Chapter 8 –
The contents of the letter Gray had written were as follows:
He wanted to take a walk near the nearby lake and asked if it would be alright to go out. Since arriving at the duke’s estate, he wished to see the scenery before the seasons changed.
However, he wrote that he felt uneasy about going alone due to his age, so if possible, he wanted to be accompanied by a servant—and more specifically, by his sister, Anne Ferro, as a guardian.
He said it was his first outing, so he had written to the Duchess to ask permission. To Anne, the tone of the letter seemed oddly confident, which she didn’t quite understand.
Was there a reason he assumed permission would be granted so easily? It wasn’t like he was being held prisoner—he could’ve just told the butler. Did he orchestrate all this just to drag her into it?
Anne suddenly shook her head at the thought.
It’s Jamie’s fault. That brat must’ve egged him on!
Determined to give him a stern talking-to, Anne waited in the servant hall late into the evening until Jamie showed up. At last, her eyes lit up.
“Jamie Ferro.”
“Sis, I’m sorry. I heard you got summoned by the Duchess. Young Master Gray said he was really sorry, too.”
Jamie’s slumped shoulders tugged at her heartstrings—after all, he was her younger brother. He was family, and seeing him again filled her with affection. But she couldn’t just let it slide.
“I told you—you can’t act the same way with everyone that you do with the Young Master. Didn’t you consider that handing over that note might offend the Duchess?”
“But the Young Master said this much would be okay…”
To Jamie, Gray Benton was more of a kind master than a noble with influence. His loyalty leaned more toward personal affection than family status.
“Listen… The only thing the Duchess expects from the Young Master is this: live quietly and stay out of sight. You’re the servant of someone she wants to pretend doesn’t exist.”
“That’s harsh, Sis… That’s really mean.”
“Jamie. Did you know that before you came here, I used to send half my salary to Auntie’s household?”
“…What?”
Jamie’s mouth fell open in shock—he clearly hadn’t known.
“Why do you think I brought you all the way here? I thought this would be a better opportunity for you. So you could learn, get an education, and hopefully serve a good master.”
“Young Master Gray is a good person.”
Even as Jamie tried to defend him, Anne straightened her posture and said coldly:
“Gray Benton is not a good master.”
With that one line, Jamie’s expression visibly twisted. Anne continued, unfazed.
“To be blunt—he’s the Duke’s illegitimate son. And the Duchess despises him. Even if he becomes a knight, he’ll never climb high.”
If Duke Hans Benton and young Lord Edwin had been alive, and if Gray had graduated safely from the academy and become a knight—
Then the Duchess would’ve been the first to pull strings and send him off to the battlefield.
Anne Ferro knew better than anyone just how vicious and relentless the Duchess could be when tormenting someone she despised.
“So gain experience here for a few years, and then—”
“Sis.”
Now that there was no longer a need to run away with her, Gray’s life would likely become even more difficult. Jamie didn’t need to suffer alongside him.
“Young Master Gray likes you.”
To her surprise, that was Jamie’s reply—spoken with a completely different tone.
“Auntie may be a noblewoman’s illegitimate child, but she lives in comfort. If you end up with the Young Master, I know you’ll be happier. He really—”
Thud! Anne slammed the table, cutting Jamie off mid-sentence.
Her trembling fingertips and piercing gaze carried a faint anger.
“So you’re saying you hope I marry a nobleman’s bastard to escape my situation?”
She had assumed Jamie had been interacting with Gray carelessly, without reading the room—but maybe not. Maybe he had hoped to connect the two out of some misguided concern for her future.
“Even if he’s illegitimate, he’s still far above us. Young Master Gray is truly an amazing person. There’s no one else who treats servants with such kindness and compassion. Just imagine how devoted he’d be to someone he likes!”
But Anne—who had experienced firsthand what lay at the end of that kind of hope—felt her skin crawl at Jamie’s words.
“No.”
Her voice came out rough, almost against her will.
“But Sis, Young Master Gray really sincerely likes—”
“No. Stop, Jamie.”
Anne cut him off sharply.
“I don’t like him.”
Behind Jamie’s gaze, it felt as though Gray’s image was flickering—Anne shook her head like she was repulsed.
“So don’t ever say that again. Stop having such ridiculous ideas. Unless you want both of us kicked out of this mansion.”
There’s no way I could ever like Gray Benton.
Anne turned away with a firm expression, sealing that thought once and for all.
Not this time.
Absolutely not. Please. Just this once—
Anne, the Duchess of the Benton family, was desperate. Never in her life had she felt more desperate and fervent.
She prayed every night.
Every waking moment, she focused all her attention on the miracle that had taken root inside her womb.
“I’m pregnant.”
Still reeking of alcohol from an all-night party, Gray merely widened his eyes for a moment and gave a faint smile.
“That’s good.”
That was all.
She was thirty. It had been years. She had already lost one child. In the meantime, her husband’s heart had drifted away, disappearing along with the child they had lost.
There was nothing left for Anne to hold onto.
The child, conceived from her husband’s habitual, obligatory visits, was a miracle—her final chance, her final blessing.
She refused to eat any food sent from the former Duchess and asked her husband to assign her a new servant—someone beyond the former Duchess’s reach.
She made sure all food was sampled in front of her by the chef, and she constantly nagged the maids and servants to double-check her bedding and room for safety.
“Even filth has preferences now.”
The former Duchess had already chosen someone she thought suitable to become the new Duchess.
It was said Gray and the woman had recently met and were getting along well. The gossip had quickly reached Anne’s ears through the maids’ messages. No one could stop the former Duchess from doing as she pleased.
It felt like the woman was doing it all on purpose—just to torment Anne.
“Watch your words. I carry the heir of the Duke within me.”
Anne shielded her belly with both hands as if to ward off any ill will from the older woman’s hostile gaze.
She couldn’t take it anymore.
She would do anything to protect her child.
“Heh.”
The former Duchess scoffed. Anne, tense, didn’t relax her furrowed brow.
“Weeds sure are stubborn. Let’s see how far you get.”
After hearing that, Anne pleaded with Gray.
She asked to be sent to a villa or a countryside estate. Before her belly grew any larger—before things became more dangerous—she wanted to escape the Duke’s residence, which was now wrapped in the former Duchess’s web.
“You should rest at home. My mother promised she’ll take good care of you.”
Gray offered empty comfort as he stroked her tear-streaked cheek.
Your mother—who didn’t even give birth to you—do you have any idea what she’s done to me?
Do you remember how I lost our first child?!
“Have you already forgotten how we lost our baby?”
“You’re misunderstanding, Anne. Why do you keep being so negative? That’s not good for the baby.”
If only he’d looked more carefully—if only he’d investigated the people who were practically feeding on her—then her weakened health and being a first-time mother wouldn’t have been the only causes for her miscarriage.
Anne clung to Gray every day, sobbing, pleading.
Each time, a crack formed between them. Slowly but surely, their relationship crumbled.
Gray found it increasingly exhausting and difficult to be around Anne, who had become negative, suspicious, and pessimistic.
To be precise—he no longer wanted to carry her burden.
She was a bother now.
While the world laid a path of flowers at Gray’s feet—brighter, easier, more beautiful—Anne insisted on hiding in the shadows.
“For the child’s sake—Anne, change your attitude.”
She’s my family. She’s your family, too.
Gray urged Anne to reconcile with the former Duchess. He couldn’t refuse the food served that day.
With one hand on her belly, Anne took a spoonful of the soft soup the chef had supposedly prepared just for her.
The moment she tasted it, she saw the former Duchess twist her lips into a smile.
That evening, Anne threw up everything she had eaten.
“No… I won’t… I won’t…”
Her belly was swelling now. She was past six months.
Anne only trusted the maid she had personally chosen and the butler who had known her since her own days as a maid.
“We’ve brought the doctor, Madam.”
“Come in.”
Anne instinctively spoke formally to the butler. She always meant to stop, but it never worked.
“Both the baby and the Duchess are healthy.”
“Thank you.”
The butler replied on her behalf, and the physician bowed and left.
It was a hot summer day, and just lying there drenched Anne in sweat. Her forehead was soon soaked.
The butler dipped a towel into the basin beside her, wrung it out, and gently placed it on her forehead.
“If you move too much in this heat, you could suffer from dehydration or exhaustion. It’s not good for the baby, so please take it slow.”
“Thank you.”
“As I always say—please feel free to speak comfortably, Madam Duchess of Benton.”
Anne looked at the butler’s silver hair and deep wrinkles and felt a little reassured.
She had no idea Gray Benton was watching the bond between them unfold.
He had just returned to change clothes—and upon seeing the butler taking care of Anne, he exploded.
“Why did you call the butler into your room when I wasn’t here?”
