It Was Me, Not You

(Diana’s POV)

Sweat filled the back with her numb back, where he felt nothing, let alone resentment and affection.

As a drop of sweat ran down her back, the Archduke opened his mouth.

“You looked nothing like your mother.”

It was a cold voice, different from before.

A voice like the eyes he looked at Diana,

It wasn’t the first time he’d heard that she didn’t look like Leah, but she felt her heart sink as it came out of the Archduke’s mouth.

Why are you saying that?

Did you not resemble your mother? Perhaps it’s a notice to kick her out?

Her heart was pounding, and her mind was racing.

Diana didn’t know what to say, so she simply gripped her hand hard.

The sound of a tongue click could be heard as the small hands holding each other became pale.

The Archduke’s beautiful forehead wrinkled as the blurry focus returned.

“It’s going to collapse there. Take the child out, butler.”

“My lord, yes.”

The butler looked down at Diana with a softened expression, unlike the first time he saw her trembling fingertips.

“You may leave now.”

“Come with me.”

The butler’s voice weakened Diana’s hand, which had been holding her tightly.

I was finally able to get out of here.

Diana followed her butler silently, suppressing her desire to run.

She never tried to look at her office desk.

(Duke’s POV)

Tak, as the sound of the office door closing loudly echoed, Rowoon remained at the desk as if he had been waiting.

“Brown eyes and brown hair, The Grand Duke’s blood was void of gold.”

Rowoon’s eyes were piercing, as if the child’s sad expression was a lie.

“She didn’t look like her mother,” he added.

More than not resembling her mother, he was confused by the fact that placing silver hair on a child with brown hair would remind him of Ariel’s childhood.

No, it can’t be.

The Archduke cast a cold look at the empty seat where the child was standing. She was so small and skinny that it was difficult to imagine she was just ten years old.

When he looked at her, her pale, worn face reminded him of an orphan he had only seen on the battlefield.

“It makes no difference if you don’t look like your mother. It makes no difference whether you are a member of the Grand Duke or not.”

The Archduke’s eyes shifted away from the empty space as a result of Rowoon’s words.

Rowoon was correct. His wife died ten years ago, and he was walking around the battlefield like a lunatic, turning everything away, but not any longer.

He’s back, and he wants to make sure everything is in order before the upcoming succession ceremony.

Even for his wife’s sole surviving daughter.

“Yes, you should keep the investigation. You can’t hide any more clues, therefore you have to finish everything before the ceremony in some way.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Rowoon left the office with the dignity of a knight. Rowoon walked out, leaving the Archduke alone with his paperwork.

“Sigh“

However, I returned my attention to the letters that I couldn’t see at all.

Why is it so dull? Strangely, I felt uneasy in a corner of my heart over and over.

The Archduke turned to face the empty desk. When the Archduke saw an area where no one was, he was reminded of a tiny child.

Although the child is innocent, she is his blood.

During the grand duke’s absence without him, the disgusting woman expressed on how much she cherished the child of her own blood, as she called to the child.

However, the child’s appearance was quite different from what he had expected.

She didn’t resemble Leah, and she didn’t appear to have grown up with a lot of love from her.

Rather, the dark eyes were so lifeless that they couldn’t be matched to a 10-year-old child.

‘I don’t care.’

Duke, who had furrowed his brows in a strange feeling of absurdity, shook his head immediately.

As he looked out the window to clear his mind, he noticed the Grand Duke’s family’s damaged garden.

It was once a lively garden, even in the dead of winter.

“Ariel.”

His heart, which had become hardened by his love for her, whom he would never be able to touch, see, or hear again, began to hurt.

He fiercely stroked his face with his palm, then smacked the face hard.

“One mistake is enough.”

‘I have already lost you in one mistake, therefore no matter what happens this time, I will protect our baby.’

The Archduke caressed his wedding ring on his ring finger with a hardened expression once more.

(Diana’s POV)

Diana noticed Leah standing in the lobby of the Grand Duke Castle after leaving the office.

Leah gazed at her as if she had been expecting Diana, and she was overjoyed.

“Diana.”

Leah’s voice calling out her name warmly stopped her walking towards her for a moment.

She had just realized that she was afraid to scream, but even more frightening to call her that sweetly.

The people of the Grand Duke Castle would not know the relationship between the two, but the fact that she pretended to be such a loving mother, her face was truly amazing.

“I’m back.”

“Okay, have you been well? What did the Grand Duke say?”

Leah lowered her posture by bending her knees.

At first glance, she seems to be asking kindly, but as she grabbed Diana’s shoulder, her hands were full of strength.

Of course, from the point of view of other people, it would be just like a conversation scene between a friendly mother and daughter.

‘It hurts’

I thought my face would frown at the sensation of pressing on the bare bones, but I endured it.

It’s because Leah’s eyes looking at her were sentenced to death.

“…You didn’t say anything…”

“Then tell me in detail what you said.”

Leah hardly ever wondered if she had to listen.

Leah didn’t let go. ‘He asked me why I was so small and skinny.’

I instinctively thought that I shouldn’t tell Leah about that.

As Diana licked her lips, a low voice was heard above her head.

“The Grand Duke just looked at the lady, and he did not ask any special questions.”

At the words of the general butler, Leah put her shoulders on Diana and got up.

“Suddenly looking for… I was afraid Diana, who had not learned anything, would have made a mistake with her. Then we will return to the room now.”

“Yeah. Oh, and I’ll send a doctor after a while.”

“A doctor?”

Leah, who was about to turn around while holding Diana’s hand, asked in surprise.

“Yeah, so don’t gossip and be quiet.”

The butler looked at Leah with piercing eyes.  At that, Leah reflexively flinched her body.

“… It’s nonsense, General Butler.”

“As the master of the Grand Duke has returned, we will not tolerate any more disturbance in the mansion.”

“Yes.”

Leah bit her lip in anger and rolled her eyes.

Leah, who was staring at the back of the butler who turned around as if the business was over, grabbed Diana’s arm roughly and left the castle of the Grand Duchy.

“Let’s see how long he can be so arrogant. I’m going to get rid of that old bastard  from the grand duke’s house later.”

‘To get rid of the general butler, who is the real power of the Grand Duke.

Are you sure you are not aiming for the seat of the real Grand Duke?’

Rarely, when Leah gets drunk, she thinks, 

‘If I had been the hostess of the Grand Duke…’

She used to mutter nonsense.

I never thought of having a vain dream against the Grand Duke, who never returned each time, but not now.

Because the Grand Duke is back.

Diana recalled the cold golden eyes she had seen earlier.

His eyes were colder than ice.

An Archduke who can’t seem to get a drop of blood from being stabbed with a needle would never love a woman like Leah.

If he hit you it hard, you might even die.

And whether the aftermath will come to you as well.

Diana looked up at Leah with her anxious eyes.

She smirked with an angry face, then suddenly smiled brightly with a bright smile.

“Princess!”

When she turned her head, she saw Seia standing in front of the sidewalk on the one-way road leading out to the castle of the Grand Duke.

Leah, who threw my hand down, ran to Seia.

“No, the weather is so cold, how can you go out without a maid. Princess.”

Leah said to Seia in a voice full of concern.

“Get out of the way, because there’s nothing for you to do.”

But Seia walked past Diana without looking at Leah like that.

Seia doesn’t even like Leia, so why does she always do that to herself?

Diana saw Seia standing in front of her rather than Leah’s back, which she did not understand.

Similar to the Archduke, but with different faded blondes and pale golden eyes.

Diana hurriedly bowed her head and greeted Seia, who was staring at her harshly.

“Princess.”

Although Seia and Diana were sisters of the same blood, there was a wall of status between the two that could not be overcome.

She is the daughter of the late Duchess, and Diana is an illegitimate child who has not yet entered the family register of the Grand Duke.

So, of course, Diana had to be polite to her.

“Why are you here?”

That’s because the Grand Duke called.

However, it was a bloody voice that seemed to raise her cheeks immediately if she answered as is.

When I glanced up, my eyes met Seia, who was still staring at me like she was about to kill me.

Looking at those eyes, no matter what she said, it seemed like she was right.

Seia always despised Diana, the illegitimate daughter of the Grand Duke.

It wasn’t uncommon to get hit by Seia, who gets angry every time they run into each other, so she opened her mouth ready to give her a cheek.

“This is the way the Grand Duke has called us to come and go.”

“Why did my father… It’s ridiculous that he called a lowly thing like you to his office!”

Seia bit her lip hard and opened her mouth, not knowing whether it was hard to believe or not.

“You, aren’t you doing something that you dare to come into the castle?”

Going into the castle.

I never had such expectations.  No, in the first place, I thought I didn’t want to set foot here again.

Just when Diana was about to say no to Seia, Leah ran to her, and she stood next to Seia.

“Princess, that will never happen. How can we, the lowly ones, come into the castle of the Grand Duke. If Diana thinks such a foolish thought, I will correct it, so don’t worry about it.”

Leah gathered her shoulders excessively and lowered herself to Seia.

Even the general butlers and maids of the castle had never seen such a thing before.

Looking back, Leah always liked Seia strangely and crawled again.

The castle  madam died because of her, so it doesn’t match her usual personality to have such a guilty feeling.

Seia looked at Leah, who was looking at her with her troublesome eyes to the extent that she was sad, and she snorted at her as if it was ridiculous.

“What I’m worried about is that there’s no way things like that can come into the castle. I’m just trying to tell you the reality, lest a foolish imagination be in vain.”

“Yes, yes, that is right. Princess.”

After Leah’s response relieved her mood a little, Seia’s sharp momentum softened a little.