Episode 73

Things must not have been going well, as a furrow appeared on his smooth, handsome brow. He let out a short sigh and rose from his seat.

“Take care of this.”

I picked up the prepared tea tray and moved toward him, but he raised a hand, stopping me. Then, he turned and walked out of the room. I knew that on days like this, he usually headed to the training grounds. Back when I lived with him as Evelyn, I only understood that he was busy, but not why or how much. Strangely, I found it easier to understand him now than I did back then.

Once he left the room, I quickly tidied up the scattered documents on his desk. I poured out the now-cooled tea and brewed a fresh pot, placing the cup on the right side of the desk. It was a small gesture, but I wanted to avoid the unlikely chance that Igon, whose left eye wasn’t as sharp, might spill the tea.

“Ah.”

As I set the cup down, it slipped, landing on a pen beneath it. The pen clattered to the floor. I bent down to pick it up, my mind wandering to when I might clean up the spilled ink. As I reached for the pen, I noticed that one of the drawers was slightly open. Something was sticking out from inside—what seemed to be a document.

Curious, I pulled it out to tidy up properly, but then a name caught my eye, standing out sharply on the page.

Rosalind.

Why was her name here? Just as I began to read the contents, I heard a soft click.

The sound of the door handle turning.

Startled, I quickly shoved the document back into the drawer and closed it. My heart pounded in my chest as I hurriedly grabbed a cloth from my apron pocket to wipe up the ink stains on the floor.

“What’s going on?”

Igon’s voice startled me. He had approached without me realizing it.

I bowed my head.

“Why are you crouching here like this?”

He might have thought I was searching through his things, a suspicion that wasn’t entirely unreasonable given the situation. Even I thought it looked suspicious. Trying to clear up any misunderstandings, I showed him the ink-stained cloth and the pen I had placed on the desk. His gaze shifted back and forth between the teacup and the rag in my hands, as if quickly piecing together what had happened.

“Don’t bother with unnecessary things next time.”

His voice was cold, a sharp reprimand. His brow was deeply furrowed, as if something greatly displeased him. I nodded quietly, avoiding any argument.

“You’ve got something on you.”

Before I could grasp the meaning of his words, his fingers touched my cheek. He had cupped my chin, tilting my head upward, and I froze as our faces drew close. Up close, he seemed almost otherworldly, like a being of a different kind, with long lashes that moved slowly. His expression was serious as he examined my cheek—no, the smudge on my cheek.

My face flushed with heat. His gloved hand brushed against my skin with a slow, deliberate motion. To be precise, he was only wiping away the smudge, but it left me feeling strangely unsettled.

“Or maybe not.”

He murmured to himself, brushing my cheek a few more times before meeting my eyes again.

“You didn’t have a blue mark on your face before, did you?”

A blue mark? I shook my head. Igon studied my face again, gently rubbing his thumb over my cheek. Was he trying to clean a mark that wouldn’t come off?

Feeling increasingly flustered, I tried to pull back from his grasp, slipping my chin out of his hold and shifting backward. My foot nudged the floor a little as I did so, producing a faint sound. Igon’s eyes followed the movement before drifting back up to meet mine, his gaze slow and deliberate.

“I’m just joking. It’s gone now.”

He said this in a tone that didn’t sound like a joke at all, releasing my chin. The moment I was freed from his grip, I took a few steps back, putting distance between us. Igon watched me retreat with an amused expression, as though he found my reaction entertaining. The corner of his mouth curled upward, and a low, barely audible laugh filled the room like a quiet breeze.

Igon possessed a kind of allure that went beyond mere good looks. When he smiled like that, it was impossible to look away.

Everything around me faded into a wash of gray, leaving only the curve of his lips, painted in vibrant red. The feelings I had known deep down began to bloom again, releasing a rich and heady fragrance, much like that clichéd expression of seeing the world differently after falling in love. The world that had existed just moments before now seemed entirely transformed.

* * *

I began to sense that perhaps Igon was becoming more comfortable with me, or at least, the distance between us had noticeably lessened. He would call me over, bringing me close enough that our arms nearly brushed. Sometimes, he would even offer me small snacks directly, placing them in my mouth. One day, when I arrived, I found a chair and a small table placed in the spot where I usually stood.

When I turned around, I saw Igon watching me. His head tilted slightly, as if gauging my reaction. I bowed in greeting, and he gave a subtle nod in return, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly into a crooked smile. It struck me then—he was smiling more often. The man who hadn’t even bothered with a smirk before now seemed to be slowly letting his guard down.

Just as the once-high walls between us seemed to lower, Igon departed for an inspection of his estate. With him gone, I suddenly found myself with little to do and turned my attention to helping out in the mansion’s library. Compared to the palace library, the tasks here were minimal, leaving me with ample free time. It felt almost like a vacation.

With this newfound leisure, I planned to visit Mary back at the palace on one of my days off. But when I informed the head maid of my intention to step out, she offered a reluctant smile.

“It’s difficult to grant permission since we don’t know when the Duke will return.”

It didn’t make sense to me—why should I wait for a Duke who had given no indication of returning, especially when it was my day off? But I supposed that the Duke’s estate had its own rules, so I let the matter go. Not long after, a letter arrived from Mary. After a few more attempts and some persistence, I managed to secure three hours of freedom. The estate even provided a carriage, making the trip convenient.

I met Mary at a restaurant near the palace, where another of our old friends joined us. The moment Mary spotted me, her eyes went wide.

“You look great!”

She exclaimed as soon as we met.

“That’s the first thing you say?”

I replied with a laugh.

“How’s the Duke’s estate treating you? Is it better than working at the palace? Should I make the switch too?” she teased, her playful questions coming in a flurry.

I responded with a broad smile and a nod, as if to say.

‘Go ahead, give it a try.’

Even as we ate, Mary’s curiosity was insatiable.

“What’s the Duke like? How is he up close? Whenever he came to the palace, everyone was in a frenzy, trying to catch even a glimpse of him. Is he really that breathtaking when you see him up close?”

“Enough, Mary. Let Liliana eat.”

Chided our other friend, trying to calm her down.

Smiling, I put a bite of food in my mouth and chewed slowly. When I looked up again, I noticed that the other girl sitting next to Mary had a curious glint in her eye. She was trying to seem considerate, but it was clear she, too, was very interested in hearing more about Igon.

“Does the Duke have a lover?” Mary asked, leaning in. “I haven’t heard any such rumors, so I’m curious.”

A lover? I blinked in surprise and quickly shook my head.

“Really? Not a single one? Doesn’t he warm anyone’s bed among the servants at the estate?”

I shook my head again. Mary tilted her head, clearly puzzled.

“That’s odd. Why wouldn’t he have a lover? With that face, that status, and those skills?”

“Didn’t he have a mistress in the past?” the other girl chimed in.

A mistress? I had never heard of such a thing. Even when I lived with Igon as Evelyn, he had never kept another woman close, except for the occasional interest he showed in Eunice.

“Who?”

Mary asked, leaning closer. The girl glanced around furtively, then lowered her head to whisper across the table.

“You know, the one he took in as his adopted sister…”

I froze. They were talking about me.

“Oh, come on, that’s just baseless gossip.”

Mary replied, shaking her head firmly.

“Didn’t you hear what happened to those who spread those rumors in front of Her Highness the Princess?”

“I… I just heard it from someone else. It’s just a rumor, after all.”

The girl mumbled, her face turning red as Mary’s unusually stern expression cut through her words.

“Lucky for you, we’re not in the palace right now. You’d be in real trouble—actually, even outside the palace, it’s dangerous to spread such rumors.”

Mary’s tone was sharp, a rare departure from her usual demeanor. The girl, now chastened, bowed her head in embarrassment.

“It’s best not to speak ill of someone who has passed away, whether you’re in the palace or elsewhere. From what I heard, she had quite a few friends among the young noblewomen.”

Mary added. Hearing her mention that Ulysses and the other noble ladies had cared about me brought on a strange, bittersweet feeling. I lowered my head and kept eating to hide my thoughts.

The lively atmosphere at the table quickly dampened. Mary reached over to pat the shoulder of the now-sullen girl beside her.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to report you.”

She tried to end the conversation on a lighter note, and the other girl nodded, adding, “It was just a slip-up,” bringing the discussion to a close.

“So, he doesn’t have a lover, right?”

Mary circled back to the original topic, her curiosity still unquenched.

With a short sigh, I nodded again.

“You should try your luck,” she teased.

“Yeah, you’ve always been pretty popular, even among the knights.”

The other girl added playfully, causing my face to flush with embarrassment.

“You never know what might happen.”

Mary remarked with a bright laugh.

Having experienced just how uncertain the future could be, I found myself agreeing with her. You never know what might happen—those words were all too true.

Four days after my brief, enjoyable outing, Igon returned to the estate, but he came back with a deep wound along his arm. His return, bloody and injured, threw the entire household into chaos.

“I was attacked by a magical beast.”

He explained calmly to the worried servants, as if it were a mere inconvenience.

While Igon received treatment from the physician, the head maid called me over.

“The Duke values you and appreciates your service, so make sure he is comfortable while he recovers from the poison,” she instructed.

It meant more work, but I knew Igon wasn’t particularly difficult to attend to, so I nodded easily.

“And one more thing.”

She added, her expression unchanged.

“He usually bathes alone, but it might be best if you assist him during this time.”

I felt my face grow warm at the suggestion. Suddenly, Mary’s earlier comments flashed through my mind, making my embarrassment even more acute. The head maid’s eyes narrowed, as if she could read the thoughts flitting through my mind. I ducked my head, feeling as though she’d caught me in some improper thought.

With my head still bowed, I gave a small nod before leaving the room. Assisting with his bath…

Goodness, assisting with a bath? The thought kept playing over and over in my mind, making me feel awkward. I knew that many nobles accepted such services, and that it wasn’t unusual for male nobles to have female attendants assist them. Yet, now that it was becoming my own task, it felt different—strangely unsettling.

Of course, I could have refused. It wasn’t a command with any force behind it. Igon wasn’t the type of employer who would force something on a person against their will. If it had been something I truly couldn’t bear, I could have declined right then and there.

But I had said I would do it. A part of me wanted to be close to him, to touch him again. I missed the times when I could lean against Igon’s warmth, even if just for a moment.

Memories of his scent, of the way his arm would wrap around my waist, came flooding back, and I found myself shaking my head, trying to banish those thoughts.