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The Duke’s expression flickered with surprise before settling into something more measured, edged with curiosity.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

His voice was steady, yet it carried an authority that filled the space between us. In my previous lives, that tone alone would have reduced me to silence, stumbling over my words in fear.

But I was no longer that person.

The trials I had endured across those lifetimes had carved something firmer into my heart and mind. Fear had long since lost its grip on me.

I doubted I could ever truly tremble before him again.

Instead, I blinked, deliberately wearing an air of confusion.

“I do not know you, sir,” I said evenly. “Are you one of the servants? And why did you jump in after me? I was capable of getting out on my own.”

My words were direct, lacking the reverence he was likely accustomed to. I shifted my attention away from him and focused on wringing the water from my dress, as though he were no more than part of the scenery.

Silence settled briefly between us.

When I finished, I rose in one smooth motion and brushed away the dirt clinging to my clothes. Only then did I face him again.

His expression revealed nothing, but his eyes remained fixed on me. I lifted a brow in response.

“What is it?” I asked. “Were you expecting gratitude? I did not ask to be rescued, so you should temper that expectation.”

With that, I turned and walked away.

It was only after I had put some distance between us that my composure fractured. Tears spilled freely then.

I bit my lip and wiped my face with irritation.

“Why are you crying?” I muttered to myself. “You have been given another chance. What reason do you have to weep?”

The memory of the young Duke stirred nothing but revulsion. Even at such an age, he already carried that unsettling intensity I knew far too well.

I returned to my quarters and changed my clothes. The servants’ building was tall and spacious, with more rooms than occupants. Each servant was granted their own space, a small comfort within the estate.

I retrieved my study materials and attempted to revise.

For most servants, education was an impossible luxury. Schools favored those of status or influence, and learning resources for commoners were scarce without formal instruction.

For me, things had been different.

In my former lives, I had never pursued knowledge with purpose. I read out of idle curiosity at first, a habit that soon twisted into a means of pleasing the Duke.

I had once wanted to become the future Duchess with such desperation that I sacrificed everything for it. Only now did I understand how worthless that dream had been.

My devotion had been blind and greedy. I had dragged my gentle mother down with me, pushing her toward an early death through my obsession.

I gave away years of my life chasing his affection, only to be discarded repeatedly.

In the end, I met death more than once, by my own choices and by his hand.

To him, I was never human. I was something lesser, something to be ignored or dismissed.

His attention had always been reserved for another servant, someone no different from me in standing.

And now, I felt nothing but relief that he had never accepted my feelings.

I would rather remain alone than walk that path again.

My thoughts spiraled until my focus slipped entirely from my studies.

By the next day, news of the young Duke’s return spread rapidly, filling the Westwond estate with renewed activity.

I remained unaffected. I had been assigned to wash duvets, and I completed the task without distraction. After all, I had already seen him the night before, disheveled and misguided in his attempt to save the person he believed he loved.

Unfortunately for him, he had mistaken me for her.

That suited me just fine.

As I worked, a shadow fell across my hands. I looked up to see a girl wearing the same uniform as mine.

It was Elet, my peer and one of the Duke’s assigned attendants.

Her expression was anything but pleasant.

Without warning, she flung the linens she carried straight at my face.

I stood immediately and returned the gesture, tossing the fabric back at her.

Her eyes widened, stunned into silence.

“What is wrong with you?” she demanded.

“What difference is there?” I replied calmly. “You did the same to me.”

I met her gaze without flinching. For a brief moment, she seemed unsettled before lifting her chin defiantly.

“You insolent thing,” she sneered. “You may have grown bolder, but you are still an unattractive nobody, born to a worthless mother.”

“You should be grateful to her for your miserable existence—”

She never finished.

My hand struck her face, sending her to the ground.

I flexed my wrist afterward, easing the sting. Her cheek burned red, marked clearly by my palm.

I regarded her without concern.

“What is it?” I asked. “Nothing to say now? Go on, keep talking. You seemed proud enough moments ago.”

I let out a small laugh. “What gives you the confidence to look down on others who stand beside you? You are amusing.”

Her eyes glistened with fury, filled with such hatred that even now I wondered what I had ever done to earn it.

Had I wronged her in some way?

The question never left my lips. She scrambled to her feet and spat my name like a curse.

“You will regret this,” she hissed before fleeing.

I stood there, confused, certain that I had done nothing to provoke her.

Yet she was not the only one.

Many female servants my age regarded me with the same resentment.

I did not know why.

Night came at last, and my duties for the day ended.

I was thankful that I had not encountered the young Duke again. I hoped it would remain that way, at least until I left.

I would not be staying long.

In my former life, the thought of leaving the Westwond household had never crossed my mind. Generations of my family had served there, and I believed it was my fate to do the same, passing the role down in turn.

But there had never been any binding vow.

Remaining in service had simply been safer and more rewarding than facing the world beyond the estate walls.

For commoners without a household to rely on, the outside world was harsh and unforgiving.

Still, I intended to face it.

This time, I would live for myself.

I would seek a life shaped by purpose and balance, far removed from the poison of the Westwond household.

That was the path I chose.

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