Chapter 7
“If there’s something the Lady wishes to keep hidden, I felt it was not my place to pry. I apologize.”
Now that Felix Sharte’s intentions were clear, Betty could only hope he would find someone else to spy on the Lady.
But Lord Sharte easily saw through Betty’s carefully constructed excuse.
“How loyal. But honestly, you’d be better off trying to get into my good graces rather than Vivian’s.”
“…Do you think I’m capable of uncovering something?”
“Of course. It’s the first time I’ve seen Vivian keep a maid around this long. That alone is impressive.”
Felix stared at Betty for a long moment as though studying her, then straightened from where he’d been leaning against the wall.
Betty instinctively flinched, and he chuckled at the reaction, leaving her with one final, casual remark as he brushed past.
“If you ever want something, feel free to come find me.”
Left alone in the hallway, Betty felt a faint sense of relief that Felix Sharte had at least left her a choice.
And she immediately vowed never to take him up on it.
She already felt like she was walking a tightrope just exchanging letters with the Grand Duke. To go so far as to betray the Lady—that was something she couldn’t allow.
Becoming the Lady’s personal maid hadn’t been something Betty had intended in the first place. But since it was now out of her hands, all she could do was her best.
So there was no reason to expect anything from Felix Sharte—no hope, no desire.
But life has a way of throwing cruel trials at you just when you’ve gotten used to a little peace.
“Auntie, are you alright?”
It happened on one of Betty’s rare days off, when she had gone to visit her aunt.
She heard the troubling sound of coughing, and turned to see her aunt covering her mouth with a worn handkerchief.
“I’m… fine, dear. Don’t worry about… me.”
The coughing was far from shallow.
Betty caught a glimpse of red staining the handkerchief before her aunt quickly tried to hide it.
“Wait, Auntie. What’s this?”
“It’s nothing. I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not. That’s blood.”
It was a symptom frighteningly similar to what had taken her mother. What they’d thought was just a cold had rapidly worsened after the coughing up of blood, and soon it claimed her life.
Betty’s hands trembled. She hadn’t been able to get proper treatment for her mother in time—she couldn’t let the same happen to her aunt.
“I’ll go get a healer. Right now.”
“Don’t. We don’t have that kind of money. I’ll be fine soon.”
But both of them knew it wasn’t just a passing illness.
“Clearly this isn’t something that’ll go away on its own. I’ll take care of the costs—for treatment, for medicine, all of it.”
Betty clutched her aunt’s hand tightly, pleading with her to agree.
If her aunt was gone, what would happen to her cousin, who had already lost his father in an accident and would be left all alone?
She couldn’t let him grow up with the same sadness and loneliness she had.
“You have to think of Rowen. He’s still so young. Even if this is nothing, for Rowen’s sake, please let a healer examine you.”
“Betty…”
Her aunt couldn’t bear to meet her eyes, too ashamed to become a burden on her niece.
Eventually, she gave a small nod, and Betty immediately rushed out the door.
She fetched the healer as quickly as she could. The examination didn’t take long.
While her aunt went to check on her sleeping cousin, Betty closed the door to keep the conversation private and cornered the healer.
“She’s going to be okay, right?”
“She can be cured—but the medicine is the problem.”
Betty instantly understood what he meant: money.
“How much? I’ll find a way.”
“With that necklace, you could probably pay half.”
It was only then that Betty realized her emerald necklace, normally tucked away under her clothes, was now visible—and sparkling under the light.
She had always kept it hidden carefully, but she had been too flustered to notice it had slipped out over her more casual day clothes.
“That’s… far too much. Even if the medicine is expensive…”
“Remember, I’m the only healer in this area who makes house calls.”
The man tapped the table with his fat fingers, eyes full of greed.
He was clearly gouging the price, coveting the necklace.
“And even then, it only covers half? I don’t have any way to raise more than that.”
The necklace alone would easily cost more than Betty could earn in an entire year.
“I’m sure you’ll think of something. Didn’t you say you wanted to save her?”
“Please, sir. Just give me a little time. Could you make the medicine first?”
“You know how many people beg me like this? If you hand over the necklace now, I might do it.”
Betty grew desperate. Then, something occurred to her.
She fumbled through her pocket and felt something cold against her fingers.
“Then… what about this ring?”
She pulled out the ruby ring—the one the Lady had tossed to her in passing.
The healer snatched it up and examined it under the light with greedy satisfaction.
“Oh. You should’ve shown me this earlier.”
Betty didn’t trust the other servants not to steal from her. That’s why she had kept the ring in her pocket ever since, never letting it out of her sight.
The necklace, though—she couldn’t give that up.
“The necklace… someone already offered to buy it for a good price. I’ll go get the money and bring it to you right away. Please, I’m counting on you.”
The healer still eyed the necklace hungrily, as if ready to snatch it up.
To stop him, Betty lied without hesitation.
In truth, she had no intention of selling it.
What if the Grand Duke asked to see the necklace again? At the very least, she needed to have it in order to give the Lady an excuse.
“That’s just an excuse. You simply don’t want to give up this necklace—the one that ties you to the Grand Duke, that makes you feel special.”
Betty squeezed her eyes shut, trying to ignore the voice whispering the truth.
Selfish Betty. Who claimed she wanted to save her aunt but couldn’t let go of a single item.
“If you ever want something, come find me.”
She suddenly recalled the confident face of that noble young man, and a bitter smile touched her lips.
For him, this kind of money would be easy to spare.
Though, of course, whatever he’d ask in return might go far beyond simply uncovering the Lady’s secrets.
“I hope, whoever it is, they pay you fairly.”
The healer grunted and got to his feet, satisfied.
“I’ll send the medicine through a delivery boy. It’s only enough for a few weeks, so you’d better bring the rest of the money soon.”
Looking as if he’d done a great favor, he smiled smugly and left.
Betty slumped into the chair, burying her face in her hands with a deep sigh. The weight of reality was crushing her.
She didn’t know how much time had passed before a warm hand gently rested on her shoulder.
“Betty… I know you said you’d cover the cost, but it’s just not right. I’ll take care of it myself. I promised your mother, just before she died, that I’d make sure you lived a happy life.”
“No, Auntie. I’ll take care of it.”
But even as she said the words, she felt utterly hopeless. There was no realistic way for her to raise that kind of money quickly.
“If I go to Lord Felix…”
Betty considered it for a long time, then shook her head.
No matter how desperate she was, she couldn’t betray the Lady she served.
That wouldn’t be right. Maybe it would solve the immediate money problem, but in the long run, it could mean becoming ensnared by Felix Sharte—and a miserable life.
Betty returned to her quarters at the ducal residence.
As soon as she closed the door, she slid to the floor and let out a long, weary sigh.
“…I’ll have to give up the necklace, won’t I…”
It was the most reasonable, logical choice.
But why had she gone to such lengths to keep it? Why had she made excuses just to hold onto it?
The answer was simple.
Without it, it felt like there would be nothing left to give her life any special meaning.
She didn’t want to let go of the warmth that had come from exchanging letters with the Grand Duke—the feelings those letters had sparked.
Holding onto this necklace, to those emotions, made her bleak life seem just a bit more bearable.
“…Don’t be greedy.”
She removed the necklace and laid it on her palm, staring at it for a long time.
Then finally, she flipped her hand over.
The glittering emerald slipped between her fingers, disappearing behind the tangle of its silver chain.
