“Dearlin, what was the name of that maid again?”

“Lira… Her name is Lira…”

Dearlin answered Rian’s question in a trembling voice.

“Right. Head maid, bring that girl back.”

“Understood.”

One careless mistake, one brief moment of negligence, had jeopardized the trust and results that Sophie had worked so hard to build up over time. Deep frustration spread across her face.

Seeing that Dearlin was unable to hide her happiness completely — the faint upward curve of her lips made Sophie feel as though her insides were burning — was the last straw.

Once Dearlin had finished washing, Rian dismissed them so abruptly that Sophie and Hazel had no choice but to leave the bedroom empty-handed.

“Um, Rian…”

“Mm?”

“Thank you. Truly.”

After stepping away from the bed and straightening her wrinkled clothes, Dearlin stood before Rian and sincerely expressed her gratitude.

“For what?”

Naturally, Rian had no idea why she was thanking him, but even so, Dearlin felt happy.

“Lira was the maid I cherished most.”

“Was she…?”

“Yes. She resembles someone who used to be like a friend to me. That’s why I became even more attached to her.”

Lira’s actions always reminded Dearlin of Lauren.

Even the last time, when Dearlin fell into Sophie’s trap and ended up dragging Lira into trouble as well, Lauren had come to mind.

“No, Miss… I won’t leave your side.”

After discovering that Arthur intended to kill Lauren, Dearlin forced her to leave the Kingdom of Orva, despite her desperate pleas to stay.

However, after that, Dearlin never found out what had become of her.

From the moment Lauren disappeared, Arthur’s surveillance of Dearlin became even more suffocating. Soon afterwards, her father died, leaving her with neither the opportunity nor the liberty to discover if Lauren was still alive.

Perhaps because she carried the guilt of never having been able to protect Lauren until the very end, Dearlin found herself strangely drawn to Lira, who reminded her so much of Lauren.

As Lira was the only person at the ducal estate who genuinely cared for her, Dearlin gradually opened her heart to Lira.

Even now, long after the incident, she continued to be troubled by the thought that she had caused Lira trouble.

“I didn’t realize you cared so much for that maid.”

As he spoke, Rian looked at Dearlin, who was standing in front of him.

Perhaps her emotions had overwhelmed her, because the corners of her eyes were red.

Her skin was so delicate that the slightest flush was painfully noticeable.

“If I had known…”

“What did you say?”

“Ah, it’s nothing.”

‘If I had known you cherished that maid so much, I wouldn’t have given that order.’

At the time, his anger over what he believed was Dearlin’s disregard for his mother’s memorial day, combined with his fury over her supposed lies, had left him incapable of thinking clearly about it.

Assuming that the maid had been filling Dearlin’s head with nonsense, he gave the order without much thought.

“D-Dearlin.”

Dearlin had been wondering what Rian had intended to say when he abruptly trailed off, but then he called her name instead.

“I’m only asking out of curiosity, but… have the servants ever been disrespectful toward you?”

“…What?”

‘Why are you asking that now?’

‘Rian, you never once cared before.’

Dearlin was bewildered by his sudden change in attitude.

Was he really asking because he wanted to know the answer?

Or was this just another test, this time disguised as concern?

Even if she told him the truth, she couldn’t believe that Rian would actually punish the servants.

After all, the head maid was behind everything — the very woman who had faithfully served his beloved mother.

“There’s no way that could happen…”

“Really?”

“…Really.”

It had been hard enough to say it once, but when Rian asked again, Dearlin was forced to repeat herself.

She fought desperately to keep her expression under control.

Saying such things did not bring her any satisfaction either.

She wanted to tell him.

She was exhausted from enduring the cruelty of the servants, especially the head maid.

The more Rian ignored her, the worse the torment became.

So please, don’t turn away from her.

Stay by her side.

She wouldn’t even ask him to love her.

Only to care about her, even a little.

But Dearlin understood reality far too well to ever say those words out loud.

“Then that’s fine.”

“……”

She had worried that her awkwardness might be evident in her speech, but Rian paid no attention to the stiffness in her voice.

Before long, breakfast was ready in the greenhouse, taking the cold weather outside into account.

Unlike the freezing air beyond the glass walls, the greenhouse remained pleasantly warm, and flowers that could only bloom in mild climates flourished beautifully within it.

The dishes arranged across the table perfectly reflected the stark difference in their eating habits.

Plates of meat were set before Rian, while salads, light fruits, and a small bowl of soup were laid out for Dearlin.

As he cut into a steak, Rian watched Dearlin quietly sipping her soup with a tiny spoon.

The portion was so small that he genuinely wondered if any of it had reached her stomach.

“You’re not eating anything else?”

‘No wonder she keeps getting thinner instead of gaining weight.’

Even layered beneath several thick pieces of clothing, her frame remained alarmingly small.

Rian finally understood why.

“Yes…”

“I doubt something like that would fill you up. It doesn’t seem healthy either.”

Unlike the noblewomen of high society who obsessed over maintaining their figures, Dearlin clearly had no need for such things.

“At least eat some meat.”

“……”

Rian cut a piece of steak from his plate—smaller even than his usual bite size—and held it out toward Dearlin.

Yet despite it being such a tiny piece, Dearlin merely stared at it without putting it into her mouth.

“Do you dislike taking food from me?”

“No! It’s not that… My stomach has never been very healthy, so I can’t eat much. Especially in the mornings.”

Even though she had done nothing wrong, Dearlin answered carefully while watching Rian’s reaction.

“Ah… I didn’t know.”

Ironically, it was Rian who became more uncomfortable at her response.

He knew he had not paid much attention to Dearlin, but he never imagined he could be this ignorant about her.

“Still, I remember you used to eat well when we were young.”

The words left him casually, merely an attempt to ease the awkwardness, but they pierced Dearlin’s heart like a blade.

‘And whose fault is that…’

Of course, it was Sophie and the head chef who had been working behind Rian’s back. However, it would be wrong to say that he bore no responsibility at all.

Thanks to them, her already unhealthy digestive system deteriorated further.

Yet Rian truly seemed to know nothing.

“I suppose so. I think I did eat better back then.”

Dearlin quietly replied while picking up a strawberry resting atop her salad greens.

“Then I’ll have Doctor William prescribe you some medicine.”

No matter how poor her digestion was, it made no sense for a fully grown woman to survive on such small portions.

Dearlin insisted that mornings were simply worse for her, but based on Rian’s observations, her lunch and dinner portions were not much bigger.

“There’s no need to go that far.”

This was not prevention—it was already too late for that.

And more than anything, his sudden concern felt burdensome.

“How about trusting me and listening to me for once, Dearlin?”

“……”

“I’m saying this because I’m worried about you.”

Rian’s expression hardened.

The instant she saw that cold, stern look settle on his face, her fingers felt as though they had frozen solid.

Although his expression softened again soon afterwards, she could not shake the image of his face from her mind.

“Alright. Do whatever you want…”

To demonstrate her obedience, Dearlin popped another strawberry into her mouth before putting down her cutlery.

Gently dabbing the corners of her lips with the napkin beside her, she appeared to have finished eating.

However, Rian had not yet finished his meal. He sat quietly opposite her, sipping the warm herbal tea that had been prepared for him.

He was dissatisfied that she could not even finish a small plate of salad, but did not want to argue with her about food again.

Not wanting to make her wait too long, he eventually put down his cutlery too.

The cheerful chirping of birds enjoying the warmth of the greenhouse filled the silence between them.

Occasionally, the soft clink of teacups being lifted and set back down echoed quietly through the empty pauses.

“Your Grace.”

Just as Dearlin was considering suggesting they leave, Cain hurried into the greenhouse.

After offering her a brief, formal greeting, he approached Rian and whispered something in his ear.

Hearing this, Rian’s face immediately twisted into a deep frown.

“So another unwelcome guest has arrived.”