Chapter 3
The path leading to my room was in a south-facing building that received the most sunlight. It was also the space traditionally used by the children of the duchy.
The top floor was reserved for April, the only daughter, while the second floor was occupied by the duke’s second son.
As I ascended the stairs and reached the third floor, I finally felt that the promise of treating me like a lady was not a lie.
The paintings hanging on the walls, the vases, and even the flowers adorning the corridor were all things I had once loved.
Despite all the time that had passed, someone still remembered me.
Noticing that my gaze lingered on the flowers in the vase, the butler cleared his throat and cautiously explained.
“The corridor has also been decorated with flowers and paintings that the young lady is fond of.”
“...You remembered well.”
“Pardon?”
“Nothing. Where is my room?”
“Oh, it's this way, miss.”
The butler led me to the room, which turned out to be April Hill Rise's.
Has she really been absent from this house for a year?
Given her engagement to the Crown Prince, Perfone, it was even more puzzling.
Even if April had been away, I couldn’t fathom why they would guide me to their beloved daughter's room.
Perhaps the relationship between the Duke and April isn’t as rosy as it once was.
I forcefully pushed the door open, filled with questions.
“…Hah.”
The room was spacious, bathed in warm sunlight. There was a large bed that could easily fit three people, a small desk adorned with gold, and a music box atop it.
The music box, its lid open, played a lullaby on an endless loop.
It was the room I had used before April entered the house, recreated exactly as it had been.
The sight of the room, preserved as if they had been longing for me, made me nauseous.
I could understand why the Duchess had made me stay in the utility room after April had taken on the role of a noble lady.
It wasn’t that I hated the room itself; it was the reminder of my status that came with it—the reminder that I was an outsider in this family, doomed to be neither here nor there.
To reinforce that notion, I was locked away in a separate building the moment the misunderstanding arose that I had pushed April.
“This room was prepared for you by Master Rian and the Duke.”
How revolting those words sounded— as if they expected me to be grateful and to let go of all the resentment that had built up.
A wave of dark, persistent emotions that had plagued me for so long washed over me once again.
I had to fight to keep from being overwhelmed by them.
“Do you like it?”
“Very much so.”
Suppressing the urge to vomit from the revulsion, I forced a small nod.
“I’m very pleased. The room is simply…”
A cool summer breeze wafted in through the open window, gently brushing against my cheek.
Simply? I turned to see the butler echoing my unfinished thought.
“It seems I’m not the only one who’s been reflecting on the past…”
Though I had thought I’d forgotten all the noble manners during my three years living as a commoner, apparently, I hadn’t.
The fact that I could still smile and swallow down this nauseating emotion spoke volumes.
“I’m very pleased, and I’m extremely fond of the room.”
With that single phrase, Patrick, the head butler, seemed to sigh with a slight relief.
“I’m glad you are pleased.”
The kindness and warmth on Patrick’s face were even more pronounced than when I last saw him, though he looked older now.
He was the person I had been closest to in the Duke’s household, besides the immediate family.
He had always intervened whenever Barak was cold towards me; how could I not be fond of him?
When I called him 'Grandfather' as a child, he had been embarrassed but smiled, saying he was happy to be called that.
Those are faded memories now, though.
“Miss…”
“Why have you returned?”
The head butler, about to speak, was interrupted by the housekeeper, Kana, who had entered the room with my luggage.
Her question was so blatant and aggressive that I wondered if I had done something wrong the moment I walked in.
As I tilted my head slightly, Patrick shot Kana a stern look, trying to restrain her.
Yet, she remained unfazed.
Considering that Rian had spent a week fetching me, they should have known I didn’t return of my own volition.
“Miss, please don’t pay attention to what Kana says.”
“No, it’s understandable that the housekeeper is curious.”
It wasn’t just Kana who would be curious; all the staff in the Duke’s household would wonder about the Duke’s motives and why I had returned.
They would be curious as to why I returned after all that had happened.
Trying to appear harmless, I smiled at Kana.
As if I had no desire for the title of Lady, the Duke’s protection, or anything else.
“I was curious about how everyone was doing.”
Though it wasn’t out of any noble sentiment, I was genuinely curious.
I saw the moment Kana's rigid expression began to crack. She sighed and responded.
“There’s nothing for you to gain by returning.”
“Oh, but there is.”
I smiled as I took my bag from her, briefly brushing her hand, causing her to flinch.
“It’s good to see the Duke, the young masters, and all of you again.”
“Are you serious?”
“I’m also curious about what they’ll compensate me with.”
She seemed to think I was lying.
“Since I’m here as April’s stand-in, for the next year, please call me April.”
Kana’s face crumpled like a sheet of paper at those words.
She looked as if she was about to lash out but quickly turned away. She must have been truly unhappy about my return.
But she had no choice. After all, it was the Duke who ordered them to bring me back.
I threw my unpacked bag onto the bed and sat down on the white sheets.
Everyone, except Rian, would likely share Kana’s sentiments.
The staff must be wondering why the Duke brought me back and why he needed a stand-in.
They were merely fulfilling their roles as servants, staying silent.
Even Patrick, with his kind smile, might be thinking something different.
Reflecting on that, I found it much easier to deal with someone like Kana, who openly showed her displeasure.
It made it clear who was friend and who was foe.
Glancing at Patrick, who hadn’t left the room, I spoke first.
“I know I’m not well-liked, but is there really a reason to hate me?”
“Pardon?”
“Three years ago, there was a rumor that I pushed Lady April down the stairs, that I threatened her. But if she isn’t in the Duke’s household now, I see no reason why I should be hated.”
I stared at the open music box, watching it spin. It had once been a lullaby I loved, but now it was just noise.
“After all, a stand-in is necessary.”
“Do you think we hate you, my lady?”
Patrick, seemingly taken aback, stammered as he continued.
I nodded.
It was only natural for everyone in the Duke’s household to dislike me. It was as certain as the sun rising in the east and setting in the west.
I was here as a stand-in, but April had always been the beloved daughter they had desperately sought.
“The housekeeper, for instance, clearly dislikes me.”
“Kana… she…”
Patrick began to speak, but then sighed and adjusted his monocle.
He then knelt down on one knee to meet my eyes.
“Kana doesn’t dislike you, my lady. And…”
“…”
“And I understand how you feel about the Duke’s household.”
“You understand?”
“Being suddenly cast aside must have left you feeling bitter and resentful.”
My shoulders stiffened at those words. Bitter and resentful? Could my emotions really be summed up in such simple terms?
I could still hear my father’s voice from the winter when I was thirteen, just before I entered the Duke’s household, as clearly as if it were yesterday.
“They promised to cover my medical expenses if I send you to the Duke’s household.”
“So please, for my sake, go to the Duke’s household.”
His last pleading words echoed in my mind.
Those words had driven me to enter the Duke’s household, even though I didn’t want to.
But the Duke’s household didn’t keep the promise they made to my father.
I was foolish and too young to doubt the Duchess when she said they were sending money for my father’s medicine.
Why did I never consider they might break their promise?
I didn’t know the extent of Patrick’s vocabulary, but I knew that my feelings toward the Duke’s household couldn’t be easily summed up in those two words.
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