chapter 15
“I don’t want to.”
Elizabeth spat the words out sharply, then roughly wiped her lips with her sleeve. Bright red lipstick smeared across the white fabric, making Stella gasp and grab her in alarm.
“What are you doing!”
But Elizabeth didn’t stop, even at Stella’s protest.
She scrubbed harder, and the button on her sleeve scratched her lip, splitting it open. Blood appeared, and Stella began pacing in panic.
“Elizabeth! Stop it! You’re hurt! You’ll leave a scar on your face!”
No matter how much she tried to stop her, Elizabeth didn’t cease her resistance. She then ripped off the accessories she was wearing and threw them onto the floor.
Startled by her violent actions, Stella stood frozen. Elizabeth grabbed her and said desperately,
“Mom, promise me. That you’ll leave this place with me.”
“……”
“If you say you won’t leave, I’ll go find the Duke right now.”
“Eli!”
“So promise me. Promise you won’t meet the Duke anymore, and that you’ll leave here with me.”
Hearing her daughter speak while blood dripped down her face, Stella teared up and reluctantly nodded.
Her Place
‘I can’t leave right away. If the Duke finds out, he might come after you and me. Men like him tend to hate letting go of what they once claimed. Unless they’re the ones who discard it first.’
‘So when are you planning to leave?’
‘A month. I’ll figure everything out within a month.’
Stella asked for time to prepare things before leaving. Elizabeth also agreed, thinking they couldn’t simply run away overnight.
For now, it was at least a relief that Stella had finally decided to leave.
If she had continued to resist, Elizabeth had been prepared to speak directly to the Duke. To ask him to let both her mother and her go.
Thinking about the Duke’s promise to arrange her marriage, Elizabeth bit down hard on her lower lip.
He had pretended to be a devoted husband, yet behind the scenes he had been involved with her mother. Even now, it felt unreal.
The more she recalled his past behavior—how he seemed unable to forget his dead wife—the more nauseating it became.
At the same time, she was shocked that her mother, despite committing such unforgivable wrongdoing, felt no guilt at all.
‘Oh my, Elizabeth! My wonderful daughter.’
Now, the meaning behind Stella’s ecstatic reaction the moment she learned Elizabeth had kissed Kieren finally pierced her skin painfully clearly.
Stella had already known she would never become the Duke’s wife. And so, deep down, she had hoped Elizabeth and Kieren would end up together instead.
That was why she had always tried so hard to keep Elizabeth near Kieren.
To think it had all been for such selfish intentions.
Maybe Kieren had sensed it too, which was why he had always been so cold toward her.
How disgusting it must have been for him—seeing the enemy’s daughter pushed onto him like that.
And how foolish she must have looked, blindly admiring him without understanding any of it.
If she couldn’t stop her mother’s vanity, then physical distance was the only solution.
To Kieren, who would one day become Duke, Stella and Elizabeth would be nothing more than useless parasites.
Elizabeth held the invitation tightly as she headed toward the meeting place Abigail had mentioned.
To avoid any possible complications, she carefully checked the event rules and even prepared the required flowers in advance.
Even so, she knew she wouldn’t be able to deflect all the scorn aimed at her—but at least this was minimal protection.
Before leaving, she wanted to clear up Abigail’s misunderstanding. No—she wanted to reassure her.
So she intended to lie.
That between her and Kieren, nothing had happened.
That nothing had occurred at the banquet that day.
So Abigail shouldn’t misunderstand, and should be happy with Kieren instead.
Elizabeth herself would be leaving before their engagement ceremony anyway, so she wanted Abigail to just hold on until then.
That was what she planned to say.
She intended to erase that day entirely. Perhaps Kieren wanted that too.
A lie layered upon an already tangled web of lies wasn’t anything unusual.
“Welcome.”
The attendant greeted her and led her into the glass garden where the gathering was being held.
As she approached, the sound of lively laughter grew louder.
“Lady Elizabeth Lua has arrived.”
Then, as the doorman announced her arrival, the noise inside came to an abrupt halt.
The door was opened, and she was gestured inside.
Elizabeth entered calmly and saw Abigail seated in the center of the room.
Surrounded by flowers, Abigail looked bright, innocent, and even beautiful—so unlike Elizabeth.
“Thank you for inviting me, Lady Frey.”
“Welcome, Lady Lua. I’ve been eagerly awaiting your arrival.”
Abigail greeted her warmly with a soft smile.
Just as Elizabeth was about to bow politely and take a seat—
“That seat is taken.”
A noblewoman beside the empty chair placed her clutch bag down and spoke.
“Oh, my apologies.”
Elizabeth calmly moved to another empty seat—but that one, too, seemed to belong to someone.
“Oh dear. That seat is taken as well.”
She went around all the empty seats, only to find that none of them were meant for her.
With nowhere left to sit, and no place she was allowed to ask about, Elizabeth simply stood there in silence.
Was she expected to attend the gathering while standing?
Confused, she hesitated—until Abigail spoke.
“How unkind of you all. This is supposed to be a welcoming event, yet you’re treating Lady Lua so harshly. Can’t you see she’s uncomfortable?”
“Is that so?”
At Abigail’s mild reprimand, the ladies giggled lightly.
Then Abigail leaned toward her maid and whispered something. The maid promptly brought over a small chair and placed it beside her.
It was clearly of far lower quality than the others—more like a temporary stool for servants to rest on.
Was she supposed to sit there?
Elizabeth didn’t know how to respond to this more blatant form of humiliation than she had expected.
Abigail lightly stroked the chair as if it were a throne.
“You are a distinguished guest, so sitting beside me is surely the best place for you. That must be why no one offered it earlier, right?”
“Of course.”
“Oh my, if you’re this considerate, we all seem so lacking.”
“You’re too kind.”
The other ladies chimed in obediently, and Abigail responded as though it were only natural.
Soon, they all turned their eyes toward Elizabeth.
As if telling her to sit.
With no other choice, Elizabeth sat in the humiliating seat beside Abigail—the one that claimed to be the place of honor, but was in truth no better than a servant’s chair.
Still, it did suit her. The daughter of a duke’s maid, sitting where she belonged—out of place, like a husk.
She had expected something like this, yet it still stung.
Once she was seated, the flower-arranging gathering began.
But “flower arranging” was merely an excuse—it was really a meeting to exchange social gossip.
Whatever Abigail said, everyone responded enthusiastically. But when Elizabeth spoke, no one reacted unless Abigail did first.
It was a childish game. Abigail simply disliked her and was treating her like a scarecrow.
Even knowing this, it still hurt. Maybe she hadn’t been as prepared as she thought.
Still, she endured it because she needed a chance to speak to Abigail alone.
She held out, waiting for the moment it would happen.
And then, something changed.
“Where have all the flowers gone? I see they’ve gathered here.”
“Oh my, Lord James!”
A familiar, unwelcome voice entered the garden.
The ladies brightened even more than before at the arrival of James and the men who followed him.
Among them were Austin, Kieren, and other young nobles from influential families.
It seemed they had also been holding a regular gathering, and the venues had coincidentally overlapped.
Elizabeth felt a wave of discomfort at seeing Kieren here.
With him present, she wouldn’t get a chance to speak to Abigail alone. Even if she did, it was not something she could say in front of him.
Kieren had told her not to run away—but all she could think about was how to disappear.
And for his sake, perhaps it would be better if she truly did.
“May we join you?”
Without waiting for an answer, James took a seat in an empty spot. As expected, it seemed another seat was not meant for Elizabeth, as a noblewoman blushed and nodded shyly.
“Please, sit wherever you like.”
Elizabeth struggled to keep her expression neutral.
But she maintained her smile.
After all, she hadn’t come here to fight them. She had come to speak to Abigail.
Just as everyone was settling into their places—
The space around her suddenly darkened.
A shadow fell over her.
Startled, Elizabeth looked up—
And saw Kieren staring down at her.
