“Episode 21”
“Th-thank you…”
She really was a nobody.
She was someone Dianna brought along just to show off to Ellen and the head servant, who shamelessly ignored her. She was neither exceptional nor noticeable. Dianna didn’t even know her name; she just remembered seeing her a few times in passing.
Dianna couldn’t possibly know all the hundreds of servants in the grand duchy. But this nobody was far better than those who had been by her side all along.
“What kind of person is Beta?”
“Huh? Oh, um, I am… the eldest daughter of the Elledia Viscounty… I came here to lessen the burden on my family. Under my overbearing father, I would have had to marry just any man. So, honestly, I wanted to become a lady-in-waiting for the late Duchess Hisria.”
Dianna fell silent, momentarily speechless at Beta’s excessively candid explanation.
“I see…”
“Oh! But it didn’t quite suit me.”
‘Is she saying this to test me, or is she really just… this kind of person?’
Dianna looked at Beta silently. She didn’t seem cunning enough to be testing her. As if she had some sense, Beta, who had been chattering like a child, suddenly clammed up.
“Sorry.”
“Is that just how Beta is?”
It was strange. Today, she had met Hedeia and had a word with Hisria. She had even been told, like a bolt from the blue, that she should welcome her husband’s new bride.
Yet, her heart was at peace. To the point where people might think the Grand Duchess had finally lost her mind, she felt strangely serene.
“Huh? Oh…! No, yes. That’s right.”
Beta, who had been defending herself, wore a rather sad expression. Dianna found it intriguing. Most people in the grand duchy exuded a negative aura, but not Beta.
“There’s no need to apologize. You haven’t done anything wrong.”
“Still… I’ve been scolded a lot. Because I’m lacking in so many ways…”
Like someone who had found herself in the wrong place, Beta didn’t seem to fit in here at all.
‘And she doesn’t seem like someone who hides her feelings.’
Dianna couldn’t claim to be an expert judge of character, but she was certain about Beta. She was definitely not one of Hisria’s people.
‘Mother wouldn’t like someone like Beta.’
Hisria preferred people with high status, quick wit, or those who could be completely subservient to her. But Beta in front of Dianna didn’t fit any of those categories.
She was rather clumsy, not particularly perceptive, and of modest status. Her reason for joining the grand duchy was merely to escape her father.
‘She has all the qualities Mother dislikes.’
If Beta had been someone who valued her family more than her life, making her a useful hostage, Hisria might have found a use for her. But Dianna, watching Beta fumbling and unsure, stood up.
“Your Highness, are you done?”
“Yes, I think that’s enough.”
Like the bath that was now over, Beta’s additional details no longer mattered. Dianna had heard enough about her thoughts and background. Beta was not a friend to share her heart with, just a maid who would look after her during her stay here.
That was all she was. So, there was no point in getting to know her any deeper. With that thought, Dianna finished her bath. Beta, unaware of Dianna’s thoughts, continued her duties as usual.
“Th-thank you…”
She really was a nobody.
Dianna had brought her along to show Ellen and the head servant a thing or two, someone random who wouldn’t be missed. She wasn’t exceptional or noticeable. Dianna didn’t even know her name; she just remembered seeing her in passing a few times.
Dianna couldn’t possibly know all the hundreds of servants in the grand duchy. But this nobody was far better than those who had been by her side all along.
“What kind of person is Beta?”
“Huh? Oh, um, I am… the eldest daughter of the Elledia Viscounty… I came here to lessen the burden on my family. Under my overbearing father, I would have had to marry just any man. So, honestly, I wanted to become a lady-in-waiting for the late Duchess Hisria.”
Dianna fell silent, momentarily speechless at Beta’s excessively candid explanation.
“I see…”
“Oh! But it didn’t quite suit me.”
‘Is she saying this to test me, or is she really just… this kind of person?’
Dianna looked at Beta silently. She didn’t seem cunning enough to be testing her. As if she had some sense, Beta, who had been chattering like a child, suddenly clammed up.
“Sorry.”
“Is that just how Beta is?”
It was strange. Today, she had met Hedeia and had a word with Hisria. She had even been told, like a bolt from the blue, that she should welcome her husband’s new bride.
Yet, her heart was at peace. To the point where people might think the Grand Duchess had finally lost her mind, she felt strangely serene.
“Huh? Oh…! No, yes. That’s right.”
Beta, who had been defending herself, wore a rather sad expression. Dianna found it intriguing. Most people in the grand duchy exuded a negative aura, but not Beta.
“There’s no need to apologize. You haven’t done anything wrong.”
“Still… I’ve been scolded a lot. Because I’m lacking in so many ways…”
Like someone who had found herself in the wrong place, Beta didn’t seem to fit in here at all.
‘And she doesn’t seem like someone who hides her feelings.’
Dianna couldn’t claim to be an expert judge of character, but she was certain about Beta. She was definitely not one of Hisria’s people.
‘Mother wouldn’t like someone like Beta.’
Hisria preferred people with high status, quick wit, or those who could be completely subservient to her. But Beta in front of Dianna didn’t fit any of those categories.
She was rather clumsy, not particularly perceptive, and of modest status. Her reason for joining the grand duchy was merely to escape her father.
‘She has all the qualities Mother dislikes.’
If Beta had been someone who valued her family more than her life, making her a useful hostage, Hisria might have found a use for her. But Dianna, watching Beta fumbling and unsure, stood up.
“Your Highness, are you done?”
“Yes, I think that’s enough.”
Like the bath that was now over, Beta’s additional details no longer mattered. Dianna had heard enough about her thoughts and background. Beta was not a friend to share her heart with, just a maid who would look after her during her stay here.
That was all she was. So, there was no point in getting to know her any deeper. With that thought, Dianna finished her bath. Beta, unaware of Dianna’s thoughts, continued her duties as usual.
“Your Grace, Baron Anzrea wishes to see you.”
“He came personally?”
“Yes.”
Hearing Beta announce the visitor, Dianna’s face hardened. She had ignored all recent letters from her family, not expecting them to come so quickly.
‘They came so fast.’
“What should I do? The head servant has already had him wait, since it is a matter concerning your family.”
‘Useless at times like this,’ she thought.
This was the grand duchy. She could have dismissed Baron Anzrea for showing up unannounced, and no one could have faulted her for it. The fault was in showing up without an appointment in the first place. Yet, the head servant had him wait, removing the excuse for her to turn him away. Beta asked again.
“What should I do?”
“If he’s waiting, I must go.”
With a lonely smile, Dianna stood up.
The past Dianna had been exceptionally lonely. She lost a child, and her husband only paid attention to Hedeia. As the two grew more distant, no one sought her out. It was a life of loneliness. She had wanted to see her family then, to hear just once that she was doing well, but she couldn’t even send letters back then.
‘Back then, I wanted to see them but was turned away. Now, when I don’t want to see them, they come.’
Baron Anzrea. Dianna already had an idea why her father had come, and she didn’t want to face him.
But as always, Beta led her, and she found herself in front of the parlor.
As she was about to enter, her gaze caught sight of someone at the end of the hall. She had noticed a red-haired person several times over the past few days.
“Beta.”
“Yes?”
“Do you know where Rixio is?”
“Oh, the Grand Duke? I’ll go check.”
“Alright.”
After Beta nodded and disappeared, Dianna stood before the door again.
‘That red-haired man is one of Rixio’s knights.’
She couldn’t ignore the striking red hair. She had seen him from a distance at the orphanage, the lake, and even Hisria’s secret garden.
‘Is he spying on me? Protecting me? Or is it just a coincidence he’s always where I am?’
It didn’t matter. Everyone in the grand duchy watched her anyway. One more set of eyes didn’t change anything.
But if he was Rixio’s knight, it was a different issue.
‘Maybe Rixio worries about me a little.’
But her warming heart turned cold again. It didn’t matter what he thought. It couldn’t matter. She still loved Rixio deep down, but she had to deny it to survive.
‘If he sent a knight to follow me, I’ll have to be firm.’
But what would she say?
Dianna questioned herself but had no answers. She couldn’t even manage her own feelings, so what could she say? She stood in front of the door, sighing deeply.
“What should… I do?”
Her thoughts were interrupted by a servant, unsure whether to open the door.
