chapter 17
Kieren covered his eyes with his arm as if trying to sleep. Elizabeth kept glancing at his injured hand.
‘Idiot… who is the real fool here.’https://novelworldtranslations.com/68807-2/
Elizabeth had already guessed it in her heart. That he might have been the one who helped her.
If Kieren hadn’t been hurt, she might have been completely swept away by James’s cruel little game.
As he had said, she was nothing more than the daughter of a maid—someone who couldn’t easily speak up in a situation like that.
But why had he helped her? He must hate her to death.
No.
Maybe even that was just her wishful thinking. Perhaps she was simply projecting false hope onto a coincidence.
And yet, she still felt grateful. That made her feel all the more foolish.
Elizabeth watched him quietly. His slicked-back pomade hair, exposing his forehead, made his sharp features seem even more severe.
Her gaze followed the straight line of his nose down to his lips. The memory of that day’s kiss came back so naturally that she bit her lower lip.
Feeling suddenly tense for no reason, she opened the window to let in the wind.
It was absurd that she still liked a man who only ever spoke harshly whenever he opened his mouth. And it hurt—this reality where she couldn’t fully give her heart to someone she liked.
A gentle breeze brushed through her loose strands of hair. The soft wind, almost tickling her heart, made Elizabeth quietly close her eyes.
She wished this peace would last forever.
Like a calm wind that lingers for a while before eventually disappearing. She, too, wanted to vanish from his life like the wind.
Blue Memories
At the summons of the duke, Elizabeth went to the appointed place—but the duke himself was not there. Only the head butler, Gilbert, was seated.
“Head butler…?” she called cautiously.
“Oh. You’re here, Elizabeth.”
Gilbert smiled warmly and guided her to a seat.
Remembering that Stella was on good terms with the head butler, Elizabeth felt a bitter thought rise in her chest—he must already know about the duke and Stella’s relationship.
What had Gilbert thought of her and her mother? Had he looked at her and thought she was foolish, ignorant of everything?
Or perhaps he already knew about her mother’s affair and saw her as a shameless girl who pretended not to notice.
Either way, now that she knew the truth, it all felt like the worst possible outcome.
No—the worst part was her own condition: she could no longer see the people around her as they truly were.
Every relationship felt tangled beyond recognition. It felt as if the world of yesterday had completely flipped into something else. And perhaps tomorrow’s world would make even today look better by comparison.
As she sat down absentmindedly, photographs on the table caught her eye.
And when Elizabeth realized they were all men of marriageable age, she frowned slightly.
Gilbert, not noticing her expression, pushed the photos toward her.
“What do you think? Is there anyone you like?”
“What is this, Head Butler?”
“What else would it be? They’re marriage candidates sent for you. I’ve carefully selected the best among them, so you may choose anyone you like.”
“Head Butler, I have no intention of getting married.”
Elizabeth pushed the photos back firmly. She did not want her marriage tied to the duke in any way.
She wanted to sever every connection to Agapel.
Besides, she intended to leave this place anyway. She was going to a faraway kingdom—there was no reason to brand innocent people with the stigma of a broken engagement.
When she turned her head away completely from the photos, Gilbert let out a hearty laugh.
“Oh my, oh my. Still as childish as ever.”
“I’m not being childish. Please tell the duke that I will decide my own marriage.”
“Nonsense. Where else would you find such excellent matches if not through the duke? He’ll be disappointed if you refuse.”
“I still won’t marry.”
“Hah! A grown lady clinging to her mother forever? It’s time you learned to build your own family. Matters like this are meant to be discussed with your elders.”
“But…”
“Don’t be stubborn. They’re all wealthy families. Even if their lineage is a bit lower, you would never lack for a living. Stella also approved of them.”
“My mother did?”
“Yes. She personally chose them after careful consideration.”
Elizabeth fell silent, unable to speak.
So her mother—who had asked for a month to sort things out—was already preparing to marry her off.
She felt the urge to confront her immediately.
Instead, she forced her voice to remain calm as she spoke to Gilbert, who showed no sign of backing down.
“Then I’ll take a closer look and give you my answer. Marriage is important—I don’t want to choose on the spot.”
“Good, good. That’s more like it. Take your time, and I’ll arrange things once you decide.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Elizabeth gathered the photos and documents and bowed politely. Then she headed straight to Stella’s room.
Just as she arrived, she ran into Stella, who was fully dressed to go out. Judging from her outfit, she was likely on her way to the opera again.
“Where are you going?” Elizabeth asked.
“Hm? I was thinking of going to the opera. I felt a bit down.”
“Explain this first before you go.”
Elizabeth held out the stack of photographs. Stella’s eyes flickered slightly. She quickly pulled Elizabeth into the room and lowered her voice.
“Just do what the duke says for now. Your mother has her reasons.”
“I’m not getting married. I’ll be gone in a month anyway—why would I do something like this?”
“You stubborn girl! You don’t have to actually stay until the end. Just don’t make it obvious. Do you have any idea how sharp the duke is?”
Stella lowered her voice even further, whispering.
“Just pretend to meet them and then run away. As long as you don’t sign the engagement papers, it doesn’t matter.”
“That’s just deceiving people.”
“What nonsense. Since when do young men and women need to get engaged just because they go on a few dates? Just play along a little. I carried you in my womb—why are you so rigid?”
Stella clicked her tongue and glanced at the clock.
“Don’t pressure me too much. I already have enough on my plate. If you keep this up, I’ll get anxious and mess everything up.”
With that, she left.
Elizabeth watched her mother’s retreating figure in silence.
In truth, it wasn’t Stella who felt pressured—it was Elizabeth.
She wanted to leave this castle as soon as possible.
Before Kieren got engaged. Before the duke noticed and tightened his grip around her like a noose.
More precisely, before she herself lost the will to leave.
Contrary to what she had said about going to the opera, Stella headed instead to a café in the lobby of the Line Hotel.
After ordering coffee and waiting a while, her guest arrived. Stella stood and greeted her.
“Welcome, Lady Prairie.”
As Stella smiled brightly, Abigail lifted her veil calmly and replied.
“I didn’t expect you to ask to meet me.”
She then ordered a cup of black tea as if it were natural. Stella chuckled lightly.
“You know, the coffee here is much better than the tea.”
“Is that so?”
“Why not try coffee instead?”
“I’m fine. I only drink tea.”
As expected of nobles, they generally preferred tea over coffee. Even after coffee had been introduced, they stubbornly held onto their tradition.
Internally, Stella scoffed and took a sip of her own coffee.
The acidity was perfect—just the way she liked it. She especially loved the coffee here.
That was precisely why she had approached Duke Agapel, the owner of the Line Hotel. It was a simple reason, yet it revealed much about Stella’s vanity.
Once the server left, Abigail got straight to the point.
“So, what did you want to talk to me about?”
“Aren’t you being a little hasty? The tea hasn’t even arrived yet.”
“Were we ever the kind of people who sat and chatted over tea? I would have refused this meeting otherwise.”
Abigail smiled, but her tone was cold. If not for her connection to the deceased duchess, she would never have met Stella like this.
Stella simply smiled, unfazed.
Abigail frowned at her ambiguous attitude. In truth, ever since the recent flower-arranging gathering, her mood had been foul.
She had been caught off guard when Kieren saw her bullying Elizabeth.
She had been told by Austin that the venue would be different that day—but it had been changed midway.
And because she could guess who was responsible, Abigail’s irritation only grew.
The only relief was that Kieren hadn’t taken any retaliation. Even though he had clearly witnessed Elizabeth being bullied, he said nothing.
Knowing that he somewhat looked after Elizabeth, Abigail found his indifference suspicious.
But when she considered that he was ultimately no different from her, another thought crossed her mind—was Elizabeth simply being played with?
Kieren Agapel was her fiancé, but to be honest, he was not someone she felt close to.
As with most arranged marriages, Abigail did not love him—she loved the position beside him. The title of duchess was not something just anyone could obtain.
His striking appearance, gentlemanly demeanor, and future title as duke made him flawless.
He was a rather exquisite ornament to keep by her side.
A trophy of sorts.
A trophy that gained value precisely because it could not be easily possessed.
