Chapter 20
“Lillian, what did you just say?!”
Startled by Baron Dante’s sudden shout, Lillian flinched without thinking. Pushing her aside, the baroness rushed over and clung to him.
“Husband… this is how I live. I raised her with such care, and yet… I only did my best for you and for Lillian…”
Lillian realized things were going terribly wrong—far from what she had intended. She only didn’t want to burden the Grand Duke any longer. That was all.
As he tried to calm his loudly sobbing wife, her father barked at Lillian.
“Hurry up and apologize to your mother!”
Was this what it felt like to be suffocated by frustration? She felt wronged, but no words came out. The baroness’s crying only grew louder.
“Look at her… still keeping her mouth shut, acting like she did nothing wrong…”
The more they pressed her, the harder it became to speak. Lillian bit her trembling lower lip.
Slap.
Caught completely off guard, Lillian lost her balance and collapsed to the floor. Her ear rang where she had been struck, and a burning heat spread across her cheek.
“You ungrateful brat!”
Ah…
Only then did Lillian realize she had been slapped by her father. As she looked up in shock, tears fell with a soft plop.
“You dare forget the kindness we showed you…!”
Only then did the baroness pretend to stop him.
“Husband, stop it. This is all because I’m unlucky. No matter how much you teach them, base blood will always be base. Honestly… I don’t know why you treasured a child you had outside the marriage for so long…”
Her mother had never treasured her. She had always called her “that thing.” But Lillian stayed silent. She had learned long ago that speaking up never led to anything good.
A moment later, her mother dragged her father back inside. Even as he went, her father kept glaring at her and spewing curses.
“Behave yourself from now on. I’ll be watching you!”
When the door slammed shut, only then did Lillian relax. Her gaze dropped to the wooden floor. Tears fell, darkening the worn planks.
***
“I don’t know what to do… I have to go to work.”
Her body ached as if she had caught a bad cold. Looking at herself in the mirror, Lillian felt disheartened. As expected, her cheek and eye were badly swollen.
She considered taking sick leave, but since she had already taken a day off yesterday, it would never be accepted. In the end, she went to work wearing a hat, sunglasses, and a mask. People stared at her strangely.
“The sunlight is too strong. UV rays are bad for your skin, you know.”
She smiled awkwardly, offering an excuse no one had asked for. As the afternoon work was nearing its end, the Grand Duke’s secretary came to find her.
“Lady Lillian, His Grace is looking for you.”
At the voice behind her, she froze mid-weed-pulling.
“Ah… may I ask what he needs me for?”
She usually went without hesitation, but today she couldn’t. If he saw her like this, he would surely find it suspicious.
“Are you very busy?”
“Yes? Yes.”
In truth, she hadn’t even eaten lunch and would have been free until quitting time—but she couldn’t say that.
“Then shall I tell His Grace that you’re busy and unable to come?”
“Ah…”
Would it really be okay not to go when she had been summoned? Still, it was embarrassing to meet the Grand Duke in this state. While she hesitated, the secretary spoke first.
“Then I’ll convey that to His Grace.”
The moment she saw him turn away, she imagined the Grand Duke’s reaction upon hearing the message. Her parents were already causing trouble—if she didn’t respond to his summons as well, it would be utterly unforgivable. Besides, wasn’t he her superior?
Lillian quickly grabbed the secretary.
“I—I’ll go.”
She adjusted her hat and mask.
Please don’t ask me anything…
But contrary to her wish, the moment Cartan saw her, he frowned.
“What’s with that bizarre getup?”
“Ah… the sun is very strong. UV rays are bad for your skin, you know.”
She reused the same excuse she’d given earlier, but it didn’t work on him.
“Then I’ll draw the curtains, so why don’t you take that off?”
Lillian waved her hands frantically.
“N—No! I’m fine!”
“I find it unpleasant to look at.”
Ignoring her protests, Cartan pulled the curtains closed. Only then did Lillian regret coming to the office at all.
I should get out of here as soon as possible…
But she had run out of excuses. As she agonized over whether she had to remove her hat, a heavy sigh sounded above her.
“Is there something on the floor?”
“Huh?”
“You’ve been staring at the ground this whole time.”
“Oh… have I? Haha.”
She laughed awkwardly, and at that moment her cheek throbbed painfully. Without thinking, she clutched her face like someone with a toothache. An awkward silence filled the room. She wanted to say something but couldn’t think of a single word to say to his stiff expression.
Soon, the secretary brought in tea.
“Drink.”
“Yes.”
She answered but couldn’t bring herself to do so. She couldn’t remove her mask.
“Then… why did you call for me?”
“I called you to have tea. Do I need a reason?”
“Oh, no, it’s not that…”
She panicked, breaking into a sweat. The room felt hotter and hotter. Wearing long sleeves, a hat, and a mask made it unbearable.
“Why don’t you drink?”
“Ah… yes.”
Again, she only answered and stared at the teacup. Her cheek already hurt whenever she spoke—if hot tea touched it, it would sting terribly.
Grrr.
She had skipped lunch because she couldn’t remove her mask, and her stomach growled loudly. Embarrassed, Lillian felt her face burn.
“If you’re hungry, let’s go eat dinner.”
Startled by his sudden movement, Lillian looked up.
“N—No, it’s okay. I’ll eat at home.”
When their eyes met, his expression turned cold. Slowly, he scanned her appearance.
“You’re strange today. A mask, a hat, and even sunglasses.”
Lillian felt a chill run through her chest. She tried to change the subject, but he was faster.
“Ah, it’s just—”
“Take them off.”
“…!”
Those words finally came out of his mouth. Lillian bit her lip, frozen in place.
“Y–Your Grace…”
“Should I take them off for you?”
“N—No! I’ll do it myself.”
He looked like a beast about to pounce. It felt unwise to anger him further. With no choice, she removed her mask and hat.
“I fell down the stairs.”
She couldn’t say that her father had hit her. But even this excuse didn’t fool him.
“…Who did this?”
“What?”
Lillian’s shoulders trembled. Of all the expressions she had ever seen, this one was the most terrifying.
“I asked who did this.”
“…”
She lowered her head instead of answering. Faced with his fierce gaze, she couldn’t force the words out. After a long silence, she still couldn’t gather the courage to tell the truth.
If she did, her parents would be put in a difficult position—and she feared retaliation.
“I just… fell down…”
“Don’t make me ask a third time. Tell me now.”
When his voice turned commanding, Lillian finally spoke.
“It was just… a small argument. It’s nothing.”
“I’ll decide whether it’s nothing.”
Her lower lip began to tremble as she tried to speak. She clenched her fists, unsure where to begin.
At some point, he stopped speaking. Instead, a handkerchief was placed in her hand.
“M–My father…”
The moment she began, tears poured out. As she wiped her eyes, he suddenly stood up.
“That’s enough. Don’t say any more.”
“Huh?”
She blinked her tear-soaked eyes in shock.
“Don’t go home today. If you have nowhere else to go, stay at my place.”
Only then did Lillian notice Cartan’s hand trembling with rage. The door slammed shut, and only then did she fully grasp what had just happened.
“This is bad… really bad.”
