Deborah’s heart raced violently. She felt breathless to the point of suffocation.

Memories she had forgotten, no, not forgotten but buried deep in a corner of her mind, began to seep out stealthily.

‘No.’

Deborah didn’t want to be caught up in those memories.

‘There must be some misunderstanding… No. This must have come to the wrong place. There’s no way he remembers me.’

While Deborah couldn’t forget Belus, Belus must have forgotten Deborah. No. He had to have forgotten.

Her cold hands began to tremble. She gripped the letter tightly to avoid dropping it, causing it to crumple immediately.

Even the highest quality paper envelope was still just paper after all.

Just then, someone knocked on the door. Unlike Shelley’s knock, this one was heavier.

“Ah.”

As the startled Deborah dropped the letter, a voice came from outside the door.

“Ms. Deborah. It’s me.”

It was Cedric’s voice.

“Ah, yes.”

Deborah’s voice trembled. Finding this strange, Cedric spoke carefully.

“I won’t take much of your time, but if my visit is inconvenient now, perhaps later…”

Before Cedric could finish speaking, Deborah opened the door.

Cedric observed Deborah’s complexion with surprised eyes.

Though Deborah was smiling as usual, her face was covered in cold sweat and she somehow looked desperate.

“Is something wrong?”

“No. Nothing’s wrong.”

“But you’re sweating…”

“Ah, I guess it was a bit hot.”

That made no sense. No matter how high the fireplace was stoked, winter wouldn’t turn into summer.

“If you’re not feeling well…”

“No, really, I’m fine.”

Deborah replied in a gentle tone that seemed pleasant.

Cedric felt a subtle sense of discomfort, but it wasn’t his place to pry.

“…If you say so, that’s good.”

Smiling just like Deborah, Cedric continued.

“I was wondering if you’ve checked the mail you received, as it seems some of the master’s correspondence might have been mixed in.”

“Ah.”

Deborah turned around and picked up the fallen mail from the floor. Cedric thought with a smile,

‘Why was it on the floor? Well, she could have dropped it by mistake.’

As Deborah handed the mail to Cedric, she said,

“I think it’s this one. I’m sorry. The envelope is a bit crumpled.”

“It’s alright. The important thing is the invitation inside.”

“An invitation?”

Cedric, taking the envelope, said,

“This is an invitation for the party that the master and Lady Blaise will be attending.”

Deborah’s heart began to beat heavily and loudly.

“Are they attending a party hosted by Delta Marquis?”

“Yes. To be precise, it’s a launch party for the Britriho. It’ll be the largest party in a while. It’s going to be quite hectic.”

Cedric chuckled leisurely and observed Deborah’s complexion as he spoke.

“I apologize for visiting so early in the morning. If you ever need my help, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

Deborah smiled awkwardly.

“Thank you for your consideration.”

As Cedric left, the corners of Deborah’s mouth quickly drooped, and her eyelids blinked incessantly.

Swallowing the saliva that had pooled in her mouth, Deborah made her way to the table with trembling steps.

Slumping down in the chair, Deborah thought,

‘Was he originally going to attend this party, or did the party change?’

If it was the latter, was she the cause?

‘No. That can’t be. Delta Marquis has always been the wealthiest in Gracian. If Mr. Baker is doing business, it’s natural for him to be involved with them.’

Deborah calmly composed herself.

‘It’s also natural that of all the people in Delta Marquis, it was sent by that person. He’s the most approachable for someone of Mr. Baker’s status. So stay calm, Deborah Johnson.’

As Deborah slowly regulated her breathing, Cedric, walking down the corridor, examined the envelope.

The recipient was Zen. The sender was Belus. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

‘But why did she look like that because of this?’

Cedric, who had found Zen’s office, handed over the mail.

“Here’s a letter from Madam Saint and an invitation from Delta.”

Zen frowned as he examined the envelope.

“Why is the invitation envelope so crumpled?”

“Ah, it seems Ms. Deborah dropped it on the floor.”

“Why did this go to Deborah?”

“I made a mistake by accident.”

Cedric said with a bright smile. Zen grimaced as he tore open the envelope.

‘There’s a knife right next to him, but he’s tearing it with his hands.’

After confirming the contents he already knew, Zen put the card down on the floor and said,

“How’s Deborah?”

Cedric pondered for a moment. Should he mention that something seemed off? But it wasn’t certain.

‘It might just make things unnecessarily complicated.’

Cedric smiled and answered,

“She seemed fine, but if you want to be sure, why don’t you check for yourself?”

Zen wished he could do that if possible.

“Forget it. She must be busy right now.”

“Yes. She is quite busy, to be honest.”

Cedric shrugged and left the office, while Zen turned his attention to the documents.

However, the letters didn’t register, and only Deborah’s face came to mind.

“Haah…”

Maybe he should go see her after all. But no matter what excuse he used, he’d only look like an employer checking if she was doing her job well.

‘Damn it.’

Zen wanted to see Deborah every moment.

When he returned late at night, he wanted to check her sleeping face and caress it.

Ever so gently, as if afraid his touch might hurt her.

From the morning of the day of the party, the atmosphere around Dia was busy.

Although the party was in the evening, they had to move quickly from now to depart comfortably.

“Which bath oil fragrance should we use?”

“We’ve prepared soft foods as you instructed yesterday, but what about the tea?”

“When would you like to try on the dress?”

Deborah kindly answered the questions pouring in.

All the servants handled their tasks without mistakes, and Aileen once again taught Dia the things she must remember.

Before they knew it, morning had turned into afternoon.

“Haah…”

It had been hectic until she put on the dress, but once she was dressed, everything around her became quiet.

Left alone in the room, Dia awkwardly stared at herself in the mirror.

The neatly styled hair in the Gracian fashion rather than the trendy Astrian style, the subtle makeup, and the faint scent of lilac were all unfamiliar.

Everyone who had helped Dia with her preparations today had complimented her on how beautiful she looked.

But to Dia, she only looked like someone desperately trying to hide her foolishness.

‘I’m scared.’

Dia had never done anything properly.

She always needed to repeat things several times to learn even the same tasks, unable to grasp them in one go.

And yet, in the end, she would still make mistakes.

She would surely make mistakes at the party too, and disappoint everyone.

Not just Zen, but all those who had helped her would sigh and eventually get angry, asking why she was like this.

‘I want to run away.’

Even clenching her trembling hands tightly did little to dispel her anxiety. At that moment, Deborah came to her room.

“It’s almost time for you to depart.”

Deborah opened the largest of the jewelry boxes she had brought. A diamond necklace sparkled brilliantly.

“Let me put it on for you.”

Standing behind Dia, Deborah fastened the necklace around her delicate neck.

As soon as Deborah’s hands left, Dia’s neck had to bear the full weight of the necklace alone.

“What’s wrong? Is something uncomfortable?”

Deborah asked, noticing Dia’s troubled expression in the mirror.

“I’m just worried.”

Dia said with a trembling voice. In truth, Dia didn’t want to say such things.

Deborah had always worked hard to help Dia. She must have worked even harder preparing for this party.

How unpleasant it must be to see someone who had just been sitting idle now complaining.

Yet, her anxiety made her voice her concerns against her will.

“I’m sure I’ll make mistakes. I’ll only be a burden to everyone…”

Tears welled up in Dia’s eyes. They seemed about to fall at any moment, but Dia held them back.

She knew even the makeup she wore now was someone’s effort.

“If only I could be like you, Deborah.”

Smart, beautiful, elegant… how wonderful it would be if Dia could be like that too.

If she could resemble Deborah even a little, she wouldn’t be a burden to everyone.

‘Even if I couldn’t be loved, at least I wouldn’t be hated.’

As Dia lowered her head, Deborah spoke.

“You can’t be like me, young lady.”

Feeling her face flush, Dia quickly raised her head and waved her hands.

“Of course! Of course not. How could someone like me be like that? I didn’t mean to say that just now…”

Dia’s body trembled just like her quivering voice. At that moment, Deborah grasped her hand with a warm and gentle touch.

“Young lady.”

Dia’s eyes, which had been fixed somewhere on the floor, slowly rose.

The person who had called Dia with such tenderness was smiling beautifully.

“What I mean is, you’re a noble, young lady. I’m a maid. Our positions are different. You’re a person who rules, and I’m a person who serves.”

Deborah continued in a careful tone.

“Young lady. It’s natural to worry about making mistakes. It’s neither shameful nor wrong. Even if you do make a mistake, it can’t be helped. Even actors who have rehearsed the same play daily for a long time sometimes make mistakes, so how much more so for you?”

Deborah squeezed Dia’s hand as she spoke.

“So not making mistakes isn’t that important. What’s more important is not doing wrong, and even more important than that is recognizing when you’ve done wrong. There are quite a few people in this world who don’t even realize when they’ve made a mistake.”

As Deborah’s hands grasped Dia’s shoulders, her hunched shoulders straightened.

“If you happen to make a mistake or do something wrong, just apologize politely.”

“What if they don’t accept my apology?”

Dia asked with a trembling voice.

“Hmm…”

Deborah looked up at the ceiling, pondering.

It would be nice if she could say ‘That won’t happen’…

After organizing her thoughts, Deborah turned her eyes back to Dia and said,

“You’re right, that could happen. Sometimes what we consider obvious isn’t obvious to others.”

Seeing Dia’s deflated spirit, Deborah smiled kindly and said,

“But young lady, from my experience, there are more good people in the world than bad ones.”

Of course, Deborah knew. The social world would show Dia more sharpness than kindness.

But there was no need to be afraid of things that hadn’t happened yet.

It’s bad to expect and be disappointed, but it’s worse to live constantly worrying.

‘So it’s enough for me alone to worry.’

Deborah wanted to say only good things to Dia.

“Today will be a wonderful day.”

They say words have power, so one should be careful with them.

So Deborah sincerely hoped with all her heart that these words she uttered would surely come true.

“So until you really do something wrong, just keep your posture straight like now…”

“…”

“And look at others the way you’re looking at me now. That’s enough.”

There was an unmelting block of ice inside Dia.

That ice, which had been with her since her earliest memories, rarely melted.

The ice always chilled Dia’s insides and tormented her, but she had to live with it.

But at this moment, droplets of water began to form on that large block of ice.

“May I put the ring on for you?”

Dia nodded at Deborah’s question.

A brilliant diamond ring encircled her ring finger.

Dia found this ring heavy, but bearable.