Episode 12: Joshua’s Visit
The princess quietly observed Ella, who was waiting for the duke, and eventually couldn’t resist her curiosity.
“Did you say you’re a maid?”
Ella politely answered the princess who spoke to her.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Is that really all? You don’t have to hide anything from me. It’s not uncommon for nobles to keep a few mistresses.”
With a gentle smile, the princess asked kindly, trying to figure out the relationship between the duke and Ella.
“Not at all.”
The princess eyed Ella suspiciously, but when she saw no unusual signs, she spoke with a hint of disappointment.
“Really? Strange… The duke I know isn’t the type to step forward for someone else like this.”
The suffocating conversation with the princess made Ella silently pray for the duke to return soon as she continued to answer politely.
After some time, the duke returned to the princess with several knights. Only then did the princess end her questioning, and Ella let out a sigh of relief.
“Your Highness, we’ve captured the secretary and several members of the organization.”
“Well done. I’ll interrogate them myself later. Lock them in the underground prison.”
As the guard knights left to imprison the captured members, the duke respectfully addressed the princess.
“Your Highness, I shall take my leave now.”
“Ah, you’ve worked hard, Duke. Let’s meet again next time.”
Even at the princess’s kind farewell, the duke only nodded and left with Ella and Marie. Watching the duke’s retreating figure, the princess smiled subtly.
When Ella returned home with Marie, Eden and Karl cried so much at the sight of their sister that it took nearly an hour to calm them down.
“You little crybabies… When will you ever grow up?”
Marie looked at her younger brothers, whose eyes were swollen like fish, and smiled with tears still clinging to her lashes. When she was first kidnapped and woke up behind the bars among strangers, she thought she’d never see her family again. Being back with her sister and brothers felt like a dream.
“Noona, don’t worry! I’m going to learn swordsmanship like the duke so I can protect you!”
Karl held a stick in his tiny hands, swinging it like a sword with a determined expression. Not to be outdone, Eden clenched his fists and vowed to Marie and Ella.
“Me too! I’ll protect you both.”
“Haha, how wonderful. Eden and Karl are promising to protect me like this.”
Marie and Ella wiped away their lingering tears and finally smiled brightly at their adorable brothers.
The next morning, as Ella busily prepared breakfast, someone knocked on the door.
“Who is it?”
“Ella, it’s me—Joshua.”
“Huh? It’s Joshua hyung!”
Hearing the voice of Joshua, Ella’s childhood friend, Eden and Karl jumped up and flung the door open.
“Hyung!”
“Eden, Karl, you’ve been well? I heard you found Marie… Thank goodness.”
Joshua, who lived in the neighboring village, seemed to have brought flowers upon hearing the news of Marie’s return.
“Thank you. I heard you helped look after my brothers.”
Ella expressed her gratitude. She had always been thankful to Joshua, who was the same age as her but always looked after her like an older brother.
“Yeah… It’s been a while, Ella. I missed you.”
The moment Joshua said he missed Ella, the duke—who had been quietly drinking tea at the table—unconsciously tightened his grip. The delicate handle of the teacup snapped helplessly in his strong hand.
Clink!
When the cup fell onto the table, Ella gasped and hurried over, scolding him gently while wiping his hand with a handkerchief.
“My lord, are you alright? Please be careful. You’re not hurt, are you?”
As Ella worriedly examined his hand, the duke looked smugly at Joshua before answering Ella.
“I’m fine. I’ll buy another cup tomorrow.”
“No, it probably broke because it was old anyway. I’m just glad you’re not hurt.”
Joshua, who had liked Ella for a long time, had rushed over early in the morning with flowers she liked. But Ella seemed more concerned about the unfamiliar man—the duke—than about seeing her childhood friend again.
“Ella, here. It’s lilies—you always liked them.”
Joshua confidently offered the flowers to draw Ella’s attention back to himself.
“Oh? Ah, thank you.”
Ella, still worried about the duke’s hand, accepted the flowers absentmindedly. As the strong scent of lilies filled the house, the duke frowned and turned his head.
“Oh—does the scent bother you, my lord?”
Ella recalled the duke’s dislike for strong fragrances.
“Yes. The scent is too strong.”
Ella immediately set the lilies far away on a table in the corner. Joshua’s mood soured at how quickly she put aside the flowers he had brought, but he hid his displeasure and smiled brightly.
“Where’s Marie?”
“Oh, Vivian from next door just came back home, so she went to see her.”
“Vivian came back…?”
As soon as Vivian’s name was mentioned, Joshua’s expression suddenly went stiff. Ella found the sudden coldness strange and involuntarily stepped back.
“Aren’t you happy she returned?”
“Of course I am, Ella. I’m glad.”
Joshua changed expressions instantly and smiled like usual. But Ella couldn’t shake off the unsettling feeling from that momentary coldness.
“Ella, let’s go see Vivian too.”
He had shown no joy when hearing of Vivian’s return—yet suddenly insisted they go see her. Ella felt something was off.
“Ah, maybe later… She’s probably exhausted. Too many visitors might not be good.”
Joshua looked disappointed, glancing briefly at the duke sitting in his chair.
“Alright… Then I’ll get going. See you next time.”
He hesitated as if wanting to say more, then sighed and left.
“Is he a friend?”
After Joshua disappeared, the duke asked casually.
“Yes. My childhood friend, but I haven’t seen him in a while. Something feels different about him though…”
Ella remembered Joshua’s strange expression earlier. He had always been kind, like an older brother, but something about him felt off today.
As Ella cleaned up the dishes, Marie came in through the door.
“Sis… Something’s weird.”
“Huh? What is?”
“When I talked to Vivian… she mentioned Joshua.”
“Joshua?”
Ella looked surprised.
“Yeah. I also went downtown for work because Joshua introduced me to a job. And guess what—Vivian was kidnapped after going downtown for a job Joshua introduced her to.”
The cold expression earlier, plus the fact that both Marie and Vivian had gone downtown because of Joshua, made an uneasy feeling rise in Ella.
“This is strange. Joshua was here earlier.”
“Huh? Joshua was?”
“Yeah. And when I told him Vivian came back… his face didn’t look happy at all.”
Marie felt something was wrong too. She shot up.
“Sis, I’m going to Lori’s house. I know it’s unlikely, but I need to ask her how she got kidnapped.”
“Lori came back too?”
“Yeah. I’ll be back.”
Ella watched Marie rush toward Lori’s house, silently praying Joshua wasn’t involved in the trafficking group. But soon Marie returned with a distressed expression, and Ella knew her bad feeling had been right.
“Sis… Lori said she was also kidnapped after Joshua introduced her to a job downtown…”
Marie collapsed into a chair as if her strength left her. Ella staggered too, her legs weakening, and the duke quickly supported her into a seat.
“Marie, let’s go to the guards and report this.”
Ella couldn’t ignore the fact that three people—all connected to Joshua—had been kidnapped. They had to report it.
“Sis… But can’t we talk to Joshua first?”
Marie couldn’t bring herself to report Joshua to the guards—not without asking him directly. Ella felt the same, so she nodded quietly.
As Ella and Marie prepared to go see Joshua, the duke decided to accompany them in case of danger.
Following Marie’s lead, they arrived at Joshua’s house. The duke knocked on the door, but the house was already empty. Drawers left open, belongings scattered—it looked like someone had packed in a hurry… or a thief had ransacked the place.
Seeing the scene, Ella knew for certain Joshua was involved with the trafficking group.
“He must’ve run.”
“Sis…”
Marie tightly held Ella’s hand, shocked by the betrayal.
Ella and the duke immediately reported Joshua’s suspicious behavior to the guards. When news spread that Joshua might be involved with the traffickers, Vivian and Lori were so devastated they couldn’t leave their homes for days.
