Episode 55
That, and the fact that he had rushed here in this weather. Cesar always contacted Sylvia in advance before visiting.
He wouldn’t have come so urgently unless it was something unexpected.
“I’m sorry, but I haven’t been working here long. What if I make a mistake in front of such an important person…?”
Yazel bit her lip, looking troubled.
“What should I do? The Duke said it was alright to take care of the other knights first, so there’s no one left. The head maid scolded us for treating him like that, so we’re looking for someone…”
Her eyes narrowed anxiously.
“It’s really simple, so it won’t be difficult. Can’t you do it?”
I wanted to refuse, but I heard another maid calling Yazel urgently from behind. I couldn’t refuse.
I nodded in agreement, and the relieved Yazel pulled me along.
“Thank you. Let’s go quickly.”
I hoped the feeling I had when we met was just a sense of familiarity.
With that thought, I headed towards Cesar.
As I entered the central lobby on the first floor, I saw maids busily attending to the knights, whose clothes were dirty and damp from the rain and mud.
It was a clear indication of why they were short-staffed. I recognized a few familiar faces.
And as I moved through the crowd, I saw a familiar figure standing in the center. As soon as my eyes landed on the silver hair and cold purple eyes, I quickly looked away. There was no point in staring.
But I could feel my heart pounding. It was a complicated mix of resentment, relief, and a strange sense of familiarity from the last time he didn’t recognize me.
He seemed busy talking to the Veronica County’s knights.
“How many monsters are there, approximately?”
“We’ve identified four or five individuals. It was my mistake not to exterminate them properly, so I and my knights will take care of it.”
“No. We already know that monsters descending from the Estero Mountains are running rampant. You’re working hard to exterminate them, Duke. We’ll assist you.”
“Alright. Where’s Count Veronica?”
“He’ll be here soon. He was dealing with other official matters.”
The situation seemed serious.
I was reminded of the time I excitedly tagged along, thinking we were preparing for the Spring Festival, only to witness a monster extermination.
‘I felt so cheated back then.’
Pushing aside the resurfacing memories, I approached Cesar. The conversation seemed to have ended.
Holding the teacup I received from Yazel, I called out to him,
“Duke Clovis.”
His gaze landed on me. My heart sank, subtly noticing his frown.
“You must be thirsty from your journey. Please have this.”
My hands trembled despite my efforts to stay calm, and I bit my lip. Cesar took the cup and drank the tea without saying a word.
‘Come to think of it, I met Cesar at the Second Prince’s Palace. Seeing me working at Sylvia’s mansion like this, wouldn’t he misunderstand…?’
I wondered if his menacing gaze at that time was because of that.
I glanced at the knights behind him. I had been completely covered by the robe, and Cesar had shielded me when my hat was briefly blown off, so it was fortunate that the knights probably didn’t remember my face.
The problem was that the person I wanted to avoid the most did know my face.
“You.”
He was definitely calling me.
I kept my gaze lowered, trying to avoid eye contact.
“Yes.”
“Lift your head.”
‘Sigh. I knew it.’
I lifted my head and looked at him. He was intelligent; there was no way he wouldn’t remember me after meeting me once.
As I nervously waited, wondering if he would question me, Cesar’s hand touched my cheek. It was an unexpected reaction.
“Y-Your Grace?”
My voice trembled as I spoke, flustered, but Cesar’s gaze was scanning my face.
‘What is he doing?’
His fingers gently touched my cheek, and my eyes widened.
‘Did he forget me after seeing my face? Or does he think I’m not worth remembering because I’m not the heroine?’
He had smirked and turned away right after seeing my face. And it was just a brief moment.
‘Then why did he look at me so menacingly?’
I looked at Cesar with a puzzled expression. He looked back at me, the corners of his lips curled up slightly. His hand, which had briefly touched my trembling eyelashes, moved away.
His voice, unusually soft, flowed out,
“I was mistaken.”
‘He completely forgot. Should I call this fortunate or unfortunate? Then the feeling I felt when our eyes met must have been a misunderstanding, too…’
I tilted my head, feeling a strange sense of unease.
Then, I blinked a few times and, remembering my duty, put down what I was holding and said,
“I see. Then your clothes are a bit disheveled. Would you like me to help you?”
“Gladly.”
His purple eyes shimmered as he replied.
He must have rushed here, as his clothes were disheveled, unlike his usual neat appearance.
‘He must have come running, worried that Sylvia might be hurt.’
I saw the thunder and lightning outside and the intensifying rain. The monsters hiding nearby were a serious problem, but his dedication, braving the storm with his knights, was admirable.
What an amazing love.
Lost in thought, I was buttoning his shirt when I realized Cesar’s breath was close.
‘Ah, he’s too close.’
As I pulled back slightly, I heard Cesar’s dissatisfied voice.
“Can’t you even do this properly?”
He whispered it softly, so it seemed like no one else heard.
‘So cold.’
I swallowed my retort and was about to continue fixing his clothes when his hand covered mine.
The feeling of his large, calloused hand covering mine was strange. I could feel the warmth of the hand that used to stroke my head when I was Lily.
His warm touch, not his cold voice, always managed to soften my heart. Even when I puffed up my feathers, complaining about his cold personality, his warm hand would make me wonder if he was truly a cold person.
As I moved my hand, following his lead, his soft breath tickled my ear.
“What are you thinking about…?”
Was he scolding me? Was he clicking his tongue in disapproval? Or was he just patiently enduring my clumsy touch? I didn’t understand his words.
But why was I so nervous?
Cesar’s hand, covering mine, slowly moved towards his collar. I could feel his pulse throbbing against my fingertips.
His hand carefully buttoned his shirt and then slowly moved away.
The sound of thunder and the heavy rain outside was still loud. But I couldn’t hear it now.
It was strange. Just being near Cesar made my body move clumsily like a robot, and my heart was pounding uncontrollably.
I slightly covered my ears with my hand and stepped back. I felt a flush creeping up my neck. My ears felt like they were burning, even though the weather wasn’t hot because of the rain.
I suppressed my urge to run away and was standing behind him when I heard footsteps coming down the main staircase.
“Duke Clovis.”
Count Veronica, with a gentle demeanor and similar blonde hair to Sylvia’s, neatly brushed back, appeared.
“Count Veronica.”
“I heard what happened. I apologize. I had some urgent matters to attend to.”
“It’s alright.”
While they were talking, I quietly slipped away and approached Yazel. I grabbed her and gave her my best pleading look.
“Yazel.”
“What is it, Valerie?”
“You see, Miss Sylvia told me to rest because I wasn’t feeling well. Would it be alright if I went back to my room?”
“What?”
Her face softened with a look of concern, as if she hadn’t considered that.
“Go ahead. The maids are also taking a break now that they’re done attending to the knights.”
“Thank you.”
I bowed my head slightly, glanced at Cesar and Count Veronica, and then returned to the maids’ quarters.
Finally alone, I sat down in the hallway and touched my burning ears.
“Oh, what am I going to do…”
The moment his hand brushed against mine, my heart pounded, announcing its presence. The emotions I hadn’t realized I had started to stir after seeing him again.
When did it start? Was it when I felt resentful that he didn’t recognize me?
I tried to pinpoint the starting point but shook my head. There was no point in dwelling on it. It was a feeling that had already taken root.
‘This isn’t good.’
There was no point in running away. I was developing feelings for him, even though I knew he was the one who would kill me in the future.
His breath, his every word, lingered on my skin, making me tingle. My mind was in a daze.
I had thought I was filled with plans to escape Cesar and find happiness. But looking back, I was still acting for his happiness.
I was hoping he wouldn’t die.
“…Damn Cesar. I went through all that trouble to leave you. Why are you still tormenting me?”
I blamed him, even though he had done nothing wrong, and tried to cool down my burning ears.