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Chapter : 16. Chapter 2. What Faith Is (2)
【Throw cold water on it instead!】
In response to the Crown Prince’s objection, Aysilla calmly replied.
“Don’t. It’ll look cheap.”
【…….】
“Do I lack manners or money?”
Trying to “look impressive” was itself the problem, it seemed. But under the employer’s frighteningly sharp gaze, Michel had no choice but to silently open the study door.
What she hadn’t expected was the kitchen staff’s enthusiastic response to the order.
“Understood. We will comply with the lady’s command.”
“…Hmm, if there’s any cheap salt—”
“There isn’t.”
Standing beside the head chef, the sous-chef lifted his chin proudly and declared,
“Duncan only handles the highest quality goods.”
“…….”
“How could we possibly bring out anything cheap?”
…So the cooks really do take after their employer.
Michel quietly gave up.
＊ ＊ ＊
Ronel, who had spent the entire day touring the mansion with Teriet, was finally able to fall into a deep sleep while hugging Ruby tightly. The Duncan estate was far larger than even its gardens, and she had been so exhausted from wandering around that she hadn’t even had time to look outside properly.
It was exactly as Aysilla had intended.
Meanwhile, Teriet, who had gotten some exercise after a long time, had to leave the child’s room with trembling legs. Ignoring Ruby’s disdainful stare as if thinking, What kind of pathetic human is this?, he stepped out.
“Pathetic, aren’t you?”
Isa, carrying a massive jar, came down the stairs and teased him.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m pathetic. But what are you carrying?”
“Lady Aysilla told me to sprinkle salt outside.”
Isa, who had grown quite fond of the adorable young lady over the past few days, was visibly excited at the thought of sprinkling salt on “trash.”
Teriet pressed his temples.
Sprinkling salt on the Artest Count…
“You’ve really tamed your temper, haven’t you?”
It seemed the child was holding back—probably worried that the innocent little girl might get blamed for causing trouble. Teriet correctly read his daughter’s intentions and ruffled his hair.
“I thought she’d just throw trash at him.”
Well, she’d handle it her way.
He glanced toward the room where the golden-haired child was sleeping soundly.
The child would never return to Artest.
And it would be best if this situation ended without her ever knowing.
Hurry it up, Aysilla Duncan.
Dragging his shaky legs, Teriet practically crawled back to his study.
But what Aysilla had failed to consider was the child’s irregular sleep schedule. Due to past abuse, Ronel often woke up suddenly in panic. Sometimes it was because Lloyd barged in and messed up her room, sometimes because hunger made her stomach cramp.
Even though her body was now comfortable, her mind wasn’t, and she still couldn’t relax.
She was grateful—truly grateful—for how kindly Aysilla, Teriet, and everyone in this house treated her. But at the same time, she deeply believed that this happiness could vanish at any moment.
If she misbehaved… if she caused trouble… they would come to hate her.
Mary had been like that too.
At first, Mary had been kind. She gave her more food, hid her from Lloyd, even secretly applied medicine to her wounds without the Countess knowing.
But…
Because of Ronel, Mary kept getting dragged into trouble and burdened with more work. And the more that happened, the more Mary came to be disliked.
“If the young lady would just endure a little…”
It was true. If she had endured more, Mary wouldn’t have suffered.
She must not repeat the same mistake.
Don’t cause trouble. Don’t be a burden. Don’t relax just because they are kind.
That thought had become a constant in Ronel’s mind recently.
She suddenly woke up and rubbed her eyes. When she looked toward the cushion where Ruby usually slept, it was empty.
“Ruby?”
Looks like she went for a night stroll again.
“Ruby…”
Missing her cat, Ronel put on her slippers and carefully crossed the room. When she opened the door, the corridor of the Duncan mansion stretched out before her, already familiar.
Moonlight and shadows formed strange patterns along the long hallway.
Following the pale light, she walked toward the window.
In the Artest Count’s barn, the most beautiful thing had always been the night sky. Others might not understand, but to Ronel, the sky framed by the creaking window had always belonged entirely to her.
Stars scattered like spilled light, gray-blue clouds drifting slowly between them, and the moon reigning above it all.
As she approached the window, she saw the full moon illuminating the vast garden.
It was just as beautiful as the daytime garden.
Then—
The moonlight suddenly illuminated a carriage outside the garden gate.
Ronel’s eyes widened.
It looked just like the carriage she used whenever she was taken out—only…
No. It wasn’t just similar.
The crest on it was unmistakable.
Her heart dropped.
Her vision darkened. A ringing filled her ears. She froze in place, unable to move, as the name of that house slipped from her lips.
That emblem was—
“Don’t look.”
A low voice soothed her ear.
It was unmistakably Teriet’s voice.
Only then did Ronel realize the reason she couldn’t see anything clearly.
It wasn’t because she was too shocked.
It was because Teriet had covered her eyes with his hand.
“…Uncle.”
She called out nervously.
“What is it, kid?”
“That…”
Is that the Artest Count’s carriage?
She couldn’t even finish the sentence. Her face crumpled.
What should she do? Trouble had come. Something had gone wrong.
She would only cause problems for the people who saved her… for the people who were kind to her.
What if they started hating her? What if she became a burden?
Terrified, she couldn’t even ask.
Teriet tilted his head slightly and looked down at the trembling child.
“My daughter, you know…”
Ronel nodded under his hand.
“She likes clearing away trouble completely.”
“….”
“If there’s none, she’ll make some just to clear it. That thing out there doesn’t even qualify as trouble.”
Teriet pulled her away from the window and slowly lifted his hand from her eyes. Clear light-green eyes looked up at him.
“So if you don’t trust me, trust my daughter.”
“…I’m well aware that your credibility is rock bottom. Good attitude, Teriet Duncan.”
Aysilla clicked her tongue sharply.
“And maybe fix your behavior before you drag your reputation into the dirt.”
She scooped Ronel into her arms.
The child stiffened, then slowly relaxed again.
“Waking up in the middle of the night will stunt your growth.”
“S-sorry! I’ll try to grow taller…!”
Aysilla sighed internally.
Great. Now I’ve given her unnecessary pressure.
“I didn’t mean it like that. I just… wanted to sleep with you. Want to sleep together?”
“Yes… yes.”
“Then, sweetheart, can you hug my neck properly?”
Ronel quickly wrapped her arms around Aysilla’s neck.
The sight made Aysilla smile softly as she gently patted her back.
Despite the Artest trash ruining her mood all day, the child’s pure presence made everything better.
“Unnie…”
“Yes?”
“I… I…”
Ronel began to sob, clinging tightly to her neck.
She kept saying she didn’t want to be abandoned, that she didn’t mean to cause trouble.
Aysilla listened quietly, not interrupting.
And while the child cried out all her fears, she held her tightly.
＊ ＊ ＊
Moonlight spilled through the forest path, making the darkness even more eerie.
A boy walked through the shadows without hesitation.
Even in the cold autumn night wind, his small body did not tremble.
Perhaps he could not feel the cold—or perhaps he simply did not care.
Nine? Ten?
The boy had an unusually mature, exhausted look in his eyes. Beneath his gray hair, his violet eyes were heavy with fatigue.
“Your Highness the Duke.”
At the voice calling him, the boy turned calmly.
“The horses have rested sufficiently.”
He nodded twice, then began walking.
“How many hours until the capital?”
“Four hours if we ride through the night.”
“Will we arrive before sunrise?”
“It will be close.”
If Aysilla Duncan had not sent an urgent recall order, they would not have rushed back like this.
Hooves struck the ground softly.
The Duke mounted his horse with practiced ease and looked up at the sky.
The moonlight was unnaturally bright.
It spread like a silvery curtain over the forest.
After quietly observing it, the boy pulled on the reins.
“Increase the speed.”
A sharp neigh followed the command.
“Understood.”
The Duke of House Rihard, sole head of the Duchy and the only Duke of the Empire of Ederka.
Bertrand Wirchen Friedrich Le Rihard returned to the capital after a long territorial inspection.
And on this night, he rode toward Duncan Estate before sunrise
