Chapter 14

Lizette did not believe in miracles. She did not even need to look far for the basis of that belief. If such a thing as a miracle truly existed, then her mother would not have died giving birth to her.

And yet, that belief was shaken from the roots in less than a few days after she entered the ducal residence.

“Miss, did you sleep well?”

The maid Meiren woke Lizette and greeted her kindly. Lizette lifted her head and returned a gentle smile.

“Good morning.”

The people at the ducal residence were astonishingly warm. With only a slight exaggeration, they felt almost like people who had been waiting for her for a long time.

At first, she thought it was because she was Killian’s future bride, but it took less than two days for her to realize that it was kindness beyond even that. The fact that their master, who had known nothing but work, had brought home a woman seemed to be good news for everyone.

—Oh my. Miss, you are so beautiful!

—Everyone had been worried that His Grace might remain alone forever.

The miracle she had not believed in was closer than she had thought. In just one week after coming to the ducal residence, Lizette came to believe once more in that word she had doubted for so long. This place was filled with nothing but warm people. The mere fact that there were always people around her who gave warmth was enough to make her chest ache with happiness.

Looking back, even when she had recklessly sent a letter to Killian, and even when she had met him at the gallery, that word had faintly crossed her mind. A word that had once meant less than anything else in the world was now shining in Lizette’s heart every day.

“Could it be that Killian….”

“His Grace has already gone to work.”

At Meiren’s words that Killian had already left for work, Lizette froze as she stood there with her lips slightly parted in surprise. Five in the morning. It was still a time when even the chickens that crowed fiercely every morning would be fast asleep.

“What? Again?”

“It’s almost His Highness the Crown Prince’s birthday celebration. Around this time every year, he’s always terribly busy.”

As though used to Killian being that busy, Meiren explained it as though it were nothing unusual.

‘I really meant to see Killian off today, but I’m late again.’

It had already been three days since she had properly exchanged even a word with Killian. Recently, Killian had grown visibly busier, and it was common for him to return home only after Lizette had already fallen asleep. It was not merely that his time of leaving work was irregular; it was enough to make one wonder whether he was even coming home from work at all.

Before falling asleep last night, she had firmly resolved that today she would absolutely greet Killian when he left for work.

‘He came in and I didn’t even realize it, and now he’s already gone again.’

Lizette let out a small sigh. If waiting for him until he came home was impossible, then at the very least she wanted to tell him to have a good day when he left for work.

Because to Killian, who seemed to have everything, it felt as though the most she could offer him was no more than a small bit of warmth. And when even that did not come easily, Lizette somehow felt disheartened.

‘It seems she’s feeling disappointed because she hasn’t properly seen His Grace’s face for days.’

Meiren, a maid of the ducal residence, took a guess as she looked at Lizette, who seemed visibly downcast. The woman chosen by her master, who had never once paid any attention to women all his life, was enough to surprise everyone. The bad rumors about the young lady of the Trianne Marquisate were so well known that not only nobles but even the maids in estates had heard them at least once.

The fact that she had never once shown her face in society supported those baseless rumors. The Trianne Marquisate’s complete lack of rebuttal had also played its part. Yet once Meiren had actually met Lizette, all that filled her heart was shame.

“Thank you for telling me, Meiren.”

‘She called my name again.’

It was common enough for nobles to call a maid by name, but such a gentle way of calling was rare. It was obvious even just from the way she treated the servants. Lizette was a person who did not overlap in the slightest with those rumors.

She had seen her only for barely more than a week, but Meiren, an experienced veteran maid, could tell at once. Lizette was someone who had never once caused hurt to another person.

“He said he thinks he’ll be back in time for dinner this evening.”

Having gone through every sort of hardship in her long life as a maid, Meiren normally tried to avoid meddling, but for some reason she felt concern for Lizette, who seemed so dejected, and added the words without even meaning to.

“Really?”

But when Lizette broke into a bright smile, the regret Meiren had just felt faded like a mirage. It was a smile that made others feel happy as well.

“He said he should return by around five at the latest.”

With Meiren’s answer, Lizette’s busy day began.

* * *

“Why did Killian say something like that.”

After finishing a simple lunch, Lizette was walking through the back garden of the ducal residence. When she walked there, it felt as though she were looking at carefully refined works of art, and for some reason it calmed her heart.

—It is the blood that runs through my body, after all.

Ever since leaving the Marquis’s estate, Lizette had continually gone over the meaning of Killian’s words. Along with them came the memory of her father’s face stiffening awkwardly the moment he heard them.

Lizette still did not know Killian very well. But at the very least, she knew that he was not the sort of person who would say such things merely to flaunt his house. It was enough to make her feel embarrassed about the time she had once tried to rely on Killian’s background just to escape the house somehow, because he was not someone who made use of his family name that way.

—That is Cedric’s rule.

She recalled the way his mouth would harden coldly every time he mentioned his family. Lizette wanted to know what Killian had felt at that time.

But there was a proper time for questions. Had she asked him right then, it might have been different, but now, bringing up words Killian had spoken back then somehow did not appeal to her.

“It would be better not to ask.”

After thinking it through, Lizette came to a conclusion. It was not worth satisfying a single curiosity only to make Killian wear that expression again. If that was the case, then it was better for her to remain curious alone. Lizette decided to shake off the small curiosity that had gathered in her heart.

“It has to be somewhere.”

As she walked along the marble path, the scent of lavender drifted faintly through the wind. The sound of birch leaves brushing together quietly followed after it. Until yesterday, Lizette had been enjoying that gentle fragrance at her leisure, but now, for some reason, her steps were hurried.

“Found it!”

After wandering through the wide back garden for quite some time, Lizette stopped in front of a patch of clover in full bloom. White clover and red clover were blooming in a pleasing mix. Lizette’s eyes shone at the sight of her target. Thanks to that, even the lingering remnants of the complicated thoughts floating in her mind disappeared cleanly.

“I knew it, there was no way there wouldn’t be any.”

The meanings of clover flowers differed depending on the number of leaves, but in the end, no matter how many leaves there were, they all carried good meanings.

“Good, this is going exactly according to plan.”

Lizette’s eyes sparkled. Lately, she had been deeply troubled by the feeling that she had only ever received from Killian. After much thought, she had finally decided to give him something small that he could receive from no one else.

Luck and happiness.

She planned to weave together clovers with different meanings and make a ring. Lizette truly hoped that only good things would stay by Killian’s side.

The sky was clear, the sunlight warm, and from every direction came the fragrant, gentle smell of grass and flowers brushing the tip of her nose. It was peaceful beyond compare. But that peace did not last long.

“Is this not it?”

It had definitely been a perfect plan. Eat lunch, take a walk, find clovers, weave a pretty grass ring, and give it to Killian when he came home from work. But Lizette had overlooked the fact that in all her life, she had never once woven wildflowers into a ring.

That was Lizette’s fatal mistake.

“What should I do.”

The gift she had begun preparing so boldly was somehow not turning out the way she hoped. No matter how she tried weaving it this way and that, something about it looked clumsy.

One by one, ragged little rings woven from grass began piling up beside Lizette.