Chapter 3

"Yuno?"

Dirk asked in disbelief.

"Yes... Is there something wrong?"

The priest and the head maid were bewildered by their master, who seemed like a completely different person from his usual composed self. Yuno clasped her hands together as if in prayer at the back of the crowd. Dirk shook his head lightly and smiled wryly.

"It's nothing. I was just surprised because it's the same name as an acquaintance. Well, it's a common name, so it must be someone else."

Yuno bit her lip, still looking down. Even though she knew it was the lowest, she was incredibly happy that Dirk had remembered her, even if just a little. But that happiness was fleeting, and she was quickly pulled back to reality.

"I hope you think it's someone else and just pass by." She wished again, knowing she had no face to show him. But contrary to Yuno's wishes, Dirk asked the head maid casually,

"So, what's the girl's last name?"

"Surely it's Maiden. Yuno Maiden."

Because she had been disowned from her family, she couldn't use her real last name, 'Belistar.' So when asked for her name, she had impulsively answered with the origin of the wheat bag nearby. She never thought it would come in handy like this.

"Right. It must be someone else then."

Dirk shrugged and started walking.

(That's good...)

She felt a sense of relief, even as she fell into self-loathing. Suddenly, a high-pitched voice came from two rows ahead.

"Sir Dirk, Yuno is right there!"

She was startled.

It was the senior maid from earlier. Even as a senior maid, she wouldn't normally speak to the lord so casually. She must have seen it as an opportunity. And since a low-ranking maid like Yuno couldn't possibly be an acquaintance of the prince, she must have thought it would be a good idea to disappoint Dirk.

But to Yuno's and the senior maid's disappointment, the person Dirk had been thinking of was indeed Yuno.

The attention of everyone in the hall focused on Yuno, and she paled. She was terrified of being noticed by Dirk, but being the center of attention of so many people was equally terrifying. She tried to leave the scene in a panic, but the wall was behind her, and people surrounded her on all sides, leaving her no room to move. With a blank mind, she desperately tried to hide her face with her hands, but it was in vain.

Dirk, recognizing Yuno, widened his eyes in shock. He walked through the crowd with long strides, and the servants hurriedly made way for him. Dirk stood directly in front of Yuno.

(What should I do...)

Her heart felt like it was about to leap out of her mouth. She couldn't raise her face out of fear. It was hard to believe Dirk was right in front of her, and she was both overjoyed and terrified to see him again.

"Yuno...?"

Even so, the voice from above made her heart tremble. It was a familiar voice, one that always spoke kindly to her when she was hurt and trembling.

Encouraged by the memory, Yuno hesitantly raised her face. Dirk stood before her, taller and with a more mature face.

It was Dirk.

For a moment, she felt as if she had returned to four years ago, to a time when she had forgotten everything she had done and was completely fresh.

Seeing Yuno's gaze, Dirk smiled.

"It's been a long time. How have you been? Why are you here?"

"I... I left home..."

She couldn't bring herself to say that she had been disowned for not being able to use magic.

"Is that so? How is your family?"

She was at a loss for words. Dirk had only visited her family occasionally, and when he did, her mother and sister hadn't been cruel to her. So Dirk and the couple who were friends with her late father probably didn't know the real situation.

But she couldn't tell him about the cruelty she had faced. She didn't want to. He was the only person who had ever liked her. If she told him, even if it was in the past, it might turn into a bad memory for Dirk. She felt like she would lose her only support.

"I didn't tell you, but I'm royalty. Surprised?"

"Yes..."

Yuno nodded and then quickly corrected herself, "Yes, sir." What was she doing? Dirk was her third prince, after all.

"You don't have to be so formal."

Dirk smiled, the same gentle smile from four years ago. Yuno's heart was filled with warmth. She hadn't forgotten what she had done, but she felt a little relieved. Dirk was still as kind as he was four years ago. Thinking this, something she had long kept in her heart came out.

"Um, I'm sorry..."

"For what?"

"For what happened four years ago... I've been wanting to apologize for a long time, and I'm really sorry..."

She had been telling herself that she didn't deserve to meet him, but a part of her had always hoped that if she did, she would at least properly apologize for breaking off their engagement.

Dirk laughed off Yuno's earnest face.

"Are you still thinking about that? It's fine. It's in the past."

(Really...?)

Is it really? Despite this, she felt a sense of relief and tried to smile.

"Sir Dirk, do you know this maid...?"

The priest's surprised voice broke the moment. Dirk's subordinates, other servants, and the spiteful senior maid were all staring at Yuno in shock.

"Until four years ago, I was placed under the care of the former head of the knights, Sascal. She's an acquaintance from that time. The eldest daughter of Sascal's late friend."

"I see."

The priests nodded in understanding, and the senior maid, whose plan had completely failed, bit her lip in frustration.

Dirk turned back to Yuno. He looked her over from head to toe and smiled.

"Yuno hasn't changed at all from back then."

Yuno's face shot up as if struck. Dirk's smile was directly in her line of sight. The same gentle smile from four years ago...

(No, it's different.)

It was different. On the surface, he was smiling, but there was a cold, sharp look in Dirk's eyes.

She felt as if she had been doused with cold water when she realized this.

Back then, when she met Dirk, she had worn beautiful clothes. On that day, she had looked like a daughter of a noble family, wearing a new dress that matched her sister's, with her hair curled and a ribbon tied by her mother.

But now, Yuno's hair was unkempt, and soot from the morning cleaning clung to her right arm and apron. To Dirk, the Yuno of back then and the Yuno of now were the same...

Dirk had no more interest in Yuno. She felt as if she had been hit in the head.

Just then, a girl in a dress that seemed like a refreshing breeze entered the hall and took Dirk's arm familiarly. Yuno gasped.

"Dirk, I've been so lonely without you. Don't go anywhere again."

The girl said in a coquettish voice, resting her head on Dirk's shoulder.

She was breathtakingly beautiful. About the same age as Yuno, but with the most common light brown hair and eyes, and a figure that was the epitome of 'average'—Yuno felt they lived in completely different worlds.

Dirk looked down at the girl with a bemused expression.

"We just met at the king's palace, didn't we?"

"But I haven't seen you in so long. I don't want to be apart anymore."

The intimate atmosphere between the two made Yuno involuntarily take a step back and shrink. Dirk, in his uniform with several badges indicating his rank, and the girl in her luxurious dress, looked very well-matched.

Standing before them, Yuno suddenly felt ashamed of her appearance. She usually thought it was enough to do the menial work and be grateful for the job.

But now, her unkempt hair and the soot on her right arm and apron from the morning cleaning were painfully noticeable. She turned to the side, trying to hide them.

"Then, work hard as a maid."

Dirk laughed easily, turning his back on her while still holding the girl's arm.

Yuno hurriedly bowed. As she did, she realized she was in shock.

She thought she understood her position and what she had done, but she hadn't understood at all. Wanting to apologize, even if just a little, was so presumptuous and selfish.

'I never want to see Yuno again—' Dirk had already moved on, just as he had said four years ago.

She knew it. She had known it. But somewhere in her heart, she had been hoping. Dirk is kind, maybe he would forgive me...

(How low...)

She was the lowest person. She hated herself for having such a childish thought. The voices of her mother and sister echoed in her mind.

'You're really a failure. Who do you take after? I wish I hadn't given birth to you.'

'Sister is really a failure. I would be so embarrassed if I were her.'

(That's right...)

It's true.

Yuno, still bowing, desperately tried to hold back her tears.