Episode 118. Epilogue (2)

 

I trembled with anger at Percy’s words, my body shaking as if it could barely contain my fury.

“What?! People actually say things like that?”

So, they feared Percy in public yet had the audacity to spout such nonsense to his face?

‘Who dares to speak such vile things to my precious… uh, person? I won’t let them get away with this!’

Clenching my fists, I thought of Julius. If they’d said such things to Percy, surely Julius knew. He wasn’t the type to hold back his opinions.

I turned to Percy, still seething.

“What does Julius say about all this? Doesn’t he tell people I chose you as my husband?”

“There’s no reason for him to say such things. His Majesty has never been particularly fond of me,” Percy replied, slumping his shoulders.

“Percy…”

Seeing him droop like that made my heart ache. I wrapped my arms around his back and patted him gently. He leaned into my touch, his expression reminiscent of a loyal dog seeking comfort.

“Please pity me more.”

Percy murmured, his voice forlorn.

“It feels nice when you do. No one else pities me—they all just despise me.”

“Don’t say such things.”

His words, about preferring pity, pierced my heart like needles. Stroking his back, I whispered,

“They only talk like that because I’m the last imperial family member aside from Julius. Once he marries and has children, all this nonsense will stop. Don’t let it bother you.”

“I don’t care about the others. As long as you’re by my side, nothing else matters. If you left, I don’t know what I’d do—or if I could even handle it.”

That won’t do!

I cupped Percy’s face in my hands and made him look directly into my eyes. Slowly and clearly, I said,
“I’ll always be by your side. Even if you tell me to leave, I won’t.”

“Truly?”

I nodded.

At my response, Percy’s gaze softened, and a small smile crept across his face.

Just then, the carriage came to a stop, and a butler’s voice called from outside.

“Your Grace, we have arrived at the ducal residence.”

Startled, I quickly pulled my hands away from Percy’s face and straightened my posture. Percy, who seemed slightly disappointed, reached for the carriage door and opened it.

He stepped out first, then offered his hand to help me down. As I exited, I was greeted by rows of unfamiliar faces standing in welcome.

The man at the front bowed deeply.

“I am Beryl, the steward of the ducal estate. Would you care for a brief tour of the grounds, or…?”

Without hesitation, Percy responded.

“We’ll rest in our chambers.”

“What? I’m fine, though.”

I said quickly, sensing he was trying to accommodate me. Truthfully, I was brimming with excitement, eager to explore the new surroundings.

I met Percy’s gaze with determination, trying to convey that I wasn’t tired. He looked at me with amusement, his lips curving into a fond smile.

“Even with you beside me, I can’t shake my unease,” he said softly.

Unease, huh? So, he wanted to confirm my affection in private, away from prying eyes.

‘Ah, Percy… you really are something.’

Blushing at the clear implication, I cupped my cheeks with both hands and nodded quickly.
“O-okay. Let’s rest, then.”

At the time, I had no idea what I’d just agreed to. I thought it was simply about comforting him, like soothing a crying child.

In the end, I barely left the room for an entire week.

* * *

The reason I didn’t step outside during that week boiled down to the vast difference in stamina between Percy and me. Keeping up with his relentless attention left me so exhausted that I spent most days nodding off like a sickly chick.

Sure, I wanted to leave the room, but…

‘There’s plenty of time for that later. Right now, I’m just… so sleepy.’

That was how I justified crawling back into bed each time.

But after that week passed, I woke up one morning to find that Percy was nowhere to be seen.

‘Where did he go?’

Still feeling sluggish, I stared blankly at the ceiling until a group of maids bustled into the room.

Seeing me, they immediately exclaimed,
“She’s crossed over.”

“She’s crossed over!”

What was that supposed to mean?

I shot up, irritation bubbling within me.

“What do you mean, crossed over?! Are you saying Percy tricked me into staying here by acting all helpless?”

“Well, you’ve got it figured ou.”

One maid replied without so much as flinching.

No matter how much I shouted, the maids stood their ground, calmly spouting their opinions.

“Ugh.”

I groaned, clutching my aching back as I stood. One maid guided me back down, wiping my face with a damp cloth.

At moments like this, they were the epitome of loyal employees. Still pouting, I grumbled,

“You’re being unfair to Percy. He’s your employer, you know. He has feelings too—he gets hurt just like anyone else.”

I wanted them to understand that Percy wasn’t as tough as he seemed.

But their reaction was colder than I’d expected.

“Uh-huh…”

“Ah, so this is what they mean by rose-colored glasses.”

“You lot…”

Fine. If they didn’t believe me, so be it.

‘As long as I know Percy’s true self, that’s enough.’

I sighed through my nose, resigned.

“Bathwater’s ready,” one of the maids said.

“Can you manage, or should we just use a damp cloth?”

“I’ll get up. I’ll end up fusing with the bed otherwise.”

Grumbling, I shuffled out of bed. Halfway to the bath, I debated just crawling back under the covers, but once I sank into the warm water, I felt my tension melt away.

‘Yep, getting started is the hardest part. Once you do, it’s always worth it.’

As a maid gently scrubbed my arms and shoulders, she spoke up.

“I knew His Grace had a possessive streak, but I didn’t expect him to be so fixated on you, madam.”

“Right? To think he’d keep you from leaving the room.”

“That’s not what happened!”

The maid simply held up a mirror in response.

“Eek!”

Seeing my reflection, I screamed and dunked myself into the water. The maids burst into laughter.

“Just admit it. You’ve fallen completely for him.”

“Such a fiery honeymoon.”

“Your happiness is so perfect it’s boring. Can’t you at least have a fight to make things more interesting?”

That last maid… she meant that, didn’t she?

Fuming silently, I surfaced from the water and dried off. As I wrapped myself in a towel, my thoughts drifted back to Percy. He’d always helped me dry my hair over the past week.

“By the way, where is Percy?” I asked casually.

The maids froze for a moment before glancing at each other nervously.

Then, with forced nonchalance, one replied.

“He had some estate matters to attend to, so he stepped out for a while.”

“The ducal residence hasn’t been properly maintained for a long time, but the steward’s been working hard on it, so don’t worry.”

“Ah, I see.”

Still, something about their hesitation felt odd.

Before entering the castle, I’d been told that its condition might not be ideal.

‘Everyone else is bustling about, but I’ve been glued to the bed. Isn’t that a bit much?’

The thought pricked my conscience. Hadn’t I resolved to take this world seriously and live responsibly?

‘That’s right! Now that I’m the lady of the Stewart Duchy, I should learn about the estate too.’

A sudden burst of energy replaced my earlier lethargy. As if they’d anticipated my change of heart, the maids dressed me in a simple and comfortable gown perfect for moving around.

Eyes sparkling with determination, I announced, “I’d like to take a look around the castle.”

The maids froze, their faces tinged with unease.

“Pardon? You’d like to look around ‘now’? Perhaps it’d be better to rest in your room today?”

“A moment ago, you were grumbling about Percy not letting me leave the room.”

“Well, we’re just concerned you might be tired, haha…”

Suspicious.

Narrowing my eyes, I scrutinized their expressions, but they didn’t seem to be hiding anything outright. I shrugged.
“It doesn’t matter how long I’ll stay here—this is my castle now too. It’s only natural to explore and familiarize myself with it. Besides, leaving all the work to the steward feels unfair.”

So I was going. I would explore the castle and learn about it myself.

Sensing my unshakable resolve, the maids exchanged uncertain glances. The one closest to me stepped forward, deftly tying my hair back into a simple ponytail as she suggested.

“Perhaps you’d like to have breakfast first? The head chef personally caught fresh fish for you this morning.”

“Really?”

At the mention of food, I realized how hungry I was. Nodding, I agreed to eat before starting my exploration. Behind me, the maids discreetly high-fived each other.

‘Why do I get the feeling they’ve been trying to keep me from leaving the room?’

Maybe I was just being overly sensitive. Surely, there was no deeper reason… right?

 

 

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