Chapter 5
“Ugh, Mother! The doctor’s leg got burned!”
Catherine immediately ran over and checked Alicia’s thigh. It was barely a small burn, but her face looked more worried than when Diana had lost her sight.
“It’s fine, Your Highness.”
Alicia held her thigh, trembling, but she forced a smile at Catherine. No matter how cruel she was, it seemed she didn’t want to worry her daughter.
How strange it was, this act of pretending to be human when she was anything but. It was truly laughable.
You make my daughter a maid, but your own daughter a noblewoman? And from the seed of a filthy affair, no less.
Diana’s eyes, hidden beneath her blindfold, glowed with cold fury.
“Why did you suddenly burn your leg? Shouldn’t you have been more careful, Alicia? Are you alright?”
She said it deliberately, pretending not to notice a thing, speaking with natural innocence.
Alicia, with her blood-red eyes, examined Diana’s face. But Diana’s expression showed no malice at all.
“…Yes, I’m fine, Your Grace.”
Right, that fool wouldn’t have done it on purpose. Alicia furrowed her brows, but answered calmly.
“I’m glad to hear that.”
Diana managed to hide the mocking laughter that almost escaped her lips and instead showed a relieved expression.
It was clear to anyone that the teapot spilling had been Diana’s mistake. But who would dare point that out to the Grand Duchess? Not in this manor.
Knowing this, Diana could savor the sight of Alicia’s frustration, all from the comfort of her blindfold.
Alicia bit her lip in frustration, stood up, and glared coldly at Diana.
“I should go treat my injury, Your Grace.”
“Go ahead.”
Diana waved her hand dismissively toward Alicia. Catherine sat down with a worried expression, unable to take her eyes off Alicia’s retreating figure. Her gaze was full of concern for her mother.
How laughable. Bitter, yet amusing.
When had this child known? And when had she started deceiving me?
Diana wanted to ask her right away. When had she learned that Alicia was her real mother?
How much had she loved her? The sense of betrayal and anger was even greater than the love she had felt for Catherine. Diana stared at Catherine, sitting before her, and slowly brought the teacup to her lips as she began to speak.
“Catherine.”
“Yes, Mother?”
Her voice, still as endearing as ever, was so sweet that it made Diana feel as though she wanted to snap that delicate neck.
“From now on, would you help me with my morning service?”
“Huh?”
Catherine furrowed her brows, making a face completely different from the one she made when looking at Alicia.
“…I suppose you can do that? After all, I gave you my eyes.”
There was an oddly mocking tone in Diana’s voice, but Catherine didn’t think that Diana would speak like that. She probably assumed she had misheard.
To Catherine, Diana was still that foolish woman who thought she was a saint.
‘That bias will lead you into the abyss, won’t it?’ Diana’s lips trembled bitterly.
“I thought you’d be happy to accept it.”
“It’s not that, it just seems more convenient to ask the maids to do it.”
Catherine’s eyebrows twisted in distaste. The very thought of it irritated her. It was already annoying enough to pretend to be the loving daughter in front of that foolish woman, and now she would have to see her face every morning?
‘Yes, I know your true feelings even without you saying it.’
Diana hid her true thoughts behind those words and continued slowly.
“However, I can’t trust the maids that are here now. Until I find new ones, I think you’ll have to help me.”
Catherine couldn’t refuse Diana anymore. Now, the foolish one was Catherine. She had trapped herself in the role of the “loving daughter” she had been playing to deceive herself.
In the end, Catherine awkwardly smiled and nodded.
“…Alright, Mother.”
“Good. Then I’ll get up now. I have quite a bit to do.”
“Yes, Mother.”
Diana smiled contentedly as she looked at the obedient response from Catherine. Standing up with the help of her cane, one of the maids quickly approached to assist her.
It seemed that the earlier irritation had worked quite well.
What a bunch of beasts. Diana bit her lips tightly as she held the maid’s arm.
This Grand Duchy truly felt like a jungle. Fawning over the strong, while the weak get devoured. And in the past, the weak one was herself. But that was about to change.
“Let’s go to the office.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Diana headed towards Calypso’s office, planning to deal with the issues regarding the maids.
“My love.”
She knocked on the office door and then flung it open. The desk was piled high with papers but Calypso wasn’t there.
Diana slowly turned her gaze.
He was sitting on the sofa in the middle of the room. The moment he saw Diana walk in, his face showed a clear expression of someone who had been caught doing something wrong.
He quickly stood up.
“My dear, what brings you here?”
Diana realized why he was so surprised. Sure enough, as he stood, there was Alicia sitting openly with her thigh exposed, still bearing the burn from earlier.
On the table, there was an ointment. It seemed that Calypso had been applying it romantically, as if he had done it himself.
Alicia, upon seeing Diana, crossed her legs and watched her with interest, holding her breath. What a bold woman. She had already made it here. It was almost laughable now.
Normally, Diana never visited the office during working hours, afraid she might interfere with Calypso’s work. But they had used that consideration to engage in their dirty dealings.
However, there was one puzzling question. Why hadn’t they gotten rid of her immediately after she lost her sight? It meant they still had something to gain from her.
Thoughts spiraled one after another, but Diana masked her anger with a small smile and said casually, “Have I come at a bad time?”
She gripped her dress tightly, suppressing her fury. Then, intentionally, she walked quickly toward the sofa where Alicia was sitting.
“I came to talk. My leg hurts, so I’ll sit for a moment.”
Startled by Diana’s sudden movement, Alicia hurriedly stood up and moved away. It felt strange—she couldn’t see, but it seemed like she knew exactly what she was doing.
Could it be that they were going to be caught? Calypso subtly gestured for Alicia to leave, as though telling her to go.
Alicia leaned in, kissed him lightly, and then swayed her hips provocatively as she left the room.
How disgusting. Diana wanted to rip out that annoying, orange hair. But she held herself back.
That wasn’t enough punishment for them. She would save up her frustrations and let them all burst out at once. Now was not the time to lose control.
Diana gently swept her blonde hair and parted her lips.
“Do you remember the maids I brought with me when I married into the Grand Duchy?”
“Hmm?”
“Please tell them to come back.”
Calypso looked at her with a puzzled expression. Diana had never defied him before, especially when she had a valid reason.
“You said you sent them because you needed trustworthy people.”
“That was before I went blind.”
“…I still need them…”
“My love.”
Diana folded her hands and raised her head. Though her eyes were hidden by the blindfold, it was clear what kind of look she had. She sometimes gave him a gaze that could surprise him.
It was the look that made it seem like she was saying that she was in a higher position than him, something he despised most—arrogant and insolent.
“Then, let’s put in a request to the Marquis…”
“I understand.”
Calypso pressed his temples. The reason he had chosen her was simple. At that time, the Duchy of Ernst was on the verge of bankruptcy.
So, Calypso needed the influence and wealth of the Marquis family.
Although the Marquis was officially lower in rank than him, his power in the capital was second only to the Emperor. As soon as they married, the Marquis provided generous support to the Duchy.
But in return, the Marquis had become more involved in Calypso’s affairs, offering endless advice and suggestions. It was truly humiliating. Whenever he stood before the Marquis, it felt as if he had become a helpless child.
For that reason, the Marquis represented both a weakness and a source of inferiority for him.
Perhaps it was because of this that he could never bring himself to feel any affection for the woman who resembled the Marquis so much.
He let out a heavy sigh. Talking about the Marquis’ family was exhausting.
Diana ignored Calypso’s reaction to her obvious sigh and asked, “So, you’ll call them back?”
“Do you just need Shane and Milan?”
“Yes. Thank you, my love.”
The two were maids who had served her since her time at the Marquis’ house. As long as they were there, she could rest easy for the time being.
Diana gripped her cane and stood up abruptly. Without so much as a word, she turned and left the room. She didn’t want to stay in the same space with him for even a second longer.
She left the office and, feeling her way up the stairs with her jeweled cane, made her way to the third floor. She had a request to the Marquis’ house, so she planned to look up information about it in the library.
The third floor consisted only of the library and a small attic. Since she had often read books in the attic with Catherine, no one would suspect her, but it didn’t hurt to be cautious. Diana instructed the maids not to follow her and climbed up to the third floor.
Once she reached the top of the stairs, she looked around, scanning the area. Fortunately, there was no one in sight, as the cleaning had already been completed.
“Well, it’s been a while, so I suppose I’ll have to start from the basics again.”
Diana slowly entered the library.
As she scanned the shelves filled with books, she called out the titles, and the books flew into her hands. These weren’t just ordinary books; they were enchanted. Diana smiled in satisfaction and gathered a selection of books on basic magic.
She spent a long time searching the library, and before she knew it, the day had turned to evening.
Diana, carrying the books, made her way back to her room. By then, the maids had all returned to their quarters, and she passed through the quiet corridor.
What surprised her was that, despite not having eaten lunch or dinner, no one had come to call for her. She figured it didn’t matter. She was going to reorganize the maids tomorrow anyway. One day without food wouldn’t kill her. She had gone days without eating before, back when she was regressing.
Shaking her head, Diana continued to walk with the books in her arms toward her room.
When she arrived, she dumped the books onto the table. She then opened the curtains. Her room on the second floor had a small terrace that offered a full view of the rose garden.
As she stepped out onto the terrace, the cool breeze teased her golden hair.
For a moment, being alive felt like a miracle. If she hadn’t been alive, where would she have been able to pour all of this resentment?
The crescent moon hung beautifully in the night sky.
At that moment, someone suddenly appeared in front of her with a whoosh.
“Ugh…!”
Diana was so startled that she almost fell backward.
The person standing before her was a young man with long red hair. His hair fluttered in the wind as he sat on the terrace railing. His eyes, glowing a piercing blue under the moonlight, resembled clear sapphires.
He grinned like a mischievous child and grabbed Diana’s hand to help her up. Then, with a sly grin, he spoke.
“Well, I didn’t expect my future apprentice to be just my type of lady.”
He was Rueri da Constantin, a grand sorcerer who was being considered the next Master of the Magic Tower, sent by the Marquis’ house to assist Diana.
