“See you at dinner, Aisha. Don’t forget, 6:30 sharp!”
With a bright smile, Lucas left the infirmary, clearly pleased with himself. The room fell into a brief silence after he exited.
“You and Lucas are already like family, huh?”
The Duke broke the silence with a small chuckle, though I could tell he was a bit annoyed.
‘He’s upset!’
I could see it. He was trying to hide it, but his eyebrows were raised about ten degrees higher than usual.
‘Alert! Alert!’
I quickly tried to figure out how to defuse the situation and then had a brilliant idea. I clapped my hands together in realization.
“This is what happens with too much reinforcement!”
“What?”
“After hearing Lucas call himself ‘big brother’ all day, it just slipped out of me without thinking!”
“Is that so?”
The Duke muttered as he slowly unwrapped a piece of chocolate and placed it in my mouth.
“…So, does that mean calling someone ‘Dad’ might be possible too?”
“Huh?”
Unfortunately, I missed what he said because I was too busy savoring the sweet taste of chocolate I hadn’t had in ages.
“It’s nothing.”
The Duke smiled slightly, brushing off the comment as he gently wiped the corner of my mouth with a handkerchief.
‘…Wow. That’s interesting.’
His expression was impassive, but I could feel the affection in his gaze.
Nibbling on the chocolate, I couldn’t help but wiggle my toes in delight.
“Aisha.”
“Yes?”
The Duke, who had been quietly watching me, spoke cautiously.
“There’s something else you didn’t tell me, aside from the names.”
“Huh?”
“You didn’t mention Lucas was kidnapped by the circus. Why didn’t you tell me?”
Thud.
My happy toe-wiggling came to an abrupt stop.
It was just a simple question, without any explanation, but the burden and loneliness I had felt before going to the circus came crashing back over me like a wave. My body tensed up.
“I’m not scolding you.”
His firm voice cut through my thoughts. As he leaned in, he started unwrapping another piece of chocolate.
“I’m worried about you. Can you answer me?”
He held the chocolate to my lips again, and I opened my mouth, though I wasn’t sure how to answer.
‘Was it because I was afraid of losing his trust?’
He was looking at me with such tender eyes. I didn’t want to hurt him with words like that.
‘Or maybe I was afraid he wouldn’t believe me again after failing once?’
But to explain that, I would have to bring up our contract and the lost Princess again, and I didn’t want to remind him of that.
Hmm…
As I continued to struggle with how to respond, the Duke sighed softly.
“Kiddo, you’re overthinking this again, aren’t you?”
I flinched.
Just as I was about to finally say something—
“I believe I can explain.”
“?”
“…?”
A familiar voice came from somewhere. Both the Duke and I looked around, confused.
Pop—!
A flower pot in the corner of the room suddenly lifted into the air.
No, more accurately—
“Apologies, Lady Aisha.”
A man wearing a headband with a plant-like decoration emerged from the dirt.
“May I have a moment to offer my apologies?”
It was Knox, the Kreutz family’s butler.
* * *
At the same time, in the head maid’s quarters.
“My eyes aren’t as sharp as they used to be, making it hard to knit at this age.”
Mai massaged her tired eyes as she looked over the finished scarf. It was a simple piece compared to the ones sold in the city salons, but the careful stitching and the small wolf emblem in the center gave it a touch of elegance. She was about to pack it into a blue box when—
Knock, knock—
“Head maid, Lord Knox requests your presence.”
She nodded at the servant who had delivered the message, her heart beating faster.
‘It’s time.’
“Yes, I’ll go now.”
Mai picked up the box with the scarf and made her way down the corridor. She arrived at the infirmary where Lady Aisha was staying.
“…”
Taking a slow, deep breath in front of the closed door, Mai gathered her resolve and knocked.
Knock, knock—
“It’s Mai. May I come in?”
The infirmary was bustling with people who had gathered to celebrate the miraculous recovery of the young Lady Aisha.
* * *
And that brings us to now.
Knox and Mai were both kneeling before me, and it was so uncomfortable I thought I might die from the awkwardness. I had no idea where to look, and my eyes kept darting around.
At first, I tried to get them to stand up, flailing and insisting they didn’t need to kneel, especially since Mai was at an age where this could be bad for her knees.
“Please, stand up! There’s no need to kneel, especially not you, Head Maid Mai! This can’t be good for your joints!”
But the Duke noticed my frantic behavior and gently took hold of my hands to calm me down.
“Let them be. They have something important to say to you as their Lady.”
As their Lady. He called them subordinates!
It was technically correct, but the Duke had never referred to Mai and Knox in that way before.
So there I was, trying my best not to look down at the two kneeling adults, my eyes wide open.
“So,”
“…”
“What is it you want to explain?”
The Duke was the first to break the silence. His slightly sharp tone made Mai flinch, and Knox slowly raised his gaze. His teal eyes were focused not on the Duke but on me.
“Back when we couldn’t find the Princess, we were suspicious that Lady Aisha might have approached the mansion with some ulterior motive.”
I knew that already. Knox had always been the most openly distrustful of me.
“But the recent incident with Young Master Lucas made me realize how complacent I had been.”
“…”
“If I had trusted the Princess and believed in her, she would have confided in me about Young Master Lucas’s situation. At that time, the Duke was away dealing with the monster subjugation.”
Knox paused briefly before asking cautiously.
“Milady, when you were writing that strange report in your room, were you trying to get me to go to the circus on purpose?”
The Duke’s gaze shifted to me as well, clearly curious about the answer. My heart raced as I nervously nodded.
“Yes…”
“Just as I thought.”
“Ha…”
Knox nodded in understanding, the Duke frowned slightly in irritation, and Mai lowered her head as if she were guilty of a crime.
“It was my poor judgment that led to you being hurt so badly, Princess. I will accept any punishment you see fit.”
Knox’s voice was calm, but the sincerity in his apology was clear.
“But Princess?”
“Yes?”
“If you were able to find Young Master Lucas, do you know where the eldest Young Master is as well?”
It seemed Knox was now willing to believe me, given that he asked such a question.
Everyone’s eyes were on me as I fidgeted with my fingers.
“Well… I don’t think you’ll be able to find the eldest Young Master.”
“Why not?”
“I… I’m not sure, hehe.”
Though I played it off lightly, I actually did know where the eldest Young Master was. But—
“Princess.”
Just then, Mai spoke up, her voice filled with anxiety.
“I, too, will accept any punishment.”
“Mai, why would you—”
The Duke seemed bewildered, but Mai pressed on firmly.
“Do you remember what you asked me the other day, Princess? Whether the Duke trusted you?”
“What? Who wouldn’t trust—”
“Uncle.”
The Duke’s eyes widened in surprise, but I cut him off by tugging on his sleeve.
“I remember how I responded to your question, Princess.”
“…”
“I told you that although the Duke pitied you enough to adopt you, he wouldn’t trust you, because you were the one who lied first.”
“What? Mai, how could you say that to a little girl—”
“Uncle.”
I tugged on his sleeve again.
“…Good grief.”
The Duke sighed and slowly rubbed his face with his hand, glancing between me and Mai.
Mai’s hands, clasped together on her lap, were turning pale as her grip tightened.
“It was something I said in a moment of anger, but I’ve regretted those words ever since. Especially when I heard that the Princess nearly died saving Young Master Lucas…”
Mai swallowed hard before continuing.
“My heart sank.”
Her confession cast a heavy atmosphere over the infirmary. Both Knox and Mai remained kneeling, waiting for my response. More precisely, they were waiting for the punishment I would give them.
At that moment—
“Let me take her for a moment.”
The Duke, who had been hiding his own discomfort, gently lifted me into his arms.
Huh? With Knox and Mai still kneeling here, he wanted to leave?
“Why?”
“Just step outside with me for a moment. We need to talk.”
When I whispered into his ear, wide-eyed, he replied firmly.
