Chapter 13
It had already been four days since that uncomfortable encounter with Diashi. Even though she was living in his house without him, Ella found life surprisingly satisfying.
She was not yet officially the duchess, so she didn’t forget to behave within her station.
One of the reasons she hadn’t yet gone outside to search for banned magic books was precisely because of that restraint.
While she was leisurely enjoying tea time at a table in the indoor garden, two maids who had planted flowers with her earlier approached.
They were named Lina and Eve.
Lina—the maid who had once nearly burst into tears after accidentally getting dirt on Ella’s dress—spoke while still catching her breath.
“Ma’am! There you are! You know the flowers we planted a few days ago? They already have buds!”
“Already?”
“Yes! The moment I saw them, I rushed here to tell you!”
Eve, who had been following behind Lina, added with an equally excited face. Seeing them, Ella and Arianne smiled softly.
Ella handed extra teacups to the panting maids in front of her.
“Sit here, have some, and catch your breath.”
“O-oh, no, ma’am! We wouldn’t dare be so rude…”
“It’s fine. I’m just tired of drinking alone with Arianne.”
Her playful remark reassured Lina and Eve, but beside her, Arianne put on a mock sulky expression.
“Ma’am! I’m hurt.”
“Oh dear. But you always get to enjoy good things with me. These two are here for the first time, so let’s give them a turn.”
“Hehe, of course I was joking. Go ahead, Lina, Eve.”
“Ah… yes…!”
Having regained their normal breathing, Lina and Eve looked at Ella and Arianne’s lighthearted banter with a tinge of envy.
Since the day they had planted flowers together, the two had kept glancing at Ella.
They didn’t even have to search for her—wherever she was, she seemed to shine naturally.
Unlike most noble ladies, Ella was free from pretentious airs.
And the person who benefited most from staying at her side was Arianne.
Ella had a small appetite, so she always invited Arianne to share her meals.
At first, Arianne refused, saying she couldn’t possibly eat at the same table as her mistress.
But Ella insisted that if she was going to leave food every time, she would rather not eat at all.
Faced with that stubbornness, Arianne eventually gave in and began dining with her.
Ella now offered her own desserts to Lina and Eve, who were sipping tea awkwardly.
“Try some of this too.”
Sometimes the cook gave them leftover treats rather than throwing them away, but they had never seen desserts of such high quality before. The sight made their mouths water.
“C-can we really eat this?”
“Is it alright for people like us to have it?”
“Of course. I can’t finish it alone anyway.”
Ella’s gentle tone reassured them, and they began tasting the desserts.
Seeing the maids eat happily, constantly murmuring with delight, Ella’s lips curved into a soft smile.
These were not calculated gestures to improve her reputation.
Even when she said she couldn’t finish the food, the household cook and maids would still bring luxurious dishes.
Since they would only be thrown away otherwise, she felt it right to give them to those who wanted them so much.
Besides… it seems my recent good reputation in this house is thanks to these girls.
Unlike in the Meyer household, the Myers servants had been polite to Ella from the beginning.
They didn’t openly reject her like before, but their gazes toward this stranger had still been cool and distant.
Yet, in the past few days, those cold stares had completely disappeared.
In fact, the Myers servants now seemed eager to show her kindness whenever they saw her.
Puzzled by the change, Ella soon realized—Lina and Eve must have spread the word.
Though it wasn’t intentional, Ella was pleased with the situation.
Winning over the household staff could only be beneficial—no, it was an advantage.
It’s unearned goodwill, but it’s still valuable.
Just as she was watching Lina and Eve eat with satisfaction, Ella lifted her teacup.
That was when the tightness in her chest—something she had been trying to ignore—suddenly turned into pain.
“…Haaah!”
Clang—
The pain spreading from her chest made her drop the cup. Clutching her chest, she collapsed beneath the chair.
All three—Lina, Eve, and Arianne—set down their desserts and rushed to her side in alarm.
Ella had no time to avoid the shattered cup on the floor and braced one hand on the sharp fragments while gasping for air.
A sudden, burning pain flared in her chest.
Her solar plexus felt hot, and she couldn’t breathe properly.
Was it that the magic, which had been pooling since the restraining device was placed on her, had finally reached its limit and burst? Her chest throbbed irregularly.
“Hhgh…”
From the palm she had placed on the shards, bright red blood began to seep.
But she was too busy struggling for breath to care about the pain in her hand.
The first to recover from shock was Arianne, who had been covering her mouth in horror.
“Ma… ma’am…!”
She quickly pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and pressed it to Ella’s bleeding hand.
“What do we do…!”
Young Eve stamped her feet anxiously, tears welling in her eyes.
“I-I’ll go get help!”
With eyes brimming with tears as well, Lina shouted the words and bolted out of the room.
“Hhgh… haaah…”
Ella, still gasping, suddenly collapsed into Arianne’s arms.
It was the moment the peaceful days in the Myers household shattered.
After a week away since meeting Ella, Diashi returned to the capital mansion—only to find the atmosphere distinctly changed.
Usually, even if he told them not to bother, all the servants would insist on welcoming him home.
Today, however, only a small select few appeared.
He wasn’t offended, but it was certainly unusual.
As he stepped into the entrance hall, his eyes narrowed at the scene before him.
“…What is all this?”
“I… I’m not sure,” replied his aide, Daniel, looking equally baffled.
From the entrance hall, a sweet peach scent filled the entire mansion.
In Diashi’s home—where he never ate fruit—this was unprecedented.
And not just the scent. Several maids were carrying armfuls of peaches toward the kitchen.
“Ah, you’re back, my lord!”
Head maid Roje, part of the peach-carrying group, greeted him brightly.
Looking displeased, Diashi only gave a curt nod. Daniel blocked his path and gestured toward the peaches in her arms.
“What’s with the peaches?”
“They’re the lady’s favorite fruit!”
“The lady’s?”
Daniel frowned in puzzlement.
Peaches were not in season. While it wasn’t unusual for servants to obtain a mistress’s favorite fruit, bringing in such a large quantity out of season was odd.
Seeing his expression, Roje added as if recalling something.
“Ever since she collapsed a few days ago, she hasn’t been able to eat solid food. But she can manage peach purée, so we brought these in.”
“….”
Diashi’s eyebrow twitched.
Why peaches? He hadn’t looked at a peach in the past five years—since that day. It had been her favorite fruit.
The scent alone brought back memories he dared not recall… memories stained with blood and his own past.
He let out a faint sigh. A tingling sensation ran through his fingertips.
Clenching and unclenching his hand, Diashi glanced down at Daniel.
“…The young lady was ill?”
Daniel broke into a cold sweat under his gaze, which seemed to scold him for not reporting it.
“I-I didn’t know either…! I never received any report about her condition…!”
Roje cut in, “She probably told us not to inform you. She didn’t want to trouble you when you were already so busy.”
“…I see.”
The peach scent was making his head ache.
His face hardened as he spoke decisively.
“To my room.”
“Ah, yes, my lord.”
But instead of turning toward his own quarters, Diashi turned the other way.
“To the young lady’s room.”
“Ah…!”
So the rumors are true—the duke is completely taken with the lady!
Daniel’s eyes widened, but he quickly turned to follow.
“I’ll go alone. You go back to your duties.”
“Y-yes, my lord.”
The servants glanced at Diashi, assuming he was going to check on her out of concern. But his lips were pressed into a thin, displeased line.
He already disliked the idea of having to live with her every day. Now, finding out her favorite thing overlapped with that girl’s was even more irritating.
She was the kind of woman who made his skin crawl. That was his only impression of Ella.
Standing before her door, Diashi raised his hand to knock, then hesitated.
He didn’t want to, but he couldn’t be the heartless husband who never visited his sick wife.
“…Haa.”
He exhaled deeply, then knocked.
Knock knock—
The door opened sooner than expected, revealing Arianne with a worried face.
“Y-your grace!”
“…I heard the young lady is unwell.”
Caught off guard by how quickly the door had opened, he fumbled for words, speaking after a short pause.
Even he thought his tone sounded foolish, and his brow creased slightly.
But Arianne, preoccupied with concern for Ella, didn’t notice.
Thinking of how Ella had only just fallen asleep after struggling in pain, she spoke apologetically.
“We’re grateful you came, but… she only just fell asleep.”
She didn’t mean for him to leave, but to his ears, it sounded like that.
Because he disliked Ella, her maid was no more pleasant in his eyes.
Growing more irritable, Diashi waved a hand tiredly.
“No need to wake her. I just intended to see her condition for a moment.”
