There were many orphans who found shelter in the Dukedom and served the Duke of Reinhardt.

There was also a maid who used to steal to fill her stomach before she joined the Duke.

Even the Counts of the Empire couldnt find such unconventional employees.

Be kind to our hard-working servants!

This was the creed of Selena, Ians mother, whenever she found out that some of the Dukes family members were criticizing them.

But, Redra Reikla

You were the one who took care of the maids who suffered the most, werent you, Count Reikla?

Thats why it seemed unexpected for her to oppose it.

And besides, Laritte was the one who saved my life.

Even Redra couldnt deny it.

It was fine for an employee to have a humble origin. It didnt matter if they were an orphan or a criminal since they are now faithful to the Duke with all their heart.

However, it was unusual for an illegitimate child to sit beside the Duke of Reinhardt.

It was obvious that if she gave birth to a child with the Duke, bad rumors would start to haunt them for generations.

But, an illegitimate girl cannot be a Duchess. You know that, dont you, Captain? There must be plenty of other ways to compensate her, arent there?

Ian was the only one to whom she was loyal and for whom she could sacrifice her life.

However, this time, she was opposing him.

The family of Count Reikla was closely related to the Duke. And thus, they had served under the Dukes command for hundreds of years.

But, this time, Count Reikla could not follow Ians decision.

Besides, that illegitimate woman must have had a hard time being the bride of Ian, she thought.

A Duchesss life was not only about eating well in a mansion. A Duchess had to have the utmost will to fight.

..

Ians eyes coldly gazed at her, but he was not angry. Soon, he stepped past her.

I allow you to leave my Knighthood. So that you wouldnt have to be criticized anywhere.

The family of Count Reikla was rich enough to stand on its own feet thanks to the Duke.

Anyway, her Captain never hastened to set his mind.

She had a longing wish to get married to a respectful man and live a peaceful life while taking care of her servants..

Running her fingers along her hair, making it a mess, she spoke to him from behind.

All right, Captain! Ill be following you in the carriage, so please go ahead.

In the end, she had to give up.

Thank you, Count Reikla.

She quickly shook her head at him.

It was not long before he galloped his horse across the street.

Holding back her sigh, Redra saluted to him inwardly.

At least the Duchess was a good person, she thought. But she, herself, was deceitful.

Ians figure grew smaller until it completely disappeared on the distant field.

***

Ha, Haa!

Laritte woke up from her sleep, her face moistened with her tears. Her sore eyes slowly gazed at her surroundings.

She was alone inside the Brumayers carriage.

Ah, please..

She muttered helplessly.

It wasnt long after Rose left that she was thrown into the carriage.

She could feel her left shoulder throbbing horribly. She didnt even have the strength to lift it.

None of the servants cared about her after they had dislocated her arm.

Hmmn.

After leaning her head against the wall of the carriage, she stroked her left arm.

The quality of the carriage was so poor that it shook every time its wheels went over a few rocks. Well, Laritte was not that agitated by the fact that her sister didnt send a good carriage.

Moreover, she felt like her lifes single thread was becoming undone.

Laritter Brumayer, a woman who had to pay for a terrible sin she didnt commit.

She couldnt feel sorry for herself anymore.

Soon, the carriage came to a stop. The knights had left for a while to prepare before leaving the capital.

Ha! The Duke of Reinhardt has returned alive!

A newspaper boy shouted outside of the carriage.

At his words, Larittes free arm tried to push the door open. But the locked door only rattled.

She cried out.

Give me a newspaper, boy.

The boy stopped when he heard the words coming out of the crack.

Push the paper through the crack. How much do you need?

2-gil, please.

Laritte reached deep into her arms and took out the emergency money from inside her undergarment. This wasnt touched when they took off the dress of Ians mother.

She laughed at herself.

It would not be appropriate to say that the dress was taken away. She thought it was obvious that Ian had given her his mothers dress because he thought she was Rose.

Laritte, who received the newspaper, read the title that was written in a large print.

The Ghostly Duke shows up at the Imperial Palace and clears his charges..

Ghostly Duke. You made a nice nickname.

Grabbing the newspaper tightly, she read the article.

The name of the Duke was printed.

Ian Reinhardt.

Its..Ian.

She finally got his name.

She blankly gazed at the paper, her heart mixed with various emotions.

She was finally relieved to learn that he had cleared the charges against him safely.

The knights came back as she was reading.

Giddy up!

The carriage began to move as soon as they climbed on it. Laritte sighed as it began to vibrate once again.

She wondered what he was doing.

Would he remember me?

She knew he wasnt going to the villa since he most likely had found her identity by now.

At least, he isnt going to cross paths with me anymore

Time passed as the carriage left the capital. The noisy atmosphere disappeared as the number of people decreased.

The lantern on the carriage became the only source of light on the dark road.

The only sounds that came were the rolling of the wheels on the hard rocky road and the faint murmurs of the knights.

back to the Count, and well get a special beer

youll pay for it..

She unconsciously tried to focus on the conversation that was not even decrypted properly. She closed her eyes, pressing down on her left shoulder, which was gradually hardening.

Before she thought she should go back to sleep, the carriage jolted to a halt.

?

She bewilderingly looked around searching for answers.

Somebody seemed to have shouted at a distance. Laritte focused.

Ha, the Swordmaster..

Larittes heart thumped at the word.

She could also hear a familiar voice.

Get the hell out of here.

Unable to accept the reality, she raised her eyes at the door. The latch suddenly vibrated along with her.

Its locked.

She silently kept staring at the door.

The person outside also released the door, perhaps after realizing it.

Laritte was yearning to meet the person outside. She was sure it wasnt the knights since they could have opened the door with their keys.

But..was it really the person she was yearning for?

Ian?

At that moment, the door hook fell off with a tremendous noise. The sword of the person broke the ring of the lock.

The door slowly opened, revealing a man she knew.

She gazed over at him.

It was Ian, whose black hair got scattered thanks to the gust of the wind while he was riding his horse.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep