Yuriel’s time passed slowly.

It felt like weeks had passed since that incident with the young master, but it had only been a few days.

Far from fading, the memory became clearer with each passing day.

So much so that she forgot Hael hadn’t been seen at the mansion lately, that someone was looking for the thief who stole Brit, and that she herself was the subject of gossip.

The unpleasant memory with the young master was slowly taking over her mind, covering everything else.

Again and again.

The young master labeling her a voyeur, her admitting it in front of him, and also…

That vivid body, those penetrating red eyes.

Yuriel woke up today from the same dream again.

Her body was drenched in cold sweat, her breath ragged as if submerged in water.

Despite having the same dream repeatedly, she only realized it was a dream after waking up.

As she barely managed to get up, morning sunlight seeped through the window bars.

The still unresolved question echoed in her head.

‘Who could have done this?’

Could it be the young master? No, that seemed unlikely.

That was the conclusion she had reached over time.

If he had done it intentionally, his red eyes wouldn’t have held such a fierce light when he discovered her.

It must have been someone else in the mansion.

Which meant this incident might not be a one-time occurrence.

Her head throbbed as she recalled the humiliating words she had spoken in front of the young master.

She might have to repeat those words again.

Each time, that young master would laugh and choke her.

In fact, since she had been doing it all along, it wasn’t much of a problem.

Thinking about it, she could repeat such words over a hundred times.

Saying she had done things she hadn’t, being his thorough plaything.

It wasn’t a difficult task.

After that, the young master would eventually disappear, either to the capital or somewhere else.

This fact, which until a few days ago had been the force making her agree to anything the young master said, now created a sense of helplessness.

Looking at her mother sleeping peacefully, unaware of everything, she felt relieved yet anxious in a corner of her heart.

Was the end of all this destined to be tragic?

Was this maddening struggle ultimately futile?

Before Jane woke up, Yuriel hurriedly washed her face with water, changed her clothes, and composed her usual expression.

Fortunately, it was after this that Jane’s closed eyes opened.

Discovering Yuriel awake, Jane smiled brightly and gently stroked her head.

“Did you not have a nightmare today?”

“What nightmare? I told you, Mom, it was just that one time a while ago.”

Her mother smiled broadly and pointed to the dreamcatcher she had made herself.

“I thought it was crudely made, but it seems to be doing its job.”

The dreamcatcher, with an amethyst-colored shell in the center surrounded by white netting and feathers, was indeed crude as her mother said.

To gather materials for decorating the dreamcatcher, her mother had been occasionally visiting the docks lately.

Yuriel had given up on stopping her mother now.

She must have been making this, haunted by the image of her daughter having nightmares.

She understood that sentiment.

She could imagine how zealously her mother had made this alone with those frail hands, even without seeing it.

“It’s not crude at all. It’s so pretty. That’s why the ghosts get scared and leave when they try to come in. I haven’t been having nightmares lately, you know.”

Yuriel smiled brightly, her face not betraying that she had just had a nightmare that very morning.

While she wished her mother would rest more if possible, she knew how much that would dampen her mother’s joy.

So now she decided to just support her mother.

As the mother and daughter exchanged affectionate words as usual, a maid entered the room.

It was a new face, different from the maid who had often managed this room before.

In her hands was her mother’s meal.

While she didn’t pay attention to every maid’s face in the mansion, she knew the face of the maid who had been managing this room.

The maid with uniquely braided brown hair, wearing a modified maid uniform, had not only entered this room but also the young master’s room.

The girl who glared fiercely at her would smile and act coy in front of the young master, looking like a completely different person.

The young master, indifferent to all this, would sit like a wooden statue, not even looking at her.

The brown-haired maid, leaving the room as if humiliated, would then glare at her as if to kill her.

The new maid, blushing, introduced herself as Ann and nervously rattled off words about serving well from now on.

Her mother, as always, had been sitting up straight and fidgeting even before the meal arrived.

As if such treatment was not something she deserved.

Then she asked the new maid, Ann.

“Did the person who usually comes in go somewhere else?”

Startled by the polite address, the new maid waved her hands saying not to do that, then carefully answered.

“Well… I heard that person was dismissed due to an unfortunate incident.”

‘An unfortunate incident serious enough to be dismissed…’

There hadn’t been any such incident in this household recently.

Except for one, involving her.

She hadn’t thought they would do something so bold just because they found her presence in this house distasteful.

Her mother looked puzzled at the mention of an unfortunate incident.

“An unfortunate incident?”

Her mother knew nothing about the rooftop incident.

Because she hadn’t said anything about it.

Fortunately, the new maid didn’t seem to know anything else and just said that’s what she had heard before disappearing outside.

Watching this, her mother sank into worry again.

“I hope it wasn’t because of me.”

Foolish person. To worry even about someone who glared at her like that.

Hiding such thoughts, Yuriel smiled as usual and held her mother’s hand.

“That can’t be. They must have caused some big trouble in the mansion.”

Fearing that the dismissal of the brown-haired maid might increase her mother’s worries, she quickly changed the subject.

Only after chattering about other things and handing her the spoon did her mother reluctantly start eating the soup.

“By the way, I heard Hael hasn’t been seen lately. Is there some problem?”

Hael. Her breath stopped momentarily at that name.

The money for the medicine, still locked in her drawer, hadn’t been delivered yet.

After wandering around his house a few times and giving up, she had momentarily forgotten about him.

Or rather, tried to put it off.

Thanks to that young master, it had been easier to forget about that problem for a while.

Had Brit still not been found?

Surely Hael hadn’t actually sold Brit because of her.

As complex thoughts tangled, a few seconds passed.

At the end of it, a smile settled on Yuriel’s face as usual.

“What problem? I heard he’s just taking some time off. He’ll be back soon.”

“That’s a relief. I was surprised to hear someone was dismissed. But of course, Hael wouldn’t do anything like that.”

Nodding and smiling gently at her mother, she left the room on time.

Only then did she let out a long breath.

However, such peaceful moments were not given for even a few minutes.

Even in this situation, meals with the young master and standing by his side had to continue without fail.

The times that were already difficult became even more embarrassing after that day.

Even though the young master seemed to have no thoughts about it at all, only she…

That point also made it harder for Yuriel.

On the way to the reception room. The gazes of the maids she occasionally met were clearly different from before.

The eyes that were once covered with wariness and anger were now covered with fear.

Some of them would quietly avoid her when they spotted her.

Witnessing the change firsthand made it even more certain.

That the young master had personally intervened in this matter and expelled the brown-haired maid.

Rumors must have already spread among them.

That the brown-haired maid was expelled because of her.

How would she be seen among them?

An arrogant girl loved by the young master?

A bedbug clinging to this household without knowing her place?

Or…

What had she done so wrong?

Then again, when she was the talk of the town as a horse thief, was it really because she was a thief?

Honestly, she could somewhat understand why they did such things.

People who thought someone like her didn’t suit Hael made her out to be a horse thief.

And while she was here, they pulled such stunts thinking it unsightly for someone like her to serve the young master.

It all seemed to be because she was lacking.

Her chest felt tight and she found it hard to breathe.

The words she occasionally heard now stabbed her heart like daggers.

At the same time, questions arose in her mind.

Why had the young master expelled the brown-haired maid?

Honestly, even if someone had framed her and sent her to the rooftop, wasn’t he the type of person who wouldn’t even care?

From the beginning, even when she went up to the rooftop, he looked more like a predator who had spotted interesting prey rather than showing signs of surprise.

Her thoughts deepened with each step.

Then, for just a moment, this thought slipped in.

‘For her sake?’

Her steps came to an abrupt halt for an instant.