“No way!”

At the sharp question, as if striking the right chord, Deborah quickly denied in shock. This alone was suspicious enough.

Beth’s eyes sharpened at Deborah’s seemingly secretive demeanor. Deborah, now breaking into a cold sweat, fumbled for words until she quickly came up with an excuse.

“Actually, I’m concerned about the noise… and the smell… I thought it might be a bit embarrassing if someone heard it…”

As the situation got trickier, Deborah genuinely felt stomach discomfort. Thanks to this, Deborah continued speaking while acting out her stomach pain in a much more natural way.

“It seems like it’ll take a while… I think I need to, well, relieve myself a lot…”

Of course, she couldn’t say exactly why. It would be too embarrassing for Beth, with whom she always had dry conversations. Still, it seemed that Beth got the message, and her suspicions waned.

“I understand. I’ll wait outside, so take your time.”

Even for a servant, Beth seemed to not want to witness any unpleasant sight.

Beth initially never thought that Deborah would avoid her gaze and act foolishly.

Deborah, having narrowly escaped a tight spot, wiped the sweat on her forehead and nodded. She quickly entered the bathroom, locked the door tightly, and turned around to look for Luna.

“Lady Luna Peils…?”

Calling the name, a storage door in the bathroom creaked open.

Luna peeked out, checked her surroundings, and slowly walked out.

“Um, hello again.”

“Oh, hello…!”

An awkward greeting passed, and a moment of silence ensued.

Luna wondered if she should apologize for secretly putting the diamond in her coat, but Deborah, who took the diamond out of her pocket even faster than her, apologized first.

“I don’t know why it was there, but I’ll return it. I know you won’t believe me, but I really didn’t steal it…!”

She looked as if she was about to cry. Luna, feeling guilty, quickly confessed the truth and took the diamond.

“It’s okay. I know. Actually, we intentionally put it in your pocket. I should be the one apologizing.”

“…What?”

Confused, Deborah couldn’t understand, so Luna apologized again and explained.

“I’m sorry if you felt bad. Actually, I wanted to have a conversation with you, but something interrupted us, and I wondered how I could meet you again. So, I did that.”

She omitted the part about her boyfriend being the one who placed the diamond. Who put it didn’t matter; why it was put mattered more.

Deborah shook her head at Luna’s sincere apology. Deborah felt that she owed Luna greatly and should be the one thanking her.

“No…! Actually, I wanted to see you again. I haven’t had a chance to thank you yet.”

Luna was surprised by Deborah’s gratitude. They had many misunderstandings, which hindered their conversation.

Deborah then slowly relayed to Luna what she had heard from Beth about her mother.

“Your mother is in my hospital? What a coincidence.”

“Yes. I can’t thank you enough for my entire life. I thought she’d never recover, but I heard she’s made significant progress. Thank you so much.”

Deborah bowed her head. Their relationship warmed up due to their shared gratitude.

Luna, wondering when to get to the main point, carefully asked Deborah.

“If you don’t mind, can I ask why you’re staying at the Duke’s residence?”

Deborah’s expression darkened. It seemed like a simple question, but to give an accurate answer, she would have to reveal her shameful agreement and contract.

Yet, she couldn’t say nothing as Luna had helped her greatly. Deborah was impersonating her and causing her trouble.

Above all, the last encounter with Fersen was concerning. He was intoxicated and not in his right mind, but he showed an unnatural obsession with Luna. Deborah felt she had reignited his interest.

Hesitating for a moment, Deborah slowly began to tell the truth.

“Well…”

She had debated how much to reveal, but in the end, she had to lay everything out to convey the accurate details. From start to finish, there was no content that wasn’t shocking. As Deborah continued to explain, Luna didn’t even have the luxury to close her gaping mouth.

“…Did I just hear what you said? Pretend…? To be me?”

It’s one thing for a human to voluntarily pretend to give birth, but it was impossible to react normally to the absurd claim that she was forced to do such a thing.

Deborah, mistaking the reaction for anger, hurriedly began to apologize.

“I’m really sorry. I was blinded by money… If I could have run, I would have, but I thought my mother was being held hostage… And even if I had run, they’d find me and harm me… There seemed to be no other way out.”

“You don’t need to apologize. You were just deceived and threatened.”

Deborah was the one who needed comfort. On top of the unfortunate events, she couldn’t even meet her hospitalized mother.

Even the Duchess, who promised help, was dubious. She wanted her son and even the Duke’s documents.

Deborah, trapped in this misfortune, reminded Luna of her own past as if she was stuck in a quagmire. Perhaps it was their similar appearance that evoked sympathy.

No, maybe Luna felt as if Deborah had taken on her own misfortune just because they looked alike. If Deborah had looked different, she wouldn’t have been entangled in this terrible situation.

Feeling guilty, Luna hesitated for a moment before making an unexpected proposal.

“You said you wanted to see your mother, right? How about you go for a short visit? I’ll help you.”

“How would we…?”

“Change clothes. If they believe I’m waiting outside, I’ll go out first and you can follow.”

Will it really work? They might look similar, but their faces aren’t exactly the same. As Deborah contemplated, Luna suddenly headed to the washbasin.

“If I wash off the makeup and let down my hair, it might just work. They might laugh, but…”

Luna immediately washed her face and let her hair down, checking her reflection in the mirror.

“How is it? If they say anything, I’ll just tell them I was sweating a lot because my stomach hurt.”

Although not entirely convinced, Luna smiled brightly, determined not to get caught. This made Deborah’s eyes tear up. She expected anger but got assistance instead.

Even if they were caught by Beth, as a noble, Luna wouldn’t face repercussions, but just creating this opportunity was a big favor.

‘Even if Beth found out, it wouldn’t reach the Duke, right?’

Even if something went wrong, Luna was almost on her side.

With this thought, Deborah quickly blinked away her tears and nodded.

“Then I’ll rely on you. Thank you so much.”

* * *

“I’ll go out first. I’ll try to buy as much time as possible, so take your time.”

With her hair down, Luna, looking quite amusing, gave her final advice to Deborah. Just as Deborah was about to respond, she realized she hadn’t shared an important piece of information with Luna.

“Oh! I forgot to tell you something crucial… I should’ve mentioned it first…!”

“Hm? What is it?”

Seeing Deborah’s urgent demeanor, Luna asked. Deborah quickly conveyed what she had seen and heard.

“The Duke ordered people to be sent to your mine! He seemed very displeased with your success and was very angry.”

It was the Duke’s plan to cause trouble in Luna’s mine.

“…My mine? Is that true?”

“Yes! I clearly heard the butler say he’d handle it.”

Hearing this unexpected revelation, Luna’s expression became sharp. If this was true, she couldn’t just stand by.