“Then at the meeting with each hotel branch, I will convey Your Grace’s instructions based on the summary prepared today.”

Once the meeting had concluded, the secretary gathered the documents, unable to hide his exhaustion completely.

Jeremy had managed to keep his job as Logan Fraser’s secretary for three years — a rare achievement given how often the role changed hands due to the duke’s exacting standards. However, the weekly journeys between the capital and Rosedale were beginning to take their toll on Jeremy.

“How long do you intend to remain in Rosedale, Your Grace?”

Jeremy asked cautiously.

“Your Grace, more and more visitors are requesting an audience with you each day in the capital. Lady Everett’s banquet ended some time ago, and the fire incident has now been resolved. Yet people continue to question why you have extended your stay here. There are even rumors suggesting that your health has deteriorated because of your prolonged absence.”

It is becoming increasingly difficult to turn away executives and distinguished guests with the same polite excuses. The enterprise had expanded rapidly under the Fraser name and reputation, but it still depended heavily on the duke’s presence.

“It may be time for us to return to the capital. Mother’s insistence on my marriage grows more relentless by the day, and I ought to begin searching for a suitable match. There’s also the lawsuit involving the construction company – I will need to appear in court soon. We’ve already inspected all the land in Rosedale. There’s no real reason for us to stay here any longer, is there?”

Vincent had barely had time to enjoy returning to the family estate when his mother started pressuring him relentlessly about marriage. He had been counting the days until their return to the capital ever since.

Logan stood by the window, silently listening to their arguments.

They were right.

He had known it from the beginning.

It was time to go back to the capital.

And yet, the decision did not come easily.

There were countless reasons to leave Rosedale.

But there was only one reason he wanted to stay: Bella.

She was a maid in the household of the Count of Everett.

Initially, it was her resemblance to a little girl that caught his attention. However, the more he observed how different she was from the child he remembered, the more intrigued he became. So he kept her close and watched her.

He told himself that staying a few extra days would satisfy his curiosity.

But he had come to realize something else.

He was not staying in Rosedale out of idle curiosity.

He simply wanted to stay by the maid’s side a little longer.

Bella, the nameless maid, proved to be far more captivating and enigmatic than he had anticipated.

With each passing day, he wanted to know more about her. She was the first thing he thought of when he woke up, and even while he was working, his gaze would wander towards her.

Her eyes would sparkle when she learned something new. She would blush when she received a compliment. She would hide her face behind a book and flee when their eyes met.

Bella had entered his once monotonous life like an accident.

She reminded him of the little girl who had come to live at the estate with her parents over a decade ago.

‘If I asked her to come to the capital with me… would she follow?’

At this fleeting thought, Logan scoffed quietly. He knew better than anyone that it was impossible to bring a maid with him.

He had a fiancée.

And Bella was her maid.

Although the engagement was never his choice, it was a promise sealed between families — one that could not be taken lightly.

If he wanted to keep Bella by his side — not as a servant, but as an equal — there was only one option: to take her as a concubine.

However, if he pressed the matter, Bella would probably be unable to refuse him.

Even now, she avoided his gaze, unable to express her discomfort. She could not bring herself to say that she disliked his attention.

Already aware of the reality of their situation, Bella had drawn a careful line around herself. The moment he chose to step across it, he would hurt her.

Joshua Powell’s words, spoken while Bella slept, echoed in his mind.

“Bella, my friend, carries many scars. What may seem like simple curiosity to you, Your Grace, would strike her like a storm. You know what would happen if she followed you to the capital and became caught in the divide of status and rank. So please… do not break her heart. I beg you.”

Joshua understood only too well how such differences could play out.

His own parents had divorced. Despite having a child together, they had grown up in such different worlds that they could never truly understand each other.

While the world may now claim that ability outweighs birth, in the Empire, status still reigns supreme.

To belong nowhere.

Trying to survive on love alone in such an unyielding world.

He knew what that meant.

He understood how his feelings for Bella could reshape—or perhaps even ruin—her future.

He did not want to condemn her to such a life.

And yet, he could not bring himself to leave.

It was attachment.

Just as he had once let that little girl slip through his fingers, he did not want to lose Bella too. But he was no longer a boy who could act on impulse.

He was a duke now, burdened with far heavier responsibilities than in his youth. He could not allow himself to be governed by private emotions.

“I’ll be returning to the capital soon.”

Logan spoke, gazing out of the window. Like the breeze drifting in through the open window, his heart wavered quietly.

Reason urged him to leave.

Emotion pleaded for him to stay.

Caught between the two and unable to reach a conclusion, his lingering attachment stretched on endlessly.

***

Clutching her wound, wrapped tightly in a handkerchief, Bella made her way back to her room.

At the foot of the stairs, she ran into Joshua.

“Bella! You’re finally here.”

Joshua’s face lit up at once. Anyone could see he was genuinely pleased to see her.

Bella tried to respond with a smile—but the corners of her lips refused to lift as she wished.

“Since when have you been waiting? I’m sorry. I’m so late.”

“It’s fine. I haven’t been waiting long. Shall we take a walk?”

Exhaustion weighed heavily on Bella, who was already drained of strength. But for Joshua, who had been waiting for her, she nodded.

As she descended the stairs, she slipped her hand, wrapped in a handkerchief, behind her back.

The two of them walked along the estate’s garden path and made their way towards the secluded rear grounds. Once they were sure that no one was nearby, Joshua slowed to a stop.

“I’m sorry for calling you out when you must be tired. I thought I should say goodbye before I leave.”

“So soon? You said your schedule was postponed.”

“It was. But I received an urgent message from the university. I might have to return to the capital without even seeing Grandfather.”

Joshua’s voice fell, subdued. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, unable to hide his regret.

“If it’s for school, there’s nothing to be done.”

“Yeah… I suppose not.”

He paused for a moment, then took a deep breath. A complicated expression flashed across his face. As though gathering his resolve, he turned to Bella.

“When I graduate this year, I’ll probably be offered a professorship. I’ll be able to continue my research and I’ll apparently be assigned lectures right away. My income should be stable.”

“Really? That’s wonderful. Your grandfather will be so pleased when he hears.”

Bella congratulated him sincerely. She had seen for herself how hard Joshua had worked at Netherwell. Her joy for him was genuine.

“Thank you.”

Joshua smiled at the way she clapped her hands, delighted as though it were her own achievement. Then, with a seriousness that had not been there before, he stepped closer.

“You remember what I was trying to say back then…?”

Taking Bella’s hand, Joshua began to speak. Warmth—just like his gentle nature—flowed from his palm into hers.

Watching her reaction carefully, he asked in a trembling voice,

“If I settle down in the capital… would you live with me?”

“…What?”

Bella, who had hidden her injured hand behind her back to keep him from worrying, stared at him in surprise.

It took her several seconds to fully grasp his meaning.

“Marry me.”