Chapter 34

Hermia pondered that perhaps this was the best outcome for everyone. 

The Duke would inherit the fortune, Mel would become the Duchess, and she would leave for a place unknown, filled with riches, and leave for a place where no one knows about the “Stolen Noble Lady.”

After talking with Elisabeth and returning to her room, Hermia reached this conclusion after much thought. No matter how she considered it, it seemed the most rational choice.

As for the Princess… she would just end up losing money, but if she thought of it as paying the price for insulting her precious mother, she didn’t feel too guilty.

After all, parents are not to be trifled with. It was her fault for speaking out of turn.

Before Walter could ask another question, Hermia quickly took the initiative.

“I’m planning to go home now that the charges have been dropped. Staying here too long might lead to gossip…”

It was true that she had promised to return home instead of accepting the Princess’s offer. She felt embarrassed looking into his pure emerald-like eyes, so she turned away to finish packing her bag.

“I’m sorry, but I’ll just take a few clothes with me. And maybe two pairs of shoes…”

“You can take everything.”

Walter smiled obligingly. Although his expression was different from his usual inscrutable demeanor, Hermia didn’t notice.

“I’ll have more prepared for your next visit.”

Hermia’s gaze lost focus and wandered around. The phrase “next time you come” felt like a piercing reminder to her conscience. Suddenly, she felt quite sorry.

“Oh. Well…”

As she closed her suitcase and fastened the belt, she mumbled her response.

When Emily and the other maids brought out new dresses, hats, shoes, and various supplements, what had started as one bag had grown to five.

Once the room was neatly organized, Walter spoke in a slightly subdued voice as he watched.

“I hope you’ll have lunch here before you leave.”

“…I will.”

She felt quite uneasy about leaving empty-handed after taking so much.

—

The last meal at the Duke’s residence, which might be the final one, had more menu options than usual.

Sitting at a table filled with greasy meats and seafood, along with buttery bread glistening on the surface, Hermia sipped a green drink poured by a servant.

This somewhat bitter health juice was thick enough that finishing one glass felt like it would fill her up. Planning to digest it slowly and eat well, she asked Walter,

“What will you do today?”

“What’s your schedule for today?”

Normally, she would have asked in an elegant manner, but since the curse began, her childhood speech habits kept slipping out.

Perhaps it was because she found noble speech annoying after all these years of trying to act and speak like them. Although she thought she had gotten used to it over time, these old habits resurfaced unexpectedly when not conscious of them.

Regardless of her realization that there was no longer a need to impress Walter, Hermia decided not to worry about her unrefined way of speaking anymore. It had become exhausting to care every time.

In fact, distancing herself from such disappointment might not be a bad method after all.

“There are guests scheduled to visit in the afternoon. The chairman of the mining union will come with union members.”

Walter paused from handling his cutlery, swallowed the food left in his mouth, and replied smoothly. His table manners seemed natural rather than learned.

He cleaned his mouth without asking anything and continued,

“They requested a meeting regarding labor cost negotiations for miners.”

“Why? Are they asking for a raise?”

“When my grandfather was alive, there was talk of a 7% increase; however, it got postponed when he passed away just before signing. They seem to be here to finalize it.”

At his words, Hermia also set down her fork. If specific figures were already set, they should just sign off on it; why bother with a meeting?

There was no need to ask further. Since ownership of the mine had changed hands, they were likely demanding renegotiation.

“Have you met them before?”

“This is my first time seeing them in person.”

“Did they come here while your grandfather was alive?”

Walter seemed to think for a moment before lightly shaking his head.

“I believe this is their first visit here. Usually, they send official letters.”

“Oh! That makes sense. They’re coming to test the waters.”

Hermia nodded knowingly. The miners from the mining village would surely see the young Duke as easy prey.

“Hmmm…”

Seeing Walter push lobster dish toward her with an innocent face made her worry unnecessarily. Surely he wouldn’t just stamp documents carelessly like a fool.

‘Well, it doesn’t concern me anymore.’

She picked up her fork again and took a bite of the fluffy white meat from the lobster. As she thought about how such luxuries would soon end for her, an unexpected wave of sadness washed over her.

Returning to Count’s residence might mean going back to a life of deprivation again. Perhaps they would treat her even worse under the pretense that she had gained weight.

‘Where could Mel possibly be? I need to find her quickly so I can hand her over to the Duke and get some money from the Princess.’

While deep in thought and busily chewing away at her food, something suddenly came to mind and she hurriedly asked,

“By the way, do you have any news about Doctor Isaac? You mentioned he took a train a few days ago.” 

“It seems that due to heavy rain, trains have stopped several times. I’ve received reports that they are delayed by several days as they stop at each station for repairs.”

Walter, having set down his glass, shifted his gaze to the scene outside the window where the rain continued to pour vigorously.

“It seems the doctor has gone quite far. The last report indicated he was nearing the eastern border.”

“The border? Isn’t that a dangerous area…?”

“It’s a place where one must cross steep and rugged mountains, so news is likely delayed.”

With nothing clearly resolved, Hermia felt increasingly frustrated. Walter’s eyes reflected a complex emotion as he observed her troubled expression.

After finishing their meal in silence, the two prepared to leave and exchanged formal farewells at the entrance of the main building.

They exchanged polite and formulaic words: Hermia thanked him for his hospitality, and Walter responded modestly, “You’re welcome”

The butler and familiar maids, including Emily, came out to see them off. Hermia awkwardly smiled at Emily’s reminder to return anytime if anything happened.

Though it had been a short time, the days spent joking around with peers felt like a distant memory.

If everything went according to plan, today would be the last time she saw them. Hermia slowly glanced at each face of the Duke’s household members who had come to greet her before reluctantly turning away.

It felt as if heavy weights were tied to her legs as she stepped into the pouring rain.

The Duke’s carriage began to move slowly through the dark rain even in broad daylight. Inside, Hermia stared blankly at the shrinking mansion.

Despite its grandeur, it seemed oddly lonely.

‘Even if he likes me now, with time, those feelings will fade. Maybe the moment he inherits the estate, he won’t think of me at all.’

Was that also true for me?

Her somewhat gloomy mood was surely due to the weather. She rationalized this and turned away from the window.

Surely the Duke wouldn’t come looking for her with a club. Nor would he threaten to kill her.

‘Hmm…’

It wasn’t just an overactive imagination; she had similar experiences before, which naturally creased her forehead with worry.

‘Still, he’s a Duke; he wouldn’t go that far. I can’t even imagine it.’

Shaking her head to dispel unnecessary thoughts, Hermia decided to focus on more productive ideas—like how to live in another country.

First, she should find a place to live and look for a job. If she had some extra money, opening a shop would be nice too.

If she opened a shop, it had to be a bakery. The delicious smell always wafting through made her feel good just passing by.

While she was deep in thoughts about her future plans, she felt the carriage slow down gradually. They had already returned to the Count’s residence in what felt like no time.

The coachman got down and rang the doorbell. When the butler, Philip, opened the door, he paused briefly before calling the other staff to help.

It was time to wake up from this dream.

Bags were taken from the carriage and passed into several hands inside before Hermia finally stepped down.

Seeing people still in the mansion indicated that the Count and Countess hadn’t left for their vacation yet. Damn it.

Hermia carefully walked under Mrs. Laura’s umbrella while stepping cautiously on the wet ground. She made an effort to minimize mud splashing on the expensive mat at the entrance.

As expected, inside through the open door stood her stepmother with crossed arms and an expression resembling that of a gatekeeper from hell.

The Countess’s gaze flicked from the Duke’s carriage to the soldiers in dark raincoats trailing behind it, her displeasure evident.

On rainy days, there was a strict rule about only using the back door, so how irritating it must be for her that this rule was broken. She couldn’t say anything about going through the side door since there were too many eyes around; instead, she stood there with that sour expression on her face.

As Hermia instinctively tried to stiffen up her body, she suddenly stopped walking and raised her head abruptly.

‘P-please don’t shoot! I’m an innocent noble!’

For some reason, she suddenly recalled the time when the Countess had crouched on the ground, flailing her arms and yelling those exact words.

Just making eye contact usually made her feel like shrinking away completely; today, however, Lady Olivia seemed unusually small.

How strange. Was she always this tiny?

“…”

As Hermia began walking again, her strides gradually grew larger until they splashed water beside Mrs. Laura’s feet. Reflexively, Lady Olivia’s thin eyebrows twitched.