Chapter 51

☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓

The place I headed to was none other than the Duchess’s lounge.

The Duchess approached me and allowed me to use her lounge. With a proud smile, she said,

‘You truly are the daughter of Karim Iskas.’

“Bell, I have to go back to the banquet hall. If it were up to me, I’d want to quit everything and go home, but I have to mingle a bit. You should rest here until then.”

Bell looked around the luxurious room with a surprised expression.

“Can I really use this place?”

“You heard what the Duchess said earlier. If you’re sleepy, take a nap.”

At that moment, a maid entered the room, placed what I had ordered on the table, and left. It was cold water and a towel.

I soaked the towel in the water and placed it against Bell’s cheek.

“This should settle down by tomorrow.”

Bell nodded and held the towel in her hands. She seemed to smile for a moment, but soon her lips trembled, and tears began to fall.

“Don’t cry! I hit them back twice or three times harder, so why are you crying?”

In response to my words, Bell said, half-laughing and half-crying:

“Lady Ar, do you know? Everything Lord Derek told us not to do, you did today?”

“Ah…”

Left speechless, I rubbed my head. I had cursed and resorted to violence. Derek’s nagging was surely going to pour down on me.

Bell weakly lowered her head.

“…Actually, my sisters at the Grand Duke’s mansion warned me beforehand. They said not to act like this in the capital and to always be careful.”

“Careful? About what?”

“They said that while His Grace and Lady Ar treat us as humans at the Grand Duke’s mansion, it’s not the same in the capital. There are many cases where one gets beaten or even killed by their masters.”

I couldn’t bring myself to say it wasn’t true. Just looking at the case of the child who was dragged through the street by a dog as a kid shows how severe the tyranny of the nobility in this country can be.

Even within the Duke’s family, they respect their servants, but they don’t treat them as familiarly as I do. Even after living together for a long time, to them, the servants are merely people working under them, nothing more, nothing less.

So it was clear that my mother and I treated the servants particularly closely. Perhaps this is the difference between those born and raised as nobles and those who are not.

“I was so excited that I completely forgot about that. I’ll be more careful with my actions from now on. And thank you so much for stepping in for me today.”

“It’s only natural for me to step in. You are my person, and touching you is the same as touching me. It’s not just for your sake.”

At my blunt words, Bell chuckled softly.

“Still, it’s true that you went out of your way because of me. You don’t have to say it; I know everything.”

I let out a long sigh and patted Bell’s head.

Bell leaned her head against my hand like a small cat.

“Rest. I’ll come to get you as soon as the banquet is over.”

☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓

As I came out of the room, I ran into Derek, who was waiting at the bottom of the stairs. Derek gestured upward.

“How’s Bell doing?”

“She’s fine. The places she got hit are a bit swollen, but it doesn’t seem like it will last long.”

“Still, Lady Ar…”

“If you’re going to nag me, just stop. I really don’t want to hear it.”

Derek shrugged his shoulders.

“What are you talking about? I was going to give you a compliment. You did well.”

I looked at Derek suspiciously.

“…Why are you suddenly saying this? That I did well?”

“I was reminded of the past. You once said something similar to me when I was a child.”

“What do you mean?”

“You said that Lady Ar is someone who protects us.”

‘Why are you scared? I’m not someone who threatens or harms you. I’m someone who protects and watches over you.’

I realized that this was something I had said after threatening to hit them with stones when I was young.

“You remember that?”

“Yes, I don’t know why, but at that time, you said you would kill us all, and then later you said that.”

“But why can’t you remember the important part? You all threw stones at me first! That’s why I got angry!”

“That’s nonsense! How could we throw stones at Lady Ar?”

How could they only remember things that were favorable to them? I was reminded once again how biased human memory can be.

Derek had forgotten the fact that he threw stones at me, and the prince had forgotten the insults he directed at me.

In that sense, only Hyperion seemed to remember the past relatively accurately. Was he just naturally good at remembering?

“Anyway, I still remember that you said you would protect all of us.”

“Of course.”

I continued walking as I spoke.

“I don’t have any grand ideas about changing the world. But as long as I’m your master, I’ll make sure you live in a better world than now. That’s my duty.”

Just as I said, I had no interest whatsoever in the ills and injustices of this society. I knew there were people suffering because of it, but having a grand goal of changing this society felt like a luxury to me.

Until now, I had to fight against those who looked down on my mother’s status, and I had to prove that I, a woman, could be the heir to the Grand Duke. That alone was more than enough to bear.

Derek followed me and replied.

“But there are many masters who don’t think of it as a duty.”

“I don’t care what others think. My thoughts are what matter.”

“Bell will never forget what happened today. She realized that Lady Ar can do anything for us. So, in the future, she will be willing to give her life for Lady Ar. I feel the same way.”

I stopped in my tracks at his unexpected words and looked at Derek. He avoided my gaze, his face flushed, and said,

“I realized today that the promise you made when we were young wasn’t just words. That’s all.”

I scoffed.

“Of course. Have you ever seen me make a promise I can’t keep? And why would you give your life for me? Take good care of that life; I’ll still be making you work for me even when you become a grandfather or grandmother.”

“Yes!”

Derek smiled brightly and came closer to me. I linked arms with him, and we headed towards the banquet hall.

☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓

The next morning, I woke up at the usual time.

As I pulled the cord attached to my bed, Bell immediately entered the room with a basin of water.

“You went to bed late last night, but you’re already up? You could have slept a bit longer.”

“I just woke up.”

Last night, I had returned to the banquet hall and enjoyed the party ostentatiously. By the time I returned to the mansion with the Duke’s family, it was nearly dawn.

Having stayed out late, I could have slept in for a day, but habits are indeed frightening.

“What about the Duchess?”

“She’s still sleeping. She must have been exhausted yesterday.”

“The Duchess is human too, huh? Somehow, that makes me feel relieved.”

At my words, Bell burst into a giggle. Fortunately, despite the unfortunate events of yesterday, she seemed just like her usual self.

“You’re going to rest at home today, right?”

As she finished washing my face and began to comb my hair, I shook my head. I also wanted to relax at home, but I had other plans today.

“No. I need to go out this afternoon.”

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going to the Information Guild. You and Derek will come with me, so get ready.”

“You’re not going to do something dangerous like last time, are you?”

As Bell rolled her eyes, I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Don’t worry. It’s just a place for buying and selling information. There won’t be any ambushes like last time.”

Literally, I planned to visit the Information Guild today. I would check out several places and contract with the one that had the best capabilities.

“I’ll have breakfast after I go for a walk.”

I strolled slowly through the Duke’s garden alone. It was early morning, and only the servants were awake, busily preparing for the new day.

The garden was filled with countless flowers. They exuded an intoxicating fragrance that was almost overwhelming in the brilliant morning sunlight. I called over the gardener working there.

“I have a question.”

The elderly man approached me, removed his hat, and bowed respectfully.

“Please, speak, my lady.”

“Where can I find anemone flowers? Have they already wilted?”

The gardener shook his head slightly, looking regretful.

“I’m sorry, but there are no anemone flowers in this garden.”

“Oh, so you no longer grow them?”

“…It’s not that; that flower has never grown in this garden. I’ve been working here for 30 years, so it hasn’t grown at least for that long.”

I couldn’t help but be a bit surprised by that. I was certain that I received an anemone as a gift from Hyperion twelve years ago, saying it was a flower that bloomed in the garden, yet it had never been grown here.