RYL Chapter 38

Chapter 38

As I sat on the guest room bed that I had given to Sabrina, looking around the room, she suddenly spoke up.

“That young duke… does he like you, Claire?”

Her unexpected words made me choke in surprise.

“What are you talking about? He used to hate me so much!”

This was the same man who openly told me he had plans with another woman on days he was supposed to meet me.

Even in the novel, he looked at Claire like she was nothing more than a bug.

Well, maybe his pride was a little hurt since I was the one who broke off the engagement.

“Why else would an ex-fiancé show up at your house this late at night?”

I frowned and let out a sigh.

“He just came to give me an invitation to the ball.”

“Then why did he have to deliver it in person?”

That was something I was wondering too.

“Good question…”

“He just wanted an excuse to see you again.”

At those words, I shuddered as if something disgusting had touched me.

“That’s so gross. What are you even saying?”

“Then what other reason could there be?”

Thinking about it, I let out a small sigh.

“It’s nothing like that. If anything, it’s just typical ex-boyfriend behavior.”

“Ex-boyfriend behavior?”

“You know, that thing where they don’t want you, but they also don’t want anyone else to have you? And then at night, they randomly think of you and try to reach out.”

“Oh, like the ‘Are you up…?’ kind of thing?”

“Exactly. That’s exactly what this is.”

Sabrina nodded as if she finally understood.

I stared at her for a moment before narrowing my eyes meaningfully.

“More importantly, you have something to confess.”

“Wh-what do you mean?”

“What exactly happened between you and that duke? Why is he acting like that?”

“What do you mean, ‘acting like that’?”

“He’s practically searching for you like a lost puppy.”

“I don’t think it’s that bad… He’s probably just looking for a missing servant.”

Yeah, right. She must not have seen the look in that duke’s eyes.

He tried to act calm, but his eyes were practically burning.

“Are you sure nothing happened?”

“Nothing…”

Sabrina trailed off, looking lost in thought.

Then she hesitated and murmured,

“…Did something happen?”

Why are you saying that like a question?!

So even she wasn’t sure if something happened!

They say the people in the relationship are always the last to realize things.

And so, we kept going in circles, denying everything while the other person figured it out for us.

“Shall we return to the ducal estate?”

The aide’s voice broke the silence as Duke Valerian stared out of the carriage window toward the Devonshire estate.

“We’ll head back for now,” he replied indifferently.

The aide instructed the coachman to turn the carriage around.

Meanwhile, the duke placed a hand on his forehead, lost in thought.

‘Why…?’

Why was she avoiding him?

When he confronted the Devonshire heiress earlier, he had sharp enough vision to spot Sabrina climbing over the estate wall behind the carriage.

The way she was so desperate to avoid him had been… quite a shock.

Though, it wasn’t the first time she had been acting strange.

Actually, it had started about two months ago…

***

Theobald carefully observed the strange maid who seemed to break everything she touched.

She was assigned to tidy his bedroom before he went to sleep.

The black-haired maid was dusting the top of a window when—snap! She broke the handle of the duster.

How was she even holding it for that to happen?

“Ah…”

Looking down at the broken duster like it wasn’t the first time, she quickly glanced around.

Then, without hesitation, she shoved it into a trash bag and walked toward the corridor as if nothing had happened.

Theobald watched her with interest.

Later that night, the peculiar woman came back.

She really didn’t seem happy about being assigned as his bedroom maid.

Considering she had a history of breaking cleaning tools and smashing dishes, preparing the bedroom should have been much easier.

She really was a strange one.

Her name… was Sabrina, right?

It was a name he had memorized after asking the head butler.

As he sat on the sofa, reading a book, Sabrina finished making the bed.

Then, she stepped in front of him and bowed.

“The bed is ready for the night.”

But her gaze…

Her eyes didn’t look at him the way a servant looks at their master.

It was the gaze of something untamed, something wild.

Theobald met her stare and slowly stood up.

Reaching out, he tried to remove a feather stuck in her hair.

But—

SMAACK!

With lightning-fast reflexes, she slapped his hand away and jumped back.

Even he was caught off guard.

Like a cat with its fur bristling, she glared at him and spoke,

“If you come any closer, I can’t guarantee how I’ll react.”

That… was definitely not something a maid should be saying to her employer.

If the head maid heard that, she would have fainted on the spot.

And yet, oddly enough, he didn’t feel annoyed.

Did she actually think such a warning would scare him?

Theobald held back a smirk and simply replied,

“I’ll be careful.”

***

After watching her for several weeks, he had reached one conclusion.

She was different. And she was interesting.

It felt like watching a wild stray cat that had been forced to live in a grand estate.

And then, one day, she came to his office.

“What is this…?”

Theobald stared at the envelope she placed on his desk with confusion.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Sabrina replied in a blunt voice.

“A resignation letter.”

For a second, Theobald’s mind went blank.

It felt like someone had just hit him hard on the back of his head.

A resignation letter? Out of nowhere?

Why?

“Was the work too difficult…?”

Maybe cleaning and laundry were too much for her, especially since she clearly wasn’t suited for them.

But he couldn’t assign her to the kitchen either—she broke everything she touched.

Maybe it was best to just keep her in charge of preparing his room at night…

“No, that’s not it,” she answered firmly.

He was stunned again.

Then why…?

“Did you get a job offer from somewhere else?”

His voice betrayed his shock.

Sabrina sighed, sounding annoyed.

“Yeah… Let’s just say that.”

Who in the world would…?

No, wait.

Maybe someone, like him, had also taken an interest in her unexpected qualities.

He wasn’t someone who cared much about women, but compared to other maids, she was quite attractive.

After thinking for a long time, Theobald finally made a decision.

Without hesitation, he tossed the resignation letter into the trash.

“Rejected.”

Sabrina’s face went blank, as if she hadn’t expected that.

“Rejected? What do you mean?”

“It means I’m not accepting your resignation.”

“Why not?!”

She practically shouted in frustration.

Theobald looked at her calmly.

“Because I’m the employer.”

His firm tone left her speechless.

And so, he thought the matter was settled.

If she had received a job offer, all he had to do was offer her better conditions.

Instead of sharing a room with other maids, he gave her a private one.

But the next day, when he walked into his office, another resignation letter was sitting on his desk.

“…Ha.”

He didn’t know whether to be annoyed, amused, or just dumbfounded.

Without hesitation, he tore it up and threw it away.

But the next day, and the day after that…

He found resignation letters everywhere.

On his desk. In his drawers. On his bookshelf. On his bed. Even on the bathroom sink.

What exactly was she so unhappy about?

He moved her into a more luxurious room, upgraded her meals to match his own fine dining, and even stopped giving her work.

After all, she was more of a disaster when she did work.

It was just fun to watch her.

For someone like him, who avoided human relationships, observing her was his only source of entertainment.

It felt like watching a harmless, comforting animal.

…An animal that sometimes showed its claws.

Though, ever since she started throwing resignation letters at him, she had been spending more and more time outside the mansion.

Which meant he had very few chances to watch her.

But that was fine.

Because no matter where she went, in the end, she always came back to his estate.