I Don't Need the Grand Duke's Regret - Chapter 161
Mirabel’s calm question made the veins in Ricardo’s neck bulge. For a long moment, he said nothing and clung to her.
An overwhelming silence settled in the bedroom, broken only by the occasional sound of Ricardo trying to hold back his tears.
“Ricardo.”
Ricardo, still desperately holding onto the hem of her dress, looked up at the soft voice.
Mirabel had called his name.
Until now, Mirabel had never truly called his name. Sometimes, he had worried whether she still remembered it.
There were times, during his battles with the beasts, when he thought he heard his name being called, but it was more likely the hallucination created by his own desires.
Ricardo had always wanted to be called by his name when she forgave him.
But not like this.
Not when he was being abandoned by her, but when she had forgiven him.
But that moment never came.
Ricardo felt that everything had truly come to an end.
* * *
Crash!
At the country house of the Adalberto family, located at the center of the capital:
“Aaahhh!”
At the hysterical scream of a woman, the maids hurrying through the second-floor hallway moved quickly, trying not to be noticed.
“Martha! Rosalyn! Where are you two?!”
Julia, having thrown a plate containing the madeleines, was seething as she shouted the names of the maids.
But no matter how hard she tugged at the rope or yelled, not a single strand of hair from the maids appeared.
They knew well that if they were seen by Julia in this state, they’d become her scapegoat for her rage.
“How dare they insult the Adalberto family over a scrap of cloth?”
Julia stomped her foot and ripped up the paper she was holding. It was the bill sent from Madam Catherine’s tailoring shop.
Along with the bill, Madam Catherine had sent a warning: if the overdue payment wasn’t made all at once, they would no longer do business with the Adalberto family.
She had worded it elegantly, but the message was clear.
“Vulgar, obsessed with money!”
Julia ground her teeth and glared. She had apparently forgotten that her father was the very embodiment of someone obsessed with money.
“Why is no one coming?!”
Julia threw the pieces of the bill into the fireplace and irritably pulled the rope again.
“Yes, Miss! You called for me!”
After some time, one of the maids came running. The gray-haired maid approached Julia while smiling brightly.
“Bianca is here, Miss Julia. What’s the matter? How can I help you?”
Julia raised her chin arrogantly at Bianca’s sweet words. Her anger seemed to have subsided slightly.
Julia glared at Bianca, who was wiping her hands on her apron.
“Are you deaf? Why did you only come now?”
“I was doing the dishes. But as soon as I heard the bell, I rushed over, Miss. I thought you might be waiting for me.”
Bianca raised her wet hands for Julia to see, as if to prove her innocence. Julia, glaring at her, snorted and flopped onto the sofa.
“Fine, just clean up that plate.”
“Yes, Miss.”
Bianca responded obediently and began collecting the broken pieces of the plate into her apron.
Julia, looking down at Bianca’s head as she worked, clicked her tongue.
“How long are you going to take to clean that up? Never mind, go fetch my father. This time, I’m going to embarrass Madam Catherine.”
“The Count is out.”
“Again? Where did he go?”
“I’m not sure.”
Bianca tilted her head innocently. Julia, who had been staring at her, pouted and muttered under her breath.
“Did he go to meet that woman again?”
At Julia’s muttering, Bianca narrowed her eyes.
Durante had lost his wife long ago but had never kept another woman by his side. The only thing that mattered to him was money. But now, hearing that he was meeting a woman…
‘Is she getting a new stepmother?’
Bianca thought to herself while looking at Julia, who arrogantly placed her feet on the coffee table. When Bianca had first entered this mansion, she had been shocked by Julia’s crude behavior.
Julia was like an unbroken colt. She had no sense of decorum, and when things didn’t go her way, she would yell, stomp her feet, and throw tantrums.
The young lady, who wore the equivalent of a year’s salary of the servants of the Count’s household on her body, behaved worse than the lowest servant.
She was even more vulgar than Armilla, who had been the most despised in Renato.
Because of this, Bianca’s preconceived notion that a person’s dignity came from their social standing had been completely turned upside down.
She realized that when parents pour money into their children instead of love, this is the result.
‘Should I be thankful to her? After all, it’s because of her that I was able to stay here.’
Bianca sighed as she watched Julia irritably smooth out her dress.
After being kicked out of Renato without a recommendation letter, Bianca had gone to Durante alone.
Durante had already discarded her, but she had no other place to turn to.
Naturally, Durante had ignored Bianca, deeming her useless.
If Julia hadn’t been there, and if Bianca hadn’t stuck close to her in an attempt to please her, she would have surely been thrown out.
“Why are you staring at me like that?”
When Bianca stared at her intently, Julia wrinkled her face. As her mood began to sink again, Bianca quickly lowered her eyes and smiled.
“Ah, I thought I should brush your hair again, Miss.”
“Then hurry up and do it.”
“Yes.”
Bianca smiled and followed the gruff order. As she carefully brushed Julia’s hair, Bianca glanced at her, then spoke up.
“By the way, Miss, what do you mean by ‘that woman’? Has the Count started seeing someone recently?”
“Did you hear that? You’re quite the eavesdropper. Never mind, it’s none of your business.”
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