Chapter 22

Lia was recently concerned about how to explain things to Rafaella and leave her side, as the child had grown increasingly reluctant to be apart from her. However, her worries proved to be unfounded.

“So, Mommy has to step out for a little while. Will you be okay?”  

“If Mommy goes and comes back, will Helen stop being sad?”  

Rafaella had held back her tears earlier when she saw Helen crying so sorrowfully. It had pained her to see Helen, who had always been so kind to her, shedding tears.  

Even though she didn’t want to be separated from her mother, she also didn’t want to see Helen cry anymore.  

“Yes, she will.”  

“Then hurry back, Mommy.”  

For Helen’s sake, Rafaella willingly accepted the temporary separation from her mother.  

“Thank you, Raffy. Mommy will be back as quickly as possible.”  

Lia hugged her daughter, who nestled snugly into her skirt. She then left the ducal residence through the servants’ back door with Helen.  

“First, we need to go to the ‘Rupolt Jewelry Shop’ to pick up the diamond that was left for engraving and deliver it to ‘Otilier Fashion Salon.’”  

“A diamond? To a fashion salon?”  

“Yes, they’re planning to decorate a dress with a finely engraved diamond.”  

Decorating a dress with a diamond seemed hardly important enough to delay visiting Helen’s injured mother.  

‘It must be Carolina’s dress.’  

Surely, the decoration of a dress with diamonds wasn’t something that needed to be done today.  

‘Is this just how life is for servants of great noble houses, or are Carolina and the head maid particularly heartless people?’  

Lia thought it was too harsh but kept her mouth shut since she was merely a guest at the ducal residence.  

“The jewelry shop and the fashion salon are a bit far apart, so you must be careful not to encounter any thieves on the way.”  

Helen advised Lia as they walked briskly.  

“The thieves in the Capital, especially those lurking around the shopping district, are incredibly sharp-eyed.”  

“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”  

Having been robbed once before, Lia silently agreed with Helen’s words.  

“And there are a few other small errands as well….”  

Lia listened carefully, committing Helen’s instructions to memory.  

“…Miss Lia, what if my mother is seriously injured?”  

Helen had mentioned that her father had passed away early, leaving her mother to raise her and her siblings alone. Raising multiple children by herself made Helen’s mother seem remarkable to Lia.  

“Helen, we don’t know how badly your mother is hurt yet, so try not to worry too much.”  

“…But I’m so scared that she might be gravely injured or even worse….”  

Lia felt that no matter what she said, it wouldn’t provide much comfort to Helen at this moment. The only thing she could do was gently pat Helen’s trembling shoulders.  

“I’m sorry for crying so much.”  

“There’s no need to apologize. If I were in your shoes, I wouldn’t be able to stop crying either.”  

Lia deeply understood the fear in Helen’s heart because she had experienced it before.  

When her grandmother, whom she had thought would always be with her, became critically ill, she hadn’t known what to do. She had been paralyzed with fear and uncertainty until the villagers comforted her.  

Without their support, she wouldn’t have been able to recover from the eventual loss of her grandmother. They had allowed her to grieve fully while ensuring she wasn’t consumed by that grief forever. 

“Helen, I hope your mother isn’t seriously hurt, but even if something sad were to happen….”  

Lia took a deep breath.  

“There are people who cherish you, Helen, and they will help you get through it.”  

“…Do you really think so?”  

“Of course. I’ll be here to help you too.”  

“Thank you, Miss Lia.”  

They soon arrived at the central square with the clock tower. Helen bid Lia farewell and ran off toward her village, while Lia headed toward the jewelry shop.  

‘By the way, I wonder if Raffy is doing okay. She’s probably having a snack around now….’  

***

Not long after the butler took charge of Rafaella, Carolina summoned him.  

Although the reason for her summons was unclear, it seemed likely he would be attending to her for a long time.  

The butler called a maid and entrusted Rafaella to her.  

The maid grumbled that she was too busy to take care of the child, but the butler reassured her that he would speak to the head maid on her behalf.  

Rafaella glanced at the unfamiliar maid who entered her room before returning to her block play.  

The maid, seeing that Rafaella was playing quietly on her own, sat on the sofa and enjoyed a moment of leisure.  

‘This little lady doesn’t seem to care if I sit on the sofa or eat her snacks. How foolish.’  

The maid munched on cookies meant for the Blumhart young lady while gazing out the window.  

Suddenly, her face flushed as if she had spotted something.  

“Young Lady, don’t you want to go for a walk in the garden?”  

“The garden? Sure.”  

Rafaella, who had recently learned how to speak informally to the servants, replied.  

The maid quickly led Rafaella into the garden.  

It was Rafaella’s first time venturing so deep into the garden, and she wanted to explore it slowly. However, the maid kept urging her along, claiming to know a more interesting spot.  

When they arrived, a gardener was tending to the spring flowers.  

The maid shyly struck up a conversation with the young gardener, who also blushed as they chatted.  

Meanwhile, Rafaella was unceremoniously left sitting on a nearby bench.  

‘This is boring! She said it’d be fun.’  

Rafaella watched the maid and the gardener, who were lost in their own world, gradually moving to a more secluded area.  

That maid was a liar.  

‘I don’t want to stay with a liar.’  

Rafaella climbed off the bench and walked toward a small fountain nearby.  

As she admired the intricately carved statue in the center of the fountain, a voice interrupted her.  

“Hey, commoner!”  

Thwack!  

A stone shot from Marco’s slingshot hit Rafaella’s arm and fell to the ground.  

“Well, aren’t you going to answer?”  

“…I’m not a commoner!”  

“If your mom’s a commoner, then so are you!”  

Calling Rafaella, who had been officially adopted into the Blumhart family, a commoner was utterly absurd.  

But as a seven-year-old, she didn’t know how to refute his claim.  

In the meantime, Marco approached her and began poking her head with the end of his slingshot.  

“Hey, I heard you got into big trouble for going up to the fourth floor last time.”  

Marco laughed loudly.  

Rafaella had encountered Marco that day as well.  

She had been running away from him, who was chasing her around and threatening her, when she tripped on the stairs.  

She had forgotten the warning not to go to the fourth floor after the festival and had tried to open her door, only to bump into the butler.  

‘Ah, that’s right!’  

She suddenly remembered Penelope’s admonishment.  

Caught up in the festive mood, she had completely forgotten.  

That day, Rafaella was deeply shocked and frightened by the severe scolding she received from her grandmother. It was enough to make the mansion’s people feel unfamiliar to her once again.

“So, did you think you were something special just because you’re Lord Johann’s daughter?”  

Marco began hitting Rafaella’s shoulder.  

‘…How much longer do I have to endure Marco?’  

Rafaella hated Marco immensely for constantly tormenting her.  

‘Marco made Mom sad when she saw the wounds he caused.’  

“Stop it!”  

Unable to tolerate Marco any longer, Rafaella pushed him forcefully with both hands.  

Although Rafaella was younger and smaller than Marco, she inherited Johann’s natural strength, making her much stronger than other children her age.  

On the other hand, Marco had inherited his late father’s weaker constitution, making him less strong than his peers.  

Thud.  

“Ouch! Hey, are you crazy? Do you even know who you’re messing with?”  

Even Rafaella hadn’t expected to knock Marco down so hard.  

“…You hit me first.”  

Marco, furious, stood up while huffing and puffing.  

His threatening strides and expression scared Rafaella.  

He looked more menacing than usual.  

“Just because you’re young doesn’t mean I’ll go easy on you!”  

Marco shoved Rafaella hard with both fists.  

Caught off guard, Rafaella lost her balance and fell backward.  

Marco climbed on top of her and grabbed a handful of her hair.  

As Rafaella struggled, Marco raised his fist to strike her.  

‘I don’t want to get hit!’  

Rafaella closed her eyes and swung her arms widely.  

Smack!  

Marco was hit squarely in the face.  

His expression turned to shock as he clutched his reddened nose.  

“…Blood, there’s blood!”  

He looked at his palm and scowled deeply.  

“It hurts, it hurts! Waaahhh!”  

Marco sat down and began crying loudly, his wails echoing like they could tear the heavens apart.  

“…I-I didn’t mean to do that.”  

Terrified and overwhelmed, Rafaella scrambled to her feet and fled the scene.  

Her legs trembled so much that she fell several times while running.  

‘I might get kicked out with Mom now.’  

She often overheard maids saying that Marco’s mother, Carolina, was the true power behind the mansion.  

Even though Rafaella was young, she understood.  

This wasn’t a problem that would end with a scolding from the Duchess Dowager like last time.  

Having no faith in her father, Rafaella didn’t think he would take her side.  

‘If we get kicked out, Mom will be so sad….’  

Rafaella didn’t mind returning to the cabin herself, but she couldn’t bear the thought of her mother suffering.  

She wanted to find someone trustworthy to ask for help, and only one person came to mind.  

With tears streaming down her face, she avoided the servants and headed to the fourth floor of the mansion’s main building.  

Normally, her grandmother wouldn’t be in Penelope’s room at this time.  

By the time Rafaella reached the fourth floor, her appearance was a complete mess.  

The back and hem of her dress were stained with grass and dirt.  

Her hair, which Lia had carefully tied, was now tangled and disheveled.  

Scratches covered her body from falling several times while running.  

Trembling, Rafaella opened Penelope’s door.