Chapter 11
“What is it?”
As the maid across from her leaned in eagerly, Bella’s attention also focused on the one speaking.
“She originally came in as the young lady’s maid, but she got caught flirting with the young master and was kicked out to the dowager’s estate!”
“Really?”
“Not just the young master. I heard she was famous for acting cute around the other male servants too.”
Flirting with the young master on purpose… It was a ridiculous rumor. She had only left together with the dowager when the older woman moved to Netherwell from the estate. But while she had been staying at the dowager’s house, the rumor had spread uncontrollably, and by now it had become accepted as fact.
Bella had only learned today that such talk had been going on behind her back. No one had ever told her.
“This is why favoritism is scary. She’s still not fired just because she’s been here since she was young.”
“If it were us, we would’ve been thrown out the very day the duke chose her as his personal maid.”
“Do you think she flirted with the duke too?”
“Well… actually, I’ve lost my memory. Maybe if I kiss the duke, my memory will come back?”
The maid said that in a coquettish voice.
“Hahaha! If I’d known, I would’ve pretended to lose my memory too!”
The maids burst into laughter and went into their room. Only after they disappeared behind the door did Bella finally let out the breath she had been holding.
Hearing those words no longer made her angry. Instead, she felt powerless.
Since childhood, Bella had always been alone. The servants at the estate changed often. Sometimes she made friends, but none of them stayed long.
When the servant who had grown close to her quit, the rumors about Bella grew even worse. She had tried explaining. She had tried saying it was unfair. But the more she spoke, the colder people became.
When she was younger, that reaction had hurt her. Now she understood.
They were never interested in the truth.
Even after finishing the cold bread in her hand, Bella remained sitting on the dark staircase for a long time. Once she confirmed no one was around, she quietly moved away.
***
“What’s the point of the duke arriving before everyone else if he’s not here on the most important day? I told everyone he would attend this birthday party. What am I supposed to do now?”
It was the morning of the banquet, but there was still no word from the duke.
After staying up all night waiting for Logan’s call, Amelia sat at her vanity with a tired body. Her makeup was applied heavily over her exhausted skin.
“There was an urgent issue at the hotel. I’m sure he had no choice. Vincent went with him, so let’s wait for news.”
“How am I supposed to explain it when I don’t even know what happened? Everyone will ask where the duke is as soon as they see me. I’m so embarrassed I don’t even want to greet them!”
Amelia stomped her foot in frustration.
Because she could not greet guests with an angry face on such an important day, the countess tried repeatedly to calm her down, but it was not enough to soothe Amelia’s hurt feelings.
If only he had at least called.
Despite everyone waiting, the telephone at the estate remained silent.
“What did that girl say?”
“She said she doesn’t know anything else.”
“She’s the duke’s personal maid, and she knows nothing? She’s useless even at times like this. Add more volume to my hair. It looks flat and awful.”
“Yes, Miss.”
“Ugh, nothing goes the way I want. This is the worst.”
At the head maid’s response, Amelia angrily threw the fan she was holding.
She was wearing a custom-made dress ordered months ago and expensive jewelry her father had given her days earlier for her birthday, but her mood refused to improve.
As carriages began arriving one by one, Amelia forced herself outside to greet the guests with an awkward smile.
As expected, more people asked about the duke’s whereabouts than wished her a happy birthday. She explained that he had stepped away briefly due to hotel business, but few believed her.
In the cold noble society, silence became suspicion, and small suspicion easily turned into gossip. It would only be a matter of time before rumors about their engagement, which had never once been displayed publicly together, spread even further.
Amid silent mockery, Amelia struggled to keep her composure.
She could not let the birthday she had long awaited become the worst day of her life.
All she could do was wait for the duke to return.
***
Fortunately, Bellington, where the accident occurred, was not far from Rosedale.
News that the Duke of Fraser was visiting Bellington drew reporters in large numbers. As his vehicle arrived at the hotel entrance, journalists holding notebooks and pens rushed forward.
“Duke Fraser! What do you believe caused the fire?”
“Do you suspect arson?”
“Please give us a statement!”
“Please step back. The duke has just arrived. Please wait for the official announcement.”
As reporters crowded the entrance, Vincent blocked the doorway. Logan gave no response and walked straight through the crowd toward the scene.
“What’s the situation?”
“One fatality. One employee suffered burns while extinguishing the fire, but the injuries are not severe.”
The hotel manager followed behind him, explaining. His tense expression reflected the seriousness of the situation.
“The fire broke out in a detached building separate from the main structure. A gardener noticed it early, so it was extinguished quickly, and the damage was limited. As instructed, nearby guests have been upgraded one room level and have agreed to continue their stay.”
The manager’s explanation naturally stopped when they reached the charred site. Logan stepped inside, walking over the burned debris. The room reeked of smoke, and the first thing that caught his eye was a body covered with a white sheet.
“Feloche Patrick. Forty-one years old. A coal businessman active in the eastern continent. He entered the western region a week ago and had been staying at our hotel for three days.”
When the manager lifted the sheet, a body burned so black it was almost unrecognizable was revealed.
Logan’s gaze fixed on the corpse.
The body was curled inward, as if it had struggled desperately in burning pain until its last breath. The mouth had not even closed.
Logan knew this kind of body.
When he closed his eyes, the memory returned as vividly as if it had happened yesterday.
The sharp smell of smoke. The sky glowing red. Flames devoured the estate, collapsing even the strong pillars that supported it.
“Water! Bring more water!”
“There are still people trapped inside!”
“Anne! Peter! Derek!”
“What do we do…!”
Amid the thunderous sound of the building collapsing, screams echoed. Men shouted as they threw water, calling desperately for those who could not be seen. The flames that consumed the estate only burned more fiercely in the night wind, as if mocking their despair.
“Thank goodness… Logan, if I had lost you too, I…”
His mother weeping as she held him, while he stood blankly wrapped in a blanket, watching the estate collapse. His father, found in the burned ruins, a button still clutched in his hand.
Young Logan could do nothing but watch the fire that only died after burning everything to ash. All he could do was curse his own helplessness and vow to grow stronger.
“Your Grace?”
Pulled from the inescapable ghosts of his past by someone calling him, Logan turned his head.
It was the manager.
“How would you like us to address the press?”
Seeing the duke’s distant expression, the manager repeated himself. They needed to make a statement quickly to prevent speculation from the media.
“Tell them it was an accidental fire caused by the guest while lighting a heater. Say that the Fraser Company will handle the investigation directly.”
Back in the present, Logan gave instructions calmly, hiding his slightly trembling hand inside his pocket.
As he looked over the scene, darkness settled in his blue eyes.
A sharp ringing filled his ears, and his head throbbed painfully.
