Chapter : 8
“Miss, what should we do? Even the maid uniform suits you so well.”
“Really? Maybe it’s because Edel prepared it with such care.”
Edel adjusted Valley’s clothes one last time. She tied Valley’s light green hair up high, covered it with a headscarf, and even put a maid’s cap on her so her face would not be easily seen.
“In the morning, the servants will all be busy preparing the masters’ meals, so you probably won’t run into anyone. But just in case, avoid making eye contact as much as possible.”
“Okay. I’ll quietly sneak out.”
“Once you leave the estate gates, don’t look back. Just run.”
After checking the cap one final time, Edel smiled softly.
It was a smile cheering Valley on.
“Edel, leave thirty minutes after I do.”
“Understood. I’ll hide at the inn in the city like we promised.”
“Be careful when you leave. Don’t get hurt. And if my parents catch you, say I forced you to do everything.”
Even while leaving, Valley worried more about Edel than herself.
Realizing that, tears filled Edel’s eyes.
“You mustn’t get hurt either, Miss. I heard Duke Biterad is violent and savage.”
“You know how cold my parents are. You should be more careful instead.”
“You don’t need to worry about me, Miss. You know how quick and nimble I am.”
Until the very end, the two only worried about each other.
But they could not delay any longer, so they reluctantly stepped out of the bedroom.
Valley carefully used paths where servants rarely walked as she headed outside the estate.
Fortunately, because the servants barely noticed her existence in the first place, she managed to leave through the gates without trouble.
Valley looked down at her own feet after stepping outside, then remembered Edel’s words not to look back and began running with all her strength.
Straight toward the Biterad estate, where Wayne was.
“Your Grace! Duke! Please wake up!”
Wayne’s aide, Piru, burst into the bedroom decorated with red wallpaper and white marble, throwing open both doors as he rushed inside.
Wayne’s brows twisted deeply from the shouting as he woke up.
“You’re loud.”
Wayne threw a pillow toward Piru as if telling him to get out immediately.
But Piru skillfully caught the pillow, neatly fixed it, and continued speaking quickly.
“Someone has come to see you.”
“A reporter, probably. Throw them out.”
“It’s not a reporter. It’s a maid.”
“Then let her in.”
“She’s not one of our estate maids! That’s why I’m reporting it to you!”
As Piru raised his voice further to tell him to wake up properly, Wayne rubbed his face and slowly sat up.
His bare upper body, previously hidden beneath the white blanket, was fully revealed.
“A maid from another family came here?”
“Yes. And she claimed she has an appointment with Your Grace.”
“What appointment?”
“She said something rather ridiculous. That’s why the guards refused to open the gate…”
“What did she say?”
Piru adjusted his large glasses over his neatly combed brown hair and answered.
“She said… she came because she promised to make flowers bloom with Your Grace.”
Wayne, who had been leaning lazily against the headboard, slowly sharpened his gaze.
‘Revive a flower within two minutes and reduce your recovery time to one hour within three days.’
So she actually came.
A faint smile spread across Wayne’s face as he realized Valley had arrived.
Piru immediately noticed the meaning behind that expression, and his eyes widened in shock.
“Don’t tell me you actually know this maid?”
“Let her in.”
Wayne rose from the bed.
Since he was completely naked, Piru skillfully lowered his eyes to avoid looking.
Wayne smirked and casually put on the dark blue robe hanging beside the bed.
“What kind of relationship we’ll have… I’ll decide after seeing her.”
“Please wait here for a moment. His Grace will arrive shortly.”
After being stopped by the guards at the gate, Valley was thankfully allowed into the reception room.
At last, the moment she would meet Wayne again.
Because of anticipation and nervousness, sweat began forming in her palms.
“I have to succeed. I have to…”
She quietly muttered to herself as if hypnotizing herself when—
Click.
The door opened, and Valley immediately jumped to her feet.
“Duke, I came to keep my promise froooom— W-why are you half naked again?!”
Wayne appeared dressed even more revealingly than the first day they met.
He wore only loose white silk pants and a thin dark blue robe.
The robe hung open so widely that it practically exposed his entire upper body, clearly showing his muscular frame.
At least on the terrace it had been nighttime and dark around them, but now it was broad daylight.
Sunlight poured through the large windows, making Wayne’s body even more visible.
“Y-you can’t just walk around so undressed…”
Just like before, Valley covered herself with both arms and quickly sat back down on the sofa while shrinking her shoulders.
Wayne stood at the entrance to the reception room with his arms crossed, staring at her with an incredulous expression.
“In my estate, I’ll wear whatever I want.”
“R-right… This is your estate…”
“You cover your body instead of your eyes again. At this point, just look.”
“N-no! I’m not looking!”
She shook her head violently before obediently placing her hands back onto her knees.
Wayne stared at her quietly before sitting across from her.
“I knew today was the promised day, but I didn’t expect you to come this early. Especially dressed like that.”
Valley awkwardly touched the maid uniform.
“I had some circumstances.”
“Related to that face?”
Valley instantly lifted her head.
Wayne lightly tapped his own cheek on the same side as her still-swollen one.
At that gesture, Valley hurriedly covered the cheek her parents had hit.
Being a daughter unloved by her family had always been her greatest weakness.
“…No. I just got hurt by accident.”
“Hm.”
Wayne stared at her before casually crossing his legs.
“If you came all the way here, then I assume you completed the test I gave you?”
“Of course. I can revive a flower within two minutes like you asked.”
“Then let’s confirm it immediately.”
Wayne grabbed a pink geranium from the bouquet sitting in the vase on the reception room table.
The moisture evaporated instantly from the heat of his hand, and just before the flower crumbled apart, he placed it back onto the table.
Then he took out an hourglass and showed it to Valley.
“This hourglass lasts exactly one minute. Revive the flower before it runs out twice.”
“Yes.”
“The moment you touch the flower, I’ll start.”
Valley leaned forward in her seat.
As expected, the flower was far more dried out than the wilted flowers she had bought from the market.
She let out a short breath and frowned deeply while staring at the flower.
Her future depended on this one flower.
“I’m starting.”
The moment Valley reached out and grabbed the flower, Wayne flipped the hourglass over.
She closed her eyes and calmed herself first.
This is not the Biterad estate. This is my bedroom. The same bedroom where I revived countless wilted flowers.
After taking a deep breath, she slowly gathered her magic.
The magic generated from her heart flowed like waves and gathered in her palms.
Then she spread it through the stem and petals of the flower she was holding.
Valley placed the flower down while still keeping her eyes closed, then slowly opened them.
“…It’s done.”
The tips of the green leaves near the stem were still slightly wilted, but the flower had recovered enough to look fully alive.
Wayne reached out and grabbed the same stem Valley had touched.
Once again, it did not burn.
“Does this mean I passed?”
Valley asked while breathing lightly from exhaustion.
Wayne placed the flower down again.
“There’s still one thing left to confirm.”
“My recovery time?”
“Yes. I’ll come back in an hour.”
After speaking one-sidedly, Wayne stood up and left the reception room.
“You can’t walk around dressed like that!”
Piru, who had been waiting outside, hurried toward him in panic.
“It doesn’t matter. I may never see her again after today.”
“I always tell you, Your Grace. You must maintain proper clothing and behavior no matter where you are—”
“You’re loud.”
Wayne waved his hand as if telling him to stay away.
Piru quickly backed off as though Wayne’s hand were a dangerous weapon.
“Should I send the maid away now?”
“Not yet. I’ll see her again in an hour.”
“What? Why didn’t you finish everything in one meeting?”
“There’s a reason. Ah, and prepare an ice pack.”
“Do you have a fever?”
Piru’s eyes widened as he immediately looked Wayne over, checking for any reddened areas from overheating.
Wayne tilted his head toward the reception room behind him.
“Not for me. For the guest. Make sure it’s not too cold.”
