Chapter: 08
“Lady Vally, you look surprisingly good even in a maid’s uniform!”
“Really? I suppose it’s because of all the effort Edel put into it.”
Edel gave Vally’s clothes one final adjustment. She tied Vally’s light green hair high on top of her head, covered it with a headscarf, and even put a hat over it so that her face could not be seen.
“In the morning, the servants will be busy preparing breakfast for the masters, so you probably won’t run into anyone. Still, just in case, be careful not to make eye contact with anyone.”
“All right. I’ll quietly hide and make my way out.”
“Once you leave the mansion’s main gate, don’t look back and run.”
After checking the hat one more time, Edel smiled brightly. It was a smile full of encouragement for Vally.
“Edel, leave exactly thirty minutes after I do.”
“All right. Just as we planned, I’ll hide at an inn in the city.”
“Be careful when you come out. Don’t get hurt under any circumstances. If our parents catch you, just say that I forced you to do everything.”
Even as she was leaving, Vally was more worried about Edel than herself.
Realizing how much Vally cared about her, tears welled up in Edel’s eyes.
“You mustn’t get hurt either, Lady Vally. I heard the Duke of Viterad is violent and barbaric.”
“You know how heartless my parents are too. You need to be even more careful, Edel.”
“You’re the one who shouldn’t worry. You know how agile I am.”
The two of them continued worrying about each other until the very end.
But they could not delay any longer, so they reluctantly left the bedroom.
Vally took routes through the mansion where servants rarely passed and headed outside.
Fortunately, since the servants barely paid any attention to her presence, she was able to leave through the main gate without any trouble.
Vally looked down at her feet after stepping outside.
Then she remembered Edel’s words not to look back and began running with all her strength.
Straight toward the Viterad estate, where Wayne was.
“Your Grace! Your Grace the Duke! Please wake up!”
Wayne’s aide, Piru, burst through both doors of the bedroom decorated with red wallpaper and white marble.
At his shouting, Wayne’s sleeping brow immediately furrowed.
“You’re noisy.”
Wayne threw a pillow toward Piru, clearly telling him to leave at once.
But Piru caught the pillow with practiced ease and quickly set it aside before continuing.
“Someone has come to see you.”
“It must be a reporter. Throw them out.”
“It isn’t a reporter. A maid has come.”
“Then let her in.”
“That’s why I’m reporting to you, Your Grace! She isn’t one of the maids from our estate!”
Piru raised his voice even more, urging Wayne to get up.
Wayne rubbed his face and sat up.
His bare body, which had been hidden beneath the white blanket, was fully exposed.
“A maid from another family came?”
“Yes. But the maid said that she had made a promise with the Duke.”
“What promise?”
“She said something rather absurd. That’s why the guards haven’t even opened the gate……”
“What did she say?”
Piru, whose brown hair was neatly arranged, pushed up his large glasses before answering.
“Well…… she said she made a promise with Your Grace to make a flower bloom.”
Wayne had been listening lazily while leaning against the headboard.
But his eyes slowly became clear.
‘Revive the flower within two minutes and reduce its recovery time to one hour within three days.’
She really came.
A faint smile spread across Wayne’s face as he realized that Vally had come.
Piru immediately understood the meaning behind that expression, and his eyes widened as though they might pop out.
“Could she really be a maid you know?”
“Let her in.”
Wayne rose from the bed.
Since he was completely naked, Piru expertly lowered his gaze.
Wayne chuckled and put on the navy-blue robe that had been lying on the bedroom table.
“We’ll have to see what kind of relationship we’ll have from now on.”
“Please wait here for a moment. His Grace will be here soon.”
Vally, who had been stopped by the guards at the main gate, was fortunately allowed into the reception room.
Finally, the moment had come for her to face Wayne.
Her palms began to sweat from anticipation and nervousness.
“I have to do it. I absolutely have to……”
She was muttering to herself as though trying to hypnotize herself when—
Click.
The sound of the door opening made Vally spring to her feet.
“Duke! I came to keep the promise we made that day—Why, why are you naked again?!”
Wayne appeared even more undressed than the first time she had seen him.
He was wearing only loose white silk pants and a thin navy-blue robe.
The robe was almost completely open in front, revealing Wayne’s muscular body as though he were practically naked.
At least on the terrace, it had been nighttime and the surroundings had been dark.
But now, it was broad daylight.
Sunlight poured through the large windows, making Wayne’s body even more visible.
“You, you can’t just walk around half-naked like that……!”
Vally covered herself with both hands again, sat back down on the sofa, and hunched her shoulders as much as possible.
Wayne stood at the entrance to the reception room with his arms crossed, staring at Vally with an expression of disbelief.
“It’s my mansion. I can wear whatever I want.”
“Y-yes, that’s true. This is the Duke’s mansion……”
“You’re covering your body instead of your eyes again. You might as well just look.”
“N-no! I’m not looking!”
She vigorously shook her head in denial before obediently lowering her hands onto her lap.
Wayne stared intently at Vally before sitting on the sofa opposite her.
“Today is the day we agreed upon, but I didn’t expect you to come this early. Especially dressed like that.”
Vally unnecessarily fidgeted with her maid’s uniform.
“I had some circumstances I needed to deal with.”
“Are those circumstances related to your face?”
Vally’s head shot up.
Wayne tapped his own cheek on the same side as Vally’s still-swollen cheek.
At the gesture, Vally quickly raised her hand and covered the cheek her parents had struck.
Being a daughter who was not loved by her family had always been her greatest weakness.
“…No. I just injured this because of my own mistake.”
“Hmm.”
Wayne stared at her for a moment before casually crossing his legs.
“The fact that you came all the way here means you passed the test I gave you, I assume?”
“Of course. Just as you said, Duke, I can revive a flower within two minutes.”
“I’ll confirm it now.”
Wayne reached into the bouquet of pink geraniums in the vase on the reception room table, pulled out a single flower, and grabbed it firmly.
The heat caused its moisture to evaporate extremely quickly, and he placed it on the table just before it became completely brittle.
Then he took out the hourglass he had prepared and shook it toward Vally.
“This is a one-minute hourglass. Revive the flower before the sand runs out twice.”
“Yes.”
“The moment you take hold of the flower, we’ll begin.”
Vally leaned forward in her seat.
As expected, the flower was much drier and more withered than the ones she had bought at the flower market.
She let out a short breath and furrowed her brow as she stared down at it.
Her fate depended on this one flower.
“I’ll do it.”
The moment Vally reached out and grasped the flower, Wayne turned the hourglass over.
She closed her eyes and first calmed her mind.
This isn’t the Viterad estate.
This is my bedroom.
The bedroom where I’ve revived countless wilted flowers.
After taking a deep breath, she slowly gathered her magical power.
She moved the magical power generated from her heart like a wave, drawing it into her palm.
Then she spread it through the stem and petals of the flower she was holding.
Vally kept her eyes closed as she set the flower down.
Only then did she slowly open her eyes to check it.
“…I did it.”
The tips of the green leaves near the stem were still slightly wilted, but the flower had recovered enough to serve its purpose.
Wayne reached out and grabbed the exact same stem that Vally had held.
Once again, it did not burn.
“Does this mean I passed?”
Vally asked while breathing slightly heavily.
Wayne put the flower down again.
“There’s still something left to check.”
“The recovery time?”
“That’s right. Come back in an hour.”
After giving her the instruction without allowing any room for discussion, Wayne abruptly stood up and left the reception room.
“What are you doing going inside dressed like that……!”
Piru, who had been waiting outside the reception room, hurried over while nervously stamping his feet.
“There may be a chance that I’ll never see her again after today, so it doesn’t matter.”
“I’ve always told you, Your Grace. Wherever you are, you should at least dress and behave with basic decorum……”
“You’re noisy.”
Wayne waved his hand, telling Piru to keep his distance.
Piru immediately backed away as though Wayne were holding a deadly weapon.
“Should I send the maid who came here away now?”
“Not yet. I’ll see her again in an hour.”
“What? Why didn’t you finish everything in one meeting?”
“There’s a reason.”
Wayne paused before adding,
“Ah, prepare an ice pack.”
“Are you feeling feverish?”
Piru’s eyes widened as he examined Wayne’s body, checking whether there was anywhere that looked unusually red or overheated.
Wayne nodded toward the inside of the reception room.
“Not for me. For the guest. Don’t make it too cold.”
