Prologue
“Did you hear the news? Count Aldeon married a maid.”
“Oh my goodness, really? That high-and-mighty count married a maid?”
“I’m serious. You really never know how life will turn out.”
Count Aldeon—arrogant and notorious for treating those beneath him with contempt.
The news that such a man had married not a noblewoman, but a commoner maid, sent shockwaves through the entire village.
“No wonder everyone’s trying to get jobs as servants in noble households. There are already so many who went from maid to lady of the house.”
“Right? In the old days, that would’ve been unthinkable.”
I nodded quietly.
That’s right. Just a few years ago, it truly would have been impossible. Nobles almost always married within their own class.
But the times were changing.
Academies where nobles and commoners studied together had been established, and knights of common birth had risen as far as becoming commanders of the Imperial Guard.
In a neighboring country, a revolution had even abolished the class system entirely.
Still, the Hersian Empire—where I lived—continued to uphold a strict hierarchy. Yet even here, the foundations were beginning to shake.
Not long ago, it was revealed that the newly crowned emperor, Leonhardt Hersian, was romantically involved with a common woman. Since then, stories of “love that transcends class” had begun to bloom more vividly than ever.
“Isn’t there some nice young master out there?”
“What, so you can go work at his house and seduce him?”
While cheerfully chatting as they picked wild strawberries, the two suddenly turned their gaze toward me.
“Mary, why have you been so quiet?”
“Yeah. You were chattering nonstop just a moment ago.”
I let out an awkward laugh.
“Oh, I’m just not that interested in stories like that.”
“What? How can you not be interested in something so fun!”
“Wait—Mary, didn’t you say you used to work as a maid for the Hamilton family?”
I sucked in a sharp breath.
I’d only told Lady Anessa about that—how had it made its way to Laura, of all people?
“That’s right. I heard too. Not just any work, either—you attended the young master personally, didn’t you?”
Seeing Anna ask with the same curiosity, it seemed Laura wasn’t the only one who knew about my past.
When I nodded, both Laura and Anna gasped in unison.
“Oh my goodness, how jealous! You got to be right next to Young Master Ricardo Hamilton!”
“Seriously! I saw him in the papers—he’s insanely handsome. I thought the photo was a statue! What’s he like in person? Is he the same as the picture?”
“Didn’t anything happen between you two?”
“Of course something must have! Mary’s pretty!”
The barrage of questions left me reeling.
This was exactly why I’d asked Lady Anessa to keep my time at the Hamilton estate a secret.
“Mary, don’t just stand there—say something.”
Unable to withstand their insistence, I sighed and recalled Young Master Ricardo’s face.
It had been three years since I left the Hamilton household. And yet, his face was still as vivid in my mind as if I’d seen him yesterday.
Light brown hair that stuck up messily in the mornings.
Porcelain-smooth, pale skin.
Emerald-green eyes that sparkled like crushed starlight.
A straight, elegant nose.
Lips smooth as candy.
A clean jawline with no excess flesh, and broad, sturdy shoulders.
“He’s more handsome in person than in the papers. Much more.”
“Oh, I knew it!”
“Ahh! Oh my gosh!”
My calm answer made them squeal like little girls.
I thought that would be the end of it—but no.
“So? Mary. Was there really nothing between you and the young master?”
They were relentless.
“There wasn’t. Nothing at all.”
“Really?”
“Really. To begin with, there was no chance of anything happening. He’s destined to become the head of the Hamilton family and serve the nation. I was just a maid who did odd jobs.”
“But these days, it happens all the time—maids catching the eye of noble young masters.”
Laura’s eyes sparkled as she declared that love transcending class was the truest form of romance.
I shook my head.
Even love that crosses boundaries has its limits.
The Hamilton Grand Ducal House was a prestigious family descended from imperial blood. Though its reputation had taken a slight hit due to past incidents, it had never truly fallen.
Ricardo Hamilton—the only son of a powerful grand duke, beloved by the imperial family.
There was no way such a man would ever be tied to a mere maid.
…There couldn’t be.
“He’ll marry a lady from a good family. Someone like me has probably been completely forgotten by now.”
Of course he would forget a maid who quit and disappeared.
Then why did the thought of him forgetting me make my chest ache so painfully?
It’s just because I grew too attached. I served him closely since he was young…
I was just convincing myself of that when—
“I didn’t forget.”
A familiar yet unfamiliar voice rang by my ear. Startled, I dropped the basket I was holding.
Laura and Anna screamed in surprise, then hurriedly bowed when they turned around.
As I followed suit, my eyes caught sight of strawberries scattered across the ground.
One rolled away and bumped into the polished toe of a shoe.
The owner of the shoe picked it up—and casually popped it into his mouth.
I screamed in shock.
“Y-Young Master…?!”
Ricardo Hamilton.
He was standing right in front of me.
It had been three years since I’d last seen him, but his face was just as I remembered. No—perhaps a little more mature than in my memory.
“Hello. It’s been a while, Mary.”
Is that really Young Master Ricardo?
How did he know to come here?
Does Lady Rianne even know he’s here?
Staring blankly into his green eyes, glittering in the sunlight, I finally came to my senses.
“Laura, Anna. Could you give us a moment? I need to speak with the young master.”
“Uh… okay.”
“Have fun.”
With intrigued looks, Laura and Anna walked away.
After confirming they were completely out of earshot, I snapped at him.
“Young Master! How could you eat something that fell on the ground?!”
Of all things—to say that as my first words in three years.
“Mary, you picked it yourself. It would’ve been a waste.”
How was that an excuse?
“Why are you here?”
I spoke deliberately coldly, but his reply was unbearably gentle.
“I came because I missed you, Mary.”
…He missed me?
My heart slammed violently in my chest.
Calm down. Don’t jump to conclusions. That’s not what he means.
Forcing my lips still, I answered calmly.
“I’m no longer your maid. Please go back.”
“I don’t want to.”
“Stop being stubborn. You’re not a child anymore. How long are you planning to follow me around?”
The Ricardo I knew would have snapped or sulked by now.
But the man before me merely smiled leisurely and replied,
“For life.”
“…What?”
Thinking I’d misheard, I asked again.
“Life. Wherever you go, I’ll find you.”
“…Don’t say such scary things.”
“Scary? If a handsome man like me follows you around, shouldn’t you be happy?”
That shameless confidence—yes, this was definitely the Ricardo I knew.
And annoyingly enough, he wasn’t wrong. His looks were universally acknowledged.
Still, I didn’t fall for it.
“I was taught that if someone keeps following you after you say no, that’s a dangerous stalker and you should report them.”
“Who taught you that?”
“Lady Rianne.”
“My mother said that?”
“Yes. So please stop stalking me and go home.”
“I can’t do that. If I go back like this, I might waste away from missing you and die, Mary.”
Watching him act pitiful, I pressed my fingers to my forehead.
If this continued, rumors would spread through the entire village.
Starting with ‘Mary and Young Master Ricardo are having an affair’ and escalating to ‘Mary is going to become a grand duchess.’
I sighed and whispered,
“Follow me.”
* * *
As we walked toward a quiet reed field where few people passed, I kept glancing back to make sure he was following.
Each time our eyes met, his green eyes curved softly.
Just like before.
The way his eyes softened when he looked at me.
The easy upward curve of his lips.
That affection—so palpable just from facing him—was no longer sweet to me.
“Young Master, I—”
I won’t return there anymore. So please leave.
Before I could finish, he wrapped his arms around me from behind.
“Young Master. I told you not to do this.”
I said the words I’d repeated countless times, trying to break free.
But despite not seeming to use much strength, his grip didn’t budge.
Why is he so strong now?!
Arms firm even through clothing, and hands large enough to grasp my arm with ease.
The boy who always lost at arm wrestling and stomped away in frustration was gone.
“I missed you, Mary.”
His sweet, gentle voice trembled faintly. It sounded as if he might cry at any moment, and yet I couldn’t respond.
“You remember what I said before, right? That no tree can resist being chopped ten times—that I’d make you mine.”
“Yes. And I told you I’m not a tree. I’m a person.”
He chuckled softly, as if recalling the memory.
“That’s right. You’re not a tree, Mary. You’re a person. So I decided to stop.”
At those words, my racing heart froze. It felt as though time itself had stopped.
So that’s why he came. Yes… this was how it should be.
“If you don’t come to me…”
His voice, impossibly sweet for someone supposedly giving up on love, brushed against my ear.
“Then I’ll come to you.”
