It was a voice full of smugness and confidence.

“If my niece shows even those white shoulders of hers, he’ll lose his mind and come running, won’t he?”

Egbert clicked his tongue quietly.

“I suppose we need to let them know who’s listening.”

When Egbert started to get up, Kalian again lightly raised his hand to stop him.

“Why?”

No answer came back. Kalian just gestured with his finger as if telling him to sit down.

Ha, Egbert let out a short sigh and plopped back down in his seat with a disgruntled face.

“Anyway, you see, my niece is quite quick with her hands.”

Thanks to this, the man’s nonsense continued without problem.

“They must have met at least once already, right? No, more than met.”

Egbert, who heard the man’s words, turned his head to stare at Kalian as if asking if it was true. However, Kalian had no time to answer the question.

“Ha.”

So that’s why she was there until that late hour?

Because she thought he might stop by the memorial altar at least once?

She should stop defiling memories.

“I’m going back now.”

“Hey, Kalian!”

He heard a desperate voice trying to stop him, but Kalian left his seat as he was.

However, he paused briefly to check the face of the man who was still drinking and giggling.

The man with curly auburn hair swept back had a dirty face that didn’t remind him of that woman at all.

⁕⁕⁕

Why did he have such eyes?

“……Look, ……ra!”

Was I really so dirty that I deserved to be looked at with such disgusted eyes? Even though my clothes were quite worn, I washed them diligently every day.

“Are you listening? Hey, Laura!!”

“Ah, yes!”

Only after her shoulder was firmly grabbed could she escape from her thoughts. Stella answered hastily.

“What did you call me for?”

“What on earth were you thinking that you didn’t hear me even though I called you several times?”

“I’m sorry. I was a little tired.”

“Hmm.”

The man in a middle management position looked Stella up and down with suspicious eyes as she forced a smile.

“You say you’re tired, but you’ve been spacing out constantly from the first day until now, haven’t you? Be careful. No matter how much you got in through recommendation, you won’t last long if you keep this up.”

“Yes, I’m sorry.”

Only after bowing her head several times did the manager leave the kitchen.

“Phew.”

Stella let out a long breath and sat on a barrel placed in one corner of the kitchen.

Certainly, as the manager said, she had been spacing out more often.

“I need to properly pull myself together.”

Whenever she spaced out even a little, she found herself back to the time when she met Duke Rochester.

Even though ten days had passed, she still didn’t know why the duke had made such an expression when he saw her.

Was it really because I was too dirty?

It would have been better if she had at least heard the reason clearly.

“Phew.”

Stella, who had been repeatedly rubbing her gaunt face, stood up.

“Let’s stop thinking about it now.”

Right now, she didn’t have the luxury to dwell on such things. Hadn’t she been scolded several times already?

If she got caught spacing out one more time here, she might get fired from the job she had barely managed to find.

“Think positively, positively.”

But as she put her chapped hands directly into cold water, Stella once again ruminated on that day.

Wasn’t the wind blowing strongly that day? Something might have gotten into the duke’s eyes.

Or maybe the scent of flowers was too strong.

“Lilies have a particularly strong fragrance among flowers.”

There were hundreds of such lilies piled up. If he was someone who hated strong fragrances, he might have unconsciously frowned.

“Right, that must have been why.”

Otherwise, there was no way someone as kind as the duke would make such an expression at a complete stranger.

She must have been mistaken.

After reaching this conclusion, she felt much more at ease. Stella even hummed softly as she wiped the remaining moisture from the plates with a cloth.

“Laura!”

“Yes!”

Perhaps because her head had cleared, this time she could answer immediately.

“Sorry, but could you help me here?”

The one who poked his head into the kitchen was another man. He was an employee who mainly carried drinks and food to customers.

“What’s the matter?”

“Maybe because it’s the mourning period and almost everywhere else is closed, but customers suddenly flocked here. I’d like you to help outside for a bit.”

“Ah……”

This time, Stella couldn’t readily nod her head.

There was a big difference between working only in the kitchen and carrying drinks.

Of course, it would look the same to others, but if she only worked in the kitchen, she would at least have something to make excuses with.

“I wasn’t going to mention this, but didn’t you get scolded badly earlier?”

As if sensing Stella’s feelings, the man let the words slip.

“If you show that you’re working hard, the manager will surely change his mind too. But if you only stay in the kitchen, it’s hard to be seen, right?”

Saying this, the man naturally placed a tray with drinks and glasses into Stella’s hands.

“Please take care of it, okay?”

“Wait!”

“Don’t drop the tray. That’s expensive liquor!”

As if his claim of being busy wasn’t a lie, the man disappeared toward the customer who was calling for him.

“Hmm.”

Stella, who had been hesitating while holding the tray, soon moved her steps.

She didn’t have a choice anyway, did she?

As the man said, it wouldn’t hurt to show the manager that she was working hard.

“Let me put this on at least.”

Stella loosely wrapped the head scarf she had set aside to cover her face as much as possible.

“Wahahahaha!”

As soon as she left the kitchen and turned the corner, a boisterous sound overwhelmed Stella. People drinking straight from bottles, gold coins passing back and forth in card games, people shouting at the top of their lungs with courtesans at their sides.

“Eh?”

Stella’s appearance, wearing the head scarf pulled down low and dressed in dirty maid’s clothes, did draw people’s attention, but only briefly.

“Didn’t I tell you that story!”

Perhaps thinking she wasn’t interesting, their gazes scattered again. Only then did Stella, relieved, move carefully again.

“Stella Ambrose?”

She heard her first love’s voice calling her name.

Stella’s steps stopped. Her heart began to pound again.

She had barely managed to put a positive spin on what happened ten days ago at the memorial altar.

But now the tightly tied strings were coming undone mercilessly.

“You know her, I suppose?”

“I do.”

Even though she thought she shouldn’t listen, all her nerves focused behind the wall.

“Then this will be easy to talk about! So, what do you think of her?”

For some reason she didn’t know, words full of mockery followed.

“She’s the most famous person in society right now, so I should ask at least once. Don’t you think?”

Me?

Stella stood there blankly, only blinking her eyes.

I’m the most famous person in society right now?

“That can’t be.”

Stella hadn’t attended any parties since childhood. She had never socialized with other nobles either.

……Because she had no money.

Parties thrown by others, hunting festivals hosted by the royal family. Even prayer festivals or harvest festivals.

To attend such places ‘as a noble,’ it cost enormous amounts of money, from dresses to jewelry.

But House Ambrose’s circumstances weren’t favorable enough to afford such money.

Therefore, things like Stella’s debutante became a story more distant than dreams.

Hadn’t Stella become isolated like that, naturally excluded from all opportunities to make herself known?

However, since her name was still listed in the noble registry, it wouldn’t be strange if there were people who knew her name only.

“No matter how I think about it, the idea that I’m a famous person doesn’t make sense.”

While Stella was lost in thought, their conversation was flowing smoothly.

“What do you mean?”

Kalian asked with slightly slurred pronunciation, as if he had been smoking a cigar.

“What do you mean what? As a bride, of course.”

“I think she’s the best.”

Another voice suddenly interjected. It was also full of laughter.

“Wouldn’t she entertain me to an absolutely fantastic degree every night? A wife who serves her husband preciously—I’d want to include that among a wife’s virtues.”

“She’d probably have lovers on the side, wouldn’t she?”

“Even better!”

Clap, the man giggled while even clapping.

“I could just ask to join in! Or the four of us could roll around together with my lover. Miss Ambrose would gladly allow it, wouldn’t she?”

Stella drew in a breath. She felt like the ground beneath her feet was caving in.

Something was wrong.

“Even if she’s extravagant, even if she has three or four lovers, that face would make everything forgivable.”

Something was very wrong.

“Though I’d throw her straight into a back alley as soon as she ages even a little!”

Her two legs, which had been barely holding up, trembled. Stella gripped the tray tightly, worried she might drop it.

I have to go.

I have to get out of here.

“So Kalian, what do you think?”

The legs that had been barely moving stopped abruptly. It was him who caught Stella’s ankle again.

No, don’t say it.

Her heart, which had foreseen the future, began to beat like crazy.

“Miss Stella Ambrose.”

I don’t want to hear it!

If only she had nothing in her hands, she would have at least covered her ears.

Stella breathed roughly.

“You mean a woman who only tends to others?”

This time it was a clear and certain voice that left no room for misunderstanding.

“Such a woman doesn’t suit the seat beside me.”

“That’s right!”

Hahahaha!!

A wave fiercer than before crashed over Stella, who was barely standing. She swayed helplessly back and forth in the laughter filled with inexplicable mockery and malice.

But what was more vicious than that was the single phrase that choked her breath.

A woman who only tends to others.

A vulgar woman who just rolls around with her body.

Those words saying that such a woman didn’t suit the seat beside him.

She couldn’t breathe.

Crash!!

Someone bumped into Stella as they passed by. Normally, it wouldn’t have been enough to shake her, but not now.