The Virtually Exiled Duke’s Daughter Is Troubled When Her Fiancé in a Neighboring Country Says, "I Will Never Love You" - Episode 10

The maid, Shelly, was perplexed.

“Good morning, Lady Deborah.”

Good morning. The weather is nice again today.

“!”

When Shelly entered Deborah’s room to get ready in the morning, she found that Deborah had already changed and was brushing her beautiful red hair. Although it was what she had expected, Shelly couldn’t help but stare at Deborah’s hand holding the brush due to its unusualness. Receiving that gaze, Deborah smiled and spoke in a somewhat regretful tone.

“Oh, I thought today I could get ready without Shelley’s help. Maybe I need to wake up a little earlier.”

“Getting up any earlier than this is bad for your health!”

“But Shelly and the others wake up earlier and get ready before coming here, right?”

“That’s because it’s our job! Please don’t take our jobs!”

Shelly said this and snatched the brush from Deborah’s hand, continuing to comb her hair. The strands slipped smoothly through the bristles of the brush. The oil had already been applied, and no further care was needed. It was completely different from a few days ago.

Shelly almost let out a sigh but managed to swallow it just in time.

A week has passed since Deborah came to the Sisley residence. Last week, when Shelly took her turn to attend to Deborah in the morning for the first time, she was taken aback. What she saw as she opened the door was Deborah, wearing only her underwear, struggling alone to put on a dress.

At first, even though it was a neighboring country, the culture of the Mammut Kingdom was completely different, and I thought that even high-ranking nobles would do their own preparations. However, Deborah seemed completely unaccustomed and took a long time just to fasten a single button. Many of the dresses she brought were similar to those in this country, requiring assistance to put on.

“I thought I shouldn’t trouble everyone too much since I’m a hostage…”

Deborah always had a lack of expressions other than her forced smile, but even so, when she made excuses, she seemed a little down. Shelly told Deborah that she didn’t need to worry about such things, but the day after tomorrow, having mastered changing clothes, she was able to put on a simple dress by herself.

Next came the hair. The next morning, when Shelley entered the room, she saw Deborah with her hair all tangled and a brush stuck in it, looking just as downcast as before. Shelley carefully untangled her hair, but she couldn’t untangle her own confused emotions.

(Huh… Just like Ashley said, is it really a fake? It’s not something a duke’s daughter would do, right?)

Deborah’s thoughts about the possibility of someday being exposed and thrown out of the Sisley Marquisate, or even if she safely returns to the Mammut Kingdom, not being able to return to the ducal family, and that she needs to be able to take care of her own preparations, are beyond Shelley’s imagination.

(But if they were an imposter, would they really go out of their way to do something so suspicious? It seems like it would be much easier to just act aloof like a typical high-ranking noble and leave everything to the servants…)

In any case, having such things done without permission only damages beautiful hair. Although Shelley knew it was highly unusual, she taught Deborah that the correct way to brush hair is to start from the tips and gradually work up, and how to care for it using scented oils.

And today, Deborah showed that she could handle them perfectly.

“Next, I want you to teach me how to tie my hair. Something simple that I can do by myself would be fine.”

“Lady Deborah, please spare me. I will be scolded by Lauren.”

“Is that so…?”

A shadow falls over Deborah’s gray eyes as seen through the mirror. It might just be that people interpret her expression differently because of her blank face, but to Shelly, Deborah looked a bit downcast.

(Ahhh! Enough already!)

“……You know how to braid, right? While it wouldn’t be acceptable for Lady Deborah to be seen with her hair in braids, if we were to gather the braids into a bun and adorn it with a hairpin, it might just be passable.”

“Really? Do you think I can do it too?”

“Because Lady Deborah is very skilled with her hands.”

In fact, Deborah has absorbed and mastered everything she has been taught in no time. For Shelley, who took care of her younger sisters before becoming a maid at the Sisley residence, Deborah’s ability to do things she had never known how to do without asking again was both miraculous and rewarding.

As Shelly gathered Deborah’s hair, she smiled at the sight of her curiously watching her hands in the mirror… and then suddenly realized.

I am too sympathetic towards her. She is a noble lady of the Mammut Kingdom. She is a hostage from the enemy nation who took away someone precious to everyone, someone we hate and despise. Yet, I can’t help but think that Deborah’s character doesn’t deserve such hatred.

If only she had acted like a typical noble lady and been aloof, it would have been easy to hate her.

Shelly swallowed another sigh.

(If this person turns out to be a fake, then they must be incredibly skilled…)

During the afternoon break that day, Mrs. Lauren told Shelly about the engagement cancellation she had heard from Ashley the other day, and as a result, she completely sympathized with Deborah.