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chapter 07
Ibnia walked forward and lightly brushed her fingertips over the clothes hanging on the rack.
Every single piece looked like a luxury item. Even the feel of the fabric was clearly different.
She asked in admiration,
“When were all these prepared?”
“Well… when I first came here, most of them were already filled. I heard Lord Ram bought them one by one whenever he thought of it.”
“He bought them himself?”
“Yes, for his bride.”
Hannah answered proudly.
It seemed like she wanted Ibnia to be touched by Agram’s sincerity, but as a temporary guest who was only staying here because of his kindness, the only thing Ibnia felt was pressure.
She quickly pulled her hand away from the wardrobe and asked,
“Can I really wear these?”
“Huh?”
Hannah blinked blankly, then nodded as if she finally understood.
“Oh! I’ll set aside a day and ask Guillermo to adjust all the sizes for you. Just bear with it for today. Luckily, it doesn’t look too different from your measurements…”
“No, that’s not what I mean. I’m not really the bride. I shouldn’t use something that belongs to someone else.”
Hannah tilted her head, looking confused.
“Um… aren’t you Miss Ibnia?”
“That’s true, but the one who was supposed to be Lord Ram’s bride was originally my sister, Emilia.”
“That was ten years ago. After she passed away, the bride who would come here changed to you, Miss Ibnia. I’ve always thought the one I’d serve would be you.”
“You knew I was coming? But Lord Ram…”
“I knew. Guillermo knew, Seven knew, and Sir Max knew. As for Levi… I’m not sure. But the only one who definitely didn’t know was Lord Ram. He’s been sleeping for the past ten years.”
Come to think of it, Guillermo had said something similar earlier.
Did that mean he hadn’t just been wasting time, but literally sleeping for ten whole years?
Ibnia asked in disbelief,
“That’s even possible?”
“Well… it might sound pathetic, but please understand. People tend to sleep more when they’re depressed. Lord Ram was deeply heartbroken after hearing about your sister’s death. He probably cried a lot where no one could see.”
As Hannah explained, an image of a man crying uncontrollably came to Ibnia’s mind.
It didn’t suit the monstrous Ram, but for someone who had waited only for his wife’s reincarnation, it didn’t seem impossible.
What must he have felt when he learned that the wife he longed for had died again before he could even reach her?
“I don’t think it’s pathetic.”
Ibnia spoke impulsively.
She had no intention of belittling his love like that.
Recalling the warm look in Agram’s eyes as he looked at his dead wife, she added slowly,
“I actually think… he’s a very good person.”
Hannah’s face brightened at her words.
Now even more excited, Hannah began searching through the dressing room for clothes that might suit Ibnia.
“That’s right. There are a lot of bad rumors about the master outside, but people just don’t know the truth. I’ve lived in this region my whole life—I know he’s so lazy he couldn’t even kill a mosquito. He sometimes raises his voice at Guillermo, but if you think about it, it’s always Guillermo’s fault. He was the one who ignored the master’s order to cancel the marriage proposal and didn’t pass it on.”
So that was why the marriage arrangement had continued without the person involved even knowing—someone had clearly interfered.
Thinking of how polite Guillermo had been, it didn’t seem like he had done it out of bad intentions.
“If Lord Ram had gone outside more, he wouldn’t have been tricked like that. But as you saw, he never wanted to get out of bed… At one point, he even put up a barrier around his room and shut himself in. The only one who could enter was Guillermo, so we couldn’t even report it.”
“Then why did Guillermo insist on accepting a bride that the master didn’t even want?”
“I’m not sure. When I asked if there was no longer a need to employ me, he said Lord Ram still needed a bride. That’s when I realized he was doing it on purpose.”
“Well, thanks to that, I didn’t lose my job.”
Hannah added with a smile and held out a few sets of indoor clothes, telling Ibnia to choose one.
After some hesitation, Ibnia picked the simplest chemise.
She didn’t think Agram would demand repayment for what she used, but she still wanted to accept only what she could repay.
As she awkwardly touched the unfamiliar clothes, she said,
“But marriage should only happen if both people want it. Lord Ram doesn’t seem to have any intention of meeting another woman besides his late wife.”
“Hmm… Guillermo isn’t human, so his way of thinking is a bit unusual… I can’t really explain why he did it. He’s very immersed in his role as a butler, so maybe he just wanted a lady to serve.”
Hannah added a guess that sounded strangely realistic—and therefore even more unsettling.
Ibnia recalled Guillermo proudly serving food earlier and fell silent.
Hannah carefully watched her expression and spoke again,
“But I do agree that Lord Ram needs someone new. He’s been lonely for a very long time. I’ve heard his late wife was a wonderful person, but I’m not sure if loving someone like that is truly a good thing.”
No matter how happy they had been in the past, how much they loved each other, it had all ended long ago.
Because those precious times existed, his days without her must have been even more painful.
Was it really a good choice to keep clinging to a relationship that had already passed?
Enduring endless pain for the sake of brief happiness—was that closer to a reward, or a punishment?
Hannah asked that, but Ibnia couldn’t answer. It wasn’t her place to decide.
After a long silence, Ibnia changed the subject.
“By the way, Hannah… are you not human too?”
“Huh?”
“Sorry if that’s rude. You seem about my age, but you know a lot about the past, so I wondered.”
“Oh, no! I’m human. I’m twenty years old. I just know a lot about this castle because I’ve lived here since I was a baby. Guillermo found me abandoned on the street and brought me here to be the lady’s maid.”
“…He hired a baby as a maid? Twenty years in advance?”
“The people here don’t really have the same sense of time as ordinary people.”
Hannah laughed awkwardly.
Twenty.
That was exactly the same age as Ibnia’s sister, Emilia.
Which meant this maid had been prepared for her sister since the day she was born.
Just like this wardrobe full of affection—prepared with the hope that the new bride, far from her family, would live comfortably and peacefully.
Ibnia suddenly remembered Agram lying gloomily in his bed.
And the people of the Hessen family crying endlessly when they heard about her sister’s death.
“Ah… so this place is just like our home…”
This castle had been preparing to welcome her sister even before she was born, while the Hessen family had been willing to sacrifice anything to protect their daughter.
Suddenly, she became curious.
What kind of life would it be, where the entire world moved for your happiness?
What would it feel like to be loved by everyone?
