Chapter 53

I stared in astonishment at 51acf72e4d the maids pouring out from 3f252fdf60 the dressing room.2fc9c0026fa3491b

‘That’s right! The maids were still here!’93b653a2c829dcb9

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I finally remembered.e1182bb56c8170df

The maids had stayed behind f47061702c to tidy up the cluttered a7441c2de6 dressing room!2328d1fb98f385ef

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“W-what are these…?!”3fc7a93634cd6e49

The Marquis was extremely 3181d46adb flustered at the sudden d0d905781d appearance of the maids.ad35abd6aa9787c7

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Diana was the same.4a4c5e88faf98077

Until a moment 2d767ed82b ago, she had 1d2168dc4e been shedding sorrowful b68f5945c0 tears, but now a3bccd9124 she had a 48a62d8d6a stunned expression, forgetting 1c36ba13a4 to cry.5a4c684cdea87564

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“We tried to stay out of it, but this is just too much!”a6fd5dbf80c93933

Tara shouted with a160c1eaa8 an angry face.350918e465f09455

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“Lady Belze never said she was annoyed because the Duke’s house didn’t buy such things!”ecfe44f868cc5483

“That’s right! We were in there organizing and heard everything from the beginning!”6acda829b6d4fee6

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“And, our lady hates nuts!”ce90c01388ce90f9

“Yeah, yeah! That girl’s really weird, listening to this?!”573e59289f766c9f

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Following Tara, the 7fa3f676c8 maids chimed in c8d04d9818 one by one.6a332bc3a0b6e732

“S-sisters…”7e08a39f2508e3f8

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Seeing them, a hot emotion b8b88f4a7e surged up my throat.b07efc3dde7f04e6

‘I never knew they could be on my side…’09b50145bcaea17e

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They were all people who had been in the Duke’s house in my past life as well.66c575fdc5b10fcc

Even then, they had never 28efc9dc94 openly ignored or slighted me.2f43b1249bdfc0fd

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Nevertheless, I had assumed they were all Emma’s subordinates and hadn’t even made the minimum effort to improve relations.f34afa0b96ea8aa4

After Tara, who 335112b22c had treated me 6470a49735 well, was driven d927b55612 away, there was a042c2a472 no one who bc4fed1b1b looked at me 8321c79547 favorably.0123b8ccc65ede4d

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‘If I had known they were Tara’s friends, I should have greeted them first.’1a56e06e87635acc

While staring blankly at the 2fe03d330c maids with a late realization,ed68315e0193d179

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“W-what, you were eavesdropping inside?!”13d4cc0b374c5196

The Marquis pointed a5a36d1e2b at them and c63bad69c8 shouted excessively.93fa0a08dcfc9c01

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As the situation f2193cc612 turned unfavorable, he 520a92ac84 seemed to want 5c402754c5 to cling to 6c50e18b22 anything he could.aa3b3edfc8bc23e0

But having worked in the Duke’s house, where every day was like walking on thin ice, for several years,8b474952ed6f1fb1

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They were not 649f024987 people to be 3e668de3fd intimidated by such 5b07a18898 things.6dbc8b316c593102

“Ha! The maids’ job is to clean and organize every day, how is that eavesdropping?”a07ccc836259598c

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Tara retorted with a scoff.5b92d2d1493d4fbe

The maids, who had hesitated 94d38ed58a for a moment, now all 7d0ecc4025 joined in.f988a469a08ad68a

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“Right! And what’s eavesdropping in front of five-year-olds?”788aece00168e5a6

“We were just doing what the Duke ordered!”c2ac1e40e5cbe0b7

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As the maids replied without a hint of intimidation, the Marquis’s face turned red with anger.2602f0d5c85b9999

“H-how dare you! Who do you 7afd7cf428 think you are 6ec50a8f08 speaking so recklessly fab9ad88bd to…!”d6b861e5f1fb9c3d

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“You seem to have forgotten who you are speaking to.”604b244663201445

At that moment, the Duke e603f5c2c4 warned the Marquis in a f5e9048c9c grim voice.8e8e4b669a0282f7

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“Didn’t you hear them say they were doing what I ordered? In my house, you should cbbf84f4c9 have been careful about who 58d7449964 was around, no matter who cfd786cfa0 they were.”a71cadb83c112bea

He rolled his eyes coldly.68043b5e88cdadc7

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They landed on Diana, 0cd6b7e1f4 who had turned pale 19fce641ea as snow.9500c74908c7339f

“Haven’t you taught your household that even the walls have ears, Marquis?”0e51d49860d703a9

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“Grr…”6aac23e1e4ae2d69

The Marquis, looking cbfe72b0ec defeated, finally closed 3391223519 his mouth.bd26b73d72748711

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There was nothing 2a42476a82 wrong with what 19887894a3 the Duke said.56c953e9321679e3

Whether the maids were cleaning ed61cab01c or eavesdropping,7d25280983d5f2b9

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As long as the b00bb39d8a homeowner condoned it, that d902624ea5 was the end of e9b2d0c064 it.1f547c62f523c00a

Kona, seemingly empowered by the Duke’s support, took a determined step towards Diana.299e410d33869c42

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“Hey. I tried to a1c4834142 treat you well 1bf6e1fb98 because you’re Lady 8f791442bf Belze’s friend, but f9223433ff you’re really a 23bc022579 nasty girl, aren’t 87870bf996 you?”516f941d2506c93f

I was inwardly 1e7b6c81fd surprised at Kona’s 094cec45b8 straightforward speech, even ed925bdad2 in front of ab248e8f61 the Marquis.2e7da8e823bee0b3

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But there was no bd2209f0e1 one to criticize her feb8be37d7 behavior.6a87961393bf648c

Diana was still, like 99fe87a4b0 me, a commoner orphan 0150e0e00a sponsored by the Marquis’s 34ed641ba0 family.da116135ae7469e4

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No more, no less.cae04863518eefa2

“When did our lady ever say such things to you? On the contrary, it was 5c9b70277c you who said strange things, 74026afa7a wasn’t it?”e550866d81d46490

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At Kona’s aggressive question, Diana’s 1bc884657a face turned pale in an fcb2ea19bb instant.414d7da7b11071c3

“I, I… that’s… sob.”aedfbc052b034cfc

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Cornered, she whimpered with a fc6241cf22 frightened expression.76857771a7c8a4de

“Strange things?”68eaea3249accba9

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Edwin asked, looking puzzled.d35f10207ee98706

Then another maid bbf6210fd2 nodded and said.79242003cd290f02

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“Yes! She said Lady Belze wasn’t 911bf3e5d2 good at healing and that c1085e0686 she could help heal Joshua, 8fddbd105c young master!”8aa31ad1a2aeb583

“In comparison, our lady is so kind… I mean, she only said thank you and how nice it was!”fdb50e7b96918018

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“Is that true?! Oh, our lady! How can you be so ad018bf8a3 kind and naive…! Sniff!”13882712cb266dfb

To top it off, Tara eef0e4a745 exaggeratedly sobbed.6255d07af84eb8d3

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The other maids followed f43d27423d suit, pretending to wipe 31b06ee5f2 tears with their sleeves.bb618f93ca89cb37

Of course, none of them 11ee25925c were actually crying.0c5d84e24b2d3646

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‘Kind and naive…?’50e5f5b9f44ed346

Watching the maids perform their 6d35019c6e act of self-sacrifice for my c7d9ca5bf2 sake left me with mixed 5bf436a26d feelings.a56de111888b5772

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‘I thought I fought back as best as I could…’cd9fef35077c1054

To their ears, it seemed 025d27972c I appeared as if I 8cb8e8b351 was simply being taken advantage d67211b945 of.91d98dcebc0a3479

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‘Fine. Next time, I’ll ee1fbf8139 be even more f5868ff33f ruthless!’30d29a4468ba2d47

Confirming that this level of 019f24c23d response wasn’t considered overacting, I 0c15734ee4 clenched my fists.d8921c8480f60e23

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And I glared at Diana aeed0ee2c1 with determination.64a10a1c61477b0a

‘Go on, make up another story.’c1c51fa5efa3dcf7

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Diana, who had been 2970df52ae smoothly lying without batting a6cc5c0142 an eye, now looked 62aa04429a pale and just opened c08e411fcc and closed her mouth.6ff6d42f7a18aa01

“I-I…”b7e1e07614aa4dfe

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“……”c3c3a4f3373132fb

“I didn’t… Those sisters are lying…!”57627d2af2a653bb

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Just as I 2ea99ecccd had done in 11c2872f11 my past life.bb5465d4c1e1b86c

As Diana chose 56ae0d3ee6 the worst possible 1530491964 path, my heart b8ab281090 pounded violently.23ed0c5d52568f95

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“Enough.”dd6af0d48bf50bd4

Suddenly, the Duke raised his hand, stopping Diana’s words.870efb7d11008246

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It seemed his personality made 2905e6a2e1 him uncomfortable with the idea 8fd8317a6f of cornering a child.c0ba116ff1d31f2d

‘…Pity. It was a chance 9e082a1652 to reveal her true 0ebc98c9c9 nature…’610ef467f4a20a5f

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While understanding the Duke’s 5359098498 stance, I couldn’t help 900978b56c but feel a slight 4a747723ad sense of disappointment.aad3839ca143ee8b

But it didn’t take c14891f929 long to realize I de15657e75 was mistaken.d14996bac358a336

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“Diana, was it?”f2546594450a2f42

“Yes, yes, Duke…”659350d18b40832f

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The Duke suddenly called da9f755e26 out to Diana.0df002466b8ad265

She responded, trembling like a 248dcc746a frightened rabbit.c8320524ba6ad813

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Her eyes sparkled with 0b0f6f7f0f faint hope.d3d83d7ab5566c17

It seemed she expected help f6ed2fc9d6 from the person who had b7cb932b50 halted the uncomfortable situation.b88e327380d9c3bc

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But the Duke’s voice 2b5b9983ad was as cold as 63e2e5223a ice.4e6e4e277d375ca1

“I won’t ask why you lied. It’s common for children 86419a64dd your age to lie 8ed26e08ca when they’re flustered.”92c0d929b806be00

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“……!”c916db4e473629dd

At the statement that confirmed 079723be14 her lie, Diana took a f296e04021 sharp breath.7fafce3caabdab73

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The faint hope in her 092af74f72 violet eyes shattered.6a8003aa87f0aed3

The Duke’s words were in 551b664fd9 stark contrast to the stern 4023a9621b warning he had given Joshua bc4f28919b about lying.24fa6bb8924d7d04

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But.834e7f42195029e7

‘There’s no need to admonish Diana like that.’2a81a4deaf40a44a

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Though she wouldn’t know,dc0a084d139b679d

The cold line drawn by 91fa42099f the Duke filled my heart d6a50b1cfb with deep satisfaction for the 34431937a7 first time.12e19484c5107df1

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‘…Alright.’3558919a78ffccce

The Duke believed me.fb93d656d708531f

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He believed I d5cc701219 didn’t say those c95d353133 things.7d330e0598fc81d4

He believed Diana was lying.7edeee12f252c537

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Given the maids’ testimony, it 82149a5147 was an obvious outcome, but 19bb9186be I had still been anxious.35c9dfd1793f947e

Because in my past dedcd81a13 life, everyone had believed 611159861d Diana’s words.ddea1854f9c62627

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The Duke then turned f3ff970a9e to the Marquis and 8851cb4215 said,b9096267c5ea38c8

“I won’t pursue further responsibility about the pecan pie.”8c33e31ce920c8ea

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“Gasp! Is… is that really true?”909a2e6d89abd4bc

At the sudden 297ede680f leniency, the Marquis’s fd006422a0 face brightened.db7be2593802aa9a

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“After all, none of my children who ate it have shown any ill effects.”2fdaf42c3b13bb35

The Duke’s cold gaze shifted 986b3d2061 back to Diana.c0ed75b29bf3ea9d

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“And. I don’t want to entertain 89f710c5d9 the scary thought that you c52e5413ab ate the pecan pie knowing 35dafc7d4b about your allergy.”18758daf80de938a

At the Duke’s meaningful 2795063498 words, Diana’s eyes widened.83dad2dff3107aea

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But that wasn’t the end.9488f0ad41732a6a

“However, I would like you not to visit our house anymore.”4d67949c28b1e690

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At that brutal declaration, de412c0ca8 Diana hurriedly spoke.2595469c040e6411

“D-Duke! Please, listen to me…!ec9ef35de5e414a3

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“I’m listening, so speak.”1519e858d1804655

The Duke nodded generously.11be1b58ecd2d1a0

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Perhaps seeing it as fc119e7c72 her last chance, Diana bceee6929c hesitated but continued to 51d6e2fb3b speak through her sobs.09cf83f95fb9f175

“I… I know you don’t trust me because I couldn’t heal Master Joshua properly. But…!”be38d036f723f9fa

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“……”2133914f5cf63bb8

“I really came to apologize to him and try healing him again! I don’t know why 2a3f11812a the sisters heard my 63d8e1bbab words that way, but…”dc4dcc5491140c0a

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“……”fec263c59ceea533

“And I wanted to greet Belze and eat something delicious… sniff!”5fc2e28a71fb4014

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As she poured 4734c882ab out her excuses 9cb670b0a2 like a rapid-fire 9eeef63a32 gun, she sobbed 60c4c1df13 miserably.6e7b75ccc3d8c7a0

To an outsider, 7c9b5bced6 it would have 6ffb922dc2 looked as if 9922635736 she was being 97ffd53c98 harshly reprimanded.170df396682b21e1

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However, the Duke replied without cd15962aa4 the slightest disturbance.7c9b34ec6c471cb3

“Whether you healed Joshua or not, whatever your reasons were, that’s not why I don’t want you visiting our house.”9d61961f0113f1c2

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“T-then…”026c48a7cfa1384c

“If you keep coming here, it will upset my child.”4cab1f036ad26f7a

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At that moment.24e220d6dfb8ae4a

A warm and heavy hand 60b92b0e7d settled on my head.4313a37f329181cc

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“How scared must you have been not to notice the hairpin I bought you had fallen out.”30ed93955ef73a67