TMC 14

CHAPTER :14

13. Because He Is So Kind

*‘They’re still so beautiful.’*

Stella stared intently at the shoes.

They were the very first gift she had received since arriving here.

Even if they were meant as a parting gift, they were incredibly precious to her.

Touching the smooth vamp of the shoe, she recalled what had happened just a moment ago.

Adrian, who was always so polite and composed, had shown a flustered side of himself for the first time.

It was fascinating to see him so thrown off, but at the same time, she felt a bit wistful realizing there was a completely different side to him that she didn’t know.

“I’ve never seen him so utterly helpless before.”

When Stella casually remarked to Jenna, who was standing nearby, Jenna began to share what she knew.

“From what I’ve heard, he and the doctor have known each other since they were children.”

“Since they were children?”

“Yes. And since Miss Dotore only recently passed her medical exams, she hasn’t been his personal physician for very long.”

They seemed to be around the same age, yet she had already passed the notoriously difficult medical exams at such a young age.

But even more surprising was that she had been friends with Adrian since childhood.

And not just friends, but childhood companions who were closer than anyone.

*‘He told me before that I was the first woman to ever enter this mansion…’*

An inexplicable bitterness lingered on the tip of her tongue.

“I see. No wonder they seemed like friends.”

“Are you jealous?”

“No, it’s nothing like that.”

Stella hastily waved her hands in denial.

Jealousy over Adrian was completely out of the question.

She was merely a guest staying here temporarily, and he was nothing more than her savior.

“To be honest, even if they are friends, the doctor still walks on eggshells around the young master.”

“I couldn’t tell at all.”

On the surface, she seemed to be mindful of Adrian’s mood, but Leah had said everything she wanted to say before she left.

Right up until the very last moment.

“The doctor only teased him because she noticed the young master’s eyes had softened. And she was only able to do that because you were by his side, Miss.”

“Because I was by his side?”

“If you weren’t there, Lady Leah would have surely been scolded terribly and kicked out.”

It was hard to believe, but Jenna smiled confidently as she tidied up the room.

Turning toward Jenna, Stella noticed a piece of brown paper in her hand.

“Jenna, what is that?”

“Oh, it’s a weekly paper.”

“A weekly paper?”

“Yes, it’s a weekly paper published by Newbron, and it covers all the daily gossip and events in the empire. If you’d like to take a look, Miss… actually, it’s probably better if you don’t. Sometimes they write about unnecessary things.”

Jenna folded the paper in half.

“May I see it?”

“Well…”

“It’s alright. Please let me see.”

Stella kept her eyes fixed on the paper.

Jenna shook her head and hid the paper behind her back.

Stella didn’t know what Jenna was trying to hide, but the action only piqued her curiosity further.

In the end, after a brief struggle, the crumpled weekly paper was spread wide open in Stella’s hands.

A portrait of a familiar woman took up half the page.

< The Disappearance of Lady Bronte >

Has she vanished in heartbreak over failing to become the Empress? Or was she abducted by someone else? There is still no news of her whereabouts.

The article, filled with all kinds of wild speculation, concluded with a message wishing for her safe return to the Bronte family before moving on to another topic.

Stella’s grip on the paper tightened involuntarily.

She knew that vulgar rumors and wild speculation traveled the fastest, but seeing it with her own eyes was a completely different matter.

“Miss…”

“They say they’re looking for me.”

Stella set the paper down.

*‘Technically, it’s not bad news, is it? At least it doesn’t say they’re looking to kill me.’*

“Safely.” How cruel a word to be printed in that paper.

Having lost her memory, she had absolutely no way of knowing the Bronte family’s true intentions.

“Who on earth left this paper here? I’ll throw it away far from here.”

Jenna’s quick hands buried the paper among the trash, but the words were already thoroughly etched into Stella’s mind.

“Jenna.”

“Yes, Miss.”

“Could you bring me the weekly papers from now on?”

Flustered, Jenna blinked her brown eyes several times without saying a word.

She seemed bewildered as to why Stella would want to keep checking the contents of the paper.

Stella added calmly,

“I can’t prepare for anything if I’m kept in the dark. I want to know more about what’s happening outside.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“Thank you.”

“It’s nothing, Miss. Well then…”

Jenna left the room with a grave expression.

Stella leaned back against the sofa and stared at the ceiling, trying to clear her cluttered mind.

Unlike the calm front she had put up moments ago, the patterns on the ceiling spun dizzily, making her feel uneasy.

* * *

The happenings inside the Castillo residence were passed along to Owen through the servants’ gossip, and Owen, in turn, reported them to Adrian.

“It seems the lady asked to have the weekly papers delivered to her from now on.”

“She is more resilient than I thought.”

Liam spoke up before Adrian could.

Having heard the news about Stella from the butler, Adrian nodded nonchalantly.

The one who had ordered the weekly paper to be placed where she could find it was none other than Adrian himself.

“You must be disappointed.”

“Not at all.”

“Don’t tell me… are you enjoying this?”

Adrian had also assumed that Stella would come running to him in a panic once she saw the paper.

Yet, instead, she was facing the situation head-on, preparing herself to take her next steps.

“Isn’t it better to try anything rather than collapsing without a fight?”

“You are cruel.”

“Me?”

“Never mind.”

Liam changed the subject.

“Did Leah say anything else?”

“I tried to change the mood, but she got angry at me instead. Just because I brought shoes as a gift.”

Adrian raised an eyebrow askew as he recalled his conversation with Leah.

In truth, he had ordered Leah, as the personal physician, to declare that Stella’s foot had completely healed right when he arrived.

That was why he had even bought the shoes and brought them along.

Unfortunately, his plan had failed.

“Why did Leah say that? Shouldn’t she have said Lady Bronte was fully recovered, as agreed?”

“She was bought over instead.”

“By whom?”

“Who else but Lady Bronte? Leah probably decided that teasing me would be far more entertaining.”

Under normal circumstances, he would have scolded her for failing to do her job properly, but Leah’s decision to side with Stella didn’t displease him, so he had let it slide.

“You just let it slide?”

“For now.”

“You didn’t snap at her?”

“Do you also see me as some brute who flies into a rage over trivial matters?”

Adrian asked Liam, recalling the horrified expressions of the maids earlier.

Liam was about to nod, but remembering the retaliation he suffered last time, he quickly changed the subject.

“Of course not. More importantly, how shall we handle Lady Bronte’s matter?”

“Deliver them to her.”

“Understood.”

“Oh, and it would be best to deliver the editions that contain the most information about the Bronte family.”

Adrian figured that even if Stella could handle hearing once that they were searching for her, she wouldn’t be able to stay so composed after the second or third time.

“Yes, sir.”

“And when Leah comes by, tell her.”

Liam, who was about to head out, stopped in his tracks.

He had assumed Adrian was letting Leah off the hook generously, but apparently not.

Placing a hand over his chest, Liam asked,

“What should I tell her?”

“Tell her she’s fired if she pulls another stunt like that.”

“As expected, you haven’t changed a bit, Commander.”

Liam nodded as if he had expected nothing less, then quickly hurried out of the office.

* * *

Stella had hoped public interest would fade with time, but instead, the weekly papers were becoming increasingly saturated with news about her.

It felt like being caught in a trap.

*‘Why are they going to such lengths?’*

Biting her lower lip, Stella’s eyes grew unfocused.

No matter how much she tried to reassure herself, she couldn’t remain indifferent to the fact that someone nearby was actively targeting her life.

Just as a shadow of gloom fell over her face, a knock sounded, and Jenna opened the door.

“Miss, the young master has invited you to join him for dinner.”

Stella’s dulling eyes sparkled once more at the words ‘young master.’

She set the weekly paper down on the table.

“Dinner?”

“Yes.”

Jenna answered briefly as she drew back the curtains.

Bright sunlight streamed in, illuminating Stella’s face.

Jenna took a quick look at Stella’s face before arranging some flowers in a glass vase.

The sweet fragrance seemed to instantly soothe Stella’s troubled mind.

“I wonder why he suddenly asked you to dine with him. Could something have happened?”

Stella, too, could not fathom his intentions.

Was the commotion outside making her stay here too difficult? Did he want her to move to a less conspicuous annex? Or was he calling in the favor he had granted her…?

Stella shook her head at her wild assumptions.

Letting her thoughts run wild would only lead to pointless speculation. She simply needed to speak with him.

“Ah, could that be why?”

“What is?”

“Well, the two of you haven’t seen much of each other lately.”

Jenna’s remark brought Stella back to reality.

Come to think of it, she hadn’t spent any proper time with him since Leah’s visit.

Not only was he busy, but she had also been so utterly consumed by the contents of the weekly papers that she had lost all track of time.

“I’ve been so distracted.”

“And with good reason, Miss.”

Jenna glanced at the weekly paper lying beside Stella.

Though they tried not to show it, all the servants had been watching Stella with concern.

“The young master has been just as busy. Since the Duke is away, the young master has had to fill his shoes and handle everything, so he must have been swamped.”

“That makes sense.”

Even though she knew ruling a duchy was an incredibly demanding task, she had taken his presence in the capital for granted.

After all, Adrian had always worn a relaxed smile in front of her.

“It’s only natural you didn’t realize, since the young master never says a word about it. Don’t worry. More importantly, what about dinner? If you feel uncomfortable dining with him, I can go back and decline the invitation.”

“No, it’s fine. I wouldn’t want to ruin a dinner that’s already been prepared. I’ll head down shortly.”

“How did you know?”

“I heard the bustle downstairs. Honestly, I thought a guest had arrived at the Castillo mansion. To think all of that fuss was to prepare a dinner with me… I never would have guessed.”

“He certainly goes all out.”

“Does he?”

“I mean, he acts exactly like a man in love.”

Stella flushed slightly at the phrase “like a man in love,” but quickly dismissed the notion, knowing that mistaking his kindness for “love” would only lead to mutual embarrassment.

“He’s just a very gentle person.”

“Yes, but he’s only ever gentle to one person.”

Jenna held her ground, her eyes sparkling with knowing amusement.

At that, Stella’s face flushed crimson in an instant.

Her own cheeks flushing in response, Jenna covered her face with one hand and turned to take the old curtains downstairs.

“I’ll just go put these downstairs.”

Left alone, Stella looked at the pure white curtains bathed in the warm sunlight.

The wind rustled through the fabric, creating soft waves.

Watching them, she felt a small, a very small spark of courage rise within her.

*‘I’ve stayed here much longer than I initially planned. I can’t keep imposing on Lord Castillo, relying solely on his kindness. This is already more than enough.’*

Stella stared down at her feet resting on the carpet.

Back when she had first stepped on the glass shards, she had felt as though misfortune only ever befell her.

But because of that incident, she had come to know that there was someone incredibly warm in this world.

*‘I’ll be fine.’*

It was truly time for her to leave.