Episode 20
A short while later, Walter spoke in a low voice.
“I understand exactly what you mean.”
Joy spread across the faces of the Marchioness and Flora.
“I’d like to rest now. You may leave.”
The Marchioness rose from her seat with a benevolent smile.
“Yes, then please rest well.”
Flora echoed in the sweetest tone she could muster, whispering softly.
“Rest well, Your Grace.”
As soon as they stepped out, the maid hurried to clear the tea set. Unlike the Marchioness and Flora, who had taken a few sips, Walter’s cup remained untouched.
When even the maid left the room, Joseph, who had been standing beside Walter the whole time, muttered with a hiss of breath.
“Ugh, when Your Grace smiles like that, it makes my knees shake. I guess to someone who doesn’t know better, it just looks charming.”
You’re watching them, trying to decide how to break them, aren’t you?
Walter didn’t respond. Instead, he coldly gestured toward the large flower vase Flora had brought in, claiming to have arranged the flowers herself.
“Get rid of it.”
“Yes, I was planning to do that anyway.”
What kind of family is the Rewen house? They helped the Marquis send Walter to the brink of death and played a leading role in driving out the knightly families.
While Joseph removed the vase, Walter pulled out the document he had been reading earlier.
It was a report detailing the total income of the estate for the first half of the year. It was impossible not to notice that the majority of the profits had gone into the Marquis’s faction’s pockets. They hadn’t even bothered to hide it in the documents. Thieves were throwing a feast in the absence of their master.
“Respect, huh…”
Walter leaned his head back on the sofa and muttered.
“Let’s see just how much their ‘beloved master’ is respected.”
His sharp voice faded into the warm autumn sunlight.
Meanwhile…
Flora’s face lit up as soon as she stepped out into the corridor.
She pressed a hand to her chest, panting with excitement. A tickling sensation fluttered in her chest, and a tingle ran through her hands and feet.
This feeling… this reaction!
There was no doubt. The Duke’s heart had wavered for her, even if just for a moment!
As she tried to steady her racing heart, the Marchioness leaned in and whispered,
“I thought she might be at least a fallen noblewoman, but it seems not—even her name was all he mentioned.”
“How could she pretend to be a noble so well?”
“What can’t a lowborn with nothing but her body do? If you go to Hazel Czernin’s café in the capital, you’ll find many commoners who look just like nobles. But in the end, there’s a clear difference between the real and the fake.”
The Marchioness looked at Flora with a fond smile.
“Perhaps in that barren place, he was drawn to a nameless woman. But once his environment changes, so will his gaze. The way he looked at you—there was something there.”
“Please, don’t say such things. You’re embarrassing me.”
The Marchioness chuckled and linked arms with her. They walked down the corridor at a leisurely pace.
“Visit often, looking every bit the duchess-to-be. Show them how laughable that pretender really is.”
“Yes, I will.”
“You know I care for you. Perhaps because I have no daughter of my own, you’ve felt like one since you were little.”
“I think of you as a mother as well.”
“That’s good to hear.”
As they reached the grand staircase, both women paused as if by prior agreement.
Sunlight streamed through the large arched window at the landing, and the golden light made Flora’s blonde hair gleam brilliantly.
Flora’s brow furrowed just slightly, and the Marchioness whispered,
“The Duke is lucky. Having a girl like you by his side will ensure his peace here. Imagine him keeping company with some stray mutt. Who could possibly respect him then?”
Flora nodded solemnly.
“You’re right. I’ll do everything I can—for His Grace’s honor.”
Grace was coming up the stairs, lightly lifting her skirt with one hand. She felt the sharp stares burning into her, but she fully intended to ignore them.
But that only seemed to enrage the Marchioness further.
“This is not a place for someone like you.”
Grace stopped walking at the venomous words. As she turned her head to look at the Marchioness, the first thing that caught her eye was the luxurious necklace around the woman’s neck. The large diamond reminded her of Eliza’s annex, which had once felt like the ruins of a fallen palace.
Her chest felt even colder.
The Marchioness snapped again, her voice fierce.
“This Richmond ducal estate is no place for filth like you. Leave now, of your own accord.”
Grace found her smug face so ridiculous, she couldn’t help but respond.
“Do you know who I am?”
Her calm tone made Flora flinch and lash out.
“How dare a lowly thing like you speak?! People like us can just feel the difference—between the noble and the base. It’s in everything you do.”
“Feel it, huh?”
“Yes!!”
Grace quietly repeated her words, then smiled gently.
“I see.”
Before either woman could react, she turned and walked away, so gracefully and quickly that they had no chance to stop her. Jessie, who had been gritting her teeth behind her the whole time, growled under her breath.
“What the hell was that?”
“Shh.”
Grace hushed her and continued walking. Meanwhile, behind them, the Marchioness spoke as if chewing on venom.
“She dared leave without a proper bow?! So arrogant, thinking the Duke’s affection gives her that right. Remember that sight well, Flora.”
“Of course, Marchioness.”
Forget crying when she leaves.
I’ll hold his hand and smile in front of her. I’ll make her realize—painfully—who truly belongs by his side.
That thought alone sent warmth spreading through her previously chilled chest.
As they descended the stairs, the Marchioness gave an order to a nearby maid.
“No support is to be given to the chandelier room.”
“Yes, Marchioness.”
She wasn’t even a minor noble, and the fact that she’s staying in that room is disgusting.
Both the Duke and that arrogant woman needed a little reminder—no one stays in the Richmond estate without Linco Marchioness’s permission.
Back in the room…
After the Marchioness and Flora left, Walter tried to return to reading. But he couldn’t concentrate. His thoughts kept drifting toward the door connected to the chandelier room.
Grace had been at the annex for quite some time now.
…Grace.
His thoughts wandered like a wild stream.
When Walter looked at Flora earlier, Joseph had likened it to a predator eyeing its prey—but in truth, Walter had been thinking of Grace at that very moment. It had been instinctive, something beyond his control.
Her expressions, her eyes, her movements—each had been different every time.
Only ten times. But each of those ten moments lingered vividly.
“Sigh.”
Walter let out a sharp breath and ran a hand down his face.
Grace Taylor is a dangerous woman.
If I want to hold her, I’d better be prepared to bleed.
He was trying to push her from his mind when—
“…?”
Joseph, who had been sorting through the flowers in the distance, suddenly froze.
Both of them turned their gaze toward the same direction. A strange presence had appeared in the chandelier room.
It was too heavy and grounded to be a woman.
Joseph approached silently and asked,
“What shall I do?”
Walter stared at the door and answered quickly.
“Go check.”
At his command, Joseph walked toward the door, prepared for combat. He stood still, sensing the presence from beyond, then suddenly threw the door open.
As the door swung wide, Joseph’s brow twitched.
Just one step away from the door stood a tall man. He was looking straight at Joseph, as if expecting him.
He had curly silver hair and blood-red eyes—an incredibly handsome and sharp-looking man.
Joseph quickly scanned for weapons and asked,
“Who are you?”
The man curled his crimson lips into a languid smile and replied,
“And what if I asked who you are?”
Wait… I’ve heard that line before.
At that moment, Walter, who had been watching closely, stood from his seat. As he rose, the man’s gaze shifted from Joseph to Walter.
Walter walked toward him with full presence.
An assassin? No.
A spy for the Marquis? No.
Joseph stepped aside, and Walter crossed the threshold. But the man didn’t back down. Instead, he looked Walter directly in the eye—as if testing him.
Staring into those red eyes, Walter asked in a low voice:
“Did Grace send you?”
