The scandal swept through all of Lintz.
In just a single day—exactly as my lady and Edward Callinan had intended.
When I woke that morning, I never imagined that the short, ordinary walk from the servants’ quarters to the Aspania mansion would become such a difficult task.
As I changed clothes and entered the central building, all eyes turned toward me—openly, unashamedly.
Whether they had attended the Callinan family’s ball last night or not, their stares were the same.
Only now did I realize that the air could go so still—so deathly quiet—when someone walked into a room.
As though a bucket of cold water had been poured over the entire hall, the atmosphere froze instantly. Their gazes pinned me in place, and an eerie silence lingered on. In this vast Aspania mansion, it felt as though I alone existed, while all else fell mute.
“……”
I lifted my chin and walked on, trying to remain steady. Every step I took earned me furtive glances.
Even the maids of my own rank. The maids who served the lord and lady. The footmen, the valets, the housemaids. The other workers who took care of chores. Even the butler, Matthew, and the head maid, Meg.
I had never seen such a cold expression on Meg’s face before. She had never been particularly warm, but the chill in her eyes now was of another kind entirely.
Not that anyone dared speak to me. That only made the strangeness worse. Everyone seemed to be whispering about what had happened yesterday, but the moment I appeared, all mouths shut tight, as if by prior agreement.
No doubt everyone sensed that this was not an ordinary matter. They were being careful—not only because of me but because this involved Lady Dianther herself and the Aspania ducal family.
The staff seemed to understand instinctively that in such affairs, discretion was survival.
And truly, this was no ordinary incident. Not at all.
“Unbelievable” barely began to describe it.
There had been plenty of witnesses to last night’s events. And rumors travel fast.
Considering that the scandal involved the heirs of two of the most powerful houses after the royal family itself, Lintz would be in an uproar for some time. In all my memory, I had never heard of a scandal of this scale.
“Did you hear? Amel Kiselle was with Lady Dianther’s fiancé—”
“What? That can’t be right!”
“I swear, Emily told me herself! Get Emily here—she saw it with her own eyes!”
“Wait, are you serious? I still can’t believe it…”
I could hear the whispers clearly as I passed.
Emily—of course it had to be her. Unlike the others, she had been there. She knew who I was.
And truthfully, I agreed with their disbelief.
The events of last night still felt like a dream—so unreal that I could hardly remember how I even made it back to the Aspania mansion afterward.
Throughout the morning, as I helped prepare breakfast amid the cold, suffocating atmosphere, my thoughts kept drifting back to that night—to that place, that moment.
________✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧𓉞___________
The sound of approaching footsteps grew nearer. We stood beneath a tree on one side of the garden—the promised place, no doubt.
“This will be the last time.”
“……”
“This will be the end.”
Edward Callinan’s words marked the end of our contract.
The conclusion came as abruptly as its beginning.
I could feel it now—tangibly, unmistakably. The end I had so longed and waited for was finally within reach.
It was all coming to an end.
And that meant this was our final performance.
My heart ached faintly in my chest.
For some reason, Edward Callinan’s voice, as he spoke of our “last time,” sounded slightly different than usual.
Is he nervous too?
…Impossible. What reason would he have to be?
I already knew the truth and only I was foolish enough to be shaken by this false act of ours.
No more words were needed. I steadied myself and took a step closer.
His dark, obsidian eyes had been fixed on me all along—calm, silent, unreadable.
If I kept looking into them any longer, I was sure he would see straight through me.
And yet, I still knew nothing about him.
Edward Callinan of House Callinan. The prodigy born to brilliance, adored by all. The kingdom’s most handsome man. A man of wealth, power, talent, lineage, and presence—envied by everyone.
He claimed to dislike performing for others, yet when the situation demanded it, he acted flawlessly.
He had agreed to all this for Lady Dianther’s sake, perhaps out of loyalty—or something else.
The rumors said he was both close to and distant from Prince Kian. That he stood at odds with Crown Prince Leon. That he lived under the constant threat of assassination.
He had shown unexpected kindness to Arthur and always treated me with measured respect—as though I were someone of significance.
He behaved unlike any noble I had ever known,as though my position as a maid meant nothing at all to him.
That, in essence, was everything I knew about Edward Callinan.
And yet, even after all this time, I still couldn’t claim to truly understand him.
As if something vital is missing.
A soft breeze stirred his dark hair.
After a long silence, he spoke.
“People are coming this way. Soon they’ll see me here—with someone who isn’t my fiancée.”
“……”
“If it’s too much for you to bear…”
“……”
“…then let me handle it.”
His promise—to warn me before he acted—still held true. And that deep, low voice… unchanged as ever.
Always. Always like this.
I knew how he would act, how he would perform, yet I still trembled every single time.
At moments like this, I almost wished he would just do it without saying a word.
My cheeks burned. I didn’t need to touch them to feel the heat.
But it would all end today.
There was no time left to think. The others would arrive any moment now.
“……”
I nodded.
The sound of the northern woods carried faintly through the night—a cool rustling of leaves stirred by the wind.
Even without seeing it, I could picture the forest clearly, its dense trees swaying in the dark.
I could feel as if I was there.
I focused on that sound, as if doing so could calm the storm in my chest.
Then, I felt him move.
His arm slid gently around my waist, drawing me closer until my back brushed against the rough bark of the tree. The chill of it seeped through the thin fabric of my dress.
Moments later, his fingertips brushed my lips. With the faintest pressure, my lips parted slightly.
Our gazes met—and in that instant, the world seemed to vanish.
In the darkness, his black eyes still gleamed.
Unwavering. Fixed only on me.
…Is he going to kiss me?
This was supposed to be the last time.
The very last.
Then why—why was I hoping he would?
A kiss from a man who felt nothing for me — a kiss born only of pretense?
What am I even thinking?
I couldn’t bear to look at him anymore.
I closed my eyes.
So close, I could still smell the faint trace of champagne on his breath.
Dew gathered at the hem of my dress.
Then—voices.
Laughter, faint but growing nearer.
There was no escape now. No turning back.
This wasn’t the past or the future. It was now.
“Why, Lady Dianther, then you—”
Everything was so perfectly unnatural.
Every piece of this moment had been crafted for effect—the stage, the actors, even the audience.
In that suffocating silence, I could hear his breath—soft, shallow, trembling.
His arm tightened around my waist.
Thud, thud, thud—
my heart pounded wildly, as though it might burst.
If I could melt away into the darkness,
I think I would have.
Then came stillness.
The laughter faded. The chatter died.
Only his quiet exhale remained—half sigh, half whisper.
I couldn’t open my eyes.
I couldn’t face those eyes—eyes that could act out love without ever feeling it.
Why does it matter? Why does it matter to me?
I didn’t know the answer.
“……”
“……Let’s go.”
“L-Lady Dianther…”
“It’s late,” came Lady Dianthe’s cool voice.
“We should be leaving.”
The unfamiliar voices dared not speak further.
As their footsteps retreated, Edward Callinan’s breath grew faint, scattered into the night.
Slowly, gently, his hand fell away from me.
What lingered was only the ghost of his last kiss—light, fleeting, and unreal.
Like a lie.
