“Diez.”

Her father was the first to regain his composure. The moment he approached with a belated smile, Diez was startled as if burned and fled from the dressmaker’s shop.

Someone seemed to call out from behind her, but Diez didn’t stop. She ran away along the path she had come without looking back.

The excitement she had felt about going out completely vanished.

Ironically, she only wanted to return to the Duke’s mansion immediately.

She wanted to hide in the shadows where no one could find her.

* * *

“Your Grace, Miss Schleicher has returned.”

Jürgen, who had been looking down at documents in his office, raised his gaze. His eyes held a question. She had returned without using even half the time allowed to her.

How strange.

Was buying clothes usually this quick?

With these thoughts, Jürgen asked in a refined voice.

“Have you checked what she purchased?”

“About that……”

Seeing the unusual hesitation, Jürgen raised an eyebrow. The men of the Klaus family don’t like beating around the bush. The servant, who knew this better than anyone, quickly continued.

“It has been confirmed that Miss Schleicher didn’t purchase anything.”

“She bought nothing, you say.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

With that money, she could have filled two trunks with clothes. It made no sense that she went out with money and ended up buying nothing.

Or perhaps she spent the money frivolously and returned?

Putting down his documents, Jürgen made his way directly to Diez’s bedroom. He could have ordered the servants to find out what happened, but somehow, he didn’t want to do that this time.

He flung open the bedroom door without hesitation. He immediately saw Diez sitting on the small bed in the corner, trembling.

“Miss Schleicher.”

It was obvious that she had experienced some problem during her outing. She was so obviously showing signs that it would be impossible not to notice.

However, there was a clear line between Diez and himself that Jürgen had drawn. With a cold face, he looked down at her and asked.

“What is the problem?”

“……Your Grace.”

“Did the servant fail to convey my instructions properly?”

“It’s not that, it’s just……”

She seemed to hesitate about something. There was clearly something she didn’t want to talk about.

“Don’t think you can hide anything from me.”

“I’m sorry.”

Now Diez’s face showed clear dismay. Pale-faced, she clutched the wallet she would have received from the servant with both hands.

“I couldn’t buy clothes as you instructed, so I wanted to return the money……”

“Don’t trail off. Speak clearly.”

When he raised his voice slightly, Diez’s shoulders flinched. What had she been doing outside? Had something happened? The thought suddenly crossed his mind that sending her out alone might have been his mistake.

The moment he realized this, Jürgen briefly lost the cold expression he had maintained.

“Tell me what happened.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t have money to return. Only a little……”

What was she talking about now? After a moment, Jürgen, having noticed something, took the wallet from her hands. The wallet, which should have been full, contained only a few banknotes.

“What is this?”

She had bought nothing outside, yet the money was completely gone. The situation made no sense unless someone had extorted her. Especially her trembling like a drowned rat added credibility to that assumption.

“Miss Schleicher. Will you not tell me?”

Diez raised her head and met Jürgen’s eyes. A man quite different from the late Duke she had feared was giving her a pointed look. He seemed similar yet dissimilar, but the unique pressure he exuded remained the same.

There was nothing Diez could hide from her master. It seemed nothing would change before Jürgen, his son.

“Promise me you won’t get angry.”

“I demanded an explanation from you, not permission to set conditions.”

“……I was robbed.”

She said in a small, shrinking voice. Though her gaze had dropped again, he could feel that Diez was desperately watching for his reaction.

“Explain exactly.”

“The maids found out I had money and……”

At that moment, Jürgen’s eyebrows curved frighteningly.

What did this woman just say?

“The maids, you say.”

He had naturally thought something had happened outside, but that wasn’t the case. Jürgen let out a cold, hollow laugh.

“Are you saying this happened inside my mansion?”

“……”

“You were robbed by mere maids.”

His anger was about to rise from frustration but quickly subsided. Of course, she would be in a position where she couldn’t even receive minimal respect from the servants. Her having the lowest status in the mansion was also likely his father’s intention.

Even now, Diez was trembling before him, apparently afraid she might be punished immediately. Jürgen barely suppressed a deep sigh that was about to escape. He felt pathetic and frustrated. Not just with the woman before him, but……

It would have been simpler to just throw her out, debt or no debt.

A heavy silence seemed to pull taut between the two of them. For some time, Jürgen didn’t say anything. He just stood firmly in front of her, maintaining silence.

‘I wish he would just leave……’

She thought she might suffocate. More than being slapped or whipped on the back, it was this kind of silence that tormented Diez.

The anxious calm that supposedly comes before a storm.

How long had they been like that? Jürgen left the room, leaving only one sentence in a stiff voice.

“I’ll see you again in a few minutes.”

He walked away from her with determined steps and closed the door with somewhat rough movements. Diez finally released the breath she had been holding and wiped the sweat that had begun to bead on the back of her neck.

What did he mean by seeing her again in a few minutes?

There was no time to dwell on it. After just a few minutes, someone knocked on the door again.

Usually, when servants visited her, they would knock and then fling the door open.

But for some reason, this time was different.

“Miss Schleicher.”

It was the head maid’s voice.

“His Grace has asked me to bring you to him.”

It was surprising enough that the head maid had come to her room, but she showed no movement until Diez opened the door herself and came out.

That wasn’t the only change. Unlike how the maids had treated her until now, she didn’t look Diez directly in the eyes.

‘As if she’s treating me like a real lady……’

“Please follow me.”

She led the way before Diez could ask anything. Diez suppressed the anxiety that was creeping up and followed where the head maid was leading her.

In conclusion, his words about seeing her again soon were not empty. Jürgen was waiting for her personally in front of the first-floor lobby.

But that wasn’t all.

Diez seemed at a loss for words when she saw the maids lined up with their hands folded respectfully in front of Jürgen.

“Your Grace.”

“I was going to ask you to name them, but I changed my mind.”

He said in a cold voice. Diez’s gaze turned back to the maids. He had clearly gathered all the maids working in the mansion.

The reason why he, the head of the Klaus duchy and master of the mansion, had brought them before him was only one.

“You may not know their names, but you’ll remember their faces.”

Even without explanation, Diez understood.

He’s trying to catch the culprits.

“Point out who did it.”

It felt as if all the blood was draining from her body. She had suffered worse treatment from the maids before, but such a measure had never been taken even once.

Diez was confused. She glanced at him again, but it seemed clearer than anything that Jürgen was serious.

But, why?

Why now?

If she identified the maids who took the money…… what would happen? Was it really okay for her to point them out directly?

Since entering the Klaus mansion, Diez had never experienced kindness without reason.

‘He must be angry.’

The thought that this was meant to set an example for the maids who openly disrespected Diez never even crossed her mind. Taking Diez’s money was tantamount to extorting money from Jürgen himself.

That must be why Jürgen was angry.

Just as Diez was hesitating with these thoughts.

A maid standing near the front row suddenly burst into tears.

She was one of those who had taken the wallet while mocking Diez. Apparently deciding there was nowhere left to retreat, the maid began begging for forgiveness, sobbing as if confessing.

“I, I’m sorry. I’ll never do it again, please forgive me just this once. I really won’t do it again. Hic……”

The maid’s face was flushed red to a pitiful degree. While she sniffled as if she were the most unfortunate person in the world, Jürgen’s expression showed not the slightest change as he looked at the maid who had come forward with her confession.

“Is that her?”

He asked Diez. She still couldn’t understand why this commotion had erupted, but there was no reason for Diez to lie to protect the maid either.

When Diez nodded slightly, Jürgen’s gaze turned back to the panting maid.

“Did you do this alone?”

“N-no. That’s……”

The faces of two or three maids standing behind the stammering one turned pale all at once. The boldness with which they had taken the money while laughing was now completely gone.

The head maid, who had been observing the entire situation, quickly pulled them before the Duke. Standing next to the maids who were trembling like aspen leaves, she said,

“I apologize, Your Grace. It’s my fault for not training them properly. I will thoroughly teach them so that this never happens again……”