DWBAFM 23

But once the floodgates burst, there was no stopping the words.

“You promised! …That we’d be together! That you’d stay by my side!”

“Uh… yes, I did.”

Yulikian’s intense energy almost made Madi slip into her original speech pattern.

Barely holding back her laughter, Madi calmly continued her lines.

“Your Grace. I’m not going to leave you.”

“Then why, why didn’t you come back?”

“I’m here now. I’ve come back to you. Look at me. Look where I’m standing.”

As she said, Madi was standing right at the entrance of the Grand Duke’s mansion.

Wearing plain but tidy clothes.

Just like the first day she had come—confident, composed, and with eyes full of love.

Yulikian knew those eyes were a lie, and yet, he couldn’t understand why his heart felt so restless.

Without a word, Yulikian turned sharply and walked up the stairs.

After a few steps, he stopped and said in a low voice.

“If you’re going somewhere, say so.”

“I will.”

“…Even if you’re leaving for good, say something before you go.”

“No.”

“What?”

As Yulikian quickly turned around, Madi smiled sweetly and replied.

“Because I won’t be leaving.”

She stepped forward and gently grasped the edge of the stair railing where he had stood.

It was as if she were holding his hand.

“I’ll stay by your side, Your Grace. Always.”

It was a sweet lie.

Without answering, Yulikian turned his gaze away and continued up the stairs.

The office door opened and closed with a loud thud, leaving the entrance in silence once more.

Only then did the servants begin flocking toward Madi.

“Good heavens, I’ve never seen His Grace raise his voice like that.”

“Madi, are you okay? I think His Grace is… probably feeling emotional since it was his first time doing that… you know.”

“His Grace hasn’t even been sleeping properly. We’ve all been waiting for you every day.”

“Hey. Did you eat? You look so skinny.”

“But seriously, Madi. Where have you been? We were so worried you’d really left.”

“Makshim. Pay up! A Dilon, now! Madi’s back!”

Railey pushed through the others and clung to Madi’s side.

“Move, move! Madi must be tired! Madi, go rest now. Should I bring you some soup?”

“Oh my, look at Railey. Acting like Madi’s servant already. Hey, are you making the soup? I’m the one who cooks.”

“Hmph! We have leftovers from dinner!”

“We ate all of that!”

“Then make new soup!”

“You’re so ridiculous, asking for soup in the middle of the night?”

“Anyway, Madi is our Duke’s guest, so we should treat her properly!”

“True, Aiban. That’s fair. Give her some soup.”

The others started siding with Railey, nudging the chef.

“No, really, I’m fine. You don’t have to make soup. Thank you, Chef, Railey.”

“…You look tired, Madi. Go rest. I’ll bring you some warm water.”

Railey tugged Madi’s arm, but under the subtle scrutiny of the other servants, Madi couldn’t just slip away.

Thanks to what Yulikian said, they all seemed to suspect her of cheating.

Madi gave a bitter smile and wiped at the corners of her eyes.

“Madi! Are you crying?!”

Startled by the fuss, Madi quickly shook her head.

“No. I’m just happy…”

“Happy? Why?”

The head maid jumped in with a slightly sharper tone.

“You stayed out without saying a word, and you made His Grace worry. What’s there to be happy about?”

Madi pressed her reddened eyes with a hand, then slowly let it drop and spoke softly.

“I didn’t know someone would wait for me.”

“What?”

She intentionally grabbed the railing she had touched earlier and smiled.

“This is the first time… someone has waited for me.”

“What?”

The noisy servants suddenly went silent.

Madi looked dreamily at the mansion ceiling and up the staircase Yulikian had walked.

“I didn’t know… someone might get angry if I didn’t come back.”

“Well, of course—”

Just as someone was about to butt in, the head maid stuffed a cloth into their mouth.

Madi continued.

“Until now, I thought it was natural. If I left, then I left. If I didn’t return, I didn’t. If I disappeared, people just forgot me… That’s how I’ve always lived.”

Her green eyes shimmered as she looked up at the bright chandelier still lit at such a late hour.

“So this is what it feels like… to have someone stay up waiting for you.”

With trembling lips, Madi slowly closed her eyes.

She brought the hand that had gripped the railing to her chest, clutching it like she was holding something precious.

“There’s someone in this world who worries for me, who gets mad for my sake… I’m sorry. I don’t know why I’m like this.”

She wiped away tears that were falling without her knowing and turned her head.

The head maid instinctively covered her mouth with her hand.

The other servants stood silently around her.

Then, one by one, hands reached out to pat Madi’s back and shoulders.

“Well, of course you worry if someone doesn’t come home…”

“What kind of obvious statement is that, seriously… you’re making us cry now…”

“Have you eaten? You haven’t, have you?”

“Aiban, make some soup. Or just give her whatever ingredients we’ve got. She’s a guest, treat her right.”

Sniffling, Aiban took off his white chef’s hat to wipe his nose and replied.

“Sniff, sniff! Soup’s not enough! Wait right there! I’ll grill some meat too! Wash up and come down to the dining hall!”

Madi shook her head, waving her hand.

“No, really. Everyone must be tired.”

“Hey! You don’t refuse when an adult offers something!”

“I already ate.”

“What did you eat?!”

“Bread…”

“How much bread?! What kind?!”

“Just… bread.”

“You! You’re staying in the Grand Duke’s mansion! You might become our future duchess! How can you be walking around without eating properly?!”

Aiban shouted at her while straightening his hat.

“Go wash up! Looking all grubby like that! Who’s gonna believe you’re our future duchess looking like this?!”

He stomped off toward the kitchen.

The head maid gently embraced Madi’s shoulders and quietly asked,

“There are people waiting for you here, Madi.”

“…Yes.”

“So what were you doing that kept you away for two days?”

Avoiding her motherly gaze, Madi’s ears turned red.

“It’s okay, tell me. What was the reason? Was there really… a man involved?”

“No! It’s not like that!”

Madi hesitated, then smiled sheepishly.

Her eyes were still red from crying, but her usual playfulness had returned.

“To be honest, I thought His Grace’s proposal was half a joke. But after a few days… haha, it’s strange. I started to… want to be loved…”

“Ah, seriously! Why are you acting like such a lovesick fool?! Then why didn’t you come back sooner?!”

The head maid smacked her back in frustration, and Madi laughed weakly in response.

“I was tidying up my house. Giving away the clothes I used to wear…”

“Huh?”

“I figured… if I end up getting kicked out of here, it’d be hard to stay in this village too. I’m a drifter anyway, so if I leave this place, I might as well leave town.”

“Why are you already thinking of leaving?! Things aren’t even bad between you two! Didn’t you see His Grace?! He was worried about you!”

The older maids kept fretting and patting Madi’s back.

Railey clung to her, bawling like a waterfall.

“Ah, don’t hit Madi! She’s never been loved before! Sob! She’s not used to love! That’s why she’s packing up to leave! Wahhh! Be quiet! Sob! H-heh, she packed up her house? Good! Because she’s never going back!”

Even the other servants started sniffing as they looked up at the ceiling.

“Hey, the candle on that chandelier went out. Sniff.”

“…The paint in that ceiling corner is peeling. Ahem.”

“The curtain fell off. Gotta hang it again…”

The butler found it funny how all the maids and servants were crying and making excuses.

It had been a long time since such warmth filled the Grand Duke’s manor.

From the kitchen came the loud, energetic shouts of Chef Aiban.

“Hyah! Hoo-cha! Hyah! Hwah! Bam!”

In the end, Madi and the others—eyes puffy and red—couldn’t help but burst into giggles.

Freshly washed, Madi and the servants all sat down together in the dining hall.

“We usually don’t eat in here. This is for guests.”

“Come on. I’m not really a guest, and it felt weird being treated like one. I don’t want to eat alone. Let’s eat together.”

It was the first time the dining room had been full since the former crown prince couple passed away.

Thanks to Aiban’s hard work, the entire room was filled with the sweet, savory scent of delicious food.

“Should we bring out the booze? Should I pop open a bottle?!”

“Hey! Shut up and sit down! What’s wrong with you in front of guests?!”

“Why are you cursing in front of guests?! You’re embarrassing me.”

“Madi’s not a guest! She’s family now! Madi, you can leave and come back anytime, okay?!”

“Wait, he’s drunk and we haven’t even opened anything yet?”

“He drank the leftover wine while making mulled wine. Aiban’s a total lightweight.”

“Aha.”

Everyone burst into laughter and kept chatting until dawn.

It was an overly extravagant late-night meal.

A night that filled both stomachs and hearts.

Just as Madi had planned.

The Next Morning

A guest arrived at the Grand Duke’s manor.

An unwelcome guest—one nobody had waited for.

“Your Grace, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Shalome of House Bartolose.”

Count Bartolose was the Emperor’s close aide, his loyal hound.

He had likely played a role in the death of Yulikian’s father, Hailden Kuhn Rondenes.

And now, they had sent that man’s daughter to Yulikian.

How dare they.

Shalome smiled innocently and continued,

“My father asked me to attend the Imperial Ball.”

“So? What, do I look like the imperial palace to you?”

Startled by his cold response, Shalome widened her eyes but kept her smile as she continued.

“His Majesty commanded you to attend the ball with me.”

A letter the Emperor had sent a few days ago came to mind.

<I will choose your consort. In your dead father’s place.>

Yulikian let out a bitter smile.

So this is His Majesty’s will.

That I live my entire life as his puppet.