It Was Me, Not You

(Diana’s POV)

“Why are there only clothes like this?”

She never bought any decent clothes for me, so of course there were only shabby clothes like that.

The only clothes Diana had were five really shabby dresses that couldn’t be considered the clothes worn by the daughter of the Grand Duke.

Among them, there were only two winter clothes.

Leah, who had been lifting and dropping the dress, was angry and threw the dress on the floor.

“How the hell did you wear clothes, so you made clothes that the commoners wouldn’t even wear!”

As Diana, who was always careful not to get her few clothes ripped or damaged, it was an extremely unfair statement.

But she had nothing to say but bow head.

Leah, exhaling her jealous breath, shoved her out of the house abruptly.

Diana, who was left alone, flinched at the sound of the door slamming shut, picking up her clothes one by one from the floor.

“It’s all dusty.”

She wrinkled her impression as she picked the dusty dress from the floor.

‘It’s been a while since I wore them…’

As Diana opened all of her dresses, holding a breath that burst out of her sorrow, the door swung open.

A pink lace dress, which she did not know where that had come from, was in Leah’s hand.

Took, Leah threw the dress at Diana’s feet.

“Why do I have to spend money on you? Hurry up and change clothes, because I don’t have time!”

“… Yes.”

I quickly changed into a pink dress. 

There was a little elasticity in the feel of the soft fabric, but I couldn’t even admire it properly because of Leah, who grabbed my hand as soon as I changed clothes.

“Come quickly, because it’s late.”

She quickly took Diana back to the castle. She was almost dragging her away, but it was unlikely that she would take away her strength by telling her that her grabbing arm hurts so much.

Leah now seems like she’s crazy.

As she got closer to the castle, the blood on Leah’s face was disappearing.

Diana turned her gaze away from Leah and looked up at the castle of the Archduke who had come before her.

Standing with its back against a snow-white mountain, with its pointed roof soaring, “The Grand Duke’s castle was gigantic with dark blue roofs and pure white bricks.

Diana, lost for a moment looking at her castle, momentarily slipped her feet and staggered her body. 

It was caused by the thin ice on the long sidewalk leading to the castle.

“Diana, walk right!”

“I’m sorry…”

As she lowered her eyes and bowed her head, Leah’s harsh sigh fell over her head.

She grabbed Diana’s wrist again and dragged her back, hastening her steps.

Upon entering the castle, the gazes of the servants and maids were focused on the two.

Some people’s eyes widened as if in surprise, while others whispered when they saw the two of them.

At that moment, the general butler came to the two of them.

He looked down at Diana, not Leah, and bowed his head.

His hair, which had turned as white as his eyes, trembled slightly.

“Go this way, miss.”

Leah’s pale face heated up at the attitude of the butler, who acted as if Leah was absent.

“Aren’t I going with you, General Butler?”

The butler’s cold gaze, who raised his head, reached Leah.

He said, furrowing his eyebrows as if displeased.

“The Grand Duke was the only one who asked to see the lady. He never asked to see you, so wait here.”

“But Diana is still young… It is difficult to see the Grand Duke alone.”

Leah patted her back as if worriedly, and at the sight of Leah talking, she got goosebumps on her arms for a moment, but fortunately, a winter dress hid her arms and legs.

“This is the order of the Grand Duke.  Need more words?”

Leah looked down at the butler’s sharp eyes.

“No.”

Leah gently pushed Diana’s back, invisible to the butler.

As she looked up at her with her head bowed, she could feel her eyes burning with anger.

The general, butler said to Diana, who was startled.

“Lady, His Highness the Grand Duke is waiting for you. Let’s go.”

“… Yes. “

After hearing the answer, the butler stopped and looked at me.

“Lady, you shouldn’t treat me with respect.”

Even as an illegitimate child, Diana is the child of Grand Duke

She was a descendant of the of course, the actual power and position would be much higher for the general butler.  

Diana opened her mouth again.

“… Ugh,”

The butler was right, but her mouth didn’t come off as easily as she did to Kunta or the other maids.

Diana’s little reply made sense to him, so he resumed the step he had stopped.

Diana followed the general butler, receiving the gaze of the people in the castle.

“Your highness, the lady has arrived.”

On the large white door, two swords were drawn diagonally across each other.

Seeing the pattern, Diana realized that she was really standing in front of the Archduke’s office.

She said, ‘I’m going to see the Duke’s face.’

She suddenly came all the way here, but when she thought of meeting the Archduke, she felt like her heart was going to explode.

‘My…father.’

I’ve never seen him. I heard that there was a portrait hanging in the castle, but Diana couldn’t see it.

She thought he’d never come back until she died, and she’ll come face to face so soon.

Perhaps because of tension, her palms were damp.

Just as she clasped her hand, a low voice came from the door.

“Come in.”

Finally, the door opened.

Diana went into her office without raising her gaze, looking at her floor.

When the butler stopped, Diana stood still behind him.

The butler’s foot in front retreated to the right.

“Home.”

A low breath was heard in the quiet office.

I couldn’t see who it was because I didn’t raise my head, but I could guess who it was.

‘Why did you ask to see me?  Do you think that I, like the rest, was the cause of the death of his wife?  May you chase me away? Do you want to kill me?’

Her heart was beating thump-thump, and her head was only imagining the worst.

As Diana’s fern-like hands turned white, a man’s voice came from above his head.

“Raise your head.”

“…”

Diana stayed still instead of raising her head.

It was never intentional to disobey his words.

I was so nervous that my body stiffened without realizing it.

“Miss.”

The voice of the butler was heard as if to urge Diana, who was still looking at the ground.

But the really stiff neck did not move easily.  It shouldn’t be like this. A cold sweat ran down his back.

“Damn, the little lady seems too nervous. Your highness the Grand Duke.”

A strange man’s voice was heard. 

‘Who is it?  Was there anyone else in the office?’

Diana barely lifted her stiff neck at the unexpected voice.

Then I saw the figure of a man standing next to the desk in the office.

Burning red eyes, green eyes that resemble a forest unlike hair.

Unlike Diana, who flinched when their eyes met, he looked at Diana and folded his eyes into a half-moon shape.

“Nice to meet you, miss.”

“…”

It was a friendly greeting, but her lips did not move. Obviously the man was handsome, and the smile towards Diana was also soft, but only his mouth was smiling.

Green eyes looked coldly at Diana.

‘I’m not such a good person.’

And the black uniform the man is wearing, the shape of a hawk embroidered in the center of his chest.

“Hey, even me would be so wary of this. Most of the little kids like me.”

The man lowered his eyes as if hurt and turned to his desk.

Diana, who had naturally looked away from him, met her gold eyes for a moment.

Diana let out a short sigh without realizing it in her bright golden eyes.

But it was only a fleeting moment, and she took a step back when Diana realized the presence of the man her eyes met.

Crowd Terravita, Grand Duke of the Terravita Empire, and the father of Diana, who shares the same blood as hers.

She couldn’t easily take her eyes off his beautiful face, which was colorless for her age.

Platinum blonde hair, golden eyes, and the golden color that seemed to shine on his own made his sense of intimidation even more emphasized.

Like a God that seems to come out of a legend,

I heard a lot of praise for the Archduke, but I never imagined it would be this much.

In the overwhelming atmosphere, Diana was unable to breathe

However, she could not easily lower her gaze or avoid it.

I just stared at him quietly, as if bound by an invisible string, while his golden eyes scoured me.

When the Archduke’s gaze poked at Diana’s toes and rose again, the well-prepared eyebrows of the Archduke moved upward.

“Rowoon, be quiet.”

The Archduke, who was skeptical of the detective knight, looked at Diana.

“It’s smaller than I thought, I remember her being around the same age as Seia.”

The Archduke’s gaze turned to the butler, not Diana.

“Yes, the young lady and the Princess are the same age.”

“But why is she so small? Seia seems to have small cheeks. Where is the pain?”

For a moment, the butler could not answer the Archduke’s question and licked his lips.

The reason Diana’s body was small was not because she was sick, but because she couldn’t eat.

And the butler must already know.

Leah’s abuse.

Because most of the Grand Duchess knew and pretended not to know.

“Haron, why aren’t you talking?”

The eyes of the archduke looking at the butler became sharp, and the butler’s face gradually turned white.

The moment the butler was about to collapse, Diana moved her mouth without realizing it.

“Oh, there’s nothing wrong.”

Her voice trembled slightly, but it was enough to be heard by the Archduke, and the Archduke turned his gaze to look at Diana.

“I didn’t say anything at all, I was not able to speak, but that wasn’t the case.  Your name is D… Was it Diana?”

“… Yes, “

“It’s not painful, it’s too dry to go through. Is it bad eating?”

I was speechless for a moment at such a simple question.

It seemed like he didn’t really know anything about my situation.

‘It’s a picky eater, if you’ve tried it once, you won’t have any wishes.’

She cried for a moment, but Diana just nodded her head.

“… Yes, “

For a moment, the butler’s eyes turned to Diana.

Diana’s eyes didn’t seem to understand why she didn’t tell the truth. But Diana had no intention of telling the Archduke about Leah’s abuse.

Because I thought it wouldn’t change anything if I said it.

I don’t know why he’s calling Diana now for this interest, but Diana had no expectations of anyone in the residence of the Grand Duke.

She was the child he didn’t want from the beginning.

Diana didn’t know why, but she was sure it wasn’t out of love that the Archduke had called her now.

I couldn’t feel any emotions just by looking at the look in the eyes of the Archduke now.

The Archduke looked at Diana for a moment. What does he think when he looks at her?