Chapter 59
After that, some time passed, and the party finally came to an end.
“Milady, you must be exhausted. It’s been such a long day, hasn’t it?”
“I’m really tired, but I had a lot of fun.”
More than anything, the food at the venue was amazing—
especially the meat!
“You’ve become quite close with Lady Michelle, haven’t you?”
“Hehe, of course. She’s my best friend.”
Before going to sleep, I chatted with Mariana about all the fun things that happened today.
Then, late at night, someone came to visit my room.
Knock, knock.
Because it was already so late, even Mariana grew cautious.
Who could it be at this hour?
“I’ll go check.”
Saying that, Mariana went to see who was at the door.
“Oh my, Duke.”
“Eh? The Duke? Please, show him in.”
“As you wish.”
“Pardon my intrusion.”
The Duke approached me, holding a small box in his hands.
“Leave us.”
He said that to Mariana, and she immediately left the room.
…Does he want to talk about something in private?
“Tiana, I’m sorry to come so late. I just wanted to talk for a bit.”
“Is it… something important?”
“To me, it is.”
The room was quiet; every sound seemed to echo.
My heart pounded so loudly I thought it might fill the air.
“This is a little late, but it’s a birthday present from Flora and me.”
The Duke said that and handed the small box to me.
Flora—that’s my mother.
Did the two of them prepare a gift together for me?
“May I open it?”
“Of course.”
Trying to contain my excitement, I carefully untied the ribbon and opened the box.
“Wow! A necklace!?”
Inside was a beautiful necklace, set with a red stone the same color as my eyes.
“This is a magic tool your mother and I made together. You remember the necklace I gave to Ellie, don’t you? It’s the same kind. If you ever find yourself in danger, it will protect you.”
Wasn’t making something like this extremely difficult?
“But… to make something like this, you have to pour magic power into it and layer multiple enchantments, right? Is Mother’s health okay?”
I was happy to receive such a precious gift, but…
wouldn’t that have been too hard on my ailing mother?
“She’s fine. Your mother is strong. But just in case, I infused my magic power into it together with hers.”
He said she was fine, but… deep down, I knew her condition probably wasn’t.
Even so, I was touched that they made it in time for my birthday.
The Duke’s frequent visits lately were probably because he’d been going to see Mother often.
“But even though Mother wasn’t feeling well, I always acted selfishly. And that’s why she can’t be here anymore… isn’t it?”
If I traced things back, part of the blame lay with me.
I don’t know how she’s doing now, but when she was still at the estate, she looked so exhausted…
And yet, I kept making demands.
So… I don’t deserve to receive something so precious and full of love.
I couldn’t lift my head.
What kind of expression did the Duke have now, I wondered.
Does he hate me for it?
“Tiana… don’t worry about that. Flora doesn’t hold any resentment either. No one blames you for what happened.”
For some reason, his voice sounded strained—
pained, and deeply sad.
