Chapter 83
“Wow, this hasn’t spoiled at all?”
Jamie exclaimed in delight as he untied the bundle he had carefully brought along. Inside were snacks he had carried all the way from the capital.
Thanks to the preservation magic placed on the basket, the food inside smelled as fresh as if it had just been made.
“Jamie, finish unpacking later. Since it’s been a while since we’ve come to where Anne is, take that with you and share it together.”
Gray, who had been studying a map, slipped it into his coat as he spoke.
“Really? Thank you, master!”
Jamie beamed brighter than before and hurried to finish tidying up. Meanwhile, Gray pulled a fountain pen from his pocket.
He set out fine stationery and began writing carefully. But soon—riip—
The nib tore straight through the paper.
“Another faulty one.”
Tap, tap—at the slightest shock, the ink spilled in clumps, forcing him to toss away the ruined sheet.
“Master, here. Use this new one instead.”
Jamie, as if long accustomed to it, handed over an identical fountain pen.
Watching Gray write more carefully this time, Jamie asked curiously,
“You always stick to that same pen, don’t you? There are much better ones out there.”
“…I like this one.”
A cheap pen, the kind only commoners would use—yet he stubbornly insisted on it.
Jamie knew his master often did things he couldn’t quite understand. So instead of pressing further, he returned to finishing the luggage.
By the time Jamie had nearly done, Gray also laid down his pen, the letter finished.
“Jamie.”
“Yes.”
“Give this to Anne.”
“…Wh…what?”
He instinctively accepted it, but hesitation flickered at his fingertips.
Living in the lord’s castle, he too had heard the rumors about Gray and Anne. Would handing her this letter only trouble his sister more?
“It’s an apology. Anne’s been caught up in troublesome gossip because of me.”
“Oh—”
Jamie relaxed at once, reassured.
“Tell her I was simply happy to see her after hearing about her from you so often, and I made a mistake. Tell her I’m sorry. It’s written in the letter too, but I want you to say it clearly. Got it?”
“Yes, sir!”
Answering with bright confidence, Jamie strode out the door, shutting it behind him.
The gentle smile on Gray’s lips stiffened the moment he was gone.
He unfolded the map once more. The blue dot was still blinking in the same place.
“Anne—”
A familiar voice rang out. Jamie had come directly to the main residence to find her.
She had just been about to enjoy afternoon tea with Victoria.
“Jamie?”
Seeing him, Victoria stepped back politely.
“Today’s the day for siblings to catch up. I’ll excuse myself.”
“Thank you, Lady Victoria. But dinner, at least—”
“Oh! If it’s all right with you, join us for dinner too. I brought famous desserts from Edith Tara!”
Jamie lifted the basket eagerly, his grin wide.
“Really? That sounds delicious—Anne, may I join too?”
Anne had been about to scold her younger brother for interrupting a noblewoman, but at Victoria’s cheerful face, her irritation melted away.
Her sharp brows softened as she replied calmly, “Of course.”
Victoria brightened instantly and leaned forward eagerly toward the basket.
“What did you bring? Let me see—”
“Edith Tara is famous for its winter fruits. There are orange tarts, kiwi canapés—”
The two chattered animatedly, walking ahead of Anne. Their bright and lively temperaments meshed surprisingly well.
“Can I taste just one first?”
“Yes! These are dried-strawberry cookies. This shop is the best in Edith Tara! Master told me so, so I bought them directly.”
“Really? They’re so crisp yet soft—delicious.”
The three moved to the drawing room and sat around the table. Without Anne needing to introduce them, Victoria and Jamie passed tea and desserts back and forth like old friends.
Anne studied the basket absently—then froze.
“All of this came from Edith Tara?”
“Yeah. Isn’t it amazing how nothing changed?”
These weren’t long-lasting cookies—they were fresh-fruit desserts. Even the herb leaves looked newly picked.
“This basket is enchanted. Everything inside stays fresh.”
“There’s enchantment like this even in the capital?”
Victoria chimed in curiously.
“Master worked hard to obtain it. Collecting enchanted items is his hobby.”
“…That’s a peculiar hobby for someone from the capital.”
“Our duke is… a little unusual.”
“….”
Anne barely heard them. Her gaze locked onto the orange tart.
The wrapping bore the logo of a shop she knew too well.
In her previous life, after her days in hiding, it had been the first dessert she’d eaten upon returning to the capital—the very tart she’d told Gray was delicious.
“Capital folk must prefer subtle flavors. The cakes aren’t very sweet,” Victoria mused.
Anne’s conviction hardened.
Jamie would never know her preference. They had never had the chance for leisurely meals outside.
But Gray Benton knew.
Because he remembered too.
“…!”
“Anne?”
“Sis?”
Both had noticed her odd look.
“My stomach feels off. I’ll just drink tea.”
“But Master said you’d love all of these—”
The very thought made it hard to swallow even a sip of tea.
“Jamie, have you ever thought of leaving the duke’s household to work here instead? I’ll pay you double.”
Victoria spoke suddenly, watching Anne’s pale face.
“Huh?”
“Since Anne’s here, it’d be nice if you stayed too. Family should live together.”
“That would be nice, but… I owe my master too much. I couldn’t.”
Anne herself had tried persuading Jamie many times after their lives in the west had grown easier.
But Gray had saved him from hardship, shown him kindness when no one else had. For Jamie, that meant everything. Even Anne couldn’t argue against it.
“I see. A shame, but it can’t be helped. Still, if you ever want double wages, come west!”
Victoria grinned, and Jamie nodded rapidly.
The cheerful tea party ended. Victoria excused herself, leaving the siblings alone.
Only then did Jamie pull a letter from his coat.
The name scrawled on the envelope—Gray Benton—made Anne’s brows furrow instantly.
“Master said he was sorry for last time. He didn’t want you troubled, so he wrote this himself.”
“He shouldn’t have done anything needing apology in the first place.”
“Tsk. Sis, you’re always so harsh on my master.”
With reluctance, Anne tore it open. She skimmed the words, stuffed it back without care, and tossed it aside in plain view.
“I get it. Just tell your master to control himself. He really is causing me trouble.”
“Rumors can twist any which way. Master already left, and he has a fiancée—he wouldn’t have meant anything by it.”
Jamie hadn’t seen Gray greet Anne, nor the way he had spoken to her. To him, the rumors were simply servants’ exaggerations, and Gray was blameless.
“Jamie. Loyalty is good, but sometimes you need to judge coldly. Why did the duke even come to the west?”
“Well, after the former duchess collapsed, Master’s been having a hard time—”
“What?”
Anne cut him off sharply.
“Who collapsed?”
She had heard nothing of this.
“The former duchess. Since the duke and young master died in the war, the shock must’ve been too great. She suddenly collapsed, lost the ability to speak or walk. She lies in bed all day now.”
“When exactly? Right after their deaths?”
“No, I wasn’t there then. But Master and Sir Seth witnessed it while taking tea in the parlor.”
Elizabeth Benton.
Anne despised her as much as, if not more than, Gray himself.
And now—bedridden, helpless.
Had heaven exacted revenge on her behalf?
A faint smile tugged at Anne’s lips before she covered her face with both hands as it twisted.
“Don’t worry, sis. They’ve called in the best physicians from all over. She’ll recover.”
Jamie thought she was grieving—after all, the duchess had once shown Anne favor when she was a maid.
His attempt at comfort was almost comical. Anne felt a surge of savage joy, quickly chased by a suffocating lump in her throat.
She had sworn not to seek revenge.
She had resolved not to nurture hatred.
She only wanted to live within her station, quietly.
So why… why was she so exhilarated now?
How badly had she wished for the duchess to fall, to suffer?
This woman had twice killed her child. Anne had longed to see her downfall with her own eyes.
And though she couldn’t—just knowing was almost enough.
Anne Ferro, crueler and darker than she had imagined herself capable of, sat there trembling.
She was afraid of herself, a stranger in her own skin.
All this time, deep inside, she had truly wished for the Bentons’ ruin.
Finally, she calmed her expression and raised her head again. Her dry face, free of tears, eased Jamie’s worry.
“How… how was Gray Benton?”
She couldn’t help but wonder. If he remembered everything, he would know the duchess had cared for him, in her own way.
“He hardly comes home. Maybe because he saw her collapse with his own eyes, it hit him hard. Not long after, while coming and going from the palace, he packed up and came straight here.”
So—his business with the First Prince and the west was settled then.
Anne tried to draw out more about Gray through Jamie, but he only knew menial details.
Or was he holding back, sworn to secrecy? She studied him sharply. But no—he really was just innocent, loyal, and simple.
“Take care.”
“Yeah. I’ll visit again when I can.”
“All right.”
Though their residences were close, they couldn’t meet often. After seeing Jamie off, Anne could not shake her unrest all through the night.
Tomorrow morning, she would scour every gazette from the capital.
Even lying in bed, she couldn’t fall asleep. At last, she rose and went to the small greenhouse behind the main house, at the end of the garden path.
She hoped to soothe her stifling heart alone in the night air.
“Anne.”
“…?”
Gray was there, waiting.
