Chapter : 11
“Lady Stella…”
“Don’t laugh!”
Feeling suddenly embarrassed, Dayna plopped down beside Jade and spoke.
“I know, I know. I don’t exactly fit the part of a noble lady.”
“I didn’t say you don’t fit.”
“I told you earlier, I’m not doing this because I want to! It’s all for our lady.”
“Right, all for your lady.”
“And it’ll be over soon. Once the Duke leaves the mansion…”
Yes, once Knox handed over the divorce papers and left, this ridiculous charade of pretending to be Stella would end.
Just until then…
“Got it.”
Jade turned back to the fireplace, looking disinterested.
Dayna glanced at him.
She felt immensely relieved that the person who’d broken through the snow was Jade and not someone else.
He was someone she got along with well, and more importantly, he wasn’t the type to care about others’ business. He just did what was asked of him.
Surely, even now, he was accepting her act as Stella without question.
That’s why he’s going along with my clumsy disguise.
At that moment, Jade, sitting beside her, spoke up.
“If you’d told me sooner that your lady ran away, I could’ve searched Wizberry Forest, the village, and the surrounding areas.”
“I’m already kicking myself for it. Back then, I wasn’t thinking straight. At first, I thought she’d come back crying in a few days, and later, I was too busy trying to hide that she’d left.”
Dayna sighed as she spoke.
He was right. In a way, she might’ve mishandled the aftermath.
If she’d run to Jade the moment Stella left and asked him to find her, they might’ve brought her back before she went too far. They could’ve coaxed her to stay safely at the mansion.
But how was I supposed to know it’d turn out like this…
“I really thought Stella would come back in tears after a few days!”
Crouching beside Jade, Dayna hugged her knees and rested her aching forehead on them.
“Worried?”
Jade turned to her and asked.
“Wouldn’t you be? Our precious lady, raised so delicately, out in this harsh world—what could she possibly do…?”
“When you were cursing her for being—what was it? A gold-digger? A silver-spooner? Anyway, hopeless—where was all this worry then?”
“That’s different…”
Dayna trailed off, lifting her head.
Of course, when Stella betrayed her and left, Dayna had been consumed by anger and resentment.
She’d even yelled crude curses into the air, raging about how Stella could repay her kindness like this.
But as time passed, those feelings faded, replaced by growing worry.
No matter how much I resent her, she’s still my precious lady…
“Don’t worry. Your lady’s tough and clever—she’ll do fine wherever she goes. You can tell just by how she ditched her devoted maid like an old shoe.”
“It wasn’t betrayal…!”
Dayna snapped, bristling at Jade’s jab at Stella.
“Not betrayal?”
He raised an eyebrow.
“…A mistake.”
“A mistake, huh.”
“Let’s just say it was.”
Pouting, Dayna stared at the flames crackling in the fireplace.
Still… I feel a bit better.
Knowing she had an ally in the midst of all the lies in the Viviwood mansion gave her a sense of relief.
* * *
That evening, Dayna stopped by Knox’s room and began carefully tending to the fireplace.
Warm enough to heat the room, but not so much as to feel stifling or hot!
Crouching, she fanned the flames delicately, making them flare and subside in a controlled rhythm.
“Phew!”
This should keep the room warm enough tonight.
Glancing at the fogged-up window, Dayna reduced the fire to a minimum and stood.
Normally, she’d leave it like this, and Knox, upon returning, would either put out the fire completely or leave just a few embers.
I wouldn’t usually go this far…
Damn this maid mindset!
Having always served Stella so devotedly, she couldn’t help herself.
Still, it’s better than him fainting at the sight of roaring flames.
Trying to stay positive, Dayna turned to leave.
“…Eek!”
She screamed at the sight of Knox, who had silently appeared at the door.
My heart!
Startled by her dramatic reaction, Knox approached with a concerned look.
“Are you alright, my lady? I’m sorry for startling you.”
“N-No, it’s fine. I was so focused I didn’t hear your footsteps.”
Dayna clutched her still-pounding chest, catching her breath.
Was she startled because she’d been so focused on the fire, or because facing him with the unresolved divorce issue felt awkward and uncomfortable? She couldn’t tell.
Knox, now closer, naturally took the fan from her hand, glancing at her face.
She’s warm.
Perhaps from sitting by the fire, her cheeks were faintly flushed.
And the way she radiated a subtle warmth… she was like a puppy just woken from a nap or a small rabbit, drawing his gaze.
Her rapid blinking, as if unsure whether to move or flee under his stare, stirred an odd feeling in him.
“…”
As he watched her trembling eyelashes, an unfamiliar impulse surged within him.
Another strange emotion.
It was like earlier, when he’d impulsively grabbed her hand and flustered her.
Was it the freedom of being far from the ever-tense Betelgeuse estate? Or had the avalanche done something to his head? He couldn’t tell.
Without clear thought, Knox quietly spoke.
“Why do you always adjust the fire like this?”
“…Oh.”
Here it comes.
Dayna swallowed hard, taking a deep breath.
It was a natural question for Knox. Unaware that she knew about his fire trauma, he might find it odd or suspicious that she kept coming to his room to lower the fire.
But I can’t just say it’s because you might faint at the sight of flames…!
People often reacted with hostility when someone saw through their hidden vulnerabilities.
Dayna frowned, recalling a perfect example: Stella.
When Stella first settled in Wizberry Forest, hadn’t she lashed out at the villagers trying to help her, shouting, “You ignorant fools! Don’t meddle when you know nothing! Who asked for your pity?”
She’d swung her fists, leaving over ten people bruised that day.
Dayna never wanted to witness such a chaotic scene again.
Of course, Duke Betelgeuse is far more refined…
Let’s not pretend to know too much in front of someone who’s hurting.
That was her conclusion.
“I’m sorry if I offended you, Duke. As you know, we’re short on firewood in this mansion…”
“Clian said there’s plenty of firewood behind the mansion.”
Hah, our Sir Hertus is truly no help at all.
What excuse now? That she didn’t know? Or that she’s secretly a penny-pincher…?
As her mind raced, Knox stepped closer, narrowing the distance between them.
His low voice settled over her head.
“I’m curious. What are you thinking?”
