33
Isabella muttered to herself as if trying to brainwash herself. But the frown on her face refused to fade. No matter how much she tried to blame the duchess, the truth was she still felt uncomfortable about Haven’s behavior.
“I shouldn’t have come with the duchess…”
There was a purpose behind coaxing the duchess, who had just returned to the capital from the territory, into visiting the Grand Duke’s estate with her.
Every time she visited alone, she’d get kicked out within a few hours. So, this time, she had hoped to stay a little longer by coming with company.
But aside from the banquet, she didn’t even see his face. No, even during the banquet, they hadn’t exchanged proper words—so really, it was no different from usual.
With an irritated look, Isabella bit her lower lip before stepping down from the bed. Her curly red hair tumbled down to her waist. Just as she was about to walk over to the table for a glass of wine that matched her hair color, someone knocked on the door.
“Who is it? I told everyone to leave me alone.”
Annoyed for various reasons, she had just ordered all the maids out. Her voice grew sharper, suspecting the maids of ignoring her again.
—“I-It’s me, Your Majesty the Former Queen.”
A timid voice answered, seemingly frightened by Isabella’s tone. She narrowed her eyes toward the door. The person who entered was none other than Plita’s nanny.
“What brings you here? Especially at this late hour?”
Isabella asked, furrowing her brow. Still, she didn’t drive the nanny away. Rather, a flicker of curiosity lit up her golden eyes.
There must be a reason the woman came to her, especially at such an impolite hour. She had to have something to say.
“I came because I have something I must… absolutely must tell Your Majesty.”
Isabella’s lips curled upward with a twisted smile. Even from a distance, she could detect the greed in the nanny’s eyes. It wasn’t anything new—she’d always been like that whenever they met.
“…Come in, then.”
After a moment of silence, Isabella gave permission and turned toward the table. She sank deep into the sofa, and when she raised her gaze again, the nanny had stepped forward, keeping several paces of distance, and bowed with her hands together.
“So, you said there’s something I need to know. What is it?”
“Well…”
The nanny hesitated, lips parting but unable to form the words easily. Isabella watched her in silence, tapping the table lightly with her fingertip.
Tap.
She didn’t push her with words, but the sound made the nanny flinch and quickly speak.
“T-There is a maid who dares harbor improper feelings toward His Highness the Grand Duke!”
The nanny’s tone was grave, as though it were a national crisis. But Isabella’s reaction was tepid. She raised an eyebrow and then scoffed.
“How many maids do you think there are like that? There isn’t a woman alive who could remain unaffected with the Grand Duke before her. Even if they’re lowly servants. But are you saying I should concern myself with the hearts of such lowborn women?”
She felt foolish for momentarily showing interest, thinking it was something important. She was already in a foul mood. Frowning again, Isabella tapped the table once more. The nanny hurried to continue.
“B-But this time, it’s different! I believe His Highness is beginning to fall for her tricks…”
“Absurd!”
Isabella’s face turned cold. Her sharp gaze made the nanny tremble and shrink back.
“You came here just to insult your master? I should go to him at once and report your disrespect—”
“I speak the truth, Your Majesty! Just look at how His Highness has started dining with the young lady!”
The nanny blurted in panic. Isabella, who had been about to dismiss the nonsense, raised a hand to silence her. She narrowed her eyes and repeated the nanny’s words slowly.
“He’s begun having dinner with… the young lady?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“…Because he’s fallen for a maid’s tricks?”
“That’s correct.”
Despite trembling, the nanny bowed her head in affirmation. Isabella’s golden eyes turned icy. She had already been informed of Haven’s recent changes. But never had she imagined they were due to a maid’s tricks.
It had to be nonsense.
That cold, indifferent man would never be swayed by a mere maid.
“…Who is this maid?”
Still, the moment she heard the nanny’s words, that unsettling feeling she had about the change in Haven’s attitude toward his daughter returned. Without realizing, she clenched her hand that had been tapping the table. Her red-painted nails dug into her palm, drawing blood, but she didn’t notice.
“She’s the young lady’s—no, the lady’s personal maid.”
The nanny quickly corrected herself, knowing full well how much the former queen disliked Plita. But Isabella was already deep in thought, not paying attention to the nanny’s slip.
Plita’s personal maid…
‘No wonder I disliked her the first time I saw her.’
Had she sensed it from the start? The girl had always gotten on her nerves. Most of all, it was disturbing how that aloof man even remembered her name. And her green eyes, similar to Plita’s… Didn’t they resemble that woman—the child’s real mother?
Of course, she didn’t truly remember that lowborn woman’s face. So it was likely just her imagination. Still, seeing that maid always put her in a foul mood. Enough to want her out of sight immediately.
Isabella bit the inside of her cheek irritably and furrowed her brow. Then, she composed herself and spoke in a calm voice.
“The maid who saved the young lady, correct?”
“Yes, that’s her. As if being given such an unworthy position wasn’t enough, now she dares harbor desires for His Highness—”
Excited by Isabella’s interest, the nanny raised her voice, her shoulders puffing up. But Isabella interrupted her with a flat expression.
“That’s enough.”
“…Pardon?”
“I appreciate your loyalty, but linking the Grand Duke with a mere maid is excessive imagination.”
“B-But Your Majesty…”
“And do you not realize such words insult your master?”
Isabella’s voice sank. The nanny, sensing the change, opened and closed her mouth a few times before quickly dropping to her knees.
“I didn’t mean to offend, Your Majesty! I only wished to inform you of this out of genuine concern. I wish for nothing more than your union with His Highness…”
The nanny was pale and trembling. This wasn’t going the way she expected.
She had thought the former queen, who clearly desired the Grand Duke, would be furious upon hearing about a bold maid making moves on him—and would reward her, the messenger.
But instead…
“…Pfft.”
As the terrified nanny trembled, a soft chuckle came from above her. A faint scent of perfume followed the rustle of clothing as Isabella bent down to her level.
“Y-Your Majesty?!”
Startled by Isabella’s sudden move, the nanny widened her eyes and tried to bow again, but Isabella gently lifted her up with a smile.
“I understand. How could I not recognize your loyalty? That’s why you came to me so late at night.”
“Your Majesty…”
The nanny called her with a teary, grateful face. Isabella took her hands warmly.
But the gaze the nanny couldn’t see was ice-cold. A nanny tending to a half-blood noble girl—she could be used and thrown away when the time came.
Still, for now, she would serve a purpose. At least until Isabella married Haven.
“I will trust in your loyal heart, just as I do now.”
“I shall devote myself entirely to you, Your Majesty!”
“Yes. And I… will not abandon someone like you.”
At Isabella’s pseudo-promise, the nanny’s eyes gleamed with greed.
Isabella’s golden eyes curved into a crescent as she watched.
* * *
『…Mom.』
『Mom.』
『Mom!』
‘…Yes, baby. Mommy is right here.’
Roje opened her lips to answer the child calling her. But strangely, her throat felt blocked—no sound came out.
‘No… My baby must be waiting for me.’
Panic surged in Roje’s heart. She turned her head frantically, looking for the child. But the child was nowhere in sight.
Or maybe she was trapped in a thick fog—her vision was so clouded that even if the child were right in front of her, she wouldn’t recognize her.
『Mom! Mommy!』
‘Yes, baby. Don’t worry. Don’t be scared. Mommy is coming—’
『And what could you possibly do?』
A sneering voice interrupted her thoughts. Roje turned her head, trying to locate the source. But she couldn’t tell where it was coming from.
『You’ve got barely a year left to live. What can you do for that child? Is there anything you can offer the child—or us?』
A cold blue gaze pierced her like a blade. It was the gaze of a man who didn’t remember her.
‘…Haven.’
Roje reached her hand toward him. She wanted to say she missed him, longed for him. But Haven stood beyond the mist, staring at her with indifferent eyes.
‘Haven, I… I—’
