CH 16

It was a different feeling from what she had ever experienced so far.

The cat, who was grooming its fur, was paying close attention to Charelize. It put the hem of her dress in its mouth and pulled it somewhere.

“Meow.”

“Lili, why are you doing this all of a sudden?”

“Meow.”

“You want me to follow you?”

“Meow!”

Charelize was taken aback by the cat’s behavior. Her headache had stopped, and she adjusted to the rhythm for now.

She got up from her seat and walked in the direction the cat was leading. The place where they stopped was Arensis’s bedroom. The cat pushed the slightly open door and pulled Charelize in.

“Lili, this is rude.”

“…Meow!”

Charelize groaned as she tilted her head at the cat’s incomprehensible behavior. The cat lifted its front paw and tapped its chest several times as if frustrated.

“Ha?”

Exhaled in bewilderment, Charelize found a picture frame lying on the bedside table. She didn’t think much of it and hurriedly tried to get out of the bedroom, but there was something strange about it.

“These flowers will all wither someday. So what’s the point?”

“Do you really think so?”

“Yes. So let’s just go, Lize.”

“The place may change, but the time we spent together remains the same. So, let’s take a picture so it can last forever.”

Memories that she had never experienced at all have been churning in her head more and more these days.

Charelize took a closer look at the picture frame placed on top. The frame contained a picture of her in her childhood. She had no memory of taking pictures like this. The flower field in the background was also a place she had never seen before.

However, it was clear that the picture contained her. There was no way to manipulate the picture documenting that time’s memories. That was why the situation only seemed more complicated.

What was in the picture was obviously herself. She, of course, had no memory of that. There was still nothing that came to her mind about Arensis. Only the shallowing things ran through her head from time to time, causing only slight confusion.

Suddenly tears flowed. Charelize didn’t want to be caught crying. In the end, Charelize’s choice was to get out of this place before he came back.

“Little Duchess.”

When she opened the door, an old man in charge of this mansion was waiting for her.

“I heard you were hurt. The young master will bring you medicine soon…”

“I’m not seriously hurt.”

“However…” the old man answered Charelize with a worried look.

“Tell him not to worry. I’ll see him soon.”

Even the old man couldn’t stop Charelize at her stubborn answer.

Charelize took Hailey back to the Marsetta Duchy.

* * *

“Then we will decide on this at a later meeting.”

“Yes.”

On that day, as usual, Charelize signed the papers as she received a report from the vassal.

“Your Highness, this is Martin.”

“Come in.”

She allowed Martin to come in.

“What’s going on?”

“Your Highness… that’s… I think you should come out right now…”

“What the hell is going on?” asked Charelize, puzzled by Martin’s words as if something big was about to happen.

It hadn’t been a while since she returned from her vacation to Viscount Rael. Charelize was worried that something had happened to her nanny.

“Master has invited the noble ladies to the tea party for lady Lillian.”

“Tea party?”

“It is said that Lari has ruined the dress of one of the noble ladies and is kneeling on her knees as punishment.”

The answer came back like throwing a stone on her peaceful day. Hearing Martin’s words, she hurried to the garden where the tea party was going.

“You humble thing! Do you know what the hell you did?”

“What are you doing without apologizing to Lady Aretta, Lari?”

“Are you unable to hear the Princess?”

“Lady, did you get any injuries?”

There, along with Lillian, the noble ladies surrounded Lari. Although it seemed as if she was trying to stop the young lady who was about to slap Lari on the cheek by raising her hand, Lillian smiled softly.

“What is this now!”

“G-Greetings to the little Duchess.”

“May Goddess Resina’s blessing reach you.”

“My name is Luise, the second daughter of Baron Jeron, Your Highness.”

It was cumbersome and annoying to respond to them one by one, so Charelize left them alone.

“Please explain in a way that I can understand, Lillian.”

“…”

“Otherwise…”

“It will be you who will kneel here today.”

Lillian answered immediately without panic as if she had expected this.

“Lari had ruined Lady Aretta’s dress.”

“…”

“I was just punishing the servant who had sinned against my guest… But Sister doesn’t praise me, rather gets angry… I feel… frustrated.”

“Don’t cry, Princess.”

“It is a misunderstanding by the little Duchess. It’s not that little Duchess hates Princess.”

“Calm down, Princess Lillian.”

The young ladies, who were watching the scene, comforted Lillian.

“Princess Lillian did nothing wrong.”

“…”

“My name is Freya Poen de Aretta, the eldest daughter of Count Aretta.”

Freya, who can be said to be the victim of this case, came forward. She insisted that Lillian did nothing wrong.

“Then… are you saying it’s all the fault of Lady Aretta?”

“Little Duchess doesn’t know what has happened?”

“I don’t know?”

“Obviously, that lowly thing did something wrong to me first, and the Princess did it for me—”

“You better close your mouth now.”

Freya referred to Lari kneeling down as a lowly thing. Upon hearing this, Charelize’s expression quickly hardened. She made her shut her mouth as she was talking.

“Lari is my exclusive maid. Except for the butler and head maid, that kid is in a pretty high position.”

“…”

Charelize shifted her gaze to Lillian.

“You must have heard it before. No one can call my exclusive maid I have without my permission.”

Charelize said with a smirk, and her brows narrowed.

“I never knew she was the little Duchess’s exclusive maid.”

“Lady Aretta.”

“…yes, little Duchess.”

“I already said it before. It would be better for you to keep your mouth shut.”

“…”

“I’m not talking to Lady right now.”

At Charelize’s words, Lillian stuttered more, and tears rose in her eyes.

“Sister, I-I… just… Lari… She always looked at me terrifyingly when it was only the two of us, so… I wanted to get along well…”

Lillian made it seem as if I was angry because of trivial matters.

“Even if Lari isn’t my exclusive maid.”

“…”

“You don’t have the authority to order the servants of the Marsetta Duchy.”

“Si-Sister… that’s, what do you mean now…?”

“Princess?”

Charelize was filled with anger. The situation itself seemed to give Lillian a room.

“To be called a ‘princess’ for an illegitimate child who hasn’t yet entered the family register…”

“…”

“This is an insult for me, as the little Duchess and the successor of the Duke family, and to my mother, the daughter of the previous emperor.”

As soon as Charelize finished speaking, the noble ladies let go of their hands as if they had never comforted Lillian. They looked surprised and pretended not to know Lillian, as if they had planned it before.

In fact, it was annoying that they treated Lillian as a ‘Princess.’ Although it was belatedly rebuilt, Lillian was the blood of the Luxen family when their family was wiped out for treason. She was just an adopted daughter of the collapsing Bron Buzz, who had a small estate on the outskirts.