At the same time, something hot trickled down beneath one of her eyes. Ariella trembled her lips, not even aware that she was crying.
“Miss. Please… please be happy.”
That single drop of tear became a wave that engulfed Amira. Unable to hold back the tears she had barely suppressed, she burst into sobs. Desperate pleas followed.
“Wherever you are, whatever you look like, please. You must be happy.”
“Amira…”
“I just want to stay by your side when you are truly happy. That is my wish, Miss.”
Amira bent down, burying her face in the bed, and wept. She still held Ariella’s hand tightly.
Ariella embraced her back.
The two small, delicate women held each other tightly, shedding tears endlessly. The warmth transmitted from their touching skin soothed the sorrow that had seemed impossible to alleviate.
Adam quietly turned around and stood guard at the door.
So that no one could sneak a peek into Ariella’s room, and thus, to not disturb their precious moment.
***
The seemingly endless crying subsided only after an hour had passed.
By then, Amira had somehow climbed onto the bed and was lying next to Ariella. Realizing this, Ariella hurriedly tried to get up, but Amira held onto the hem of her clothes.
“Will you stay by my side today? I think I’ll recover faster that way.”
Seeing Ariella blinking her eyes and pleading, Amira finally relented.
“That kind of charm should be directed at Duke Ashbon, not me.”
She pretended to grumble, but the expression on Amira’s face looked much brighter than before.
The two women lay together like children, chatting away.
Most of the topics were trivial matters. For instance, discussions about food preferences or travel destinations.
What Ariella had once considered a waste of time, she now realized that such conversations could bring her peace of mind.
As they laughed and chatted for a while, the throbbing pain seemed to fade a little. Grateful for that, Ariella quietly smiled at Amira and decided to ask something she had always been curious about.
“Amira, why are you being so nice to me? I haven’t done anything for you.”
Ariella was always curious about the reasons behind things. The kindness of Nobert and Amira were both subjects of her doubt. No one had ever treated her well without some ulterior motive.
“…About half a year ago, when I had just started working in this mansion. The young lady was away visiting the palace, and during that time, one of her rings went missing, causing quite a commotion. And it just so happened that it was the first day I cleaned the young lady’s room… Naturally, I was framed for it.”
Amira’s story flowed out smoothly, as if she had repeated it many times before.
“I searched my pockets, my bag, and my room. The ring that I supposedly stole was nowhere to be found, yet everyone cursed and blamed me. At the forefront was Lizzy. Looking back, it seems that the girl must have lost the ring or hidden it and tried to pin it on me.”
“That sounds plausible.”
“Right? Anyway, I was about to be punished severely for being labeled a thief when, just in time, the young lady returned and discovered the truth. She said that the ring was lost by her and that I was innocent. That was when I decided I had to serve the young lady.”
Reflecting on it, Ariella seemed to recall that memory. At that time, she had quietly covered for Lizzy, realizing that the incident stemmed from her mistake.
However, even after hearing Amira’s story, Ariella couldn’t fully understand her psychology.
To risk her life just to protect her with something so trivial. Wasn’t the reward excessive compared to what had been done for her? Moreover, it wasn’t even something done for Amira’s sake.
Amira, sensing the questions swirling in Ariella’s eyes, added an explanation.
“It might have seemed trivial to you, but it meant a lot to me. In fact, I was in a terrible state back then. Before coming to the Duke’s residence, I had worked for a long time at the Freely family, where I was often beaten. Mistakes I didn’t make were blamed on me, and the lady I served didn’t hesitate to throw things and slap me. So, I fled here… But when similar things happened again, I started to think, ‘Is there something wrong with me? Is everything really my fault?’”
“Amira…”
Freely family. Ariella mulled over that name. Being a noble in the capital, she would eventually face them.
Seeing Amira burning with murderous intent towards the unknown daughter of the count, she smiled gently.
“However, that day, the young lady told me that I had done nothing wrong. Even if it was said without much thought, those words were truly… like salvation to me. It felt like a breath of fresh air. I never knew that having someone on my side, even for a moment, could be so empowering.”
