Chapter 21
Ella tasted the metallic tang of blood and admitted it:
She was unlucky. It was a mistake.
She was aware that Diana, once unable to hide her emotions, had changed somewhat.
But she hadn’t thought Diana’s ability to handle herself under pressure would change, too. People don’t change that easily.
Even if Diana ‘had’ changed, she was still an attempted murderer.
It was obvious whose words people would trust more.
Ella had believed it would be easy to paint Diana as the villain in everyone’s mind and drive her out of high society.
But when did Harold Vissen suddenly show up and witness everything? The terrace wasn’t a place people frequented, and she’d made sure it was empty before Diana had arrived.
No, the issue wasn’t Harold Vissen. The real problem was the other witness—Kaidan.
“Why is it always just me who’s unlucky?”
Kaidan should be glaring at Diana, not me!
Ella didn’t bother reflecting on her actions. She only felt wronged, pitying herself.
“Kaiden, I know I was wrong.”
But more than her frustration, she thought clearing Kaiden’s misunderstanding was more important. Choosing her words carefully, she started to speak.
“…But Diana was so terrifying. I tried so hard to hide it, to stay calm, but every time I saw her, it got worse. I kept remembering the way she smiled when I was poisoned and collapsed…”
Her face crumpled in distress.
“I have nightmares every night. It’s been so hard and exhausting. Vincent told me that if I was struggling this much, I should just do as he said, so I followed his advice without really thinking. But I regret it now. I mean it.”
Tears welled in her deer-like eyes and dripped down her chin. Ella knew exactly how powerful her tear-streaked face could be. She’d seen countless times how people reacted when she cried.
“I want to apologize to Diana, to the Duchess. Huh. I shouldn’t become that kind of person just because I was hurt.”
“…”
“Kaiden, do you hate me now?”
Seeing her tear-soaked face, Kaidan clenched his fists. He was shocked to see a different side of Ella today. Although he’d witnessed Diana bullying Ella several times, he felt guilty for being so harsh with her now.
“No, I don’t hate you.”
“Really?” she sobbed.
Kaiden moved to her side, pulled her into a comforting hug, and gently soothed her.
“I went too far. I’m sorry. Let’s go apologize together next time.”
Ella leaned into his shoulder, her tears soaking through his shirt.
He gave up on asking about the conversation with Diana that he hadn’t heard because her voice was too quiet.
‘It was probably nothing important.’
He decided to trust the Ella he knew, yet he couldn’t shake the tightness in his chest. He couldn’t understand this feeling but he decided to let it go and closed his eyes.
‘Ella is the perfect choice for my future duchess… She is…’
He couldn’t finish the thought.
He couldn’t finish his thought. Suddenly, Diana’s calm demeanor during a crisis flashed in his mind. She had seemed like a shadow, always following him, but now she had changed, he could still smell Harold’s lingering scent on her.
Kaiden clenched his jaw.
‘Nothing has changed.’
That’s how it had to be.
‘My choice isn’t wrong.’
It had to be.
***
A few days after the party, a letter arrived from Lady Mayer.
The first one was an apology for the commotion at the event, accompanied by a small gift. After replying that it was all fine, a second letter followed, inviting me to tea—just the two of us.
‘Wow!’
I hurried off to share the good news with Harold. Happiness multiplies when shared, right?
“Harold, look at this!”
Harold, who had been busy working, glanced at the letter I thrust at him and chuckled.
“You ran all the way here just to show me this?”
“Isn’t it amazing?”
“Well…”
What? Is it just me who’s excited?
Thanks to Harold, I managed to avoid falling into Ella and Vincent’s trap, but I had half-given up on improving my relationship with Lady Mayer, who disliked commotion. But a personal meeting?
That was something even the female lead, Ella, hadn’t achieved.
“Nervous?”
“Yes.”
“But excited too?”
“Wow, you already know me so well?”
My heart was racing with a mix of excitement and nervousness. It felt like dopamine was flooding through me.
“It’s all over your face.”
At Harold’s calm tone, I touched my face. Was it that obvious? I pressed my cheeks and fiddled with my mouth, trying to see if I was smiling too much.
Yeah, I’m smiling. But I smile a lot anyway, don’t I?
Just then, Harold, who had been looking at me, put down his pen. He leaned over the desk, pinched my cheek, and gently tugged at it.
“Don’t make such a silly face in front of others. And no silly behavior, either.”
“I don’t! I only act like this in front of you.”
“Good. Keep it that way.”
Harold patted my cheek twice with a satisfied expression and sat back down.
Just then, there was a loud ‘thud’ as a pile of documents fell behind us.
“Evan?”
Harold’s aide, Evan, stood frozen, staring wide-eyed at us with his mouth wide open.
“D-Duke, your face…”
“What about my face?”
“Ah, nothing. I-I must’ve been mistaken…”
Evan looked like he was about to faint as he frantically cleaned his glasses. Is he sick or something?
“Evan, if you’re not feeling well, I can heal you.”
Since Evan was one of the few who knew my secret, the offer came naturally. But he paled even further, glancing behind me as if he’d seen a ghost.
“N-No! I’m perfectly fine! I-I’ll just sort these documents and come back later!”
…But he doesn’t look fine at all.
I turned to Harold and muttered, “Are you sure we can just leave him like that?”
“Of course. He’s a strong fellow. He was perfectly healthy when he had a check-up last week.”
Harold reached out his hand to me.
“Instead of worrying about that guy, why not pay attention to me? I think I’m feeling a bit unwell.”
“Really?”
Come to think of it, his expression did seem tense! I grabbed his hand without hesitation.
The divine energy flowed from my skin to his.
“I feel better now.”
Only then did the stiffness in Harold’s facial muscles ease.
***
The day of the tea invitation arrived.
As I stepped out of the carriage, I was greeted by Lady Mayer, her graying pink hair catching the light.
I widened my eyes in surprise; I hadn’t expected her to personally come out to welcome me.
“Thank you for visiting us again, Duchess.”
“I’m the one who should thank you for the invitation.”
Following her lead, I walked through the greenhouse, admiring the plants along the way.
At the center of the greenhouse was a tea table with chairs neatly arranged. Upon seeing us, the servants pulled back the chairs. A maid poured freshly brewed tea into the teacups.
“The aroma is delightful.”
“This tea was imported recently. It’s made from flowers that bloom only once every three years.”
Lifting my head from the pink-hued tea in the cup, I looked at Lady Mayer. Now that I thought about it…
“The tea’s color is as lovely as your hair, Lady Mayer.”
“Oh my, I’m not the only one with pink hair, am I? In fact, compared to my graying locks, it’s your hair that’s truly exquisite, Duchess.”
At her words, I glanced down at my hair cascading over my shoulders.
Is that so?
Just then, a servant entered the greenhouse, pushing a trolley. The once-empty table was soon filled with freshly baked treats.
“Would you mind if we prayed before continuing our tea time?”
“Not at all, please go ahead.”
I readily agreed to her request.
As the novel mentioned, Lady Mayer was known to be a devout follower of her faith. She visited the temple every week to pray and devoted herself to various charitable activities despite her old age. Furthermore, the Mayer Marquisate, with its vast farmlands, supplied flour to the temple.
“Wait a moment.”
…Flour?
‘Could it be that the bread that saved me from starving on the roadside back then…?’
I inhaled sharply, turning my surprised gaze to Lady Mayer, who was now in prayer.
“Why are you looking at me like that, Duchess?”
“Oh, I was just reminded of the stories about your tireless volunteer work at the temple. I’m personally very interested in volunteering, so I truly admire you, Lady Mayer.”
I swallowed back the confession about surviving ten days on bread made from the grain they donated, fearing it might sound too pitiful.
“I’ve done nothing so admirable as to deserve such respect,” she replied humbly.
What does she mean, nothing admirable?
“I’ve merely continued my volunteering work out of remembrance for my younger sibling.”
Her younger sibling? I had never heard anything about that before. And her expression carried a faint sorrow. Could it be that they had passed away? I had the sinking feeling I might’ve made an awkward blunder.
“It’s been a long time, so you wouldn’t know about it, Duchess,” she said, gracefully holding her teacup.
“My sibling ran away before I became the Marchioness. It was an elopement.”
Lady Mayer looked at me intently.
“If my sibling is living well after marrying that common knight, they might even have grandchildren around your age by now, Duchess.”
