The next day, Bella was still thinking about what had happened the night before.

She remembered the way he had looked at her. The low, hushed tone of his voice. She could almost feel the warmth of his breath against her skin.

Her heart, still unable to free itself from that moment, would pound at the most unexpected times.

‘…Does he not remember what happened last night?’

While she had tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep whenever the memory resurfaced when she closed her eyes, the Duke behaved as though nothing had happened. She felt foolish for having worried, even that morning, about what expression she should wear when facing him.

“My head… I’m dying.”

“Here. Honey water.”

“Thanks.”

Snapping out of her thoughts, Bella placed a teacup in front of Vincent, who was sprawled on the sofa.

It seemed that he had also drunk heavily the night before, as he was suffering from a terrible hangover, too.

“Ah… I can finally breathe.”

“Are you feeling any better?”

“No. Not at all. I feel awful. My stomach’s churning, my head’s spinning. I swear I’m dying.”

“If it’s that bad, shall I fetch some medicine from the physician?”

“Maybe my headache would disappear if Bella kept me company.”

Vincent cradled the steaming cup in both hands and let out an exaggerated groan. Although he was making light-hearted jokes, he looked genuinely miserable. Even the slightest movement made him feel nauseous. After taking a single sip of honey water, he flopped back onto the bed.

“That’s what happens when you drink every glass handed to you without a second thought.”

Logan, who had been watching Vincent behave like a spoilt child in front of Bella, knowing she would indulge him, finally spoke up.

Unlike Vincent, who was still incapacitated by his hangover well past noon, Logan had risen early and returned to work as if nothing had happened.

“You heartless brute. He’s not even human. If stubbornness were a crime, even a vengeful spirit would give up and run.”

Vincent grumbled, leaning towards Bella as though seeking her sympathy.

In response to his petulant complaint, Bella smiled quietly.

“Bella, if that temperamental duke ever causes you any trouble, come straight to me and tell me about it. OK?”

“His Grace… treats me well.”

“What? He does?”

Upon hearing Bella’s honest reply, Vincent turned his head around in disbelief.

When he heard Vincent’s words, Logan, who had displayed a hint of mild disbelief, felt his brow crease faintly.

The two were standing too close together.

It unsettled Logan.

“You’re in the way. Why don’t you leave?”

Having just ended a call with his secretary in the capital, Logan spoke coldly.

“I don’t want to. My mother will probably call me and start nagging me, so why would I want to leave this comfortable spot? It’s been a while since I spent time with Bella, too. It’s nice — it brings back memories.”

“You’re the only one here with nothing to do.”

Ignoring Vincent entirely, Logan gestured subtly to Bella.

It meant for her to sit beside him.

Bella hesitated for a moment, glancing between Vincent and Logan, before cautiously moving over to stand beside Logan. She had been assigned to attend to the duke instead of performing general estate duties for the time being.

“You were told to be careful.”

Anyone but me.

As she sat down, Logan leaned in close and whispered in her ear. Even though Vincent was in the same room, his voice did not waver.

“There’s still much to teach you.”

Bella’s heart sank at his quiet reprimand.

He remembered everything.

Yet he acted as though nothing had happened.

Bella clenched her hands tightly in her lap.

She despised herself for how easily she was affected by a single word or gesture from him.

***

She had no idea how she had got through the afternoon.

As usual, the Duke had given her some simple clerical tasks to do. She continued sorting documents as instructed, but her mind refused to focus.

‘I can’t waver.’

Bella steadied herself once more.

No matter how interested he was in her, the Duke came from a completely different world. After all, he was engaged.

‘The way he acts toward me… it’s nothing more than idle amusement.’

Once he left Rosedale, she would become someone he forgot; nothing more than a passing diversion.

To a duke accustomed to the splendor of the capital, the quiet routine of the countryside must have seemed unbearably dull.

Even knowing that, his face continued to appear unexpectedly in her thoughts.

The possessiveness that allowed no one else near her. The low, warning voice that had murmured in her ear, leaving behind a faint, tingling trace.

‘I must be losing my mind.’

It was pathetic how easily she was shaken by even the slightest hint of attention.

Bella gently touched her flushed ear.

She needed to cool down before returning to the duke’s bedchamber.

Just as she had composed herself once more, she received some welcome news.

***

“Joshua!”

The moment Bella saw his familiar face, she ran over to him and embraced him.

He had curly brown hair. His nose was dusted with freckles. And he smelt faintly of grass.

He was the only friend she had at the dowager’s estate.

“It’s been a while.”

Joshua lifted Bella lightly off the ground as she rushed into his embrace, breaking into a wide smile.

“I can’t believe you showed up like this! After I heard you went off to university, I never saw you again.”

“I’m sorry I only wrote letters back then.”

“You couldn’t help it. I wasn’t in Netherwell.”

When her feet touched the ground again, Bella looked up at him. The last time she had seen him, they had been almost the same height. Now, however, she had to tilt her head back to meet his gaze.

The boy who always wore round glasses and checked braces had grown into a man.

In contrast, she felt embarrassed that she seemed unchanged. She lightly scuffed the ground with the tip of her shoe.

“Did you greet the count?”

“Yes, I paid my respects to the Count and his wife, and then I came to see you. How have you been? Have the other maids been bullying you? Are you crying again?”

“I’ve grown up, too. I don’t cry over things like that anymore.”

They walked side by side, talking about everything they had not been able to share. As Joshua watched Bella chatting freely, just as she always did when they were alone, he reached over and ruffled her hair.

“When did the crybaby grow up like this?”

“Ah, stop! It’ll get all staticky.”

It felt like only yesterday that he had searched for the girl who put on a brave face in front of others but cried quietly out of sight. A gentle smile curved the corners of his lips.

“For now, I’m attending to the duke who’s visiting Rosedale. Because of that, I can move around more freely.”

“The duke… You mean the Duke of Fraser?”

Joshua’s gaze flickered for a moment. He had heard enough of the duke’s infamous reputation from various sources.

“Are you all right?”

“I was a little scared at first too, but he’s not like the rumors say. He’s actually kind. He even gave me a name.”

Seeing the concern in Joshua’s eyes, Bella instinctively came to the duke’s defense. Although he could be difficult to understand at times, he was not the frightening man that people claimed he was.

“…A name?”

“Yes. Bella. He told me to use it as my name.”

Bella smiled brightly.

As Joshua looked at her—so genuinely delighted—an unreadable expression surfaced on his face.