“……”
The Duke of Callinan was looking at me in silence. His posture was straight, his gaze unwavering—his composure flawless.
Our eyes met for a brief moment before I lowered my head again. I didn’t know what to say, or what I should do. My mind was a mess.
Crown Prince Leon had left, but my problem was far from over.
Now that the prince was gone, I needed to tell the Duke that I wasn’t a servant of this mansion. But perhaps because my nerves were still on edge from the encounter with the prince, I couldn’t find my voice.
What should I even start with…
“I cannot tell what’s going through your mind.”
The low voice descended upon me. I looked up—it was clearly Duke Callinan who had spoken.
Can he read minds?
If not, then had he simply observed me long enough to draw that conclusion?
I flinched.
There was something unreadable in his expression as his quiet gray eyes rested on me.
And in that instant, I realized….
Graham Callinan, Minister of Magic of Martina, one of the great nobles who led the nation—someone of his standing would never mistake his own servant for another person.
So if he hadn’t mistaken me for one of his employees, that meant he had deliberately saved me from Crown Prince Leon.
But…
Why?
“I am deeply sorry, my lord. About earlier… thank you.”
Even if I didn’t understand his intentions, the fact remained—he had protected me from the prince.
And to do so, he had gone so far as to claim I was one of his servants, enduring the prince’s insulting words without refuting them.
I had no idea why a man of his stature would go that far for someone whose name or background he didn’t even know.
“I serve in the Aspania household, my lord. I apologize for not clarifying that sooner.”
When I revealed my affiliation, the Duke studied me for a long moment. His expression was as complex as before—perhaps even more so.
“Why is the Crown Prince looking for you?”
“……”
It was a simple question, but I couldn’t answer it.
Because I didn’t know either.
Why was Crown Prince Leon acting that way toward me? I couldn’t even begin to guess.
Maybe it’s because of what happened at the Heren Palace.
Back then, he’d said I looked familiar. Perhaps he was trying to figure out why he felt that way.
To him, it might have been nothing more than fleeting curiosity. But to me, his curiosity was terrifying.
I never wanted to be noticed by people who lived in a completely different world than mine… yet here I am.
Nothing ever seems to go the way I want.
I had to think carefully before I spoke. Yet before I could find my words, the Duke spoke first.
“Edward has…”
My heart, which had only just begun to calm, pounded wildly again at the sound of that name from his lips—Edward Callinan.
Edward and I—what about us?
How much does he know?
Could he possibly be aware of our contract? What was the Duke trying to say?
But he didn’t continue.
He simply looked at me in silence, as if unsure where to begin.
Standing a few steps away, his pale gray eyes—so unlike his son’s—looked down at me.
Those eyes… why do they feel so familiar?
The thought unsettled me. A strange déjà vu lingered, like a shadow just out of reach.
Why does this feel so—wrong?
Before I could chase the thought further, a dull headache began to throb in my temples.
“……So it’s come to this after all,”
he murmured under his breath.
So it’s come to this? What does that mean…?
Just then, faint voices and footsteps echoed nearby.
Several people were approaching. The Duke’s attention turned toward the sound.
He was once again the same composed figure I had first met in the corridor—collected, unreadable, perfectly in control.
He looked back at me and said quietly,
“Go down the stairs and look for the statue of Karl Alpers. From there, you’ll find your way back to the main hall. Return to your master—back to the Aspania estate. For now, that is the safest place for you.”
Once he finished speaking, he turned and walked away. The door, which had been left half-open, creaked softly as he pushed it.
It was the same room from which he had emerged earlier with Crown Prince Leon—perhaps his private office. The approaching footsteps must belong to his guests.
Before disappearing through the doorway, he looked back one last time.
His gray eyes lingered on me in silence.
I stood there, frozen, until I finally managed to bow slightly before quietly turning toward the staircase, just before the others entered.
A click—the door closed behind me.
The sound of footsteps grew nearer.
Before anyone appeared, I managed to slip down the stairs and out of sight.
“Ha…”
I gripped the stair railing and came to a halt halfway down.
The sigh I’d been holding escaped on its own. The dull ache in my head refused to fade, and I could feel my pulse hammering beneath my skin.
What… what was that?
My mind wouldn’t stop spinning. The Duke’s words circled endlessly in my thoughts.
Incomplete fragments of meaning, scattered and hazy, revealed nothing at all.
Why had Duke Callinan defended me before Crown Prince Leon?
And what did his words mean?
He had told me to return to my master’s side—that it was the safest place for me.
He had mentioned Edward’s name. That alone meant he knew something. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have brought Edward up when speaking to me.
Whatever it was, it was a mystery I had to solve—and perhaps, a chance.
A chance to uncover the missing link between Edward and me.
________✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧𓉞___________
The lower corridor stretched ahead, lined with marble statues at regular intervals. Following it, I soon found the statue Duke Callinan had mentioned—the statue of Karl Alpers.
It was a famous work depicting an ancient general and god of war, found in nearly every noble estate across the continent. Anyone could recognize him at a glance—the wild curls, the fierce eyes. When I followed the direction of his stony gaze, a corridor leading toward the main hall came into view.
The hall was filled with people, but I spotted my lady right away. And next to her—Emily.
Emily, who had been missing for so long, sat beside Lady Dianthe as if nothing had happened.
Where on earth had she been?
Frustration welled up as I thought about everything I’d gone through trying to find her. My head throbbed again at the memory.
Still, she looked unharmed—and that was a relief. Lady Dianther was the same as ever, too, gracefully accepting dance requests from young nobles.
From a distance, I watched her with quiet eyes.
The safest place for me…
My master’s side.
The House of Aspania.
Aspania Estate.
I didn’t understand. None of it made sense.
It was like trying to fit the wrong key into a lock, forcing it to turn with all my might—but nothing clicked into place.
I should have asked him more while I had the chance.
Even if I didn’t have the courage, I should have at least tried.
Will I ever have another chance to speak with him again?
What did he mean by “return to Aspania”?
Was he telling me that’s where I truly belong?
“……”
Once I returned to the hall, I instinctively began searching for Edward Callinan. But strangely, he was nowhere to be seen.
He wasn’t dancing as before, nor standing along the edges of the hall.
Where did he go?
Of course, a noble like him was always busy. It made sense that he wouldn’t remain in the ballroom all evening. Still…
Even if it wasn’t my place to concern myself with his whereabouts…
In the end, all my thoughts led back to the same person.
The one who had started all of this…
Edward Edwin Callinan.
To him.
