~Chapter 68~
“…Earlier, a small young girl peeked her face in, looked at me, and then left.”
“I see. I apologize for the intrusion, miss.”
With that, Esther closed the door and left.
“You may come out now, Lady Lucy.”
At those words, the girl burst out from under the blanket, her eyes wide.
“How did you know my name?!”
“Because there are many rumors that the young lady looks just like the Grand Duchess and is very beautiful.”
At that, Dane’s younger sister, Lucy—who had just turned five—laughed shyly.
“Hehehe.”
Camilla quietly looked at her young face.
A cute face that had never appeared in the original story made her heart feel warm.
‘This world really isn’t just a novel.’
The result of changing the original story was right here.
Lucy Escalus.
A name she had once heard together with vague rumors that the Grand Duke’s family had a daughter, even though they rarely appeared in high society.
“Do you know my mother?”
“…Yes. The Grand Duchess is my teacher.”
Camilla answered without thinking. Lucy’s mouth fell open.
“Teacher?! Mom’s student?!”
“That’s right.”
Though five years had passed and she might no longer be considered a student, Camilla decided to say it that way.
Lucy’s eyes sparkled like stars.
“Then do you… make medicine and stuff?!”
“…Yes. That’s my specialty.”
“Spe-shal-ty?”
“It means what I’m confident in.”
“Did you come to fix my mom?!”
Camilla’s eyes widened.
‘The Grand Duchess… is she very ill?’
After giving birth to Lucy, the Grand Duchess had grown weak and had not appeared in society for several years. As a result, social gatherings at the Grand Duke’s estate had naturally decreased.
Still, since the Grand Duke’s family had the best medical care, Camilla thought she would be fine—but it seemed her condition was quite serious.
As Camilla lowered her eyes worriedly, Lucy muttered,
“Actually… I came to… to warn you.”
“Warn me?”
Lucy nodded firmly.
“There are lots of foxes trying to steal big brother! Eugenia said if you’re not careful, the foxes will eat him! So I came to test you!”
Lucy’s chubby finger shot up.
“If you fix my mom! I’ll give you my big brother!”
Thud.
“Here you are, young lady.”
The door opened, and Esther entered again.
“Eek!”
“The Grand Duke’s son is not a prize, young lady.”
Saying that, Esther skillfully picked up the startled Lucy. She bowed to Camilla and was about to leave when Camilla stopped her.
“Wait a moment.”
“Yes, Lady Mowin.”
“…Is the Grand Duchess very unwell? May I see her briefly?”
At that, Esther stared at Camilla with silent pressure.
Then she bowed politely and replied,
“The Grand Duke’s guest should focus on recovering first.”
It was polite, but it clearly drew a line. Without saying she would ask her master, Esther left the room with Lucy.
‘I suppose I’m an unwelcome guest.’
It was clearly different from five years ago, when Dane had openly declared her his guest.
It could not be the same.
Camilla chewed on the bitterness and thought.
‘Then…’
Knock, click.
“Excuse me, Lady Camilla. I brought soup.”
“Thank you, Sonya.”
Sonya was serving her as a dedicated maid in the Grand Duke’s estate, while Dylan was busy preparing for the trial as a witness.
She had already had an argument pushing Dylan to focus on escort duties.
‘I should be participating in the trial too.’
But Dane treated her strictly as a patient and did not even come to see her, making it hard for her to move freely.
“You told Dane that I wanted him to stop by, right?”
“…Yes, but he left without responding.”
‘He’s really avoiding me.’
He had spoken so passionately about being her fiancé, yet now he kept telling her to focus on recovery and avoided her.
Through Dylan, she learned from Howin how the trial outside was progressing.
‘The baron is imprisoned, and the trial is in a week.’
She could prepare for the trial while lying in bed, but meeting the Grand Duchess would likely require going through Dane.
However, judging by the head maid’s attitude, the maids did not seem friendly toward her.
Then—
“…Sonya, could you find a maid named Carrie in this estate and send her to me?”
“Goodness, Lady Camilla!!”
Carrie grabbed Camilla’s hand, tears in her eyes.
“Oh my, what on earth happened?! The medical report is horrifying!”
“Carrie, it’s good to see you.”
Even after five years, seeing her welcome Camilla warmly made her smile softly.
“I heard from Howin that you were working with him, but…! It seems he didn’t take good care of you, that rascal! I’ll tell Emily!”
“Haha. No, Howin is doing just fine.”
Carrie, who used to stutter nervously, now looked bright and well.
‘I’m glad she’s doing well.’
Everyone who stayed by her side for five years had suffered. It was a relief that Carrie seemed not to have.
“Where are you working these days?”
“I—I work as an alchemy researcher in the greenhouse. It’s all thanks to you, miss.”
“That’s impressive.”
“N-no! The Grand Duchess has also taken good care of me…”
Carrie said, blushing.
“…Carrie, is the Grand Duchess’s condition very bad?”
At that, Carrie hesitated, lips moving, then closed them firmly.
“Miss, you want to see the Grand Duchess.”
“…Yes.”
After a moment of thought, Carrie tightly held Camilla’s hand.
“I’ll try to ask carefully. Please focus on recovering first.”
“Okay. Thank you, Carrie.”
Camilla felt as though she had swallowed a cup of warm tea.
“Um, miss… how are things with the Grand Duke’s son?”
Carrie asked cautiously. Only then did Camilla realize Carrie still thought her relationship with Dane had stopped five years ago.
“…I think he’s avoiding me.”
“What?!”
“…He saved me as an old friend, but seeing me again is probably awkward. It’s been five years, after all.”
She knew Dane had even thought about marriage for her, but imagination and reality were different.
And she had said many hurtful things to him.
Seeing Camilla’s bitter smile, Carrie bit her lip.
“Don’t worry, miss. I’m sure he’s not doing it on purpose. I’ll do something about it somehow.”
“What?”
“For now, focus on recovering, okay?!”
After rushing through her words, Carrie stood up energetically. Left alone, Camilla stared blankly, then smiled faintly.
She didn’t think a mere maid could do anything about Dane, but she was grateful for the sentiment.
“Right. Recovery comes first.”
Her body, weakened by torture, needed to be restored first.
So Camilla decided to go to sleep earlier than usual.
“…Camilla.”
At the low, soft voice, Camilla slowly opened her eyes.
Moonlight spilled through the curtains, illuminating the person leaning over her. The moment she recognized his face, all sleep vanished.
‘Dane?’
Dane’s fingertips were touching her forehead. His gentle touch stopped.
“I’m sorry.”
The sweet scent of wine brushed her nose. Only then did Camilla realize that his usually composed voice was deeply soaked tonight.
‘Did he drink? And why is he apologizing?’
Dane straightened up from her bedside, about to leave.
After finally seeing him again, she couldn’t let him go like this.
Camilla quickly reached out and grabbed his sleeve.
“Don’t go, Dane.”
Still half-asleep and disoriented, she couldn’t miss this chance. Dane’s eyes widened as he looked at her.
“I heard from Nina. You’ve been preparing for a long time to make me your fiancée.”
She had planned to talk about the Grand Duchess first, but everything she had held in spilled out at once.
“Have you been… thinking about me all this time?”
Camilla swallowed dryly.
“As a friend, you kept—”
“No.”
At that short answer, Camilla felt her heart drop.
Feeling instantly rejected, her fingers slipped away.
Then Dane’s hand wrapped around her shoulder, and he lowered his head.
“There’s no way it was just friendship.”
With those words, the scent of wine rushed closer, and their lips met.
Peck.
Camilla’s eyes widened. Cool fingertips brushed her cheek. The fragrant, gentle kiss slowly deepened.
Eventually, their lips parted. Dane, looking at her with wine-heavy eyes, lightly rested his face against her shoulder.
“I want you this much. There’s no way it was just friendship.”
