Chapter 64
Upon entering the castle, I came to a stop. Richard, too, stopped walking when he saw me halt.
Then, he patiently waited in silence as I said nothing for a while.
It was the conclusion I had envisioned all along, so it should have felt exhilarating. Compared to what Baron Hazel and Cecilia had done, this was a minor and trivial act of revenge. Yet, I had longed for this moment for so long. I thought I’d feel satisfaction once I actually carried it out, but it wasn’t as gratifying as I had imagined.
Instead, I felt a bit angry—at myself.
For being so foolish and letting it all happen.
“Sorry for stopping so suddenly. I’ll introduce you right away.”
I took a deep breath in, then slowly exhaled to gather my thoughts.
It was all in the past, after all. In the end, I had gotten everything back. Baron Hazel was arrested, and Cecilia had been thrown out disgracefully.
Thinking about those two now only felt ridiculous.
As I took Richard’s arm and led him inside, he quietly followed my lead.
The interior of the castle hadn’t changed a bit since I left. Well, it had only been a couple of months, so that was to be expected.
As I gave Richard a rough tour of the first floor, familiar servants and maids greeted me with polite bows.
Their unease was obvious in their demeanor. These were the people who had turned a blind eye while I was mistreated by Baron Hazel and Cecilia.
I knew they had no choice—they were just employees. They couldn’t afford to offend the then-duke, Baron Hazel.
Still, I couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable around them.
I accepted their greetings halfheartedly and continued explaining different parts of the castle to Richard.
Fragments of my memories lingered throughout the place.
They were mostly memories of abuse, too vivid to pretend they were anything but painful.
Any happy memories from long ago had been erased when Baron Hazel, under his orders, had the castle renovated and redecorated.
“And this was my room,” I said at last.
We had arrived at my old room.
It was smaller and poorer in quality than my bedroom at the Count Theodore’s estate. Even to my own eyes, it didn’t look like the room of a duke’s daughter.
And it truly wasn’t. It looked more like the neat room of a head maid or chief butler.
This was the room I was given after Baron Hazel became Duke Tristan and Cecilia took my place in high society as Lady Tristan.
I glanced over at Richard.
He looked around calmly, his gaze sweeping the room before nodding.
“It’s tidy.”
That was all he said after a long silence.
I looked up at him, trying to read his thoughts.
Richard noticed and gave a short laugh as he looked at me.
“What is it?”
“It’s just… your reaction was simpler than I expected.”
“What did you expect me to say?”
“Well…”
Words like shabby or pathetic came to mind.
Compared to the room Richard had at the Count of Theodore’s estate—beautiful and lavish—this one was nothing.
It was easy to imagine how he must have felt seeing this room.
But I couldn’t say that out loud. It would only sound like I was insulting myself.
As I gave a vague smile, Richard let out a soft, amused scoff.
“This won’t be your room anymore. You should have the staff clear it out.”
I paused to reflect on his words. He was right—this wasn’t my room anymore.
I now lived at the Count of Theodore’s estate. Even if I returned to this castle, this wouldn’t be my room.
After all, with Richard’s help, I had reclaimed the Tristan dukedom and this castle as well.
So my space in this place had to change too.
It struck me again how much Richard’s words always managed to hit me right in the heart.
He spoke casually, almost offhandedly, yet when I looked back, he was always the one looking out for me.
Sometimes when I talked about my past, he would quietly listen and comfort me.
I felt thankful. And also guilty.
He could comfort me like this because he had experienced the same pain.
But in the end, I was the one who had caused his misery.
If I had known just how harsh and painful this life would be, I never would’ve written it so carelessly.
It was only after becoming Diarna, an extra with a tragic death ahead of her, that I realized how foolish I had been.
Perhaps becoming Diarna was my punishment.
“What is it?”
When I didn’t respond and just looked at him, Richard asked curiously.
I shrugged and smiled lightly.
“It’s nothing. I’ll… get it sorted.”
When I answered, Richard nodded.
I couldn’t take my eyes off his face, which showed no particular concern.
Foolishly, I felt greedy.
I wanted to stay by Richard’s side.
If possible, I wanted to cure the Darnnella’s disease and remain as his wife.
But how could I make that happen?
Should I act like the original Eileen Heinz?
If I treated Richard the way Eileen had in the original story, would he fall in love with me?
Either way, if I disappeared and Richard ended up falling for Eileen, his fate would be doomed.
Blinded by love, he wouldn’t act like the gentleman he was now. He wouldn’t handle matters reasonably.
In the original story, he had done anything and everything to have Eileen.
To Richard, Eileen would become his entire world.
And I wanted that place.
Eileen was always surrounded by love—family, friends, a lover. She could be happy even without Richard’s love.
But I was different. I had no one.
Until now, the only one who had cared for me this deeply was Richard.
“If it takes time to fire and rehire the staff, it’s okay to stay in the capital a few more days,” Richard said as he looked at the hesitant servants nearby.
It seemed he had also noticed their strange behavior upon entering the castle.
But what caught my attention wasn’t the servants—it was something he had said.
“Are you sure? You’ve already been here too long. You must be busy with the trade guild and your county affairs…”
The Richard I knew would already be swamped with work.
But he nodded as if it was nothing.
“I can handle that from the capital too. The capital and the county aren’t far apart anyway.”
The trials were over. Richard didn’t need to stay by my side anymore.
But I didn’t suggest he go back first.
If he wanted to stay, I didn’t want to stop him.
“Then I’ll ask you to stay a few more days. But hotels must be fully booked by now—why not stay here?
There are still some of my father’s and Cecilia’s things left, but I can clear them out quickly.
Besides, this place is more comfortable than a hotel anyway.”
At my suggestion, Richard looked around the castle as if contemplating for a moment. He didn’t need to think deeply to realize that my suggestion would be more convenient for him. Hotel bookings were ending, and since the Colosseum wasn’t over yet, it would be hard to extend his stay. As if to confirm that my thoughts were right, Richard didn’t take long to nod.
“All right,” he said.
I smiled faintly at his agreement.
“Still, I’m going to tidy this place up a bit today, so let’s go back for now.”
I urged Richard as I descended the stairs. In the lobby, the servants were lined up in an orderly manner. Among them, I spotted a familiar face and called out to her.
“Julia, can you come here?”
She had been the maid responsible for my grooming and service back when I lived in the castle. She was the only person here I could say I had any attachment to.
“Yes, my lady. Did you call for me?”
Julia approached me quickly, her face tense with worry—like someone afraid of being punished.
It was no wonder. The ownership of the castle had changed from Baron Hazel to me, and from the perspective of the servants who had always watched Baron Hazel’s moods, they couldn’t help but be nervous.
Even if they weren’t immediately fired, there was always the possibility that I might hold a grudge and retaliate.
Not that I had any such intention. Especially not toward Julia—she had even helped me, after all.
“Julia, could you have the others help you tidy up the castle?”
“…Excuse me?”
Julia looked visibly flustered. I nodded to reassure her.
“We’ll stay at the hotel tonight, but we’re coming back to the castle tomorrow. Please get our rooms ready by then.”
At my words, Julia glanced anxiously at Richard before bowing her head deeply. It seemed she was more afraid of Richard than of me.
Now that I thought about it, I realized the castle staff probably still believed the rumors about Richard.
Looking around, I could tell they were more wary of Richard than of me. It left me feeling slightly hollow.
After all, I knew I wouldn’t have made it this far without his help.
“Do you understand?”
“Yes, my lady! Understood!”
Only after hearing her reply did I leave Tristan Castle with Richard.
