TMC 06

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CHAPTER :06

5. It is Destiny

An elegant, slender finger lightly tapped the round cup.

As the water inside rippled gently, a soft voice rang out.

“He treated her wounds himself?”

In front of the woman, who was bowing so low her forehead almost touched the floor, sat the shoe that had gone missing the previous night.

“Yes, that is correct.”

Unable to bring herself to meet the Empress’s eyes, the woman remained absolutely still, waiting for her next words.

Though the Empress appeared infinitely benevolent on the outside, she never tolerated the slightest mistake.

“It seems his claim of wanting Lady Bronte was not a lie.”

“…….”

“What do you think?”

“I am not quite sure yet.”

Only a single day had passed since Stella arrived at the Castillo residence.

The woman knew too little to offer a hasty conclusion.

“My, it seems I overestimated you.”

The Empress gripped and tilted the woman’s chin upward.

Forced to look up, the woman’s eyes trembled faintly.

“Think again.”

The woman lowered her gaze and answered.

“In my humble opinion, the Young Duke’s interest in Lady Bronte is likely curiosity toward something he cannot have.”

“Mere curiosity, you say?”

“……Yes.”

The woman’s body trembled violently.

If her answer failed to please the Empress, she would hardly leave this place alive.

Fortunately, however, the Empress smiled and let go of her.

“I suppose it could seem that way. But would he have tried to strike a deal with me out of mere curiosity?”

As soon as the Empress finished speaking, two sturdy men appeared and dragged the woman away.

The Empress watched indifferently as the woman disappeared.

“Send a different one.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“There are rarely any useful ones.”

She had lost count of how many maids had entered and exited the Castillo residence by now.

Most of them brought back nothing but trivial stories like this.

“I must see the Young Duke of Castillo myself.”

She concluded that meeting him face-to-face would be faster than hearing about him a hundred times through others.

The Empress glanced down at the cat rubbing its face against the hem of her dress and smiled.

“Canna, it seems you think so too.”

The Empress picked up the cat, which meowed as if laughing, and looked out the window.

It had already been eight years since she arrived in this foreign land, and in that time, so many things had changed.

* * *

It was a day when dark clouds blanketed the sky.

Stella watched Jena apply ointment to her wound.

Jena carefully applied the medicine and then looked up.

“Does it hurt?”

“I’m fine.”

“I’m glad the wound isn’t deep, but it would be best if you didn’t walk for a while. Of course, it would be better to have a doctor look at it, but unfortunately, the family physician is on vacation.”

Stella nodded slowly.

It felt embarrassing to summon a doctor over a mere foot injury.

“The basic treatment is done.”

Resting her leg on a stool, Stella wiggled her bandaged toes.

Thanks to the ointment Jena had applied, a cool, soothing sensation spread up from her feet.

“Thank you.”

Stella leaned back against the sofa.

‘Since I shouldn’t move, I’ll have to stay put for a while, right? Lord Castillo said so too.’

Her plan to pack light and run away immediately had been completely ruined.

In this state, she wouldn’t be able to run far before being caught. It was inconvenient, but she felt she had no choice.

At least, until an unexpected gift was delivered.

Stella stared at the bizarre-looking object.

“You can use this from now on.”

“What is this?”

“It’s called a wheelchair.”

Stella struggled to keep a straight face in front of the grotesque contraption.

A chair with two large wheels was apparently called a “wheelchair.”

“The late Madame used to use it often when she had trouble moving around.”

“Is it alright for me to use it? I’m only a temporary guest staying in this house.”

Although Adrian had told her she could stay, Stella planned to leave the moment her leg healed.

This level of consideration felt far too excessive.

“You only need to use it until your foot heals. If you wander around like last time and get caught, I’ll be the one getting into big trouble.”

“…….”

‘Like last time…’

Stella’s face flushed hot.

She, too, wanted to avoid a repeat of what happened last time.

Still, she couldn’t easily muster the courage to use such an unfamiliar object.

Jena sat in front of the hesitating Stella and chattered.

“It must be stifling to stay cooped up in your room all day. Besides, this mansion was built to be wheelchair-accessible. You’ll be able to go anywhere you want.”

Stella’s eyes widened.

In truth, she had seen many stairs in the mansion, making her think a wheelchair wouldn’t be very useful.

Jena added an explanation as if reading Stella’s mind.

“Madame was very ill. So the Master hired an architect to remodel the mansion. With just the pull of a lever, the stairs turn into ramps.”

Startled, Stella asked,

“Where is Madame Castillo?”

Since this was the townhouse and not the main Castillo estate, Stella realized she had taken the absence of Adrian’s parents for granted.

Even though paying her respects to the mistress of the house should have been her first priority.

“Madame passed away when the young master was still a child.”

“Ah!”

“It was a long time ago.”

Stella was left speechless by the news of Madame Castillo’s early passing.

Perhaps it was only natural.

She did not know what the death of a family member felt like.

Stella gently stroked the back of the wheelchair.

“Is it truly alright for me to use this?”

“This wheelchair has been without an owner for a very long time. If you use it, Madame in heaven will surely be pleased. Of course, if you don’t wish to, I will take it away.”

Jena held the handles behind the wheelchair and let her shoulders sag.

“Would you help me sit in it?”

“Of course!”

Jena beamed instantly, as if she had never been disappointed.

Stella settled herself into the wheelchair.

Perhaps because it was well-maintained despite its age, it wasn’t uncomfortable at all.

The seat was quite cushioned, too.

“Is there anywhere you’d like to go? I’ll guide you.”

“No, thank you.”

“Please, don’t hesitate to speak your mind.”

“In that case… could you show me around?”

“Yes! I haven’t been working here long either, so I don’t know everything, but I’ll do my best.”

Jena nodded like a cuckoo clock popping out of a wall and pushed the wheelchair.

She then took Stella around various parts of the ducal townhouse, explaining everything in detail.

“Quite a lot of servants live in this residence. It’s rare for someone like me to commute from the outside. Most of them have quarters within the estate.”

“Inside the residence?”

“Yes.”

“Isn’t that inconvenient for them?”

“Not at all! The welfare at the Castillo residence is so good that everyone wants to work here.”

Since Adrian was a kind person, it wasn’t surprising that the employee benefits were excellent.

‘Lord Castillo is kind even to his servants. That must be why he is helping me.’

Hearing Jena talk about the mansion made Stella fall into the illusion that Adrian might be an even better person than she had thought.

After chattering away for a long time, Jena stopped in front of a door emblazoned with a large eagle.

“This is the Duke’s office.”

“The Duke’s?”

“Yes, though he is currently away in the Kingdom of Setirus.”

The name Setirus sounded familiar.

As far as Stella could remember, it was the birthplace of Natalie, the third Empress of the Razenta Empire.

“He went to resolve some diplomatic issues, so it will be difficult for him to return for a while. In the meantime, the young master is handling all the affairs of the ducal estate.”

“So that’s why he’s been so busy.”

Stella turned her head in the direction she assumed Adrian’s office to be.

She remembered his office light remaining on until late last night.

“Come to think of it, I haven’t seen him today.”

“He went to the Imperial Palace today.”

“The Imperial Palace?”

Her blue eyes narrowed.

“Yes, he said he would return to the residence around evening. Is there an urgent matter?”

Stella lowered her gaze and shook her head.

The moment she heard the words ‘Imperial Palace,’ her body trembled so violently that she couldn’t utter a single word.

Jena asked a few more worried questions, but a sound like thunder clashing in the dark echoed in Stella’s mind.

‘Run away!’

Stella clutched her head.

‘Neither your family nor the Imperial Palace is on your side.’

Her mind grew darker and darker.

She didn’t know the reason why he had gone to the palace, but the mere fact that he had gone to the very place she wanted to avoid sent shivers through her body.

“My lady, are you alright?”

“……Jena.”

“You’re breaking out in a cold sweat.”

Jena wiped Stella’s forehead with a handkerchief.

Only when Stella saw the damp handkerchief did she manage to come to her senses.

She forced the corners of her mouth upward.

“It seems summer is already here. It’s quite hot during the day.”

“I’ll bring you something cool. Please stay right here.”

Stella clenched her fists as she watched Jena run off.

The shock of Adrian going to the Imperial Palace kept her body trembling uncontrollably.

‘Can I really trust Lord Castillo?’

Her hands, clasped together, clenched tighter.

If even her own family had abandoned her, who could she possibly trust?

* * *

Inside the Imperial Palace, the magnificent Aslan Palace.

The Empress’s palace, renowned for its countless pillars intricately carved with palmette motifs below bands of carved clouds, was spectacularly adorned with all manner of gold, silver, and precious jewels.

The strict, orderly patterns maintained amidst such opulence harmonized perfectly with the Empress’s chilly demeanor.

Even at Adrian’s arrival, the movements of the palace maids remained neat and precise.

Unwavering.

Adrian sat across from the Empress.

Steam rose gently from the hot black tea placed before them.

Though he knew she was no ordinary woman, her gaze—which seemed to pierce through every hidden secret—grew more uncomfortable to meet by the second.

“How is she?”

The Empress was referring to Stella.

Adrian thought of her, back at his residence.

Last night, as she walked through the garden, she had looked breathtakingly beautiful bathed in the moonlight.

Had he not noticed her limp, he might have approached her as if possessed and made a grave mistake.

A faint, dry smile appeared on his lips.

“Unfortunately, she has lost her memories.”

“Oh dear…”

The Empress covered her mouth with her folding fan.

“I do hope she wasn’t badly hurt…”

She knitted her brows, adding the words with a look of worry.

Yet, her next words made it clear that there was not a shred of genuine emotion in her concern.

“But how intriguing. To think you would wear such a dazed expression. Then again, you did covet her from the very beginning, did you not?”

“Your Majesty.”

“There is no need to look at me like that.”

Setting down her teacup, the Empress casually spat out cruel words in a warm tone.

“From the beginning, she was far too good for Theo. I do not know who set fire to the House of Bronte, but perhaps it was all destined to bring you two together?”

How shameless for the culprit behind the arson to say such a thing.

Having plotted the whole affair to seat her own flesh and blood on the throne, she was now casually playing innocent.

Adrian shuddered at the Empress’s shamelessness, only to mock himself for being no different from her.

“Is that so?”

For he was the one who had aided her in everything.

Though her losing all of her memories had been entirely unexpected.

“Of course. It is destiny.”

‘What utter nonsense.’

Of course, from the moment he first laid eyes on Stella, he had been in no position to refuse the Empress’s deal.

“This was bound to happen the moment you coveted her. So, if you are harboring any guilt toward Lady Bronte, put it to rest.”

He assigned no meaning to such emotionally charged words as ‘destiny’ or ‘guilt.’

“However, your father does weigh on my mind. Does the Duke know there is someone you covet so deeply?”