Chapter 20
The maid, who had been walking ahead while maintaining a respectful distance, came to a stop and opened a door wide with both hands.
“This is the room.”
Erica’s golden eyes sparkled as she stepped inside.
Was there no place in this grand duchy that wasn’t beautiful or magnificent?
She nearly let out a gasp in awe but quickly composed herself.
‘Close your mouth!’
She reminded herself that the daughter of Marquis Blanche wouldn’t gape at every display of luxury.
W-Well…
She had already gaped once when getting off the carriage, and again at the entrance…
But a third time would be too much.
Even she thought that would make her look too much like a country bumpkin.
Trying to ignore her rapidly pounding heart, Erica slowly stepped into the room.
“This is where I’ll be staying?”
Her voice didn’t tremble, but her throat tightened, making her voice sound hoarse.
“Yes, miss. Is there anything that displeases you? If anything is lacking, please let us know.”
“Oh no, nothing like that. I was just confirming.”
“I see. Please rest for now. I will prepare your bathwater.”
“Alright.”
When Erica nodded in approval, the maid gave a respectful curtsy and stepped back a few paces.
Once she heard the door close behind her, Erica quickly turned around.
After confirming she was alone, she ran to the bed with small, excited steps.
Boing! Thump!
With a little leap, she jumped onto the wide bed and buried her face in the soft blankets.
Her excitement just wouldn’t fade.
With her face still buried, she murmured,
“This is my room?”
Her voice was filled with disbelief.
Erica was only ten years old…
But even so, she had never had such a nice room in her entire life.
So just this once, she couldn’t help but let her joy overflow.
It was far better than the real Marquis Blanche’s daughter’s room—one she had only entered on rare occasions, usually to be scolded or punished.
That room had everything Erica had dreamed of:
Warm sunlight, a large window, soft bedding that smelled like sunshine, glossy white furniture, and a plush carpet.
And now, all of that was here too.
In fact, everything looked even higher quality.
It was night now, but she was certain the room would be filled with warm sunlight in the morning.
“This is amazing… I love it!”
Erica kicked her feet up and down in pure excitement.
After a while, when she finally started to calm down, she sat up.
Her cheeks were still flushed, but she felt much more composed.
Once she was more settled, she felt slightly embarrassed for acting like such a child.
She straightened her clothes and combed her hair back with her fingers.
Just as she finished tidying up—
Knock knock.
A knock came from outside the door.
Ah, had the bathwater already been prepared?
Grateful she hadn’t done anything embarrassing, Erica cleared her throat and raised her voice.
“Yes, come in.”
The door opened smoothly.
But the person who entered wasn’t the maid.
“…Butler?”
It was Vincent.
Just like when he greeted her downstairs earlier, he stood just outside the door with a respectful bow.
“I apologize for disturbing you at this late hour. I’ve brought the young lady’s luggage.”
“Oh.”
Erica blinked rapidly, then nodded.
“That’s right, we agreed on that. Please, come in.”
When Vincent stepped aside, two male attendants who had followed him bowed to her and entered the room.
Thud, thud, thud.
Three bags were placed neatly side by side.
The attendants bowed again just as politely and exited the room.
“Thank you,”
Erica said sincerely.
Since it was late, she assumed Vincent would leave with a short farewell.
But he hesitated without closing the door.
“…Is something wrong, sir?”
Did he have something else to say?
With wide eyes, Erica tilted her head slightly.
After a brief pause, Vincent cautiously asked,
“If I may be so bold, young lady…”
“Yes?”
“Are these all the belongings you brought from your family home? Or is there another carriage arriving later?”
His overly polite tone revealed his concern that the question might offend her.
“Ah…”
Her golden eyes slowly drifted to the three bags near her.
‘It really is quite minimal…’
She was supposed to be the daughter of a marquis.
And not just visiting temporarily—on paper, she was here to live permanently.
Naturally, one would expect her to have arrived with a mountain of luggage.
Vincent had even sent multiple attendants to help carry everything.
But all she had were three bags.
And one of those belonged to Bonpiju, so it was really just two.
Erica calmly gave the explanation she had prepared in advance.
“I’m still growing. I’ll be getting bigger soon, so I didn’t bother bringing a bunch of clothes I’d outgrow. They’d just get in the way.”
“I see…”
“And jewelry… well, trends change so quickly these days, so I didn’t think it was necessary.”
She mimicked the tone and expression of the real Marquis Blanche’s daughter as best she could.
If Bonpiju were alive and watching her now, what would she say?
Hoping desperately that the butler wouldn’t see through her, Erica looked up at him anxiously.
Fortunately, he didn’t seem to find anything suspicious in her explanation.
“If I need anything, I’ll send word to my family. Or I could get it here. I heard the Archduke’s territory is the most prosperous city after the capital.”
“That’s correct. Very wise of you, miss.”
Vincent now appeared fully convinced.
He nodded slightly and, with his usual courtesy, lowered his gaze once more.
“I apologize again for the late hour. I’ll send a new maid shortly to help you unpack.”
“Oh, no.”
Erica quickly raised her hand to stop him.
She avoided his gaze as naturally as possible.
Even if someone else helped with the rest of her luggage, she needed to handle Bonpiju’s bag herself.
She was the only one who could know where to hide that dye bottle.
She had just arrived at the grand duchy.
No matter how much she liked her room, it wasn’t enough to lower her guard.
Erica let out a small, fake yawn.
“I’m too tired. If someone comes now, it’ll just make me go to bed even later. I’ll just wash and sleep tonight. Let’s unpack tomorrow.”
Vincent’s eyes flicked to the clock.
Given how little she’d brought, it wouldn’t take long to unpack, but it was late for a child.
“If you need anything, just call. Until then, I’ll leave you alone.”
“Yes, young lady. As you wish. We’ll introduce the household staff to you tomorrow afternoon, then.”
“Thank you.”
Erica smiled and watched him leave her room.
The next morning.
“…Strange.”
Still sleepy from travel fatigue, Erica mumbled as she pulled the bell cord with her right hand.
After waiting a bit, she gave it another firm tug.
Her golden eyes turned toward the door.
But just like the previous attempts, there was no knock.
“Why isn’t anyone coming?”
Did they not hear it?
Or was it just a busy time?
Or…
“Are they doing this on purpose?”
Her voice turned a bit gloomy.
Vincent and the maid from last night had been polite.
But that alone didn’t mean they liked her.
Even when she tried to tell herself not to think negatively, it didn’t help much.
After all, her confidence—crushed over years of living with the marquis family—couldn’t recover in just a few days.
“I really don’t want to be hated here…”
She didn’t even want to be liked, really. That would be too greedy—she knew that.
Erica clenched and unclenched the hem of her pajamas a few times, then suddenly bit the inside of her cheek and slapped her cheeks with both hands.
‘I still need to greet His Grace the Archduke.’
She had missed her chance yesterday, so she needed to hurry.
But with no one responding, she felt anxious.
“No helping it.”
With a determined sigh, Erica jumped out of bed.
