Chapter 23

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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: A Good Person
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“…”

Was this really something to be praised for?

The Duchess asked me again.

“So, no new men have caught your eye?”

“Not really?”

“Really? No one you thought was handsome, or kind, or even just a little bit interesting? Not a single one?”

In that moment.

I suddenly thought of a man.

Platinum blond hair that resembled the moonlight.

With piercing blue eyes, as if crafted from a shard of the biting winter…

A man so beautiful it was dazzling.

But what left the deepest impression on me was…

“Then what are your thoughts, my lady?”

The Duke had naturally asked for my opinion and listened intently to what I had to say.

It was the first time.

The first time I had clearly stated my thoughts on a piece of art in front of someone else.

And.

“A unique interpretation. Very interesting.”

…the first time my thoughts hadn’t been dismissed.

As I tried to shake off the persistent thoughts of the Duke.

I deliberately answered more firmly.

“There’s no one.”

“Really? For someone who says that, you seem to be getting along quite well with my brother.”

I flinched, my shoulders tensing.

I felt as if she’d hit the nail on the head.

The Duchess continued nonchalantly.

“Honestly, my brother is at least easy on the eyes. Not that it matters, his personality is awful.”

“A-awful?”

“Of course! How dare he threaten me with my allowance?! So petty!”

It seems the Duchess hasn’t quite gotten over that yet…

I gave an awkward laugh.

The Duchess chattered on, badmouthing the Duke.

“Honestly, my brother can be a bit prickly, you know? He pretends to be polite on the outside, but you have no idea how fussy he is on the inside. But…”

The Duchess’s gaze lingered on my face.

“He seems to treat Lady Ansi more openly than I expected.”

But I was skeptical of her words.

*How could that be?*

The Duke is the male lead of this world, a man destined to fall in love with Serapina.

More importantly.

“Um, Your Grace. Why do you keep asking about my love life?”

The Duchess replied confidently.

“I was told that when you have a pajama party, you’re supposed to talk about love.”

“…”

I was at a loss for words.

It seemed the Duchess had some ridiculous fantasies about pajama parties…

***

And so, time passed.

“Your Grace, if you’re tired, you should go to sleep now.”

Unable to watch the Duchess dozing off any longer, I spoke up.

At that, the Duchess’s eyes flew open.

“I’m not sleeping! I told you… I’m not…?”

But with those last words.

The Duchess flopped onto the bed.

The sound of her soft breathing filled the air.

Curled up in a ball, she truly looked like a cat.

I chuckled softly and pulled the blanket up to her chin.

Then, I quietly got up.

*Maybe I’ll go get some air.*

Perhaps because I was in a different bed, I couldn’t seem to fall asleep.

Draping a shawl over my shoulders, I walked to the balcony.

*Click.*

As I pushed open the balcony doors,

*Swoosh—*

a night breeze carrying the faint scent of roses drifted in.

The feeling of my hair fluttering in the wind was pleasant.

I closed my eyes and savored the breeze.

But just then.

“Lady Ansi?”

Startled, I turned my head.

On the adjacent balcony stood a man.

It was Duke Claudius.

Unlike at the salon, the Duke was dressed comfortably in a light shirt and cotton trousers.

His platinum blond hair fell softly over his forehead.

Despite this, his characteristic noble aura remained, so he didn’t look disheveled at all.

The Duke, whose eyes had widened, soon gave a gentle smile.

“It’s late. Are you not sleeping?”

“I couldn’t sleep… so I was just getting some air.”

I replied awkwardly, then hastily added.

“Oh, and the Duchess is already asleep.”

At that, the Duke’s brow furrowed slightly.

“Eva must be giving you a hard time.”

“Not at all. I’m the one who’s always indebted to Her Grace.”

“I wonder. I can imagine how much she pesters you without you even having to say it.”

The Duke shrugged and added lightly.

“In any case, it’s a pleasure to see you.”

Was it because of the magic of the moonlight, which gently bathed everything?

I found myself nodding as if mesmerized.

“I-It’s a pleasure to see you, too.”

At my reply, the Duke’s smiling eyes deepened a little more.

Staring at him as if entranced, I carefully began to speak.

“Um, Your Grace. This may be presumptuous of me, but may I say something?”

The Duke gave a light shrug.

“Please, speak freely.”

Swallowing dryly, I continued.

“It’s just that, there’s something you’re misunderstanding, Your Grace.”

“A misunderstanding?”

“Yes. You said the Duchess pesters me… but it’s not like that.”

For a moment, a strange light flickered in the Duke’s blue eyes.

“I don’t find the Duchess bothersome at all. Because…”

I took a short breath.

Honestly, it took a great deal of courage for me to say this.

It was tantamount to revealing my own shame.

But.

*I hate the idea of the Duchess being misunderstood like that even more.*

I straightened my back.

“I was originally friends with Lady Lopes since childhood.”

“Lady Lopes… you mean the lady they call the Lily of Society?”

“Ah, so you know of her, Your Grace.”

Well, Serapina is quite famous for her beauty and kindness.

Besides, the Duke is destined to be with her.

I gave a bitter smile.

However, what the Duke said next was rather unexpected.

“Well, it’s because Eva complains about her so much.”

“She complains?”

“That…”

The Duke trailed off, looking somewhat troubled.

“…Let’s just say, Eva is someone whose likes and dislikes are very clear.”

And I could easily read between the lines to guess what the Duchess had complained about.

It was no wonder.

“Lady Lopes is just awful.”

The Duchess’s grumbling voice was still vivid in my ears.

I let out a small, unconscious smile.

“However… Lady Lopes and I had some personality differences, and we had a falling out.”

I tried my best to remain calm, tightly gripping the hem of my dress.

“When no one else would associate with me, the Duchess was the only one who accepted me as a friend.”

Duchess Claudius.

My former fiancé, Gregory, and everyone else in high society.

They all saw me as little more than ‘Serapina’s handmaiden’ and looked down on me.

She was the first person to reach out to me.

Although our relationship was one of mutual convenience, still…

*The Duchess took my side.*

I never knew until now.

How enjoyable it is to meet someone’s gaze, to laugh and chat, to share the small moments of everyday life.

So.

“…the Duchess has been a great comfort to me.”

I concluded firmly.

“To me, at least, the Duchess is a very good person.”

“…”

The Duke gazed at me intently.

At the same time, I snapped back to my senses.

*Gasp.*

Did I overstep my bounds?

My shoulders grew stiff with tension.

“…I see.”

After a moment of silence, the Duke spoke in a tone of fresh realization.

“So my Eva… can be a good person to someone.”

“Your Grace.”

“I thought I was the only one who cherished that child…”

The Duke, who had been murmuring softly, slowly lifted his gaze.

The dazzling moonlight poured down.

Across his handsome face, touched by the moonlight, a joy whiter than the light itself spread clearly.

“Hearing you say that, Lady Ansi, truly puts my mind at ease.”