The Villainous Duke Lady Hides Her Identity Chapter 11

The oil lamp in the bedroom tipped over in the wind, feeding the flames and causing them to grow larger. Thick smoke quickly filled the entire room.

As the temperature rose, the surrounding air grew stiflingly hot.

“Cough!”

Her eyes burned, and her throat seared with pain as she doubled over, coughing uncontrollably with each breath more difficult than the last. Of course, she had been trained under the strict guidance of tutors appointed by the Pope—she was not someone easily shaken.

Even so, no amount of training could have prepared her for the toxic fumes rising from the remnants of a chemical fire—a trial by fire, merciless and real.

‘Even so, it’s hard to endure with the body of a five-year-old.’

Her small frame couldn’t withstand holding her breath for long—that was the real problem. She had already inhaled too much smoke, and her vision was starting to blur.

‘My body won’t last as long as I planned.’

Still, today’s goal remained unchanged: to escape this place on her own two feet.

Just as Lephonia’s consciousness began to slip.

A strange noise suddenly echoed from outside the bedroom.

‘He’s here.’

Surely, it was Duke Craytan, who hadn’t gone to sleep yet, who noticed it. If it were the Duke—an Aura Master—he would have sensed it.

“It’s a relief… everything is proceeding exactly as planned.”

The bedroom was quiet until a loud noise shattered the silence. Someone was at the door. A heavy thud, then the sound of it bursting open.

She wanted to open her eyes, to see who it was that had pulled the blanket away, but her eyelids were heavy and refused to move.

A large hand brushed the blanket aside and gently lifted Lephonia’s limp body from the bed.

The hand trembled with heat. Then, after several more crashing sounds, a rush of cool air swept into the room.

It felt like being rescued from fire.

The large hand gripped Lephonia securely. Startled by the unfamiliar touch, she drew a sharp gasp, finally inhaling the breath she’d been holding all along.

“Cough, cough!”

The moment the tickling sensation in her throat eased, she broke into a fit of coughing. Her throat and mouth were parched.

Though she knew it was safe to breathe now, she couldn’t stop coughing—her body trembled too much, caught between fear and relief.

“Your Grace!”

“My lady!”

Voices, full of panic and urgency, echoed from all directions.

“Get a doctor and bring water! Now!”

A firm command cracked through the air above her head like a whip. The sound of hurried footsteps followed, filling the space with chaos.

‘… Duke?’

With the last of her strength, Lephonia slowly opened her eyes. Though her face had not yet been wiped clean, she knew it wasn’t wise to open them just yet.

Still, Lephonia wanted to see the face of the one holding her so tightly.

“Baby.”

Through her dim vision, she saw the face of Duke Craytan. His face, emerging from the smoke and fire, burned into her memory like a painting—like a savior descending from the flames.

The hand that had pulled her close, the body that trembled—everything belonged to Duke Craytan.

Their eyes met, and the Duke gently called her name.

‘You could’ve just put out the fire, though.’

Lephonia furrowed her brow. She had assumed that rumors of an adopted child perishing in a fire at Duke Craytan’s estate would tarnish the house’s dignity, and so, of course, they would come to rescue her—just as she had expected.

What she hadn’t expected was one thing.

‘Why you, personally…?’

He hadn’t merely given the order to extinguish the fire; Duke Craytan had thrown himself into the blaze to save her.

His body was considered a national treasure. If he were harmed or endangered, it could shake the entire empire. Any injury to him might jeopardize the nation’s peace and stability.

And yet… that man, he must have known exactly what his actions meant.

“…Don’t worry. Just close your eyes and rest, Phonia.”

With a clean handkerchief handed to him by the butler, the Duke gently covered Lephonia’s anxious eyes.

All her doubts and fears melted into the softness of that cloth.

“I’ll take care of everything from now on. Leave it to your father.”

Leave it to your father? What a ridiculous thing to say.

‘There’s no father for me. There’s no one I’m supposed to trust and rely on.’

If there had been someone she could trust—if she had a father worth depending on—none of this would have been necessary in the first place.

The incident in which incense was thrown near the bedside of a sleeping adopted child, causing a fire in the room, had no clear culprit. It was impossible to determine who was responsible.

Naturally, suspicion would fall on the vassals who bore ill will toward Lephonia. But without solid evidence, no one could be held accountable.

It would have been possible to plant false evidence and frame them, but Lephonia hadn’t done that.

The vassals were loyal to the House of Craytan. There was no reason for them to make enemies with the duke.

Reasonable suspicion. It was enough to ensure her safety.

Until the vassals returned and confirmed Lephonia’s condition, Duke Craytan would take every precaution. And the vassals, wary of being falsely accused, would be especially careful not to act in any way that might deepen suspicion, such as hiring an assassin.

‘… This is enough.’

Everything was going exactly as planned.

Lephonia smiled faintly and closed her eyes. And then, her consciousness faded.

 

* * *

 

Lephonia slowly opened her eyes.

The first thing she noticed was the canopy—its color was different from usual. The ceiling and surroundings were unfamiliar as well. It was clear she had been moved; the room she had been using must have been relocated entirely.

“My lady!”

As her eyes fluttered open, someone rushed toward her. It was Becky and Buddy.

“Ah…”

She tried to call out their names, but her throat was so dry and tight that not even a whisper came out.

“It’s all right, my lady. You don’t need to speak. Truly, thank goodness—it’s nothing serious. But you inhaled quite a bit of smoke, so your throat is burned. Please be careful for now.”

Apparently, she had taken in more smoke than anyone had expected. Becky quickly brought her a glass of water.

After drinking the cool water, the dizziness swirling in her head began to fade.

With some effort, Lephonia slowly sat up and looked around.

Whose room was this?

“My ladyyy… are you all right?”

Buddy, who was tidying the bedding, glanced at Lephonia with concern. She gave up trying to figure out whose room this was and simply looked at him. Then, in a barely audible voice, she asked:

“Are you two… unharmed?”

Her voice was hoarse, scraped raw. There wasn’t enough strength behind it for her words to fully carry.

“We’re all right, my lady. We’re much better off than you are—”

Of course, they were unharmed. There was no reason for anyone to hurt the two of them. They had nothing to do with anything. The fire had been set at a time when no one else would be in danger.

If someone else had been hurt, things would have become far more complicated.

But Lephonia feigned ignorance, pretending to be shocked and genuinely concerned.

She smiled weakly.

“That’s a relief.”

The word relief probably wasn’t enough to convey the weight of the moment.

But then, suddenly, Buddy dropped to her knees, tears welling up in her eyes.

“My lady, my ladyyy… At a time like this, you’re not supposed to worry about us. What matters is that you’re okay… sob…”

Why… what’s wrong?

Lephonia blinked in confusion at the sight of the unexpectedly emotional Buddy.

Even Becky was crying. It looked like she had been crying long before Lephonia woke up—her eyes were red and swollen.

‘I’m the one who got hurt. Why are they crying?’

Lephonia had never learned how to comfort a crying person. Faced with this, she was at a loss.

“The Duke entrusted us with your care, but, sob, we failed to protect you properly, and now we’re afraid we’ll be punished.”

Punished? Sensing the mood turning heavier, Lephonia quickly raised her hand.

“You two didn’t do anyfing wong. It’s okay. Don’t cry.”

“Us, us… sob… trust sob… You still trust us?”

Now what was that supposed to mean?

“You must think we’re the ones who set the fire, right? My lady, near the bedroom wall, they found a broken vial of incense. It’s the kind commonly used around the estate. Someone must have tossed it in through the bedroom window.”

“Huh… ooh?”

Lephonia feigned shock.

“If that’s the case… since we were the ones closest to you, they’ll surely suspect us first… sob… but we really didn’t do it.”

“The Duke’s investigators have already looked into it and concluded we weren’t involved. So please, please believe us… my lady.”

Lephonia pressed her fingers to her forehead, feeling overwhelmed.

She had never suspected them.

Because…

‘I’m the one who started the fire. What are you even talking about?’

Lephonia already knew exactly who was behind the incident.

“I nevah fink it was you.”

Let’s not make this into something bigger. She answered calmly.

Buddy covered her mouth with both hands, as if she couldn’t believe what she had just heard, tears streaming down her cheeks.

“Don’t wowy— cough, cough!”

A dry cough escaped her lips, likely from talking too much. Her small frame trembled from the strain.

Alarmed, Buddy quickly moved to support Lephonia, gently patting her back, while Becky rushed to bring her water.

After a few sharp coughs, Lephonia finally managed to draw a deep breath. Her chest still felt tight.

“I’m fine. I didn’ get hurt, an’ I’m not dead.”

Her voice was faint, like a small candle flickering in the wind.

“How… how can you say you’re fine without even admitting you’re in pain—”

“My lady, because you’ve trusted us… We will serve you by your side forever and ever.”

The two spoke with grim determination.

‘Forever… It’s easy to promise when you don’t really know how long that is.’

Lephonia swallowed and pressed a hand to her throat. The heaviness in her heart, lingering since earlier, finally formed into a question.

“The Duke’s checkin’ it by himself?”

There was no culprit. So, of course, there was no evidence. She had assumed the vassals would simply be scolded, since discarding them might disgrace the Duke, and the matter would end there—but now, an investigation?

“The Duke is personally questioning every single person in the residence.”

“Huh?”

Lephonia’s eyes trembled.

“The night the fire broke out in your room, all the guests were away from their seats.”

She already knew. That very night, they had all been gathered, scheming something.

“Because no one could clearly explain what they were doing or where they had been… the Duke has begun suspecting everyone in the guest wing.”

Lephonia’s eyes widened in shock.

“There’s… there’s no need—”

“The Duke said he won’t let this matter slide.”

“……”

“He said he’ll track down the criminal no matter what, drag them out of the shadows, and show everyone what justice looks like. So please, don’t worry, my lady.”

“……”

“If the Duke says he’ll do something, then it will be done. This time, we will find the culprit without fail.”

At Buddy’s unwavering declaration, Lephonia’s eyes—the one who had set the fire—could only tremble.

 

* * *

 

Meanwhile, at the entrance to the Craytan estate.

“Hm.”

A man mumbled as he stared at the closed gates.

“Why is no one here?”

Without hesitation, he backed up a few steps and, with agile ease, leapt over the estate’s tall outer wall.

It was something no ordinary person could do.

Effortlessly, he vaulted the wall and landed silently on the grounds of House Craytan.

He slipped into the estate far too easily, then clapped his hands twice and let out a soft chuckle as he walked further in.

“What a mess. And what’s this odd stench… Hey.”

Carrying a travel bag slung over one shoulder, he continued inward—until a servant caught sight of him, froze mid-step, and stumbled back in shock, eyes wide.

“Yo-Young Master Pallenz!”

“The son finally returns home after all this time, and there’s not even a welcome? Where’s Father?”

It was none other than the infamous troublemaker—the second son of Duke Craytan.

Pallenz Craytan had returned.