The Mistress Runs Away - Chapter 6.2

Rowena had just woken up from a restless sleep, thinking that she was just thirsty, she went down to the kitchen to get something to drink, but as she was about to open the kitchen door, she heard a familiar name from inside.

“…..you mean Duke Killian”

“….huh…”

“Did he attend yesterday’s banquet with Count Vanessa’s second daughter?”

Another woman. Her hand on the doorknob tightened unconsciously. Rowena paused for a moment while the conversation continued .

“He did ! I heard it was a gorgeous and beautiful banquet.”

“Now that he’s old enough, is he thinking about getting married?”

“Maybe so. It’s been a long time since the Duchess’s seat has been vacant. Until now, the older Marchioness Essix has been in charge of the country house in her stead, but she’s getting old now, isn’t she?”

“Then what will become of Miss Philone?”

“Well, they’ll pay her out with the appropriate amount of money and send her off.  because no matter how much they conceal it, no one would blatantly offer their daughter to a man with a mistress. especially if they are noblemen, they have a reputation to uphold.”

The words stabbed her right in her heart. With a gasp, Rowena covered her mouth with both hands.

“By the way, will the Queen accept a mere count daughter  as her nephew’s wife? Also, do you know why he never got married until now?”

The servant, who had lowered her voice to a whisper, then continued.

“I heard that he lost his fiancée whom he treasured deeply three years ago, and been single all this time because he hasn’t forgotten her.”

“I heard that rumor too! I don’t know what happened exactly, but I heard that she was very beautiful…..”

“A man who can’t let go of his first love! So romantic…”

Each word felt like a sharp blade, cutting her heart lightly. Rowena fell back, unsteady. At that moment, one of the servants noticed the presence of someone and turned around.

“Is there anyone there?”

Rowena held her breath and looked around quickly. But there was nowhere to hide. Just as her mind went completely blank, the door on the other side of the kitchen opened. Simultaneously, a cold, hard voice yelled at the servants.

“What are you doing here, instead of working?”

“Mrs. Gertrude!”

The startled servants stood up.

“I’m sorry. We were just talking for a while.”

The frightened servants bowed their heads. Gertrude, with her hard expression, looked around and noticed the open door on the other side.

“Whatever you rant about, do not let it be heard outside this door.”

The next moment, she opened the door on the side where Rowena was standing. But there was no one there.

“We are sorry about our doings”

“If I caught you again, I’ll fire you at once.”

Gertrude warned coldly and closed the door violently. Rowena, who was standing behind the door, let out a sigh of relief.

Killian’s marriage.

It was an unrealistic word. Rowena kept trying to forget what she had just heard.

She didn’t expect him to be single forever, but the words coming out of someone’s mouth were shocking. And even more so in a situation like the current one where she was neglected. But what bothered her the most were the words that came next.

The deceased fiancée

… a groundless rumor.

She hadn’t seen a trace of his affection toward his first love in three years she was with him. And after becoming his mistress she was the one who accompanied him to most of the banquets.

Rowena recalled one of the few sweet moments she spent with him.

His hands drying her wet hair with a towel, his eyes when he fed her chocolate, the warmth she felt when he placed his coat on her when the first snow fell.

If he wanted to honor a dead woman, he would never do such things . That’s why she believed that he had even the tiniest bit of feelings for her.

But she couldn’t let it go on like this.

One day, when their relationship became debt free, she wanted to confess her feelings to him. She wanted to undo the wrong buttons and put them back together from the beginning.

The very first step was to publish the book.

In order to stand beside him on an equal footing, she would first have to repay all the debts she owed him.

****