Chapter 16
Daisy gasped in horror when she saw Diana’s lips tinged with blue. Without hesitation, she wrapped a thick blanket around her.
“The water must have been too cold. What should we do?”
“No, it was fine. Don’t worry too much.”
She wasn’t just saying it to reassure Daisy—it was true. The temperature had been perfectly suitable.
If there was any blame to place, it was on herself for dunking her head underwater and staying there.
Feeling slightly stifled, Diana pushed the layers of blankets off her robe.
“How was your time with His Highness?”
Noticing how dispirited her lady seemed, Daisy deliberately steered the conversation toward the afternoon’s events.
She thought bringing up their time alone together would brighten her mood.
“It was just a lesson.”
However, Diana’s response was indifferent, contrary to expectations.
“But considering it was just a lesson, you did receive a rather significant gift, didn’t you?”
“Rather than a significant gift, it was just a long-overdue engagement ring.”
It was a battle of wills, each response countering the other like a match of sword and shield.
Daisy stole glances at Diana’s reflection in the mirror.
Before entering the bath, she had seemed every bit a flustered young girl.
But now, something had changed. Her demeanor had become unreadably stiff.
No—if anything, she seemed sullen.
Like a child who had just realized the candy she had been given wasn’t truly hers to keep.
“If His Highness knew that’s how you saw it, I think he’d be quite disappointed.”
Daisy met Diana’s gaze in the mirror and smiled knowingly.
“His Highness cares for you a great deal.”
Daisy recalled the day before Diana’s arrival at the estate.
The first words Ersivan spoke when he called her to his office were,
“Be good to her. It must be difficult to adjust.”
It was a simple statement, but heavy with unspoken meaning.
Daisy had worked in the estate long enough to be considered for the position of head maid.
Assigning her as Diana’s personal attendant meant that the Duke held his fiancée in high regard.
But of course, unaware of any of this, Diana was quick to dismiss the idea.
“He’s just naturally courteous to everyone.”
“But it’s the first time he’s shown interest in a woman.”
Having observed Ersivan for years, Daisy knew him well.
Her master was generally indifferent to people.
If he was already that detached from others, one could only imagine how little he cared for romantic pursuits.
The Ersivan Valencia she had known had always regarded women with the same disinterest as he would a stone on the road.
If he had been unattractive or lacking in status, it would have been understandable.
But he was far from that—so much so that rumors once circulated, suggesting he preferred men.
“His Highness is someone who has very clear preferences. He either likes something, or he doesn’t. There is no in-between.”
Of course, the list of things he disliked was far longer than the things he favored, but Daisy left that part unsaid.
“He certainly seems that way.”
Diana thought back to how noticeably he had expressed his fondness for lavender.
A man who rarely revealed his emotions had openly shown an attachment to something as simple as a flower.
“He has quite the fondness for lavender.”
Realizing how misleading that statement might sound, she quickly added,
“I mean, he likes the scent, that’s all.”
“Yes, he does.”
Daisy, who had been gently combing through Diana’s now-dry golden hair, nodded in agreement.
“I heard someone recommended it to him once. But I suppose that wasn’t you, Daisy?”
“No, it wasn’t me. One day, His Highness just requested it, and I simply fetched it for him.”
A memory surfaced in Daisy’s mind.
“So this is what it smells like?”
“Do you like it?”
“…I don’t know. I can’t tell if I like it, or if it just reminds me of the past.”
A younger Ersivan, sitting by the window, idly brushing his fingers through a bundle of lavender.
She had never seen her master wear such a soft expression before.
Even now, she could still picture him, burying his face in the flowers, smiling faintly.
“Regardless, His Highness isn’t the type to go out of his way for someone he doesn’t care about.”
At that moment, Diana thought of the Ersivan she had seen behind his carefully constructed facade—the one who had once said, “If something is useless, I don’t keep it near me.”
‘So, does that mean he considers me necessary?’
Whatever the reason, as long as her identity remained undiscovered, Ersivan had no intention of harming her.
‘Whether he likes me or despises me, for now, I am important to him.’
A sense of clarity settled over Diana.
‘Then I should use this opportunity wisely.’
At last, she decided to put her plan into motion.
The Ersivan Valencia Relationship-Building Strategy.
If she could win him over as a person, their contractual marriage would be much easier to navigate.
Just as she had momentarily been swayed by his gestures, perhaps Ersivan, too, could develop new emotions that would gradually eclipse his initial resentment.
“Daisy, could you prepare some lavender for me?”
“Oh, of course! But what do you need it for?”
“I’d like to give it to His Highness.”
She had originally planned to simply bide her time quietly.
But if she remained passive, she would only be devoured whole.
And so, before that could happen, she resolved to fight back—at least in her own way.
Standing in front of the door, Diana took a deep breath and knocked.
But no response came from the other side.
Diana had come knowing that Ersivan was still working late, having not yet completed his assigned workload for the night.
A man with such keen hearing couldn’t have possibly missed her knocking.
Perplexed, she knocked again.
When there was still no response, she increased the force, knocking a total of five times.
“I believe I told you not to disturb me while I’m working.”
The solemn voice that emerged sent a chill down her spine.
Regret washed over her—perhaps she had made a mistake.
Instead of winning him over, had she only made herself more of a nuisance?
“Ah, I’m sorry. I was just hoping you could spare me a moment…”
She hesitated, debating whether to leave or wait, when suddenly, the door creaked open.
The moment Ersivan saw that it was her, a mix of surprise and mild embarrassment flickered across his face.
Rubbing his temples, he let out a slow exhale before finally speaking.
“I mistook you for someone else… Come inside.”
“You seem busy. Should I come back another time?”
“No. I’m free. That was… a poor choice of words earlier. It’s cold outside—please, come in.”
What was this now?
First, he told her to stay away.
Now that he knew it was her, he was suddenly welcoming?
“Then, if you insist, I’ll accept your hospitality.”
Diana didn’t hesitate any longer and stepped inside.
The study was more austere than she had expected—minimalistic, but perfectly suited for focus.
After seating her on the sofa, Ersivan swiftly prepared and served her tea.
Once he sat down across from her, Diana finally pulled out the lavender she had brought, carefully concealed until now.
“I actually came to express my gratitude.”
“I believe I told you it wasn’t necessary.”
“And I believe I told you that I don’t want my feelings dismissed.”
I knew he’d argue.
Diana smiled leisurely, as if anticipating his resistance.
And this time, it was Ersivan who was left without a retort.
“…Very well. Then, I’ll accept it.”
Just as she was about to hand over the neatly wrapped bouquet, he suddenly held up a hand.
“Ah, wait. Could you hold onto it a little longer?”
“…What?”
Didn’t he just agree to accept it?
Was this some roundabout noble way of declining?
Disappointment flickered across Diana’s face, prompting him to elaborate.
“It’s nothing much. I just wanted to capture it.”
“Capture it?”
“You. On paper.”
He meant to draw her.
Rising from his seat, he retrieved a fountain pen and a sheet of paper.
“Should I stay like this, then?”
“Just sit comfortably. Don’t mind me.”
Unfortunately, Diana was not as easygoing as he seemed to think.
She found it difficult to believe his words and fidgeted, adjusting her posture repeatedly.
“But why the sudden interest in drawing?”
“I simply felt like it.”
“Me?”
“More precisely, you holding the lavender.”
With his focus locked entirely on her, Ersivan’s concentration deepened.
The only sound in the room was the soft scratching of the pen against the paper.
Every time his gaze moved over her, the ink marks on the page increased.
Curious, she peeked at his progress.
Even with just a few strokes, the sketch already bore a striking resemblance to her.
“…You’re incredibly skilled at drawing as well.”
Unlike Diana, who fumbled through everything, Ersivan seemed effortlessly proficient at whatever he did.
She wondered if failure itself was something he was incapable of.
“It’s not much. The subject itself is what makes it beautiful.”
He countered smoothly, his tone as composed as ever.
He had a talent not only for art but also for turning falsehoods into something that sounded entirely sincere.
“What were you like as a child, Lily?”
“My childhood?”
“I was just wondering if you were similar to how you are now.”
If he was asking about Lillian’s childhood, then Diana knew she shouldn’t answer with her own past.
And yet, for some reason, she found herself speaking honestly.
“Hmm… I was probably less put-together than I am now.”
“I doubt that. You must have shined even back then.”
“Do you really think so?”
As if concluding the conversation, Ersivan lifted the sheet of paper from his lap, observing his finished work.
“Of course. You are beautiful, after all.”
Satisfied with his drawing, a faint smile curled at the corner of his lips.
And on the paper, the image of her holding the lavender was captured—far more stunning than she had ever imagined herself to be.
Perhaps, even if she were compared to all the beauty in the world, nothing would quite match the way she appeared through his eyes.
