FWTR Chapter 41

Chapter 41: The Ruby Ring

As soon as Estelle stepped off the train, she clutched the letters and the velvet jewelry box close to her chest.

Her reddened eyes stung. She had shed more tears than she had during the funeral.

Keeping her head down, she walked with her gaze lowered, avoiding the curious stares of passersby.

“My Lady, I’ve come to escort you.”

“…….”

“My Lady, are you alr—no, never mind. Please, get in.”

The coachman, who had come to meet her at the station, was startled by her appearance and started to speak but then stopped himself. Silently, he guided the carriage forward.

He must have already heard about the Count of Madel’s passing. It seemed he was holding back his words, afraid they might wound her even more.

Estelle felt both grateful and uncomfortable at the kindness of others who pitied her.

‘No more crying. Grandfather is already gone, and nothing will change just because I shed tears.’

People who must not see her weakness were waiting for her at the place she was returning to.

‘Now I understand why Lucas never cries in front of others.’

She opened the window, letting the warm sunlight wash over her.

Holding onto summer, she wished for winter to come just a little more slowly.

—

Upon arriving at Winchester Duchy, the first thing she noticed was a retriever curled up under a bench.

“Riri.”

Estelle steadied her trembling voice and called out the dog’s name.

“Woof!”

The dot, which had been covering its eyes with its front paws, immediately wagged its tail and ran toward her.

Its large build made her instinctively step back for a moment, but the intelligent pet slowed its pace as if understanding her hesitation.

“Whimper…”

The dog cautiously approached, pressing its face against her cheek.

The softness of its fur was comforting, and Estelle, feeling slightly better, scratched under his chin.

“Are you lonely without your master? What should I do? It looks like I’ll have to take care of you for a while.”

“Woof!”

As if to say it was fine, the dog barked energetically before flopping onto the ground, rolling around in playful antics, and then grabbing a frisbee in its mouth.

“Do you want me to play with it?”

She had never spent much time bonding or playing with the dog, yet it followed her so affectionately—it was rather fascinating.

“Wait a bit. I’ll play with you after I change into something comfortable.”

Patting him as if to tell it to wait patiently, Estelle turned and stepped inside the mansion to change.

—

“…You’ve arrived?”

Standing in the middle of the hall with his hands behind his back was the Duke of Winchester.

“You returned sooner than I expected. I thought you’d stay longer.”

His attempt at a friendly tone felt awkward and unfamiliar. Not knowing how to respond, Estelle couldn’t bring herself to speak.

“I heard the news. Since you and Lucas were there and it was a bit far to travel south, I wasn’t able to attend. My apologies.”

“…….”

“And congratulations. I heard you’ve become the Margrave of Luenbien. Assigning Lucas as your acting head was a wise decision. It’s better to get help until you fully adjust.”

She nearly blurted out, ‘You didn’t come because you didn’t want to, not because you couldn’t.’

For a long time, the Duke of Winchester and the Count of Madel had never gotten along.

Madel had opposed the marriage from the start, and when he showed disapproval toward Melody’s adoption, the Duke of Winchester had reacted harshly, seeing it as interference.

“It’s fine.”

In truth, his presence would have only made it harder for her to cry freely. His apology wasn’t something she particularly wanted.

‘He found my funeral a hassle too—how much grief would he have really shown if he had come?’

Sensing that the Duke of Winchester wanted to continue the conversation, Estelle turned away sharply, making it clear she had nothing more to say.

As she opened the door to the western wing, she saw Anna cleaning the floor.

“My Lady?”

“I thought you were given a long vacation.”

“I heard the news and was worried about you…”

Ignoring the insincere concern without much thought, Estelle casually glanced around the room. The freshly decorated space featured light blue silk curtains swaying gently in the breeze.

“Oh, right, my lady. On the right are the jewelry pieces made from the Duke’s gifted gems, and on the left are the presents sent from the Madel Count family.”

Following Anna’s gesture, Estelle saw a considerable number of gift boxes neatly arranged on the table.

‘The Duke said he was giving me jewelry, so I told the butler to pick them out.’

A small gap between the Duke’s gifts and the Count’s made it easy to distinguish them.

“Anna, put these letters in the nightstand drawer.”

Estelle handed the letters to Anna, who carefully took them and stacked them neatly inside the drawer.

Meanwhile, Estelle examined the jewelry.

There were various accessories, all crafted from high-quality gemstones.

A bracelet and earrings made of aquamarine, a necklace strung with only the finest pearls, a ruby ring…

The ruby ring immediately reminded her of Leonov.

‘Of all things, why a ruby ring?’

Even if the butler had chosen it, the jewelry still bore the influence of the Duke of Winchester, making her reluctant to touch it.

“My lady, I’ve finished organizing everything!”

“Good job. Here, take this. You can sell it or keep it—do as you please.”

Estelle placed the ruby ring in Anna’s palm.

“Oh, my lady! Are you sure I can accept something so valuable…?”

She wanted to get rid of the ruby ring, but it was also bait to ensure that Anna, who knew where her best interests lay, stayed loyal.

“Would you rather I take it back?”

“Oh, no, that’s not it…! I’ll gladly accept it. Thank you, my lady!”

Clutching the ruby ring tightly, Anna bowed several times, smiling brightly.

“The western wing gets such wonderful sunlight. Oh, and the servants have finally started saying that the household’s authority has been properly established.”

“Is that so?”

The western wing was a space reserved only for the eldest legitimate daughter. It was true that authority had been restored, as the servants claimed.

Until now, the discipline in the house had crumbled because Melody, an adopted daughter, had been using this space.

“I’m tired. You may leave now.”

“Yes, my lady.”

After Anna left, Estelle sat down and began unwrapping the gifts on the table one by one.

A pair of small sky-blue boots that seemed fit for a child.
A set of paints in various colors.
A pale green dress.
A larimar bracelet engraved with the words ‘May you live long and in good health.’
A sapphire-adorned fountain pen.
And a deed granting her ownership of the Madel Count family’s villa.

“These must be the birthday presents he prepared for me each year. He could have just given them to me at the time… Why did he keep them all stored away like this?”

The thought that he might have lacked the courage to give them to her made her heart ache.

Each gift had been prepared with care, reflecting how he had thought of her every year. But among them, the one that touched her the most was—

“This is…”

A pendant containing a portrait of her mother.

A face she had never seen in her lifetime. Even the portrait she had once glimpsed in childhood had long since faded from memory.

“So this is what my mother looked like.”

A beautiful woman with delicate features, platinum hair, and vibrant pink eyes.

“If my mother had lived… would she have loved me?”

What did it mean to say that she should shine brightly anywhere, so she could always be found?

“Mother must have known she wouldn’t survive after giving birth to me. That’s why… she changed my name—to never lose me, to always find me.”

Staring into her mother’s eyes in the portrait, Estelle whispered,

“If you were given another chance, Mother… please, don’t have me. Choose yourself instead of me.”

“…….”

“I never managed to shine. So please, live and shine in my place. And… if you can hear me…”

‘Help me hold on just a little longer.’

So that she would not grow weary, so that she could endure a little longer on this thorny path, she wished for strength.

As she made a wish that would never reach, Estelle gently brushed her fingers over the portrait in the pendant.

—

The Duke of Winchester had already thought countless times whether he should go to Estelle or not.

“Of all times, something like that had to happen while Estelle was away…”

Because of it, her already thin face had become even paler. It was clear she had cried a lot—her eyes were swollen and red.

“I have to see her since we need to talk about the wedding.”

He had already met with the Empress to arrange it.

The date was set for the upcoming spring, after Estelle’s coming-of-age ceremony.

“It’s not like she’s being sold off, but moving this quickly will certainly cause an uproar…”

They weren’t even officially engaged yet. He understood that the Empress intended to tarnish Michael’s reputation, but the fact that this also affected Estelle unsettled him.

“No matter how much I try to persuade her, she won’t change her mind about marrying the Second Prince, will she?”

It was frustrating. Why on earth would she choose an illegitimate child over the Crown Prince?

And why had the Empress suddenly decided to marry Estelle to Michael in the first place?

“Whatever the reason, Your Majesty… Winchester will not forget this.”

He had always supported the Empress and the Crown Prince, but now, he had no desire to continue doing so.

Leaving his office to visit Estelle, the Duke of Winchester walked down the corridor leading to the western wing. There, he spotted Anna, smiling brightly.

On her finger, a familiar ruby ring gleamed.

It was the one he had given. Though he had tasked the butler with selecting the gifts, he had made the final decision himself. Among them, the ruby ring was something he had personally chosen.

“Did you dare steal from your mistress?”

Anna’s face turned deathly pale as she immediately fell to her knees.

“My lady gave it to me! You can ask her yourself. I swear I didn’t steal it…!”

She didn’t seem to be lying. If she had truly stolen it, she wouldn’t be wearing it so boldly.

“Then… she really gave away the gift I chose? Estelle, that child?”

Unable to believe it, the Duke of Winchester brushed past Anna and opened the door.

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