《It Was Me, Not You》 CH 1 (Diana¡¯s POV) ¡°The days are already getting cold, so when are they going to return?¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s been quite a while.¡± ¡°Wait, isn¡¯t it around ten years?¡± ¡°Has it really been ten years?¡± ¡°After all, it must have been like that since the great princess left when she was a baby.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the end of a decade. If you get through this winter, it will be 11 years.¡± The maid¡¯s chirping voices could be heard in the laundry room, where the winter wind was bitter. Until the arrival of a child. As the child walked to the water¡¯s edge with the laundry, the maids who were knocking on the laundry¡¯s door turned to look at her. While they were talking, I kept my mouth shut. ¡°You¡¯ve here, ah, lady.¡± The eldest maid got up from her seat, putting her laundry down as if she couldn¡¯t help herself. Because, as the maid said before, Diana was also the Grand Duke¡¯s daughter. The maids, who stood up in a row after on their own, glanced at Diana with disbelief. Diana was heartbroken. Diana, who did not come here willingly. She didn¡¯t have somebody to wash her clothes for her, so she had to do it herself. ¡°Keep doing what you do.¡± Diana sat a little further away from them on the water¡¯s edge. Her hands were so cold as she picked up one of her clothes from the laundry and placed it in the water that her entire body trembled for a second. ¡°Sigh.¡± She rapidly dipped her clothing in water, simply removed them, and blew them into her cold hands. I can¡¯t get used to the cold water that feels like ice in the cold winter wind. Diana, on the other hand, does not have a maid to replace her since her hands are cold. And if she wears dirty clothes, they will be angry again. Diana jumped upon the clothes with a tub twice the size of her hand. ¡°I am hoping that His Highness will return shortly.¡± How lonely has this Archduke¡¯s mansion become since he went to war?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, the Grand Princess misses her father as well.¡± But what will happen to me if the Grand Duke returns¡­? ¡°Oh, Miss.¡± I felt a stare on me as I glanced. Gazes mixed with a little sympathy. It was a familiar stare that developed as the Princess and Diana as they got older. If His Highness the Grand Duke returns. Diana¡¯s biological father, Crowd Terravita, whom she hasn¡¯t seen in ten years, no, she has never seen in her life. The only younger brother of the Emperor of the Terra Vita Empire, and the strongest swordsman in the empire. Diana was the illegitimate child of that man. Her mother was also the maid of the hostess, whom the Archduke loved more than his own life. Just say this and everyone will know. That Diana is the dark stain of the Archduke. One night, the perfect prince¡¯s daughter was born by mistake. The very drunk Duke was believed to have mistaken the maid as his wife and embraced her. Diana was doomed by a single mistake. From the moment it was made, she was out of luck. Worse, the moment her mother gave birth to Diana and the moment his wife gave birth to the child was the same. You can know without stating how much more the Grand Duke would have hated the lady who became her mother as a result of this. However, the Grand Duchess, the wife of the Grand Duke, did not kill the maid with her husband¡¯s child. In any case, because she is the Grand Duke¡¯s descendent, she still gave birth to and raises the child in the Grand Duke¡¯s family. Yes, that would have been fine up to that point. Diana¡¯s misery may not have ended there, since the Grand Duchess died while giving birth to a child. The child was unexpectedly saved, but the Grand Duchess died as a result of losing too much blood during the birthing process. Unable to face the pain of loss, the Archduke left the family without seeing the newborn child and became involved in the war. When the Grand Duke disappeared, the remaining members of the Grand Duke family focused their sorrow and rage over the death of their master and hostess on Diana and her mother, Leah. The madam is reported to have died as a result of these two unlucky persons. Diana¡¯s miserable life began from that point forward. Before her mother, who gave birth to Diana, could even take care of her, she was kicked out of the chamber, which the Archduke had given her. To the cold cottage in the woods behind the castle. Since then, the Grand Duchy has despised and neglected Leah. Diana was subject to violence and abuse as a result of the following anger. Not only do hard work, but also starving without given food. Diana suffered Leah¡¯s torture and lived almost ten years as a result. She despised Leah for beating her and the Archduke, his biological daughter, for not saving her in this way when she was younger. She realized she was useless after a year of resentment. Even if she closes and reopens her eyes, the fact that she is an illegitimate child who has been abandoned remains. So I tried to survive on my own from then on. To avoid upsetting Leah¡¯s mood, she cleans her up and washes her laundry herself, and she avoids her and secretly eats her food. That is why her hard work has decreased somewhat these days. They still don¡¯t offer her good rice, but she now has bread secretly eaten by the chef working in the garden behind the prince¡¯s room or at the maid¡¯s kitchen, so it was worth it. To stay in this manner until you reach adulthood and then go out on your own. Diana had planned it this way. No one will catch you if you go out on your own. I think I¡¯d like it. You must get out of here before the Archduke returns. As they say, I wonder what would happen if the Archduke returned before I reached the age of majority, but everyone knows the Archduke will not return. When she hears the maids and servants from time to time, the Archduke walks around the battlefield like a lunatic, looking for a place to die. He¡¯s like a man who can¡¯t forget his late wife and attempts to follow in her steps. So, the Grand Duke will not return to the Grand Duke¡¯s residence until he dies, and there will be no situation when the Grand Duke returns, so things will be fine. The voice that had stopped was heard again the moment she nodded her head in agreement with herself. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to see the Princess? She¡¯s 10 years old now, and in 5 years she¡¯ll be conscious¡­ He¡¯s been gone for ten years, but he¡¯s not coming back¡­ ¡° ¡°I see, they say the royal family¡¯s ceremonies are very important, but I hope they will return before the ceremony.¡± ¡°They¡¯ll be back by then. You still have five years left in your contract. Don¡¯t be worried.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like him to return sooner. When I see the great princess alone, she is heartbroken¡­¡± Diana¡¯s head tilted more at the word ¡°consciousness¡± than at any other story. I¡¯d like to be talking about gender recognition because I¡¯ll be an adult in 5 years, but seeing the word royal family made me think of something else. She looked at the maids for a moment after hearing the first thing she heard. The maids had lost interest in Diana and were banging on the laundry with her pity on each other. ¡°The Princess must be sad.¡± ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re still a soft-hearted person.¡± Diana frowned at the words she heard, wondering what the ¡®consciousness¡¯ they were talking about. The princess has a soft heart. She still has a blue mark on her cheek from being beaten by her princess. How can a child¡¯s hand still be so hot? The princess saw Leah¡¯s daughter as the unpleasant child of the Grand Duke, based on her hard touch. It was clear that she was not like the Grand Duchess, who stated that the princess was gentle. ¡°Diana!¡± Diana, who was muttering to herself and squeezing out the almost-finished clothes, jumped at the piercing voice. I hope I heard it wrong. ¡°Diana!¡± But, as if she hadn¡¯t done anything wrong, the voice came closer to the laundry. The hem of the blue dress flew from a distance. And she knew who the lace-studded blue dress belonged to. Diana stood from her seat, and Leah got her place in front of her. ¡°Mom¡­¡± Slap! The laundry was filled with a sound that was worse than the cold wind. Leah¡¯s body, which had been hit in the cheek, stumbled suddenly and fell sideways. Her eyes went blank for a brief moment as a result of the force. She could see the scattered laundry on the dirt floor with her vision. She should have prepared by strengthening her body. At the very least, she would not have fallen. She hasn¡¯t been beaten in a while, so she¡¯s on high alert. But why is this woman so angry again? Before she could even think of what she had done wrong, Leah¡¯s voice rang out loudly. ¡°Diana, did you take bread from the maid¡¯s kitchen without telling me?¡± ¡®Oh, no.¡¯ ¡®How did you find out?¡¯ Her body retreated automatically as she raised her hand again. But, to survive, she knelt on her dirty floor. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mom.¡± I didn¡¯t make such excuses because I was hungry. The more she made excuses, the more Leah bragged about, and the tighter her grip. She stated, ¡°I¡¯m not a beggar, so tell me why you sneak bread from the maids¡¯ diner! Really, you¡¯re undermining your mother¡¯s reputation like this?¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± Leah, who was going to swing her hand again, stopped and took a look around. I could see the maids who were still at the laundry, checking on what was going on here. Leah lowered her hand awkwardly and sighed heavily. ¡°Get up right now!¡± Leah had never hit in a crowded place before. She lowered her raised hand this time, as though embarrassed about the gaze. But for a little moment, Leah grabbed her by Diana¡¯s arm. She thought for a minute that her arm would fall off, so she rapidly pushed herself up. ¡°Follow!¡± Diana was dragged ragged by Leah like a dog. She hasn¡¯t gotten this angry in a long time. In intense fear, she looked around her, but everyone turned away from her. It was shortly after she had quickly left the laundry room with people. I didn¡¯t see any workers wandering around the mansion as dinner time came. ¡°I¡¯m going to fix your habit today.¡± Her heart pounded with panic as she bit her lips in response to the sound of Leah¡¯s words. The entrance to the hut-like annex that wishes I hadn¡¯t arrived at suddenly opened, and I was thrown to the floor. ¡°Ugh.¡± The red sky with the setting sun behind Leah seemed to foresee the horror of what was to come. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mom.¡± Still, she clasped her hands together and looked at Leah, but Leah locked the door of her hut with a horrifying expression. *** Growl, growl. The quiet hut echoed with a loud snore. Diana¡¯s stomach clenched as the sound echoed loudly. ¡®I¡¯m hungry.¡¯ Diana crouched in the corner close to her old fireplace, looking suspiciously at Leah, who was sleeping on the sofa. Are you sleeping deeply? Leah doesn¡¯t wake up well once she¡¯s asleep, but when she was sleeping, she would sometimes wake up quickly at the slightest disturbance. Growl, growl. Her snoring echoed loudly in the quiet hut. And that was resonating hard even in Diana¡¯s stomach. ¡®I¡¯m hungry.¡¯ Crouching down in the corner next to her by her old fireplace, Diana looked cautiously at Leah asleep on the sofa. Is she sleeping deeply? Leah does not wake up well once she falls asleep, but sometimes when she sleeps in a nap, she wakes up quickly at the slightest noise. The quiet hut echoed with a loud snore. Diana¡¯s stomach clenched as the sound echoed loudly. ¡®I¡¯m hungry.¡¯ Diana crouched in the corner close to her old fireplace, looking suspiciously at Leah, who was sleeping on the sofa. Are you sleeping deeply? Leah doesn¡¯t wake up well once she¡¯s asleep, but when she was sleeping, she would sometimes wake up quickly at the slightest disturbance. Note: Hi readers! This is being translated by Fiza/Fizii. I, An, do not contribute to this translation at all. Thank you~ CH 2 (Diana¡¯s POV) I hugged my knees and curled up as much as I could, looking at the back of my arms through the window¡¯s moonlight. This time, the bruises on the back of the arms, where the spear marks were clearly visible, seemed to last a long time. It wasn¡¯t just the arms, either. Her entire body ached. She was beaten so mercilessly that she had to block it as much as possible to avoid hitting her head and face. As a result, the wounds on the back of her arm were extremely serious, but there were almost no places where she didn¡¯t get hit. ¡®It hurts.¡¯ Even with his body in pain, she couldn¡¯t be calm, no matter how calm she appeared to be. She just bit her lower lip to keep from crying. If you cry, you will be hit much harder. As she endured her hungry stomach, she turned her head between her legs. It seems that sneaking away tonight would be too dangerous. It would be more true if Leah awoke and discovered she had gone. I¡¯m not sure if I was sick or hungry initially, but she was upset since she had just been hit. A scarlet light, not silver, flew through the window and glided over the floor as I bowed my head. ¡®What exactly is this?¡¯ I raised my head to gaze out the window. And I noticed a torch shining brightly from the Grand Duke¡¯s main house not far away. ¡®Why the torch¡­?¡¯ I¡¯d never seen anything like it before. She stood up and carefully examined Leah¡¯s condition as she lay on the sofa. I tried to keep the sound of footsteps to a minimum and approached the window one step at a time. Diana¡¯s head was practically touching the window. By holding on to the window frame and raising the clip, I was able to see the scenery outside the window in its full. When she lifted her hands, she was taken aback by the sight and let out a little gasp. ¡°¡­Ah.¡± ¡°Umm.¡± Leah¡¯s groans startled me for a second, and I quickly covered my mouth, but I couldn¡¯t take my gaze away from the window. Because she had lived at the Grand Duke¡¯s residence for ten years, but she had never seen an order of knights in black armor before. Her toes were strengthened as a result of her efforts. She drew her neck up and clenched her fists on the window. On the black armor was a golden hawk-like bird. ¡®Oh, I know that.¡¯ Anyone who resides at the Grand Duke¡¯s House is likely to be aware of this. That pattern was the Grand Duke¡¯s guardian spirit. In reality, it was the imperial family¡¯s guardian spirit. A guardian spirit guardian with whom the empire¡¯s first ruler signed a contract. Although the details of the story are unknown, it is stated that three people in the current empire may use the power of spirits. The Emperor, Grand Duke, and First Prince are members of the Imperial Family. Diana enjoyed the story of the spirits, which she could only hear for a few moments if she was lucky. Because she could forget the filth when she heard mystical stories. There was, however, no one who could tell Diana the legend in detail. In fact, she has yet to learn the letters. It was her true absurdity, even if she was the illegitimate child, but Leah never told her about the letters. She had earlier received a writing book from Kunta, the chef of the maid kitchen where she had secretly gotten it, but it had been burnt on fire before Leah could catch her. It¡¯d be great if I could learn to write. Then you can read books on her favorite legends at the Grand Duke¡¯s library, which has all the books in the world, and hopefully, it will be useful when you leave this place later. Rumble rumble. Leah¡¯s snoring, however, echoed loudly from behind her, as if her wishes were useless. Diana let go of the window frame she was grasping to see the black knights outside the window. It appeared to be quite noisy late at night, but whatever happens to the Grand Duke is none of my concern. Diana quietly set her feet on the floor and turned her back to the fireplace corner. I wanted to go to my room and stretch out, but if Leah woke up, I¡¯d get beaten again if I wasn¡¯t there. I¡¯d rather just come in the morning. Then I will not be beaten. I noticed a large wooden stick fall beneath the sofa where Leah was sleeping. Leah beats her with her own stick. ¡®Are you going to break that?¡¯ I had an idea for a moment, but of course, I couldn¡¯t put it into action. ¡®When will I grow up?¡¯ Today, I¡¯m unhappy because I¡¯m sick, sad because I have a little body, and sad about everything. She pulls up and hunches her body. She saw the torch¡¯s shadow on the floor as she bent her head. A torch that brightens the Grand Duke¡¯s night, which hasn¡¯t been lit in ten years. Diana closed her eyes carefully, praying that the crimson glow darting between her legs wouldn¡¯t bring her any more pain. *** ¡°¡­ Ugh.¡± ¡®Cold.¡¯ A wave of cold air swept through her body. It¡¯s as though the skin¡¯s hairs are standing up. Despite my poor physical condition, I forced myself to open my eyes, since it was so cold. Maybe it was because I cried the night before that I noticed my puffy eyes. I pulled my eyes open and took a glance about her. The first thing I noticed was an empty sofa. ¡®¡­ Where have you been?¡¯ Leah, who had dozed off while snoring, had no idea where she had gone. She might be at another place. Diana took a deep breath and held it for a time. She might have gone to the bathroom or cooked in the kitchen. But she held her breath and listened, but she didn¡¯t hear anything. Isn¡¯t it strange¡­? Gradually sprang, Obviously, Leah is not going to disappear in this way. Leah must have started her day by waking her up with her feet. Nevertheless, fortunately, the terror of being in an unfamiliar situation was more intense than the relief. Then I noticed a wide open window. I believe the cold was caused by the window. Diana looked around the kitchen and dashed to the window. Oh, no! She lifted her hands and held out her hand to close the window, but the handle was too tough to grasp. She climbed atop a tiny box she had taken with her. ¡°Huh¡­¡± I had to close the door by holding the handle, but I stopped when I saw Leah¡¯s back, who was heading towards the castle of the Grand Duke in the distance. ¡®Why go to the castle?¡¯ Leah did not go well with the castle. She wasn¡¯t an acquaintance, but it was because the servants of nature were so angry that they would kill Leah when Leah appeared. That¡¯s why I never went unless it was something really special, that is, I went to the butler once a month to get my living expenses. Was today the day the living expenses came out? A calendar hung on one side of the wall, but I couldn¡¯t see it since I hadn¡¯t yet learned to read. No, Leah went to the market 11 days ago, so today is not a shopping day. Diana listened over her maid¡¯s shoulders, even though she didn¡¯t understand the letters, and she learned to count knives and count to fifty. Leah would always go out to the market to play on the day she received her living expenses. She and she had purchased a large amount of stuff. Clothes, for example, or delectable bread and cookies. Of course, nothing came to her. As she recalled the bread and cookies that Leah had bought, a roar echoed from her hungry stomach. ¡°I¡¯m hungry¡­¡± Diana left her box after closing the window. On my empty stomach, I felt a tingling feeling. I was leaning back, gripping my stomach, when I heard a knock on the door of the house. Although she had spotted Leah walking towards the mansion, her body shivered in the horror of whether it was Leah. A familiar voice came from beyond the door as she was unable to speak. ¡°Miss Diana, this is me.¡± Kunta, the chef who worked at the maid¡¯s kitchen, was the owner of the low voice. The only person in this harsh situation who can help her. Diana headed towards the door, frowning. ¡°Wait a minute.¡± She had to raise her hands to reach the doorknob. She strengthens her toes. She had only just unfastened her ring. ¡°Diana, sweetheart, what is this¡­¡± Kunta frowned and clicked her tongue as she entered the house and spotted Diana¡¯s disheveled hair and wounds on her arms and legs. Diana admires her personality, and when she sees Kunta, who usually smiles, wrinkle her brow, she thinks to herself, ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s just me.¡± This was the first time she¡¯d been hit so many times. Diana¡¯s uncomfortable movements straightened her tangled hair. Her face was still undamaged, so she had a small grin, but the Kunta¡¯s frown lines had become much more prominent. His dark brown eyes were filled with worry and regret as she let out a heavy sigh. ¡°Ha, Ayu, how can She hit this small body¡­ Miss, how about this one?¡± No, no matter how much your mother can do to you, you must still be the grand duke¡¯s daughter.¡± Kunta paused, a sad expression on her face, as if she couldn¡¯t say anything further. ¡°So all right.¡± She said that since her look was so sad, it appeared to make her even sadder. Kunta bowed her head and gazed at her with guilt-ridden eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, miss. I can¡¯t help you.¡± ¡°No, Kunta is the one who helps me the most.¡± After Kunta entered the castle, the number of boating was reduced, and it seemed to take a breather. Diana waved her hand as she spoke, and Kunta raised her head. Her eyes were still filled with guilt. ¡°Yesterday, after hearing about you from the maids at the laundry room, I thought you might not have eaten anything, so I brought some food.¡± She handed it to Diana, the little basket she was holding in her hand. ¡°Thank you, ¡­ ah.¡± Her arm throbbed with pain as she tried to lift it to receive her basket. Seeing her like that, Kunta closed her eyes tightly and opened them. ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll set it up for you.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Following her into the kitchen, Kunta put the food in the basket on the table. The maids ate only thin soup and crunchy rye bread, but the empty boat rushed as if it had been waiting. Diana dipped the bread Kunta gave her into the soup and ate it in a hurry. ¡°Miss, take it slowly¡­¡± ¡°Thank you, Kunta.¡± As she chewed on her bread and gave a clumsy answer, Kunta said, looking at her with her pitiful gaze, and kicking her tongue. ¡°Who told Leah that I was going to feeding you that damn girl¡­ This all happened because I wasn¡¯t careful. I can not see you.¡± Diana swallowed the bread while looking at Kunta. ¡°No, I am really fine. Do not say that. Even now, if it wasn¡¯t for Kunta, I¡¯d be starving.¡± ¡°How could the young lady of the Grand Duke be like this¡­¡± Kunta muttered, wiping the corners of her tear-filled eyes with her hand, and let out a loud, short cough. She said something to Diana with a different face. ¡°Still, the situation for the young lady will be different now than it was before.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± What do you mean things are going to be different? She looked at Kunta with her face that she didn¡¯t know. There was an unknown certainty on his face. ¡°Until now, everyone has been pretending not to know about the lady¡¯s situation, but once they master the grand duke returns, he won¡¯t let this ridiculous situation go away.¡± Kunta even shook her head alone, as if it had to be. But when Diana heard the words, time moved slowly. CH 3 (Diana¡¯s POV) ¡®Wait, what did I just hear? Is this Grand Duke coming back?¡¯ It means the owner of the Grand Duke¡¯s residence. ¡°The Grand Duke¡­¡± ¡°Does that mean he¡¯s back?¡± Kunta responded excitedly when asked such a question. ¡°Yes, miss! That¡¯s right! The Grand Duke eventually brought the long war to an end and returned to the estate. So the young lady enters the castle and is treated as a young girl, given that she only has one day to live.¡± Kunta seemed happy as she imagined what might happen in the future, but Diana was not. The huge mass, which I thought would never return, has returned. It wasn¡¯t until now that I realized what the Archduke¡¯s torch was that was making such a noise last night. Why did you return so suddenly? ¨C Perhaps he¡¯ll come because he¡¯s anxious to see his daughter. The story I heard at the laundry flashed through my head in an instant. Did you really come because you wanted to see your daughter? And that daughter will never be her. It must be Seia, the noble Duke¡¯s young daughter who grew up in the castle. Kunta has great expectations because she has just recently joined the Duke¡¯s castle and is unaware of the facts, but everyone in the siege castle will be aware. Her status will remain unchanged even if the Archduke returns. Rather¡­ I¡¯m thankful I didn¡¯t chase him down or attack her. Yes, she¡¯s more willing to not leave Leah and Princess alone. ¡®I can¡¯t afford to go out and live for the time being¡­¡¯ ¡®I¡¯ve got a lot of stuff to prepare.¡¯ Diana sighed softly as she looked down at her small hand, which was holding the bread. If she is chased away, she will starve to death from the cold. Perhaps her mom Leah sells her into slavery. I didn¡¯t expect you to return so quickly. Diana¡¯s thoughts were complicated by the Archduke¡¯s unexpected return. Then Leah raced off to the palace¡­ Did you visit the Grand Duke? I suddenly remembered how insane the Archduke was on the battlefield. Is it possible that the Archduke killed Leah? The Grand Princess claimed it was because of Leah, and he murdered her¡­ He¡¯ll also murder me¡­ ¡°Lady, are you all right?¡± Oh no, You ate it too quickly, and the skin turned pale. ¡°Are you feeling sick?¡± Kunta expressed concern that my face had turned white. It might be better to pretend. ¡°I¡¯m going to make a call to a doctor.¡± Diana hurried off to stop Kunta from getting up. ¡°No!¡± ¡°Yes? Miss, you¡¯ve got a bad complexion¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m Alright, I¡¯m perfectly fine.¡± The doctor who was available in the castle. The Archduke must live without knowing she exists, but I cannot live without first admitting my existence. Kunta nodded her head as if powerless, despite her dislike for the idea. ¡°All right. Then I¡¯ll just leave before Leah comes.¡± ¡°Yeah, thanks for bringing me the food.¡± When I said thanks to Kunta, who was carrying empty dishes in the basket, Kunta looked at me with tears in her eyes. ¡°You won¡¯t be eating this kind of food anymore. You will go into the castle. And make sure to apply this without Leah seeing. It is an ointment that is good for pain.¡± Kunta took the small, round barrel from her pocket and secretly slipped it into my hand. ¡°Thanks.¡± Diana locked the door when Kunta had left while holding the round barrel that was filled in her hand. And she returned to the kitchen, and she hurriedly removed the crumbs, she heard the door open. Only one person had the key to this house. Diana walked out of the kitchen and greeted Leah. ¡°Um, Mom is here.¡± When she went to the Grand Duke, Leah was bad, so Diana lowered her eyes as she said in a crawling voice. ¡®One cheek would be right.¡¯ She made up her mind in advance and closed her eyes tightly, but only the cold wind brushed her face. ¡®What?¡¯ Diana opened her eyes and raised her head. Leah, who was standing in front of her, was walking past her and her in front of the fireplace in her living room. ¡°I do¡­ I can¡¯t. Why¡­ Why are you asking such a thing, why¡­ all of a sudden.¡± Leah¡¯s trembling voice scattered throughout the house. Whatever had happened in the castle, Leah was pale and tired. Perhaps she was pretending to meet the Archduke, but unlike usual, her lips were painted red. But the red lips made her look like a ghost rather than beautiful because of her pale face. Leah¡¯s gaze, who was looking into the distant air for a moment, turned to Diana. Diana, who had been staring at her momentarily blankly, flinched at the gaze she received. ¡°This is all because of you.¡± Leah strode towards Diana as if she had suddenly become angry. She immediately turned around and wanted to run away, but she had nowhere to run. ¡®If you run away and come back, more pain will be waiting for you.¡¯ Diana saw Leah¡¯s hand flashing up, and closed her eyes tightly. ¡°Evil! Really! Why! Why!¡± But there was no pain. Only Leah¡¯s piercing voice bursting out of anger could be heard. When she opened her eyes, she saw Leah screaming as she stomped her feet on the floor. Her palms stretched out to hit her, Diana was clenching her fists as if her bones were sticking out. ¡®Why are you doing that?¡¯ Rather than feeling relieved that it didn¡¯t fit, Leah¡¯s crazy appearance made me terrified. Leah stomped her feet on the floor like a man who couldn¡¯t beat her, then suddenly stopped and let out a long breath. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Alright, ¡°Ha, yes¡­ No¡­¡± ¡®What the hell are you talking about?¡¯ The voices that had been muttering to themselves over and over again could not be heard, as if they were being swallowed in her mouth as they moved back. Diana, unable to overcome her curiosity, listened and took a step closer to her, when she heard a knock on the door of the hut. Leah, who was looking down at her floor, swung her head towards her door. Diana, frightened by her quick reaction, also quickly took a step back. Although Leah was displeased with Diana, she walked towards the door with slow steps. ¡°Who are you?¡± It was a sharp voice, as if she had a nervous breakdown. ¡°I am, open the door.¡± An old man¡¯s voice came from outside the door. ¡®Who is it?¡¯ The man¡¯s voice was unfamiliar, but it was not the first time she had ever heard it. ¡®It¡¯s a voice I¡¯ve heard before¡­? Leah heard the man¡¯s voice and opened the door, startled. When the door opened, the first thing that caught my eye was the shiny nose of the man standing in front of the door. ¡°No, the butler, what are you doing here?¡± Leah¡¯s voice changed to a gentle one, where the nervous voice from earlier went. She said, ¡®Why did the butler come to my house?¡¯ The general butler in charge of the Duke¡¯s castle, he was nothing more than the actual owner of the castle without an owner. And Diana had never met him before. ¡®Oh, there was only one time.¡¯ About two years ago, she had met once in the outer building. So his voice was unfamiliar, but it wasn¡¯t like the first time. Diana remembered the stern eyes of the general butler who was looking at her. The servants of the outer house hated Leah and Diana as she grew up, but sometimes they used to look at her with a sympathetic gaze. ¡®It was someone I didn¡¯t want to see again.¡¯ Diana turned her head away without raising her line upon seeing the nose of her butler¡¯s shoe. She wants him to go back no matter what. However, a voice different from Diana¡¯s thoughts when heard. ¡°Bring the young lady to the Grand Duke. This is the order of the Grand Duke.¡± ¡°Yes? No, why suddenly, Diana¡­¡± ¡®You want me to come?¡¯ Diana¡¯s eyes widened in an instant. ¡®Why is the Archduke me¡­¡¯ I felt a sense of embarrassment close to astonishment. And to my surprise, I heard Leah¡¯s trembling voice as if it wasn¡¯t that different from Diana. Leah looked at Diana standing behind her with an anxious look, and then looked at the butler. ¡°General butler, Diana is not feeling well. She¡¯s probably not good enough to see the Grand Duke¡­¡± Diana looked at Leah¡¯s back and met numb gray eyes that looked up and down for a moment. Seeing Diana¡¯s condition, the general butler¡¯s eyebrows narrowed slightly. He looked at Leah with cold eyes. ¡°It is the order of the Grand Duke. Change her clothes and come back to the castle.¡± The butler turned around and disappeared, as if he had no intention of listening to Leah¡¯s answer. ¡°Really, why are these things happening all of a sudden!¡± Leah shouted, slamming the door, she bit her nails anxiously before turning her gaze to Diana. Leah glanced at Diana and wrinkled her impression. She walked over to Diana, biting her lip. ¡°What¡¯s this, you didn¡¯t even get up and wash your hands?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m going to wash now.¡± ¡°Go and wash up right now. I mean, what should I do with that stinky child?¡± Leah exclaimed sharply. Seeing Leah¡¯s appearance, Diana hurriedly ran into the bathroom to avoid being hit. ¡°Hurry up and get out! I don¡¯t have time!¡± As soon as the bathroom door was closed, Leah¡¯s cry was heard again. ¡°Yes!¡± Diana answered loudly, not to provoke her any further, and filled the basin with water. The water in the big bucket was brought from the valley of the laundry, so it was cold like ice in winter. ¡®It would be nice to have a spirit stone in our house.¡¯ If you have a water spirit stone, you can use warm water even in winter. The people in the Grand Duke¡¯s castle also use the Water Spirit Stone, but for some reason there was no Spirit Stone in Diana¡¯s house. As I put my hand into the basin, the ice-like water made my hands tingle. ¡®Too cold.¡¯ Diana pulled out her hand, shaking her body, and checked the closed door, and put her hand back into the cold water. ¡®Be warm.¡¯ Diana repeated herself several times as if she were memorizing a spell. And after a while, the water in the basin changed to a lukewarm temperature suitable for washing. ¡®Success this time.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t long before she found out that Diana was capable of such magical things. When it was too cold to wash, I eagerly imagined hot water, and the water suddenly changed to lukewarm. After that, there were times when I succeeded and times when I failed. She wondered what this ability was, but she had no one to tell her. Of course, she didn¡¯t tell Leah either. She doesn¡¯t know if this is good or bad because she doesn¡¯t know what¡¯s going to happen when she says it. Diana quickly washed her face and washed her arms and legs as well. As she walked out of the bathroom, she found Leah pulling out all of Diana¡¯s few clothes from her and scattered them on the floor of her living room. CH 4 (Diana¡¯s POV) ¡°Why are there only clothes like this?¡± She never bought any decent clothes for me, so of course there were only shabby clothes like that. The only clothes Diana had were five really shabby dresses that couldn¡¯t be considered the clothes worn by the daughter of the Grand Duke. Among them, there were only two winter clothes. Leah, who had been lifting and dropping the dress, was angry and threw the dress on the floor. ¡°How the hell did you wear clothes, so you made clothes that the commoners wouldn¡¯t even wear!¡± As Diana, who was always careful not to get her few clothes ripped or damaged, it was an extremely unfair statement. But she had nothing to say but bow head. Leah, exhaling her jealous breath, shoved her out of the house abruptly. Diana, who was left alone, flinched at the sound of the door slamming shut, picking up her clothes one by one from the floor. ¡°It¡¯s all dusty.¡± She wrinkled her impression as she picked the dusty dress from the floor. ¡®It¡¯s been a while since I wore them¡­¡¯ As Diana opened all of her dresses, holding a breath that burst out of her sorrow, the door swung open. A pink lace dress, which she did not know where that had come from, was in Leah¡¯s hand. Took, Leah threw the dress at Diana¡¯s feet. ¡°Why do I have to spend money on you? Hurry up and change clothes, because I don¡¯t have time!¡± ¡°¡­ Yes.¡± I quickly changed into a pink dress. There was a little elasticity in the feel of the soft fabric, but I couldn¡¯t even admire it properly because of Leah, who grabbed my hand as soon as I changed clothes. ¡°Come quickly, because it¡¯s late.¡± She quickly took Diana back to the castle. She was almost dragging her away, but it was unlikely that she would take away her strength by telling her that her grabbing arm hurts so much. Leah now seems like she¡¯s crazy. As she got closer to the castle, the blood on Leah¡¯s face was disappearing. Diana turned her gaze away from Leah and looked up at the castle of the Archduke who had come before her. Standing with its back against a snow-white mountain, with its pointed roof soaring, ¡°The Grand Duke¡¯s castle was gigantic with dark blue roofs and pure white bricks. Diana, lost for a moment looking at her castle, momentarily slipped her feet and staggered her body. It was caused by the thin ice on the long sidewalk leading to the castle. ¡°Diana, walk right!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± As she lowered her eyes and bowed her head, Leah¡¯s harsh sigh fell over her head. She grabbed Diana¡¯s wrist again and dragged her back, hastening her steps. Upon entering the castle, the gazes of the servants and maids were focused on the two. Some people¡¯s eyes widened as if in surprise, while others whispered when they saw the two of them. At that moment, the general butler came to the two of them. He looked down at Diana, not Leah, and bowed his head. His hair, which had turned as white as his eyes, trembled slightly. ¡°Go this way, miss.¡± Leah¡¯s pale face heated up at the attitude of the butler, who acted as if Leah was absent. ¡°Aren¡¯t I going with you, General Butler?¡± The butler¡¯s cold gaze, who raised his head, reached Leah. He said, furrowing his eyebrows as if displeased. ¡°The Grand Duke was the only one who asked to see the lady. He never asked to see you, so wait here.¡± ¡°But Diana is still young¡­ It is difficult to see the Grand Duke alone.¡± Leah patted her back as if worriedly, and at the sight of Leah talking, she got goosebumps on her arms for a moment, but fortunately, a winter dress hid her arms and legs. ¡°This is the order of the Grand Duke. Need more words?¡± Leah looked down at the butler¡¯s sharp eyes. ¡°No.¡± Leah gently pushed Diana¡¯s back, invisible to the butler. As she looked up at her with her head bowed, she could feel her eyes burning with anger. The general, butler said to Diana, who was startled. ¡°Lady, His Highness the Grand Duke is waiting for you. Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°¡­ Yes. ¡° After hearing the answer, the butler stopped and looked at me. ¡°Lady, you shouldn¡¯t treat me with respect.¡± Even as an illegitimate child, Diana is the child of Grand Duke She was a descendant of the of course, the actual power and position would be much higher for the general butler. Diana opened her mouth again. ¡°¡­ Ugh,¡± The butler was right, but her mouth didn¡¯t come off as easily as she did to Kunta or the other maids. Diana¡¯s little reply made sense to him, so he resumed the step he had stopped. Diana followed the general butler, receiving the gaze of the people in the castle. ¡°Your highness, the lady has arrived.¡± On the large white door, two swords were drawn diagonally across each other. Seeing the pattern, Diana realized that she was really standing in front of the Archduke¡¯s office. She said, ¡®I¡¯m going to see the Duke¡¯s face.¡¯ She suddenly came all the way here, but when she thought of meeting the Archduke, she felt like her heart was going to explode. ¡®My¡­father.¡¯ I¡¯ve never seen him. I heard that there was a portrait hanging in the castle, but Diana couldn¡¯t see it. She thought he¡¯d never come back until she died, and she¡¯ll come face to face so soon. Perhaps because of tension, her palms were damp. Just as she clasped her hand, a low voice came from the door. ¡°Come in.¡± Finally, the door opened. Diana went into her office without raising her gaze, looking at her floor. When the butler stopped, Diana stood still behind him. The butler¡¯s foot in front retreated to the right. ¡°Home.¡± A low breath was heard in the quiet office. I couldn¡¯t see who it was because I didn¡¯t raise my head, but I could guess who it was. ¡®Why did you ask to see me? Do you think that I, like the rest, was the cause of the death of his wife? May you chase me away? Do you want to kill me?¡¯ Her heart was beating thump-thump, and her head was only imagining the worst. As Diana¡¯s fern-like hands turned white, a man¡¯s voice came from above his head. ¡°Raise your head.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Diana stayed still instead of raising her head. It was never intentional to disobey his words. I was so nervous that my body stiffened without realizing it. ¡°Miss.¡± The voice of the butler was heard as if to urge Diana, who was still looking at the ground. But the really stiff neck did not move easily. It shouldn¡¯t be like this. A cold sweat ran down his back. ¡°Damn, the little lady seems too nervous. Your highness the Grand Duke.¡± A strange man¡¯s voice was heard. ¡®Who is it? Was there anyone else in the office?¡¯ Diana barely lifted her stiff neck at the unexpected voice. Then I saw the figure of a man standing next to the desk in the office. Burning red eyes, green eyes that resemble a forest unlike hair. Unlike Diana, who flinched when their eyes met, he looked at Diana and folded his eyes into a half-moon shape. ¡°Nice to meet you, miss.¡± ¡°¡­¡± It was a friendly greeting, but her lips did not move. Obviously the man was handsome, and the smile towards Diana was also soft, but only his mouth was smiling. Green eyes looked coldly at Diana. ¡®I¡¯m not such a good person.¡¯ And the black uniform the man is wearing, the shape of a hawk embroidered in the center of his chest. ¡°Hey, even me would be so wary of this. Most of the little kids like me.¡± The man lowered his eyes as if hurt and turned to his desk. Diana, who had naturally looked away from him, met her gold eyes for a moment. Diana let out a short sigh without realizing it in her bright golden eyes. But it was only a fleeting moment, and she took a step back when Diana realized the presence of the man her eyes met. Crowd Terravita, Grand Duke of the Terravita Empire, and the father of Diana, who shares the same blood as hers. She couldn¡¯t easily take her eyes off his beautiful face, which was colorless for her age. Platinum blonde hair, golden eyes, and the golden color that seemed to shine on his own made his sense of intimidation even more emphasized. Like a God that seems to come out of a legend, I heard a lot of praise for the Archduke, but I never imagined it would be this much. In the overwhelming atmosphere, Diana was unable to breathe However, she could not easily lower her gaze or avoid it. I just stared at him quietly, as if bound by an invisible string, while his golden eyes scoured me. When the Archduke¡¯s gaze poked at Diana¡¯s toes and rose again, the well-prepared eyebrows of the Archduke moved upward. ¡°Rowoon, be quiet.¡± The Archduke, who was skeptical of the detective knight, looked at Diana. ¡°It¡¯s smaller than I thought, I remember her being around the same age as Seia.¡± The Archduke¡¯s gaze turned to the butler, not Diana. ¡°Yes, the young lady and the Princess are the same age.¡± ¡°But why is she so small? Seia seems to have small cheeks. Where is the pain?¡± For a moment, the butler could not answer the Archduke¡¯s question and licked his lips. The reason Diana¡¯s body was small was not because she was sick, but because she couldn¡¯t eat. And the butler must already know. Leah¡¯s abuse. Because most of the Grand Duchess knew and pretended not to know. ¡°Haron, why aren¡¯t you talking?¡± The eyes of the archduke looking at the butler became sharp, and the butler¡¯s face gradually turned white. The moment the butler was about to collapse, Diana moved her mouth without realizing it. ¡°Oh, there¡¯s nothing wrong.¡± Her voice trembled slightly, but it was enough to be heard by the Archduke, and the Archduke turned his gaze to look at Diana. ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything at all, I was not able to speak, but that wasn¡¯t the case. Your name is D¡­ Was it Diana?¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, ¡° ¡°It¡¯s not painful, it¡¯s too dry to go through. Is it bad eating?¡± I was speechless for a moment at such a simple question. It seemed like he didn¡¯t really know anything about my situation. ¡®It¡¯s a picky eater, if you¡¯ve tried it once, you won¡¯t have any wishes.¡¯ She cried for a moment, but Diana just nodded her head. ¡°¡­ Yes, ¡° For a moment, the butler¡¯s eyes turned to Diana. Diana¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t seem to understand why she didn¡¯t tell the truth. But Diana had no intention of telling the Archduke about Leah¡¯s abuse. Because I thought it wouldn¡¯t change anything if I said it. I don¡¯t know why he¡¯s calling Diana now for this interest, but Diana had no expectations of anyone in the residence of the Grand Duke. She was the child he didn¡¯t want from the beginning. Diana didn¡¯t know why, but she was sure it wasn¡¯t out of love that the Archduke had called her now. I couldn¡¯t feel any emotions just by looking at the look in the eyes of the Archduke now. The Archduke looked at Diana for a moment. What does he think when he looks at her? CH 5 (Diana¡¯s POV) Sweat filled the back with her numb back, where he felt nothing, let alone resentment and affection. As a drop of sweat ran down her back, the Archduke opened his mouth. ¡°You looked nothing like your mother.¡± It was a cold voice, different from before. A voice like the eyes he looked at Diana, It wasn¡¯t the first time he¡¯d heard that she didn¡¯t look like Leah, but she felt her heart sink as it came out of the Archduke¡¯s mouth. Why are you saying that? Did you not resemble your mother? Perhaps it¡¯s a notice to kick her out? Her heart was pounding, and her mind was racing. Diana didn¡¯t know what to say, so she simply gripped her hand hard. The sound of a tongue click could be heard as the small hands holding each other became pale. The Archduke¡¯s beautiful forehead wrinkled as the blurry focus returned. ¡°It¡¯s going to collapse there. Take the child out, butler.¡± ¡°My lord, yes.¡± The butler looked down at Diana with a softened expression, unlike the first time he saw her trembling fingertips. ¡°You may leave now.¡± ¡°Come with me.¡± The butler¡¯s voice weakened Diana¡¯s hand, which had been holding her tightly. I was finally able to get out of here. Diana followed her butler silently, suppressing her desire to run. She never tried to look at her office desk. (Duke¡¯s POV) Tak, as the sound of the office door closing loudly echoed, Rowoon remained at the desk as if he had been waiting. ¡°Brown eyes and brown hair, The Grand Duke¡¯s blood was void of gold.¡± Rowoon¡¯s eyes were piercing, as if the child¡¯s sad expression was a lie. ¡°She didn¡¯t look like her mother,¡± he added. More than not resembling her mother, he was confused by the fact that placing silver hair on a child with brown hair would remind him of Ariel¡¯s childhood. No, it can¡¯t be. The Archduke cast a cold look at the empty seat where the child was standing. She was so small and skinny that it was difficult to imagine she was just ten years old. When he looked at her, her pale, worn face reminded him of an orphan he had only seen on the battlefield. ¡°It makes no difference if you don¡¯t look like your mother. It makes no difference whether you are a member of the Grand Duke or not.¡± The Archduke¡¯s eyes shifted away from the empty space as a result of Rowoon¡¯s words. Rowoon was correct. His wife died ten years ago, and he was walking around the battlefield like a lunatic, turning everything away, but not any longer. He¡¯s back, and he wants to make sure everything is in order before the upcoming succession ceremony. Even for his wife¡¯s sole surviving daughter. ¡°Yes, you should keep the investigation. You can¡¯t hide any more clues, therefore you have to finish everything before the ceremony in some way.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± Rowoon left the office with the dignity of a knight. Rowoon walked out, leaving the Archduke alone with his paperwork. ¡°Sigh¡° However, I returned my attention to the letters that I couldn¡¯t see at all. Why is it so dull? Strangely, I felt uneasy in a corner of my heart over and over. The Archduke turned to face the empty desk. When the Archduke saw an area where no one was, he was reminded of a tiny child. Although the child is innocent, she is his blood. During the grand duke¡¯s absence without him, the disgusting woman expressed on how much she cherished the child of her own blood, as she called to the child. However, the child¡¯s appearance was quite different from what he had expected. She didn¡¯t resemble Leah, and she didn¡¯t appear to have grown up with a lot of love from her. Rather, the dark eyes were so lifeless that they couldn¡¯t be matched to a 10-year-old child. ¡®I don¡¯t care.¡¯ Duke, who had furrowed his brows in a strange feeling of absurdity, shook his head immediately. As he looked out the window to clear his mind, he noticed the Grand Duke¡¯s family¡¯s damaged garden. It was once a lively garden, even in the dead of winter. ¡°Ariel.¡± His heart, which had become hardened by his love for her, whom he would never be able to touch, see, or hear again, began to hurt. He fiercely stroked his face with his palm, then smacked the face hard. ¡°One mistake is enough.¡± ¡®I have already lost you in one mistake, therefore no matter what happens this time, I will protect our baby.¡¯ The Archduke caressed his wedding ring on his ring finger with a hardened expression once more. (Diana¡¯s POV) Diana noticed Leah standing in the lobby of the Grand Duke Castle after leaving the office. Leah gazed at her as if she had been expecting Diana, and she was overjoyed. ¡°Diana.¡± Leah¡¯s voice calling out her name warmly stopped her walking towards her for a moment. She had just realized that she was afraid to scream, but even more frightening to call her that sweetly. The people of the Grand Duke Castle would not know the relationship between the two, but the fact that she pretended to be such a loving mother, her face was truly amazing. ¡°I¡¯m back.¡± ¡°Okay, have you been well? What did the Grand Duke say?¡± Leah lowered her posture by bending her knees. At first glance, she seems to be asking kindly, but as she grabbed Diana¡¯s shoulder, her hands were full of strength. Of course, from the point of view of other people, it would be just like a conversation scene between a friendly mother and daughter. ¡®It hurts¡¯ I thought my face would frown at the sensation of pressing on the bare bones, but I endured it. It¡¯s because Leah¡¯s eyes looking at her were sentenced to death. ¡°¡­You didn¡¯t say anything¡­¡± ¡°Then tell me in detail what you said.¡± Leah hardly ever wondered if she had to listen. Leah didn¡¯t let go. ¡®He asked me why I was so small and skinny.¡¯ I instinctively thought that I shouldn¡¯t tell Leah about that. As Diana licked her lips, a low voice was heard above her head. ¡°The Grand Duke just looked at the lady, and he did not ask any special questions.¡± At the words of the general butler, Leah put her shoulders on Diana and got up. ¡°Suddenly looking for¡­ I was afraid Diana, who had not learned anything, would have made a mistake with her. Then we will return to the room now.¡± ¡°Yeah. Oh, and I¡¯ll send a doctor after a while.¡± ¡°A doctor?¡± Leah, who was about to turn around while holding Diana¡¯s hand, asked in surprise. ¡°Yeah, so don¡¯t gossip and be quiet.¡± The butler looked at Leah with piercing eyes. At that, Leah reflexively flinched her body. ¡°¡­ It¡¯s nonsense, General Butler.¡± ¡°As the master of the Grand Duke has returned, we will not tolerate any more disturbance in the mansion.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Leah bit her lip in anger and rolled her eyes. Leah, who was staring at the back of the butler who turned around as if the business was over, grabbed Diana¡¯s arm roughly and left the castle of the Grand Duchy. ¡°Let¡¯s see how long he can be so arrogant. I¡¯m going to get rid of that old bastard from the grand duke¡¯s house later.¡± ¡®To get rid of the general butler, who is the real power of the Grand Duke. Are you sure you are not aiming for the seat of the real Grand Duke?¡¯ Rarely, when Leah gets drunk, she thinks, ¡®If I had been the hostess of the Grand Duke¡­¡¯ She used to mutter nonsense. I never thought of having a vain dream against the Grand Duke, who never returned each time, but not now. Because the Grand Duke is back. Diana recalled the cold golden eyes she had seen earlier. His eyes were colder than ice. An Archduke who can¡¯t seem to get a drop of blood from being stabbed with a needle would never love a woman like Leah. If he hit you it hard, you might even die. And whether the aftermath will come to you as well. Diana looked up at Leah with her anxious eyes. She smirked with an angry face, then suddenly smiled brightly with a bright smile. ¡°Princess!¡± When she turned her head, she saw Seia standing in front of the sidewalk on the one-way road leading out to the castle of the Grand Duke. Leah, who threw my hand down, ran to Seia. ¡°No, the weather is so cold, how can you go out without a maid. Princess.¡± Leah said to Seia in a voice full of concern. ¡°Get out of the way, because there¡¯s nothing for you to do.¡± But Seia walked past Diana without looking at Leah like that. Seia doesn¡¯t even like Leia, so why does she always do that to herself? Diana saw Seia standing in front of her rather than Leah¡¯s back, which she did not understand. Similar to the Archduke, but with different faded blondes and pale golden eyes. Diana hurriedly bowed her head and greeted Seia, who was staring at her harshly. ¡°Princess.¡± Although Seia and Diana were sisters of the same blood, there was a wall of status between the two that could not be overcome. She is the daughter of the late Duchess, and Diana is an illegitimate child who has not yet entered the family register of the Grand Duke. So, of course, Diana had to be polite to her. ¡°Why are you here?¡± That¡¯s because the Grand Duke called. However, it was a bloody voice that seemed to raise her cheeks immediately if she answered as is. When I glanced up, my eyes met Seia, who was still staring at me like she was about to kill me. Looking at those eyes, no matter what she said, it seemed like she was right. Seia always despised Diana, the illegitimate daughter of the Grand Duke. It wasn¡¯t uncommon to get hit by Seia, who gets angry every time they run into each other, so she opened her mouth ready to give her a cheek. ¡°This is the way the Grand Duke has called us to come and go.¡± ¡°Why did my father¡­ It¡¯s ridiculous that he called a lowly thing like you to his office!¡± Seia bit her lip hard and opened her mouth, not knowing whether it was hard to believe or not. ¡°You, aren¡¯t you doing something that you dare to come into the castle?¡± Going into the castle. I never had such expectations. No, in the first place, I thought I didn¡¯t want to set foot here again. Just when Diana was about to say no to Seia, Leah ran to her, and she stood next to Seia. ¡°Princess, that will never happen. How can we, the lowly ones, come into the castle of the Grand Duke. If Diana thinks such a foolish thought, I will correct it, so don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Leah gathered her shoulders excessively and lowered herself to Seia. Even the general butlers and maids of the castle had never seen such a thing before. Looking back, Leah always liked Seia strangely and crawled again. The castle madam died because of her, so it doesn¡¯t match her usual personality to have such a guilty feeling. Seia looked at Leah, who was looking at her with her troublesome eyes to the extent that she was sad, and she snorted at her as if it was ridiculous. ¡°What I¡¯m worried about is that there¡¯s no way things like that can come into the castle. I¡¯m just trying to tell you the reality, lest a foolish imagination be in vain.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, that is right. Princess.¡± After Leah¡¯s response relieved her mood a little, Seia¡¯s sharp momentum softened a little. CH 6 (Diana¡¯s POV) ¡°But why is she dressed like this?¡± Seia¡¯s face furrowed as she stared up and down at me. Leah hurriedly waved her hand to Seia and murmured. ¡°These aren¡¯t Diana¡¯s clothes. I lent them to her for a while. She is not in a position to wear a dress. Lowly Diana.¡± It¡¯s true that it¡¯s not her clothes, but her mother refers to her as ¡°lowly.¡± She didn¡¯t want Leah to be loving, but she was upset because she claimed she was a child. Even animals care about their young, but does Leah have no feelings for her? ¡°You mentioned that it was unusual. Don¡¯t use dirty clothes and then return them. It¡¯s a big shame for the family.¡± With a twisted smile, Seia gazed at Diana. She squeezed the hem of the dress, sensing that Seia¡¯s sneer was making Diana smaller. ¡°The Princess is right.¡± Yes, Leah is the one who makes me feel this way. This wasn¡¯t the first time I¡¯d heard this from Seia, but the reason I¡¯m feeling more uncomfortable today is because Leah was indeed agreeing with Seia. Even At this moment, I felt pathetic and upset because I couldn¡¯t make a sound if it would satisfy Leah. It was unfair that she couldn¡¯t do anything, and when she gave strength to her hand, exposing her bones, Leah¡¯s painful words echoed in my head. ¡°Don¡¯t be insulted by a child, Princess. Because it¡¯s a cold day, hurry up and return to your room. I¡¯m worried that you¡¯ll catch a cold.¡± ¡°It¡¯s still a little cold, but I¡¯ll have to return. Raise your head, what you hit, since you have something to say.¡± ¡°What are you doing, Diana? The Princess has called for you!¡± Leah slapped Diana with her sharp voice since she didn¡¯t raise her head. Diana, who was close to cry and biting her lip, tightened her eyes and lifted her head to avoid crying. Her face wrinkled as she looked at Seia, as if forcing her to see something she couldn¡¯t. Seia drew her tongue over and said, as if to warn. ¡°Don¡¯t even think of entering the castle. Because this is not the place to be for people like you. Just being here gives the impression that this castle has already been tainted. okay?¡± ¡°¡­Yes. ¡° Diana bowed her head quietly, fighting the need to cry. I had no desire to come again. Then, as if she had been waiting, Leah said to Seia. ¡°I¡¯ll take you to your room, Princess. The icy floors are dangerous to walk on alone.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I can¡¯t help it.¡± Seia wrinkled her impression as if she was reluctant to say Leah¡¯s words, and then pulled out the frozen ground. Rather than trying, she reached out to Leah. Diana, who looked at Leah gently grabbing Seia¡¯s hand with her emotional expression on her face, looked down as if she couldn¡¯t see her anymore. ¡°You go home quietly. Take off your clothes and fold them neatly, okay?¡± Leah spoke to Diana in a completely different, cold voice than when she was speaking to Seia. Diana said she didn¡¯t want to see them as she lowered her gaze. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Why the hell is it so damn dark?¡± Leah¡¯s contemptuous murmurs flew through the air. Diana hears the sound of two footsteps moving away. When she couldn¡¯t hear anymore, she lifted her head, which had just been bowed down. ¡°Go.¡± Leah, who stays here and returns If caught, she was sure to hear a lot of bad noises again. Diana moved her steps over the road, as she slowly left her nature. ¡°Oh!¡± After a few steps, Diana staggered heavily on the slippery ice floor and hit her butt wheel. ¡°It hurts.¡± When she came, she was drawn by Leah¡¯s power and did not know, but on her frozen road, it was slippery and dangerous enough to trip her even if she took the wrong step even a little. The floor she touched was also frozen solid. -The icy floors are slippery and dangerous to walk alone. The image of Leah speaking to Seia in her worried voice suddenly came to mind. A figure that had never been shown to Diana reddened her ears in the midst of a flood of emotions that burst forth in tears. As she swallowed the tears in her eyes, she said softly. ¡°It¡¯s cold. I have to get back immediately.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure if it was the coolness of the ice spreading from her palms or the loneliness that filled her heart. Perhaps that¡¯s why, as a tear streamed down her face, an unexpected voice spoke out from behind her. ¡°Princess?¡± ¡®Princess? Is Seia back?¡¯ Diana stood up quickly, wiping the tears off her face. Looking behind her, she saw a man with light blue hair dressed in a black uniform. The emerald eyes of the man who was paying close attention to Diana were filled with doubt. ¡°Princess¡­ ¡°I believe I heard you were blonde¡­¡± The guy tilted his head and said something. This isn¡¯t so much that Seia had returned, as he had mistaken Diana as the Grand Princess. Diana answered the man, who looked to be an Archduke¡¯s knight. ¡°I am not the Princess.¡± ¡°No¡­ huh? So who are you?¡± The man treated him awkwardly, as if he could not guess her identity. ¡®This person¡­ You don¡¯t know me?¡¯ To be more precise, this person was clueless that the Grand Duke had an illegitimate child. That could be enough. It¡¯s because they weren¡¯t the ones who had been working in the Grand Duchy for a long time, and the new people that came in were unaware of Diana¡¯s presence and looked astonished the first time they met. First, she was a child who did not inherit from the Grand Duke¡¯s family tree. As a result, it was quite likely that the Archduke, who saw her as the illegitimate child a source of shame, hid her existence from the public. ¡°¡­¡± Diana licked her lips as she couldn¡¯t answer the knight¡¯s question. It wasn¡¯t because I was saddened by the fact that no one knew I existed. It¡¯s simply that I¡¯m at a loss for words. Is it proper to refer to it as an illegitimate child, or¡­ Should it be said that she was a child who never made it into the Grand Duke¡¯s family tree? In any case, it was weird for them to speak with their own mouth. Diana paused for a second before the light blue-haired knight quickly bowed his knees and lowered himself. The knight who locked his gaze on Diana smiled faintly. ¡°If it¡¯s difficult to say, don¡¯t say it. Could you tell me where you¡¯re going?¡± He was described as kind in the situation. Was a noble who was stationed outside the capital. Is it necessary to say no? I need to break the knight¡¯s illusion. Even though she thought she did, she didn¡¯t open her mouth freely, saying no to the deep green eyes staring at her. Most peoples views of Diana changed after learning that she was an illegitimate child. Diana eventually bit her lip without saying anything, which she hadn¡¯t done in a long time. We don¡¯t want to speak about it, either. ¡°Can I help you cross this ice road well?¡± Diana paused, furrowed her brows, as though concerned about the young man, and opened her mouth again. He said, ¡°The road is slippery, and walking alone is dangerous. If you fall, your lovely dress may be damaged. It¡¯s a waste.¡± The knight, who smiled at Diana¡¯s pink dress, reached out as if to grab it. Diana took a glance at his large hand and slowly reached out to take his hand. Finally, she put her hand over his, and the man grinned brightly at Diana. ¡°Oh, you didn¡¯t even tell me my name when I requested an escort; my name is Ed Windroit, but you may call me Edwin.¡± Edwin droit Diana said his name out to herself. Even if you learn Diana¡¯s identity, you will see her with new eyes, but this is because I wanted to remember the kindness of this moment for a long time. ¡°Thanks¡­¡± Diana said in a voice so low that she could not be heard by Edwin. ¡°It was nothing.¡± But Edwin looked down at Diana and smiled as if he had heard her little whisper. Diana, embarrassed like a child who had found something she had been hiding, hurriedly avoided his gaze and bowed her head. Edwin then grabbed Diana¡¯s hand. ¡®I feel something strange.¡¯ She felt the warmth spreading through her body, which had been cold before. Diana took Edwin¡¯s hand in her soft, strange mood and walked slowly down her frozen road. *** (Ewin¡¯s Pov) ¡°Edwin, where are you coming from?¡± As soon as he returned to the Knights place, the vice-captain¡¯s voice fell to Edwin. Edwinn stood right in front of Vice-Captain Daryl and bowed his head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m a little late to find the Princess.¡± ¡°Did you go looking for her too?¡± An hour ago, a maid in the mansion suddenly came to the Knights place and asked for help. She said she couldn¡¯t find the princess and she asked them to search. Daryl released the knights who were having a break, thinking that they would have to look around the castle and take emergency measures if it didn¡¯t work. He didn¡¯t know that Edwin was included there. ¡°Didn¡¯t you have training time?¡± Edwin raised his head at Daryl¡¯s question. ¡°Ah, training is over.¡± ¡°Already?¡± Daryl looked at Edwin in surprise. Obviously, today¡¯s training is said to be done by the head coach himself, but it seems that Edwin¡¯s skills have grown again since it¡¯s already over. Daryl was taken aback to see Edwin respond calmly, but he quickly gathered his expression. Thinking he is the one who the general manager and His Highness the Grand Duke are observing. Edwin furrowed his brows, as though Daryl was having a more difficult time. ¡°The training ended soon,¡± he said. We went in search of the Princess, but we couldn¡¯t find her. ¡°Have you found the Princess?¡± Edwin had a troubled expression on his face, as if he had been distracted by other things for a time and had forgotten about the Princess¡¯s existence. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be worried because the Grand Princess has been found.¡± Edwin¡¯s face brightened at Daryl¡¯s words. ¡°Fortunately.¡± ¡°Okay, so don¡¯t worry about that and get ready for the afternoon group training.¡± ¡°Ah, that deputy chief.¡± Edwin caught the deputy chief on his way back to his office. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°It¡¯s no different¡­are there any other noble ladies in the Grand Duchy?¡± ¡°Another noble lady?¡± Daryl narrowed his eyebrows at the out of nowhere question. ¡°Yes, is there a young girl who is the same age as the Princess?¡± ¡°No, there are no other noble girls who have visited the Grand Duke¡¯s Castle.¡¯ ¡°Oh, is it?¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°No, no. I must have misunderstood.¡± At Daryl¡¯s bitter eyes, Edwin smiled and shook his head. Fortunately, Daryl went into his office without asking Edwin any further. When Daryl disappeared, Edwin though about the girl. He said, ¡®There are no other noble ladies who have visited the Princess. So who is that child? Is she the servant¡¯s child?¡¯ Edwin remembered the little boy he had seen earlier. Brown hair and brown eyes. The pink dress she was wearing didn¡¯t make her look like a commoner, but on closer inspection, she was too skinny to be called an aristocrat. Thinking of the little child¡¯s body that looked like only bones left, his forehead narrowed. I don¡¯t know who her parents are, but they raised their child like that. Edwin was angry at the child¡¯s parents, whom he didn¡¯t know, at the sight of the child reminiscent of his miserable childhood. CH 7 Looking out the window, she appears to be living in an annex of the Grand Castle. To follow the child to where she lived. When Edwin was gradually regretful, he heard a voice calling out to him. ¡°What are you doing there, Edwin? Training time is over.¡± ¡°Oh yes¡± When Edwin saw the knights on their way to the gym, he put his thoughts aside and followed them. *** (Duke¡¯s POV) The torch that lit up the night of the castle was lit as night fell. The Archduke, who had skipped dinner since he was working until late, walked straight to Seia¡¯s room when his work was over. When the Archduke arrived in front of Seia¡¯s door, it opened and Seia¡¯s nanny appeared. ¡°I greet the Grand Duke.¡± ¡°Get up¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Is Seia asleep?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Highness, she just fell asleep.¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± The Archduke paused for a time, as though thinking, and said to the nanny. ¡°You should go away.¡± The nanny stepped back, and the Archduke slowly opened the door and entered. Seia¡¯s favorite dolls and toys were arranged on one side of a large room, with soothing lights lighted. After a quick look at them, the Archduke stopped his steps and approached the bed¡­ I saw Seia sleeping with a normal breathing sound as I stepped on the white lace veil. A smile hung on the child¡¯s lips as if she was dreaming of a good dream. However, the Duke¡¯s face was devoid of any smile as he stared at Seia in this manner. ¡°No matter how you look at it, you can¡¯t see Ariel¡¯s face. Does it resemble me¡­?¡± The Archduke¡¯s low voice flew into the air. As soon as he returned to the Castle, he had seen Seia. It was too late at the moment, so I saw the child asleep and left the room to have a better look at Seia. Because his daughter felt so strange to him, the Duke purposefully avoided looking at Seia¡¯s face after going off to war. It was because he feared he wouldn¡¯t be able to endure it any longer if he saw Seia¡¯s face that reminded him of Ariel. Even though he hadn¡¯t seen her in a long time, he always kept his daughter in his heart. ¡ª The Princess has a strong resemblance to Madam. Before he left for war, he thought about what the doctor had said to him, and the Duke mentally pictured Seia, who resembled Ariel a thousand times over. However, his daughter, whom he met after 10 years, did not resemble Ariel in the slightest. Although he had blonde hair and gold eyes, which are the symbols of the Grand Duke, there was a sense of complication with Seia. ¡°Sigh.¡± The Duke, who was looking at Seia¡¯s face with sharp eyes, felt defeated with himself for a moment. ¡®How does this affect his daughter whom he met after ten years?¡¯ Reflecting on his unwillingness to see Ariel, he brushed his face roughly and looked at Seia who was sleeping. Even though he couldn¡¯t stay by her side, there was no dark mark on Seia¡¯s face, who had received the utmost care during the period. Clear and plump skin were the looks of a 10-year-old noble girl who received much love. The Archduke smiled slightly, thinking that it was a good thing that there was no shade on the child¡¯s face, but then remembered Diana he had seen during the day and hardened his mouth. The appearance of a child was very different from Seia. With brown hair and a face full of shadows, not like a 10-year-old child. The pink dress she was wearing didn¡¯t suit her, and she looked awkward like a child who had never worn such a dress. Why does a child who is still only 10 years old look like that? Also, the face of a child who strangely resembles Ariel¡­ The Duke stopped thinking and hardened his face. To say that the ugly woman¡¯s child resembles Ariel is an insult to Ariel. When the Duke wrinkled his forehead deeply to erase Diana¡¯s annoying appearance, Seia showed a weak whimper. ¡°Ummm¡­¡± Seia pushed the blanket out with her feet since the room was not cold and was warm. ¡®What if she catches a cold?¡¯ The Duke put the thick blanket over Seia again and whispered slowly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for leaving you alone, Seia.¡± The Duke erased useless thoughts from his mind and gently stroked Seia¡¯s pale blonde hair. Even if she doesn¡¯t resemble Ariel, Seia is his daughter. Promising to do everything from now on, the Archduke stayed by Seia¡¯s side a little bit more. *** (Diana¡¯s POV) ¡°Ugh, it¡¯s cold¡­¡± It was a bitterly windy evening today. Leah came home, did not return to the house until the sun went down and the night came. Of course, Leah wasn¡¯t waiting to see her. The fireplace was only lit because Leah could not stand the cold on such a cold day. But today, Leah was not there, so there was nothing Diana could do in the scorching cold. ¡°I¡¯m going to freeze to death if I stay like this.¡± Diana, who was crouching down, lifted her head and looked at the winter dress she was wearing when she went to the castle. Leah had told her to take it off, so she took off her clothes and folded them as soon as she got home. ¡®Is it better if I wear that?¡¯ It will keep you warmer than the thin one-piece Diana is wearing right now. Diana stopped for a moment as she got out of her bed and tried to reach for her hand through her clothes. If Leah sees this dress Even if she¡¯s back¡­ At that time, it was clear that I would be beaten again. All she said was that she didn¡¯t listen to her. Diana took her hand away with a small sigh. ¡°What should I do? It¡¯s too cold here.¡± No matter how much he crouched, it was of no help to his trembling body. ¡®Should I get some firewood?¡¯ I¡¯ve heard from Leah before where they could put branches or something to put in the fireplace. Originally, the Grand Duke Castle gave firewood for the winter, but Leah didn¡¯t like it, so there wasn¡¯t much firewood given by the Grand Duke Castle. Of course, it was difficult to survive with a small amount of firewood in this place where the winter is long. At that time, Leah used to curse at the butler. It makes me go all the way to the little hill behind the laundry on this cold day. Behind the laundry is not too far from the hut Diana used to frequent. ¡®Rather than freezing to death in the cold, just everything.¡¯ ¡®Wouldn¡¯t it be better if I wait till she comes?¡¯ Diana looked out into the dark. It is quite dangerous for a young child to go to an unknown mountain on this dark, cold night. The security of the Grand Duke castle is strict, but there may be dangers that you may not be aware of. I was afraid that I had to go through the darkness alone, but I couldn¡¯t stand the ice-cold. The instinct to escape from the cold was more important than fear. And later, when Leah comes to the house, it would be less offensive to her planting to bring a twig and light a fireplace than Diana wearing that outfit. Diana thought she had to go before the night got deeper, and she lifted the lamp. ¡°Is this enough?¡± Diana picked up the lamp that had been set down on the ground, holding a branch full in her arms. Wheeing- At that time, a sharp wind made a gloomy cry. A small hill behind the laundry. It was scary to hear the strange sound of this place on a night, but the cold wind made my body tremble. You have to go down quickly Still, when I get home, I can light the fireplace now. It was Diana who came all the way here just to warm herself up. She had gathered the twigs, so she hurried back and moved her feet, and a chill felt down her spine. ¡®What? It¡¯s like someone is looking at me.¡¯ Diana looked back at her, holding her lamp. Hui Ying¡ª The lantern was moved back and forth, but nothing was seen. ¡®What¡­ I must have felt someone¡¯s gaze, but I¡¯m afraid¡­¡¯ At that moment of creepiness and hardening, a large beast appeared from the grass with a ¡®nya-¡® sound. ¡°¡­¡± The beast was big enough to eat her. Diana held her breath for a moment. But then, the sharp pupils of the beast loosened, and they all came closer to Diana. The beast came up to Diana and rubbed her face against her ankle and neck. ¡°Um, is it¡­ a large cat?¡± The maids said there were a lot of cute stray cats behind the hill. Seeing how cute they were to people, the maids seemed to be feeding cats. Diana, frightened by the cat, patted the cat¡¯s head. ¡°What? I don¡¯t have anything to give you.¡± ¡°But, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Unfortunately for the big cat, Diana had nothing to give. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s cold.¡± Again, in the bitter wind, Diana withdrew her hand that was stroking the cat. It¡¯s cold out there, don¡¯t go outside. If I had a coat, I would have given it to you.¡± Humans are so cold, but how cold can cats be? She wants to go home with the cat, but Leah will be angry if she finds the cat. I couldn¡¯t take the cat with me because I was afraid that the cat would become more dangerous to Leah¡¯s hands than I was right. I¡¯m sorry I went alone. Diana, whispering a small whisper to the cat, was forced to go down her hill in a hurry as the wind was getting worse. ¡°Nah ~.¡± On the hill where the cold wind blows, the sound of the footsteps of the little child is getting farther away, and the cat cries a little. Then a man who had been hiding behind a tree appeared. The man¡¯s golden eyes flashed in the darkness. He was a Grand Duke ¡°Come Yunes.¡± Yunes, the beast that Diana mistook for a cat, approached at his call. The Duke gently stroked Yunes fur, and strangely, the dark blue hair turned into a purple one. He went back. Diana mistook Yunes for a cat, but in fact, Yunes wasn¡¯t a cat. It looked like a cat, but Yunes was a monster. Pyo-woo is a high-level monster with strong loyalty towards its owner, not a low-level monster that attacks people. Pyo-woo was a monster who was loyal enough to change his hair color from the original blue color to the same color as the owner¡¯s eye color when engraved with the owner. His loyalty was so strong that he was very wary of others other than his master. If you approach it recklessly, your life is at risk. CH 8 [T/N: it¡¯s always confusing to use both duke and archduke so im gonna go with just duke] Among them, Yunes was pure-blooded, so he had more loyalty and strength. It had never approached anyone other than Ariel and himself. The Duke narrowed his brow slightly as he watched Yunes drooping his ears. [T/N: just imagine a cat] ¡°What kind of pain is it to show affection to that woman¡¯s daughter?¡± Yunes became weary of people after Ariel died. His alertness was so dangerous that he was isolated at the childhood training grounds, where he approached the girl¡¯s daughter first and showed her affection. I saw it with my own eyes, yet it was difficult to believe. [T/N: oh now he noticed it] In this weather, it¡¯s like a 10-year-old child alone in frozen woods. ¡°What in the world is that kid doing here at this hour?¡± Without a guardian. Furthermore, the child¡¯s appearance was considerably worse than what he had witnessed throughout the day. She was wearing a worn-out dress that even commoners would not wear, not the nice pink dress he had seen during the day. In addition, the dress was never the winter clothes that would be worn in the northern part of the Empire, which boasts the harshest cold. Bare arms and legs, which he could not see during the day, looked like a war orphan who could not even eat porridge properly. Although the child¡¯s appearance was unbelievable as if the visit was not in vain, Yunes approached the child and showed affection, and the child gently stroked Yunes. With a small hand that was damaged back in the harsh cold. When the hand rose again, the Duke wrinkled his face wretchedly, feeling something unbearable. ¡°It¡¯s annoying.¡± Wasn¡¯t she a child born with such evil? She¡¯s still a kid, why are you so rude? With an underdeveloped body, dead eyes as if she had never received love, and her appearance worse than a war orphan. It was completely different from the image of a mother and daughter he had imagined as he bit his lips after a while. The Duke couldn¡¯t take his eyes off the spot where the child was just now. ¡°Kyaak!¡± Then, Yunes jumped out of her arms with a sharp sound. The Duke, awakened by the sound of Yunes, sighed and wiped his face. ¡°¡­It doesn¡¯t seem like you care about useless things.¡± ¡ªWhat¡¯s wrong with the you? I also resent Leah, but I don¡¯t want to resent the child in her stomach. Children shouldn¡¯t be sacrificed in adult fights. It doesn¡¯t matter. Ariel¡¯s words came to his mind for a moment. Ariel¡¯s words are not to sacrifice children in the fights of adults. He wanted to kill Leah. That decision has not changed to this day. He will never forgive her. Until he returned to the Grand Duchy and faced Diana, Leah, and Diana were on the same line in his head and could not avoid his condemnation. Because she was a child of that woman¡¯s blood. In the Great Duchy without him, she would have grown up arrogantly, being loved by that woman as if it were his bloodline. But what he saw of Diana¡­ ¡°¡­ Sigh. ¡° His deep sigh, filled with complex emotions for Diana, became a cold breath and disappeared into the air. Diana¡­ The Duke, who had stood so blankly for a long time, quickly moved with his stiff face. *** (Diana¡¯s POV) A week has passed since Diana went to the Grand Duchy. ¡°Not today.¡± Diana went to the kitchen after seeing the empty living room today. Leah did not come home that night when the bitter snow storm blew. Leah, who came in only early in the morning, slept in her room until afternoon without looking at Diana. But it wasn¡¯t Leah¡¯s overnight stay that mattered. After visiting the Grand Duchy, Diana¡¯s life has completely changed. Diana, the most significant change is that the food on the table is now properly prepared. Bread, ham, and fruit are on the table. Diana¡¯s meals had been given to her by the maid for the last 6 days. The doctor who came to meet Diana from the mansion was the reason for this. The Duke¡¯s promises that he would send a doctor were not fake, but the next day after meeting the Duke, a doctor arrived at the hut with the butler. With a worried expression, Leah looked at the doctor who was examining Diana. However, the doctor did not even look at Leah and diagnosed Diana as malnourished with a calm expression. Leah screamed up and down, claiming that was nonsense, but the butler ignored her and called the maid in charge of the annex and ordered it. Diana¡¯s meal will be prepared by the maid from now on. Leah made a fuss about not being able to hand over her child¡¯s work to someone else, but after a little talk, the butler and maid came over and quietly ordered the maid Diana¡¯s meal. Diana didn¡¯t miss a meal for a week after that. Her thin frame was gradually gaining weight for some reason. Diana buttered the toasted bread before biting into it. ¡®Delicious.¡¯ Fruit with freshly baked rye bread was a poor diet in comparison to a noble¡¯s dinner, but Diana saw it as nothing more than worship. Because I couldn¡¯t eat it previously. And there was one more chance. That is, Leah¡¯s hand stopped. Perhaps it was because Leah had seen Diana by a doctor, she stopped beating Diana from that day on. When the day and the two of them came to talk, Leah seemed to be on the verge of arguing with Diana at any moment. After the butler left, Diana was nervous that her hand was going to hurt, but Leah only stared at Diana as if to kill her, but did not hit her. Then she left the house. She may have been angry with the butler, but from that day on, Leah would leave the house early in the morning and return late in the evening. So she hadn¡¯t seen Leah¡¯s face for a week already. ¡®If you see me, do you get angry and leave the house altogether? But there must be nowhere to go.¡¯ It was Leah, not having a job or having a maid close to the Grand Duke. But where the hell are you, wandering around like that? Diana shook her head as she cleared the finished plate. ¡°Let¡¯s not think about it.¡± The fact that she was doing what she was doing was more beneficial to Diana not to run into Leah. Even if I can¡¯t see her now, I don¡¯t know when she will change her mind. I just hope that the present piece will last for a long time. Diana got out of the kitchen and went to her room. She hadn¡¯t done the laundry for several days, so there were a lot of laundry. Diana looked at her watch as she came down from her attic with her laundry in her basket. She knew everything else, but she could read the time. It was because Leah had taught her to watch the time so that she could do her chores on time. 11:20. ¡®It will take another 30 minutes for the maid to come.¡¯ The maid brought her food on time and took her empty plate back. ¡°Hmm.¡± Diana thought for a moment. Will she wait for the maid, and then she will go to the laundry, or will she bring the plates herself? The concerns were quickly resolved. Diana carefully placed her plates on the laundry and left the house. The annex where the maids stayed was not too far from the hut. I entered the annex, but I couldn¡¯t see anyone because they all went to the mansion to work. ¡°Um¡­ Since I¡¯m done eating the plate, can I bring it straight to the kitchen?¡± The plan to deliver it to the housemaid turned out to be an unexpected problem, but it seemed like it would be okay to pass it on to Kunta. Diana looked around the empty lobby and turned to the kitchen. When she opened the door to her kitchen slightly, she saw people moving in a hurry, unlike the lobby. Everyone was so busy that they didn¡¯t even know Diana had come. Diana found Kunta among the crowd and ran to it. ¡°Kunta.¡± Kunta, who was just slicing vegetables, looked at Diana in surprise. ¡°Lady! What¡¯s going on here? Maybe you¡¯re hungry, no, no. I¡¯m sure I prepared breakfast today.¡± Kunta gibberish with a worried face as if she was embarrassed that Diana suddenly appeared here. She said as she grabbed Diana as if she didn¡¯t mind his apron like that. ¡°I didn¡¯t come because I was hungry. I turned around to bring you an empty plate.¡± ¡°Ah. I¡¯m glad. I think Leah touched the lady¡¯s meal again¡­ No, no. But why did you bring an empty plate yourself? Doesn¡¯t the maid go?¡± ¡°Yeah, come on. But I had to go to the laundry today, so I brought it on the way.¡± Diana handed her plates one by one to Kunta. Kunta took the plate and looked at the laundry basket Diana was holding with eyes full of regret. ¡°Is the lady still doing the laundry herself? If you tell the maid, maybe¡­¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m used to this, so it¡¯s comfortable.¡± In the current atmosphere, the maids would do the laundry for Diana just as Kunta said, but I didn¡¯t want to do anything that would only go unnoticed. ¡®Because the maid is also obligated to take care of my meals at the butler¡¯s direction.¡¯ If you let the maids do this and that, even if a bad report gets to the Duke¡­ On that day, you will be expelled from the Duchy. ¡®At least another five years at Duchy.¡¯ Diana smiled at Kunta, who stared at her with troubled eyes before leaving the kitchen. ¡°It¡¯s less cold today, though.¡± Diana walked out of her kitchen and gazed up at the sky. After a long time, the cold wind blew away and the sun shone brightly. ¡®The water is going to be a little cold today.¡¯ ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Diana went to the laundry room and ran into a man on her way to the room. His hair is light blue, and he has green eyes. The person she met was none other than Edwin, the knight who had simply helped Diana. Edwin looked at Diana and opened his eyes wide as if surprised, then smiled. He said, ¡°She was also living in an annex.¡± Diana tilted her head at Edwin¡¯s suddenly shortened words, but he approached Diana with a warm smile. I went to the annex a few times looking for you, but I didn¡¯t see you, so I think I saw the fairy in the forest from the legend. ¡°How have you been?¡± ¡®Did you find me? Why¡­?¡¯ I was puzzled as to why he had found me, but given how at ease he was, it appeared that he didn¡¯t know who she was yet. ¡®What should I do?¡¯ Diana was bewildered as she saw Edwin¡¯s innocuous smile. CH 9 I thought we¡¯d never meet again that day, so I didn¡¯t tell you who I was, but I think we¡¯ll meet again like this. ¡®Do I have to tell the truth today?¡¯ Of course, I don¡¯t want to hear him respect me. It was simply that I lied to him twice that bothered me. ¡°Miss?¡± Just when they were about to speak the truth, another voice split between them. Diana shifted her gaze to the maid was calling me with a fake voice. ¡°¡­ Maid.¡± ¡°Lady, what are you doing here?¡± ¡°Miss?¡± It wasn¡¯t Diana who answered the maid¡¯s question. Edwin in front of her I looked at the maid as if to say something. ¡®I was going to say.¡¯ Not wanting to turn out like this, Diana glanced at the maids Jean and Edwin alternately with her look of embarrassment. However, the maid, not aware of Diana¡¯s feelings, was already looking at Edwin. ¡°Aren¡¯t you a knight?¡± The maid asked, scanning Edwin¡¯s uniform. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°But why did you come to the annex?¡± ¡°Ah, it seems that the maid who cleaned the lounge yesterday dropped something, so I¡¯m here to deliver it.¡± Edwin took a handkerchief from the inside pocket of his uniform and held it to the maid. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m so sorry. I will help the maids on duty in the future so that this kind of trouble doesn¡¯t happen.¡± ¡°No, I must have accidentally dropped it¡­ it¡¯s okay.¡± Edwin smiled softly at the maid, who lowered her head, saying that Edwin was fine. When the maid raised her head, Edwin glanced at Diana and asked the maid. ¡°More than that, did I just say¡­ this girl?¡± ¡°Yes? Oh, yes.¡± ¡°I heard that no other noble ladies were visiting the Grand Duke, didn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yes? Oh, that¡¯s¡­¡± The maid¡¯s face was stained with embarrassment. Diana felt the maid¡¯s gaze turn to her own. She seemed to be stingy when she said that she was an illegitimate child in front of Diana. Edwin looked at the maid, who could not speak her words, with a strangely lowered gaze. Diana, who was looking at the two of them, finally opened her mouth to look at Edwin. ¡°I¡¯m not the daughter of another noble family, but the illegitimate daughter of the Grand Duke. Since I didn¡¯t make it to the Grand Duke¡¯s family tree, it¡¯s only natural that you don¡¯t know me.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Edwin made a short sound as if surprised. The maid looked into Diana and Edwin¡¯s eyes and said. ¡°Lady, knight, I have some urgent work to do, so can I go back first?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Yeah. Oh, the plate was delivered to Kunta, so there¡¯s no need to stop by the house.¡± ¡°Yes, lady.¡± As soon as the maid replied that this situation was incredibly uncomfortable, she jumped into the outbuildings. And Diana was also uncomfortable. Edwin couldn¡¯t take his eyes off her, no matter what she was thinking after Diana revealed herself to be her illegitimate child. Diana lifted her head from her bow and met his green eyes. Even if he despises her, it is unavoidable. Because illegitimate children of noble families who did not make it to the family tree are not viewed well by commoners. Edwin narrowed his brow more suddenly than Diana. Am I getting mad at the last time I said nothing and pretended to be a noble girl and got help from him? She might consider this an insult, as Diana was an illegitimate child who was ignored even by the servants of the Grand Duke. ¡®I¡¯ve got to say I¡¯m sorry¡­¡¯ Just when she was about to apologize to Edwin, whose face was getting wrinkled, Edwin lowered his eyes and knelt on one knee. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, lady. It hasn¡¯t been long since I became a knight of the Grand Duke¡¯s family, so I didn¡¯t understand properly, so I was rude to you. Please forgive my rudeness.¡± ¡°¡­ Yes?¡± ¡®What did I just hear?¡¯ Diana¡¯s eyes widened at Edwin¡¯s act of lowering her head as if begging her forgiveness. ¡°No, why are you like this? Knight.¡± Edwin quickly shook his head. He looked at me with a very surprised face. ¡°Lady, you¡¯re not a knight! You¡¯re treating me with respect, so you shouldn¡¯t do that.¡± Did this man not hear what I said before? Although Diana was the daughter of the Archduke, she did not enter his lineage, so she was tacit of a higher rank than Edwin, who had the surname of nobility. Her failure to enter the family tree means that she will not be recognized as a member of the Grand Duke family. That means that even if someone insults Diana, the Grand Duke doesn¡¯t care. But, you shouldn¡¯t have been respectful to yourself. Diana said softly as she saw Edwin treating her like her grand princess. ¡°I just told you¡­ I didn¡¯t make it to the grand duke¡¯s family tree. I¡­ you.¡± ¡°Even so, it is the unchanging truth that the young lady¡¯s father is the Grand Duke. This is an article in which I pledged to protect all those who inherited the blood of the Grand Duke with my life. So, nothing else matters to me. please give it to me.¡± ¡°¡­¡± There seemed to be no lie to Edwin, who even erased his soft smile and spoke with a hard face. Diana bit her lips in embarrassment at his sincerity. That was completely different from the reaction the people had until now when they found out she was her illegitimate child. There were almost one of two. Either pity or ridicule Diana. However, Edwin was looking at the existence of Diana itself, not the stigma that was overlaid on the existence of Diana as an illegitimate child. This kind of reaction is the first time you are born. Diana groaned inside her, and she felt emotions soaring. ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t cry.¡± I don¡¯t want to cry, so I give my eye¡¯s strength, but because of that, Edwin asked with a worried look on his face if he had a strange expression on his face. ¡°Lady, are you okay?¡± ¡± ¡­ It¡¯s okay¡­ you. This.¡± ¡°Because you can¡¯t do it with respect.¡± ¡°Al, no, ugh.¡± As Diana changed her words, she had a soft smile on Edwin¡¯s face, as if satisfied with it. ¡°But lady, what is that?¡± Edwin¡¯s gaze turned to Diana¡¯s laundry basket, and she hurriedly hid her basket behind her. For some reason, it seemed that he would make a fuss over calling the maids when he found out. ¡°Nothing.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Yeah. Then go ahead. I have a place to go too.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right. Then I¡¯ll take you there. ¡°Huh? No, it¡¯s okay. You must be busy. Just go.¡± Aren¡¯t knights always busy? I don¡¯t know, but I thought it wouldn¡¯t be okay to wander around leisurely like this. But was Diana wrong? Edwin shook his head. ¡°I am not busy at all because my morning training is over. So I¡¯ll take you to where you¡¯re going. After that, give me the luggage.¡± ¡°Really¡­ it¡¯s okay.¡± Edwin paused as Diana took a step back. Her eyebrows narrowed, and her mouth opened as if puzzled as he felt Diana¡¯s stubborn rejection. ¡°If it¡¯s okay with you¡­ I¡¯m leaving.¡± ¡°Yeah. Come on.¡± ¡°You¡¯re answering me like that right away¡­ Are you sure you don¡¯t like me?¡± Edwin¡¯s eyes fell, probably because Diana responded so quickly that it was sad. Diana hurriedly shook her head from side to side. ¡°It can¡¯t be. I never hate it.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± As if when he was sad, Edwin rolled his eyes. It was his horse curled into a half-moon. ¡°Then I¡¯ll just go away. Miss.¡± Diana, watching Edwin move away, straightened the hand that was biting behind his back only after he had completely disappeared. Diana, holding her laundry basket in her arms, glanced at Edwin¡¯s place as she moved to her laundry. ¡°I hope to see you again.¡± I wondered if I could meet him again, who lived like the person who showed pure kindness to him for the first time in the Grand Duchy since Kunta, but I couldn¡¯t prevent a bit of anticipation. Diana hurried to her laundry to see who could see the corners of her lips that kept rising. It was said that the weather had cleared up, but the water in the stream was cold, as if not to forget that it was still winter. ¡°Ugh. It¡¯s cold.¡± She immersed her clothes in ice-cold water that she was not used to, and when she took them out, her body trembled. ¡°Where¡¯s the bat?¡± When I looked around, I saw a bat left by the maids who had already finished washing their clothes. ¡°You should do it quickly.¡± Diana, who returned with her bat, hurriedly took a seat on a large boulder in her frostbitten hand. As she unfolded her laundry and was about to hit the clothes with the bat, she heard the sound of heavy footsteps. ¡®It¡¯s not time for the maids to come to do the laundry, who is it?¡¯ Diana raised her head and saw the presence of a person standing near the river, and her eyes widened in surprise. The man¡¯s golden hair, standing on the pebbles of the stream, gleamed in the sunlight. Did I say that my soul goes out if I am too surprised? She even dropped the bat she was holding because of the unexpected person. Diana looked at him and moved her lips unconsciously. ¡°The Grand Duke¡­ Your Highness.¡± A small voice scattered through the cold air. It was a very faint murmur, but the Archduke¡¯s eyes turned to Diana, and he could hear it in his ears. ¡°It¡¯s you again?¡± As if surprised to see Diana, the gold inside the duke¡¯s eye shook. However, it was only a brief moment, and the duke immediately captured his expression and looked at Diana with a cold gaze. ¡®It¡¯s you again¡­ ?¡¯ I felt a moment of wonder at his words as if we had met since then, but Diana came to her senses at the cool gaze of the Archduke and shut her lips blankly open. Her eyes were colder than when we first met. ¡®Scared.¡¯ Diana shrugged her body in fear. She had a different fear than when she was hit by Leah. He posed no physical threat, but the duke was crushing Diana just with his gaze. Diana avoided his eyes and looked down as she could hardly meet his gaze. She looked at the jagged, angular stones on the floor, trying to calm her pounding heart, tired of the house. When she was holding her breath, the duke¡¯s feet moved. I wish I could pretend I didn¡¯t see you. But contrary to her earnest wish, the duke¡¯s feet were getting closer to her. The nose of the black shoes the duke was wearing stopped right in front of her. ¡°Raise your head.¡± A low voice fell over her head. She couldn¡¯t pretend she didn¡¯t hear his orders, so she slowly raised her head. As if waiting, the Grand Duke¡¯s golden eyes met. CH 10 ¡°Ah.¡± Diana frowned and took a step back. It was not polite, but it was an instinctive move ahead of fear. But as soon as it hit ne, I remembered something important. That means I haven¡¯t yet addressed the duke. I was so nervous the last time I saw him in the office that I forgot to say hello. You can skip it once, but it won¡¯t look good if you do it twice. She hurriedly bowed to the duke in order to avoid the duke¡¯s anger, which seemed colder than the ice-cold water of the river. ¡°Greetings, Grand Duke.¡± ¡°¡­What are you doing?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± What are you doing? Diana asked, straightening her waist, which had been bent at his words. But when she lifted her head, she saw the duke¡¯s face with his eyebrows raised as if he didn¡¯t like something. Diana flinched at his disturbing look. ¡®What did I do wrong? Am I greeting you wrong?¡¯ That was most likely. Because she never properly learned how to be polite to a noble. [T/N: She means basic education] The greeting I just gave is a copy of the greetings the servants give to the general butler or the maid. Diana seemed to be sweating on her back as she watched the duke¡¯s gaze staring down at her. ¡®Should I say I was wrong?¡¯ However, because she was overwhelmed by the atmosphere of the Grand Duke, she couldn¡¯t even utter those words easily. When she was about to get down on her knees to show that if the words were not coming out, even by action, the duke let out a short sigh. ¡°Ha, I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re trying to do, but it¡¯s okay, stop it.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°You did nothing wrong, so don¡¯t bow your head.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± At the words of the duke, Diana lifted her head, which had been bowed down. But contrary to his words that Diana did nothing wrong, his expression still looked very uncomfortable. ¡®What is it that you don¡¯t like so much? It would be better if you tell me.¡¯ However, the duke¡¯s lips were tightly closed and there was no movement. He looked at Diana again without saying a word. Fortunately, unlike before, I did not feel the suffocating pressure from before. ¡®But why is the Grand Duke here?¡¯ As the tension relaxed, I began to question. This stream is where the maids of the Grand Duke do laundry. Therefore, except for the maids, there no one comes here. No matter how much she thinks about it, he has no reason to come to the laundry. ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Why are you here, Grand Duke¡­ Hyup, no, it¡¯s nothing.¡± ¡®What did I just did!¡¯ She immediately answered the question of the duke and came to her senses and closed her mouth just as she was about to finish speaking, but the duke seemed to have heard everything Diana had already said. This castle is the castle of the Grand Duke. The castle¡¯s owner has complete freedom wherever he goes. She was in a disaster because she was occupied with things unrelated to him. The duke¡¯s low- voice rang out just as she was rebuking herself inside. ¡°I stopped by the forest above the river for business.¡± Diana put her hand over her mouth and looked at him. ¡®You answered my question without getting angry¡­?¡¯ You don¡¯t know Diana, who expected to see these cold words and sad blue eyes, widened her eyes at the duke¡¯s casual answer. Of course, it was a dry answer without a soft voice or a soft smile, but it was surprising that he, who was cold-blooded, answered her question. Diana, confused for a moment, asked with a blank face. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I answered the question you just asked. Here, in the forest above the river, there is a gym where I trained as a child. I stopped by there for business.¡± The duke pointed his finger at the forest above the stream and explained again. ¡°Ah yes¡­¡± ¡®What the hell is going on?¡¯ That day, she hoped that he would never see the duke again until she left the castle. But the duke didn¡¯t call her back to meet him, and she met and chatted by chance at a laundry place far from his mansion. It¡¯s really absurd. The duke asked, as his mind was tangled in this situation. ¡°But why are you here?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°This must be the place where the maids do the laundry. I asked why you were here. What are they all about?¡± The duke¡¯s gaze went down. His gaze was bitter as he scanned Diana¡¯s laundry, basket, and bat. He looked at Diana again with an incomprehensible gaze. ¡°Ah¡­ that¡¯s¡­¡± Diana muffled her speech. Because if she told the duke the truth, ¡®I¡¯m here to do the laundry,¡¯ she got the feeling that something good wasn¡¯t going to happen to you. Since she was young, she looked at Leah¡¯s eyes and grew up, so Diana was quicker than other people. She is especially sympathetic to people¡¯s negative emotions. She noticed that and she was talking now. The Grand Duke is not in a good mood right now. Especially after he saw the laundry around her, the mood of the duke subsided even more. In this case, you should never play with your mouth recklessly. He said as he glanced at the pile of laundry that had not yet started with his cold eyes. ¡°Are you sure you do the laundry yourself?¡± In response to the question, Diana moved her lips slowly, avoiding his gaze at an angle. ¡°¡­Sometimes sometimes¡­ I do.¡± ¡°Sometimes?¡± ¡°Yes , when mom is busy¡­ I¡¯m here to help.¡± It was something she had been doing since she was able to move her limbs properly and walk, but Diana lied to the duke pretending not to be. Although he was her biological father, ironically, he was also the furthest from her in this dukedom. He didn¡¯t put Diana on her family tree, nor did he give her name. Diana actually didn¡¯t have a name until she was 4 years old. The duke did not give her a name, so Leah did not give Diana a name either. Leah called Diana an illegitimate child. But someone give the nameless child a name It was an old maid who no longer worked here. She had pity on the child who was mistreated by Leah. Maybe that¡¯s why she gave Diana a name before she went to the castle, saying that this was the only thing she could do. Diana. In ancient language, it means a child who deserves to be loved. If Leah knew the meaning of the ancient language, maybe my name would not have been Diana¡¯s. Fortunately, Leah wasn¡¯t that smart and, for whatever reason, the old maid gave her a name, and she began to call her Diana, as if in her heart. From then on, the child was given a name. So the duke did nothing to Diana as his father. No, in the first place he doesn¡¯t recognize Diana as his daughter. It¡¯s too stupid to expect him to protect me when he first abandoned me. The duke frowned at Diana¡¯s answer. His golden eyes gleamed coldly as if he was somehow angry. ¡°Sometimes, why do you do this, maid, no, no.¡± The duke stopped his words and let out a sigh. The golden eyes that had been smeared with anger calmed down, and the distorted expression on the duke¡¯s face hardened again. Why was he going to ask why she did the laundry herself instead of having a maid do it? But was the Grand Duke really asking because he didn¡¯t know? This is how an illegitimate child abandoned by her father and her mother are treated by the people below them. Even the courtiers of the aristocracy were told that if she was not loved by her husband, her maids would ignore her. However, Leah was a woman who was not guaranteed the status of the concubine, and Diana was an illegitimate child of such a woman. Did these two people think that they could get help from the maids? No, the duke would have known. He might not have expected Leah¡¯s abuse towards her, but he would have known that Leah and Diana would be rejected at least in the Grand castle. The duke must be a cool and smart person. The gazes of the duke and Diana were intertwined in the air. The duke looked at Diana with a strange look, not knowing what she was thinking. Diana lowered her gaze before facing the gaze of the duke who had lost the cold light. ¡°No matter how much I think about it, I don¡¯t understand.¡± The duke¡¯s low voice was heard. His voice was very low, as if he was talking to himself. Diana looked at the pebbles on the floor without raising her gaze. She said, ¡®I need to go do the laundry and go home.¡¯ Maybe Leah was home early, and she said it was time for her to bring her lunch soon. She squatted down in front of him, she couldn¡¯t start doing the laundry, and she wasn¡¯t confident she would go back first. At that moment, when he could neither do this nor that, an unexpected voice broke the silence. ¡°Your Majesty, you were here too.¡± Diana looked up and looked behind him, not the duke. The first thing that caught her eye was the detection of a man who seemed to be burning under the sun. ¡®That person¡­¡¯ It was a man I had seen in the Grand Duke¡¯s office the other day. A dangerous man who smiled softly as he looked at Diana. ¡®Then the name was¡­ As a matter of fact, I guess he said it was luck.¡¯ ¡°Rowoon.¡± As if Diana¡¯s memory wasn¡¯t wrong, the duke saw him and continued to call him Rowoon. ¡°Why did you bring Edwin?¡± Edwin? Because of the duke speaking a familiar name, Diana looked back to where Rowoon was. Then I saw the light blue hair walking behind Rowoon. Diana¡¯s eyes were stained with a sense of embarrassment. It wasn¡¯t that Edwin caught on to her laundry. If Edwin pretended to know her in front of the duke, she was worried. Edwin said that Diana was also a descendant of the duke, but what if he treats her like the duke like before? If that happens, Diana and Edwin will also look hateful to the duke. The duke did not recognize her as his child, but Edwin is treating Diana as a princess at will. ¡®Edwin shouldn¡¯t be insulted because of me.¡¯ Diana and Edwin¡¯s eyes met. Edwin, who found Diana, widened his eyes as if very surprised. ¡°I brought him here because I had nothing to do¡­ Your Majesty the Grand Duke was not alone.¡± Roowoon¡¯s voice rang out. Diana turned her gaze away from Edwin and looked at Rowoon. He looked at Diana today and smiled like that time. But his eyes were looking sharply at Diana. He frowned for a moment after scanning Diana¡¯s surroundings, but then smiled as if he had always done so at the voice of the Grand Duke. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Your Majesty did not come back even after the time had passed, so I came here to find you. I have something important to tell you.¡± ¡°Important?¡± The duke¡¯s eyebrows rose upward. ¡°Yes. It has to do with what you ordered separately.¡± Glitch, Rowoon¡¯s gaze turned to Diana and then back to the duke. It was something of an unpleasant look. The kind of gaze that said that he couldn¡¯t speak because Diana was there. CH 11 It¡¯s not that Diana wants to be here. Diana turned her gaze away from the duke and Rowoon, who were exchanging secret glances, and looked at Edwin. The two¡¯s eyes met. Diana bit her lip, worried that Edwin would greet her for a moment. Edwin, who saw her like that, turned his head slightly to look at the duke and Rowoon. The duke and Rowoon didn¡¯t know what they were talking about, but they weren¡¯t interested in this. Edwin looked at Diana cautiously, checking them like a secretly spying person. Edwin smiled softly as if he knew everything. And very quickly, he bowed his head to Diana and was polite. Diana¡¯s anxiety was blown away by his bright smile with her head raised. Thank you so much for Edwin¡¯s consideration. Diana looked at him and smiled slightly. Then Edwin¡¯s green eyes fluttered in embarrassment. ¡®Is it weird that I laugh?¡¯ I rarely laugh, so Diana doesn¡¯t know what my smile looks like. In response to Edwin¡¯s reaction, Diana lowered the corners of her lips that had gone up in a hurry. ¡°Ah.¡± As Diana wiped her laughter away, Edwin opened his lips as if he had something to say urgently, and then quickly bit his lips at the movement of the duke. As if the story with Rowoon was over, the duke¡¯s gaze turned to Diana. Theduke looked at Diana silently and turned his gaze to Edwin. ¡°Edwin.¡± At the call of the duke, Edwin tightened his body and answered with a stiff face. ¡°Yes,Grand Duke.¡± ¡°Do you still have a lot of time until afternoon training?¡± ¡°Yes, it is.¡± ¡°Then you should do the laundry instead.¡± ¡°Yes Yes¡­?¡± Edwin, who had answered immediately, looked at the Archduke with an incomprehensible face for a moment. Rowoon also looked back at the duke with a surprised look. And so was Diana. The duke narrowed his eyebrows as if he felt bad when the eyes of the three were focused at once. Diana was the first to look away from the duke. ¡°Do I have to say it again?¡± ¡°No. I got it right. Your Majesty.¡± Edwin answered in a voice filled with spirit. ¡°Okay, when work is done, take her home and come back.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± Diana looked at the duke involuntarily in an incomprehensible consideration. The duke was also looking at Diana, and as soon as she turned , his and her gaze met. The duke¡¯s neat eyebrows twitched as he looked at Diana. He glanced up and down Diana with a complex expression on his face, and turned around without saying anything. ¡°Stop after going back.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± The duke quickly walked along the stream. Rowoon looked at Diana once with cool eyes and followed the duke. As Diana watched the back of the duke as he moved away, Edwin called her. ¡°Miss.¡± Edwin was looking at Diana with her sad eyes. Perhaps he misunderstood the meaning of Diana looking at the duke. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°Yes, lady.¡± Edwin did not ask any more questions or comfort him, and drew a bright smile. Diana smiled and froze after him, closing the corners of her lips. She fears he¡¯ll be embarrassed again if she smiles at herself. Diana raised her lips awkwardly and asked Edwin. ¡°Edwin, don¡¯t I look very ugly when I smile?¡± ¡°Yes ? What is that¡­ Oh, ah! You¡¯ve misunderstood after all.¡± ¡°Misunderstanding?¡± What¡¯s wrong? Diana opened her eyes and looked at Edwin. Edwin leaned over to Diana. ¡°Yeah, what surprised me was that the lady smiling was so pretty. I really thought that a fairy had appeared.¡± ¡®Me a fairy¡­¡¯ ¡± ¡­Nonsense.¡± He was embarrassed by his words and his cheeks heated up. ¡°It¡¯s crazy how pretty you are. Everyone doesn¡¯t say it, but you must be thinking like a fairy on the inside. I can be sure.¡± Diana, seeing Edwin¡¯s serious face, even to the point of nervousness, burst into laughter. Diana, who was laughing haha, was startled by the sound of my laughter for a moment. And she instinctively looked around to see if anyone could have seen it. ¡®I¡¯m laughing out loud.¡¯ It was the first time. While Diana was bewildered and stunned, Edwin bent one knee to meet Diana¡¯s gaze. He looked at Diana and smiled kindly as if it was okay. ¡°You¡¯re really pretty because you¡¯re smiling¡­miss. So don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s always bright. ¡° ¡°I hope you laugh. ¡° ¡°¡¤¡¤¡¤ thank you.¡± Diana told him, for the first time in her life, smiling comfortably. Edwin looked down at Diana with warm eyes and looked down at the laundry. ¡°Hmm, shall we start now? Lady, it¡¯s cold, but you¡¯re wearing this. You¡¯re too thin.¡± Edwin took off his knight uniform¡¯s jacket and draped it over Diana¡¯s shoulder. It was the perfect jacket for Edwin, but for Diana it was large enough to drag on her ground. Diana, startled to see Edwin¡¯s jacket dragged to the floor, tried to take her off, but she said no to Edwin and grabbed her clothes. ¡°You¡¯re wearing it.¡± ¡°No, and Edwin doesn¡¯t have to do the laundry. I¡¯ll do it. I do the laundry well.¡± Diana had no intention of leaving Edwin to do the laundry. Because it was her own job, and doing laundry in icy water was pretty tough. ¡°If you disobey the orders of the Grand Duke, you will be expelled from the entire Order. I have nowhere to go¡­ Can¡¯t you just let me do it?¡± Edwin looked at Diana, crying. Being kicked out this winter with nowhere to go. That¡¯s terrible. Perhaps it was the worry Diana had always been worried about, and her heart sympathized with him a hundred times. ¡°Still¡­ your hands must be very cold¡­¡± Edwin shook his head as Diana glanced into the stream and spoke. ¡°I don¡¯t usually get cold. So you don¡¯t have to worry about that. Lady, then sit here. I¡¯ll finish it soon.¡± Edwin sat Diana on a large boulder and started pounding her laundry with a bat. [T/N: boulder: a large rock] Punk-! Edwin¡¯s hand gestures while washing the laundry were quite clumsy, but he was strong enough that it was much faster than Diana¡¯s usual laundry. Diana suddenly remembered the Grand Duke as she watched Edwin¡¯s back as she quickly wiped the dirt off the laundry and rinsed her clothes in the stream. She said, ¡®I thought you hated me¡­¡¯ The cold eyes that showed no affection were still vividly remembered. His eyes were similar to those of Seia. He then answered Diana¡¯s question earlier, and had Edwin to help Diana¡¯s work. ¡®What the hell is he thinking?¡¯ Whatever it is, I hope it¡¯s not a bad one, but I have an ominous feeling over and over again. ¡°Lady, it¡¯s all over. Did you wait for a long time?¡± Edwin, who had finished doing the laundry, approached with a basket. ¡°No, I¡¯m fine. Edwin must have been cold, sorry.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, next time, don¡¯t say that. Would you like to go home then?¡± Edwin reached out to Diana, holding the basket in one hand, and flinched, then pulled her hand back abruptly. ¡°Why? Is your hand hurt?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not¡­ My hands are still very cold, so I think it would be too much for a lady to hold.¡± ¡°Then we should hold more. That way it warms up quickly.¡± Diana took Edwin¡¯s hand as he walked away first. Edwin, who was startled as he flinched as he grabbed her by giving her strength to run away, immediately smiled and took Diana¡¯s hand. ¡®I hope it warms up soon.¡¯ Diana wished in her heart, sorry for Edwin¡¯s cold hand. Then, as if her heart had been conveyed, Edwin¡¯s hand became warm in an instant. ¡°Huh? The lady was right. My hands got warm very quickly.¡± Edwin¡¯s eyes widened in surprise, and then he smiled at Diana. ¡°Thanks to the lady. Thank you.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m more grateful.¡± ¡°Well, on the way home, your hands might get cold again¡­ so it¡¯d be better to hold them like this?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Her hand was warm enough to never cool again, but she didn¡¯t want to lose Edwin¡¯s hand, so Diana nodded her head. The corners of Edwin¡¯s lips went up as Diana responded with a bright face. ¡°Then let¡¯s go home now, miss.¡± Diana grabbed Edwin¡¯s hand and headed home. ¡°You have been staying here.¡± Edwin arrived in front of the hut where Diana and Leah lived and looked at the hut and narrowed the gap between them. She was often used to being ignored by others, but for some reason, Diana blushed in embarrassment to show Edwin this shabby place. The maids of the annex, where the servants lived, were far better than this. Maybe this is a little better than the stables. Diana replied with a calm face, just in case Edwin was worried. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m staying here.¡± Diana has lived here since she was a child and she was really okay with it. Of course, she doesn¡¯t have good heating in the winter, so it was a little tough for her, but now she¡¯s used to it and it¡¯s bearable. Edwin looked at Diana like that with pity, but as if feeling Diana¡¯s heart, who pretended to be brave, said with a smile. ¡°Lady, if you ever need anything, just tell me. I¡¯ll get it for you.¡± ¡°Yeah, I got it. Edwin, give me the basket now. I¡¯ll listen.¡± ¡°Ah yes.¡± When Edwin held out the basket to Diana. ¡°Diana!¡± Leah¡¯s sharp voice was heard. Diana, startled, turned her body to where she heard her voice. Leah always came in late every evening, but she came early today. Leah quickly approached Diana. She looked at Diana and Edwin alternately with bitter eyes. But, surprisingly, it was Edwin, not Leah, who spoke first. ¡°Huh¡­ Have I ever seen you somewhere?¡± Edwin narrowed his eyes and looked at Leah¡¯s face. ¡®Have he ever seen. What do you mean?¡¯ Diana looked at Edwin and Leah alternately. Edwin and Leah, Leah and Edwin. It was a combination that didn¡¯t fit well to say where the two met. Leah looked at Edwin for a moment, but her lips soon moved to capture her expression. ¡°No. I¡¯ve never seen a knight.¡± In response to Leah¡¯s sword-like reaction, Edwin straightened his narrowed eyes. ¡°Oh, sorry.¡± When Edwin responded with a shy face and apologized, Leah¡¯s gaze fell down. With Diana facing Leah. Edwin, who was taller than Leah, did not see it, but Diana saw Leah¡¯s eyes twinkle fiercely for a moment. CH 12 Diana¡¯s instinct shouted to release Edwin¡¯s hand immediately. While walking together, I didn¡¯t want to let go of Edwin¡¯s warm hand, but Diana quickly pulled away from him, not knowing what kind of evil might be coming. I could feel Edwin¡¯s gaze on me, but Diana didn¡¯t look at him. ¡°Are you the girl¡¯s mother?¡± Edwin¡¯s voice echoed. Leah stared at Diana and answered Edwin. ¡°Yes, I am Diana¡¯s mother. But why is the Knight of the Grand duke with Diana?¡± At Leah¡¯s question, Diana immediately flinched. She would be angry if Leah found out that she had met the duke. ¡°¡­You were the mother.¡± As Diana looked at him anxiously, Edwin¡¯s small murmur, far from answering her question, scattered over her head. Although his words were nonsense, Diana looked up at Edwin¡¯s low voice she had never heard before. However, Edwin¡¯s gaze was on Leah, not Diana. Leah asked Edwin, who was staring at her, again. ¡°Yes? What did you just say? It was so low I couldn¡¯t hear you.¡± The sound was so low that Leah couldn¡¯t hear it. Edwin looked at Leah tenaciously, like an angry man, and clenched his fist. At that moment, when a strand of doubt appeared on Leah¡¯s face as if she felt something strange about Edwin, Edwin gave his characteristic sad smile. ¡°Oh, it wasn¡¯t a big deal. Haha, I stopped by the annex for business, and I thought the young lady was carrying a heavy load, so I helped out.¡± huh? Diana glanced at Edwin¡¯s naturally lying face. Edwin¡¯s eyes widened as Diana¡¯s eyes met his. Diana, who looked at him curiously, who had saved her twice, hurriedly turned her gaze away to Leah¡¯s voice. ¡°Oh my God, thank you so much. I¡¯m really grateful that you lifted all my belongings like this. Diana, why don¡¯t you return the clothes now?¡± ¡°Ah yes.¡± Diana took off Edwin¡¯s jacket she was still wearing and handed it to him. Leah spoke again. ¡°Diana, what kind of disrespect is it for you to just give it back. You should say thank you.¡± Leah smiled at Diana and said. She pretends to be a good mother as she did in the castle, and even after going through it twice, she hardly gets used to it. At that time, when Leah caused goosebumps all over her body, Edwin said. ¡°It¡¯s okay to say thanks, because you just did what you were supposed to do.¡± Leah said looking at Edwin with an overly surprised expression. ¡°Of course it¡¯s not something I should do. Knight.¡± ¡°Diana is not in a position to receive the favor of a knight. Diana is only the illegitimate child of the Grand Duke.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The smile disappeared from Edwin¡¯s face for a moment. Diana saw a flash of anger in his soft, green eyes, but Leah looked back at Diana as if she had never seen it. ¡°Diana, what are you doing? Come on, bow your head and thank the knight.¡± I bow my head and say thank you. Even though you must have heard Edwin call Diana miss before, Leah seemed to want to confirm that Diana¡¯s status was lower than that. As her mother, how can she act like a person who is so anxious that she can¡¯t always look down on Diana? Anger rose inside her, but Diana could only give a gentle answer. ¡°¡­Yes.¡± Leah was looking at her with eyes as they said if Diana did not bow her head and she would forcefully press her head. Just when she was about to bow her head to Edwin, who had a hard expression on his face, Edwin made a loud noise. ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a surprise. Why are you doing that, knight?¡± Leah, startled by Edwin¡¯s brief exclamation, turned her head to Edwin. Diana also lifted her head, which she was about to bow down. There was a look of urgency on Edwin¡¯s face, which had just been frozen. Edwin looked at Leah and me alternately, and raised his eyebrows as if sorry. ¡°Gee, I forgot that I have an urgent business. I think I¡¯ll have to say hello next time. Edwin, who spoke like a rapid-fire gun, rushed to his feet without receiving a greeting as if he had something urgent to do. ¡®Maybe for me?¡¯ At that moment, while guessing Edwin¡¯s sudden action, Diana felt a tenacious gaze on herself. When she turned her head, there was Leah, who was looking at me with a sad blue look. ¡°¡­mom.¡± ¡°You really are!¡± Leah¡¯s voice rose. And her hand was raised high as if to hit Diana on the cheek. Is this the end of the peace that has been going on for a while? Diana closed her eyes tightly, anticipating her pain to follow. However, after a few seconds, there was no pain. When she opened her eyes, Leah¡¯s hand was already lowered. Leah was pounding her chest with her fists as if her chest was stuffy. ¡°Okay, just be patient a little longer.¡± Leah mumbled to herself and went into the house. What do you have to endure? Diana tilted her head at Leah¡¯s words, which she did not understand. ¡°Diana, what are you doing?! However, her worries did not last long with Leah¡¯s strong voice. Diana thinks she¡¯s just sleeping here with her luck that she didn¡¯t get hit, and she hurried into the house. *** The Grand Duke¡¯s office. Tok- Tok- The expression of the duke pounding on the expensive wooden desk with the tip of his fingernail was cold. The duke said as if rearranging what he had heard from Rowoon. ¡°So, about eleven years ago, Earl Howard¡¯s second son and that woman had contact.¡± ¡°Yeah, I found someone I¡¯ve met a few times.¡± If it was Earl Howard¡¯s second son, the Grand Duke had heard it once. It is said that Earl Howard is very worried because he has so many problems and goes to meet women in a prodigal manner. ¡°But if it was Earl Howard¡¯s second son, he would be a noble of the capital. How did you meet Leah?¡± As the duke¡¯s forehead narrowed, Rowoon said calmly. ¡°It is said that the mother lived in the capital when she was young, and the house next door was the house of Count Howard. I guess that¡¯s why they started dating.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Since Ariel has been living longer in the capital than that¡­¡± A deep longing passed by in the gold. Rowoon looked down at his master, pretending not to see his master¡¯s sorrow. A heavy silence fell in the office. The focus became clear in the blurred gold as if drawing a distant place, and the duke looked at Rowoon. ¡°Did you find out more?¡± ¡°Yeah, I just found out that the man she was dating was Earl Howard¡¯s second son. But now that we¡¯ve got a clue, we¡¯ll release the people in the Grand Duke and Capital to find more other people who know the difference between Leah and Howard son.¡± ¡°Did you find a doctor who confirmed Leah¡¯s pregnancy?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like the first confirmed pregnancy in the estate of the Grand Duke. We are looking for the capital for now.¡± ¡°Yeah, then obviously the woman had told her that she was pregnant with Ariel after she first confirmed that she was pregnant. Doctor Lotus, who was a member of the Grand Duchess at that time, said that the time of pregnancy can only be estimated based on the woman¡¯s last menstrual date, but cannot be determined accurately. ¡°So, we must find the doctor who first confirmed the woman.¡± ¡°Yes, I will keep that in mind.¡± ¡°By the way, I was in a hurry to go to the battlefield, so I couldn¡¯t even take care of doctor Lotus¡¯s retirement. He saved Seia.¡± He was told it was a terrible labor. In a situation where the lives of the Grand Duchess and his only daughter, Seia, were at risk, it was thanks to the lotus doctor, who had been observing the Grand Duchess for many years, that he saved Seia¡¯s life. ¡®I should have been more careful.¡¯ In the unbearable sorrow of losing his wife, he was returning with regret for the choice he had made in the past when he left everyone and went to the battlefield. The same was true for the Grand Duke¡¯s loyalties who had not yet taken care of him, as well as his only daughter. I made my daughter feel empty for too long. The duke remembered his daughter. Taking a light sigh of regret and guilt toward Seia, he suddenly remembered the child he saw at the laundry. A small, skinny child, Diana. A child in shabby clothes, unlike the ones I saw in the castle. The look of a child who constantly looked at his expression and eyes did not look like a 10-year-old child. His temples throbbed because of the child¡¯s strangely irritating nerves. Rowoon asked, seeing that his face didn¡¯t look good. ¡°Sir, are you okay?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The duke said it was okay, but his face was still dark. Rowoon seemed to hesitate for a moment, and his lips lit up, but he opened his mouth with a determined face. ¡°Sir, what happened in the past was unavoidable. If you hadn¡¯t gone to the battlefield then, probably wouldn¡¯t have survived. So, don¡¯t be too hard on yourself and regret the past.¡± At that time, the duke was in such a precarious state that he almost died immediately. Of course, his choice was not the right one, but Rowoon was a loyal follower of the duke, so he had no choice but to think about the duke, aside from other reasons. The duke looked at Rowoon with his head bowed and let out a short sigh. Rowoon was half right and half wrong. It was true that he regretted it, but it was something else that made his head throb. Diana, again remembering the face of the child, the duke pressed his fingertips on the burning temple and said to Rowoon. ¡°You don¡¯t have to bow your head for something that¡¯s not your fault. Raise your head.¡± ¡°Yes , my lord. If Your Majesty is concerned, I will look for the lotus doctor that has gone down to the country estate.¡± ¡°Lotus ball? He said he wanted to spend his last years quietly, and he left with a secret where he was going.¡± [T/N: i really don¡¯t know what that means] ¡°Yeah, but if you want to find it, you can find it. I¡¯ve been told that the lotus ball always said he¡¯d go where his kids were farming.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a place with children¡­ I don¡¯t want to disturb his old age, but it bothers me that he hasn¡¯t been properly compensated. Look for it. We need to give doctor Lotus the proper compensation so that he can live comfortably, as well as his children.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± As Rowoon bowed his head in response to the command, he heard a knock on the office door. ¡°Your Majesty, the Grand princess has arrived.¡± The butler¡¯s voice rang outside the door. The duke¡¯s expressionless expression flickered. He got up from his seat and said. ¡°Come in.¡± When the door to the office opened, Seia in a gorgeous yellow dress entered. ¡°Father!¡± Seia smiled brightly and rushed to the duke¡¯s arms. Duke paused and hugged her face to face. ¡°I think the Grand princess wanted to see your Highness.¡± Rowoon, who was looking at the duke and Seia with happy faces, said. Seia looked at Rowoon with her head turned in the Grand Duke¡¯s arms. ¡°I missed Rowoon too. Nice to meet you.¡± ¡°Really? The Grand Princess wants me to see her, so she¡¯s moved to tears¡­¡± Rowoon pretended to wipe the corners of his eyes that did not shed a single tear with his hand. Seeing this, Seia burst out laughing at her. *Rowoon, stop and look away.¡± The duke said to Rowoon, who was playing with Seia. ¡°Okay, then I¡¯m going to go away. Have a good time, you two.¡± As Rowoon left the office, the duke looked at and saw seia smiling brightly. CH 13 Faded blonde hair and pale golden eyes. ¡®Yes, this baby is my daughter.¡¯ The duke continued to deny his suffocating heart and repeated to himself. The Grand Duke said, stroking Seia¡¯s head. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the sofa and take a seat.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The duke took Seia¡¯s hand and headed towards the sofa. As soon as he sat down, he called the butler. ¡°Haron.¡± The general butler, who opened the door of the office and entered, bowed deeply. ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± ¡°Bring some tea and fruit for Seia to eat.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The butler left and the duke looked at Seia. Seia, who was still small, was waving her feet that did not touch the floor and smiling happily. ¡°Seia.¡± ¡°Yes, Father.¡± ¡°Is there anything you want to have these days¡± As soon as Seia was born, he left for the battlefield without even seeing her face. As a father, he had to stay with Seia, who lost her mother, but he didn¡¯t fulfill that role. Therefore, he wanted to fulfill his responsibilities as a father to Seia from now on. He couldn¡¯t undo the past, so he thought he should do better from now on. Because he returned to the grand castle, vowing to himself that he would grant everything she wanted. Even though he was facing his only daughter, he could not understand why he was so indifferent. Obviously, when he thinks of Seia alone, he promises to do better with the feelings of guilt and apologetics towards Seia, but when he actually meets Seia, this hurtful heart fades. Maybe it¡¯s because Seia doesn¡¯t look like Ariel? Just because she doesn¡¯t resemble Ariel doesn¡¯t mean she¡¯s not my child, but I couldn¡¯t stop myself from constantly looking for Ariel¡¯s appearance in Seia. ¡°Well¡­¡± Seia pondered and narrowed her brow. Then she soon moved her tiny lips. ¡°I don¡¯t want anything right now. Just being with my father like this makes me really happy. I¡¯ll tell you later when I think of it.¡± ¡°Yeah, you will.¡± Seia looked at him with a loving smile. But strangely, the duke did not feel that Seiya was lovely. He was unfamiliar with Seia, who didn¡¯t resemble Ariel in the slightest, but he decided that he would love the child no more. How long has it been since he made a promise like that, and did he feel such a strange sense of incongruity? Why are you doing this? The duke blinked slowly and looked at Seia, who was smiling brightly. She tried to find even the slightest bit of familiarity in the child¡¯s face, but the more he looked, the more strange it seemed. My daughter is unfamiliar to me because she doesn¡¯t look like Ariel. Had he gone mad by staying on the battlefield too long? If Ariel had been by his side at this time, she would have slapped him hard on the back for his ugly thoughts. The duke remembered Ariel¡¯s scolding for him, and he had a bitter smile on his face. It would have been nice if Seia had looked like Ariel a little bit. Looking at Seia, who has no resemblance to Ariel, with resigned eyes, he naturally thought of Diana. Diana. That woman¡¯s daughter. I¡¯ve never even thought about it, that child. It was disgusting to see her out of the world, so he didn¡¯t even give her a name. But every time I looked at Seia, and whenever I thought of Ariel, I thought of that child. How sad Ariel would be if she knew I was thinking like this. The duke built a self-helpful arsenal. Tok- ¡°Sir, the tea is ready.¡± ¡°Come in.¡± Hearing the butler¡¯s voice, the duke cleared his foolish thoughts. The butler, who came with a silver tray, laid down a plate of tea, fruit, and cookies on the table. ¡°It¡¯s my favorite butter cookie!¡± Seia said happily. The duke held out a cookie to Seia. ¡°You like this.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Thinking that I should remember it, the Grand Duke looked down at Seia eating. The duke stopped his gaze at the plate with the fruit. Beautifully sliced ??apples and pears were Ariel¡¯s favorite fruits while she was still alive. ¡®Come to think of it, they said that even when Ariel had Seia, she was only looking for these fruits.¡¯ The duke smiled timidly, recalling how he had airlifted apples from the southern estate for Ariel, who wanted to eat ripe apples in early spring. The duke took an apple with a fork and gave it to Seia, who had eaten all the cookies. Seia frowned as soon as she saw the apple on the fork. ¡°Ugh! Father, I can¡¯t eat apples.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t eat?¡± ¡°Yeah, I hate apples so much and they don¡¯t taste good¡± A strange feeling of discomfort passed over him. The Grand Duke stopped with a stiff face and put the fork down again. Just because Ariel liked apples doesn¡¯t mean Seia has to like them too. Thinking it was a foolish idea, the duke gave Seia another cookie. Seia, who took the cookie, said to the duke. ¡°Thank you. Father. Can I come over to the office often? I want to spend time with you. You¡¯ve been away for a long time.¡± Seia looked at him and said. The deep affection in the two eyes of the child was transmitted to him. It was a brief moment in those eyes, but the feeling of disappointment in Seia became a feeling of guilt and pressed on his chest. The duke gently stroked Seia¡¯s hair in embarrassment and smiled faintly. ¡°Yeah, then, you can come whenever you like.¡± Seia, who smiled brightly, nodded her head. ¡°Yes!¡± Seia went back to her room only after dinner time. The duke, who had send out all his servants, stood by the window and watched the red sky at sunset. He turned his gaze to the outbuildings where the servants and maids stayed in the distance. The annex was visible, but the small hut where the child would be staying was never seen from the castle. Because it was located in such a remote place. Whoop-. As evening approached, I heard the sound of the bitter winter wind blowing outside the window. Hearing the chilling wind, the duke remembered the little girl¡¯s back of her red hand. No matter how long she had dipped her hand in the cold stream, the back of her small hand was swollen enough to feel pain just by looking at it. It certainly wasn¡¯t a hand that had been dipped in cold water once or twice. From Diana, who was standing looking at him, the image of a child shivering from the cold that night was overlap. At that moment, an unfamiliar feeling surged in his chest. At that moment, I wanted to bring Leah and kill her. Why is it that the child she gave birth to betraying even the owner she served is acting like a slave? It was an incomprehensible anger, but even thinking about everything else, it didn¡¯t make sense to raise seia that much. Because the duke had seen how much effort Leah had to make to give birth to Diana. Even if she¡¯s only 10 years old. The duke instantly felt sympathy for Diana. And he narrowed his brow deeply at his own feelings for Diana. It was he who had been roaming the battlefield for 10 years and earned the modifier of a blood-crazed devil. But sympathy for Leah¡¯s daughter who is no one else! How ridiculous it would be to hear those who died at his hands. However, the appearance of Diana he saw was too tragic to be Leah¡¯s daughter, and it made him feel uncomfortable when he remembered what Ariel had said. Either way, he couldn¡¯t keep Ariel¡¯s words about not sacrificing the child. ¡°Sigh.¡±. ¨C I¡¯m doing it. ¨C When mom is busy¡­ I help Diana spoke with a calm face as if nothing had happened, but her bluntness made his heart even more uncomfortable. The person who was familiar with the situation that the young child came out of the laundry of the cold winter was itself. I¡¯d rather have not been uncomfortable because I was resembling her. But no matter how I looked at it, Diana did not resemble her a little. The more you see¡­ ¡°No, that¡¯s what it does not say.¡± Just as the cool voice of the duke cut off his own thoughts was scattered in the air, he heard a knock on the door of the office. ¡°Who are you?¡± Even the general butler was sent, so there was no one guarding the front of the office. The duke turned away from the window. Soon a familiar voice came from outside the door. ¡°Your Majesty, this is Edwin.¡± The duke looked at his watch. It is past 7 o¡¯clock, and Edwin is not the type of person to visit the office at such a time. What¡¯s going on? The Archduke returned to his desk and said to the door. ¡°Come in.¡± ¡°I wish you, Grand Duke.¡± Edwin entered the office, knelt down on one knee, and set the example of a knight. ¡°Stand up.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on at this hour?¡± ¡°Actually, I thought a lot about whether this was an important matter or not, but I had a feeling that I would regret it later if I didn¡¯t say it, so I was rude to this late.¡± Edwin shook his head as if sorry, but the duke waved his hand lightly as if annoyed. ¡°The introduction is long.Tell me the short one.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ I recently saw Diana¡¯s mother outside the castle.¡± ¡°You said you saw Diana¡¯s mother?¡± The duke¡¯s eyebrows rose sharply at the unexpected story. *** Diana opened her eyes, startled by the sound of the door being opened. ¡°Stop sleeping and wake up! How long are you going to sleep!¡± At Leah¡¯s sharp voice, Diana got up from her back bunk. She looked at the clock she wanted to know if she had overslept. She¡¯s 7:30. It was earlier than the time Diana usually woke up. Originally, Leah rarely came into Diana¡¯s room. And Leah has been leaving the house early in the morning these days, so she doesn¡¯t see Diana when she wakes up. But today it suddenly came. Also so early in the morning. Every time Leah did something unusual, Diana looked at her, holding her breath, as nothing good had ever happened to Diana. ¡°What kind of room is this? Really, do you not know how to organize properly?¡± Leah looked around her room and looked back at Diana, annoyed at her that she hadn¡¯t organized her clothes properly. Diana flinched at Leah¡¯s cold eyes. ¡°Because I have somewhere to go. Wash, change her clothes, and come down quickly.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± CH 14 Leah slammed the door and left, and Diana straightened her shrunken chest. But if you have somewhere to go, where are you going in the morning like this? I was curious, but I didn¡¯t have much time to think about it. If you don¡¯t prepare quickly, Leah¡¯s bad news will fall. Diana quickly washed her face in her bathroom and changed into the neatest gray dress of her clothes. At that time, when I was hand-blotting the folds of the dress, I suddenly remembered Leah¡¯s murmuring that I heard when Edwin took me home a few days ago. -Just be a little more patient¡­ At that time, I watched Leah with a suspicious look for a few days, but couldn¡¯t find anything particularly strange. Leah kept going out early in the morning and coming back late in the evening, and she never touched Diana. But today, something has changed. Diana stopped her moving hand at the ominous foreboding that coolly brushed her back. She said, ¡®Where are you taking me?¡¯ She couldn¡¯t possibly have called Diana by nature, given it was so early. Then where? A feeling that something bad was going on kept stimulating Diana. Diana stared at her reflection in the mirror and shook her head. ¡®No, nothing will happen.¡¯ After the duke returned, Leah suddenly stopped looking at people¡¯s eyes and stopped holding hands. She sees people and she wouldn¡¯t do anything to me outside. Wouldn¡¯t it be better if she wasn¡¯t at home? Diana suppressed her ominous premonition and brushed the dust off her dress with her hands. ¡®Don¡¯t even think about it, you should go down quickly. I don¡¯t want to hear my mother¡¯s voice other than that.¡¯ But as if she had been waiting, Leah¡¯s sharp cry was heard outside the door. ¡°come down quickly!¡± ¡°Yes! Coming, Mom.¡± Diana flinched at the sound of the voice and hurriedly left her room. The early mornings of winter were so cold that their breath became white steam and disappeared. The only clothes Diana was wearing were an old coat and a thin dress that wasn¡¯t enough to protect her from the cold. Diana shrugged as she looked at Leah¡¯s back with her thick coat and her shawl behind her. Then, Leah looked back. ¡°Walk quickly. It¡¯s gonna be late. ¡° Leah looked at Diana and clicked her tongue. It wasn¡¯t that she was sluggish, it was the cold that made her stiff, but she couldn¡¯t argue with her. Diana bowed her head at Leah¡¯s eyes full of irritation and walked faster. ¡®Are you going to the castle?¡¯ Leah was walking towards the castle. ¡®Did the Grand Duke call me?¡¯ Because if it weren¡¯t for that reason, there wouldn¡¯t have been any reason for Leah to take her back to the castle. As I continued to think, I suddenly remembered the figure of the duke I had seen at the riverside that day. For some reason, the duke looked at her with his eyes mixed with complex emotions, and his actions gave her incomprehensible kindness. But Diana immediately shook her head. Whatever the reason, she did not want Diana to meet the duke. She can¡¯t forget his cold eyes, the way he looked with contempt the first time she saw him. Because he was someone who could throw her out at any time, perhaps more dangerous to me than Leah. Until the day when Diana can leave the Grand duchy on her own, it would be safe for her to stay away from the duke as much as possible. The outer road to castle was visible. As Diana sighed inside her, Leah turned her body in a direction other than hers. ¡®Isn¡¯t she going to the mansion?¡¯ Diana panicked for a moment and could not follow Leah¡¯s steps. Diana stood blankly, and Leah turned around again and shouted at her. ¡°What are you doing? We are running out of time!¡± Not knowing what to do, Leah came over to Diana and grabbed her wrist roughly. However, the direction Leah took Diana and headed towards was the door where the maids of the annex were leaving the castle. ¡°Mom, Mom, hold on a second!¡± Diana shouted for the first time refusing Leah¡¯s actions. She was obedient, but Leah stopped her steps as if she was momentarily startled by refusal of Diana. Diana hurriedly asked Leah. ¡°Mom, are we leaving the castle now?¡± Leah was speechless for a moment and wrinkled her lips. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m leaving the castle. I need to get on the first carriage, but it¡¯s getting late because you¡¯re acting slowly! Do you want your mom to be mad?!¡± Leah raised her eyes and looked menacingly, but Diana felt her embarrassment ahead of her fear. Leaving the castle Diana had never been outside the castle since she was born. But she suddenly wants to take herself out of the castle? Diana¡¯s heart pounded with anxiety. ¡®Are you trying to kick me out of the castle? What if you leave me?¡± Was she not wrong with her ominous premonition? not yet, not yet So, when she went out of the castle without knowing anything at a young age, there was nothing she could do on her own. I didn¡¯t want to starve to death outside on a cold winter day. Just imagining it was scary and frightening, and it felt like the blood in my body was getting cold. Diana looked Leah into her distant eyes and opened her mouth. ¡°Mom, I don¡¯t want to go out. I was wrong.¡± Diana couldn¡¯t resist Leah¡¯s pull on her wrist, so she floundered and sat down. ¡°What?¡± Leah¡¯s eyes fluttered as if in bewilderment for a moment, and she looked around. But it was early, so no one was around. Leah, who made sure that no one was around her, frowned and said absurdly. ¡°What are you doing now? You don¡¯t want to go out. Are there any monsters outside the castle? Don¡¯t you fall on the floor, what ignorant behavior is this?! Wake up now! If you miss this one, the next one will be at noon.¡± Leah gave Diana¡¯s strength and pulled Diana¡¯s wrist. The difference in strength between her and Diana was clear. When she gave her strength, Diana¡¯s body went up. ¡°Oh, Mom, Mom, I was wrong. sorry. Please forgive me.¡± Leah exclaimed in annoyance as Diana spoke with tears in her eyes. ¡°If anyone sees it, they¡¯ll think I¡¯m going to throw you out of the castle. Really!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Diana kept her mouth shut. Leah¡¯s eyes fluttered for a moment as she knew my silence was affirmative. For a moment, she said, ¡®Ha!¡¯ She had her astonished face with an elusive no-nonsense. ¡°To say that you don¡¯t even know your parents¡¯ grace would be just saying to you. How did I raise you up until now and treat me like an unscrupulous molester? It¡¯s so ridiculous¡­ Wake up! I¡¯m going out to buy your clothes!¡± ¡°¡­Clothes?¡± ¡°Yeah! It¡¯s because I hate seeing people wearing the same clothes every time.The general butler and the maid are all so crazy all of a sudden. I don¡¯t have time to get up and do this right now!¡± Leah said with a really bored face. ¡®Can I trust you?¡¯ Diana was not completely skeptical of her. Flickering her body with her anxious eyes, Leah put her wrists away from Diana like that and grabbed Diana¡¯s body in a flash. Her light body lifted up without resistance. Leah looked at Diana with bitter eyes. She said, ¡°I don¡¯t have time to be with you, so be quiet. If you don¡¯t listen to me again this time, I¡¯m really not going to let you go.¡± Leah¡¯s voice sounded harsh as if it were serious. Diana bit inside her mouth and she thinks she¡¯ll be beaten to death before she¡¯s thrown away if she no longer rebels with her. I hope Leah¡¯s words aren¡¯t lies. *** ¡°I think this outfit suits you best. Would you like to do this?¡± A middle-aged woman with a warm expression looked at her and asked, Leah glanced Diana up and down her. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Diana looked down at the pale yellow dress she was wearing. The dress with pretty lace was just like the clothes Seia wore. In addition, the lining is soft and brushed, which has an excellent thermal insulation effect. Pretty and warm I couldn¡¯t help but be excited about the expensive clothes I was trying on for the first time in my life. ¡®Mom wasn¡¯t lying.¡¯ The Grand Duke had been running for over an hour in the woods as it was quite a distance from the downtown area. At first, Diana could not even see the scenery outside the window due to fear, but as soon as she entered the downtown area, she forgot her fear for a moment and was mesmerized by the scenery outside the carriage. A square with a fountain, a street lined with shops, and a lively scene of people. When I was staring blankly at the sight I had never seen before, the carriage stopped. Leah got out of the carriage holding her again, wondering if Diana would get off the carriage. As she set her foot on the square, Diana, who returned to her dazed spirit, tensed up and grabbed Leah¡¯s hem. I was afraid that Leah would abandon herself and run away. Leah looked at Diana with troubled eyes, but she did not shake Diana¡¯s hand. And she came straight to the clothing store now. She told Diana that she was choosing her clothes, repeating that she had put on several sets of clothes, stripping them. Diana lifted her gaze and looked at Leah. For a moment, Leah and her eyes met. Leah furiously raised her eyebrows, and when the shopkeeper¡¯s gaze turned to them, she smiled softly. ¡°Diana, do you like this outfit?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Leah asked her in a friendly voice, as if to tell her, but Diana was not ready to answer. First of all, Leah¡¯s kindness was a fake that was conscious of the gaze of the owner at the clothing store, and these clothes looked too expensive. I said I liked it, but I was afraid that I might lose my soul later. Diana looked into Leah eyes, fiddling with the ruffles of her dress with her hands. Then her shopkeeper looked at Leah and said: ¡°Ugh, this is perfect. This color goes well with your daughter too. If you¡¯re hesitating because it¡¯s expensive, I¡¯ll cut it down a bit. I will do it with this.¡± Leah said to the owner with a smile on her face as if she was troubled. ¡°From my point of view, this outfit seems to suit our Diana the best. Give me this one. Oh, give me those shoes and that hairpin as well.¡± ¡°Oh, my pretty girl would be nice, because your mom bought you so many good things.¡± The owner looked at Diana and said. Diana felt Leah¡¯s eyes staring at her, and forcibly raised the corners of her lips. ¡°¡­Yes, it¡¯s great.¡± ¡°Can you prepare something quickly? We¡¯re a little busy.¡± Leah spoke to the owner, and the owner quickly brought the shoes and hairpins. Diana wore yellow shoes similar to her pale yellow and pinned her hair pins with pretty jewels in light green. Diana in the mirror dressed up like that, she seemed to shine just like any other person. ¡°Beautiful¡­ ¡± Diana muttered a little and glanced behind her to see if Leah had heard it. But Leah was paying the owner for the goods. Diana turned her head again and looked at herself in her mirror. This won¡¯t be a dream She really couldn¡¯t believe Leah was buying these clothes. ¡°Diana, stop looking and come here, I have a place to go.¡± Leah glanced at her watch to see if she had paid the price, and then called Diana softly. As Diana approached, Leah reached out her hand as if to hold her. Excited Diana took Leah¡¯s hand and left the clothing store. Leah and Diana leaving the store were walking through the market and suddenly stopped because of a man standing in front of them. ¡°Two pretty mothers and a daughter. Let¡¯s go eat one of our sweets. It¡¯s just baked and it¡¯s really delicious.¡± CH 15 I shuddered to think it was a thief, but luckily the man was soliciting us as if he were the owner of a candy shop. Leah let out a short sigh and held out a small copper-colored coin to the man. ¡°Give me one to feed the child.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The man put a long cookie on a stick and handed it to Diana. ¡°Pretty girl, enjoy your meal.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Diana took the stick in her hand, and Leah hastened her steps again. Chasing after her as she walked at her brisk pace, Diana couldn¡¯t taste her sweets she was holding. She was just glad she didn¡¯t drop it. Again, where to go, Leah hastened her steps with a pretty impatient face. Then she abruptly stopped in a square with a fountain. And she had a young face that was bewildered by something. ¡°Oh my gosh! I left your bag behind!¡± ¡®Bag?¡¯ Diana glanced at Leah¡¯s other hand. Then she saw her hand holding nothing. When she left the house, Leah had come with the small handbag. It was as if she had left it in the clothing store. Leah looked back at me, ruffling her hair in annoyance. ¡°You. Come here.¡± Leah took Diana¡¯s hand and led her to the fountain in the square. In front of the fountain, there were chairs to rest. Leah sat Diana there and said. ¡°Since we don¡¯t have time, you sit here and wait patiently. I¡¯ll get my bag.¡± ¡°Am I alone?¡± Hearing that she was leaving her alone, Diana reflexively grabbed Leah¡¯s hem. Leag opened her mouth wide as if to shout at her, and then bit her mouth as if being aware of the people around her. After that, Leah took a deep breath as if holding back her anger, and lowered her body by bending her knees. She grabbed Diana¡¯s shoulder and forced her to smile. ¡°I don¡¯t think taking you back and forth costs twice as much time. The Grand Duke¡¯s carriage comes at noon, so I don¡¯t have much time. Wouldn¡¯t it be better for me to run quickly and get my bag in order to get home on time? Do you want to wander around here?¡± ¡°¡­No, but alone¡­¡± Leah¡¯s power, which was gripping her shoulders more and more tightly, made Diana¡¯s words blurry. Leah gently called out Diana¡¯s name. ¡°Diana, won¡¯t U get mad at you if you keep doing this? If you don¡¯t want to go home and be beaten, just wait patiently here.¡± Contrary to her soft voice, Diana shook her head and shook her head at Leah¡¯s harsh words. ¡°Time is running out anyway.¡± Leah looked at the tall clock tower in the square. As she followed her gaze and turned her head to her clock tower, it was really close to noon. ¡®Yeah, I know where the wagon is coming from, but it doesn¡¯t make sense to leave me here.¡¯ And it¡¯s true that Leah left her bag behind. Diana let go of Leah¡¯s clothes she was holding. Leah got up, smiling brightly as if she was satisfied just then. ¡°Please wait patiently here. I¡¯ll be back soon.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Perhaps it was not a lie that she said that she would come quickly, Leah looked ahead and walked toward the clothing store. Diana looked at her until Leah¡¯s back was no longer visible until she looked away, only when she disappeared. ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯ll be okay.¡± I knew where the carriage was coming, but when I was left alone in an unfamiliar place, I got scared. Diana comforted herself and held her hands tightly. To shake off her fear, she deliberately looked around the square. Because it was a warm morning when the cold had subsided, there were many people in the square. There were also children running around with parents and others who brought their children, lovers, and peers. Seeing them look peaceful, my anxiety gradually subsided. ¡®Your Majesty has been away for a long time, but the state seems to have had no problems.¡¯ Looking back, I remembered what the maids used to say. They said as if they were proud that the estate of the Grand Duke was the wealthiest manor in the empire. ¡°Hey there, sister.¡± Diana stopped her thoughts at the sudden sound of the voice. Turning her head, she saw a small child. The boy looked one or two years younger than Diana. Diana tilted her head as she looked at her boy¡¯s shabby attire. She was dressed very differently from the children running around the square. For some reason, Diana had a hard time taking her eyes off the child¡¯s thin clothes. She knows how cold it can be to spend the winter in that outfit. The boy stared at Diana and opened his mouth again. ¡°Is your sister¡¯s name Diana?¡± ¡°Huh? How did you know my name?¡± ¡°Someone named Leah sent me an errand.¡± ¡°Errand¡­?¡± The child took out two small copper-colored coins and a scarf and showed them to her. The scarf was something none other than Leah wore today. ¡®I guess my mother really sent him. ¡® The boy looked at Diana and said. ¡°The carriage time is up, so she told me to come right there. If you go over there, there is a shortcut, so go through the alley and come quickly.¡± Diana looked at the clock tower. As time passed, there were only ten minutes left until noon. She turned her gaze back to the boy. ¡®It wouldn¡¯t be a lie¡­?¡¯ Diana looked back at the shawl, which her boy was holding, with narrowed eyes. Then the boy held out her scarf to Diana. ¡°Here. I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m late. I didn¡¯t mean to have anything like that.¡± ¡°Yes¡­?¡± The boy seemed to have misunderstood Diana¡¯s gaze. The kid looked at Diana with desperate eyes as if it were real. Just like when Diana begs Leah for her fault, Diana straightened her slender eyes and smiled at her boy. ¡°I know. I just looked closely because it looked like there was dust on the scarf here.¡± As he handed her the shawl and pretended to brush off the unstained dust, she loosened her face as if the boy was relieved just then. The boy said as Diana got up from the chair. ¡°I¡¯ll take you to the alley.¡± ¡°Yes, thank you.¡± Diana hurried her steps with the boy as the time was running out. As she almost ran, when she arrived at the front of the alley, she stopped in a dark alley, unlike the bright one. She looked around there, but strangely, there were no people there. Although the entrance to the alley was only one block away from the market, this place felt like a secluded place completely separated from the city ¡®market.¡¯ ¡®Something doesn¡¯t feel right.¡¯ When Diana hesitated to enter the alley, the boy said. ¡°If you¡¯re scared, can I go with you? I go here often, so it¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°Huh? Oh, will you please?¡± Diana did not have time to hesitate at the boy¡¯s courageous words, so he asked. ¡®Would it be less scary if we went together?¡¯ Diana took the boy¡¯s hand as she nodded and walked into the alley. Maybe she walked half way down the alley. The sound of heavy footsteps was heard from behind. But strangely, the sound of footsteps felt like following a puppet. ¡®No, it can¡¯t be. Since there is only one road, they are probably just people walking on the same road.¡¯ Still, worried about something, the moment I glanced back, the man whose eyes met as if he had been waiting, revealed his teeth and smiled. With that smile, a noise erupted from Diana¡¯s body. A red-haired man with long cuts on his face wearing dirty leather armor. ¡®That person¡­ Dangerous.¡¯ And as if Diana¡¯s premonition was right, he giggled and opened his mouth. ¡°This, something good has caught on.¡± Diana grabbed the boy¡¯s hand tightly. For a moment, the boy¡¯s gaze turned to Diana. Diana whispered softly. She said, ¡°Run as soon as I let go.¡± And the moment she turned her head to let go of the boy¡¯s hand, she stopped at the sight of another man walking in front of her. The man with medium and green hair waved his hand as if he was pleased with the man with red hair. They were one The boy¡¯s hand trembled as if realizing that the situation had become dangerous. Diana grabbed the trembling boy¡¯s hand and spoke to the green-haired man in front of her. ¡°¡­we don¡¯t have anything. Please just let us go¡­¡± But the man burst into laughter at what was so funny. ¡°Hahaha! You¡¯re such a funny girl. Don¡¯t you have anything? cute girl, your very existence is money for me.¡± He had heard of servants buying and selling slaves illegally. Diana understood what the man meant, and it felt like all the blood was draining out of her body. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s more flattering than I thought. Even if I can¡¯t draw like this, I can get 100 gold?¡± As soon as the red-haired man approached Diana and said something, the green-haired man smiled happily and struck back. ¡°Yeah, this is really a business that remains as the end of that year.¡± ¡®Like that year¡­? I felt a strange sense of incongruity in their words, but because of the two men getting closer, I couldn¡¯t think of anything else. ¡°But what is this little boy? Didn¡¯t you tell me she was the only one?¡± The eyes of the red-haired man standing in front of Diana¡¯s nose turned to the trembling boy, not to Diana. The other man said it was annoying. ¡°I don¡¯t know, what¡¯s important. We have one thing to take care of, so get it done quickly.¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s time for the guards to patrol. I¡¯ll take care of this guy, the captain will take care of you.¡± As the green-haired man looked at Diana with a grim smile, another man drew his sword. What they meant was the killing of the boy. The boy¡¯s body trembled like an aspen, realizing what was going to happen to him. The blue eyes of the scared boy met Diana¡¯s eyes. Swish-. The moment the sword was swung, Diana pushed the child¡¯s body with all her might. As the child fell, the man¡¯s sword cut through the air. The moment when the two men panic. ¡°Run!¡± Diana shouted at the child and ran down the alley. Puck-. ¡°Ah!¡± But Diana couldn¡¯t run for long and fell forward at the pain she felt on her back. ¡°Ah, the small thing is annoying. It doesn¡¯t hurt to listen to the uncles, right? huh? isn¡¯t it?¡± The green-haired man, holding Diana¡¯s hair tightly, was smiling, exposing his dirty teeth. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°This must be a little scary.¡± The man giggled and pulled Diana¡¯s hair back as if it was about to break her neck. Not being able to breathe in properly, she clenched, but he further broke Diana¡¯s neck without mercy. ¡®God, I think I¡¯m going to die¡­¡¯ ¡°Aww!¡± She heard the scream of a child next to her, but there was nothing Diana could do. In the moment when tears flowed down through the spring in her consciousness blurred because she couldn¡¯t breathe, the body of the man who was holding Diana¡¯s hair flew away. ¡°Kek. Kek! Melancholy ¨C ha ha ha.¡± Diana slumped in front of her and caught her breath, which was clogged up. She was even nauseous, and then the screams of a man in agony raised in the alley. ¡°Aaaaah! Sa, save me¡­aaah!¡± Diana struggled and looked up to see where the scream was coming from. A black uniform and light blue hair symbolizing the knights of the Grand Duke. ¡°¡­.. Edwin.¡± ¡°Miss!¡± CH 16 Diana lost her consciousness as she looked at Edwin¡¯s face. Seeing the small body fall to the cold floor, Edwin roughly drew the knife that had been lodged in the man¡¯s leg. ¡°Aww!¡± A scream of pain could be heard, but Edwin didn¡¯t mind at all and ran to Diana, who had fallen. ¡°Miss!¡± Edwin hugged Diana¡¯s small body and felt a moment of dread at Diana¡¯s motionless appearance and hurriedly put his ear on her chest. Thump-thump-thump. It was weak, but her heart was definitely beating. ¡®She¡¯s not dead, just passed out.¡¯ Edwin, who was frozen like ice, sighed in relief. At that moment, Edwin woke up to the feeling behind him and turned his head. Then I saw a green-haired man trying to get out of the alley, dragging one of his messed up legs. ¡°How dare you!¡± Edwin took a dagger from his waist in the urgency that he should not miss him. However, at that moment, the man whose leg slipped and fell, and the dagger hit the man¡¯s back neck. ¡°No!¡± ¡®He must not die. ¡® Edwin took Diana in his arms and hurriedly ran to the green-haired man. Edwin frowned as he saw the man bleeding profusely. Thinking about the possibility, I touched the man¡¯s neck, but as if he died instantly as soon as the dagger hit him, no heartbeat was felt on the neck. ¡°Damn it.¡± Edwin let out a low swear word, stroking his head roughly with one hand. Edwin sighed as he looked at the two men who had fallen in his alley. The red-haired man was cut by the sword as soon as Edwin entered the alley. One should have been saved, but he couldn¡¯t judge rationally. The moment Diana fell, he was the man whose reason had blown away. Originally, you should have completely subdued the green-haired man and then ran to Diana. But the moment Diana collapsed calling his name, he couldn¡¯t think of anything else. And when he first arrived in the alley, he saw Diana¡­ ¡°I should have come earlier.¡± Edwin¡¯s voice, full of regret, lifted up the gloomy alley. As the smell of blood began to vibrate, Edwin held Diana gently. Then, a small sound was heard. Edwin approached the little boy he had forgotten for a moment. As if to come to his senses, the boy slowly blinked his eyes. The body of the child trembled when he found the body while looking around. Edwin quickly raised the child. Then he made eye contact with the child and said: ¡°It¡¯s okay, everything is fine now, don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Edwin was not dressed as a trembling boy. Old clothes and worn shoes. ¡®Is he an errand child?¡¯ He¡¯s got to get back to the Grand Duke quickly. Diana was still unconscious. She had to go back and get treatment from a doctor. However, leaving the child as it is was on his mind. And since all those who could be presented as a gift have died, maybe the child knew at least one thing. But I can¡¯t take this child with me. Just when Edwin narrowed his brow in a difficult situation, a guard appeared in front of the alley. ¡°What¡¯s going on there?¡± Edwin thought it was good and called them. ¡°It¡¯s a knight of the Grand Duke. Come this way.¡± ¡°Oh, yes!¡± Two guards, eager to hear that there was knights of the Grand Duke family, entered the alley. When the guards found the body, their eyes widened as if surprised. Naturally, the eyes of the guards turned to Edwin, who was holding Diana. ¡°Turn your gaze away.¡± Edwin¡¯s cold voice lowered the guards¡¯ gaze down. Edwin ordered them. ¡°Erase the body and take this child for temporary protection. If this child has nowhere to go¡­ please contact me again. ¡°All right.¡± Edwin left the still trembling boy with the guards and hurried out of the alley. *** In the castle of the Grand Duke, there was a heavy silence in the guest room. The doctor who was examining Diana, who was lying unconscious on the bed, got up. Then, the door swung open. Edwin, who was about to approach the doctor, was surprised by the appearance of the duke who suddenly opened the door and entered. ¡°I see you, Grand Duke.¡± ¡°Stand up.¡±¡± The duke passed the courteous Edwin as he approached the doctor. ¡°Is the examination over?¡± The duke¡¯s gaze glanced at Diana, who had her eyes closed, and then fell. The doctor bowed his head to the duke and said, ¡°There are no major internal injuries, but I can¡¯t say that she¡¯s in a very good condition. As if by surprise, her body energy was very disturbed. Maybe if her body was healthy, she was weak, so I guess I¡¯ll have to take medicine and watch the progress.¡± ¡± ¡­ Are you saying that her life could be in danger?¡± ¡°It¡¯s really the worst case, and it¡¯s not getting there to worry about yet.¡± ¡°Right.¡± The duke closed his mouth, feeling a strange sense of relief. ¡°Then, my lord, I¡¯ll go get some medicine.¡± ¡°Do it.¡± The doctor left the room and the duke stopped in front of the bed. There was no reason he had to be approaching Diana, but he didn¡¯t want to leave this room. When the general butler heard that Edwin had arrived at the castle with Diana, who was unconscious, he gave the child a room without hesitation and ordered him to call a doctor immediately. And he got up from his desk without realizing it. If he hadn¡¯t asked where he was going when he opened the door, he would have gone to the place where the child was. The duke, awakened by Rowoon¡¯s voice, sat down at his desk again and tried to finish his work. If only I hadn¡¯t been thinking of Diana. The Grand Duke could not finish all the work in the end and got up from his seat. He could feel him looking at him with a gaze that Rowoon did not understand, but the duke ignored him and headed here. If you sit still at your desk, you won¡¯t be able to do your job properly. So I tried to check only what state Diana was in. It was because he was worried for a moment that the skinny child had lost consciousness, and that the child victimized in the fights of adults would really die. So, he decided to just check the life or death of the child and return to the office. By the time he entered the room. However, the duke could not take his feet even now after confirming whether the child was alive or dead. Just when he was getting annoyed by himself and narrowed his brow deeply, Edwin approached the duke. ¡°Your highness.¡± The duke looked away from Diana and looked at Edwin. ¡°He killed the man, did he find work today?¡± ¡°Yes, it is.¡± The archduke¡¯s eyebrows rose in response to that answer. She was chasing after a woman and found the child?. The duke was momentarily suspicious. The duke looked at Edwin with a cold gaze and asked. ¡°Is there any chance this has to do with that woman?¡± ¡°That is¡­¡± Edwin paused at the duke¡¯s question. He was heartbroken, but he accidentally killed all the crucial witnesses. Seeing Edwin unable to give a clear answer, the duke recalled what Edwin had said to him a few days ago, late at night. -I saw Diana¡¯s mother outside the castle. ¨C You said you saw Diana¡¯s mother? ¨C Yes, Your highness gave orders to search for mercenaries who committed illegal acts in and out of the territory while the castle was vacant. -Yes, it was. The duke nodded and Edwin spoke again. ¨C In carrying out that order, when I searched the inn where the mercenaries often came and went, I saw the lady¡¯s mother there. -The inn where the mercenaries come and go? -Yes, especially the mercenaries staying at the inn were places where there were many mercenaries who were trafficking people illegally. It is said that it is a place where only the bad guys gather, so it has become a place that the residents of the Grand Duke family hardly visit. But her mother was working there. ¨C You said she works there¡­there were a lot of suspicious parts. The duke did not recognize Diana as his daughter, but when he went to the battlefield, he really thought he had spent the night with Leah by mistake, so he was providing a certain amount of money for living expenses. However, she dared to go out and work in a place where the most dangerous mercenaries out of many shops came and went. Why? At the woman¡¯s incomprehensible behavior, the duke said to Edwin, who bowed his head and bowed his head. -Edwin, you have to follow her from tomorrow. ¨C Yes, my lord. Edwin, who received the secret duke¡¯s order, answered with a firm face. Recalling that day, the duke saw Edwin licking his lips. Unlike Edwin, he couldn¡¯t give a clear answer. The duke felt strange and looked at Edwin with bitter eyes. ¡°Is there anything you didn¡¯t tell me?¡± Edwin¡¯s body stiffened at the duke¡¯s frost-like gaze. Edwin went straight to his knees. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I dared to hide something from His highness.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Actually ¡­ I wondered if it had something to do with the young lady¡¯s mother working there. I heard from another person who worked there, her mother was pouring alcohol to mercenaries who mainly deal in human trafficking. Because I heard that they often shared¡± But why does it have to do with Diana? ¡°Is there anything else?¡± ¡°The people who attacked the young lady today were mercenaries. I couldn¡¯t check their faces because I was in a rush to save the young lady, but if I check the faces with the guards and look into them, I can be sure that they must have been traffickers.¡± Hearing Edwin¡¯s words, the duke¡¯s face became as cold as ice. A brief silence fell between the duke and Edwin, as he could deduce one fact from what he had heard. The duke looked down at Edwin, who had his head lowered with a stiff body, and moved his lips. ¡°Edwin, raise your head.¡± Edwin tightened his neck, which did not move easily, and lifted his head slowly. Edwin held his breath for a moment in the vivid gold he encountered. It was as if the glittering gold inside was squeezing his neck. The moment Edwin was as hard as a stone, unable to blink, the duke moved his lips slowly. ¡°So, you¡¯re saying it¡¯s her who made Diana like that?¡± If he told a lie, a harsh blue energy was emanating from the duke as if he would cut his throat. A cold sweat ran down Edwin¡¯s back. ¡°¡­Yes, I guess so.¡± ¡°A mother made her child like that?¡± ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± CH 17 ¡°Why?¡± The duke also felt that Leah and Diana had a slightly strange relationship. But this is a mother trying to kill her child. The duke couldn¡¯t believe it at all. Because he clearly remembers Leah, who said that she would wear evil clothes and have children. ¡°That is¡­¡± ¡°Because it looks like the lady is being abused by her mother.¡± ¡®Edwin muttered inwardly. Edwin couldn¡¯t be honest. Because there was no sympathy for his words. He was just skeptical of his senses. Edwin grew up being beaten up by his father countless times as a child. If he didn¡¯t listen, he wouldn¡¯t be beaten or fed, so he had to go out and get something to eat. Edwin still vividly remembers that sad and lonely feeling at that time. But the day Edwin first met Diana, the eyes of Diana crying on the cold ice floor were the same as those of his childhood. So Edwin had forgotten that he was looking for the grand princess and reached out to Diana. And when he happened to meet Leah, he was convinced. She had a pretentious smile, but the look in her eyes did not show the slightest bit of affection. No, it was to the extent that I could feel her life rather than hiding her affection. However, since all of this was his heart, there was nothing he could say to the duke. Edwin was speechless and bit his lip. Seeing Edwin like that, a hypothesis that he wanted to ignore came to mind that could understand all of this in the head of the duke. Diana¡¯s skinny body and reasons to understand Diana who does bad things without a guardian. The duke said with his hardened face. ¡°Edwin, do you think that Diana¡¯s mother abuses Diana?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Edwin looked at the duke with a surprised expression on his face. ¡°I hoped¡­¡± Edwin wasn¡¯t the type of person to be sarcastic. If such Edwin had any doubts, he would almost certainly come true. No, he too was expecting Leah¡¯s abuse. He just wanted to deny his strong unconscious. The duke¡¯s gaze turned to Diana on the bed. She is smaller and skinnier than her peers. When we first met, he thought she was like a war orphan who lost her parents. ¡°But my lord¡­ Everything is just my suspicions, there is no solid evidence.¡± ¡°Edwin bowed his head as if he was sorry. The duke narrowed his brow at him. It was also just a guess, and there was no solid evidence. If abuse is right¡­ Someone must have known The duke immediately remembered the butler who behaved strangely the day he first saw the child. -But she¡¯s so small, she seems smaller than Seia. Is there any pain? It has already been 50 years since the Grand Duke¡¯s general butler took care of the Grand duchy. A person who has been working since the time of the Grand Duke of the predecessors said that a person who was not so experienced could not answer that common question¡­ It was definitely weird. A twinkle gleamed in the Grand Duke¡¯s gold. The duke looked at the door and said: ¡°Are you out there?¡± ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± The butler¡¯s voice came from outside the door. ¡°Come inside.¡± As soon as the duke¡¯s order was heqrd, the door opened and the butler entered. The butler bowed deeply to the duke. ¡°Did you call me, my lord?¡± ¡°Haron.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± ¡°How was your relationship with Diana and Leah in normal times?¡± ¡°¡­Yes?¡± The butler raised his head. The butler¡¯s gray eyes were full of embarrassment. In response, the duke felt his heart become cold for a moment. The duke looked at the butler with a cool gaze and asked. ¡°Why can¡¯t you answer me? Am I asking a difficult question now?¡± ¡°¡­That is¡­¡± ¡°Tell me the truth. I¡¯m already guessing.¡± At the words of the duke, the butler fell to his knees and bowed his head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Your highness. Everything is my fault. I should have paid more attention to managing the Grand duchy when you were not here, but I couldn¡¯t.¡± ¡°..Haron, have you ever seen her abuse Diana in person?¡± At the question of the duke, the butler¡¯s head fell even further. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen it before¡­ but the maids of the annex say that¡­ they didn¡¯t even take care of her meals properly. I heard that.¡± The duke clenched his fists at the butler¡¯s words. It was because she was starving because she was skinny and smaller than her peers. Starved in the grand duchy, the second richest in the empire after the imperial family. The duke could no longer deny Leah¡¯s abuse. ¡°Hey, how could she to a child she gave birth to¡­ a child that she struggled to give birth to¡­¡± At the same time as the feeling of losing reason, the duke could not easily calm the anger that was boiling inside. Why are you so angry? Faced with the fact that she had been abused, his anger was too great now to be like this. It was like finding out about Seia¡¯s abuse. He is well aware of the great upheaval that the child must have suffered, and that perhaps a child with no fault must have suffered harm. But he wasn¡¯t too emotional to just get mad at them. He acknowledged his sympathy for Diana, but it was just sympathy and no affection. But while reason thought so, his heart did not. The duke immediately had the urge to thrust a knife into the woman¡¯s neck. Is it because Diana resembles Ariel? I wanted to deny it, but I couldn¡¯t deny that I could see Ariel¡¯s face vaguely every time I looked at Diana. Leah¡¯s daughter is carrying Ariel¡¯s face. What kind of god¡¯s trick is this? ¡°Sigh.¡± The duke took a short breath and wiped his face with his hand. But even if Diana resembles Ariel, he should not be swayed by his emotions. ¡®That child is¡­ not my child.¡¯ The duke glanced at Diana and he saw the butler still on his knees. ¡°It was my fault for not taking good care of the Grand duchy¡± He said, asking for forgiveness, but in fact, I could understand the feelings of the general butler. He was the general butler who was particularly good with Ariel. But since Ariel died so vainly, he probably didn¡¯t even want to look at Leah and her daughter, Diana. He must have been aware of it, but he was just ignoring it. Yes, he can understand his mind. Because the duke himself gave them a reason not to care. But he also had a reason. Since Diana was the woman¡¯s daughter, they wanted to kill them all with his own hands, so she thought it wouldn¡¯t matter what happened. I hoped that my child, who was born so far behind Ariel, could not even make it up the family tree and was treated like a dirty illegitimate child and cried out in pain. If it were him, it might be right to laugh instead of getting angry now. Because I was destroying my own daughter, whom I risked my life for. But the duke couldn¡¯t help but laugh. Just when the duke¡¯s head was about to explode, he heard the servant¡¯s voice outside the door. ¡°Your Majesty, Grand Duke.¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ it seems that the lady¡¯s mother is making a fuss at the entrance of the mansion.¡± ¡°What?¡± As soon as he heard the servant¡¯s words, his mind returned as if someone had poured cold water on his head. She said the woman had come herself, the duke said in a cold voice to the servant outside the door. ¡°Bring her here right now.¡± Shortly thereafter, a knock on the door was heard. ¡°Your Majesty, sweetheart¡± ¡°Come in.¡± Since there was only one person coming anyway, the duke cut off the servant and spoke coldly. The door opened and Leah entered the room and saw two men kneeling inside the room and bit her lip. The atmosphere in the room was unusual. When Leah¡¯s face turned pale, Leah and the duke¡¯s eyes met for a moment, turning their gaze away. Leah hurriedly lowered her eyes and bowed her head in the sad gold that seemed to tear herself to death. ¡°I see you, Grand Duke.¡± ¡°¡­¡± After several minutes passed, the duke did not accept her greeting. Leah¡¯s waist began to tremble. The moment she thought that her back would break if she held on any longer, the duke¡¯s cold voice rang out. ¡°Raise your head.¡± Leah¡¯s face turned white with her head raised. The duke opened his lips as he looked at the disgusting woman who couldn¡¯t meet his own eyes. ¡°Why did you come here?¡± ¡°¡­Your Majesty, I¡­I¡¯m here to pick up my daughter.¡± ¡°Did you come to know what happened to your daughter today? No, the question is wrong. You must have made it that way¡­ Then, did you come to check to see if your daughter is still alive?¡± Leah, who was bowing her head at the duke¡¯s cold words, raised her head. ¡°What¡­you mean, coming to check if my daughter is alive? No matter how much I waited, Diana didn¡¯t come, so she wandered around looking for the market where she had come. As soon as she heard that she was here, she ran away, but how¡­ How could you say that¡­ your majesty, do you know why our Diana is lying there and what happened to her¡­?¡± Leah wiped her tears over Diana lying in her bed. Leah¡¯s face, looking up at the duke with tears in her eyes, was the face of a mother worried about her child. But, in case anyone else knew, the duke never believed Leah¡¯s tears. Because he already knew that she was a wicked woman who shook Ariel¡¯s heart by telling lies with her tears. The duke looked at Leah¡¯s tears with disgust and said, ¡°I¡¯ve already heard from the butler that you were abusing Diana and raising her. Moreover, the mercenary who attacked Diana today was a mercenary who had been in and out of the inn where you had been working for a while. Did you mean to kill her? Are you human?¡± Leah trembled at the sight of the duke who was tightening her whole body. The duke, who had been looking at her with his eyes as if he would cut her throat right away, withdrew his gaze with a harsh sigh. At that, Leah exhaled a choked breath and shouted in pain as if it were painful. ¡°No abuse! I have never abused Diana! She¡¯s my only daughter. Did the butler have said all of that, Your Majesty. You are human. But how can you believe such a man!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t see the butler, I heard what the maids of the outbuilding had to say! You didn¡¯t even feed the little girl properly!¡± The duke raised his voice in disbelief. CH 18 Leah, as well as the butler and Edwin, who were kneeling on their knees, trembled at his fierce anger. Leah crouched down, but even then, for a moment, she shouted evilly. ¡°It¡¯s because Diana¡¯s a picky eater, so it¡¯s for discipline! It¡¯s abusive, bring all the maids here! If you¡¯ve ever seen me beat Diana so terribly, bring them all and check it out. Please! I¡¯ve never abused a child, just disciplined them. Diana is my daughter!¡± Are you going to do the last one? The duke looked at Leah, who was looking at him with flashing eyes, and called the butler. ¡°Haron, find the maids who will prove Leah¡¯s abuse right now and bring them all.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± The butler got up and left the room. The moment the butler left the room, Leah¡¯s hand trembled. In case the duke finds out, Leah puts her hands together and holds them tightly. But the duke turned to Diana, who was unconscious, and not to Leah. A child who can¡¯t even see the slightest movement in this noise. When he saw the pale, tired face of the child and his heart was filled with complicated emotions, he heard a knock on the door. ¡°Your Majesty, I have brought the maids.¡± ¡°Come in.¡± The door opened and the six maids and the butler entered the room. The maids looked at the unusual atmosphere in the room and bowed their heads to the duke. ¡°I see you my Majesty the Grand Duke.¡± The duke cut their greetings and immediately asked them. ¡°All of you, say it right away. Are you the ones who saw that woman abuse Diana?¡± The maidens looked at each other with frightened faces at the sharp gaze of the duke. Perhaps because of fear, the butler, who was looking at the maids who could not speak, called one of them by name. ¡°Mary, didn¡¯t you tell me last time? I think Leah is bothering her too much.¡± A brown-haired maid named Mary rolled her eyes in embarrassment. ¡°¡­Yes?¡± The duke looked at Mary, who rolled her light brown eyes, as if looking into her eyes, said the duke. ¡°If you tell the truth, nothing will happen, so don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Mary unconsciously turned her head to the side where the voice had come from, and then hurriedly bowed her head in the eyes of the grand duke she met. Mary licked her lips and began to speak. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ I¡¯m a maid working at the laundry¡­ I always see a little girl coming out to do the laundry, even in the cold winter.¡± ¡°Are you just saying that I abused you by looking at it?!¡± Leah, who was still, shouted. The young maid flinched as if startled by Leah¡¯s voice. ¡°Who said it was okay to talk?¡± The duke¡¯s cool voice rang out. Leah kept her mouth shut at the look of the duke, who was colder than the bitter winter wind in the middle of winter. ¡°And did you say it was all? If you were only doing laundry in the cold winter, what the hell are you doing on a regular basis?¡± After the duke spoke coldly, the maid added: ¡°Sir, I have seen another thing. I have seen a maiden slapped on the face by a stream. This was not only seen by me, but also by the other maids.¡± Mary looked at the other maids beside her as if asking for help. She opened her mouth one by one to Mary¡¯s eyes. ¡°Yeah, I was at the laundry that day too, and I definitely saw it.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, I have seen it too. And I know that you have helped me a lot with hitting directly in front of others, Grand Duke.¡± ¡°Call the servant now.¡± When I told the butler, the butler made a troubled face. ¡°Kunta hastily resigned and left because something happened at home a few days ago.¡± ¡°Right.¡± As the duke narrowed his brow as if contemplating for a moment, Leah, who was glaring at his maids, shouted. ¡°Your Majesty. Their words¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to give you excuses for what you¡¯ve done. It¡¯s as if you¡¯ve already admitted to abuse from what you just said.¡± ¡± ¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡± Leah, clutching his hand tightly, was looking at him with eyes full of sorrow. Seeing this, the duke was in awe. The duke looked at Leah and said. ¡°Is your injustice more desperate than the feeling of Diana, who is lying there after being attacked by the mercenaries that her mother had instigated?¡± ¡°Ordering mercenaries?, my lord. I¡¯ve never done anything like that.¡± Leah said with a face that she would die of regret. However, the duke ignored Leah and looked at Edwin. ¡°Edwin, tell this woman what you heard.¡± At the words of the duke, Leah¡¯s gaze turned to Edwin. Leah checked his face properly and wrinkled his face. That man was the knight at the time he was with Diana. Leah, remembering that she had looked at her with a somewhat reluctant look that day too, faced Edwin¡¯s face hostilely. Edwin stared at Leah with cold eyes and slowly opened his mouth. ¡°According to a person who worked at the inn, the young lady¡¯s mother showed signs of trying to get to know the mercenaries who mainly deal in human trafficking, such as giving them more snacks. Sometimes, they said we sat down at their table and talked.¡± At Edwin¡¯s words, which seemed to have done a background check in advance, Leah felt the blood in her body get cold. Seeing Edwin driving her into a corner with a tenacious and bitter gaze, Leah bit his lip and clenched her voice. ¡°I¡¯m not¡­ I¡¯m not.¡± ¡°If you investigate the inn further and find out about the mercenaries you talked to, the evidence will come out soon.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t believe me no matter what I say, so I have nothing to say.¡± ¡°Yeah, you don¡¯t have anything to say. Even if it¡¯s not a mercenary thing, there¡¯s already enough evidence that you abused Diana.¡± The duke hardened his face. ¡°Haron.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± ¡°Take Leah to the dungeon and hold her until she repents. If she loses her mind, imprison her in a hut and do not give her any medicine, water, or food for three days.¡± ¡°Yes , my lord.¡± If it was a dungeon high, it meant cruel torture, not only whipping, but also plucking fingernails and claws. Leah, who had been contemplating at the duke¡¯s orders, shouted. ¡°Your Majesty, Your Majesty! Please help me!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll only torture you to the point where you won¡¯t die.¡± The duke only looked at Leah crawling on the floor with contempt. The servants grabbed Leah¡¯s arms and pulled her out of the room. While being dragged out, the archduke wrinkled his brows as his ears hurt at how evil he was screaming. But then, a faint moan was heard from the bed. A familiar sharp voice was heard. I have to get up Diana was moved by her instinctive fear. But she did not listen to her as easily as if someone had placed a heavy stone on her body. Diana let out a groan, her dream, and slowly lifted her heavy eyelids. ¡°Ah¡­¡± I blinked slowly at the colorful ceiling pattern I saw for the first time, not the wooden ceiling I saw every day. ¡®Where am I ¡­why am I here.¡¯ Trying to think of something, my head It was throbbing and I had a headache. ¡°Ugh.¡± As she frowned in pain, a low voice was heard. ¡°Are you awake?¡± Diana turned her head towards the voice. Then she met her eyes with the golden eyes that seemed to contain the light. ¡°¡­Your Majesty the duke.¡± ¡°Wait a minute. I¡¯ll call a doctor.¡± The duke looked at me and immediately turned his head and said, ¡°Haron, Diana is conscious. Call the doctor.¡± ¡°Yes , my lord.¡± At the same time as the butler¡¯s voice was heard from outside the room, a high-pitched woman¡¯s voice was heard from outside the door. ¡°Diana!¡± ¡°¡­¡± It was definitely Leah¡¯s voice. The moment Diana was startled, there seemed to be a commotion outside, and then Leah opened the door and ran to Diana. The duke¡¯s face could be seen wrinkled violently. But even for a moment, Leah grabbed Diana¡¯s face. Maybe she was crying, or Leah¡¯s eyes were red. Leah walked over to Diana and wrapped her hand around Diana¡¯s cheek. At the same time, tears fell from Leah¡¯s eyes. ¡°Diana, how much I, I was worried about you¡­ Hmm. I shouldn¡¯t have left you there alone, but it¡¯s all your fault. I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m really sorry. Diana.¡± As she listened to Leah¡¯s words, situations began to come to mind one by one. In the early morning Leah goes to the market to buy her clothes, she goes to find her bag, meets her boy¡­ Even being hit by mercenaries. When all Diana¡¯s memories came to mind, Leah hugged Diana¡¯s small body as if she couldn¡¯t bear it and burst into tears. She felt Leah¡¯s shoulders shake. The sound of her crying was so sad that if anyone else had cried so much, I would have shed tears as well. But it was Leah who was crying now, not anyone else. Leah is crying because she¡¯s worried about me¡­? She shook for a moment, but then, in her returned memory, the words of the green-haired man came to mind as a warning. ¨C As she said. It was obviously referring to another woman. And Diana knew is who she is She seemed to know what she was instinctively. When she realized it, she was horrified that Leah was holding her in her arms. ¡°Diana, please tell His Majesty. I did not abuse you, and tell me how much you loved you. If you don¡¯t tell me, you will die.¡± She¡¯s dying Diana¡¯s head was confused by the fear towards Leah and the unknown word of death. But she was not feeling well, and there was no force to push her away, so as she waited for Leah to stop crying, the duke said with a frown. ¡°Go out quietly, do not provoke my wrath.¡± Diana flinched at the cold voice of the duke. Leah, who was crying, slowly got her body up. Leah patted Diana¡¯s cheek pathetically, as if the duke was invisible. Whispering Diana¡¯s name softly. ¡°Diana, my only daughter¡­¡± Why the hell did she even want to kill her one and only daughter? Diana couldn¡¯t make eye contact with Leah like that, so she avoided her gaze, and she heard a squeaking noise. Leah turned her head to the duke. ¡°You can¡¯t take a child who is so sick. How can you separate her mother from a child who is still surprised. How frightened Diana would be without me!¡± Leah shrugged her shoulders as she cried out loudly. It felt like life was going to break her neck right away. The duke passed Leah and walked over to Diana¡¯s side. The duke¡¯s gaze turned to Diana. The eyes of Diana and the duke met. The bright golden eyes stared intently as if looking into Diana¡¯s inner heart. Diana trembled without realizing it. Seeing Diana¡¯s trembling, the duke¡¯s eyebrows rose sharply. He was looking at Diana with eyes mixed with complex emotions similar to her last time. CH 19 Looking at Diana without a word, he moved his lips slowly. ¡°I can only ask one thing, do you want to be with your mother?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Why are you asking that?¡± Diana shut her mouth, not knowing what to say. ¡°If you say no, you don¡¯t have to live with your mother anymore.¡± The Grand Duke said softly. Diana¡¯s eyes fluttered violently. ¡®What did I just hear?¡¯ If I can just say one word I don¡¯t like¡­¡¯ His unbelievable words made Diana wonder if she was dreaming of her. However, the gold eyes that she encountered were all looking at Diana. As if she wasn¡¯t dreaming. The one who helps her escape from Leah is the duke. Diana bit her lip, unable to understand the grand duke¡¯s actions. Because she didn¡¯t want to go back to Leah, and she couldn¡¯t take the duke¡¯s offer, which he couldn¡¯t believe, either. What should I do? She rolled her eyes and saw Leah¡¯s twinkling gaze. She was warning with her eyes. I¡¯ll kill you if you make fun of her mouth. Diana¡¯s spine trembled at the Sharp gaze. She had been tamed by Leah over the years. The moment I saw Leah¡¯s gaze, I had no choice but to say no. The moment she reflexively opened her mouth, the duke¡¯s body moved first. He completely covered Leah and looked down at Diana. And he opened his mouth again. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. As long as I¡¯m by your side, there¡¯s nothing that can do to harm you here. So you just need to say one word.¡± Truly, strangely, the moment I heard his words, my heart, which was beating with fear, gradually subsided. It was absurd that she felt relieved by the duke. He is Diana¡¯s biological father and the one who abandoned her. But if I had to choose between the duke and Leah, it was now the duke. She didn¡¯t want to go back to the woman who tried to kill her. Diana moved her mouth slowly as she looked at the duke. ¡°¡­No¡­uh.¡± The corner of the duke¡¯s lips, who was looking at Diana, rose smoothly. He did not turn his gaze away from Diana, and commanded the butler outside the door in a loud voice. ¡°Haron, take Leah out. And get Diana¡¯s room in the mansion right now.¡± *** Blink, blink. Diana was blinking her eyes as she stared at the glamorous ceiling that she could never fit in. ¡®I really want to stay here.¡¯ I remembered the commotion that had just happened a few minutes ago. If it was just a word of dislike, the duke really protected it. At the duke¡¯s command, the servants dragged Leah out of the room. Of course, Leah did not accept it. The duke blocked her from seeing her face, but her voice could be heard clearly. ¨C Diana! How could you do this to me, Diana! It sounded sad at first glance, but Leah¡¯s voice calling out Diana¡¯s name was full of evil. Diana¡¯s body trembled at the voice, but soon her voice could no longer be heard. ¡°You too, go away.¡± The duke gave a congratulatory order to the maids who had all witnessed Leah being dragged out while she was white. The maids left and a moment of heavy silence settled in the room. The duke, who was looking at Diana with a complicated gaze, ordered Edwin to guard the room and left the room. All of this happened in just a few minutes. Diana opened her tightly closed lips only after the duke left the room. ¡°I¡¯m not dreaming¡­¡± I thought it wasn¡¯t, but it still didn¡¯t feel real. The soft bed I was lying in, the soft blanket that wraps around my body, and even the warm room where the cold wind of midwinter did not come in at all. If this is a dream, it must be a sweet nightmare. As Diana¡¯s small whispers dispersed through the air, Edwin¡¯s voice was heard standing by her side. ¡°It¡¯s not a dream.¡± ¡°Edwin¡­¡± Turning her head to see him, he squinted his eyes. ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, shall we pinch?¡± ¡°¡­Is that so?¡± Edwin moved his hand before Diana could even move her hand to pinch her cheek. He pinched his cheek tightly and frowned in pain. ¡°Ah!¡± Diana¡¯s eyes widened in surprise at his loud voice. ¡°Are you okay? Why are you pinching your cheek?¡± Edwin smiled as he brushed his pinched cheek. ¡°Of course you can¡¯t pinch her cheek. Don¡¯t worry, lady. I just checked and it¡¯s definitely not a dream.¡± Really¡­Why is he being so nice to me? Diana swallowed while looking at Edwin. Today, if he hadn¡¯t come to rescue her, Diana probably wouldn¡¯t have been able to lie comfortably in the castle like this. Either dead or sold somewhere now She might have lived a more miserable life than that. Diana moved her lips slowly as she looked at Edwin. She said, ¡°Edwin is late, but¡­thank you.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Today¡­ you saved me.¡± The corners of Edwin¡¯s lips, who were smiling at Diana¡¯s words, went down. ¡®Did I say something wrong?¡¯ When he was looking at her eyes, Edwin took a step closer to Diana. He approached the bed and lowered his posture by bending one knee instead of sitting on the chair by the bed. Edwin, who made eye contact with Diana, who was lying down with only his head turned, smiled softly again. ¡°Lady, I told you back then, but you don¡¯t have to tell me that. I¡¯m a knight to protect you.¡± ¡°But ¡­¡± Edwin said in a firm voice as Diana rolled her eyes and looked at her. ¡°Don¡¯t look into my eyes. No matter what the lady does, I will always be her knight. All you have to do is give a command.¡± Edwin¡¯s green eyes were looking at Diana without wavering. Diana, who was staring into his eyes like a large, old tree in a wide forest, nodded slowly. ¡°Ugh¡­ But, I want to say it this time, thank you.¡± Because he saved me and my life changed. It did not simply save me from a single danger. Thanks to that, I was able to get away from Leah as well. I don¡¯t know what will happen in the future though. Edwin widened his eyes as if surprised by Diana, who said thank you very quickly in case he would refuse. Made my smile ¡°Haha, really¡­ Oh, I shouldn¡¯t say things like this, but you¡¯re so cute. Then I¡¯ll only take this time to say thank you.¡± Edwin laughed, saying Diana was cute, and Diana¡¯s eyes widened. She¡¯s cute ¡°He said that while Diana was embarrassed by the words she didn¡¯t agree with, she was also in a good mood. Because it was the first time I¡¯d ever heard the word cute. Diana shyly averted her gaze and smiled bashfully. I wish the peace of this moment could continue. Instead beatings of Leah or the duke who doesn¡¯t know when to kick me out, I just thought that I would like to live with Edwin like this, when the closed door opened. The one who opened the door was none other than the duke. Edwin, who was looking at Diana, got up hastily and knelt down to the duke. ¡°I see you, Grand Duke.¡± ¡°Stand up.¡± Diana, who was looking at Edwin¡¯s back with an intriguing gaze at the greeting of the first knight, turned her head to the low voice that echoed above her head. ¡°Is there any pain?¡± When she turned her head, the duke is looking down at Diana. ¡°¡­Yes.¡± ¡°Right.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The duke listened to Diana¡¯s answer and looked down at her silently. An uncomfortable silence settled in the room. It was difficult to read something in the eyes of the duke. The duke¡¯s face was almost expressionless, and his golden eyes were always cool. However, unlike in the past, the reason I do not avoid his gaze is at least because I no longer feel contempt for myself. I don¡¯t feel any contempt, but¡­ Does he have any regrets? I suddenly had a thought. Perhaps it was an impulsive decision. Therefore, it is highly likely that hewill regret having brought her into this house. Does she have to go back? If he goes back to Leah now¡­ Just imagining it was too scary. Leah certainly won¡¯t let herself go. Let alone beating, this time it¡¯s really will kill me As she recalled the stick she used to beat her, her body throbbed as she remembered his pain. Diana gripped her blanket tightly in her fear. At that moment, the duke¡¯s voice resounded in his ears. ¡°Your face is pale, is there really no pain anywhere?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Diana, who looked at the sound naturally, flinched. His eyes seemed to be worried about her. Nonsense. The duke can¡¯t worry about her. It was a moment, but as he was embarrassed by his own misunderstanding, and as he closed his lips tightly, the brow of the great prince narrowed. ¡°Okay, you¡¯re still not feeling well. Edwin.¡± His gaze on Diana turned to Edwin. Just as the duke was about to move his lips, he heard a knock on his door. ¡°Your Majesty, the doctor has brought medicine.¡± ¡°Come in.¡± The door opened, and a doctor and a maid with a silver tray entered. They walked straight to the bed and bowed deeply to the duke. The Grand Duke, who was greeted, waved his hand as if he had an urgent business, and said immediately. ¡°Get up.¡± The duke opened his mouth again before the doctor could lift his head. ¡°Baron, Diana seems to be getting sick again, so please check her condition.¡± ¡°¡­Yes ,Your Majesty.¡± His name was Baron. I¡¯ve met the doctor twice, but this spring is the first time I¡¯ve known him. ¡°Lady, where are you sick?¡± ¡°¡­No, it¡¯s okay.¡± Diana became pale not because she was sick, but because she imagined Leah. As she shook her head, Baron¡¯s forehead narrowed. He scanned Diana¡¯s body and touched her pulse. ¡°Hmm¡­you seem more unstable than before.¡± CH 20 At Baron¡¯s words, her hand, which was holding the quilt, trembled. Because she was stabbed in the corner. Baron wrinkled his forehead as if in deep thought and turned his head to the duke. ¡°Your Majesty, she seem to be more unstable in mind than in physical pain right now.¡± ¡°Mind?¡± The duke¡¯s gaze turned to Baron after seeing Diana. ¡°Yes,Your Majesty. Her body¡¯s energy will be greatly improved with medicine, but her unstable mind will not be treated with medicine.¡± ¡°Why did her mind suddenly become unstable? There wasn¡¯t such a thing earlier?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t good before, but I didn¡¯t tell you because it wasn¡¯t as severe as it is now. Did anything happen in between? If the unstable state of mind persists, it¡¯s not good for her body to recover¡­ I wish.¡± The duke let out a short sigh at the doctor¡¯s words. He narrowed the gap between the bed and said to the doctor what he was thinking. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s start with the medicine.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± As Baron replied, the maid walked over to Diana, placing her silver tray on her bedside table. She held Diana¡¯s torso, who couldn¡¯t move. The maid, who supported Diana with a cushion on her back, came back with a silver tray. A small crystal glass was placed on the silver tray. And inside the glass was a green liquid that you could guess the taste just by looking at it. ¡°You will use it a lot, but you must eat it all, miss.¡± With the help of the maid, Diana took the medicine and squeezed her hand as she gripped the blanket. ¡®It¡¯s not like I used a lot.¡¯ Nausea rose in the moment at her disgusting taste, but she couldn¡¯t even frown on her because of the duke looking at her. I was worried that if I spit out medicine or frowned, the duke would kick me out. After swallowing all of her pills, Diana exhaled her breath ¡®who¡¯. A foul odor spread from her mouth. The maiden as well as the duke¡¯s face was wrinkled, as if the smell resembled it. When I regretted that I was going to breathe out a little late, duke looked at Baron and said, ¡°Is this the smell of a chitus herb?¡± ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± The Grand duke¡¯s eyes widened in surprise at Baron¡¯s answer. Soon, his face hardened coldly. ¡°Isn¡¯t that herb disgusting even for adults, so it¡¯s hard to eat it? She ate it as a child? There must be a Dahlia herb that has the same effect as chitus, so why did you use it?¡± Baron¡¯s face was dyed with embarrassment at the cool gaze of the duke. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ Your Majesty, Daleian herbs are very precious and there are many of them in the Grand Duke. There is no silver¡­ It¡¯s just¡­ an unusable herb.¡± Baron glanced at Diana and spoke carefully to the duke. After Baron¡¯s words were finished, there was silence in the room for a moment. Everyone understood the meaning of Baron¡¯s words. He said he couldn¡¯t afford expensive herbs for the illegitimate child, Diana. The duke¡¯s gaze turned to Diana for a moment. Diana gently lowered her eyes as if they were examining my expression. It wasn¡¯t just that she had this happen once or twice, it was enough that she could get treatment. But the duke¡¯s hand caught Diana¡¯s attention. The duke clenched his fists so tightly that his bones were clearly visible. It was as if he was struggling to hold back his boiling anger. The moment she was terrified of his incomprehensible behavior, the duke¡¯s low voice rang out. ¡°It¡¯s okay to use all of Daleia, so don¡¯t think about anything else for Diana¡¯s treatment in the future.¡± What? Diana raised her head, who had been so surprised. The eyes of the duke and Diana met. It¡¯s okay to use all the expensive herbs, so don¡¯t waste it. She wondered if what she had heard was right. As she looked at the duke with unbelievable surprise, her golden eyes that met him were slightly shaken at this moment. Soon the duke first avoided Diana¡¯s gaze. The duke narrowed his eyebrows slightly, looking at Baron, who was still unable to hide his surprised light. ¡°¡­Baron, why no answer?¡± ¡°Yes? Oh, yes, I¡¯ll keep that in mind. Your majesty.¡± Baron bowed his head to the duke. It was then that Diana knew that she had heard it right. She couldn¡¯t understand the duke¡¯s actions, but the first feeling she felt was relief. At least now she didn¡¯t think he would drive her out of his castle. Even if Diana could not understand, for now, she decided to just think about not going against the will of the duke. ¡®Now I have to survive here somehow.¡¯ Now that she¡¯s not with Leah, it¡¯s no different than being kicked out of the castle right now. If she returns to Leah and is immediately kicked out of the castle in this state, the result will be only death. So, in this mansion, you live like a dead mouse, only breathing. Most of the maids of the Grand Duke were people who had worked since childhood, and sometimes they would talk about the things they did when they were young. At that time, there were a few stories that I had listened to. What little children can do. So let¡¯s stay here until the age of 15. Diana decided to put aside all incomprehensible questions for the duke and think about only one thing. To survive. ¡°Miss, you will soon be feeling well. Put away your anxiety and get a good night¡¯s sleep.¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± At Diana¡¯s answer, Baron blinked at her maid. She smiled as if like everything¡¯s fine ¡®I wish Edwin was always by my side.¡¯ As the corners of Diana¡¯s lips rose slightly at his smile, a low voice echoed through the room. ¡°Edwin.¡± Startled by the duke¡¯s call, Edwin smiled and bowed his head to the duke. ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while, so just go back and take a look.¡± Already have to go? Diana glanced at the wooden wall clock on the other side of the room. Contrary to Diana¡¯s desire not to let Edwin go, it was past 9 pm as the duke said. If you go today, when can I see you again? The castle side was closer to the Knights Templar, but there are a lot of eyes to see here, so you won¡¯t be able to pretend like you know when you¡¯re staying in a hut. ¡°Then let¡¯s go back. Your Majesty.¡± Diana, unable to hide her disappointment, greeted the duke and stared at Edwin¡¯s back as he left the room. Tak, it was only after the door closed that Diana blinked slowly. ¡®I¡¯m really gone.¡¯ When Edwin left, this spacious room felt cold for nothing. Even though the temperature in the room was kept warm by the thermal magic. ¡°You look bad.¡± In a low voice, Diana said, ¡°Okay,¡± and grabbed the blanket tightly. Grand Duke is still in this room. Thinking only of Edwin, I forgot his existence for a moment. He is a person who exudes an unforgettable presence. Diana glanced into her eyes and looked at her duke. She raised one of his eyebrows sullenly. It¡¯s like you don¡¯t like something. Diana forced her lips to open, as she recalled what the duke had just said. ¡°¡­I think it¡¯s because I took the drug.¡± It was a roundabout word. Fortunately, the duke lowered his eyebrows without any doubt. ¡°Well¡­ that medicine was too strong for a child to take¡­¡± The duke extended his lips and bit his lips as if he was thinking about something. Diana, who was looking at him like that, felt a languid energy gradually spreading as if words had become seeds. ¡®Well¡­I can¡¯t do this¡­ ¡® When the Grand Duke leaves, she should say hello, so he would think she was a polite child¡­ Reason shouted, but her young body had no way to stop the poisonous energy. Her blinking speed slowed down, and her limbs lost strength in a feeling of weary. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± She took a small breath to shake off her sleep, but with that short breath, Diana completely closed her eyes. Shrimp, Shrimp. The regular sound of a child¡¯s breathing echoed through the room. The duke, who had been immersed in his thoughts alone, was awakened by the sound of his breath. As he lowered his gaze, Diana, who had already fallen asleep, came into the eyes of theduke. ¡°When did you fall asleep?¡± Obviously, I was looking at her with a dead face just up until recently¡­ Children usually fall asleep so quickly. ¡°Or is it because the drug is poisonous?¡± The duke¡¯s forehead narrowed as he thought of the caithus herb Diana had eaten. It was partly because of the remnants of the poisonous smell that stimulated his sense of smell, but it was also because he remembered Diana¡¯s face after eating it. The child¡¯s face became paler than before taking the medicine, probably because she was putting up with the nausea that came up. The appearance of Diana, who looked at the grown-ups, rather than frowned even after eating herbs that even adults could not eat, made him feel very bad. ¡°Sigh.¡± The duke also let out a short sigh at the intensifying feelings in relation to the child. ¡°I¡¯ve already swung enough.¡± The duke muttered to himself lowly. He brought the child into the mansion, worried about the child¡¯s health, and even used expensive medicinal herbs for them. Not for his own children, but for Leah, the child of that disgusting woman. ven thinking of Seia, he shouldn¡¯t care about Diana any more. The duke cleared his complicated mind and looked away from Diana. As he turned to leave the room, a faint sobbing echoed in the room. ¡°Huh¡­ Black¡­¡± Diana¡¯s sobs. The foot of the duke who took one step at that small sound just stopped. The duke looked down at his feet, which he could not possibly fall from, and wrinkled his face mercilessly. Reason was screaming to get out of the room, but his body and his feet didn¡¯t move as if they had stuck to the floor. ¡°¡­I¡¯m really going crazy.¡±, The duke took a deep breath and turned hid back to the bed on which Diana was lying. ¡°Bump¡­¡± And tears flowed down the side of the child¡¯s eyes. And at that moment, as if possessed by something of his, the duke reached out to Diana and wiped away the child¡¯s tears. ¡°What the hell are you doing¡­¡± A self-helpful voice rang out, but the duke could not withdraw his hand from Diana. Whatever she was dreaming of, Diana was shedding her tears and letting out her sad sobs. Suddenly, the words of the doctor came to mind. -Your Majesty, you seem to be more unstable in mind than in body pain right now. ¡°Maybe she misses her?¡± CH 21 It was the first thought that came to mind after hearing it from the doctor. She was a young child, so his words scared her, and she did not respond that she did not want to go to her mother. I separated Diana from her because I assumed she had abused her, but she is only 10 years old, so it is not unreasonable for her to seek out her mother instinctively. Should we send her back and put surveillance on her instead of forcing them apart? It was an unsatisfactory alternative. Diana¡¯s lips moved as the wrinkles between her brows deepened in his head and emotions, which had been complicated by Diana. ¡°¡­Send¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± For a moment, I thought she was awake, but Diana¡¯s eyes were still closed. Was she sleep talking? Then, Diana¡¯s lips moved again. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about, it¡¯s too small to hear.¡± The duke stared at Diana muttering in silence. It made him uncomfortable to ignore it as just sleep talking. Tsk, the tongue-tied Grand Duke leaned over with an inaudible sound and put his ear to her small lips. ¡°Oh, please¡­ Don¡¯t send it back to my mother.¡­please don¡¯t¡­¡± A single sob pierced the duke¡¯s ear. When he heard the pitiful murmur, the Grand Duke¡¯s face hardened like stone. He rose slowly from his position. ¡°Ha.¡± The child who is looking for her begs her mother not to let her go. Cold arsenic dripped from his lips. How much you have irritated the child. [T/N: I don¡¯t know what he means] The Grand Duke clenched his fist as he couldn¡¯t resist the intense anger spreading through his chest. I opened my hand. There was still anger, but he saw something more disturbing than that Diana¡¯s tiny hands crumpled in the quilt, trembling with fear. The hand caught his eye. ¡°This is an act of excess.¡± Even though he told himself so, his body had already settled in a chair beside the bed. The Grand Duke covered her trembling little hand with his hand, thinking himself. As if not to be afraid And he gripped the little hand and whispered slowly. ¡°I will never let you go, so don¡¯t be afraid.¡± Is this sympathy, too? I had questions, but I couldn¡¯t bear to let go of Diana¡¯s hand holding her thumb tightly. *** ¡°How are you feeling, miss? Is the stuffy and bitter feeling gone?¡± Diana nodded at the doctor¡¯s words. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s better.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Then I don¡¯t think you need to take any more medicine. I think the treatment went very well.¡± Doctor checked Diana¡¯s body once more and told the butler who was watching the situation from behind. The butler, who stood silent until the doctor¡¯s treatment, opened his mouth. ¡°Mr. Baron, last time you told me not to change her surroundings for a while because of her unstable state of mind, but what about now? Do you think you can move?¡± ¡°Oh, you said we should move rooms.¡± Baron hit his thigh lightly with his hand as if he had just remembered what the butler said. ¡°Yes, your room is already ready. If Mr. Baron allows me, I¡¯ll move it today.¡± Baron looked back at Diana with a short groan. Barron, soon turned to the butler. ¡°Now that you¡¯re feeling much better and mentally stable, I think you can change rooms.¡± ¡°I see, Mr. Baron.¡± Baron¡¯s eyes turned to Diana again. The doctor, who always showed only a stiff face, smiled slightly at Diana. ¡°Then I hope you¡¯ll be healthy and don¡¯t see me again. Lady.¡± ¡°¡­Thank you for the treatment.¡± Diana hesitates with him as he¡¯s about to get up. I plucked up my courage and thanked him. It has already been a week since Diana collapsed and stayed in the guest room. Although she was expressionless every time, her doctor kept a close eye on Diana¡¯s physical condition every day. Thanks to him, Diana was able to recover quickly. That¡¯s why I took courage and thanked him even a little. Upon hearing Diana¡¯s greeting, the doctor rose from his seat with a brighter smile. ¡°Then I¡¯ll leave now. Oh, do I have to report to the Grand Duke myself?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m going to do today¡¯s report. Thank you, Mr. Baron.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± When the doctor left the room, Diana was left alone with the butler. ¡°It¡¯s uncomfortable.¡± An unknown servant would have been less inconvenient. Like the other housekeepers, the butler was a force to be reckoned with. In fact, Diana is in a position to watch out for, let alone ignore. He¡¯s the butler who served the duke himself and managed the mansion of the great house for a long time. What¡¯s fortunate is that on the first day he stood in front of the Grand Duke, Diana¡¯s eyes, which looked at her contemptuously, disappeared after helping the troubled butler. Of course, that didn¡¯t mean to have a good feeling for Diana like Edwon. In any case, the butler now sticks to an emotionless attitude, not an enemy or a favor, which made Diana even more suffocated. Because we don¡¯t know when he¡¯s gonna change. However, the butler¡¯s voice rang in the room when she was still wiggling the bedclothes with her hands because she could not run away or have the courage to talk to him first. ¡°If you¡¯re feeling well, miss, I¡¯d like you to go to your room now. Can you move?¡± ¡°Oh, yes!¡± Diana answered right away. ¡°Then I¡¯ll show you to your room now. Do you have anything to pack?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t.¡± I didn¡¯t bring anything in the first place, so there¡¯s no way I¡¯ll be long. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go.¡± Diana got out of bed at the butler¡¯s words and followed him out of the room. Diana followed him up to the second floor and stopped in the room on the right end of the corridor. The butler turned around and said to Diana. ¡°This is the room where you will stay.¡± As soon as he finished saying that, he opened the door. Through the wide open door, I could see the inside of the wide room. ¡°Wow.¡± Diana entered the room with a little exclamation. It was an incomparably larger room than the hut room. And, perhaps reflecting a young girl¡¯s taste, the window was dressed with yellow curtains, and the bed was dressed with light yellow bedding. ¡°Do you like it?¡± The butler asked Diana, who was looking around the room with sparkling eyes. ¡°Yes, I love it!¡± Diana answered him in a slightly higher voice. Diana¡¯s bright answer made the butler¡¯s eyes look a little surprised. It died down. ¡°I¡¯m glad you like it.¡± The butler said slowly, with an uncomfortable look on his face. He glanced at his watch and opened his mouth again. ¡°Then I¡¯ve got something to do, so I¡¯m going to get going. The maid will bring the meal to your room when the time comes. If you need anything else, pull the rope by the bed. Then the maid will come to your room.¡± ¡°Yes, I got it.¡± The butler bowed and left the room. As soon as she heard the door close, Diana smiled with patience. ¡°It¡¯s really nice.¡± A bed, a table, and a small sofa were all there was to it, but I will never forget this day for the rest of my life. For the first time in my life, I have my own space. We don¡¯t know how long it will last, but at least when Leah will scream. The worry of when to open the door and come in and hit me has completely disappeared. I especially liked the fact that I couldn¡¯t even see the roof of the gloomy cabin where Leah lived outside the window. ¡°Stay dead here until you become an adult.¡± And when I become an adult, I will leave the Great duchy and work hard to buy my own house that is much nicer than this room. As I sat on my bed imagining happy imaginations, the door burst open and the sharp high-toned voice rang. ¡°It was true!¡± ¡°The Grand Princess.¡± Diana rose from bed in astonishment. Seia¡¯s shout struck my ears. Diana almost made an impression on Seia¡¯s high voice that echoed her eardrums, but fortunately, she was able to spread her face that was about to crumple with her quickness. ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡± Diana looked down hastily and bowed to Seia. I didn¡¯t promise Seia that I wouldn¡¯t come into the mansion, nor did I come here because I wanted to, but there wasn¡¯t much Diana could say to Seia. It is a slap that comes back even if you argue for nothing, or in the worst case, the Great Duke may send Diana back to Leah, saying she confronted her daughter. Therefore, we have no choice but to pay for the mistake, hoping that the anger of the Grand Princess, who is as high as the sky, will be relieved even a little. However, Seia breathed out a huffy breath as if her anger had subsided even though Diana bowed her head. ¡°Sorry? If you¡¯re sorry?¡± It¡¯s different that you¡¯re here right now! How can something dirty like you enter the mansion! This is my noble mother and father, my home!¡± Puck- Seia pushed Diana¡¯s shoulder with great force. An unexpected push from Seia caused Diana to tumble back. My bottom hurt when I hit the floor, but I couldn¡¯t even groan because of Seia, who was engulfed in anger. Seia, who clenched her fists, stared at Diana with a wistful stare. ¡°The problem is that there was something like you in the Great duchy in the first place. This wouldn¡¯t have happened if I had chased you away early. I hate you so much, I hate you so much! Why should I live with you in this mansion! Something like you and why! Why! I¡¯d rather you die now.¡± ¡°The door is open.¡± As soon as the man¡¯s low voice rang at the door, Seia¡¯s voice full of evil stopped like a lie. Diana looked at Seia, stiff as if pressing the stop button, behind her, toward the door where she heard her voice. And in front of the door, as Diana expected, stood a Grand duke. He stepped into the room with a big stride. I can¡¯t believe it happened at this time. As soon as Diana was in despair, the Grand Duke took turns looking at the two and narrowed the gap slightly. When Diana tried to give strength to her body, thinking she needed to get up quickly, Seia suddenly cried and reached out to Diana. CH 22 ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Diana. I should have caught you falling, but I didn¡¯t know you would slip like this. You haven¡¯t been feeling well yet.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Diana didn¡¯t understand for a moment what she heard. Seia came up to Diana and lowered herself and grabbed her arms. As if to stand up And Seia whispered quietly in Diana¡¯s ear. ¡°If you say something weird to father, I won¡¯t let you go.¡± Diana rose quietly as Seia led her. Rather than being afraid of Seia¡¯s threats, it was because she could not make a fuss in front of the Grand Duke. And even if he finds out that the Grand Princess pushed her and verbally abused her, Seia is the only golden daughter of the Grand Duchess. It is obvious whose side the Great Duke will take. As Diana stood up calmly, Seia apologized with tears hanging around her eyes, changing her expression as if she had threatened her. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Diana.¡± Diana was horrified by Seia¡¯s appearance. How can a 10-year-old do this? She thought she was a powerful child in front of the public since she was never chosen. Even so, seeing her act by changing her expression at every turn made me feel like I looked like someone I knew well. Seia really had a lot of similarities to Leah. If Seia wasn¡¯t the daughter of the Grand Duchess, it wouldn¡¯t be strange to be Leah¡¯s daughter. ¡°Did you fall?¡± The Grand Duke¡¯s voice lifted the room. Diana replied, looking down at the Grand Duke¡¯s words. ¡°¡­Yes, I suddenly lost strength in my legs and fell.¡± ¡°Are you still feeling better? Baron said it¡¯s gotten a lot better.¡± ¡°It¡¯s gotten a lot better. I felt dizzy for a moment¡­ There really is now.¡± When Diana replied, his eyebrows wriggled and turned to look at Seia. ¡°Seia, but why are you here?¡± ¡°Oh, the maids told me that Diana was staying in the mansion.I wanted to see Diana¡¯s face.¡± Diana, who remembers exactly how she was about to hit her face until just now, was dumbfounded, but she couldn¡¯t just think inside and show it on the outside. ¡°Dina¡¯s face?¡± The duke narrowed his brows. He looked at Diana and Seia once and then asked Seia again. ¡°Did you get along with Diana?¡± Seia¡¯s pale gold eye shook as if she was embarrassed for a moment by the Grand Duke¡¯s question. Seia¡¯s eyes glanced at Diana. Seia, who saw Diana sitting still without saying anything, soon smiled at the question. ¡°I don¡¯t see her often, but I always cared about her. Although Diana was not recognized by the father, she was my blood sister anyway.¡± Seia, like a very nice child, said, looking down as if she was sad that Diana was not recognized by the Grand Duke. If other people saw it, they would think that Seia cared about Diana. However, the Grand Duke¡¯s expression did not change much when he saw Seia. Rather, it was a moment, but uncomfortable feelings passed by the Grand Duke¡¯s golden who saw Seia. What is it? I heard that she was the only precious daughter left by the Grand Duchess who loved her to death, wasn¡¯t she? The Grand Duke blinked slowly, then looked at Seia and said, ¡°I¡¯m glad you were taking care of Diana. I was worried that I might not be able to tell you about this beforehand, but I¡¯m glad you didn¡¯t.¡± At the end of the Grand Duke¡¯s words, Seia rushed to the Grand Duke and grabbed him by the arm. ¡°What do you mean you feel bad? I really don¡¯t care. Rather, I¡¯m happy to be in the mansion with Diana. I¡¯ll take care of Diana from now on, so don¡¯t worry.¡± Seia rubbed her forehead against the duke¡¯s arm with the smile of a good child in the world. It was definitely a lovely sight, but somehow the Grand Duke didn¡¯t respond much. Diana was suddenly questioned. Is it my illusion that the Grand Duke doesn¡¯t seem to have much affection for Seia as he did before and this time? After the Grand Duke returned to the Grand Duchy, the maid¡¯s story was all about how much the duke cared for Seia. From buying an expensive dress that the capital recognized, he will give all her favorite dolls, accessories, and rare items. In addition, the cold Grand Duke said that he smiles whenever he sees Seia, and whenever they gather among themselves, Diana even knew. However, the current appearance felt a little different from the stories of the maids. It¡¯s not full of affection, but rather seems to be uncomfortable with Seia. ¡°Thank you for saying that.I hope you don¡¯t fight with Diana from now on.¡± The Grand Duke gently stroked Seia¡¯s head with his other hand. Looking at it, Diana exhaled a short sigh inwardly. Yeah, that can¡¯t be true. You¡¯re uncomfortable with the only daughter left by the Grand Duchess. Diana erased her useless doubts from her head, thinking she had a ridiculous idea. ¡°Yes, I will keep my father¡¯s word.¡± Seia¡¯s voice, full of happiness, came. I wondered if my father would be that good, but on the other hand, I envied Seia. The fact that there are parents who protect and love them. Diana¡¯s biological mother and father were both alive, but neither was a person to protect her. People who don¡¯t know when the Grand Duke and Leah will kick Diana out. Maybe they¡¯re the most dangerous people for Diana. Parents are the most dangerous people to their children. At a time when I felt bitter again, the duke said, lifting his hand that had been stroking Seia¡¯s head. ¡°Yes, but Seia, it¡¯s time for the etiquette teacher to come, so I think you¡¯d better go back to your room.¡± Seia checked her watch with a sullen look and looked at the sky. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it¡¯s already that time¡­Dad, you¡¯re going to the office now. Take me to the room. Can¡¯t you take me and go to the office?¡± Seia¡¯s etiquette education, the Grand Duke¡¯s office, finally the two of them would leave my room. Diana breathed a sigh of relief secretly at Seia¡¯s words. I was waiting quietly hoping that they wouldget out of the room, but I heard the words of the Grand Duke, which were different from Diana¡¯s thoughts. ¡°No, I need to talk to Diana. So you¡¯d better go back first.¡± The Grand Duke carefully removed Seia¡¯s hand who was holding his arm. Although it was an infinitely soft touch, not only Diana but also Seia seemed embarrassed by the duke¡¯s action, which felt the meaning of a strong rejection, and the pale gold was shaken greatly. ¡°¡­ Am I really going alone?¡± Seia asked the duke again with a look of sadness, but the duke¡¯s expression was unshakable. ¡°Yeah. If you don¡¯t like going alone, I¡¯ll call a maid. Mrs. Carroll would have come by now. You¡¯d better go and prepare for the class.¡± The duke soothingly said in a soft tone, but refused to listen to what Seia really wanted Seia also responded positively to the Grand Duke¡¯s words, saying, ¡°Can¡¯t¡± more stubbornly. ¡°I can go alone. Then I¡¯ll be on my way. Father.¡± ¡°Yeah, go up carefully.¡± When the duke forced Seia out of the room, who hesitated as if to take her foot off, Seia was forced to turn around. When I thought she was leaving the room so quietly, Seia suddenly looked back at Diana. ¡°Diana, let¡¯s get along well from now on.¡± She said with a smile, but Seia¡¯s eyes were not smiling. In her eyes, which seemed unlikely to get along well in the future, Diana sighed deeply and bowed her head. ¡°I look forward to your kind cooperation. The Grand Princess.¡± Take care of me, too. Seia, who spoke in a feeble voice as if scattering in the air, left the room without looking back. Diana could see from the back how angry Seia was now. Should we lock our doors from now? If I could really do that, I wanted to block Seia¡¯s visit. When Diana passed one crisis and wondered what to do with the new Seia crisis, the duke called Diana. ¡°Diana.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡± ¡°¡­What about the room?¡± ¡°What?¡± At the moment, she did not understand the Grand Duke¡¯s words and asked back, and his eyebrows rose slightly. Diana belatedly understood his question and quickly continued. ¡°I love it. Thank you very much.¡± Diana bowed to the Grand Duke. However, after straightening her posture, the duke bent as if he had become uncomfortable. When I swallowed my saliva, wondering what I had done wrong again The Grand Duke opened his mouth. ¡°Lowering one¡¯s back is what commoners do. ¡­Since you are not a commoner, do not bow to anyone from now on.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡± The difference between illegitimate children and commoners is not big, but rather, illegitimate children who are not recognized are ignored by commoners, so it can be said that they are in a worse position than commoners. But Diana answered meekly because she couldn¡¯t argue with the Grand Duke. The Grand Duke looked around the room as he looked at such Diana. ¡°¡­There¡¯s not much to it, there¡¯s nothing.¡± The Grand duke looked around the room and moved his lips, but she couldn¡¯t hear well because his voice was too small. I wondered what he said, but I couldn¡¯t ask back because it seemed like I was talking to myself. It would be that had nothing to do with Diana anyway. ¡°I want to rest.¡± Although she recovered a lot, she suddenly became tired because she was nervous because of Seia and the attack. I want to sleep in bed. When my body was drained from fatigue, ¡°¡­Haime. Argh!¡± Diana yawned a lot without realizing it. She hurriedly covered her mouth, but the golden eye was already looking down at Diana. Diana hurriedly said, lowering her closed hand. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°¡­You look very tired. You don¡¯t have to be sorry. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re not fully recovered yet.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Diana didn¡¯t know what to say, so she shut up quietly. The duke spoke again with a shorter sigh of such Diana. ¡°Sigh, take a rest. If there¡¯s any inconvenience in your life, tell the butler, okay?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Grace.¡± Diana subconsciously stooped and stopped to greet him. ¡°Oh, I told you not to greetlike this.¡±¡® Diana quickly straightened out her dim posture and examined the face of the Grand Duke. Fortunately, he didn¡¯t look so angry at my mistake. After frowning for a while as if he didn¡¯t like something, he turned around and left the room without saying anything. It was not until the door was heard to close that Diana relaxed and breathed out a long breath. ¡°Sigh, I¡¯m finally done, but I keep¡­ You don¡¯t have to be like this, do you?¡± It seemed like a storm passed by as if she was going to wake up to herself who liked that she had her own space away from the cabin. Seia may be bothered, but the Duke will not visit Diana often. And Seia¡¯s bullying was enough to bear compared to Leah¡¯s. As she lay in bed thinking everything would be fine, the fluffy prison gently embraced Diana¡¯s body. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s nice.¡± CH 23 The bed in the guest room where I stayed while I was sick was good, but it was nothing to compare with this bed. Diana felt good again because the worries she had for a moment flew away and the fluffiness of the embrace. As if waiting for her body to loosen up, she put down all her worries for a while and slowly closed her eyes. *** (Grand Duke¡¯s POV) When the Grand Duke returned to the office from Diana¡¯s room and sat at his desk, the door of the office opened and the butler came in. ¡°The etiquette training has just begun.¡± ¡°I see.¡± The butler raised his head, wondering at the dull voice of the Grand Duke. Then, I could see the face of the duke crumpling his forehead as if he was thinking about something else. ¡°I¡¯m reporting on your work, but you¡¯re thinking about something else.¡± Since the duke returned to the castle, the duke has been briefed on every move of Seia, and when he was briefed on the work of the duke, he stopped doing what he was doing and concentrated on it. Suddenly, however, the butler was surprised, but he spoke carefully to the duke without showing any agitation. ¡°Your Highness, do you have any further questions-¡° ¡°Harron.¡± Before the butler¡¯s words were finished, the duke called him. ¡°Yes, Your Grace.¡± ¡°Diana¡¯s room. Didn¡¯t you prepare it?¡± ¡°What?¡± The butler, who had guessed that he would naturally ask about Seia, looked at the duke with embarrassment at the unexpected question. But the duke looked at the butler without saying twice. The butler, alerted to the cool eyes of the Grand Duke, answered quickly. ¡°Yes, Your Grace, I have prepared it.¡± ¡°But why did you do it so poorly? You don¡¯t have one of those common stuffed animals to call it a child¡¯s room. One bed and one table. Isn¡¯t it too insincere to order you to prepare a room myself?¡± The Grand Duke did not like the difference between Diana¡¯s room and Seia¡¯s. Of course, it wasn¡¯t as necessary to decorate as Seia¡¯s room, the grand princess, but it bothered him that the child was staying in a desolate room with only two dangling furniture in a large room. And the sight of Diana sincerely saying that such a room was good stimulated his nerves even more. I don¡¯t understand, but the butler, who read the uncomfortable feeling of the duke related to Diana, carefully opened his mouth. ¡°I thought it meant that the room should be decorated with the budget that had originally been given to Leah. I¡¯m sorry, Your Grace.¡± The butler bowed his head, curtailing his words. When the duke heard the butler¡¯s words, he flinched his stiff expression and narrowed his brows deeply. It wasn¡¯t because I was angry with the butler. This was in the same vein as the doctor who brought the citrus medication when Diana was injured. Neither the doctor at the time nor the current butler treated her accordingly because he did not recognize Diana as his daughter. It is natural that an illegitimate child who has not been recognized by the family cannot use expensive herbs or spend a lot of money decorating the room. And it was none other than the Grand Duke himself who made them behave like that. Realizing the causal relationship, the Grand Duke¡¯s mood hit rock bottom. I was annoyed that they acted like that, and I was angry with myself for creating this situation, and I didn¡¯t like myself for continuing to care about Diana, who didn¡¯t have to care. And if it was his usual self, he would have already found the reason for dispersing his reason and cut it coldly. Funny, however, the Grand Duke could not shake the child out of his head, even though he knew that Diana was the cause of his confusion. The moment when Diana held his hand tightly and cried was still clearly remembered in his head. ¡°Ha.¡± The Grand Duke breathed a short sigh of sigh. ¡®Diana, I feel like my reason is paralyzed when she¡¯s involved.¡¯ The duke pressed against his temple with a throbbing head. ¡®This is driving me crazy.¡¯ Something needed to be decided to admit that he cared about the child. And the answer was already out. He can¡¯t pretend he doesn¡¯t know Diana. For a moment, Leah¡¯s face came to mind and felt guilty for Seia and Ariel, but the Grand Duke seemed unable to shake Diana no matter how hard he tried. At least Diana that child, Leah, were not brought up by love. I have no choice but to think that the child is keeping Ariel¡¯s words, which she said was innocent. It was like an excuse for myself, but if I didn¡¯t do it like this, I was going to go crazy because of my complicated mind. ¡®Until she grows up a little bit, yeah, I¡¯ll take care of her until then, and I¡¯ll get her out of the grand duchy.¡¯ When he came to a conclusion, he felt a little lighter and saw the butler, who was still bowing his head. ¡°Harron, raise your head and it¡¯s not your fault.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Your Grace.¡± The butler raised his head and spoke again to the air. ¡°Your Highness, would you like me to decorate Miss Diana¡¯s room a little more?¡± The Grand Duke nodded slowly, recalling the empty room. ¡°Yes, make room for your child. That¡¯s not to say do as Seia does.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Grace. I¡¯ll be on my way now.¡± When the butler was about to turn around, the Grand Duke felt sorry and guilty for Seia, so he called the butler again. ¡°Harron.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡± ¡°The other day, Seia said she wanted a pony, but find out which pony is of great descent and give it to Seia as a gift as soon as possible. And I¡¯ll have dinner with Seia tonight, so make sure to prepare carefully.¡± ¡°Yes, sir. Your Highness.¡± The butler left the office with a small smile on his face referring to the grand princess. The Grand Duke, who sat alone in the office after the butler left, recalled Seia¡¯s appearance in Diana¡¯s room earlier. ¡°I¡¯m sure she didn¡¯t like Diana.¡± Pretending not to, she spoke to Diana and smiled at her, but the Grand Duke was not the one to be fooled by the lies of a mere ten-year-old child. Maybe it was Seia who pushed her when she fell Of course, Seia was not angry with the child for doing so. The Enemy Grand Princess and Diana the illegitimate child. In noble family, there was no house where the deficit cared for and cared for the birth. From the standpoint of the deficit, the existence of illegitimate children has always been uncomfortable and disgraceful. If Seia and Diana were really on good terms, that would have been even more strange. In the first place the butler said Diana had rarely come to the house, so she would not have met Seia much. So even though the Grand Duke knew everything, he did not say anything to Seia in the room earlier. But I was a little surprised inside. Seia telling lies casually and the child¡¯s eyes that despise Diana. Because she¡¯s a lot different than the child he¡¯s ever seen. ¡°Does Ariel¡¯s gentle personality not resemble each other?¡± The Grand Duke shook his head, kicking his tongue at himself, in a sense of incompatibility toward Seia, who suddenly came up again. ¡°No wonder Seia hates Diana.¡± I was expecting that, so I think Seia didn¡¯t know that Diana was staying in the guest room, so she kept her mouth completely silent. But now that thought this was a little rough, the Grand Duke rebuked himself, saying it was not like his father. Since Seia will be under considerable stress from Diana¡¯s work, the Grand Duke vowed to pay more attention to Seia in the future. I definitely made that resolution, but what comes to mind for a moment is Diana, who had fallen. ¡°Sigh.¡± The Grand Duke frowned. It made him uncomfortable to hurt another child who must have already been hurt by Leah¡¯s But that didn¡¯t alert Seia. ¡°¡­That¡¯s something she has to put up with.¡± Seia and Diana. Of course, I had no choice but to choose Seia. The Grand Duke shook Diana¡¯s faint image in his head and looked down at the papers. *** (Diana¡¯s POV) ¡°Well¡­¡± The sun shone on Diana¡¯s face over the window. Diana slowly opened her eyes as she rubbed her face against the pillow. ¡°Oh¡­¡± I stared vacantly at the ceiling on such a peaceful morning. When I stayed in the guest room, I was not so calm because of the maid who came to check my physical condition every hour. No cold, no sharp voice from Leah, silent morning. In addition, it is well past ten o¡¯clock at present. When she lived in a hut, she slept in, which she would never dream of, and Diana realized that she had really left the hut. ¡°If I can stay like this, I think I can endure Seia¡¯s bullying as much as I want.¡± Diana procrastinated a bit more on the bed, enjoying the soft touch of the quilt. How long have I been doing that? Diana¡¯s stomach rumbled. ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡± It was worth it because it was way past breakfast. Diana wriggled out of bed and pulled a string beside the bed. Shortly afterwards, a knock on Diana¡¯s door rang. ¡°Come on in.¡± The door opened and a maid came in and lowered her head. ¡°You called, miss.¡± ¡°Yes, I want you to bring me breakfast.¡± ¡°Yes, I see.¡± As the maid left the room, Diana got out of bed and looked out the window. At the end of winter, the sky looked clear and the sun looked warm as if proving that spring was coming. Diana looked down from the sky and paused at the serene appearance of the garden. ¡°That¡¯s the garden that the Grand Duchess cherished.¡± I once heard what the maids were saying. The story of the garden where the Grand Duchess took care of herself. Come to think of it¡­ I thought I heard that the Grand Duchess was a water wizard. ¡°Yes, it certainly was.¡± From the spirit that protects the imperial family to the stories related to magic in this world, I remembered it because it always made her heart pound. The Grand duchess was a wizard, so the garden was especially beautiful than the other aristocratic gardens.It was like that. Diana¡¯s visible garden now was only the withered flowers with their heads down. Strangely, the look made her heart ache, and Diana turned her eyes and looked elsewhere. ¡°Is that the promenade?¡± [T/N:a place for strolling] I noticed a road made between the bushes. As I was looking at the road connected to the small forest of the duchy, I heard a knock on the door again. ¡°Come on in.¡± The door opened and the maid came in with a silver tray. The maid quickly put the dishes on the table. Diana walked from the window to the table, attracted by the savory smell of bread. CH 24 ¡°It looks delicious.¡± The steaming bread caught Diana¡¯s eye at once because she only ate corn soup for a while because she was sick. Just looking at the color, it was different from the meals of the maids that Kunta secretly took care of. As the maid prepared the food and left the room, Diana sat on a chair and took a sip of the soft pumpkin soup. ¡°It¡¯s delicious.¡± I was hungry, so I couldn¡¯t stop my hands when I tasted the food. Diana quickly finished the bread and soup and ate all the salad. Finally, Diana, who even emptied the orange juice, put the glass down on the table and exhaled a full breath. ¡°Ha¡­ I¡¯m full.¡± Did I eat too quickly? My full stomach felt heavy. However, the sense of being full is also the first time in my life. I didn¡¯t hate the heavy but unfamiliar feeling. Should I walk a little? As soon as I thought about it, I thought of the promenade I saw earlier as if I had just arrived. ¡°But can I go there?¡± I was allowed to stay in a mansion, but I never got permission to wander around the Grand castle. The promenade is a place that connects to the mansion, not a separate house, so if you go around carelessly, you may be scolded by the Grand Duke. Where do I walk then?¡¯ I had to walk a little, but if I couldn¡¯t get inside the mansion, I had to go to a separate house. But if you go to the annex and meet Leah¡­ Not long ago, when I asked the maid what had happened to Leah, she said she was stuck in a cabin with great punishment, but she didn¡¯t want to go to a separate house at the risk. Let¡¯s just go around the room a few times. When I got up from my seat after concluding like that, I heard a knock. Knock knock. Are you here to get the plate already? It¡¯s too fast for that. As Diana tilted her head, a low voice came from outside the door. ¡°Lady, it¡¯s the butler.¡± ¡°Oh, come on in.¡± What¡¯s wrong with the butler? Diana wondered, but at the same time straightened out the creases of the dress. I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯m going to be caught. However, the door opened and the first thing that caught Diana¡¯s eye was not the face of the butler. ¡®They¡¯re all¡­ What is it?¡¯ Diana was dazzled by the row of items behind the butler. From small boxes to dolls, pretty lace cushions and big furniture were coming into Diana¡¯s room. ¡°Put the drawers and tables over there, and the cushions and dolls next to the sofa. And you change the lady¡¯s cover and quilt.¡± ¡°Yes, butler.¡± The servants busily moved the furniture, and the maids took the pink lace quilt they had never seen before and went to bed. Instead of plain-patterned bedspreads and blankets, cute and colorful lace blankets decorated the bed. Diana, who stared blankly as the room filled with more empty spaces, muttered unconsciously. ¡°What is this all of a sudden¡­¡± I¡¯ve never had furniture and dolls that looked so fancy and expensive. Regardless of whether she liked it or not, Diana was very embarrassed to be decorated like a room of noble. ¡°All of them were granted by the Grand Duke. During the time here, I hope there will be no inconvenience.¡± Giving this room was a big deal for Diana¡­ Diana looked around the perfectly decorated room and felt strange. Diana¡¯s expression was strangely hardened in a confused mood that she couldn¡¯t just like. When the servants and maids left after the arrangement, the butler called Diana. ¡°Miss.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°If you need anything, feel free to tell me. If it¡¯s a request that can be handled on my line, I can meet it right away.¡± The butler¡¯s words suddenly reminded Diana of one thing she had given up earlier. ¡°Then¡­ can I walk on the promenade outside the mansion?¡± Are you talking about trails? Are you just asking me to walk there?¡± As if he was suspicious of what he heard, the general butler narrowed his brows slightly and asked. ¡®You can¡¯t do that,either.¡¯ Diana replied, a little nervous about his reaction. ¡°Yes.¡± The butler¡¯s pupils slightly widened at Diana¡¯s answer. It sank. He soon moved his lips slowly. ¡°You can. Miss. As long as you¡¯re staying in the mansion, you can visit everything except the Grand Duke¡¯s office and the safe. There¡¯s no restriction on looking around.¡± ¡°Oh, really? That¡¯s a relief.¡± Diana smiled broadly when he said there were no restrictions on walking around. In fact, it was frustrating to think that I should be confined to the room. The butler opened his mouth to such Diana. ¡°Miss, I have something else to do, so I¡¯m going to leave.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± As the butler left the room, Diana rushed to the window. After checking the location of the promenade on the left outside the mansion, Diana opened the closet to change her clothes. ¡°Oh.¡± Diana let out a short sigh of embarrassment. In the closet were all the dresses, cloaks, and shoes Leah had bought the day she was attacked by mercenaries. ¡°The furniture wasn¡¯t the problem.¡± The room became colorful on the outside, but there were no clothes and shoes needed for life. Should I tell the butler. He told me to speak comfortably, but it wasn¡¯t easy to speak. ¡°I should at least wear this¡­¡± I didn¡¯t want to wear it again, but I couldn¡¯t go out with what I was wearing now. The dress I¡¯m wearing now was changed by a maid when Diana was sick, and it was a thin indoor dress that was used as both pajamas. Diana, who had been fiddling with thin clothes a few times, admitted that she couldn¡¯t help it and reached out to the dress Leah bought for her. It was uncomfortable to wear these clothes again, but fortunately, the maid washed them all, so all the dirt and blood on them were erased. Diana, who changed her clothes quickly, put on a cape. It¡¯s been a lot warmer, but it¡¯s still winter, and I¡¯m not fully recovered, but it¡¯s too much. If I catch a cold, I¡¯ll bother many people. ¡°I¡¯m going to walk a little bit and come in.¡±¡® Diana, who left the room, tilted her head in the deserted hallway. ¡°It¡¯s supposed to be time for a lot of maids.¡± [T/N: She means it¡¯s working hours.] It was not yet twelve o¡¯clock. It must be time for the maids of the detached house to come to the mansion and clean up. Diana thought it was strange and walked to the central staircase. ¡°Oh.¡± As she was going down the stairs, Diana stopped when she saw the busyness of the lobby on the first floor. Diana opened her mouth slightly as she looked at the items piled up in the lobby and constantly coming through the door. It was incomparably more than the procession of furniture entering her room. There were colorful luxuries such as vases, ceramics, incense burners, and paintings. Then, there was something that caught Diana¡¯s eye at once. Just dozens of children¡¯s dresses. The maids were carrying dresses that seemed to be Seia¡¯s clothes. The colorful dresses that looked light as if they were spring clothes were honestly so pretty. And looking at those clothes, I felt sad about my situation without any spring clothes. I¡¯ll get my old clothes from the cabin. The clothes I¡¯m wearing now were better than the old ones, but I hated it because of what happened the day I wore these clothes. In addition, the only dress Leah bought me was for winter, so when the weather gets warmer, I won¡¯t be able to wear it even if I want to. Should I ask the maid to bring it? Or where to get the clothes, should I tell the butler? It seemed to be the only way for now, but the problem was that it was not easy to put it into practice. Can I ask you to buy me clothes? He told me to tell him whenever I needed anything, but it was not easy for me to ask him to do anything for me. Especially for the butler, not just a maid, but a direct servant of the Grand Duke. As Diana sighed, I suddenly felt the maids looking at the central staircase where she was standing. And all at once, the maids bowed to this side. ¡®Uh¡­ No way¡¯ When I turned my head just in case, I saw the Grand Duke coming down the stairs from the third floor. And next to him stood Rowoon, who hated Diana. Coming down the stairs quickly, the duke stopped in front of Diana. ¡°I see you, Your Highness.¡± Diana bowed her head, remembering what he said not to bow down. ¡°¡­Look up.¡± As I raised my head, I met my eyes with the Grand Duke looking down at me. And Rowoon looked at her with disapproving eyes next to him. ¡®You don¡¯t pretend to laugh anymore.¡¯ Whenever he saw Diana, he forced a smile, and today he had a stiff face without it. He glanced first as if he didn¡¯t even want to see Diana. Diana also turned to the duke because she didn¡¯t want to see Rowoon more openly showing his dislike. When Diana¡¯s eyes met, Duke opened his mouth first. ¡°Where are we going?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯d like to take a walk for a while and came out.¡± ¡°A walk? Are you feeling better enough to go outside?¡± ¡°Yes, today is very good.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯m glad. I¡¯ve been out for too long¡­¡± The Grand Duke suddenly blurted out the end of his words and closed his lips. And I looked up and down at Diana. ¡°This dress¡­ is the one from back then.¡± The duke narrowed his brows with an unpleasant look. Knowing too well what it was, Diana was embarrassed and clasped the hem of the dress. ¡°¡­Yes.¡± ¡°I thought you¡¯d throw it away. Why did you have to wear it?¡± The duke looked sharply at Diana¡¯s clothes. In his sharp eyes, Diana thought she shrank reflexively. ¡®I didn¡¯t wear it because I wanted to¡­?¡¯ Diana hesitated and slowly opened her lips. ¡°This is the only outfit I have¡­¡± The Duke seemed surprised by Diana¡¯s answer He opened his eyes wide and then opened his mouth. ¡°I didn¡¯t think there would be no clothes just looking at the appearance of the room.¡± The Grand Duke glanced up and down at Diana. Then he opened his mouth. ¡°You said you were on my way for a walk.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Grace.¡± The Grand Duke said so, and continued, as if in thought. ¡°You may go now. Don¡¯t stay out too long because you¡¯re not feeling well.¡± The Grand Duke¡¯s voice sank. At the sound of his worried voice, Diana felt strange for a moment. To be caught in the confusion, Diana bowed to the duke without looking up. ¡°Yes, then I¡¯ll be on my way.¡± Diana went straight down the stairs. Diana, who came down to the lobby, felt the eyes of the maids gathering. Probably because she talked to the Grand Duke. I could feel that those who looked at me with a mixture of sympathy and disregard now they looked at me with a very embarrassing gaze. Maybe they thought Diana would never face the Grand Duke. On top of that, I understood that I was surprised because I talked casually. Only a few weeks ago, Diana didn¡¯t know she¡¯d be staying here either. But I understand. However, these eyes were not happy. Diana hurried out of the mansion to escape the uncomfortable gaze. CH 25 Even though Diana left the mansion, the Grand Duke did not think about going down the stairs as if lost in thought. Rowoon, who was quietly watching the duke from the side, opened his mouth first. ¡°Sir, what are you thinking? You must not be thinking of Miss Diana, are you?¡± The Grand Duke, whose thoughts were broken, looked at Rowoon. Duke raised his eyebrows after reading Rowoon¡¯s disapproving eyes. ¡°I should have told you. I¡¯m going to see Dianna separately from her in the future.¡± On the day that Diana was to be brought into the mansion, Rowoon came to the duke and begged the duke to tell him why he was taking the woman¡¯s child and to return her to Leah quickly. At the time, he couldn¡¯t draw any conclusions about Diana, and he, too, had a conflicting mind, so he listened to Rowoon, but not now. After organizing his thoughts, he clearly ordered Rowoon. He said he would not put Diana in punishing Leah, and that he would provide a way for her to go out and live quietly when she grows up to a certain extent. Of course, I didn¡¯t think Rowoon, who was deeply angry at Leah, would accept it easily, but he wasn¡¯t generous enough to forgive him for openly complaining like this now. As the duke looked at Rowoon with a cold gaze as if he would not tolerate any further quarrel, Rowoon quickly lowered his gaze. ¡°I crossed the line. Forgive me, Your Grace.¡± The Grand Duke did not say anything more, kicking his tongue at the sight of Rowoon, bowing his head deeply, and asking for forgiveness. Because Rowoon was his loyal vassal and he understood that he couldn¡¯t accept Diana. ¡°If you can¡¯t accept Diana, pretend you don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t want to punish you for something related to Diana.¡± ¡°¡­Yes, Your Highness.¡± The duke went down the stairs first, followed by Rowoon. As the duke descended into the last steps, the butler came and bowed deeply. ¡°Your Highness.¡± ¡°Get up. Are these all thingd from the Eastern countries?¡± The butler straightened his waist and guided the duke forward to the products. ¡°Yes, Your Highness. It¡¯s the product of the Eastern Empire that the Imperial Household sent to you.¡± ¡°My brother sent me so many, I should have used a lot of mana stone to send this kind of travesty to the sorcerer.¡± The north was restricted. In particular, the Teiran Mountains, which lead to the capital, were turned into harsh snow mountains that could never be crossed in winter, ¡°I said I don¡¯t need much.¡± Rowoon said as he approached the duke¡¯s side. ¡°Perhaps your grace didn¡¯t receive a separate reward for this war, so maybe he was more concerned about it and sent it this way.¡± ¡°Hmm. I said you don¡¯t want it. Since they have sent it here, I¡¯ll have to prepare a precious gift for the first prince¡¯s birthday soon. Rowoon, take care of it yourself.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Grace.¡± The Grand Duke, who identified the goods, ordered the butler. ¡°Just move that white porcelain fan to my office and keep the rest in storage.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Grace.¡± Turning to return to the office, the Grand Duke looked at where the maids were standing and stopped walking. ¡°Are those clothes Seia¡¯s?¡± When asked by the Grand Duke, Rowoon and the butler¡¯s eyes turned to the clothes that the maids were holding. The butler answered the Grand Duke¡¯s question with a smooth smile. ¡°Yes, Madame of the capital Salon is specially designed for her highness.¡± The only clothes in the empire specially designed. It was also handmade by Madame of the most famous salon in the capital. Although the Madame did not have the status of a high aristocrat, her fame and skills were sufficient to receive the treatment of a high aristocratic class. Therefore, it was rare for Madame to make clothes herself, if not for the royal family. However, if Madame¡¯s making and sending so many of Seia¡¯s clothes is known to the outside world, it will raise the status of the Grand princess and show that the Grand princess has power comparable to the royal family. When pride hung on the butler¡¯s face, the duke¡¯s lips moved. ¡°Send some of those clothes to Diana.¡± ¡°¡­How¡­ ¡° Give out clothes to Diana, an illegitimate child, that will honor the Grand princess, not just ordinary clothes. The faces of not only the butler but also all the maids of the Grand Duke¡¯s house who listened to the Grand Duke¡¯s words were stained with embarrassment. This dress can only be worn by a Grand Princess. Not only did it harm the honor of the princess, but it could also reduce the status of the Grand Duke. Although the butler had sympathy for Diana, who was younger, could not be compared to the precious Grand Princess , so the butler could not answer the duke¡¯s command right away and blurted out the end of his speech. Then, the gaze of the duke turned to the butler. ¡°Harron, why is there no answer?¡± When the butler, who was biting his lips, was about to bow his head, Rowoon let out a small sigh and opened his mouth. ¡°Your Grace, these clothes are the only ones in the Empire made for the Grand Princess. It was also made by Madame herself. Your Majesty, don¡¯t you know that the only clothes Madame makes by herself are the clothes of the imperial family.¡± The duke¡¯s face, had raised his eyebrows slightly, hardened. It was because he understood what Rowoon was saying. As a member of the imperial family, the Grand Duke¡¯s clothes also forgot their specialty and meaning for Madame to make herself. As soon as I saw the clothes, I thought of Diana¡¯s words that she didn¡¯t have any clothes, so I couldn¡¯t care about other things. ¡®No, you didn¡¯t care.¡¯ I can¡¯t believe that I almost humiliated my only daughter because I care about Diana. Looking at Rowoon¡¯s expression as he was speaking, the Grand Duke glanced unreservedly from the colorful clothes the maids were holding. ¡°I made a slip of the tongue. Haron, move those clothes to Seia¡¯s room. And buy some of Diana¡¯s clothes at the salon on the estate.¡± ¡°Yes, sir, sir.¡± Only then did the butler¡¯s face and the maids¡¯ faces change, but the duke still couldn¡¯t untie his stiff face and left the lobby. *** ¡°The weather is nice.¡± The winter wind was still fierce, but today the wind was dying down and the sun was out. The trail was full of warmth from the sun rather than the coldness of winter because the sunlight was pouring out without any shade. Feeling better, I smiled and stepped forward. ¡°How I wish I could be so peaceful until I leave here.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure how long I could stay here. I don¡¯t know what he¡¯s thinking now, but no one knows when his mind will change. It would not be strange if the order was issued tomorrow. Even if the Grand Duke¡¯s mind did not change, there was Seia in the Grand Duke¡¯s house. Seia hates me. Even if Seia¡¯s defeat was tolerable, Seia would grow up with Diana, who was year-old, but she could not keep Diana here forever. But I wish I could live in the Great duchy until I¡¯m 15. The coming-of-age ceremony was 16 years old, but 15 was still old enough to save small things even if they went out. You may be kicked out of this place at any time, so you have to learn more than now to go out to live alone. Diana was ten years old, but she didn¡¯t know anything about the empire, about this grand duchy. ¡°But to do that, I need to be able to read a book¡­¡± Diana doesn¡¯t know how to read. I had to read books to learn and know whether it was an empire or something, but I couldn¡¯t even start because I didn¡¯t know how to write. Diana narrowed her brows in a huge difficulty that she encountered before she even started. ¡°How do you learn to write?¡± It was impossible to learn to write alone. It might be possible if you were a genius, but you¡¯re not a genius. However, I couldn¡¯t ask the Grand Duke to add a teacher because I wanted to learn how to write. Just in case you think I¡¯m being bold. ¡°First of all¡­ let¡¯s see if there¡¯s a book to learn how to write on your own.¡± I wondered if it was possible to learn writing while reading a book alone, but I decided to try anything for now. The butler said I could go around the Grand Duchy at will. There would be a study, so it would be better to look for books there. ¡°But can I go into the study?¡± The study could have been the personal space of the Grand Duke. Whenever she tried to do something, Diana sighed a little at the problems that were blocked. If I were a little older, I would have gone out and found the library. However, it was dangerous for a child like Diana to leave the castle recklessly. Even so, I don¡¯t know have any close servants within the Grand Duchy, and now that Kunta has gone down to her hometown, there is no one to ask for help. ¡°Ah¡­ Shall I ask Edwin a favor?¡± If it was Edwin, she would be able to learn a lot because he knew a lot about writing. Diana, whose expression brightened for a moment, remembered that he was a knight of the Grand Duke. If he can teach me how to write, we will have to see each other often, but it wouldn¡¯t be a good idea to spread the word about Edwin and I being close in the castle. ¡®Not Edwin.¡¯ When I was looking at my small hand and thinking about what to do, a noisy sound came from somewhere. ¡°What is it?¡± Diana stepped cautiously towards the sound. As I left the trail and went to the back of the thick forest, I could hear the humming voice clearly. ¡°Where are you staring straight at when you¡¯re stealing my stuff?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe how such a bad girl came into the Grand Duchy, when I thought she was a thief who stole Marie¡¯s stuff.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s talk to the butler. She¡¯ll be beaten and kicked out. ¡° What do you mean? Diana looked hard at the maid¡¯s back. And when I turned my eyes slightly, I saw a scarlet-haired maid sitting in front of the maids. The scarlet-haired maid, who looked young, seemed to have been pushed down by someone. The little maid looked at the maids and shouted, glaring at the scarlet eyes that were identical to my hair. ¡°I didn¡¯t steal it! I¡¯ve never even seen Marie¡¯s necklace! And all of a sudden, it¡¯s a necklace that you guys searched for and found!¡± ¡°What¡¯s the point of that? It¡¯s important that my necklace came out of your bag!¡± ¡°It was a bag I had never opened since I entered the castle. Ask Harin, who is sharing the room with me, because I didn¡¯t even touch the bag!¡± ¡°My, why do I have to ask? After all, my necklace came out of your bag, so I¡¯m done! Before you get beaten by the butler for nothing, you know how to get out of the castle!¡± I could feel the voice of a maid named Marie trembling slightly. She could barely hear it, but she could tell that the circumstances of the theft claimed by that maid, Marie, were quite clumsy. CH 26 ¡®Is it bullying between maids?¡¯ I stayed in an annex and got close to the servants of the Grand Duke, so I sometimes heard about bullying among the servants. She said that if you terrify the new maids and servants, those who can¡¯t stand the bullying will go to the castle. Things like that got worse about a year ago. At that time, I heard that the butler and the maid severely scolded the workers, and that this kind of thing disappeared¡­ ¡®Has it started again?¡¯ Diana watched the situation and shook her head. She said, ¡®It¡¯s none of my business.¡¯ I¡¯m sorry to the maid who looks unfair, but Diana¡¯s position in the Grand Duke¡¯s house was also very endangered, so it was not good to meddle in such a chaos. This was because, if caught in the center of a commotion, she could be kicked out of the Grand Duke family right away. The moment she thought to go back quietly, she saw the tearful scarlet eyes of the little maid. The scarlet eyes were full of resentment, but the young maid bit her lip, knowing that no one was on her side in the dreary situation. It was unfair, but the way she was forced to resign looked similar to herself who couldn¡¯t say anything to Leah and Seia, so she couldn¡¯t turn her body around. Because Diana knew the maid¡¯s feelings better than anyone. Diana had also longed for it. Someone to save you from a deadly situation. Whether heaven had heard her earnest prayers, she found that she had saved her life with the help of Edwin and managed to escape from Leah. That little maid may be as desperate as she is for someone¡¯s help. And wouldn¡¯t it be okay for that someone to be you once in a while? only once. ¡®Anyway, there¡¯s no one here except the maids, so it¡¯ll be fine.¡¯ Diana clasped her little hand to her trembling heart and she took one step closer to them. ¡°What¡¯s going on there?¡± The maids, who had turned their backs to the sound of Diana¡¯s voice resounding from bush, turned around in amazement. ¡°¡­Miss?¡± A maid who found Diana moved her lips slowly. The maids looked at Diana in embarrassment. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Diana approached the maids pretending not to know anything. ¡°I came here because I heard a sound while I was taking a walk¡­ Oh, you!¡± Diana, who looked around the maids with innocent eyes that she knew nothing, took a step closer to the little maid who was sitting down. ¡°You¡¯re the maid I asked you to run an errand earlier, aren¡¯t you?¡± I asked you to bring me some cookies, but I was wondering why you didn¡¯t come, and you fell and got hurt?¡± The scarlet eyes of the young maid, whose eyes met Diana, were shaken with embarrassment. She had never had such an errand from Diana. Diana looked around at the maids gathered around her and slightly shrugged her shoulders as if she were scared. ¡°But why are you all gathered here? What¡¯s going on?¡± The maid exchanged eyes with each other when they asked carefully with a small voice, blurring the end of their words. One of them, who exchanged silent glances, opened her mouth. ¡°What do you mean, nothing happened. I was just talking for a while because it was a break.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right, miss.¡± They looked at Diana with an awkward smile. It seemed that Diana had come to the conclusion that there was no need to make any more fuss. Diana nodded slowly as she looked at their awkward smiles. ¡°Okay, I thought something bad had happened again.¡± ¡°Is it possible, hoho? Ah, now that our break is over, I think we should go back to work. Lady, let me go away.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go back.¡± The maids greeted hurriedly and walked out of the forest. After they were all gone, Diana said to the little maid staring at me. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you go too?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I have to go.¡± Only then did the maid get up from where she had fallen. The maid stood up and limped. I think she sprained her leg when she fell. ¡°I think you hurt your leg. Are you okay?¡± The maid flinched when asked, pointing to her right leg. ¡°Oh¡­ that¡¯s all right, miss.¡± ¡°But if you soak your feet in cold water before you go to bed. It should be okay tomorrow morning.¡± When I was hit by Leah and sprained my leg, I lied down and fell asleep because I had no energy to move, but my ankle was swollen the next day and I couldn¡¯t even walk properly. From a few experiences, I found that my feet did not swell the day after I slept with my ankles in cold water. I knew the pain, so when I told her, the maid¡¯s scarlet eyes trembled slightly. ¡®Did I say something wrong?¡¯ Embarrassed by her response, the maid smiled broadly. ¡°Thank you, miss. As you said, I¡¯ll make sure to put it in cold water. But, miss, you asked me to run an errand earlier.¡± At that, Diana clapped her hands as if she had just remembered and cut her off. ¡°Oh, come to think of it, it wasn¡¯t you. It was someone else, but I was mistaken. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Rather than saying that I did it on purpose to help, it would be better to say that I was mistaken. The little maid bowed her head with a brighter face, silent for a moment. ¡°What do you mean sorry? No, I¡¯m rather grateful. Thanks to you, I was able to avoid a lot of trouble.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re saying, but I¡¯m glad.¡± Diana pretended not to know and only smiled faintly. The maid said to Diana with a gentle smile. ¡°I¡¯ve got to go back now, too.Thank you very much.¡± ¡°¡­ Yes¡± The young maid bowed and walked to the forest with a quick step. Although the limp was bothering me, I felt more comfortable seeing her return. ¡°Huh, I¡¯m glad it ended without a hitch.¡± It was a little dangerous to get in the uproar, but I thought it was a good thing. Diana returned to the room with a proud smile. *** -Knock knock. ¡°Lady, this is Haron.¡± Diana, who was resting in bed after breakfast, hurried out of bed at the butler¡¯s voice. ¡®What¡¯s going on all of a sudden?¡¯ After five days of Diana¡¯s stay in the room, she has been living like a mouse in the room since the disturbance on the promenade. Seia was also quiet for several days because she did not visit Diana again after the first day. Perhaps that¡¯s why the butler¡¯s sudden visit was embarrassing. Diana said, straightening the crumpled dress. ¡°Come on in.¡± Diana opened her eyes wide at what appeared to be between the open doors. When the door opened, the first people to enter were servants, not the butler. The servants laid down a large box of their own on the floor. What¡¯s all this? When she tilted her head to strange boxes, all the servants left and the butler entered the room. ¡°Miss, are you comfortable?¡± ¡°Oh..Yes. But what¡¯s all this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the lady¡¯s clothes.¡± ¡°My clothes?¡± The butler nodded lightly with a blank face when asked back in surprise. ¡°Yes, your Highness has ordered you to buy the clothes. I only brought it from the salon in the estate, but if you have any clothes you don¡¯t like, you can return them through the maid.¡± The butler¡¯s explination was hard to hear. Your Highness sent me all these clothes. Diana, who looked at the boxes with embarrassing eyes, suddenly remembered the words she had shared with the Grand Duke a few days ago. This is the only clothes I have¡­ ¡®Did he really buy me clothes just because I said I didn¡¯t have clothes?¡¯ That¡¯s a lot, too Diana was surprised to see dozens of clothes. It was more of a burden than a thank you. It was because I was not used to this kind of favor, but I kept thinking that it was an impulsive decision for the Grand Duke to accept her in the mansion. However, it was not enough to decorate the room like this, so I felt unfamiliar that he might think of it sincerely because he remembered her words and even sent clothes. What he said to me before going out to the promenade was also soft, unlike the first meeting. I thought it was an illusion, but wasn¡¯t it an illusion? Diana soon shook her head softly. It doesn¡¯t make sense for him to care about me. He despises Leah enough to kill her. And she is Leah¡¯s daughter, whom he despises so much. It was impossible to care about me without the Grand Duke suddenly going crazy. Then what¡¯s the point of doing me this favor? ¡®Is it just out of pity?¡¯ sympathy¡­ My heart throbbed. I don¡¯t want anything from the duke, but I didn¡¯t feel good about him thinking that the only form of emotion he showed was compassion However, even with this small favor, I couldn¡¯t deny my troubled and shaken heart. If you¡¯re told to be quiet like a rat, but this¡­ I don¡¯t think you¡¯re upset. When I bit my lips in a strange mood, I heard a voice I didn¡¯t want to hear from the door. ¡°Diana.¡± When I turned my head, I could see Seia just entering the room. ¡®I thought it was too quiet for a while.¡¯ Diana hides her discomfort I bowed to Seia. Seia approached Diana with a smile around her mouth, perhaps because she saw the butler. ¡°Diana, how are you?¡± ¡°Yes, Grand Princess.¡± ¡°I wanted to come to you often, but I couldn¡¯t because my father told me I didn¡¯t have to pay attention to you.¡± ¡°Oh, I see. It¡¯s all right, Grand Princess.¡± Seia may have said it offensively, but what Diana now wants from the Grand Duke was rather indifference. As she answered with a slight smile, Seia¡¯s raised lip slightly flinched. ¡°Should I have pretended to be hurt?¡± When I lowered the corner of my mouth that I raised because I thought I had touched Seia¡¯s nerves for no reason, Seia¡¯s gaze went down. Towards dozens of boxes lying on the floor, to be exact. ¡°But what¡¯s all this?¡± Seia looked at the boxes that looked like gift boxes with persistent eyes. It was frustrating to see Seia look at this. Seia¡¯s personality is that if she finds out that these clothes were sent by the Grand Duke, she¡¯ll never let them go. Of course, Seia will bother Diana even if nothing happens. The butler said at a time when she was unable to speak easily because she was sure to ignite Seia¡¯s anger. ¡°These are the clothes of Lady Diana.¡± ¡°Diana¡¯s¡­ clothes?¡± Diana saw Seia¡¯s eyes tremble slightly. However, perhaps the butler had not seen her, so he answered Seia with a soft smile. ¡°Yes, Grand Princess.¡± After hearing the butler, Seia turned to Diana. Diana almost stepped back at Seia¡¯s glance at the moment she faced. If she could kill someone with her eyes, Diana would not be dead now. Seia, who was looking at Diana with such sparkling eyes, suddenly smiled brightly. CH 27 ¡®What is it?¡¯ Diana¡¯s arm got goosebumps at Seia¡¯s sudden change of attitude, Seia came a step closer to Diana. ¡°Diana, let¡¯s take a look at the clothes we received together, huh? I¡¯m so curious about how pretty they will be and how they will look good on you.¡± Seia grabbed Diana by the arm pretending to be close. Diana instinctively held back from pushing Seia¡¯s arm. What the hell is Seia thinking? ¡°Yes?¡± She didn¡¯t know what Seia meant, but she couldn¡¯t say no, so Diana nodded her head. ¡°Yes, Grand Princess.¡± ¡°Marie, come in and release the boxes.¡± ¡®Marie? I think I¡¯ve heard of that name.¡¯ Diana, who tilted her head to a familiar name, remembered when she saw the maid¡¯s face entering the room. Marie was one of the maids who bullied a young maid in the bush of the promenade. Marie, who made eye contact with Diana, also hurriedly avoided eye contact to see if she remembered what happened that day. Of all the maids working in the Grand Duchy, Marie was Seia¡¯s maid. Suddenly, the word maid came to my mind as the owner. When Marie untied the ribbon of the box one by one and opened the box, Seia held Diana¡¯s hand tightly and led her to the box. ¡°Wow, this outfit is so pretty. That¡¯s right, Diana.¡± Seia pointed to the most strikingly designed dress in the box. The light pink dress was not fancy, but it was quite cute with a ribbon-shaped lace on the chest. Diana couldn¡¯t see the design of the dress because of Seia¡¯s grip, but she forced her lips to move. ¡°¡­Yes, you are beautiful, Grand Princess.¡± ¡®Hurt¡¯ Diana felt like she was about to break Seia¡¯s hand, not knowing what to do. In an instant, Seia released her hand and took out the dress from the box. She put the dress on her own body with an innocent smile. ¡°What do you think, Diana? Do you think it will look prettier if I wear it?¡± ¡°Oh, Grand Princess, you¡¯re so pretty. It suits you so well princess.¡± Before Diana could answer anything, Marie said, making a fuss as if she had been waiting. Then, Seia, who was smiling while touching the clothes, suddenly changed to a sullen look. ¡°No, Marie. These are not my clothes. I just showed it to Diana because I thought it would be prettier if I just wore it. Of course, I really like pink, too, but¡­¡± ¡°Oh¡­ but you look great in that dress, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡®Are you asking me?¡¯ Diana had eye contact with Marie looking at her. In Marie¡¯s eyes, asking if she was right, Diana turned her eyes to Seia. Seia, still fiddling with the lace in the dress with a sullen face. From that look, Diana could see why Seia is doing this now. Seia now wanted her to say that she would give Seia that dress first. The pink dress was pretty, but compared to the dress Seia is wearing right now, it was obvious just by looking at it that its grade was considerably lower. So it¡¯s not like Seia really likes this dress. She just want to take Diana¡¯s. She couldn¡¯t tear Diana¡¯s dress in front of the butler, so she seemed to have chosen another way. ¡®Yeah, maybe this is better.¡¯ At least we can avoid direct violence from Seia. Anyway, these clothes only made Diana uncomfortable, so it didn¡¯t matter if Seia took them. ¡°Yes, as you say, it suits the Grand Princess.¡± ¡°Oh, no, Dianna, I just looked at it once.¡± ¡°No, Grand Princess. Now that I see it, the dress looks so good on you. I think it¡¯s right for the Grand Princess to wear it, not me.¡± ¡°Really? Oh, I¡¯m fine¡­ This is Diana¡¯s dress.¡± ¡°¡­I don¡¯t need that fancy dress anyway. I just need a few everyday clothes.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ Diana doesn¡¯t really have to go out. I wish my father would let you go from place to place¡­¡± Seia handed over the pink dress to Marie, saying that she felt sorry for Diana. ¡°I don¡¯t need Diana¡¯s. I¡¯d better put it away. ¡®Cause it¡¯s a waste to throw it away.¡¯ ¡®Yes, Grand Duchess.¡¯ The moment Marie received the dress from Seia, she heard the butler¡¯s voice, who stayed still. ¡°Marie, put the dress back in the box.¡± At the butler¡¯s words, Diana, Seia, and Marie¡¯s eyes turned to him. I was looking at the butler because I thought I had heard it wrong, and I heard Seia¡¯s voice that seemed embarrassed. ¡°Butler? This is a gift from Diana. You heard it too butler. Diana said she didn¡¯t need this outfit.¡± ¡°Yes, Grand Princess. I heard that.¡± ¡°But why did you want me to put it back?¡± Seia¡¯s expression was slightly stiff, but the butler said with a gentle smile. ¡°The clothes are not very good for you, Grand Princess.¡± ¡°If you like that design, I will place an order in the salon with the same design. I think you¡¯d better not wear that.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ that¡¯s why you felt a scratch when you touched it. What do you mean the material is not good? Butler, why didn¡¯t you buy Diana¡¯s clothes in good material?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pay more attention next time.¡± The butler bowed his head as if he were sorry for Seia, not Diana. Unlike before, Seia said to Marie with a stiff face, as if she was feeling better. ¡°Marie, put your clothes back in the box.¡± ¡°Yes , Grand Duchess.¡± ¡°Diana, I told the butler to buy you better clothes next time. You don¡¯t have any clothes now¡­. Wear this at least¡­ ¡° Diana, who was watching Marie fold her clothes roughly and put them in a box, answered without raising her head. ¡°Yes, thank you, Grand Princess.¡± ¡°No, of course I care about you. I have a horse riding class now. See you next time.¡± As Seia left the room with Marie, Diana looked quietly at the clothes in the box. I¡¯d rather have Seia take all of them ¡®It would have been better.¡¯ The butler¡¯s voice was heard at the time when his mind was complicated by the favor of the Grand Duke. ¡°If you don¡¯t like your clothes, miss, I¡¯ll exchange them for other clothes.¡± When Diana¡¯s eyes met, the butler unexpectedly lowered his eyes first. Perhaps it was caught in front of Diana saying that the clothes were of bad material. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Compared to the clothes I¡¯ve worn before, these clothes were among the best. Also, she was well aware of her position in the Grand Duchy. In addition, Seia¡¯s behavior today was cuter than usual. I didn¡¯t even say that it¡¯s dirty because it¡¯s made of cloth. It has been a long time since Seia¡¯s bad words were heard in one ear and out the other. ¡°It¡¯s alright. This is enough.¡± The butler is silent for a moment when he answers casually. He spoke in a low voice. ¡°¡­ Okay. Miss, if you need anything else, feel free to call me¡± What you need¡­ One important thing came to mind, Diana called the butler to leave the room. ¡°Oh, butler.¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± The butler who was leaving the room turned around. ¡°The last time I said I could go anywhere.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then can I go if there¡¯s a place like a study in the city?¡± ¡°Studies¡­ Do you mean libraries?¡± ¡®Library? Is there a library in the Grand Duchy?¡¯ The Duchy was a castle of enormous size, so it would not be surprising if there was a library inside. ¡°¡­ Yes¡­ ¡° With a slight nod, the butler looked at Diana for a moment and opened his mouth. ¡°It¡¯s a library* As the butler left the room, Diana stood in front of a neatly arranged closet. ¡°It¡¯s really pretty.¡± Diana smiled as she saw dresses with lace, dresses with ribbon decorations on their shoulders, and dresses with shiny beads. The clothes Leah bought me were the best clothes Diana had ever worn, and the ones in the closet were much better than that, for the nobles. And there were shoes and hairpins as well as clothes. I felt uncomfortable, but when I saw the closet full, the corners of my mouth were inevitably raised. ¡°It¡¯s better to change first¡±. Right?¡± The clothes I¡¯m wearing now are for indoor use, so it was too much to wear when I went outside. I didn¡¯t want to wear the clothes that Leah bought me. ¡°What should I wear?¡± Diana picked out her clothes, humming a little bit. Diana took out an ivory-colored daily dress with small grains of jewelry, changed, and put the clothes Leah bought in a box and left the room. *** ¡°Edwin¡¯s skills are getting better day by day.¡± On his way back from directly supervising Edwin¡¯s training at the Knights¡¯ Marshal, the Grand Duke told Rowoon. It was quite an honor for Edwin to be in the eyes of the Grand Duke, but Rowoon laughed as he thought of Edwin, who was excitedly beaten by the Grand Duke earlier in the smoke field. ¡°Edwin seems to be very good at learning, but why don¡¯t you let him go a little bit? Wouldn¡¯t it be a big deal if Edwin ran away at this rate?¡± ¡°If you run away at this level, you don¡¯t deserve to be a knight of the Grand Prix. And I let you off a lot earlier.¡± If you really wielded your sword, some of Edwin¡¯s bones would have been broken today. The Grand Duke¡¯s skills and Edwin¡¯s personality were just a joke because Rowoon knew best. Rowoon thought quietly and said to the Grand Duke. ¡°Your Highness, Edwin¡¯s skills are getting better day by day, so you can send him to represent the Grand Duke in the upcoming Imperial Sword Competition.¡± The aduke replied with a slight narrowness between his brows as if he were contemplating for a while. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s not bad either.¡± The Imperial Sword Competition, which is held every spring. Since it was a swordsmanship competition held without restrictions on status, numerous mercenaries and commoners who used swords participated, but in fact, the championship was always the knights of the noble family. When competition was held, each noble family tried to raise the family¡¯s reputation by sending out the strongest swordsman in their knighthood. Until 10 years ago, the winner of a swordsmanship contest always came from the duke¡¯s family, but after the death of the Grand Duchess, the duke left for the battlefield, and the duke did not send out knights to the swordsmanship contest. Because the highest shaman of the Empire was the Grand Duchess of Terra Vita in name and reality. CH 28 ¡°To prepare for the Spring Sword Contest, we need to increase Edwin¡¯s training.¡± ¡°What? Oh, yes.¡± Poor Edwin. As Rowoon was comforting Edwin¡¯s future, the Grand Duke¡¯s steps suddenly stopped. ¡°Your Highness?¡± Rowoon suddenly noticed that the Grand Duke, who stopped walking, was looking at something. As I moved my gaze along the Duke¡¯s gaze, I saw a small child in a white dress. It was Diana. As Rowoon narrowed his forehead to Diana¡¯s backside, the Grand Duke could not take his eyes off Diana¡¯s backside. ¡°Were you wearing what the butler prepared?¡± Seeing that it was a new dress, not the last one I saw, it seemed that the butler carried out his orders properly. ¡°But, where are you going?¡± There was no trail for the child to walk to where Diana was going. When the suspicious Duke looked behind Diana, she stumbled heavily because she had lost her footing. With a thud In the end, the Grand Duke involuntarily flinched at the sight of Diana falling. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Oh, my¡­¡± Rowoon was surprised by Diana¡¯s quite big fall and spoke out, Diana stood up from her seat, shaking off her skirt. Diana disappeared quickly, moving her little feet hard where she was going without showing any pain. After Diana disappeared around the corner, Rowoon turned to the Grand Duke. The Duke did not take his eyes off the place where Diana disappeared. ¡®Why does His Highness care so much about her?¡¯ No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn¡¯t understand the Grand Duke and Diana. Diana was Leah¡¯s daughter who drove the Duchess to death. Even the child of the duchess had no sympathy for Leah¡¯s daughter, Diana. But how on earth did the Grand Duke accept that child. It¡¯s already been 15 years since Rowoon took the Grand Duke as his master. It was even more difficult to understand because he had been serving the Grand Duke for a short time and seeing the Grand Duke¡¯s cool-headed appearance. The Grand Duke is never a man to be shaken by such things. However, Rowoon had to put up with it even though he had a lot to say because he was warned not to talk about Diana anymore. When Rowoon was holding back the words he wanted to ask, the Grand Duke murmured softly. ¡°It seems dangerous to go around alone.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Should I give her a maid?¡± ¡° What do you mean by a maid? Which aristocrat gives a maid to an illegitimate child who has not even reached the family tree? Rowoon¡¯s lips were filled with words up to his throat, but he closed his mouth at the moment when he encountered it. The Grand Duke gently smiled at Rowoon. ¡°You seem to have a lot of complaints.¡± ¡°No.¡± Rowoon looked down and said no, but the Duke knew Rowoon still hadn¡¯t accepted Diana. ¡°Rowoon, Ariel said it to me. Don¡¯t sacrifice an innocent child for an adult fight. Diana has already gone through a lot of hardships and I want to keep Ariel¡¯s word.¡± ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t know the Grand Duchess had said that.¡± Rowoon was able to understand a little bit of the Grand Duke¡¯s mind, which he had not understood until now, when he said he wanted to keep the words of the Grand Duke. I know how much the Great Duke loved the Grand Duchess. Let¡¯s not sacrifice a child in the adult fight. It was a remark that was truly of a very high-ranking official. ¨C Rowoon, sometimes it¡¯s important to look around. Sometimes only what you see is not true. And suddenly I remembered what the duke had said to him. Why does this word suddenly come to mind? Miss Diana. He ignored all the surroundings related to Diana and despised her only because she was Leah¡¯s daughter. I still felt the same way, but¡­ ¡°Rowoon, aren¡¯t you going?¡± ¡°Oh, yes.¡± Rowoon followed the Duke, giving up Diana¡¯s thoughts. *** ¡°It¡¯s bigger than I thought.¡± Diana, who arrived at the library after being guided by a maid she encountered in the hallway, looked around the interior of the library, which was wider than she thought. The two-story interior was filled with books. Perhaps because I was born here and grew up without seeing a book, it was fascinating to see a place full of books. ¡°I love it.¡± While looking around the bookshelf in admiration of the unfamiliar sight, Diana could not tell what kind of books these were or where the books she was looking for were, even though there were numerous books. Diana couldn¡¯t read the title of the book because she didn¡¯t know how to read. Diana, looking around at the curly letters, let out a small sigh and put the book in place. In addition, there were too many books out of her reach due to the height of the bookshelf. ¡°That¡¯s why I can¡¯t find a book.¡± ¡®Is there anyone who manages this place?¡¯ Diana looked around the library, but no one seemed to be a librarian. ¡°What should I do?¡± Should I go back to my room like this? Or should I catch a maid passing by? Diana shook her head. If you ask someone for help, there could be rumors that Diana was trying to learn to write. But there was nothing I could do in this big and spacious library to do on my own. I thought it would be easy to find a textbook, but it wasn¡¯t even easy to find it. ¡®I wanted to learn how to write.¡¯ I don¡¯t want to cry, but I was sad for no reason in this large space without anyone, and tears began to form in Diana¡¯s big eyes. This is because I felt that the future was just hopeless as I twisted from the first step of being alone. ¡°If I don¡¯t know the words, how can I become independent?¡± I was about to burst into tears. ¡°Who is it?¡± At the sound of footsteps in the quiet library, Diana hid behind the book window holding her breath. Come to think of it, there was no reason to hide, but it was instinctive. She poked her head from behind the bookshelf to examine the visitor. ¡°Uh¡­¡± I could see the familiar sky blue hair. At this, Diana rose up, smiling, hiding behind the bookshelf. ¡°Edwin.¡± When his name was called, Edwin, who was heading to the bookshelf, turned his head toward Diana. His green eyes grew as if they were surprised to find Diana. ¡°Miss?¡± Diana darted to him in amazement. Then Edwin bent one knee and lowered himself. ¡°Edwin, how are you?¡± It was the first time I¡¯ve seen him since the day of the raid. Edwin¡¯s eyes curled gently as he smiled with delight. ¡°I¡¯m always doing well. Are you all better now?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m all better now. It¡¯s fine. Thank you for saving me then.¡± ¡°No, I just did what I had to do. By the way, miss, what brings you here? Are you here alone?¡± Edwin rolled his eyes around to see who else might be behind Diana. ¡°Yes, I came alone.¡± ¡°¡­ I see.¡± ¡°Edwin, are you busy?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m free for a few hours after training.¡± ¡°Then can you help me?¡± As I asked him carefully. There was a wonder on his face. ¡°What can I do for you?¡± ¡°I want you to find me a book to learn letters.¡± ¡°You mean letters. Are you trying to learn?¡± I nodded straight to Edwin¡¯s careful question. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ yes.¡± Edwin tried not to show, but his green eyes looked completely embarrassed. It was a natural reaction. It¡¯s not common for a 10-year-old child, who grew up in a noble family, to be illiterate. It was quite strange that Diana did not know the text, as even the maids of the Grand Duke knew the text. Perhaps if Leah were a normal mother, of course, Diana would have known how to read as a child. Edwin¡¯s green eyes examined Diana¡¯s expression. Looking at him as if nothing had happened, Edwin immediately smiled and rose. ¡°Well, if you¡¯re learning to write for the first time, you¡¯d better look at it as a picture book. ¡°But I don¡¯t know if there¡¯s a book like that in here.. Lady, shall we go over there?¡± Edwin pointed to the sofa in the middle of the library. ¡°Yes.¡± Edwin put Diana on the sofa and moved to a place lined with bookshelves. Looking around as if looking for a book, he returned with a troubled face. ¡°As expected, there are no picture books here.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°The library is designed for maids and knights working in the Grand Duchy, so there are few books for children.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Diana tried to pretend to be okay but could not hide her disappointment. The moment I saw Edwin in the library, I was delighted that it was solved, but it was not easy. ¡°I can¡¯t help it.¡± I think Edwin¡¯s gonna be in more trouble if she keeps feeling down I came down from the sofa pretending to be okay. Then Edwin¡¯s green gaze, which was agonizing over something, turned to Diana. ¡°Miss.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to find a picture of a letter book outside. I¡¯ll get something.¡± ¡°Edwin?¡± ¡°Yes, and if you don¡¯t mind¡­ Can I help you learn how to write?¡± Diana stared at Edwin with her eyes wide open at the unexpected suggestion. ¡®Thank you for buying me a picture book.¡¯ I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re going to teach me how to write. It was a great thing, but it¡¯s great right away I couldn¡¯t answer that. ¡°¡­ But isn¡¯t Edwin busy? And it wouldn¡¯t be good if Edwin told me the story.¡± Last time I saw Edwin as a trusted knight to the Grand Duke. If he hung out with me, I thought Grand Duke would hate it. The Grand Duke is now being nice to Diana, but it¡¯s something else to do with his knight. I didn¡¯t want Edwin to suffer because of me. ¡°Well, if I tell you that you don¡¯t have to worry about that, will that be okay ?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Contrary to Diana¡¯s heavy expression, Edwin smiled brightly. ¡°Lady, don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s never too much for me to look after the lady. Rather, it is a glorious thing. As a junior knight, I can teach you how to read¡± CH 29 Speaking proudly, he looked around the library and lowered his voice, as if he were telling a secret story. ¡°And I¡¯ve actually heard that there are very few visitors to this library. I heard that there are few people coming in and out except for the maid who cleans in the morning and evening. So if I look at your writing here, no one will know you¡¯re learning to write.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes, so you can relax and get my help.¡± At Edwin¡¯s words, I looked around the quiet library. An excessively quiet place Come to think of it, when I asked the maid about the location of the library earlier, she thought that there was such a place with a blank face and managed to take Diana to the library. As Edwin said, it really seemed like a place where people didn¡¯t get in and out. ¡®There¡¯s no reason to refuse Edwin¡¯s help if there¡¯s no fear of getting caught.¡¯ With Edwin¡¯s help, not anyone else, you can learn to write more comfortably. Diana looked at Edwin. She¡¯s looking forward to it I told Edwin. ¡°If Edwin really doesn¡¯t mind¡­ I want to learn from Edwin.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do my best from now on. Please take good care of me, miss Edwin spoke softly and reached out his hand. With the joy of finally learning to write, Diana held his hand with a bright smile. *** ¡°¡­ Time is ticking.¡± Today is the first class with Edwin. I lay face down on the table half an hour before class. ¡°I should have eaten lunch a little late.¡± Maybe because I had lunch earlier than usual and finished all the preparations, I felt like I was losing time. In fact, it was yesterday that time went slowly. I couldn¡¯t sleep yesterday because I was looking forward to my first class today. ¡®I¡¯m going to learn from Edwin and read all the books in the library. Then you won¡¯t have enough knowledge when you go out to live outside later.¡¯ Tap tap Diana, who was imagining the future, suddenly remembered Leah. I went for a walk yesterday, It was because I happened to hear Leah¡¯s story that she was trapped in a cabin and was keeping a low profile. ¡ª How dirty her personality is, she scratched the servant¡¯s face so hard and went crazy. The moment Diana heard that, she was afraid that Leah would come after her right away. ¡°Let¡¯s not think about it.¡± Diana shook her head, shaking her fear of Leah. ¡®This is the castle of a Grand Duke, She can never come here.¡¯ As I reimagined today¡¯s class, I heard a knock on the door. ¡°Miss, I¡¯m a butler.¡± Diana answered quickly to a familiar voice. ¡°Come on in.¡± The butler who opened the door was not alone. Diana saw a maid following behind the butler. The maid is lowering her head I couldn¡¯t see it. But. ¡®That hair color¡­ I think I¡¯ve seen it somewhere.¡¯ I¡¯ve seen a variety of hair colors so far, but scarlet hair with such a strong red color has not been common. ¡°Lady, I have brought you a maid who will serve you at the command of His Highness the Grand Duke.¡± ¡°¡­ A maid?¡± Diana asked back, unable to hide her embarrassment. Last time you sent the clothes and this time you send a maid? ¡°Yes, His Highness sent you a maid, saying that you are still young, and that it would be difficult to live alone.¡± ¡°¡­¡± I had to say thank you, but my lips didn¡¯t open. I tried to understand by letting me stay in the mansion and giving me clothes. But a full-time maid. Who gives an exclusive maid to an illegitimate child, who has not even reached the family tree? Although she is an illegitimate child, does he have a small sympathy to learn that his bloodline grew up abused? So¡­ is he trying to accept me as his daughter? At the thought of it, my heart pounded and beat small. But for a moment, the Grand Duke¡¯s cold face, which was looking at her, was pictured in her head. ¡®No way.¡¯ Diana breathed a deep sigh into her heart, which had been beating with anticipation for a moment. ¡®Wake up, Diana. You already know how much vain expectations leave a scar.¡¯ Diana once struggled to be loved by her only mother, Leah. I tried, but I finally realized that it was only Leah¡¯s hand that came back, so I gave up all my expectations. There¡¯s no such thing as parental love to her. ¡®Let¡¯s give up useless thoughts.¡¯ The butler¡¯s voice was heard as she shook her head to completely shake off her anticipated heart. ¡°Lady, are you all right?¡± ¡°¡­it¡¯s all right. Butler.¡± Diana saw the maid hanging her head behind the butler and told him. ¡°I can live well alone without a maid.¡± The butler¡¯s face was in trouble when she refused because she thought it would be better not to receive the Grand Duke¡¯s favor anymore. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, miss, but this is His Highness¡¯ order, and I cannot do anything.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± At the butler¡¯s stern words, Diana bit her lip slightly. ¡°And you don¡¯t know much about the mansion yet, so having a maid will make it easier for you to live. Phoebe, say hello to the lady.¡± ¡°Miss Diana, my name is Phoebe.¡± The maid who was standing behind the butler came forward. Phoebe bowed down. Diana said immediately because she felt burdened with excessive greetings that seemed to touch the floor. ¡°You can raise your head.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± When Phoebe raised her head, Diana was finally able to tell. Phoebe was bullied on the promenade Yes, it was the little maid. The main culprit of the bullying was Seia¡¯s maid, and it was a strange coincidence that the maid who came to her was the victim. Phoebe, whose eyes met with Diana, drew a smile. Her scarlet eyes gleamed at Diana. The butler said, as Diana looked at Phoebe with an awkward look on her face in the glittering eyes. ¡°Although Phoebe has just entered the Grand Duchy, she¡¯s a very good worker, so she¡¯ll take care of you.¡± ¡°¡­ Yes.¡± With a slow nod, the butler turned to Phoebe. ¡°Phoebe, make sure she doesn¡¯t feel any discomfort from now on.¡± ¡°Yes, butler.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll be on my way. Miss.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± When the butler left the room, Phoebe approached Diana. ¡°Miss, I look forward to your kind cooperation. And thank you so much for helping me last time. I will serve you with all my heart from now on.¡± ¡°Yes, thank you.¡± Phoebe looked at Diana with a bright smile. She seemed to have a favor with Diana, who helped her, but Diana was still uncomfortable and unreliable with her kindness. Because Phoebe was a maid of Grand Duchy. Diana was only ten years old, but she had learned something from living in the rand Duchy. That is, people of the Grand Duchy should be careful of what they say. Those who were rumored to be bad among these people were eventually kicked out of the without staying long. So I was nervous. I¡¯m afraid Phoebe will spread bad rumors about her, and that they will fall into the Grand Duke¡¯s ear. Of course, it is not known whether Phoebe will raise malicious rumors about her, but if so, she will feel anxious. ¡°Miss, are you uncomfortable?¡± Phoebe asked anxiously on Diana¡¯s suddenly darkened face. ¡°No, I think it¡¯s kind of stuffy to just stay in the room.¡± ¡°Well, the weather is nice, would you like to go for a walk?¡± ¡°Huh? Oh, right!¡± Diana came to her senses and checked the time. The slow time had gone by so quickly that it was time to meet Edwin. ¡®Oh, I¡¯m going to be late on the first day.¡¯ Diana, who was in a hurry to leave the room, paused to see Phoebe standing smiling in front of her. ¡°Is there something urgent?¡± ¡°Huh? Oh, that¡¯s¡­ ¡± Diana blurted out the end of the sentence. Because I couldn¡¯t tell Phoebe that I had to go to the library to learn to write. I don¡¯t even know what kind of person Phoebe is yet, so I can¡¯t tell you the truth What can I do to keep Phoebe away from me? If Diana said she would go out, it was natural that Phoebe would follow her. I can¡¯t think of a way, but time went by, and the smile disappeared from Phoebe¡¯s face while looking at Diana. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Phoebe lowered her gaze. ¡°Oh, my lady. There¡¯s something on your clothes. I didn¡¯t know? ¡°What?¡± When I looked down after Phoebe, I saw red marks on the yellow dress. ¡°Oh¡­ I had juice in the morning, but when did I spill it?¡± ¡°Would you like to change? I¡¯ll wash it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be back.¡± ¡°Huh? Oh¡­ Okay.¡± Diana glanced at the watch as she answered. Did Edwin arrive? It was not the time to change clothes, but the red mark was clear, so I couldn¡¯t say anything and changed. Diana, who changed into a dark green dress, came up with an idea to separate from Phoebe, who was packing the stained dress. ¡°Phoebe.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You know, I¡¯ve been feeling a little down lately, so can I pick some flowers from the garden?¡± ¡°Flowers?¡± ¡°Yes, the weather is getting warmer, and I think the flowers that bloom this early are already blooming¡­¡± Phoebe nodded slowly when she said, recalling that she saw a white flower on her way back to the promenade a while ago. ¡°Oh, yes, Hyris bloomed a few days ago. Shall we pick the flowers now?¡± ¡°Yeah, and I hope you don¡¯t pick just today, but go to the garden at this time every day to pick flowers. I think I¡¯ll feel better when I see lively flowers every day.¡± ¡°At the same time every day? Then the time overlaps with your lunch hour¡­ Can¡¯t we pick flowers for lunch?¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to do to my lunch. You can go to the garden right after Phoebe¡¯s lunch and pick flowers.¡± ¡°But how can I miss your lunch?¡± Phoebe¡¯s face was filled with difficulties. ¡°No! Then I¡¯m going to do double work. I¡¯m not used to lunch anyway. Rather, it¡¯s more uncomfortable to eat when there¡¯s someone.¡± When I shook my head strongly, Phoebe patted her lips a little embarrassed and I opened my mouth. ¡°If you¡¯re uncomfortable¡­ I will.¡± Hello everyone this is fiza the translator of this novel I would like to thank everyone who has read this novel and supported this translation but this would be the last chapter from my side Im dropping from the novel and website due to the comments i received I don¡¯t have the motivation to continue the novel i know the editing was bad but the novel was quite readable and I enjoyed translating it and im also receiving alot of work load from my studies I hope someone who would translate this novel better would pick this up. And alot of thanks to classy¡¯s cafe for uploading this novel.