Could it be that I want this all to be a misunderstanding?
At some point, my emotions started swinging wildly. Sometimes, just seeing Raynan made my heart swell—or like today, made me feel incredibly sad.
This hazy, uncertain feeling was slowly, bit by bit, taking shape.
If I just opened my eyes a little wider, I would see it clearly. But I kept trying to avoid it. How long could I keep doing that? I wasn’t so sure anymore.
Still, maybe it’s okay to avoid it just a little longer. I pressed down firmly on the emotions that were starting to sharpen and rise to the surface.
“Eat slowly.”
“Yes. I will.”
As long as I don’t forget where I stand, what kind of relationship we have… it’ll be fine. That’s what I told myself, and I quietly buried the faint shift that had stirred in my heart.
****
A few days after that, while I was learning embroidery from Cecil, I pricked my finger with the needle in a careless moment.
“What?”
“I told you to focus. At least it’s not bleeding. But seriously—you weren’t listening at all, were you?”
“Yeah… but isn’t that rumor way too far-fetched? The Duke and Erin? No way.”
Cecil, in her usual calm voice, mentioned a rumor going around lately—that Raynan and Erin seemed to have a strange atmosphere between them.
“Hm… I’ve heard that one too,”
said Amelia, who was sitting next to me doing embroidery as well. She let out a dry chuckle like it wasn’t a big deal.
“How many rumors spread in this mansion every day?”
“People are bored. We spend almost all our time inside, and there’s nothing really fun to do.”
I nodded at Cecil’s explanation. It wasn’t wrong, but that didn’t mean someone else’s life should become everyone’s entertainment.
“Still, that one’s a bit much.”
“Right? The Duke wouldn’t take Erin seriously. And besides, there’s Lady René.”
Amelia agreed with me, but it seemed Cecil didn’t.
“Why do you think I’m even telling you this, Lady René?”
I paused, her serious tone catching me off guard. It was unlike her. She wasn’t the type to spread gossip or talk about others for fun.
“Do you actually believe it?”
“No.”
“Then?”
“I’m telling you because I think you should be careful with Erin. From what I can tell, she became your maid with a specific goal in mind.”
“A goal…”
“I think Erin wants to take your place, Lady René.”
She meant Erin was deliberately approaching Raynan.
Could that also be part of Schneider’s plan? That didn’t seem right.
He himself had said Erin was his person. Raynan wouldn’t fall for her knowing that.
So then, Erin either had her own motives or was acting independently of Schneider in approaching Raynan.
Take my place, huh…
A bitter smile slipped out. Both Cecil and Erin saw me as Raynan’s fiancée without question—but that wasn’t true.
Maybe noticing my reaction, Amelia tried to cheer me up in a bright voice.
“That position is more solid than you think, Lady René.”
Was she trying to comfort me? Whatever the case, I gave her a thankful smile.
Cecil didn’t seem to fully understand, but she didn’t press the issue. Instead, she continued sharing what the rumors said.
“People say it reminds them of when you and the Duke first started getting close.”
“Oh, back then…”
I recalled the time I worked hard to improve my relationship with Edwin.
I’d thought getting a bit closer to Raynan might help me reconcile things with Edwin…
Looking back now, that was a silly idea. But at least everything had turned out okay in the end.
“So that’s why Erin…”
Suddenly, I remembered a question Erin had asked me not long ago.
“I was just curious what the Duke liked so much about you, Lady René. Did he ever say?”
“Just make sure you’re around him a lot. That really seems to work. He kind of likes it, actually.”
Was she really sticking close to Raynan just because of that? And he wasn’t stopping her?
“So what does the Duke think about all this?”
“No one really knows. He hasn’t shown much reaction, but just the fact that Erin is still serving as your maid is making everyone uneasy.”
“Why would that bother people?”
“They wonder why you’re keeping someone like Erin around. Or whether the Duke is torn between the two of you and that’s why he hasn’t dismissed her.”
Cecil spoke like the whole thing was ridiculous.
But as I listened, I started to understand Raynan’s reasoning. It was just like him to keep someone close and observe them to figure out their intentions.
I wasn’t the only one curious about why Erin was still freely wandering around. Maybe he was trying to figure out whether Schneider had other plans.
“Lady René?”
“Huh?”
“You really don’t need to worry that much. I just wanted to warn you because Erin’s been acting strange lately.”
Maybe I looked a bit down, because Cecil spoke gently, checking my expression.
“Thanks.”
“You can tell just from watching how the Duke looks at you, Lady René.”
That was a kind and comforting thing for her to say. I smiled softly at her words.
“You’re full of surprises, Cecil.”
“Sorry?”
“I mean, I used to think you were cold and kind of distant. But up close, you’re so thoughtful and warm.”
Cecil nodded like she understood what I meant. Then she smiled slightly, as if remembering something herself.
“To be honest, I used to think you were kind of shallow, Lady René. But up close, you’re really…”
She trailed off, not quite sure what word to use.
Amelia, who’d been quietly listening the whole time, chimed in on her behalf.
“Kind-hearted and thoughtful.”
“Exactly! Even if it doesn’t seem like it, she notices everything and always thinks ahead.”
They both seemed to believe I was deeply considerate and always thinking of others.
I wanted to deny it, shaking my hands in protest, but Amelia cut in before I could.
“It’s just that you’re so cheerful that people don’t always realize it right away.”
Guys, I think you’re seriously misunderstanding something here.
I didn’t even get a chance to explain. Cecil quickly nodded and added with a smile,
“Really, being around you just makes everything feel brighter. I’m lucky to be your maid.”
That caught me off guard. I didn’t expect her to say she was glad to be my maid.
“That’s… a really nice thing to say. Thank you.”
Still a bit dazed, I pricked my finger with the needle again.
“You really need to concentrate.”
Even though she was the one who brought up the rumors, Cecil now scolded me sternly, like none of that had happened.
“Yeah… embroidery’s harder than I thought.”
“Well, you’ve always done more hands-on work than delicate stuff.”
“True. Maybe that suits me better.”
“So why did you suddenly want to learn embroidery anyway?”
Cecil had a point. I’d never shown interest before, but I’d asked her out of the blue to teach me.
It had been a random request, but she agreed without question.
Amelia joined in too, and now the three of us were sitting together, working on embroidery.
Of course, I was the only clumsy one. I’d lost count of how many times I’d pricked my fingers.
At first I treated the wounds, but eventually realized there was no point and decided to just deal with them all later.
“Uh… back at the night market…”
Trying to explain why I suddenly wanted to learn this felt a bit embarrassing, and I hesitated.
But I never got to finish—someone had come to my room.
A welcome guest who always brightened the mood and lifted my spirits.
“Mother!”
As soon as he entered, he ran into my arms. I embraced him naturally, holding him tight.
“I was so sad because you’ve been so busy lately. I hardly got to see you.”
Since the party, things had been hectic, and I hadn’t spent much time with Edwin. It seemed he was a bit upset about that.
“Me too. What brings you here at this hour? What about your schedule?”
“I studied extra hard today so I could come see you.”
“Oh wow… you say the sweetest things.”
Even though my relationship with Edwin had changed, nothing really felt different on the surface.
We’d always been close, so there wasn’t much adjusting to do.
If anything, we’d simply grown closer.
Edwin was clearly overjoyed that I had become his mother. He seemed more relaxed around me, more affectionate—even clingy. Maybe he was enjoying our new bond.
Of course, seeing him like that made me happy too. And I liked that I could freely express my affection now.
“So, how about we spend lots of time together today? Is there anything you want to do?”
“Hmm… what if we went outside and did some drawing? You haven’t seen how good Amelia is at it, have you?”
“Oh, but I have!”
Edwin had bragged so much, I remembered seeing one of her drawings. But he frowned, not satisfied.
“You only saw the finished work! Watching her actually draw is amazing!”
Amelia straightened her shoulders proudly at his words.
“Of course! I didn’t even go all out that day.”
Her response made Edwin’s eyes widen, and Chase, who stood behind, looked glum.
“You mean you can do even better?”
“Of course! Prepare to be blown away.”
Edwin bounced with excitement, holding my hand. Meanwhile, poor Chase looked like he was already dreading what was coming.
“Shall we go then?”
With Cecil joining too, the five of us headed toward the garden. But in the hallway, not far from our destination, we sensed an odd commotion.
“Something feels weird,”
Amelia said, glancing around. Everyone else looked around too, trying to figure out what was going on.
“Oh…”
The soft exclamation came from Cecil, and everyone instinctively followed her gaze.
Then, their eyes all turned to me.
I, however, couldn’t take my eyes off what Cecil had seen.
There, in the hallway, stood Raynan and Erin, facing each other.
Raynan wore a blank expression, while Erin smiled sweetly, as if they were chatting happily.
