Chapter 52
“Come in.”
With Claude’s permission, the door opened and a maid entered carrying a tray with plates and cups.
She bent her knees slightly and greeted Claude.
“I heard the lady has awakened. I brought food and medicine. She must still be weak, so I will assist her with eating.”
It was thin soup, water, and medicine said to help restore strength.
“Alright.”
He nodded and remained seated. The maid hesitated, looking at Claude strangely.
“What are you doing?”
“What? Why?”
He asked as if he had no idea. He signaled to the maid with his eyes.
“You need to step aside. This child will sit there and help me with my meal.”
The maid couldn’t bring herself to ask the prince to leave, so she stayed still.
“Ah…”
Even after the explanation, Claude did not immediately get up but sat a little longer before making an unexpected offer.
“I could help.”
“Stop saying weird things and get up at once.”
The palace servants were supposed to act as if the prince didn’t exist — neither hearing nor seeing anything he said or did — but a subtle disturbance was visible on the maid’s face.
She blushed in embarrassment.
Was he saying something ridiculous? She worried the maid might misunderstand the relationship between him and me.
Claude finally got up with a disappointed expression.
But instead of leaving the room, he dragged a chair over and sat down right beside the maid.
The maid, clearly nervous to be serving me with the prince watching just in front of her, trembled as she lifted the spoonful of soup toward my lips.
“…Could you move a little further away?”
He scooted his chair back only by a finger’s width, then crossed his arms triumphantly, as if to say, “Isn’t this enough?”
I sighed in resignation.
I just needed to get well soon. I obediently took the soup.
“You can stay in my palace for another day or two while we monitor your condition. If we judge you’re well enough, you can return to the duke’s mansion then.”
He hesitated before adding,
“Of course, you can keep staying here until you’re completely healed. You’re always welcome.”
“I will return to the duke’s mansion.”
“…Do as you please.”
He crossed his legs, turned his head away, and said it in a strangely… not angry, but odd manner.
In the end, he stayed until I finished eating, then a healer came in and subtly told me I needed to rest, prompting him to leave the room.
“What a really strange person.”
Finally, I lay alone in bed, muttering. I hoped to return to the duke’s mansion soon.
Several days later, the healer declared I was well enough to return to the duke’s mansion.
During that time, Claude acted… strangely.
He visited my room every morning. Without doing much, he simply sat there.
Pretending to read a book, I watched him in secret and found it fascinating.
He sat silently, lost in thought, nervously shaking his leg, sometimes turning pale and then flushing red.
He seemed like someone who wanted to be in the same space as me but also wanted to stay as far away as possible.
Unlike the first day I woke, when he was oddly strict about titles, afterward he never initiated conversation.
He found trivial excuses to come daily, spending time with me, but suddenly he would jump up as if he could no longer bear it and dash out like the wind.
Another day, he sat quietly watching me but hurriedly left when friends came to visit.
Riddim and Felicia, who had grown close to him after the dungeon incident, were always confused.
“Why does His Highness avoid us?”
“Isn’t this the first or second time he’s acted so unpredictably?”
I sipped my tea leisurely, listening to Riddim’s confused words.
By then, I somewhat knew how to handle him.
So I didn’t worry much and left him be.
Three days later, it was finally the day to return to the duke’s mansion.
Desmier’s carriage stopped in front of the prince’s palace. Aila came along to help me pack and move.
Claude stood at the door to see me off.
“Take care.”
“Goodbye, Your Highness.”
His eyes and trembling hand revealed deep regret.
“The emperor will call you again after some time. Until then, rest well and recover your strength.”
“I will.”
He said the emperor planned to summon me for some questions once I was better. I nodded and got into the carriage.
“Let’s depart.”
The coachman shouted, and the carriage started moving with the sounds of horses neighing.
I opened the window and looked outside. Claude was still standing, watching me go.
Our eyes met.
That gaze lingered in my vision long after the carriage left the palace and sped down the main road.
“Welcome home, Miss.”
“Obed.”
I entered the mansion. The butler I hadn’t seen in a while bowed deeply to greet me.
“I’m glad you are safe.”
He looked sincere as he said this.
He had heard about my past — a rare few who knew after Ashley’s revelation.
I felt a strange emotion. Although I had faced him a few times since and exchanged brief words, it was the first time I felt different like this.
Probably because I had survived a near-death crisis and returned home after a long time.
“Thank you.”
I said sincerely.
“Please focus on your recovery. I heard you’re much better, but after such a big ordeal, you must rest fully.”
“I will.”
I nodded. He didn’t detain me and let me proceed to my room.
Aila and I entered my room. The familiar surroundings comforted me.
The prince’s palace had been comfortable, and spending time with Claude was sometimes embarrassing but enjoyable.
However, nothing compared to the comfort and ease I felt returning to the duke’s mansion.
My home, my people, the place I could trust and depend on.
I blinked. When had I started thinking this way?
I had thought it was only a temporary place to stay until I came of age, inherited the title of Count Estelle, and obtained all family rights and noble privileges… nothing more.
“What are you standing there for? Lie down quickly, Miss.”
Aila pushed my back gently as I lingered. Pushed by her soft strength, I lay down on the bed prepared for me.
The blanket felt warm, as if preheated, and the pillow was soft.
She tidied my hair and carefully covered me with the blanket.
“You must be tired from the carriage ride. You have time until dinner, so lie down and rest for a while. I will come to wake you.”
Sending a maid to wake me would have been enough, but since the accident, Aila wanted to take care of everything herself.
“I will.”
I obediently closed my eyes. I felt her gentle touch smoothing over my head as I lay there.
Knock, knock.
Just as I was about to fall asleep, someone knocked.
“Ah, why now!”
Aila, who had been waiting for me to sleep peacefully, was annoyed. But when she heard the voice, her expression immediately changed to surprise.
“It’s me. May I come in for a moment?”
It was Duke Desmier. She looked at me.
I nodded, and she helped me sit up to lean on her. Then she opened the door.
Desmier stood in the doorway. He said to Aila,
“I won’t be long, please give me some privacy.”
Aila reluctantly closed the door and left.
The duke entered and sat in the chair beside my bed. I greeted him quietly.
“I should properly stand and greet you, but please forgive my rudeness, Your Grace.”
He waved his hand dismissively.
“I don’t expect that from a patient. Even if I weren’t, it wouldn’t matter. Don’t worry about it.”
Then he was silent for a while. For someone who came with something to say, the silence was unusually long.
“…How is your health?”
“Thank you for the other day.”
When I saw him, something came to mind and I spoke, but our voices overlapped.
The duke’s eyes widened a little. That expression briefly reminded me of Ridmore.
“The other day? What do you mean?”
“The dress and jewelry you sent, and the people you sent so I could attend Oakley’s engagement ceremony.”
It was a very beautiful and intricate dress. I should have thanked him earlier but hadn’t.
He listened, then frowned.
“There’s no need to thank me for such things. I am your guardian. It’s only natural. Don’t waste energy on unnecessary words. If you have the strength, focus on your recovery.”
“…Yes.”
“Keeping such things in your heart until now, for something so trivial… it’s ridiculous…”
Even though I nodded, he muttered almost to himself with a bewildered tone.
For some reason, a tickling feeling stirred in my chest. I wriggled my fingers beneath the blanket.
“The reason I came to see you was…”
Finally, he began to speak the purpose of his visit. What was he going to say? I looked at him curiously.
He opened his mouth several times but kept closing it again. Then, as if finally deciding, he spoke.
“I was worried about you and wanted to check if you were alright.”
