RALMH 23

Chapter 23

Duke Ian Dayban sent Cain over almost every day. The food that arrived each time was always something different.

“Here, Sir Cain, you should have some too.”

Then one day, perhaps because the head chef had finally run out of ideas, Cain brought what looked like a pie he had bought outside.

Unable to watch any longer, Betty eventually offered him some as well.

“But why does His Grace go out of his way to keep sending food to a maid like you?”

Betty gave a troubled smile. She didn’t want to lie to the kind-hearted Cain, so she chose to be honest.

There wasn’t much worth hiding, anyway.

“Well… I’m not exactly well-liked here. Serving the Lady is a privilege, you see. I think His Grace noticed when he saw me eating alone and realized.”

Of course, as for the deeper question of why the Duke would bother in the first place, Betty had no answer.

She could only assume it was part of his concern for the young Lady.

Sir Cain, who had just snatched up a slice of walnut pie and was chewing, quickly picked up on her roundabout words. His face tightened.

“No matter what, there’s no one as kind as you, my lady maid.”

At some point, Cain had begun to address her as “maid-nim” — attaching an honorific to her title, whether as a show of friendliness or something else entirely.

Betty had long since given up telling him to stop calling her that strange title and instead corrected him on something else.

“I’m really not that kind.”

“Anyone who shares their food is kind.”

Cain finished off the pie in no time, brushed the crumbs from his hands, and continued:

“Does the young Lady not know about this?”

It was a difficult question to answer.

If she spoke carelessly, it could sound as though she were asking him to tattle to Vivian about the other servants’ behavior instead of speaking for herself.

So Betty only gave an awkward smile and said nothing.

Fortunately, Cain pressed no further. He only made a low “hm” sound, as if in thought.

At the time, Betty thought Cain would leave it at that — quietly, without meddling.

But she soon realized he had, in fact, taken action.

Because a few days later, at dawn, Vivian Shartré sat cross-armed with a pout on her face, glaring at Betty.

“You. If you can’t even manage to eat properly, you should have told me.”

“How… how did you know?”

“One of His Grace’s men told me yesterday when he came to visit. Said you’ve been skipping breakfast.”

Her words carried both reproach — do I really need to hear this from someone else? — and guilt, since Vivian had been sleeping comfortably while Betty went hungry. Betty was left speechless.

Vivian then declared firmly:

“I’ll get up earlier from now on.”

“You don’t have to do that, my lady.”

“No. I’ve decided.”

With Vivian’s iron will in action, Cain’s daily visits ended.

In the end, the breakfast matter was resolved as a minor incident.

Still, Betty couldn’t shake the strange suspicion that it was Duke Ian Dayban who had made sure Vivian found out about her situation.

Even though he himself hadn’t spoken a single word directly.

Especially since she’d begun noticing, more and more, that whenever the Duke visited the mansion or accompanied the young Lady on outings, his gaze would linger on her for long stretches of time.

Vivian Shartré, who loved sweets, enjoyed visiting dessert shops.

It didn’t matter if Duke Ian Dayban happened to join them.

Vivian was so unconcerned with his presence that her usual habits and favorite spots didn’t change.

“What should we pick today? Betty, you choose something too.”

“I’m fine, my lady.”

“Alright then, I’ll choose for you.”

Standing in the middle of the shop, filled with the sweet scent of sugar, Vivian wore a satisfied smile.

Just then, Betty glanced up — only to lock eyes once again with the Duke, who was staring straight at her.

At this point, it can’t be a coincidence.

Whether they were having tea in the manor or going out for a short trip, every time Vivian met formally with Duke Dayban, Betty found their eyes meeting with peculiar frequency.

And yet, whenever they did meet eyes, he would only turn his gaze away slowly, without a word.

Those deep navy eyes of his were so calm and unreadable that Betty could never make out his feelings or thoughts.

And I can’t even tell if this is just my imagination or not. It’s too awkward to suddenly ask why he keeps looking at me…

As Vivian pondered seriously over which cookies to buy, Betty, who had been standing quietly behind, was startled when the Duke suddenly addressed her.

“You don’t care much for sweets, do you?”

“…Me?”

She repeated without thinking, unsure if she’d heard right — was he really asking about her tastes?

Looking up, she met his steady gaze and quickly realized her question had been rude. She hurried to answer.

“I don’t particularly like or dislike them, Your Grace.”

Her simple, neutral reply cut the conversation short.

That was what she had intended — but even after she turned her head back forward, she could still feel his gaze lingering on her.

After a moment’s hesitation, Betty decided this was as good a chance as any. She looked back up at him carefully and asked:

“Your Grace… is there something you wish to order me to do?”

“No. Nothing.”

His answer came almost too quickly, and another awkward silence fell.

Even though he was usually the type to speak his mind without hesitation, even before the Emperor — now, strangely, he hesitated, lips moving as though searching for words, before settling on something obvious.

“How is Marchioness Prowell these days?”

“She is well, Your Grace.”

“She may seem exacting, but she is actually a very warm-hearted lady.”

“I believe so too.”

In Betty’s eyes, the Marchioness wasn’t especially exacting at all.

Apart from her kindness toward Betty, Vivian herself could be quite particular on a daily basis.

And since the Marchioness had once cared for her ailing mother, Betty could understand the occasional mood swings of such a woman.

“I ought to pay her a visit myself soon.”

And then, silence again. Ian’s eyes habitually sought Betty’s face once more.

The heavy, sorrowful expression she had worn when he had once caught her alone was gone now.

“Betty! Come here, look — I think this one is new!”

“Yes, my lady.”

Vivian’s cheerful voice drew Betty’s attention and pulled her away.

Ian’s gaze naturally shifted to the two women chatting together.

“Should I try this one?”

“Why not pick both?”

“That would be too much. I don’t think I could finish. But if you promise to share it with me later at teatime, then I’ll get it.”

At Vivian’s playful coaxing, Betty could only nod, and Vivian’s face lit up with a bright smile.

Ian paid little mind to the fact that he was utterly excluded from that warm little scene.

He simply continued to quietly observe the faint, delicate smile that spread across Betty’s lips.

“Maid-nim looks much brighter than when we first met, don’t you think?”

At the voice from beside him, Ian glanced over. Cain was looking at him, as though seeking agreement.

“Don’t you agree, Your Grace?”

“Her aunt’s recovery is going well. That must be why.”

Even Ian himself couldn’t say why he had ordered to receive constant updates on that matter — or why he kept listening to them.

Still, it was true that the news had lifted much of the shadow from Betty’s face.

“Well, I was actually referring to when Your Grace all but pushed me to quietly let the Lady know that her maid was being mistreated. But yes, that could be another reason.”

Cain’s grumbling had its reasons.

After all, if it was about the beloved maid of Lady Shartré, it wouldn’t have been strange for the Duke himself to speak up.

Why, then, had his lord pressured him — to act as though by chance and subtly reveal Betty’s situation to the young Lady? He truly couldn’t understand.

“Are you saying it was an improper order?”

“If you put it like that, it makes me sound unjust. Of course it was proper. And when have I ever disobeyed Your Grace’s orders?”

“You’re doing so right now.”

“Well, that’s….”

Though Ian quickly silenced Cain, he was aware too — that he was paying far too much attention to Betty. Enough that even others could see it.