her family.
So she had forgotten.
In the original work, five servants were dismissed.
And among them, there was one particularly vicious person.
The exact timing of that servant’s appearance was not specified, and Carol had carelessly assumed it would not happen while she was present–a grave mistake.
Knock knock.
Knock knock knock.
Knock knock knock.
It was just another somewhat boring yet comfortable day, no different from any other.
The Duke had half-risen from the grating knock when it came.
“Your Grace, it’s Angelina. I’ve brought your food.”
Knock knock knock.
A slightly harsher knock followed, more forceful than before.
This unfamiliar servant had broken into the daily routine.
The servant who introduced herself as Angelina acted as if simply stating her name would have the Duke leaping from bed to the door, knocking again to reaffirm it.
“Your Grace, it’s Angelina.”
Her knocks were insistent. But contrary to her expectation, the name seemed unfamiliar to the Duke.
Racking his memory, the Duke could not recall ever hearing that name before, so he did not respond.
Rattle.
“I’ve been permitted to serve you directly, so could you please open the door?”
With each rattle of the doorknob, Carol’s heart pounded.
However, oblivious to Carol’s concern, the Duke did not worry much since the door was locked, and simply waited quietly for the servant to leave.
“It’s an unfamiliar servant, so I can understand the confusion.”
Having grown accustomed to the new servant Mary, he had grown complacent. But Angelina was not a servant who simply followed the manual like Mary.
Rattle.
Rattle.
Rattle.
“Why won’t you open the door?” A puzzled voice came from outside.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
It was not the sound of the doorknob turning like before, but rather the sound of something trying to force open the locked door–seemingly attempting to open it without a key.
Only now did the Duke seem to realize the severity, as he pulled the cord beside his bed. Pulling it would ring a bell in Mrs. Wells’ room.
However, the sound of the door opening came sooner than Mrs. Wells’ arrival.
Click.
Creak.
The sound of the door opening, followed by the trolley being rolled in.
“…It would be best if you left. Consider this a warning.”
The Duke spoke sternly. She would be the one harmed by witnessing his appearance.
His voice made Angelina pause mid-step. Belatedly realizing the Duke’s warning was directed at her, Angelina began spouting outrageous claims.
“Weren’t you supposed to marry me upon your return?”
The nonsensical statement made the Duke’s face contort.
“…What…?”
“You were engaged, but that was all lies, wasn’t it?”
“…..”
“Were you imprisoned because of me? My, locking Your Grace in such a squalid room. The engagement must have been forced upon you.”
She was deranged. From her incoherent ramblings, it was easy to guess she harbored some misguided delusion about the Duke.
“A mad woman.”
The Duke muttered to himself, furrowing his brow at the ludicrous claims. He then gently covered Carol with the bedsheet.
As the startled Carol squirmed, the Duke cupped her gently with both hands and whispered.
“Shh…don’t be scared.”
“Chirp!” (This is no time to hide me!)
Today was another day Mrs. Wells was away. She had mentioned the previous day that another servant would come today.
“Where is Mary?”
And since there was supposed to be only one servant, the Duke asked about the servant who should have originally come.
“Why look for that woman? She acted all quiet, but I could tell something was off from the way she served meals.”
Angelina spoke erratically. Her malicious words raised an ominous premonition.
“…To think a madwoman managed to enter the Duke’s Mansion, were there no suitable candidates to hire?”
The Duke sighed with an exasperated expression.
The original work mentioned how exhausting it was for the Duke, who had charmed countless women in the capital, to have obsessed individuals clinging to him. But he never expected it to be this bad.
“Leave. That’s an order. If you stop now, I may overlook your behavior until now.”
“Is it because of that woman? You were so kind to me before leaving for the capital, Your Grace. I felt our feelings connected then.”
Her raised voice was tinged with madness.
She was completely insane. A minor kindness had devolved into delusional fantasies she now mistook for reality.
“If you see me again, you’ll change your mind.”
Angelina paid no heed to the Duke’s warning. Her footsteps gradually drew closer. Carol instinctively puffed out her feathers in apprehension.
“No, that’s what I should be telling you.”
“When you helped me up after I fell and our eyes met, I felt your feelings then, Your Grace.”
“It was merely a small courtesy on my part. I greatly dislike those who misinterpret such minor kindnesses.”
“It wasn’t a misunderstanding.”
“If it wasn’t, I would remember you.”
The servants who witnessed the cursed Duke generally faced lifelong surveillance or misfortune.
“It wasn’t a misunderstanding! You took my hand!”
“I must have been supporting you.”
“So you do remember.”
“I was merely guessing based on the circumstances.”
Though the Duke tried to reason with Angelina verbally, hoping no such incident had occurred, she would not listen.
‘I have to take action.’
Carol flapped her wings. Not fully healed yet, it stung, but she could still fly.
“Chirp!”
Carol took flight, charging straight at Angelina.
Thud.
But Angelina caught Carol’s body in one swift motion.
‘Such monstrous strength…!’
The woman gripped Carol’s body and flung her away.
Thump.
Roll roll.
Had she crashed into the floor, she would have been severely injured, but fortunately her body landed on the sofa.
Angelina practically ran towards the bed.
And then the curtains parted.
“I did warn you.”
“Kyaaaah!”
A blood-curdling scream rang out.
“Misinterpreting kindness is one thing, but you’ve overstepped,” the Duke said coldly as Angelina screamed. Then his gaze shifted from her to Carol.
“To misinterpret kindness–how presumptuous of a beastman, born a beast!”
The Duke’s red eyes seemed to pierce right through her. She lacked the courage to meet that gaze and closed her eyes.
The ground crumbled beneath her in an instant.
Jolt.
“Huff…huff…”
Carol awoke from the dream, panting heavily. Her feet felt ice-cold, as if she had fallen into freezing water. Her back was damp with cold sweat.
The window showed it was bright out, as if the earlier events were just a dream. Evening would come soon, and her human transformation again.
“Do not misinterpret simple kindness, Carol Langer.”
Carol slapped her own cheeks.
To the Duke, she may appear just as frightening to anyone if discovered.
So she must never be found out.
Neither her feelings, nor her true beastman nature.
How would the Duke’s expression change if he realized she was a beastman?
She was afraid. So she must not misinterpret anything. Even if the Duke’s actions towards her stemmed from affection, as a beastman, nothing should ever happen between them.
“I overslept.”
Having woken up early, Carol thought she might as well bathe in her sparrow form for a change and got up.
