“Me? Avoiding you, Your Grace? No. Of course not.”

Bella’s eyes widened and she shook her head firmly. Although she denied everything outright with her words, during all her time with the duke, she had never once been able to look him directly in the eye.

Gently pulling her hand free from his grasp, she hid it behind her back. She told herself that she was not avoiding him, yet whenever she felt his gaze on her, she trembled inside.

“You resemble my first love.”

There was probably no one in the Empire who could hear such words from the Duke of Fraser and remain unmoved.

From the very beginning, she had sensed that he saw someone else when he looked at her. She had understood it vaguely, without wanting to acknowledge it. But she had never imagined that the shadow behind his gaze was his first love.

What unsettled her even more, though, was the fact that such a woman had existed at all.

The Duke of Fraser had never been involved in any scandal, not even the slightest rumor. And yet, the woman he had loved was not Lady Amelia.

‘What kind of woman was she, for Your Grace to still be unable to forget her?’

Bella pictured the duke’s first love, a woman whose face she had never seen. She must have been beautiful. Elegant. A lady of unparalleled refinement and dignity.

‘Does Your Grace wish to keep me by his side because I resemble her?’

The thought sent a dull ache through her chest.

Even though it belonged to the past, the knowledge that he had looked at another woman in her presence twisted something deep within her heart.

To say she had never once been shaken would be a lie. The duke’s striking appearance — said to make women fall for him at first sight — his competence and the quiet authority with which he carried himself made it far more difficult not to be drawn to him.

And yet, even though she was not extraordinary, she refused to become a mere substitute for someone else.

If he was interested in her at all, she wanted him to see her — not a memory or a resemblance, but the woman standing before him.

‘What am I thinking?’

As soon as this thought occurred to her, Bella hurriedly cleared her mind.

‘Not wanting to be a substitute?’

That was a desire bordering on greed.

Even putting that aside, her feelings for the duke were inappropriate. He was a nobleman, while she was merely a maid entrusted with the most menial tasks. What right did she have to entertain such thoughts?

“Look at you. Give you the slightest opening and your mind wanders elsewhere. And you say you’re not avoiding me?”

A light tap on the forehead brought Bella back to her senses.

Logan watched as life returned to her eyes. His own reflection shimmered faintly in her grey irises, which were now tinged with something unfamiliar.

“What were you thinking about?”

The mixture of anxiety, embarrassment, and confusion flickering across her face piqued his interest further. As well as her resemblance to Isabella, Bella possessed many other intriguing facets.

“I—it was nothing…”

“Since you can’t answer, I suppose you were having improper thoughts about me.”

“Pardon?”

“I’m joking.”

Logan stepped away from Bella, who looked as pitiful as an abandoned puppy. The way her eyes shimmered, as if she might burst into tears at any moment, made him decide not to tease her any further.

For a moment, he felt an impulse rise within him — a desire to see her cry.

But that was enough for now.

“There’s a meeting today, so leave early. Don’t wander off anywhere strange; go back and rest.”

Logan dismissed Bella earlier than usual. Although she insisted she was fine, it was clear that she had not yet fully recovered.

The sun had not yet set, and the day was still young. Bella had intended to tidy up at least a little, but with news of an important meeting, she had no choice but to step aside.

***

“Ha…”

Hugging the empty water bottle to her chest, Bella dragged her weary feet along the corridor. Although she was not as unwell as she had feared, the conversation she had had with the duke played on a loop in her mind, preventing her from focusing on her work.

Despite taking care not to overexert herself all day, she felt utterly drained of strength.

“Isabella… is my first love.”

His voice—tinged with a subtle warmth. The depth in his gaze as it fell upon her. It all resurfaced again and again.

Why did her heart tremble so easily over such a simple answer?

‘Forget it. Just forget it.’

Bella shook her head, trying to clear her mind of her tangled thoughts.

Although the duke had told her to go back and get some rest, she found herself heading towards the kitchen.

The young lady’s earlier remark lingered stubbornly in her thoughts. Was she neglecting her duties on the estate just because she was the duke’s personal maid now?

After tying on a fresh apron, Bella stepped into the kitchen, where preparations for dinner were already in full swing.

The moment she entered, an awkward silence fell over the room.

Sensing that she was not entirely welcome, she chose to ignore the unspoken message and quietly moved among the staff.

“Why doesn’t she just stick by the duke’s side? Why come out now?”

“Exactly. After resting for days, she acts like nothing happened. Her face must be thick.”

The maids spoke openly, as though Bella were not standing right in front of them.

What troubled them most was not her recent illness. It was the fact that the duke had summoned a doctor for her and had even given up his own bedroom for her to rest in.

Bella heard every whisper and hushed remark. Yet she continued trimming the vegetables in silence.

From the moment the duke began showing concern for someone who, in their eyes, was nothing more than a maid, she had known this reaction would be inevitable. Even if it had not been her, the resentment would have fallen upon whoever was closest to him.

The difference was that she had no close ties in Rosedale. This made her an easier target.

Perhaps the days when no one paid her any attention had been better. They had been lonely, yes, but at least no one had spoken ill of her so openly or misunderstood her.

Who would have thought that one day she would long for that kind of silence?

Bella lifted her head briefly, then lowered it again and sighed quietly.

Should she have refused to attend to His Grace, regardless of what he said? Or should she have taken more care to avoid any chance encounters with him in the rear garden, as the young lady and the head maid had warned her?

Regret surfaced too late.

Time could not be turned back.

‘Should I ask Madam if I may return to Netherwell?’

While the Grand Lady was away, Netherwell was left in the care of just a few servants to look after the empty estate. There was little for her to do there, but at least she could escape the duke’s presence — and the unexpected thoughts of him that disturbed her.

They say that when someone disappears from sight, the heart eventually follows.

Thud!

Startled by the sudden blow to the back of her hand, Bella dropped the potato she had been holding. The knife slipped from its intended path and cut her left hand.

“Oh my, I’m sorry. My hand slipped.”

The apology was far too light for someone who had just drawn blood.

Bella clutched her injured hand as drops of red fell steadily to the floor. A throbbing pain radiated outward.

“Oh dear. With your hand hurt like that, you won’t be able to work for days again.”

“Go on, ask His Grace to call a physician for you. You’re good at that, aren’t you?”

Laughter spilled behind her back as she swallowed the pain.

Crimson seeped into the white apron she used to staunch the bleeding.

It hurt. It was unjust.

But Bella could not raise her voice in anger.

“What is this commotion in the kitchen?”

The head cook appeared on the scene and surveyed the disturbance. When he saw that Bella was bleeding, his expression hardened.

He recognized her immediately — she was the maid who had become the subject of gossip among the servants overnight.

After a brief hesitation, he chose not to take sides. Instead, he dismissed the other maids and sent them off to do other tasks. If he openly defended anyone here, he risked getting into trouble himself.

“You… had better return and have that treated.”

At the head cook’s weary suggestion, Bella nodded slightly.

Although she had grown used to His Grace’s praise, this was her rightful place on the estate.

As she left the kitchen, her steps felt unbearably heavy, as though she were being driven out.