“My lady! What are you doing!”
Amira, who had been holding her breath, gasped roughly and raised her voice. It was too presumptuous a tone to use with the lady she served, but she had no time to worry about such things now.
“What are you doing, Amira? It’s such a good opportunity, why throw it away? It’s Mrs. Korkos’s offer, no less.”
“Of course, I know it’s a good opportunity, but…! My lady, you don’t have to go that far for me. I’m your close maid, and my most important job is to assist you. I don’t have time or energy to waste on anything else.”
“You seem to be mistaken, Amira. I’m not doing this for you, but for all of us. Now, listen to me.”
“Eek! You’re going to confuse me again with some strange sophistry…!”
It won’t work anymore! Amira shouted, furrowing her brow as much as possible.
In the few months she had spent with Ariella, she had learned a lot about her lady.
She realized that she was more elegant and kind than any other noble lady, but also had a very eccentric side, and that Ariella sometimes manipulated her with her dazzling eloquence.
For example, she would clearly come to Ariella trying to force her to drink a health juice that tasted terrible but was very good for her, but after a conversation, she would find herself drinking the health juice instead of Ariella.
It was only after repeating this several times that Amira realized she had been tricked by Ariella.
“Sophistry? Such harsh words. And this time it’s not like that. Think about it, Amira.”
“Ugh! All your sophistry started with ‘Think about it, Amira’! You said that before I drank the health juice too!”
“Then consider it carefully, Amira. If we leave the Duke’s residence, we need money to live on, right? Of course, I have some money saved up, but if we’re going to live together for the rest of our lives, it’s much more stable to have an income.”
Her voice was more serious than expected. Amira was secretly thrilled by the words “live together for the rest of our lives,” but tried not to show it.
“I’ll try to figure out how to make money too, but I don’t have a talent as outstanding as Amira’s. Remember what I said last time? About starting a business together? I’m serious. I’ll invest in you, Amira. If it’s not because you’re not interested, let’s do it.”
“B-but… Is my talent really that outstanding? What if Mrs. Korkos is mistaken about my skills, which aren’t even that great? Or what if she was just saying it as a polite gesture…?”
“Mrs. Korkos isn’t the type to make empty promises. If she mentioned talent, it means you really have it. And a lot of it. I think Amira’s abilities are special too? And more important than that, Amira’s face looks the happiest and most comfortable when she’s making lace and decorating hats.”
“My lady…”
“The ability to do well at something you enjoy is very precious. I don’t want you to let go of such a valuable opportunity, Amira.”
Amira’s face was already tearful. She looked at Ariella with tearful, wet eyes, and then hugged her lady tightly.
“Thank you, my lady. Thank you so much.”
“Thank you? I’m just a wicked investor planning to rely on Amira’s talent for the rest of my life.”
Be careful, Amira. Ariella whispered in a seemingly scary voice, and Amira burst out laughing, tears still flowing.
It was just when a good atmosphere was being created.
“Excuse me.”
Knock, knock. A maid from the townhouse politely knocked and opened the door.
“I apologize for interrupting your conversation, but His Highness the Grand Duke has requested to see you, my lady.”
Oh dear. Only then did Ariella realize that she had kept Nobert waiting for too long, and she looked flustered.
“Go quickly, my lady!”
Amira, who had wiped away the tears that had welled up in her eyes, smiled brightly and pushed Ariella’s back.
Ariella hesitated for a moment before leaving the powder room.
Perhaps because she had something on her mind, her steps felt heavy as she went to meet him this time.
‘It would have been nice if the last time I met him was on our date.’
Yes, if that were the case, her heart would be filled with pleasant excitement right now. Her mind would be preoccupied with trivial worries about how she should treat the person who was her first love.
But unfortunately, her last encounter with him had been overshadowed by a brief and cold meeting in front of the Crown Prince’s palace. After that, they were both too busy to meet for about a week.
‘He’s not angry, is he?’
Ariella stood in front of the drawing room door and bit her lip.
Nobert, as she had seen him so far, didn’t seem like the type to get angry over such a thing. He had said he would only be sick where he was, which was an impossible promise to keep in the first place, and she hadn’t been seriously injured this time either.
So there was no need to worry so much… But strangely, a sense of tension crept in.
