Bella had been told that the doctor would arrive in the afternoon, so she opened the door without hesitation.

But when she saw who was standing there, she gasped.

It wasn’t a doctor.

A noblewoman stood before her.

Her clothing was neither extravagantly lavish nor modestly plain. She wore only a few jeweled accessories, each one quietly declaring its worth. Every detail had been carefully considered, from the fabric’s fine texture to the necklace’s exact length against her collarbone.

“My lady, if you come like this, the duke will—”

“If a mother comes to see the woman her son has hidden away, what exactly is the problem?”

The noblewoman interrupted the flustered manager with calm firmness.

Even the fine lines at the corners of her mouth seemed organized, as if she had been accustomed to authority for a long time. Her gaze settled on Bella.

It moved slowly over her, from head to toe, as though assessing her.

There was no emotion in it.

Although she had never seen her before, Bella recognized her at once. Even in stillness, her striking features stood out and bore an undeniable resemblance to the duke.

“Seeing that a guest has arrived, shouldn’t you invite her inside first? Where did you learn that it is proper to stand there and stare?”

Scarlett’s tone was calm, but edged with steel.

Bella startled back to her senses and lowered her head. Her body reacted before her mind did, stepping aside instinctively.

“…Please, come in.”

Scarlett entered without hesitation. The way she crossed into someone else’s private space exuded confidence. It didn’t seem to matter whether she had been invited or not.

Bella, who had always lowered her gaze and bowed to others from birth, came from a completely different world to this woman.

“Shall I prepare some tea?”

Hands clasped before her, Bella followed quietly behind.

“That won’t be necessary. I have no intention of staying long enough for tea.”

Scarlett declined without even turning around. There was a clear boundary in her voice. For a moment, Bella felt that her instinct to look after Scarlett — an old habit ingrained from her years as a maid — was somehow improper.

“Logan has hidden you quite thoroughly. Not a word in the papers.”

Scarlett’s eyes moved slowly around the room. A vase on the table. A few books, arranged with quiet care. Although it was only a hotel room intended for short stays, traces of someone’s daily life lingered unmistakably.

Each time Scarlett’s gaze settled on another object, Bella felt herself shrink a little more. Although most of the items had been brought by the duke, she could not shake off the uneasy feeling that her own tastes were being silently assessed.

“As a mother, how could I not be curious? Especially with such peculiar rumors circulating about Logan.”

Scarlett slowly made her way around the room. Although it was tidy and carefully arranged, it was much narrower than her own bedroom.

When she turned around, she saw an elegant, refined space — and a woman who seemed out of place in it.

Scarlett’s eyes narrowed slightly as they settled on Bella. Now that she had seen her in person, she understood why Logan had chosen to keep her by his side.

She resembled her. The girl who had once lived at the Fraser estate.

Scarlett’s mind drifted back to the girl who had lived there years ago with her parents — a fragile, pitiful child who died young in a tragic accident alongside her father. It was a face that Scarlett had once tried so hard to erase from Logan’s memory.

‘So he still hasn’t forgotten that child.’

The suspicion she had dismissed as unfounded had hardened into certainty. She felt disappointed with Logan. Despite all her efforts to erase that girl from his memory, he had kept this insignificant maid hidden away, even though he was engaged.

“You’re a maid from the Everett household.”

“…Yes.”

“I hear you came to the capital for a matchmaking.”

Scarlett took a seat on the sofa. Crossing her legs with effortless composure, she managed to look down at Bella even while sitting.

“I was told the man was of poor character. That Logan stepped in to help when you were in danger.”

“His Grace recognized that I was in trouble and offered his assistance.”

Bella answered while looking at the floor. Before the noblewoman’s interrogative gaze, she felt like a criminal and could not lift her head.

“That doesn’t mean you’ve mistaken yourself for someone special to him, I hope.”

“I have never thought such a thing.”

“I see. Even without a proper education, it seems you at least know your place.”

A faint smile touched Scarlett’s lips. Relief and contempt were intertwined within it.

“You’ve served in a noble household for years. You understand that to us, a maid is only a maid.”

Though her tone was gentle, the meaning beneath it was not.

“Logan is already engaged. He may not appear so at first glance, but he is softer-hearted than most. That is his flaw—he allows himself to be swayed by personal sentiment.”

In Scarlett’s view, this was the only flaw in her otherwise perfect son. Logan could be so cold that he seemed incapable of empathy. Yet when it came to that child, he showed a softness bordering on weakness.

“Well, he’s never caused any trouble before. I could overlook this as a belated act of rebellion. But rumors of impropriety while he has a fiancée? That serves no one.”

Scarlett spoke without pause, her tone measured and absolute. Bella remained silent.

She understood better than anyone that, in this society, a noblewoman’s words were rarely questioned.

“No matter how common it may be for a nobleman to keep a woman hidden away, you wouldn’t want to become a mistress, would you?” Even if Logan had no fiancée, you are still a commoner. Neither you nor your child could ever be formally acknowledged by a noble family. An illegitimate child would suffer just as much as its mother.”

Each word struck with deliberate precision, piercing the very truths that Bella had tried so desperately to ignore.

The distance between her and the duke was one that no amount of affection could ever bridge.

Bella tightened her clasped hands. Her nails bit into her skin, yet she scarcely felt the pain.

“Leave while I am still speaking kindly. Do not stain my son’s name. If money is what you want, I will give you as much as you require.”

“I… have never asked for anything in return.”

Bella forced the words out. Her throat felt constricted, her voice rough as though scraped raw.

“I was only being protected as a victim. His Grace and I are not in the sort of relationship you imagine, my lady.”

She denied any improper connection with the duke.

It was for his sake. And for her own.

“I am sorry for becoming entangled in unsavory rumors involving His Grace.”

Bella bowed deeply.

Scarlett looked down at her in silence. Scarlett had expected demands for money or a stubborn assertion of her feelings for Logan. Instead, Bella denied the relationship herself.

This was not the response she had anticipated.

“You are more reasonable than I thought.”

This was exactly the answer Scarlett had been looking for. It was enough.

She gave a small, satisfied nod.

Without saying another word, she rose to her feet. She was about to leave when she paused at the door and turned back.

“Do you know why Logan keeps you by his side?”

“…I was told I resemble someone he once knew.”

Scarlett studied Bella for a moment as she answered, not lifting her gaze.

Looking at the maid, who bore a striking resemblance to Maria, the woman who had served her family since her maiden days, she found that she could not be entirely cruel.

The memory of her long-serving maid surfaced unbidden: she had lost her husband and daughter in a tragic accident and died not long after.

“It is fortunate that you know that much. Had you been unaware, I might have pitied you.”

With those final words, she left the room.

The sound of the door closing echoed softly.

Once the oppressive presence had gone, Bella’s strength deserted her. She sank to the floor.

She had denied the time she had shared with the duke herself.

A complicated heaviness settled in her chest.

No tears came.

She had always known. There was no place for her in this world.

But it was different to understand it herself than to hear someone else say it aloud.

This was a whole new kind of pain.