As I flung open the reception room door, a familiar face greeted me.

“Miss Shailyn!”

It was Mandy, the maid who had been the only one on my side in the hellish Sharofe household.

I patted her shoulder as she welled up with tears of joy.

“It’s been a while, Mandy. Sorry I left without saying goodbye. Have you been well?”

Mandy sniffled and nodded, saying,

“I was so worried about where and how you were living, but you look well, so I’m relieved.”

“It’s all thanks to you. Thank you.”

Because Mandy had opened the door for me, I was able to escape safely.

I had secretly hoped she could have come with me, but…

Her appearance showed signs of hardship, and she seemed uneasy.

“So why did you come to see me so urgently? Is something wrong?”

“The truth is…”

After the party at the Duke’s residence, several newspapers had published articles about me.

Mandy overheard the Count and Janice raging about it, found out my whereabouts, and rushed here.

“The Count was furious and said she would come to the capital immediately to drag you back. She plans to marry you off as soon as he brings you to the county…”

Mandy held my hand tightly, her voice full of worry.

“I left just before the Count and Miss Janice, but they should be on their way here now. You must leave quickly, Miss.”

“…Mandy, did you come here just to tell me that?”

“Yes. I hope you won’t return to the county and continue to live well in the capital.”

“You…”

Her sincere words made my heart flutter.

Since I left the Count’s residence on my own, Mandy was likely to be fired.

But this kind maid was willing to risk such a disadvantage, caring for me from start to finish.

“Is it really okay for you to come and tell me this? If my mother finds out, she won’t leave you alone.”

“Don’t worry about me. If the Count dismisses me, I’ll find another job. But first, you must…”

Mandy forced a reassuring smile and changed the subject.

Knock knock.

Paul knocked and spoke from outside the door.

“Miss Shailyn, you have more visitors.”

At this, Mandy’s face turned pale. I calmly asked for confirmation.

“Is it my mother and sister?”

“…Yes, it is. They came without any notice. What would you like to do?”

Mandy grabbed my sleeve and whispered.

“Don’t meet them, Miss. Who knows what the Count and Miss Janice might do.”

The familiar fear and helplessness reflected in her eyes.

Shailyn, before I possessed her, had felt the same.

“That won’t happen anymore, Mandy.”

“What…?”

I squeezed her hand and smiled softly.

“I’m not the same as I used to be.”

It didn’t seem like a bad opportunity to show that the Shailyn who was foolishly taken advantage of no longer existed.

I raised my voice toward the outside.

“Bring those two to me.”

“Understood.”

After sending the anxious Mandy out, I sat on the sofa and waited for the Count and Janice.

* * *

At the time of Shailyn’s escape.

As soon as Gwen Sharofe received a report from a maid that the room was empty, she immediately sent people to find her stepdaughter.

But Shailyn’s whereabouts remained unknown.

Even after calling in Mandy, the maid who was usually close to her, nothing was discovered.

“We must! We must find Shailyn! Viscount Ronon agreed to pay off all our debts in exchange for marrying her!”

The fact that Viscount Ronon was nearly old enough to be Shailyn’s grandfather didn’t matter.

Gwen was in a situation where she had to bear the consequences of living a life of luxury with her late husband alone.

Her plan to sell off her stepdaughter to ease her financial burdens was at risk of falling apart, which only added to her sense of injustice.

‘I fed and sheltered her even after her father died, and she repays me by running away?!’

If caught, she would immediately bind her up and send her to Viscount Ronon’s house.

But Shailyn was nowhere to be found.

She made various excuses to postpone the wedding with Viscount Ronon.

Days passed in anxious anticipation, turning into a month.

<An Enigmatic Woman Appears with the Duke of Diart Siblings!>

News that Shailyn had appeared at a famous party in the capital was published in a daily newspaper distributed throughout the empire.

At first, she couldn’t believe it.

Shailyn was a child abandoned by her maternal family. They had despised her so much they turned their backs on her.

So how could she be staying at the Duke’s residence?

But when other newspapers also reported the appearance of the granddaughter of the Duke of Diart, she had no choice but to believe it.

“The audacious girl! How did she manage to worm her way into the Duke’s household?”

Gwen muttered discontentedly in the carriage on the way to retrieve Shailyn.

Janice, who couldn’t take her eyes off the increasingly opulent scenery of the capital, asked anxiously.

“Mom, what if she refuses to come with us? You said we need Shailyn to marry Viscount Ronon to get money.”

“Don’t worry, Janice. That girl is foolish and timid. A little intimidation will make her cower.”

Though, she was a bit concerned about Shailyn’s actions before she ran away.

It was likely just a momentary defiance.

She was a child who often resisted in small ways before resigning herself.

“What if the Duke of Diart refuses to give up Shailyn?”

“They’d have to be collectively insane to do that.”

Gwen smirked.

Her husband had often complained about how the Duke’s family completely ignored his eldest daughter.

He grumbled that they didn’t show any affection despite her being mixed with the blood of his ex-wife.

‘I couldn’t have been more pleased. She unfortunately took after her mother…’

After remarrying, Gwen erased all traces related to the former Countess.

But there was one thing she couldn’t remove.

She couldn’t get rid of a living person.

Every time Shailyn looked at her, Gwen was reminded of the deceased Countess, feeling an uncomfortable sense of having taken someone else’s place.

That’s why she hated Shailyn.

She was an absolute reminder that Gwen was the second wife.

‘There’s no way they’d suddenly care for a grown granddaughter.’

Perhaps Shailyn was merely seeking refuge, being mistreated at the Duke’s residence as well.

The Count and Janice arrived confidently at the Duke’s residence to meet Shailyn.

They passed through corridors that were far more luxurious than the Sharofe residence and arrived at an elegant door.

“Miss Shailyn, Count Sharofe and Miss Janice are here to see you.”

“Let them in.”

Paul opened the door and stepped aside.

The two imagined Shailyn, cowed and subdued by the presence of the Duke’s family, as they entered.

But…

‘What, what is this!’

Their eyes widened in shock.

Shailyn was sitting upright on a red velvet sofa, sipping tea, her complexion much more vibrant.

Her dress was more luxurious than anything she had worn before, and her smooth skin showed signs of having lived well.

In fact, compared to the party, she wasn’t even dressed up now.

For those who only remembered Shailyn’s miserable days in the county, her current appearance was a huge shock.

She looked just like a young lady of the Duke’s family.

“I was surprised to hear that Mother and Janice came without notice.”

Shailyn spoke calmly.

Her unwavering, blue eyes shone with intelligence as she looked at them.

“You must know it’s rude, so you must have a very urgent matter.”

“……!”

Gwen’s cheeks flushed with heat.

Being reprimanded by someone she always looked down on filled her with anger and shame.

Clenching her teeth, she sat across from Shailyn with her daughter.

“We’re here to take you back, Shailyn. Stop imposing on the Duke’s family and return home. It’s time to wake up from your sweet dream.”

Gwen naturally labeled Shailyn’s presence as a burden to the Duke’s family.

Without knowing a thing.

Shailyn let out a breathless laugh and said.

“The one who needs to wake up from a dream is not me, but you, Mother.”

“What?”

She had been accommodating enough.

No longer willing to be led around like a fool, she was firm.

“Your delusion that I’m unloved and can be controlled at your whim, it’s time to let go of that.”