Chapter 17
In the relationships between the master and the women that the head maid had seen so far, only the woman had been the one who….
“Yes, I will do that.”
In fact, Alexis had been informed earlier that Siss was returning to the mansion, and had been waiting for her at the front gate. However, the head maid could not tell her the truth straight away, fearing that Sis would insist on leaving through the back door if she found out.
To be honest, the old maid with wrinkles all over her face was a bit boring, and she wanted Alexis to settle down with a woman and live a stable life. This was different from her desire to quickly meet the Duchess, and it was a pity for the boy she had known since he was young.
Alexis lived a very intense and difficult life before ascending to the position of Duke. His mother’s early death, his father’s neglect, his stepmother’s abuse, the bullying of his two stepbrothers, and the stigma of being an illegitimate child.
It was not a pain that a child could bear. Still, it was a great and admirable thing that he persevered and worked hard to finally
obtain the position of a duke.
I was not happy with his behavior of meeting various women without being able to settle down yet, but I thought that maybe it was his way of dealing with the wounds he had received since childhood, so I kept quiet until now.
In the midst of all this confusion, Sis, who had properly caught his attention appeared, and she could not help but be happy as the head maid. Alexis was really head over heels for this young lady, and she was very much hoping that the two of them would stay together. It would be a happy thing for him to escape the pain of the past and live a happy family life with the woman he liked.
Sis, who had no way of knowing the maid’s feelings, glanced at Mona and left the bedroom.
The rain shower that had made the weather quite cold had passed, and the sky had cleared up as if nothing had happened. As I came out the main gate, the carriage was already waiting, just as the maid had said.
Sis, who had been stepping forward without hesitation, stopped on her tracks when he saw the man standing in front of the carriage, Alexis. Perhaps sensing the presence, he also looked back at Sis, who was talking to the coachman.
His face, dazzlingly illuminated by the pouring sunlight, was flawless and perfect again today. Every time we met, his handsome appearance would shine, but today, strangely, it felt even deeper and darker. How could my heart beat so hard otherwise? Thump thump. It was so unfamiliar to me that my heart beat so hard as if an earthquake had struck the ground.
Until then, Sis had thought that her heart had died. All that moved was consciousness and pale skin, and her heart had stopped and turned black like the ash that had remained after everything had burned.
But it was only after meeting him that she realized that it wasn’t true. Her immortal heart was still beating fervently as if to prove that it was alive. And now, facing him, it was the moment when she felt it most keenly.
“What are you doing there?”
Alexis tilted his head in confusion at the sight of her standing there blankly as if she had broken down when she encountered him. Only then did Sis come to her senses and approach him.
“Are you okay now?”
Alexis asked, casually caressing her forehead with his hand. It was just an action to see if there was any fever left, but Sis was startled as if he had done something strange. She felt like her temperature was rising when she touched him, so she grabbed his forearm and pulled it away in a hurry.
“Yes, yes. It’s okay.”
I felt like I spent more time with him than necessary. One day passed by in a daze, and two days were spent in his bed, receiving meticulous care. In total, it was three days.
Sis hurriedly climbed into the carriage as if she was anxious to return to the mansion right away. However, her earnest wish to leave immediately was shattered when Alexis leaned into the carriage.
“Did you hide something precious in the Count’s residence? Why are you so anxious that you always want to go back?”
Alexis held the carriage door tightly as if he could never let her go easily and wiggled his eyebrows. It seemed that he had noticed her impatient attitude as if she was running away. As Siss smiled awkwardly without saying anything, Alexis stared at her blankly and then thrust something out.
“I have a favor to ask.”
“Yes?”
“I want you to go with me to the palace ball in next four days. It’s an event where you absolutely have to go with a partner.”
What he held out was an invitation with a beautiful gold design embroidered on an ivory background. Sis took it absentmindedly and looked at it from front to back. It was unexpected for him to ask for something, let alone ask her to accompany him to a ball.
But the feeling of bewilderment was short-lived, and Sis began to worry. The fame of the Duke of Vegas was not something to be taken lightly. The moment she attended as his partner, the gazes and rumors that were too much to bear would follow her like a shadow. Just imagining it made her stomach churn.
“I, that is… … .”
As she was wondering how to refuse him without hurting his feelings, Alexis cut her off and added:
“It’s a masquerade ball, by the way.”
After hearing his words, I looked at the invitation again and saw that there really was a mask design drawn on the corner of the envelope.
It’s a masquerade ball. In this case, it might be okay since neither he nor she would be able to see each other’s faces. Of course, Alexis wasn’t the type of person whose presence would be hidden just because he covered his face, but at least she could be hidden.
“If you don’t like it, then I will ask another Young lady.”
When Sis looked down at the invitation and waited for a long time without answering, Alexis, unable to wait any longer, added. Then Sis, who had been so still that it seemed as if she had fallen asleep, raised her head at the speed of lightning.
“I’ll go!”
The dry voice echoed through the carriage. The thought of him going to the ball with another woman made any remaining hesitation disappear without a trace. After shouting, Siss realized her actions and blushed brightly.
“Hey, its only because you took care of me for two days.”
This was just an excuse to repay the favor. But it didn’t sound very convincing when said with such a face. Alexis noticed it well enough, but instead of pointing it out, he just smiled gently.
“Four days later, I will pick you at the count’s residence.”
After finishing speaking, Alexis got out of the carriage.
In an instant, the carriage door closed and the wheels began to roll. We were finally returning to the count’s residence.
But somehow, it was strange that I felt regret rather than relief. The invitation was held in Sis’s hands as if it were a precious treasure.
* * *
“Master.”
Alexis, who had been standing there as if nailed to the spot until the carriage carrying Siss gradually disappeared into the distance and finally became a dot, turned his head at the sound of a voice calling him. The head maid was approaching without making a sound.
“Samuel is in his office.”
“At this hour? You’re really diligent.”
Alexis muttered as if it was unexpected, but in fact it was his superior who had been nagging his aide, Samuel.
It was just a few weeks ago that I had told him not to sleep soundly until I found out about Sis Millan. And now that Samuel had finally managed to get the information, his reaction was nothing short of indifferent. If Samuel were here, he would probably have pulled out his hair with a face of delusion.
As Alexis turned around and started walking, the head maid naturally followed behind her. As she walked up the stairs to her office, Alexis suddenly turned his head away as a question occurred to him.
“It’s unusually quiet today.”
The head maid, who had been following him calmly, looked at him with a tired gaze, as if she couldn’t understand at once. Alexis shrugged and continued up the stairs.
“You don’t like it when women come over, do you? You nag at me a lot.”
“Do you want me to nag you?”
“No way.”
Alexis furrowed his brows in a way that made it truly dislike him. The maid smiled involuntarily at his childish honesty, unlike his serious appearance in public.
The maid was one of the few people Alexis trusted. When he was a child and was being bullied by his stepmother and stepbrothers, it was the maid who brought him ointment and prepared meals for him while avoiding their attention.
