Chapter 08
Daphne let out a small sigh as she gazed out the window.
She had proposed to a man she had never seen before—out of necessity, but still, it was shocking.
“Please be the father of my child.”
There was probably no less romantic proposal than that.
Then again, in this era, love marriages were rare. Most noblewomen married through arranged engagements, often decided before birth.
“I have no idea what that man is thinking…”
In the original story, the Duke never showed himself until Jacquette went looking for him.
Even in his few appearances, his face was always hidden.
So why did he reveal himself to the client this time?
Even though there were descriptions of Phantom, the man behind it had never stepped forward personally.
But the strangest part was—
“Let’s do it. Marriage.”
He had accepted her proposal so quickly.
Why had he agreed to marry a woman he had just met?
Daphne tapped her arm with her index finger.
He must have wanted something from her. But what?
While she was lost in thought, the sleigh came to a stop.
“Miss, we’ve arrived.”
As she stepped into the mansion, she noticed the servants bustling around.
“Miss…!”
Before she could ask anyone what was happening, Becky ran toward her in a panic.
A busy mansion. A maid rushed toward her in distress.
“Father is returning, isn’t he?”
“Y-Yes… that’s right…”
That meant she had little time left.
She lifted her gaze and saw Baron Bruce standing nearby.
“Did you get the books?”
“Of course. Thanks to you.”
She smiled and pulled out a few books from her coat.
She had asked the old man for them before leaving Phantom.
“You already got the report, so why are you still worried?”
Bruce frowned at her words but simply bowed lightly and turned to leave.
“That… that rude…”
“Becky—”
“How can he act so arrogantly toward his master’s daughter?”
“Let it go. More importantly, there’s something urgent we need to do.”
She had to act before Bruce did.
Before her father arrived, she needed to make sure there was no turning back.
“We need to prepare for the wedding.”
“Miss, is this the only way…? I want to oppose this…”
“Becky, in noble society, the easiest way for an unmarried woman to escape her father’s control is marriage. You told me that yourself.”
Becky hesitated but then nodded firmly.
“If this is what you want, then I will help.”
Daphne smiled softly at her.
“Then, Miss, I will go with you.”
“But Becky… this is your home.”
“Well, my parents are gone, and my good-for-nothing brother left a long time ago.”
Becky likely didn’t even realize the expression on her face.
She tried to act like it didn’t matter, but there was a trace of fear and hesitation in her eyes.
“I’ll ask you one last time. Are you sure?”
Becky gave her a bright, confident smile.
“Yes!”
She was someone who knew Daphne’s life better than anyone else—a friend, a sister.
“Then I’m counting on you.”
“Leave it to me!”
Everything had to be done before the Marquis of Himonas arrived.
“How about this one?”
“That one looks too plain, don’t you think?”
“P-Plain…?”
Jacquette looked utterly confused by Becky’s words.
“I mean… too simple and ordinary.”
“Then… what about this?”
It was unclear if Jacquette understood her, but he nodded and picked out another white dress.
Daphne sipped her tea, glancing at the maid standing stiffly like a statue.
Bruce had sent the maid to keep an eye on her, making sure she didn’t do anything reckless before her father arrived.
“Hmm…”
At Daphne’s small hum, the maid flinched.
“Miss, is something wrong?”
Becky quickly rushed to her side.
Daphne set down her teacup and smiled.
“No, it’s nothing. But Becky, could you bring me the books I bought? They should have finished checking them by now.”
At her words, the maid’s shoulders twitched slightly.
Bruce had been suspicious about her trip to the bookstore. There was no way he wouldn’t have checked her books.
But they were all ordinary parenting books. No matter how much he searched, he wouldn’t find anything unusual.
“Becky, you’re busy helping Jacquette, so…”
Daphne pretended to hesitate, though the decision had already been made.
“You should go get them.”
“M-Me?”
“Yes, you. Why? Is there a reason you can’t? Or do I need to go myself?”
The maid looked troubled.
If she left her post, Bruce would scold her for being careless.
But she also couldn’t tell Daphne to go herself.
Realizing that fewer suspicions would fall on her if she obeyed, the maid quickly bowed.
“I’ll bring them right away.”
“Good.”
“Thank you…!”
The maid hurried out of the room.
As soon as the door closed, Becky pulled a small notebook from her apron pocket.
“Here it is!”
“Thank you.”
It was a small handbook, just big enough to fit in one hand.
“If anything happens before our next meeting, you can use this to contact me.”
“With this tiny book?”
“If you write something in this, it will appear in the other one.”
Before leaving the bookstore, the old man had given her this—a direct way to contact Phantom.
Bruce had been searching for something like this, but unfortunately for him, he had failed.
Daphne smiled and examined the book.
Inside and out, it was completely blank.
“I need a pen.”
“Already got one!”
“How did you know…?”
“Just a feeling!”
Becky had an odd intuition. It was rare, but occasionally, she had good instincts.
“Becky—”
“Yes, Miss? Have you picked one yet?”
“What about this one?”
Hearing Jacquette call her, Becky quickly returned to the child’s side.
Watching them struggle over the wedding dress, Daphne opened the book and scribbled a message.
[I want to see the full moon.]
Jacquette, exhausted from choosing too many dresses, finally pointed to one with determination.
Becky seemed dissatisfied, but it was a good choice.
A white silk dress with embroidered details—no decorations, nothing flashy.
It was the Marchioness’s dress.
More precisely, it was a dress the Marchioness had chosen long ago.
She had once told Daphne—
“This is the first dress I bought in the capital. I wanted my daughter to wear it when she got married. Northern wedding dresses are too rough-looking.”
The image of a frail woman gently touching the dress came to mind.
Most days, the Marchioness had been lost in her own world. But on rare days when she was lucid, she had shared stories with Daphne.
In those moments, Daphne had felt free.
Closing the book, she stood up.
“Let’s go with this one.”
“Mom, you like it too?”
“Yes, I do.”
Becky began clearing away the other dresses.
Jacquette, delighted, beamed with pride.
Daphne gently patted the child’s head.
“Jacquette, have a snack. If you don’t eat, Becky will be sad.”
“Yes! I made those cookies myself!”
“O-Okay! I’ll eat them now!”
The child quickly drank a cup of milk and munched on the cookies, excitedly talking about everything she had seen.
“I saw a white bird earlier! It was so cute, but it flew away too quickly…”
“A white bird?”
“Round and… um… eyes…?”
“A long-tailed tit, Miss.”
“Oh! Yes! O-mong-noon!”
Struggling with the pronunciation, Jacquette practiced a few times before looking at Daphne.
“You saw one? They’re rare.”
“I hope I see it again!”
“I’m sure it hopes to see you again too.”
As Daphne spoke, she opened the book again.
Beneath her message, a neat reply had appeared.
[When the full moon rises, I will come for you.]
At that moment, a knock sounded.
Daphne handed the book back to Becky.
Knock, knock.
“I brought the books you asked for.”
“Come in.”
The maid entered and placed the parenting books on the table.
“The Baron invites you to dinner.”
“I’ll join him.”
“Yes, Miss.”
The maid left.
Tonight was the last full moon before the Marquis arrived.
And there was still much to do—
Like a wedding.
