It Was Me, Not You

(Diana’s POV)

I hugged my knees and curled up as much as I could, looking at the back of my arms through the window’s moonlight.

This time, the bruises on the back of the arms, where the spear marks were clearly visible, seemed to last a long time.

It wasn’t just the arms, either. Her entire body ached.

She was beaten so mercilessly that she had to block it as much as possible to avoid hitting her head and face.

As a result, the wounds on the back of her arm were extremely serious, but there were almost no places where she didn’t get hit.

‘It hurts.’

Even with his body in pain, she couldn’t be calm, no matter how calm she appeared to be.

She just bit her lower lip to keep from crying.

If you cry, you will be hit much harder.

As she endured her hungry stomach, she turned her head between her legs.

It seems that sneaking away tonight would be too dangerous.

It would be more true if Leah awoke and discovered she had gone.

I’m not sure if I was sick or hungry initially, but she was upset since she had just been hit.

A scarlet light, not silver, flew through the window and glided over the floor as I bowed my head.

‘What exactly is this?’

I raised my head to gaze out the window. And I noticed a torch shining brightly from the Grand Duke’s main house not far away.

‘Why the torch…?’

I’d never seen anything like it before. She stood up and carefully examined Leah’s condition as she lay on the sofa.

I tried to keep the sound of footsteps to a minimum and approached the window one step at a time.

Diana’s head was practically touching the window. By holding on to the window frame and raising the clip, I was able to see the scenery outside the window in its full.

When she lifted her hands, she was taken aback by the sight and let out a little gasp.

“…Ah.”

“Umm.”

Leah’s groans startled me for a second, and I quickly covered my mouth, but I couldn’t take my gaze away from the window.

Because she had lived at the Grand Duke’s residence for ten years, but she had never seen an order of knights in black armor before.

Her toes were strengthened as a result of her efforts. She drew her neck up and clenched her fists on the window.

On the black armor was a golden hawk-like bird.

‘Oh, I know that.’

Anyone who resides at the Grand Duke’s House is likely to be aware of this. That pattern was the Grand Duke’s guardian spirit.

In reality, it was the imperial family’s guardian spirit.

A guardian spirit guardian with whom the empire’s first ruler signed a contract.

Although the details of the story are unknown, it is stated that three people in the current empire may use the power of spirits.

The Emperor, Grand Duke, and First Prince are members of the Imperial Family.

Diana enjoyed the story of the spirits, which she could only hear for a few moments if she was lucky.

Because she could forget the filth when she heard mystical stories.

There was, however, no one who could tell Diana the legend in detail.

In fact, she has yet to learn the letters. It was her true absurdity, even if she was the illegitimate child, but Leah never told her about the letters.

She had earlier received a writing book from Kunta, the chef of the maid kitchen where she had secretly gotten it, but it had been burnt on fire before Leah could catch her.

It’d be great if I could learn to write.

Then you can read books on her favorite legends at the Grand Duke’s library, which has all the books in the world, and hopefully, it will be useful when you leave this place later.

Rumble rumble.

Leah’s snoring, however, echoed loudly from behind her, as if her wishes were useless.

Diana let go of the window frame she was grasping to see the black knights outside the window.

It appeared to be quite noisy late at night, but whatever happens to the Grand Duke is none of my concern.

Diana quietly set her feet on the floor and turned her back to the fireplace corner.

I wanted to go to my room and stretch out, but if Leah woke up, I’d get beaten again if I wasn’t there.

I’d rather just come in the morning. Then I will not be beaten.

I noticed a large wooden stick fall beneath the sofa where Leah was sleeping.

Leah beats her with her own stick.

‘Are you going to break that?’

I had an idea for a moment, but of course, I couldn’t put it into action.

‘When will I grow up?’

Today, I’m unhappy because I’m sick, sad because I have a little body, and sad about everything.

She pulls up and hunches her body. She saw the torch’s shadow on the floor as she bent her head.

A torch that brightens the Grand Duke’s night, which hasn’t been lit in ten years.

Diana closed her eyes carefully, praying that the crimson glow darting between her legs wouldn’t bring her any more pain.

***

“… Ugh.”

‘Cold.’

A wave of cold air swept through her body. It’s as though the skin’s hairs are standing up. Despite my poor physical condition, I forced myself to open my eyes, since it was so cold.

Maybe it was because I cried the night before that I noticed my puffy eyes. I pulled my eyes open and took a glance about her.

The first thing I noticed was an empty sofa.

‘… Where have you been?’

Leah, who had dozed off while snoring, had no idea where she had gone. She might be at another place. Diana took a deep breath and held it for a time. She might have gone to the bathroom or cooked in the kitchen.

But she held her breath and listened, but she didn’t hear anything.

Isn’t it strange…? Gradually sprang, Obviously, Leah is not going to disappear in this way.

Leah must have started her day by waking her up with her feet.

Nevertheless, fortunately, the terror of being in an unfamiliar situation was more intense than the relief.

Then I noticed a wide open window. I believe the cold was caused by the window.

Diana looked around the kitchen and dashed to the window. 

Oh, no! 

She lifted her hands and held out her hand to close the window, but the handle was too tough to grasp.

She climbed atop a tiny box she had taken with her.

“Huh…”

I had to close the door by holding the handle, but I stopped when I saw Leah’s back, who was heading towards the castle of the Grand Duke in the distance.

‘Why go to the castle?’

Leah did not go well with the castle.  She wasn’t an acquaintance, but it was because the servants of nature were so angry that they would kill Leah when Leah appeared.

That’s why I never went unless it was something really special, that is, I went to the butler once a month to get my living expenses.

Was today the day the living expenses came out?

A calendar hung on one side of the wall, but I couldn’t see it since I hadn’t yet learned to read.

No, Leah went to the market 11 days ago, so today is not a shopping day.

Diana listened over her maid’s shoulders, even though she didn’t understand the letters, and she learned to count knives and count to fifty.

Leah would always go out to the market to play on the day she received her living expenses. She and she had purchased a large amount of stuff.

Clothes, for example, or delectable bread and cookies.

Of course, nothing came to her.

As she recalled the bread and cookies that Leah had bought, a roar echoed from her hungry stomach.

“I’m hungry…”

Diana left her box after closing the window. On my empty stomach, I felt a tingling feeling.

I was leaning back, gripping my stomach, when I heard a knock on the door of the house.

Although she had spotted Leah walking towards the mansion, her body shivered in the horror of whether it was Leah.

A familiar voice came from beyond the door as she was unable to speak.

“Miss Diana, this is me.”

Kunta, the chef who worked at the maid’s kitchen, was the owner of the low voice.

The only person in this harsh situation who can help her.

Diana headed towards the door, frowning.

“Wait a minute.”

She had to raise her hands to reach the doorknob. She strengthens her toes.

She had only just unfastened her ring.

“Diana, sweetheart, what is this…”

Kunta frowned and clicked her tongue as she entered the house and spotted Diana’s disheveled hair and wounds on her arms and legs.

Diana admires her personality, and when she sees Kunta, who usually smiles, wrinkle her brow, she thinks to herself, “I don’t think it’s just me.”

This was the first time she’d been hit so many times.

Diana’s uncomfortable movements straightened her tangled hair. Her face was still undamaged, so she had a small grin, but the Kunta’s frown lines had become much more prominent.

His dark brown eyes were filled with worry and regret as she let out a heavy sigh.

“Ha, Ayu, how can She hit this small body… Miss, how about this one?” No, no matter how much your mother can do to you, you must still be the grand duke’s daughter.”

Kunta paused, a sad expression on her face, as if she couldn’t say anything further.

“So all right.”

She said that since her look was so sad, it appeared to make her even sadder.

Kunta bowed her head and gazed at her with guilt-ridden eyes.

“I’m sorry, miss. I can’t help you.”

“No, Kunta is the one who helps me the most.”

After Kunta entered the castle, the number of boating was reduced, and it seemed to take a breather.

Diana waved her hand as she spoke, and Kunta raised her head.

Her eyes were still filled with guilt.

“Yesterday, after hearing about you from the maids at the laundry room, I thought you might not have eaten anything, so I brought some food.”

She handed it to Diana, the little basket she was holding in her hand.

“Thank you, … ah.”

Her arm throbbed with pain as she tried to lift it to receive her basket.

Seeing her like that, Kunta closed her eyes tightly and opened them.

“Oh, I’ll set it up for you.”

“Thanks.”

Following her into the kitchen, Kunta put the food in the basket on the table.

The maids ate only thin soup and crunchy rye bread, but the empty boat rushed as if it had been waiting.

Diana dipped the bread Kunta gave her into the soup and ate it in a hurry.

“Miss, take it slowly…”

“Thank you, Kunta.”

As she chewed on her bread and gave a clumsy answer, Kunta said, looking at her with her pitiful gaze, and kicking her tongue.

“Who told Leah that I was going to feeding you that damn girl… This all happened because I wasn’t careful.  I can not see you.”

Diana swallowed the bread while looking at Kunta.

“No, I am really fine. Do not say that.  Even now, if it wasn’t for Kunta, I’d be starving.”

“How could the young lady of the Grand Duke be like this…”

Kunta muttered, wiping the corners of her tear-filled eyes with her hand, and let out a loud, short cough.

She said something to Diana with a different face.

“Still, the situation for the young lady will be different now than it was before.”

“Yes?”

What do you mean things are going to be different?

She looked at Kunta with her face that she didn’t know.

There was an unknown certainty on his face.

“Until now, everyone has been pretending not to know about the lady’s situation, but once they master the grand duke returns, he won’t let this ridiculous situation go away.”

Kunta even shook her head alone, as if it had to be.

But when Diana heard the words, time moved slowly.