My Arrogant and Insolent Shadow - Chapter 36

“You know that’s not what I meant.”

Yurisiel spoke clearly, her voice calm but firm as she looked at Hael’s stunned face.

“I’m really grateful. But I’m sorry, Hael.”

With that, Yurisiel turned and hurried into the building, as if running away from him.

Only after she was out of his sight did she finally sit down, her legs giving out beneath her. Her unsteady breathing rose and fell as the scene from earlier played over and over in her mind.

Asking him if he had sold Britt had been an impulsive question.

She had already spent several days convincing herself that he wouldn’t do such a thing.

But then she remembered the way Hael’s body had trembled, the heavy look in his eyes, and something else she couldn’t quite name.

Hael had denied it, but even if someone can lie with words, they can’t hide their instinctive reactions.

Those small, involuntary movements made it clear.

Hael had probably sold Britt.

He had used the money to buy her mother’s medicine.

She had known, deep down, but had kept denying it until now.

How else could Hael have gotten that much money to hand her the medicine?

She had questioned it many times, but each time, she pushed the thought aside and pretended not to know.

Just to keep herself comfortable.

But in the end, she couldn’t avoid it forever. That was why she had come this far.

She still remembered Hael’s tearful eyes when he asked why she wouldn’t accept it, as if wondering if she thought that little of him.

Even so, she couldn’t take it.

No, she simply couldn’t accept it.

She still remembered clearly how Lady Catherine and some of the women who followed Alphonse whispered while watching her.

If she accepted that medicine, wouldn’t that make her exactly what they claimed she was? The person who sold Britt?

Of course, the truth was different, but to others, it would seem exactly like that.

It might have been a different story if she hadn’t known. But now she knew everything.

The only thing she had avoided was hearing him confirm it directly.

But avoiding it didn’t make the problem go away.

After all, she had been the one who mentioned her mother’s medicine to Hael in the first place. There was no denying that.

She hadn’t meant anything by it, and Hael had acted with good intentions, but the world didn’t care about intentions.

Hael had stolen because of her, and now she would be seen as the one who pushed him to do it.

In the end, people would say she was the real thief.

No one in Alphonse’s estate would believe someone like her.

Even if Hael tried to protect her, even if he hurt himself to prove it, nothing would change. And she didn’t want that kind of outcome anyway.

When enough people repeat something, it becomes accepted as truth. In the end, those rumors would leave deep scars on her and her mother.

And that wasn’t all. What would happen between her and Hael?

Even the fragile bond they had managed to protect would fall apart completely.

Still, she had returned it. Maybe now everything could go back to the way it was.

Britt had been returned. Hael had taken the money back.

There was nothing left to question.

She didn’t need to carry the guilt anymore.

She was just glad she could return the cost of the medicine.

Since coming to this estate, Yurisiel had found things she needed to protect.

Compared to her past, when she had to accept whatever came her way, now at least she could hold on to a little dignity.

So, it was time for her to return to where she belonged.

To the young master, who had given her a reason to protect that small sense of pride.

Her shaky breathing calmed. Cold reason washed over her, clearing her thoughts.

She stood and began walking down the corridor.

As her footsteps echoed softly, she paused and leaned quietly against the wall.

Hael was still lingering in the hallway, as if searching for her. He stayed there for a while before a guard finally approached and led him away.

She could still see the tears in Hael’s eyes. The memory was vivid.

She was relieved. Relieved she didn’t have to face him again today.

Because if she had met his eyes even once more, she felt she would have told him the truth that she already knew everything.

The next morning, Yurisiel began her day as always, copying manuscripts.

As she focused on recording each moment with care, she slowly cleared her mind of distracting thoughts.

The events of the previous day still lingered in Yurisiel’s mind. Hael’s tearful face came back to her, clear as day. But she pushed all of it aside.

Sitting upright with perfect posture, she continued copying the manuscript with steady hands and clean, neat handwriting.

At some point, the pages shifted from Calypse’s diplomatic section to Kai’s strategies on warfare.

Just then, a knock echoed through the room.

“Who could it be at this hour?”

As always, she had woken up early. There was still plenty of time before she needed to join the young master for breakfast.

Since the brown-haired maid had been dismissed, the other maids had become too afraid to approach her. Aside from the one who helped her mother with meals and arrived right on time, no one came near her anymore.

With curiosity, Yurisiel stepped outside. There, she was greeted by the steward, Lanod.

Adjusting his monocle, he held a box in one hand.

He handed it directly to Yurisiel. She accepted it with a puzzled expression, meeting his gaze.

Lanod was quietly frustrated. He couldn’t understand why the young master would order him to deliver something like this so early in the morning, especially on a day when preparations for the evening banquet were already overwhelming.

Still, the girl in front of him looked entirely focused on the box in her hands, unaware of his irritation. She turned it over and examined it, her confusion obvious.

Lanod stifled a sigh and finally spoke.

“You know there is a banquet being held at the estate tonight, correct?”

Only then did Yurisiel begin to understand why he had come to see her in person.

She remembered how busy the estate had been over the past few days. From that alone, it was clear how much effort the lord and Lady Catherine were putting into this banquet.

She also remembered the young master mentioning the banquet in her presence. Looking back, it now seemed like a hint that he had intended to bring her along.

Whether it was the young master’s idea or the lord’s, it was unlikely that someone like her would be welcome at such an important event.

Unless she had been given an official position as a servant, there was no place for her.

She was neither a guest nor a maid. She was simply someone the young master had allowed to stay under his command.

If she made even the smallest mistake at the banquet, it would reflect badly on the reputation of the estate.

Yurisiel assumed that the steward had come to tell her to stay quietly in her room for the day.

It was a logical guess.

After all, noble banquets were held not only for enjoyment but also to display power and build connections. Every detail was carefully arranged.

She had already expected to be told to stay out of the way.

If that were the case, it would be a relief. Escaping the young master’s suffocating presence and spending the day doing transcription work in peace would feel like a well-earned break.

But then, what was this outfit for?

The steward’s next words answered her question clearly.

“You are to attend the banquet tonight.”

“What? I… excuse me?”

Attend the banquet?

She didn’t even have time to fully express her disappointment before her thoughts quickly came into focus.

The young master must have planned this from the beginning. From the moment he brought up the banquet in front of her, he already intended for her to go.

How foolish of her to think that the young master would attend the banquet without someone by his side.

It was common for nobles to be accompanied by their attendants.

Especially someone like him, so proud and difficult to please. There was no way he would show up alone.

Even if she didn’t want to go, there was no way to refuse a direct order.

“What do I need to do to prepare?”

The steward, looking as tired as ever, pointed to the box in her hands.

It was wrapped in an elegant ribbon and looked like a gift from a luxury boutique. Something that noble young ladies might receive from a prestigious dress shop.

Despite its size, it felt surprisingly light in her hands. The weight didn’t feel awkward at all.

“Wear that tonight,” the steward said.

Yurisiel looked up at him, her eyes wide with surprise.

He added firmly, “It is the young master’s order.”

His tone was polite, but it wasn’t quite the way one would speak to a noble lady. It was somewhere in between.

After handing her a formal invitation to the banquet, he turned and left swiftly, as if his job was done.

“A banquet…?”

Yurisiel stared down at the invitation in disbelief.

She had never been to one before in her life.

It was only natural. As a commoner, she had no reason to be invited to a noble’s banquet. But that didn’t mean only nobles held parties.

Lady Catherine, Hael’s biological mother, often held her own gatherings. She invited noblewomen close to her and loyal to the Alphonse family.

Whenever something good happened to Hael, she celebrated with an especially large party.

When he ranked first at the Alphonse academy. When he was selected by the scholarship foundation. When he transferred to a prestigious school in the capital.

Every time, there had been another grand celebration.

But those events could not compare to the scale of the banquet being held at the lord’s estate. Lady Catherine’s parties wouldn’t even count as real banquets next to this one.

That only made Yurisiel feel even more nervous.

She had never even attended one of Lady Catherine’s small gatherings. Now she was expected to attend a formal banquet hosted by the lord himself.

It felt like a thunderbolt had struck her.

But what choice did she have? The order had already been given.

Yurisiel gently ran her fingers along the glossy invitation. It was far too glamorous for someone like her.

Her expression slowly hardened with determination.

She just had to stand by the young master’s side and quietly serve like a shadow, just as he wanted.

That shouldn’t be too difficult.

At least, that’s what she believed, until she opened the box and saw the dress inside.

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