Chapter 29: Enough of That Misunderstanding
Every part of her body ached as she climbed the steep staircase.
“You’d better stop here for today, but if you get caught next time, you’d better be prepared for something to break!!”
Molly’s harsh voice, spitting venom with a menacing expression, echoed sharply in her ears.
Just moments ago, after the door to the servants’ hall had closed.
Molly had mercilessly kicked Deborah, who was sprawled on the floor.
At first, Deborah had desperately tried to dodge the onslaught of violence.
But whether her attempts to escape provoked Molly further, she grabbed Deborah’s hair to prevent her from fleeing and began hitting her.
Overwhelmed by the sheer difference in strength, Deborah realized at some point that she couldn’t break free from Molly’s grasp.
From then on, she chose to curl up and endure the barrage of violence.
This kind of thing… was familiar.
The orphanage where Deborah grew up was like a small hierarchical society.
Orphans abandoned by their parents were among the most marginalized groups in the Rubeyk Kingdom.
And yet, ironically, even within the orphanage, a clear pecking order of survival of the fittest existed.
To the eyes of a few strong and aggressive children, Deborah, who tried to protect the weaker ones, could hardly have seemed likable.
Though the frequency lessened as she grew older, for quite a long time, Deborah had to live in an environment constantly touched by violence.
It wasn’t something to boast about, but she had learned one thing from it.
In such situations, futile resistance only made things worse.
Oh, and there was one more thing.
She didn’t have the strength to defeat Molly, but she had the resilience to silently endure her violence.
That, too, was something Deborah had learned through experience.
Whether it was because her non-resistant opponent became boring or because her one-sided rage had somewhat subsided, the kicking stopped after not too long.
After Molly spat a warning to be careful next time and stormed out of the servants’ hall, the onlookers also dispersed to their respective workplaces.
Only then could Deborah slowly pull herself up from the floor.
‘I should’ve just endured it…’
As she tidied her disheveled hair and ruined clothes, a bitter, self-mocking laugh escaped her lips.
Though she knew she couldn’t win, her stubborn habit of speaking her mind always got her targeted by types like Molly, even from childhood.
She had vowed not to do that here, to stay unnoticed and blend in, but the fact that it had come to this was both laughable and absurd…
Roughly collecting herself, Deborah hurriedly left the servants’ hall.
Though she limped slightly on her right leg from some injury, she wasn’t in a position to rest.
If she didn’t complete her assigned tasks by morning, she’d have to skip lunch and work until evening.
So, as she climbed the high wooden staircase to the second-floor guest room, struggling with each step, she carried a heavy basket filled with bed sheets and pillow covers.
Finally reaching the top, a shadow fell over her, and her head naturally tilted upward.
And there, she met a pair of blue-green eyes.
*Thud—!*
The moment she realized who was looking down at her from a few steps above, her heart sank.
Why, again… did they have to cross paths like this?
The man’s expression, coldly staring at Deborah’s stunned face, suddenly twisted as if he’d seen something filthy.
The raw emotion he didn’t bother to hide caused Deborah’s face to stiffen instantly.
“To the second-floor guest room… to clean…”
She stammered out an explanation, only to swallow her words back down.
It wasn’t her fault, yet this situation felt unjustly like her own wrongdoing, frustrating and stifling.
And now, she was starting to confuse herself.
Could it be that, without realizing it, she was following the duke around?
Like when she was younger, foolishly wanting to catch just one more glimpse of him up close?
She knew it was absurd nonsense, but she couldn’t think of any other way to explain these repeated coincidences.
As she pondered how to end this tiresome misunderstanding, his cold voice fell upon her.
“It’s fine here, so go back down.”
Deborah’s face slowly lifted toward the voice, dripping with icy disdain.
Meeting his chilling gaze, her expression shifted as if she couldn’t comprehend it.
“Today… I was assigned to clean the second-floor guest room.”
Carefully, she spoke each word before him.
She was assigned to clean this place today, and she could only leave once the task was done.
But despite her explanation, the duke’s next words left her even more dumbfounded.
“So what.”
“…Pardon?”
She couldn’t help but blurt out in confusion, stunned by the unexpected response.
As always, the duke merely raised one eyebrow with his characteristic impassive expression.
“I’m asking what that has to do with anything.”
“…”
His words, delivered as if pressing down on each syllable, finally made her realize what he meant.
The duke simply didn’t want to see her.
He was telling her to disappear from his sight right now, no matter the reason, and to leave this staircase.
“…”
A wave of injustice surged deep within her chest.
Why was he always so harsh with her alone?
He didn’t act this way toward other servants—why only her?
What had she done so wrong?
She desperately wanted to question this unfair treatment, but she couldn’t.
He was Raymond von Cheister, a duke of Rubeyk and the head of the Cheister family.
Born into a different world from her, a penniless orphan.
For a lowly maid like her, dependent on his estate, such words were unthinkable.
Swallowing the burning lump in her throat, she was about to comply when—
“Must be because you’re a lowly orphan. No sense, no wits.”
His mocking tone and the sneer curling his lips caused Deborah’s face to pale instantly.
‘He already… knows? That I’m an orphan. How…?’
Unanswered questions swirled endlessly in her mind.
Surely, neither Mrs. Charlotte nor Robin had said anything.
They had only warned her to be careful, not that he knew she was an orphan…
[“You’d better be careful not to let my brother find out.” ]
[“He has a bit—no, quite a strong prejudice against orphans. If he finds out you’re one, he might order you thrown out immediately.” ]
[“So you’d better be careful, unless you want to be kicked out.” ]
Miss Cecilia’s warning from some time ago flashed through her mind.
“If you understand, go back down now.”
“…”
Raymond, staring at Deborah’s frozen face, issued the command in an even colder tone than before.
There was only one thing for Deborah to do now.
Bow her head, turn around, and leave as he ordered.
But though her mind understood—clearly understood—her body wouldn’t move.
Perhaps her hesitation irritated him, as his brow soon furrowed fiercely.
“Didn’t you hear me say to leave—”
“I have something to say.”
“…What?”
“I’ve told you several times, but it seems you don’t believe me at all.”
For a moment, Raymond’s eyebrow twitched as if caught off guard.
Looking at his face, Deborah thought to herself.
Stop now, don’t do something you’ll regret, turn around and leave this instant.
But contrary to her thoughts, entirely different words spilled out of her mouth.
“I don’t understand why these situations keep happening either… but one thing is certain: I have never harbored the kind of intentions you’re misunderstanding.”
“…Intentions?”
“Yes, that I—”
Her calm words paused for a moment.
Her lips, hesitating as if uncertain, soon continued as if nothing had happened.
“That I would dare to harbor feelings I shouldn’t.”
“…”
“It’s true, as you said, that I’m a lowly orphan… but because of that, there’s one thing I’m good at.”
“…Good at something.”
As he quietly echoed her words, Deborah nodded silently.
“Yes, knowing my place.”
The moment her clear golden eyes shone brightly, staring directly at him, Raymond’s jaw twitched faintly.
“For allowing someone like me, with nowhere to go, to stay here… I am truly, sincerely grateful.”
“…”
“You may not believe me, but I’ve never once thought of risking the warm bed and meals I’ve been given with desires beyond my station.”
Each time they crossed paths, she trembled, yet now her unwavering golden eyes met his, and Raymond’s gaze narrowed.
“I can’t help that you dislike me… but I hope you’ll at least let go of that misunderstanding about me. I humbly ask this of you.”
With those words, Deborah bowed respectfully before him.
A scoffing laugh escaped Raymond’s lips as he watched her turn away.
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By Anna 💓
