15.
Of course, if that were the case, she had intended to provide enough money so Sarah Orton wouldn’t have to live as a maid. From Isabella’s perspective, remarriage was a common practice among commoners, so it wouldn’t be a great loss for the girl. Even if she was a foreigner, she could always return to her homeland.
‘Even if, by any chance, Ekian returns… she seems like a child who knows how to step back reasonably.’
But there was no need to dwell on Sarah Orton any further. Isabella Mayous set down her fork.
The fewer people who knew about this, the better. If Judith Mayous already knew her plan, it was best for her to handle the rest. Besides, she already liked the girl.
“Then Karl, finish your dessert before you head up. I need to go to the garden to prepare to welcome a guest.”
“A guest?”
“Yes. I’ll introduce you later.”
Since Judith was the woman who would be entering the family as Ekian’s wife, she would have to live alongside Karl for several months. Of course, because Karl was still young, Isabella had no intention of telling him the truth just yet.
When Isabella postponed the introduction, Karl answered indifferently, looking as if he had no particular interest.
“Yes.”
After watching Karl begin to eat his dessert, Isabella rose with light movements and headed to the garden.
Since Judith had mentioned that the roses in the garden were pretty, she planned to have a tea table prepared there. Even if she left the menial tasks to the maids, she had to be the one to decide the location.
She was just inspecting the area near a beautiful rose trellis when a voice rang out.
“Madam!”
A woman came running toward her, clutching her skirts. It was Judith, her curly red hair tied high with a cotton cloth, wearing a plain beige dress and somewhat worn-out shoes. Isabella frowned, startled.
“…Judith?”
Though they certainly had an appointment, it was far too early for tea; the lunch hour had only just ended. Judith had always seemed calm, not the type to engage in such impulsive behavior.
Isabella looked at her, appearing suddenly, with wide, surprised eyes.
* * *
Karl had finished every bite of his dessert in front of the butler before standing up. His desire not to worry the Duchess was sincere. Afterward, Karl headed to the back garden.
“Young Master.”
Sarah Orton, who had been waiting for him on a garden bench, greeted him with a bright smile amidst the flowers.
“Did you have a good meal?”
“Yeah.”
“The Duchess must have been very happy.”
At Sarah’s words, Karl nodded.
“I suppose. But I couldn’t eat with her until the end.”
“Oh my, why is that?”
“Mother left early, saying she had to go to the garden to prepare for a guest.”
Sarah’s lips curved into a soft arc. She already knew the reason, but she asked to confirm. As expected, the Duchess and the maids would be preoccupied in the garden—exactly as the information she’d obtained that morning had suggested.
Sarah watched quietly as Karl hopped onto the garden swing.
The silhouette of the young man who used to stand behind the boy, pushing him as he kicked his feet, shimmered in her mind like a phantom. There had been a time when she did not doubt that the affectionate gaze once directed at Karl would one day be directed at her.
Five years ago…
Ekian, Karl, and herself. Whenever the three of them were together, it felt as if they were flying. No other maid was able to spend time with the young masters as often as she did. That fact lifted her heart even higher than the swing Karl sat on.
‘It was only possible for me, Sarah Orton.’
Everyone else was envious and jealous, yet they acknowledged that if it were Sarah, it made sense. She was the prettiest of the maids, exceptionally bright, a quick learner who had picked up reading and foreign languages without a tutor.
‘Someone like me couldn’t possibly end up as an ordinary maid.’
The envy she drew only made her more arrogant. It fueled her rationalizations, convincing her that she was meant for more than the life of a common servant.
There were countless servants in the Ducal Mansion who harbored unrequited love for her, but she had never taken an interest in a single one.
Sarah had planned to marry Ekian. A union between a maid and a Young Duke was rare, but not unheard of. It was a trope that appeared quite often in fairy tales. Even the Imperial Family had married commoners in the name of love. The marriages often fell apart quickly, but they had held the royal weddings nonetheless.
‘I was childhood friends with Ekian.’
It didn’t matter that Ekian had always kept his distance and drawn a line. Every night, Sarah would sit on that swing, kicking her feet hard as she fantasized.
If I keep staying close to Karl, time will pile up. Ekian will open his heart to me, too. I’m pretty. I’m smart. Even if I was born to the wrong parents, I am someone meant for a noble life. I will treat these maids as my subordinates and become a true member of the Mayous Ducal House.
I’m not just an ordinary commoner. I’m a commoner who is close to nobility. Young Duke Ekian and I are the perfect match. He is the only one who suits me.
That was why, after Ekian disappeared, she could not believe her dream had crumbled. Returning to being an ordinary maid was a source of tremendous frustration. Though she had never held a noble status, she felt as if something had been snatched away from her, along with the love she had held for so long.
Perhaps that was why Sarah felt a thrill while subtly tormenting Karl. She felt that if she couldn’t prove she could still manipulate the boy who represented the days when she felt close to nobility, she would surely break.
‘See? Young Master Karl only listens to me.’
Karl, who was hailed as a genius, was leaning on her. Destroying the only remaining successor meant destroying the Ducal House.
‘This Ducal House will eventually be in my hands. I am different from the other maids!’
The Duchess was gone, and there were no other eyes watching. Sarah took a small medicine bottle from inside her bodice.
“Young Master, this is it. The medicine that makes you vomit everything you’ve eaten. I barely managed to get it when I went out to the city last night.”
A shimmer of relief appeared in Karl’s eyes. Taking the bottle eagerly, he asked with sparkling, bright eyes.
“Really… if I don’t grow well and get sick often, will Hyung return if I’m a child like that?”
“Of course.”
“Just like you said, I told them I would let the tutor go and not take the Knights’ training either.”
Karl clutched the medicine bottle tightly.
“If I’m not doing well, then those things shouldn’t happen, right? Receiving successor training as if everything is fine feels too thoughtless. Thank you for telling me.”
“It’s nothing. I only said it for the Young Master’s sake.”
Sarah smiled sweetly and patted Karl’s head.
“I also wish for the Young Duke to return quickly… I miss the times when the three of us were together so much…”
At that moment, the leaves of the large, sprawling tree behind her shifted, but no one noticed. Hidden within the lush canopy, a single large leaf fluttered down, though there was no wind. A bird resting at the very top was startled by a branch moving, and it flew off with a desperate flap of its wings.
“If Young Master Karl lives too well, everyone will misunderstand,” Sarah said gently, her back to the tree. “They’ll say that because Ekian disappeared, Young Master Karl is happy about it.”
“Ah…”
“If things go on like this, you’ll be the Young Duke soon. The timing is even worse.”
“That’s right. You’re right.”
Karl said gloomily, clutching the medicine bottle. Even the sunlight filtering through the leaves could not brighten his dark face.
“There’s been no proof he’s alive for five years, so they say a death declaration for Hyung is coming soon… It makes no sense for me to be doing well.”
“That’s exactly it.”
Sarah, wearing an expression as dark as Karl’s, sighed and nodded.
“Of course, the Duke and the Duchess want you to live well, but… you have to think about the eyes of the outside world. Though, of course, it would be even better if Ekian returned because he was worried about you.”
“That’s right.”
“So drink it quickly. That is the way for the sake of Ekian.”
Sarah wiped away a few tears, sniffing, and opened the lid of the bottle with her long, white fingers.
“Young Master, I will bring this medicine after every meal from now on. That way, without making the Duke and the Duchess worry…”
That was when it happened.
“No!”
With a high-pitched scream, someone rushed over in an instant and knocked the medicine bottle straight out of Karl’s hand.