The Virtually Exiled Duke’s Daughter Is Troubled When Her Fiancé in a Neighboring Country Says, "I Will Never Love You" - Episode 22

Was it when I was six years old?

By that time, Deborah was already the leading candidate to become the crown prince’s fiancée. She was close in age to Aaron, an exceptionally beautiful girl even in her early childhood, and also showed intelligence. Coming from a ducal family, she stood out far above other girls. She had never suffered from any serious illness, was in perfect health, and had no flaws. Although the royal family had not officially chosen her yet, everyone thought it was only a matter of time.

However, Deborah herself was not very aware of this. Of course, her parents and brothers often told her, “You will be Prince Aaron’s wife in the future, and you must support him well.” But she had only met Aaron a few times, so she could barely grasp what that meant. Besides, rather than thinking about something so vague, she found it more enjoyable to focus on her studies, as it earned her praise from those around her.

“Lady Deborah!”

“Liza!”

At that time, Deborah was close to a certain earl’s daughter. Since their territories were nearby, the earl and his wife often brought their daughter to visit.

“My, Liza, you look wonderful today too.”

Deborah complimented her honestly. Liza blushed and giggled before twirling around, showing off her brand-new dress. She was always dressed elegantly, wearing something different each time. Her outfits were luxurious enough to rival those of Deborah, a duke’s daughter. Deborah assumed this was because her friend’s parents adored her.

“And that ribbon—it matches your eye color perfectly. It’s beautiful.”

Liza had two ribbons tied to her twin-tailed hair. Their deep navy color, reminiscent of a bright night sky, matched her eyes exactly. Deborah admired the effort that must have gone into finding and custom-ordering them.

However—

“Lady Deborah, do you like this ribbon? If so, I’ll give you one!”

Liza untied one of the ribbons and held it out to Deborah. That was not her intention at all, so she quickly refused.

“No, that was a gift from your parents, wasn’t it?”

“My father and mother said I should give it to you if you wanted it. And I’d be happy if we had matching ribbons!”

“Matching…”

That word struck Deborah’s heart. When the ribbon was tied to her fiery red hair, it stood out beautifully. She felt thrilled to have something that matched her beloved friend.

“Be sure to wear it at the next party! Let’s go together, wearing matching ribbons!”

“Yes, I promise.”

That promise was never fulfilled.

A sharp slap echoed.

Deborah flinched as her mother—the Duchess Mauzy—struck the nanny’s cheek with her fan. Tears welled up in Deborah’s eyes. She felt as if she had been the one slapped. It was terrifying, and her heart ached.

“You were there! Why didn’t you stop her?!”

“Madam… I deeply apologize…”

Deborah’s nanny clutched her stinging cheek and bowed in apology. When Deborah had received the ribbon from Liza, the nanny had watched with a warm smile and even tied it into Deborah’s hair. She had done so without knowing the consequences.

After calming her anger, the duchess spoke coldly.

“…I am dismissing you. I was already considering increasing Deborah’s study and etiquette lessons. Don’t worry, I will write you a proper recommendation letter.”

Deborah’s father, Duke Mauzy, spoke without looking at either the nanny or Deborah. His expression was bitter.

“They proposed a business deal that seemed favorable to us but kept delaying the discussions, making frequent visits. I suspected they had another motive, but to think they were trying to win over Deborah…”

He picked up the navy ribbon he had taken from Deborah and tossed it into the fireplace.

“Ah…!”

Even before it touched the flames, it was already engulfed in yellow fire. By the time Deborah rushed to the hearth, it had nearly turned to ashes.

“We are severing ties with that earl’s family. They will never step foot in this house again.”

“Listen carefully, Deborah. You will marry Prince Aaron and eventually become this nation’s queen—the mother of the kingdom. You must start choosing your friends wisely now.”

“…”

Deborah was a perceptive child. She understood everything.

If she had worn that ribbon in public, it would have meant introducing Liza as “a special friend of the future queen.” That was exactly what Liza and her parents had aimed for.

Because she had innocently accepted the ribbon without suspicion, the nanny—who was kinder to her than her own mother and whom she loved dearly—had been harshly scolded and dismissed.

“…Yes. I will be more careful from now on, Father, Mother.”

From that day on, Deborah changed.

She became the perfect noble lady—gracious and kind to everyone, maintaining a polite circle of acquaintances, but never allowing herself to have “special friends.” She knew that if she made the wrong choice again, it wouldn’t end with just a burned ribbon or a dismissed nanny.

As she grew, she encountered noble ladies and gentlemen far more cunning than Liza. They smiled at her on the surface but were ready to drag her down the moment she let her guard down. They wanted to strip her of her position as the crown prince’s fiancée.

Of course, Deborah never let them succeed. She always maintained her image as the flawless noble lady.

And so, she became someone who handled everything perfectly on her own, never confided in anyone, and never let her expression falter—a noble lady as beautiful as a doll.

“My… my true feelings…?”

Deborah’s voice trembled instinctively. She couldn’t read the Marquis Sisley’s intentions. If she revealed her true feelings, he would surely seize upon her weakness, exploit it, and drag her down.

…But was that really the case now?

She had been publicly discarded by her fiancé, betrayed by her father and brother, and was effectively exiled from the country. Could she even fall any further?

There was only one true weakness left: the fact that she was worthless as a political hostage. If that became known, she could be killed or thrown out of the marquis’s house, left to wander the streets. That would be her lowest point.

(Could he have already figured that out…?)

She looked up at her so-called husband with a pale face. His face was no longer flushed red. At the very least, he didn’t seem angry.

“Yes, your true feelings. It’s nothing to be ashamed of—at least, not in this house.”

“What…?”

“Think about it. All the servants here express their true feelings. They’re nothing like the ones in your family’s house, are they?”

“Ah…”

Deborah felt as if she had been struck on the head.

He was right.

Shelly, Martha, Vito, Peter—all of them. Even the usually expressionless Lady Lauren had confronted her with, “That’s an insult!” right from the start. Ashley, too—though he maintained the appearance of a proper butler, he couldn’t fully hide his distrustful gaze.

No one at the Mousy estate had ever expressed their emotions so openly. The only one who had come close was the nanny, the one who had been dismissed.

Marquis Sisley smiled gently in front of the shaken Deborah. He always had a kind smile.

If her father and brother had ever smiled at her like that, she would have felt at peace in her own home.

“Perhaps you’d call it ‘unbefitting of nobility’… but my late wife was the one who created this atmosphere.”