I woke up before the morning sun rose, washed early, and left my room.

I filled a basin with water and loaded it onto the trolley, heading to Miss Veronica’s room as usual.

Miss Veronica tended to be a heavy sleeper, often sleeping in late if not woken up.

Knock, knock.

I lightly knocked on her door.

The clear sound of the knock echoed in the room, but as expected, there was no response.

“Miss Veronica, it’s Claire. I’m coming in.”

Even after notifying her, I waited about 10 seconds for a response, just in case she woke up on her own.

But there was still no answer.

I opened the door and wheeled the trolley inside.

“Miss, it’s morning.”

The first thing I did was draw back the dark curtains.

The bright morning sunlight streamed in, causing Miss Veronica to wake up with a low groan.

“Good morning, Claire.”

“Good morning, Miss. I’ve brought your washing water, so please wash up.”

I handed Miss Veronica a towel while she washed her face, something I had prepared in advance.

It was a daily routine.

But today, it felt a bit more special than usual.

“You’ll be having breakfast with Duke Berzel today. So you need to get fully dressed and made up.”

“Mm…”

I led the still-drowsy Miss Veronica through the dressing room and powder room, getting her perfectly ready.

It was only after we went through the powder room that Miss Veronica was fully awake.

“Shall we head to the dining room now?”

I escorted her to the dining room.

She went in alone.

I peeked inside through the door.

It seemed no one else had arrived yet.

Did I prepare too early?

Feeling a bit embarrassed, I smiled at Miss Veronica and turned around.

And I bumped into Alex, who had just arrived at the dining room.

“Good morning.”

“Yes, good morning, Your Grace.”

Alex didn’t seem to like me calling him ‘Your Grace.’ However, since there were many people around, he didn’t correct me.

“Have you thought about it?”

“Yes, I have.”

“And have you reached a conclusion?”

“Yes.”

“Then let’s talk in the dining room.”

“Oh, but…”

No matter what, the main dining room was the family’s dining area, and discussing such matters there made me nervous.

“It’s better than calling people separately.”

“How do you know what decision I made?”

I pouted, and Alex shrugged.

“I’ll respect your choice, whichever it is. But I’d prefer if you came with me.”

“Still, the dining room is a bit…”

What if someone chokes on their food because of my story?

There’s no quick remedy for indigestion here, so they’d suffer for a while.

“No, Claire. It’s fine, so come inside and have breakfast too.”

Startled by the middle-aged woman’s voice from behind, I turned around quickly.

“Madam!”

It was Countess Maynard. Behind her was Count Maynard.

Alex, the Countess, and the Count exchanged brief greetings and entered the dining room, taking me along.

I awkwardly sat at one end of the table, rolling my eyes.

I felt like I was in a place I didn’t belong.

But with 23 years of experience in the Maynard family, I managed to maintain proper etiquette during the meal.

“Claire, we’ve heard roughly what’s going on.”

As we lightly ate the carpaccio appetizer, Count Maynard spoke to me.

“We will respect your opinion, Claire. If you decide to go, we’ll support you fully. If you don’t, we won’t let the Duke take you regardless of what he says.”

Count Maynard was firm.

He was clearly worried that I might make the wrong choice, causing trouble for the Maynard family despite my feelings.

Count Maynard, the Countess, and Miss Veronica were all truly good people.

They were so good that I couldn’t help but love this place where I had lived for 23 years.

So, I didn’t want anything bad to happen to these people.

“I…”

Everyone in the dining room focused on me as I spoke.

Count Maynard said he wouldn’t let Alex take me if I chose not to go.

But I wasn’t selfish enough to let that happen.

“I… will follow Duke Alexander Berzel.”

“Claire!”

Miss Veronica was shocked and called out my name loudly.

I smiled at her, trying to assure her not to worry.

“But, Your Grace, may I set a condition?”

“A condition?”

Alex raised an eyebrow, surprised. He hadn’t expected me to set conditions.

“Yes. If I go to the Duke’s estate and, within three months, I want to return, you must let me go. And you must not harm the Maynard family. Put this in an official document. That’s my condition.”

I didn’t think he would refuse such a condition.

If I stayed at Duke Berzel’s estate for three months and Alex couldn’t change my mind, I would return here.

With an official contract, even Alex wouldn’t be able to break it easily. It was a condition I had thought through carefully.

Alex looked at me with interest.

Then he smirked and nodded.

“Alright, let’s do that.”

***

“Claire, are you really okay with this?”

After leaving the dining room, I went straight to my room to pack my things.

Miss Veronica, who had followed me, sighed deeply, unable to understand my decision.

I would have thought the same if I were her.

Besides, the person involved was Duke Berzel.

Just a few months ago, rumors circulated that he had purged his subordinates.

He was a man with many bad rumors.

And the problem was that those rumors couldn’t be dismissed as just rumors.

I had first met Alex when he had been stabbed by someone.

Who in the world would hold such a grudge to stab someone in the stomach?

So it was hard to understand why someone would suddenly come and confess their love to me.

Even if I didn’t know the original story, I would find it hard to believe anyone who said they would follow him.

But I couldn’t act like everyone else.

Alex was the kind of person who would kill the family of the person he loved out of love.

Originally, Alex was supposed to fall in love with Miss Veronica, not me. But unlike the original story, he liked me.

So, I couldn’t refuse his love.

What if I refused and Alex got angry and killed everyone in the Maynard family?

They were willing to stand against Alex for the sake of a mere maid like me.

Miss Veronica, the Countess, and Count Maynard all said they believed and supported me without a doubt.

I didn’t want to lose such good people.

So, I decided to follow Alex but with conditions attached.

“It’s not too late. If you say you don’t want to go, I’ll talk to Father and try to stop it.”

Miss Veronica held the end of my sleeve as she spoke.

I paused from packing and looked at her.

Her face was full of worry.

“It’s okay, Miss. I’m not going to die, am I?”

I smiled brightly, trying to reassure her.

If I didn’t act like this, I knew she wouldn’t feel at ease.

“And it’s just three months. Duke Berzel even signed the contract, so I’ll stay there for three months and then come back if I don’t like it.”

Fortunately, Alex agreed to sign the contract I proposed.

We made three copies: one for Alex, one for me, and one for Count Maynard.

I didn’t know if such a document would really prevent Alex from harming the Maynard family, but I wanted to hold on to even the smallest hope.

“And if I don’t go now, Count Maynard will be in trouble.”

The first condition of the contract was that I spend three months at Duke Berzel’s estate.

If I changed my mind now and didn’t go, Alex might turn against us, and not even a contract could protect the Maynard family.

The first clause wouldn’t have been fulfilled.

So I had to go to Duke Berzel’s estate first.

“Think of it as taking a three-month break.”

“……”

Miss Veronica hung her head, deep in thought. She seemed on the verge of tears.

“I’m sorry. I should have protected you.”

She mumbled in a deeply regretful voice.