Chapter 5
Though many years had passed, the former Duchess’s face remained as proud as ever, and arrogance still exuded from her presence.
It was by the hand of that very Duchess that Ann had become the public enemy of House Benton.
A maid who dared to sit in the mistress’s seat, a woman who didn’t know her place and claimed a role far above her station.
A wicked, ambition-filled woman who schemed to bear the Duke’s child and take over the family.
All Ann had ever wanted was to marry the man she loved and live a life together with him, but in this place, she had always been treated like that.
Only Gray Benton was unaware of the truth.
But even so, he was the man who had gently held her hand when she lost her child. So Ann believed in him and waited.
She endured, careful not to cause a stir, intending to wait patiently until she earned the acknowledgment of the former Duchess and the Benton family’s servants.
However, Gray’s affection wore off sooner than her patience did.
Rumors spread that he was being tempted at parties Ann didn’t attend. Whispers reached her ears that he was secretly seeing more than one woman.
And the former Duchess made sure not to leave out a single piece of gossip, delivering every salacious detail directly to Ann.
There were dozens of times when Ann wanted to lash out to her face with a heart shredded by betrayal,
But each time, she held herself back, recalling the joy on Gray’s face when the former Duchess showed him the affection she never gave Ann.
When Ann was still a maid, the lady of the house had been generous. She was a kind mistress who would readily grant small requests or favors to her employees.
But looking back, Ann realized that such tolerance was only possible because she had never posed a threat to the Duchess’s authority.
The former Duchess had blinded Gray and thoroughly isolated Ann after she became the Duchess herself.
Pretending to worry about her after she lost the baby and fell into grief, she would hold Ann’s hand—but only in front of Gray.
Even with such obvious deceit, Gray never noticed.
Because Gray Benton no longer felt the same way about Ann.
He had changed. Naturally, Ann’s status changed with him.
Ann Ferro’s life had not become miserable when she was poor and struggling—it became miserable when the man she loved left her.
She could still vividly recall her final moments, as if it were yesterday.
Lying in bed, drying out and withering away, meeting a pitiful death in the winter of her thirtieth year.
She was now approaching the end of her seventeenth year.
Her younger brother would arrive soon, and if she could just hold out for another year, Gray would leave for the knights’ academy in the capital and rarely return home.
By then, Jamie would have learned to read and could start pulling his weight, and the duchy would get along fine without her.
Ann made a deadline for herself in her heart.
“So, you want to recommend your younger brother?”
Ann waited carefully for the right moment.
She brought it up quietly during the short time after the Duchess’s teatime, as the room was being tidied up.
After all, Gray Benton was of noble blood and needed education and an attendant.
But because he was so disliked by the Duchess, no properly trained servant was willing to take on the role.
To Ann, this was a golden opportunity.
She would rather see her brother with her own eyes, even if something went wrong, than hear of his death from afar.
“Yes. He’s quicker and smarter than I am. If you’ll just give him a chance, I’m sure he’ll be of use. Please, I beg you.”
Thanks to the trust and diligence Ann had built over time, the Duchess gave a slight nod without resistance.
“Very well.”
It was done. Ann clenched her fists and bowed deeply, sincerely thanking the Duchess.
In high spirits, she returned to her quarters after finishing her duties and immediately pulled out a pen and paper.
“You can write?” Cassie asked, noticing Ann with the pen in hand.
“I’ve been studying for a while. You know I’ve been reading every night.”
Not wanting to seem suspicious for suddenly being able to write, Ann pulled out the book she kept hidden under her pillow as an excuse.
The duchy’s library was available to staff. Of course, the books maids could borrow were limited, but even those were rarely read.
“Must be nice to have time.”
“Not really. It’s better to learn while I can—might come in handy someday.”
“Trying to become head maid? Give me a break.”
“Why not? What makes me any less capable?”
Ann brushed it off with Cassie and smoothly changed the subject.
For most servants, the idea of studying was laughable. Without exceptional brains, overcoming one’s birth was nearly impossible.
So, no one even considered trying.
But through her previous life, Ann remembered how much her world had changed and expanded after she learned to read.
She was determined not only to gain literacy herself but to ensure her younger brother learned to read and had the chance to begin a new life.
After sending the letter to her aunt’s house, Ann’s duties included preparing Gray Benton’s meals.
Three meals a day and two teatimes. It took up a significant portion of her schedule.
Ann had tried subtly suggesting to the head maid that someone else handle it, mentioning that it was a direct request from Gray Benton—but her suggestion was flatly ignored.
“I told you not to be so kind to him from the start. Ann, your weakness is your soft heart.”
And yet the head maid had repeatedly dumped her own work onto Ann, gladly accepting help when it suited her, only to wash her hands of it when things got difficult.
Still, just expressing her intent helped Ann avoid falling completely out of favor with the duchy staff.
That’s how precarious Gray Benton’s standing was.
“Don’t look at him. Don’t go out of your way for him. You don’t need to take care of everything. Just make sure to fulfill the tasks the young master requests. You cannot treat someone of House Benton with neglect.”
The Duchess openly showed her displeasure every time Gray appeared, and the butler and head maid quickly passed the word down to the lower staff.
As a result, Gray Benton was bound to spend a long and lonely time in the house until he left for the knights’ academy.
Neither the Duke nor the heir particularly disliked him, but neither cared enough to look after him.
Even the servants and maids avoided him, so unless someone like Ann was directly assigned to him, no one paid him any attention.
“Your lunch is here.”
The young Gray was naturally excluded from the family’s dining table.
Even the Duke and heir, wary of the Duchess, didn’t dare invite the boy.
A tray with bread, soup, a vegetable salad, and steak was set down on the table in Gray’s room.
Ann quietly hoped no further connections would form between them as she counted the days until Jamie arrived.
“You brought yours too, right?”
“I’m afraid not, young master.”
She said this as she laid out the dishes in front of Gray and stepped back.
But then, Gray stood and tugged at her hand.
“Sit, Ann.”
“I’m really fine. I’m not even hungry!”
He pulled out the chair across from him and gently pushed her into it.
Then, he cut his steak in half, placed part of it on the salad plate, and moved half the salad onto the steak plate.
The soup and bread were also brought to the center to be shared.
“Next time, if you don’t bring your own, I’ll assume it’s all yours.”
He cut her portion of steak into bite-sized pieces and pushed the plate and fork toward her.
Smiling, Gray picked up his spoon and knife.
“Let’s eat.”
He smiled wide, teeth showing, and then froze in that expression like a painting.
Ann reluctantly picked up her fork, stabbed a piece of meat, and put it in her mouth. Only then did Gray dip his bread into the soup and begin eating.
His cheek puffed out as he chewed.
When their eyes met, his crimson irises softened as they curved upward.
He had inherited the Duke’s looks but was growing into something even more handsome—though still baby-faced, with round cheeks and a youthful charm.
There was no reason to direct her anger at the child based on emotions from a future that hadn’t even come yet, but Ann couldn’t shake her discomfort.
“Ann. Before I came here, my house was smaller than this room. Dry bread and thin soup—that was dinner. If I had grown up with my mother, I wouldn’t be much different from you.”
The meal Ann had brought for Gray was meager at best.
There could’ve been more snacks, higher quality ingredients, better presentation—but she hadn’t made the effort.
“This is a feast compared to that.”
And yet, Gray was genuinely pleased with the food she brought him.
At his words, Ann looked at him and quickly turned away, unable to even offer polite agreement.
“The bread’s good too. Try it.”
Before the awkward silence could thicken, Gray tore off a large piece of bread and offered it to her.
Ann put down her fork, which had only poked at the meat, and accepted the bread, chewing without much thought.
It stuck in her throat, dry and choking. Even after sitting in her mouth, it refused to go down easily.
“Want some juice if you’re thirsty?”
Gray offered his own cup without hesitation, but Ann shook her head.
“I’m fine.”
She coughed and washed it down with water, barely composing herself.
“How about you?”
“Pardon?”
“I came here on the condition that my mother would get treatment. Ann, how did you end up here?”
Even during their meal, Gray earnestly made conversation and tried to create a pleasant mood.
It was already difficult just sitting through the meal—speaking with someone you served, a noble child at that, was no easy task for a maid.
“…My aunt, who raised me after my parents passed, recommended this place as a good job.”
She kept it short and avoided details.
Ann didn’t want to accumulate any memories with Gray.
