It Was Me, Not You

It was the first thought that came to mind after hearing it from the doctor.

She was a young child, so his words scared her, and she did not respond that she did not want to go to her mother.

I separated Diana from her because I assumed she had abused her, but she is only 10 years old, so it is not unreasonable for her to seek out her mother instinctively.

Should we send her back and put surveillance on her instead of forcing them apart?

It was an unsatisfactory alternative.

Diana’s lips moved as the wrinkles between her brows deepened in his head and emotions, which had been complicated by Diana.

“…Send…”

“What?”

For a moment, I thought she was awake, but Diana’s eyes were still closed. Was she sleep talking?

Then, Diana’s lips moved again.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, it’s too small to hear.”

The duke stared at Diana muttering in silence.

It made him uncomfortable to ignore it as just sleep talking.

Tsk, the tongue-tied Grand Duke leaned over with an inaudible sound and put his ear to her small lips.

“Oh, please… Don’t send it back to my mother.…please don’t…”

A single sob pierced the duke’s ear. When he heard the pitiful murmur, the Grand Duke’s face hardened like stone.

He rose slowly from his position.

“Ha.”

The child who is looking for her begs her mother not to let her go. Cold arsenic dripped from his lips.

How much you have irritated the child.

[T/N: I don’t know what he means]

The Grand Duke clenched his fist as he couldn’t resist the intense anger spreading through his chest.

I opened my hand.

There was still anger, but he saw something more disturbing than that Diana’s tiny hands crumpled in the quilt, trembling with fear.

The hand caught his eye.

“This is an act of excess.”

Even though he told himself so, his body had already settled in a chair beside the bed.

The Grand Duke covered her trembling little hand with his hand, thinking himself.

As if not to be afraid

And he gripped the little hand and whispered slowly.

“I will never let you go, so don’t be afraid.”

Is this sympathy, too?

I had  questions, but I couldn’t bear to let go of Diana’s hand holding her thumb tightly.

***

“How are you feeling, miss? Is the stuffy and bitter feeling gone?”

Diana nodded at the doctor’s words.

“Yes, it’s better.”

“Hmm… Then I don’t think you need to take any more medicine. I think the treatment went very well.”

Doctor checked Diana’s body once more and told the butler who was watching the situation from behind.

The butler, who stood silent until the doctor’s treatment, opened his mouth.

“Mr. Baron, last time you told me not to change her surroundings for a while because of her unstable state of mind, but what about now? Do you think you can move?”

“Oh, you said we should move rooms.”

Baron hit his thigh lightly with his hand as if he had just remembered what the butler said.

“Yes, your room is already ready. If Mr. Baron allows me, I’ll move it today.”

Baron looked back at Diana with a short groan. Barron, soon turned to the butler.

“Now that you’re feeling much better and mentally stable, I think you can change rooms.”

“I see, Mr. Baron.”

Baron’s eyes turned to Diana again. The doctor, who always showed only a stiff face, smiled slightly at Diana.

“Then I hope you’ll be healthy and don’t see me again. Lady.”

“…Thank you for the treatment.” 

Diana hesitates with him as he’s about to get up. I plucked up my courage and thanked him.

It has already been a week since Diana collapsed and stayed in the guest room.

Although she was expressionless every time, her doctor kept a close eye on Diana’s physical condition every day. Thanks to him, Diana was able to recover quickly.

That’s why I took courage and thanked him even a little.

Upon hearing Diana’s greeting, the doctor rose from his seat with a brighter smile.

“Then I’ll leave now. Oh, do I have to report to the Grand Duke myself?”

“No, I’m going to do today’s report. Thank you, Mr. Baron.”

“Yes.”

When the doctor left the room, Diana was left alone with the butler.

“It’s uncomfortable.”

An unknown servant would have been less inconvenient. Like the other housekeepers, the butler was a force to be reckoned with.

In fact, Diana is in a position to watch out for, let alone ignore.

He’s the butler who served the duke himself and managed the mansion of the great house for a long time.

What’s fortunate is that on the first day he stood in front of the Grand Duke, Diana’s eyes, which looked at her contemptuously, disappeared after helping the troubled butler.

Of course, that didn’t mean to have a good feeling for Diana like Edwon.

In any case, the butler now sticks to an emotionless attitude, not an enemy or a favor, which made Diana even more suffocated.

Because we don’t know when he’s gonna change.

However, the butler’s voice rang in the room when she was still wiggling the bedclothes with her hands because she could not run away or have the courage to talk to him first.

“If you’re feeling well, miss, I’d like you to go to your room now. Can you move?”

“Oh, yes!”

Diana answered right away.

“Then I’ll show you to your room now. Do you have anything to pack?”

“No, I don’t.”

I didn’t bring anything in the first place, so there’s no way I’ll be long.

“Okay, let’s go.”

Diana got out of bed at the butler’s words and followed him out of the room.

Diana followed him up to the second floor and stopped in the room on the right end of the corridor.

The butler turned around and said to Diana.

“This is the room where you will stay.”

As soon as he finished saying that, he opened the door.

Through the wide open door, I could see the inside of the wide room.

“Wow.”

Diana entered the room with a little exclamation.

It was an incomparably larger room than the hut room. And, perhaps reflecting a young girl’s taste, the window was dressed with yellow curtains, and the bed was dressed with light yellow bedding.

“Do you like it?”

The butler asked Diana, who was looking around the room with sparkling eyes.

“Yes, I love it!”

Diana answered him in a slightly higher voice. Diana’s bright answer made the butler’s eyes look a little surprised. It died down.

“I’m glad you like it.”

The butler said slowly, with an uncomfortable look on his face. He glanced at his watch and opened his mouth again.

“Then I’ve got something to do, so I’m going to get going. The maid will bring the meal to your room when the time comes. If you need anything else, pull the rope by the bed. Then the maid will come to your room.”

“Yes, I got it.”

The butler bowed and left the room. As soon as she heard the door close, Diana smiled with patience.

“It’s really nice.”

A bed, a table, and a small sofa were all there was to it, but I will never forget this day for the rest of my life.

For the first time in my life, I have my own space.

We don’t know how long it will last, but at least when Leah will scream. The worry of when to open the door and come in and hit me has completely disappeared.

I especially liked the fact that I couldn’t even see the roof of the gloomy cabin where Leah lived outside the window.

“Stay dead here until you become an adult.”

And when I become an adult, I will leave the Great duchy and work hard to buy my own house that is much nicer than this room.

As I sat on my bed imagining happy imaginations, the door burst open and the sharp high-toned voice rang.

“It was true!”

“The Grand Princess.”

Diana rose from bed in astonishment.

Seia’s shout struck my ears.

Diana almost made an impression on Seia’s high voice that echoed her eardrums, but fortunately, she was able to spread her face that was about to crumple with her quickness.

“…I’m sorry.”

Diana looked down hastily and bowed to Seia.

I didn’t promise Seia that I wouldn’t come into the mansion, nor did I come here because I wanted to, but there wasn’t much Diana could say to Seia.

It is a slap that comes back even if you argue for nothing, or in the worst case, the Great Duke may send Diana back to Leah, saying she confronted her daughter.

Therefore, we have no choice but to pay for the mistake, hoping that the anger of the Grand Princess, who is as high as the sky, will be relieved even a little.

However, Seia breathed out a huffy breath as if her anger had subsided even though Diana bowed her head.

“Sorry? If you’re sorry?” It’s different that you’re here right now! How can something dirty like you enter the mansion! This is my noble mother and father, my home!”

Puck-

Seia pushed Diana’s shoulder with great force.

An unexpected push from Seia caused Diana to tumble back.

My bottom hurt when I hit the floor, but I couldn’t even groan because of Seia, who was engulfed in anger.

Seia, who clenched her fists, stared at Diana with a wistful stare.

“The problem is that there was something like you in the Great duchy in the first place. This wouldn’t have happened if I had chased you away early. I hate you so much, I hate you so much! Why should I live with you in this mansion! Something like you and why! Why! I’d rather you die now.”

“The door is open.”

As soon as the man’s low voice rang at the door, Seia’s voice full of evil stopped like a lie.

Diana looked at Seia, stiff as if pressing the stop button, behind her, toward the door where she heard her voice.

And in front of the door, as Diana expected, stood a Grand duke.

He stepped into the room with a big stride.

I can’t believe it happened at this time.

As soon as Diana was in despair, the Grand Duke took turns looking at the two and narrowed the gap slightly.

When Diana tried to give strength to her body, thinking she needed to get up quickly, Seia suddenly cried and reached out to Diana.