Chapter 37
“Do you remember me saying that I originally lived in a place like this?”
The Duchess’s words made me recall the first day I came to the countryside.
She had said that because she had originally lived in a place like this, even this old mansion felt comfortable.
It was a vague memory, but it stayed in my mind.
The Duchess, guessing I remembered, continued.
“Our family was basically ruined. I grew up in a place much more shabby than this mansion.”
No wonder. Even a noble wouldn’t feel completely comfortable in such a small mansion, no matter how simply they lived.
Even to me, a commoner, the mansion already felt cramped.
But the Duchess didn’t seem uncomfortable, probably because she had grown up in harsher conditions.
“I grew up poor all my life, so after becoming a Duchess, I was simply happy. I thought the hard times were finally over, and only happy things would remain.”
Gradually, the smile faded from her face.
“But the moment I first attended high society, that illusion broke immediately.”
I could roughly guess. How cold the nobles in high society could be.
Seeing a ruined noblewoman rise to the position of a Duchess probably made them very annoyed.
I didn’t know for sure, but when the Duchess first got married, the class system was probably still very strict.
“I was a very weak person. I couldn’t handle the sneers of strangers. Even worse, because of me, the children were pointed at too. I couldn’t leave high society either. If I didn’t do it, the children would have to bear it too, and I couldn’t let that happen.”
I listened quietly to the Duchess.
I didn’t know why she was telling me this, but it seemed like she wanted to share this story with someone.
The Duchess hesitated for a moment, then spoke again.
“…Around the time I was falling apart, Monica came crying and begged me. She told me to take care of myself first.”
I remembered Monica’s usually expressionless face.
She looked about the same age as the Duchess.
Curious, I asked her.
“Are you close with Monica?”
“She was a friend who always stayed by my side since childhood. So it must have been even harder for Monica. She didn’t like our husband even before, and after I married, she had an even harder time.”
The Duchess smiled painfully, as if recalling that day.
“…Do the young masters and the lady know about that?”
I asked carefully. The Duchess smiled softly.
“Odin probably noticed because he’s very perceptive, but the others still don’t know.”
Finally, a question I had tucked away in my mind was answered. I now understood why Odin pushed Deriksha away in the original story.
He grew up watching the Duchess, a ruined noblewoman, being mocked by other nobles.
The mockery toward Deriksha, a commoner, must have been as bad or worse than toward the Duchess herself.
Odin knew this, which is why he always hesitated and pushed Deriksha away.
“In the end, Monica blamed herself for me running away from the Leofrum house, so the children thought Monica sent me to the countryside for the house’s sake.”
Probably the only one who believed Monica’s lie was Lou.
Odin had already understood the Duchess’s situation, and Abel, the possessor, knew the full story.
“Monica just told them to blame herself. At first, I didn’t understand it, but maybe she thought Lou needed someone to resent. Odin and Abel were mature from childhood and understood me, but Lou wasn’t. The only family member he had been close to was me. Monica and I knew how hard it would be for him alone, yet we just left him.”
From Lou’s perspective, he could certainly resent Monica. Especially if he didn’t know the reason.
In the original story, Lou had grown up alone with no one to lean on.
He had to resent Monica, who had even separated him from the Duchess he depended on.
“Lou was at the age to be loved, but there was no one around, so he grew up twisted. For some reason, Odin and Abel even disliked bringing up Lou’s name.”
I recalled a previous conversation with Odin.
He said he disliked Lou for no reason, and now he didn’t understand why.
It was all because they were stuck in the original story’s settings.
In the middle of the dark conversation, the Duchess suddenly laughed.
“Lily, do you know how surprised I was when I read Odin’s letters a few months ago and saw news about Lou? When Abel laughed and told me Lou’s situation, I nearly fainted. They had hated Lou so much.”
The Duchess kept laughing.
She looked up at me, meeting my eyes, and in a voice full of laughter, she said:
“…Of course, Lou’s news always included your story too. It wasn’t that they changed, but Lou changed. Probably because of you, Lily. If it weren’t for you, Lou would still be alone.”
The Duchess was right.
In the original story, Lou was always alone. If I hadn’t unknowingly prevented him from becoming a villain, he would have still turned his back on his family.
A life with no one to rely on, no love.
But that wasn’t because of me.
Why do they keep saying it’s thanks to me when Lou struggled to change?
I felt embarrassed instead.
“…I didn’t do anything.”
“You were there for him.”
The Duchess smiled warmly and held my hand tightly.
“That alone was enough for Lou.”
Her hand was warm and gentle.
After the conversation, I left the Duchess’s room.
As soon as I closed the door, I saw someone leaning against the window outside the room.
For a moment, I was surprised, then smiled and walked over to him, running my fingers through his black hair.
“Did you overhear?”
“Why? Is there a problem?”
I laughed at Lou’s teasing tone.
I continued stroking his hair.
“When we return, let’s apologize to Monica first.”
Lou’s expression softened into a smile. He nodded and held my hand as I stroked his hair.
“You and Monica, you’re both just thinking about your friends all the time.”
“Of course.”
I laughed and held Lou’s hand tightly.
From early morning, we got ready to leave the mansion.
I yawned briefly, exhausted.
I had stayed up all night to avoid oversleeping again today.
Sleep hit me, and I walked to the carriage in a daze.
I wanted to get in and sleep quickly. Maybe rest on Lou’s shoulder.
I didn’t want to lie on the hard seat, so I planned to lean on Lou’s shoulder with a blanket and sleep.
“Lily.”
Just as I was about to get into the carriage, someone called me from behind.
Ah, I almost left without saying goodbye.
I put my luggage in the carriage and walked over to the Duchess.
She held my hand tightly.
“You’ve worked hard listening to me for the past few days.”
“No, I enjoyed it too.”
Hearing her words made me reflect on a lot, so I should be the one saying thanks.
She still held my hand and glanced at Lou beside her.
Then she made a playful expression and said to me:
“Lily, our Lou has a bad personality, but he’s quite handsome, isn’t he?”
“What are you trying to say now?”
Lou hurriedly blocked her words.
Why is she complimenting Lou suddenly?
I didn’t know her intention but nodded, waiting for her to continue.
“Next time we meet, I hope we can be closer.”
I still didn’t understand, but the atmosphere made me smile awkwardly.
Lou sighed deeply beside me.
The Duchess let go of my hand and looked at Lou.
“Come here, my son. Let’s hug once.”
She opened her arms. Lou looked surprised, then hesitated, and finally hugged her.
Seeing how awkward he was, I almost laughed.
Unlike Lou, the Duchess smiled warmly and gently stroked his hair.
After holding him for a while, she spoke softly:
“Thank you for growing up well, Lou.”
Her expression was extremely gentle.
The trip back to the duke’s house didn’t feel as long as the way to the countryside.
Maybe because I had slept so deeply in the carriage, the duke’s house appeared in no time.
After staying at the Duchess’s mansion, the duke’s house looked huge again.
I got off the carriage.
The front of the house was already crowded with people waiting to welcome Lou.
Among the line of maids, I saw a familiar face and felt a surge of emotion. I ran and hugged her.
“Deriksha! I’m sorry!”
I cried while hugging Deriksha tightly.
I’m sorry for sulking! I finally realized how important you are to me!
Deriksha looked startled, not sure how to react to me suddenly crying.
“From now on, sleep early! No more oversleeping!”
Deriksha didn’t respond, probably shocked.
I felt everyone around watching and laughing, but I didn’t care.
“…Young master, what’s wrong with her?”
Deriksha asked Lou, who was behind me.
I couldn’t see Lou’s face, but I heard his quiet, tired voice.
“…Should I give her a higher salary?”
“Huh?”
I heard Deriksha’s shocked voice right next to me.
