TCBUP 54

Chapter 54

 Because He Compared Me.

The lantern was already shattered and gone, yet I could still see clearly in the dark.

Flinch. That now-familiar, chilling, hair-raising sensation washed over me.

In the distance, something black and murky gathered, swelling and shifting like a cloud.

That thing—more dangerous than any ghost, palm, or footstep.

I didn’t know what it was, but a warning light in my head was flashing red: danger.

“Leonardo. When I give the signal, you run.”

I adjusted my grip on the leash and tugged him slightly.

Just as the black cloud began to spread wider, I yanked Leonardo’s leash hard—

And bolted madly toward the front entrance.

“It’s open! Let’s get out of here, Leonardo!”

The tightly shut front door was finally open.

My face lit up without me realizing, and I dashed toward the outside—
when suddenly, someone yanked me out of the darkness.

“Kyaaah!”

I kicked and thrashed, striking wildly at whoever held me.

The more I struggled, the tighter the person’s strong arms restrained me.

“Siena!”

“Hhkk—”

“Siena, it’s me.”

A familiar voice.

Through tear-blurred vision, the face I knew slowly emerged, growing clearer as the tears finally spilled over.

“Your Grace?”

“Thank goodness. I knew you’d be here.”

Damian Ortiz, the Duke himself, was holding me.

Holding me—me—firmly in his arms.

“…”

“It’s all right now.”

His warm voice whispered comfort in my ear, his hand gently patting my back.

Though my heart still pounded from fear, a different kind of shock froze me in place as I only blinked slowly in his embrace.

Why is this man…

I still couldn’t believe it.

That he had appeared so suddenly. That he was holding me like this.

The man who, except when escorting me, had never so much as laid a hand on me.

“Your Grace?”

“Mm.”

“You can let go now.”

“…”

But Damian didn’t move.

In fact, his arms seemed to tighten around me. When I flinched and hunched my shoulders, he finally—reluctantly—released me.

“How are you here?”

“That’s my question. What were you doing here?”

“Ah, I came to look for Leonardo.”

“Leonardo?”

When I lifted the leash, Damian’s gaze followed it until he spotted Leonardo.

“A dog?”

“Yes.”

“Yours?”

“Yes.”

“Not the breed I expected, but… so you ended up keeping one after all.”

He stroked Leonardo’s head with a faint smile.

Why is he smiling? When I glanced at him curiously, that faint smile deepened.

“You used to beg to have a dog, remember? Don’t you?”

“Oh.”

“The Countess refused you outright, saying she hated shedding, and you sulked for days.”

“And I asked if I could keep one at the ducal residence, but you flatly refused too.”

“I didn’t want more responsibilities to bear.”

Back then, he’d been going through so much.

He had just inherited the dukedom and was frantically running around to rebuild the family, which had been on the brink of collapse.

And me—really. To have made such a thoughtless request to a man in that situation.

I couldn’t have blamed him if he’d thought me foolish.

“I didn’t think you’d still remember that.”

“…Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about the past.”

Was it my imagination, or did his smile seem faintly weary?

There was something wistful, almost pained, about it—something I wasn’t used to seeing.

Suddenly, he reached out and softly brushed away the tears still clinging to my cheeks.

The touch startled me, and I flinched back. His expression immediately hardened.

“Let’s go. I’ll take you home.”

“But how did you even know I was here?”

“I saw Miss Lily.”

I froze mid-step at the unexpected name.

Damian, walking beside me, continued in a low voice.

“She had no reason to be here, so I followed her. She went inside, and a short while later, came back out and locked the door.”

He explained that after the fire, a large padlock had been temporarily fixed outside for easy access during repairs. Lily had struggled to lock it.

He had wanted to check immediately, but the Empress had summoned him to the palace, so he had gone to her first.

“I came to confirm my suspicions. I didn’t expect to find you here.”

“I see.”

Hah. Fox-like.

That innocent, pure appearance, that reputation as a kindhearted heroine—it had fooled me.

That strange, fleeting smile I once glimpsed now made sense.

“It would be best if you stayed away from that woman, Siena.”

“…I never had any intention of getting close to her.”

I answered as I started walking again.

Up ahead, Leonardo looked back at us once before happily trotting on.

The sound of Damian’s polished shoes echoed behind me on the quiet marble floors of the Empress’s palace.

“Even if you got close, it would only give her more reason to gossip. You and I are going separate ways now, so I don’t want us tied together and made fodder for rumors.”

“Siena.”

He grabbed my arm and pulled me toward him.

His face was suddenly close, sharp with intensity.

“What—”

“No.”

“…What?”

“Miss Lily isn’t like that. I’ve told you so many times—why won’t you believe me?”

“Let go first.”

I tried to pry my wrist from his grip, but he wouldn’t release it.

The more I tried to pull away, the more firmly he drew me in, until I had no choice but to meet the blazing, angry light in his eyes.

“Whether she is or isn’t—that’s not what matters.”

“What?”

“What made me angry was that you judged I wasn’t fit to be Duchess by comparing me to Lily.”

“Siena, that’s—”

“Fine. Say it honestly—can you really deny it?”

But he said nothing.

The strength in his grip slackened, and I finally pulled free.

“See?”

I knew I lacked the qualities Damian wanted in a Duchess.

I knew it, which is why I tried.

And when my efforts still weren’t enough, it hurt.

It was during that time that I realized Damian had been subtly comparing me to another woman—and that’s when I became disappointed, discouraged.

Because I was me.

Even if I lacked something, even if I fell short, I was still me.

I had other strengths—but Damian never tried to see them.

So I gave up trying to win him from the start.

It wouldn’t work anyway, and I didn’t want to waste myself on fruitless effort like before.

“Let’s stop. Talking any more will only hurt us.”

“…”

“Come on, Leonardo.”

I led Leonardo forward again.

When we stepped outside, the night air—cooler than in the afternoon—greeted me.

Above, a clear sky glittered with stars.

I took a deep breath, letting the crisp air fill my lungs and ease some of the tightness in my chest.

“We made it out safe, Leonardo.”

As I patted his fluffy head, I suddenly felt an emptiness behind me.

“Your Grace?”

I turned, looking around for him.

In the darkness, he stood still, one hand covering his face.

“Ugh, my back.”

I rubbed my lower back as I opened the gate.

Perhaps because it was an unfamiliar place, Leonardo cautiously stepped inside, sniffing around.

“There, Leonardo. This is your home now. Let’s get along well.”

I turned to lock the gate, only to notice Damian’s carriage still parked nearby.

He had stayed silent the entire way back.

Sometimes sighing, sometimes rubbing his temple, lost in deep thought.

It hadn’t felt like the right time to speak.

Even when the carriage reached my neighborhood and I stepped out, he remained grave.

When I offered a careful farewell, he hesitated for a long while before saying only one thing—

Good night.

It was strange.

This was not the Damian I knew, and I had no idea how to respond to him.

“Woof!”

“Ah, sorry.”

“Woof woof!”

“Shh, it’s night. Be quiet.”

I hushed Leonardo and stepped inside quickly.

But as soon as I entered the dark house, the ruins of the Empress’s palace flashed in my mind, and I froze.

“You’re late.”

A man’s low voice came from the darkness, startling me so much I nearly fainted.

Clutching my chest, I pressed against the door.

“You scared me, Your Highness.”

Leone, leaning casually against the wall near the front hall, straightened.

“That was the Duke of Ortiz’s carriage.”

“He gave me a ride. Said it was late.”

“You were with him this whole time?”