Chapter 27
“Who… Ah! Y-Your Highness…”
Because of the backlight, she couldn’t recognize his face at first. But soon, she realized the man standing in front of the door was Heivan.
“What brings you here? Ah, d-did you come to see the young lady…?”
Perhaps because she encountered him at such an unexpected time and place, Roze was flustered and stumbled over her words.
“Is Plita asleep?”
Heivan cut her off mid-sentence, staring quietly at her. Roze barely managed a nod in response.
“Yes.”
That was all. Heivan looked at Roze as she stood at the door like a gatekeeper and then subtly lifted the corner of his lips. If the nanny had been here, she would’ve fussed about waking the child right away.
But the maid in front of him didn’t do that. As if Plita came before herself. As if not waking the sleeping child was the most important thing in the world.
Now that he thought about it, he recalled the way she had opened the door without making the slightest sound earlier—it had been almost awe-inspiring.
…To exaggerate, it was enough to make one wonder if she had once been an assassin.
“Pfft.”
He chuckled at the absurdity of his own imagination. Roze widened her eyes in surprise and looked at him again. Their gazes met—she stared up at him like a startled rabbit, her round eyes filled with alarm.
So delicate, like she might collapse with a single touch.
‘A woman like her, an assassin…?’
Even if it was just a wild thought, it was ridiculous. Heivan shook his head and opened his mouth again. Or at least, he tried to—but Roze beat him to it.
“Your Highness, would you kindly return for today? I fear you might wake the young lady.”
She whispered while glancing nervously toward the bedroom door, clearly worried. She looked so fragile, yet in moments like this, she showed unexpected boldness.
“…Very well.”
Strangely, he wasn’t annoyed by that boldness. Heivan looked at Roze for a moment before nodding and turning away. A sigh of relief followed from behind him.
He had taken a few steps when he turned back around. Roze was still watching him, and their eyes met again.
“Are you planning to stand there all night?”
“Ah, no, not at all…”
Heivan gestured with his chin for her to follow, then began walking down the corridor again. He soon heard hesitant footsteps trailing behind him.
Their footsteps broke the silence. Only the corridor lights illuminated the dark hallway—besides them, the place was deserted.
Because Plita was still young, she went to bed early. And after dark, staff weren’t allowed on the floor where her bedroom was.
As they walked the empty corridor, Heivan came to a stop. Roze, who had been quietly following him, stopped as well and looked up.
She saw a terrace connected to the corridor.
“…?”
“Come in.”
Heivan, now inside the terrace, spoke to her in a commanding tone. Roze blinked, then grabbed her skirt tightly with both hands as she realized what he’d said.
“I… I don’t think I should…”
It wasn’t the middle of the night, but darkness had still settled. Being alone with Heivan at this hour was inappropriate—especially since they were master and maid.
“It’s fine. Come in. I just want to ask you something about Plita.”
Perhaps sensing her hesitation, Heivan added more explanation. Roze hesitated for a moment but then stepped onto the terrace. He said he wanted to ask about Plita—she couldn’t refuse that. Not that she had the standing to refuse anything.
“Please speak, Your Highness.”
Rather than walking all the way in, Roze remained near the entrance and opened her mouth. Heivan, who had sat in a chair, chuckled when he saw her.
But he didn’t pressure her to come closer.
Her tension eased a little. At that moment, Heivan looked toward the garden and spoke.
“Do you have family?”
“…Pardon?”
The question came out of nowhere. It was nothing like what she expected. A question about herself? And her ‘family’ at that?
Roze unconsciously clutched the front of her maid uniform. Her fingers felt frozen. But the man who asked the question simply stared out at the garden calmly.
“…Yes. Of course.”
She should’ve said no. That’s what she had told the head maid when hired—she said she lived alone in a rural village near the border, that she could start work immediately.
But she didn’t want to say “I have no family” in front of him. Not to the man who had once been her only family. She just couldn’t lie to him like that.
“Are you married?”
“…!”
“Ah, I hope my question didn’t offend you. I only asked because you seem knowledgeable about children. I wondered if you had one yourself. If it’s difficult to answer, you don’t have to.”
Heivan turned from the garden and waved his hand. Roze hesitated but said nothing—neither confirming nor denying.
Heivan’s blue eyes lingered on her for a moment, about to turn away again when—
“…I had a child. And a beloved husband, too.”
“I see. You had…”
Heivan nodded casually—then furrowed his brows. She didn’t say she has a husband or child. She said she had them.
“I was inconsiderate.”
“No, Your Highness. It’s all right. It happened a long time ago…”
That was a lie. He could hear the sorrow in her voice. But he didn’t point it out. Even if she was his maid, he had no right to pry into her private affairs.
Besides, that wasn’t why he had brought her here.
Still… something about her words lingered. A child. A husband. A beloved husband.
Tap, tap.
Heivan found himself unconsciously tapping the table with his fingers before stopping abruptly. He looked back at her again. Roze was still standing by the entrance, hands clasped politely in front of her.
…Did she lose both her child and husband?
What could’ve happened to her? An epidemic? An accident?
He thought back to the first time he met Roze—the woman who had saved Plita from drowning. Pale as death, desperately giving the child mouth-to-mouth despite being on the verge of collapse herself.
Was that desperation because she had once lost her own child?
If so, her actions that day made more sense. A mother who had lost her own child might be more desperate to save another.
Shaking off the heavy thoughts, he changed the subject.
“…Plita seems to be quite fond of you. You must be good with children.”
“Your words are too generous, Your Highness. I only did what I was supposed to do.”
Roze shook her head as she replied. Despite the compliment, she didn’t seem pleased. As if she truly believed she had only done her duty.
Heivan found her attitude strangely intriguing. He had rarely taken interest in others before, so this was quite unusual. Though she likely had no idea.
“In any case, I’ll be counting on you to continue taking good care of the child.”
He quickly let go of that interest. The turmoil in his chest—he chalked it up to the moonlight playing tricks on him.
That was Heivan—true to form.
* * *
And so, ordinary days continued to pass.
During that time, Heivan gradually began spending more time with Plita—not just breakfast, but sometimes lunch or dinner, too.
It was a small change, but for the staff of the Grand Duke’s residence, it was astonishing.
And a few days later, the news reached someone who was not pleased about that change.
Knock, knock.
Heivan furrowed his brows as he was reading a book. Someone had rushed in and knocked on the door.
The butler, noticing his master’s expression, hurried to the door. He muttered to himself that if it was just some careless servant, they’d need to be scolded.
“…What?”
But when the butler read the message the servant delivered, his face twisted.
It was unexpected news.
“What is it, Yanick?”
Heivan’s calm voice came from behind the butler. Hastily schooling his expression, Yanick turned and reported the message he had just received.
“Her Majesty the Dowager Queen is arriving shortly. The Duchess of Ferrante is also accompanying her…”
“…”
Heivan stared silently at the butler. The slight furrow between his brows revealed his displeasure.
“My aunt? I thought she had gone down to the Duchy.”
“I’m sorry, Your Highness. I wasn’t aware…”
The butler lowered his head apologetically. He was supposed to always stay informed about the royal family’s whereabouts. This was clearly his mistake.
“It’s fine. We can’t exactly monitor the old lady’s every move. There was no reason to. Don’t blame yourself needlessly.”
Heivan replied flatly and stood from his seat.
