Chapter : 127
“Did you… turn down the Duke?”
The next evening, as Stella returned from the Betelgeuse mansion and stepped into the small house where they were staying, she blurted it out immediately.
With a tired, sleepless face, Dayna turned her head toward her.
“…You’re back? You’re quite late.”
“Yeah, I had some things to take care of.”
“How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine! Seems like being from the Betelgeuse family, he really does have skill. My side still aches a little, but nowhere else hurts. I at least got a business card saying I can rest at home, and if the pain gets worse, he’ll prescribe medicine.”
“That’s a relief.”
Sitting beside the exhausted Dayna, Stella spoke again.
“But… is it true? Did you really turn down the Duke?”
“Who said that?”
“The rumor got around the mansion. They say the Duke has been holed up in his room, looking miserable.”
“…Really?”
Dayna’s face twisted.
Oh no…!
“You two liked each other… so why did you do that? If the Duke expressed his feelings first, you should have thought, ‘Great, that’s good!’ and accepted him.”
“But…”
Dayna flopped onto the table and exclaimed,
“How could I? I’m just a commoner with no title, and I’m the one who pretended to be the lady and lived a fake married life. On top of that, in a few months, I’ll have to pay fines for impersonating nobility. I’m a criminal!”
“That’s… kind of true.”
“…Thank you.”
She let out a deep sigh and closed her eyes.
Nox holed up in his room…?
Yesterday, he had walked her home as if nothing had happened between them, so how badly must he have been hurt to stay locked in his room…
“That’s probably why the mansion felt so gloomy.”
“Ugh… really?”
“Oh, right. Did you know? Before coming here, I met with Lady Hillary briefly to thank her for taking care of me. But from what she said, it seems she’s already planning to find a new match for the Duke.”
What?
The unexpected words snapped Dayna fully awake.
Dayna opened her eyes and lifted herself up. Her head spun as if she had been hit hard in the back of the skull.
“What did you say?”
“Of course. The Duke has a bright future ahead, and he can’t remain unpaired. Lady Hillary is probably grateful to you for sparing him by turning him down so cruelly.”
“Cr-cruel? It wasn’t cruel…”
“Anyway, it seems you won’t have any more dealings with the Duke.”
With that, Stella walked past Dayna and headed to the room.
From behind, Dayna slowly spoke.
“You mean… I won’t see him anymore? Ever?”
Stella shrugged.
“Isn’t that obvious? The Duke proposed, and you refused. What’s left between you two now?”
“….”
Dayna lowered her gaze in silence.
So that’s it? Because I refused… I can’t even go back to how we were?
The anxiety spreading through her chest gradually rose to her chin. The thought of not seeing Nox again—or worse, that he might have a new wife—made her chest tighten.
“Are you still sulking? What are you so pathetic about?”
Stella, now in more comfortable clothes, addressed the still dazed Dayna.
“Feeling sad because you think you won’t see the Duke?”
“…Of course.”
Dayna furrowed her brows and replied.
“Then why did you refuse him in the first place?”
“I told you before. I just had some shame. I knew better than anyone that I couldn’t marry the Duke. He just became the head of the Betelgeuse family and is slowly settling into his position. The divorce alone already makes the family elders wary. If I tricked them and married him again, would they accept it?”
Her voice grew louder.
The more she spoke, the more painful the contrast with her own position became.
“Look at me. I have nothing. I’m a commoner. I was a lady’s maid, with no proper family. How could I… how could I accept the Duke’s proposal? Even Lady Hillary, who has given me so much, would be wronged by it…”
“But you still want to maintain a relationship with him?”
“Well…”
Dayna trailed off.
She knew how foolish she looked.
She didn’t want to give up on Nox but couldn’t summon the courage to move forward. She hid and avoided him under the pretense of thinking about him.
Truly pathetic.
“Is that all that matters?”
Stella had pulled out the chair across from her and asked.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, you think if only those issues were resolved, everything would be fine? You’d accept the Duke’s proposal and be with him?”
“My… my status?”
Dayna asked half-heartedly.
She was too upset to hear anything else.
I really need to go on a trip. How could I bear seeing Nox with someone else…
“Yes, that.”
“Well, if I were a lady, it would have been much easier. But thinking about that now won’t change anything. It’s already in the past…”
Dayna hung her head weakly.
From across the table, Stella rustled something.
“I was planning to show this to you once you were ready, but seeing you whining like this, I can’t wait. Read this.”
Whining? Who’s whining at whom…
Dayna glared slightly and picked up the paper Stella had placed on the table.
“What’s this?”
“Just read it quietly.”
“What is this… ‘Family Succession and Name Grant’…?”
Dayna read the large letters on the paper absentmindedly, then froze.
Family succession? Name grant…? What does this mean?
She paused briefly, then read the first line again.
Family Succession and Name Grant Document
Donor: Stella Bibiwood
Recipient: Dayna
Granted surname and rights:
Bibiwood
Inherits noble rights and honors beyond simple bloodline, responsible for preserving the family’s spirit and legacy as the heir.
Right to use the Bibiwood family crest and motto, recognized as a family member in all official documents and events.
As the family successor, the following rights are granted:
Territory Management: Authority to oversee all administration and income within Bibiwood family lands.
Economic Privileges: Authority over profits from commercial activity and taxation within the territory.
Social Authority: Rights and duties as an official member of the aristocratic social circle.
…
…
What is this?
Dazed, Dayna slowly lifted her gaze to Stella.
“What is this? You’re joking, right?”
Stella shrugged.
“Look at the seal of our grandfather at the bottom and the approval signatures of the royal administrators—you’ll see it’s not a joke.”
She was right.
At the bottom were Stella’s signature, the official Bibiwood seal, and the signatures and seals of the royal administrators, date unknown.
Dayna opened her mouth in shock.
“Th-this is…”
“It’s not fully processed yet. I’ve been preparing it little by little, but there are so many complicated steps, it’ll take a few more weeks at least.”
“Huh… wha…?”
Dayna couldn’t fully comprehend reality.
So… now this means…?
“When it’s fully processed, you’ll become Dayna Bibiwood.”
Across from her, Stella spoke clearly and deliberately.
“W-why… why would you… I… how could I…!”
“Dayna, you deserve this.”
Stella gently held Dayna’s flustered hands and looked at her.
“Considering what you’ve done for our family, this is barely enough.”
“My lady…”
“And this way, I can keep you by my side for a long time and plan our fabric business together. You know I can’t do anything without you.”
“But… this is too much. Even without this, I’d still stay by your side and work with you!”
“Enough! This is my decision as the one and only heiress of the Bibiwood family, so don’t argue! Well… if you marry the Duke, your name will change again anyway. That’s a shame.”
Me… Bibiwood? Dayna Bibiwood?
She couldn’t believe it.
Stella smiled faintly as if it were nothing and met Dayna’s gaze.
“Dayna, are you happy?”
“Of course! No, I feel overwhelmed by such a generous gift. You didn’t have to do all this… How can I ever repay this gratitude?”
“Are you happy?”
She asked again.
“I am. Truly.”
Dayna answered.
Stella nodded, satisfied with the reply.
“That’s all that matters.”
