°•°•°•°||Chapter 11

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Victoria crossed her arms, openly displaying her distaste as she looked at the man up and down.

"And you are...?" she asked, her tone unimpressed.

Behind her, Aria observed the blonde man with quiet curiosity.

"My name is Lucas Del Rosewood," he introduced himself with a bow. His tied blonde hair cascaded over his shoulder as he placed a gloved hand on his chest before straightening up.

"Her Grace, Amelia, has sent me to check on your condition regarding the events of yesterday," Lucas explained, adjusting his glasses.

"You're the same doctor man from yesterday?" Victoria asked.

Lucas nodded. Victoria glanced at Aria, who stood behind her, looking deep in thought.

Lucas... Rosewood...? Aria placed a finger on her lips, her mind racing.

WHY ARE THERE SO MANY CHARACTERS THAT WEREN'T IN THE ORIGINAL NOVEL!?

First, it was Amelia. Now, there's this doctor named Lucas?! What's next? The crown prince has a secret brother?!

Aria groaned internally, Why does the villainess, Victoria, have such a deep background that the novel never covered?!

A sigh escaped her lips before she suddenly felt the gazes of the two people in the room.

Ah- I forgot they were here... Aria thought, internally sweatdropping.

"Ah, this must be your personal maid," Lucas remarked, stepping forward.

Before he could get any closer, Victoria swiftly stepped between them, arms crossed.

"Yes, my maid." Victoria emphasized on the my part as she glared at Lucas who tilted his head.

"Yes... your maid." Lucas narrowed his eyes at Victoria, who looked as if she wanted to murder him. "Then, may I have the name of your maid?" he asked.

"Oh, it's Ar-"

"No."

Victoria swiftly interjected, placing her arm in front of Aria like a protective barrier.

"You're not allowed to have her name. Besides, you'll be on your merry way now," she said with a small huff.

"..I see.." Lucas murmured quietly, his gaze lingering on Victoria. Her protectiveness over a mere maid like Aria was... excessive.

"But I still have to follow Her Grace's orders," he added, narrowing his eyes. "At least for a week."

A small huff escaped Victoria's lips. "Ha, my father won't accept your presence here."

"Your father? Ah, yes..." Lucas hummed before pausing briefly. "Actually, he already granted me permission to stay-I don't know how Her Grace's convinced him." He let out a sigh.

"What!? Father did!?" Victoria exclaimed, eyes widening in disbelief.

"Indeed. You're quite cherished by Her Grace. That must be an honor, no?" Lucas mused, crossing his arms.

"..."

A suffocating honor... Victoria thought bitterly, pressing her lips together before averting her gaze.

Her arm lowered as she let out a quiet sigh, glancing at Aria, who had remained silent throughout the exchange.

Lucas... Del Rosewood... Aria thought, clasping her hands together. She could feel his gaze settle on her before she dared to meet it.

Deep blue eyes locked onto her hazel ones-piercing, unreadable. A soft sigh escaped his lips as he adjusted his glasses.

"We already have a family doctor," Victoria stated coldly. "Are you suggesting the tea I drank contained poison?"

Lucas exhaled, his tone laced with irritation. "Lady Victoria, please don't make this harder than it needs to be. Her Grace simply ordered me to monitor your condition for a week."

"You know how Her Grace is."

His sharp gaze met Victoria's as he spoke. She bit her lip. Of course, she knew. That's why I hate it.

"So please," Lucas sighed, bowing slightly. "Take pity on this humble servant and let the week pass without trouble."

Victoria sighed in return.

"Pardon.. if you know what the poison is just by looking at it- do you perhaps see the signs in lady Victoria?" Aria asked as she raised her hand a bit, gaining Lucas's attention.

"Ah, that was just her grace exaggerating things.." Lucas sighed. "I simply noticed how her lips changed color- specifically blue, which indicates that the poison was Nimhe." Lucas explained.

"Nimhe?" Aria tilted her head before glancing at Victoria, who sighed.

"Nimhe is a poisonous plant often found in the Dark Forest, more commonly in the Dark Elves' territory," Victoria explained.

"It's rare to come across it in noble households," Lucas added, adjusting his glasses. "I don't necessarily recognize the exact poison just by looking at it-I simply identify the signs that indicate what type of poison it is."

The novel really didn't cover a lot of things about this..Aria thought to herself, sweatdropping.

"As for Lady Victoria's condition, we will see how it unfolds. And as for the family doctor in this household, he cannot possibly match the level of a genius like me," Lucas stated- his words sounded smug , yet he managed to sound professional as he crossed his arms and adjusted his glasses.

Victoria let out a small huff before turning to Aria. "Now he gave me another reason to dislike him."

Aria, who had been quietly observing, just smiled awkwardly.

Lucas, completely ignoring Victoria's clear dislike, placed a hand on his chin as if deep in thought. "Well, let's not stray from the point. Lady Victoria, I'll be monitoring your condition for the week, as per Her Grace's orders."

Victoria's expression soured. "Unfortunately."

Lucas sighed dramatically. "You wound me, my lady."

Aria looked between the two of them, feeling like she was watching a comedy act at this point. And to think she used to fear Victoria's interactions... Now, this was just amusing.

----

"I swear... that blondie is just a spy for Her Grace, and his excuse is 'monitoring my health,'" Victoria muttered under her breath, a dark aura surrounding her.

"My lady... please drink your tea. It's getting cold," Aria deadpanned.

"Ah! Right, my apologies!" Victoria quickly snapped out of her dark(ish) mood, replacing it with her usual soft smile-the one everyone in the manor knew well.

"I still can't believe Father assigned him to the guest room..." Victoria grumbled as she took a sip of tea.

"Lady Victoria... what did you expect? The barn?" Aria asked flatly.

"Yes," Victoria replied without a shred of hesitation, placing her teacup down with a soft clink.

Aria stared at her for a moment before sighing. "May I ask why you seem to hate his guts so much, Lady Victoria?" she asked, raising a curious brow.

Victoria wasn't usually this openly hostile toward anyone... unless-

Aria shuddered slightly at the thought, vivid images of the villainess Victoria from the novel flashing through her mind.

"Aside from the fact that he's under Duchess Amelia's orders and his smug words," Victoria said, her voice sharp, "he eyed you."

"Pardon?" Aria blinked.

"How dare he lay his eyes on you like some... fascinating creature," Victoria murmured, scowling.

I'm pretty sure he was just judging me... Aria deadpanned internally.

"My lady... he was just looking at me," she said, sweatdropping.

Victoria huffed, crossing her arms. "And that's precisely the issue!"

"My lady..." Aria sighed. "He's only staying here for a week under the duchess's orders. Before you know it, the week will pass, and he'll leave." She offered a reassuring smile.

"..." Victoria sipped her tea before sighing. "I... suppose you're right."

"Perhaps I was overreacting..." she murmured. "Anyone connected to Duchess Amelia makes me wary."

"Especially after yesterday-the thought of you being taken away from me," Victoria murmured under her breath, taking another sip of tea.

"Taken... away?" Aria hesitated, slightly confused as to why Victoria seemed so anxious about the idea.

"Yes. Didn't you tell me it's natural for you to stay by my side? I can't have others taking you away from me, can I?" Victoria stated it as if it were an undeniable fact.

Before Aria could respond, Victoria rose from her seat and took her hand.

"And naturally, that means you're mine. Right?" Her violet eyes gleamed with something unreadable-possessiveness flickering in their depths as her fingers intertwined with Aria's.

"I... uh, I suppose? I am your maid..." Aria mumbled, sweatdropping at Victoria's sudden shift in attitude.

"Great. Then promise me you won't get close to Lucas," Victoria said with a bright smile-one that didn't quite reach her eyes.

Aria deadpanned. "How would I even get close to a guy like him?"

"I don't know..." Victoria murmured, her grip tightening slightly. "But you do have a certain charm that draws others in."

She whispered something Aria couldn't quite catch, but her expression darkened for a brief moment before she looked up again, smiling sweetly.

"Promise me, okay?"

Aria blinked, feeling oddly trapped. "...Very well?"

-----

"Waaa! That must be so cool, Aria!" Sherly beamed, immediately hugging Aria's side.

They were sitting in the servants' lunchroom, where Aria had just finished recounting the encounter between Victoria and Lucas.

"Cool? You must be awkward.. " Aria muttered under her breath, sighing as she rested her cheek against her hand. She absently played with her stew.

"Aren't people who remember their past lives usually the main characters in novels?" Aria huffed.

"Yet I don't feel like a main character at all that much- perhaps I really am fated to be a background character." She sighed again before stabbing a helpless vegetable in her stew and shoving it into her mouth.

"..."

Sherly stayed silent for a moment, her gaze lingering on Aria before she suddenly chuckled, smiling.

"Aria, you have no idea how your life will unfold!" she said brightly.

"Maybe one day, you'll wish you were just a simple side character." She shrugged and happily continued eating.

"You talk as if you know the future-are you sure you're not the delulu one here?" Aria crossed her arms, raising a skeptical brow.

"You're talking strange again," Sherly sighed.

"Aria! Lady Victoria is looking for you!" A maid yelled.

"Wahh! So lucky! Lady Victoria really adores you to be even looking for you!" Sherly suddenly beamed.

"Haha.. lucky.." Aria replied with a nervous smile.

Aria stood up as she waved goodbye towards waving estaticly towards Aria, who soon left.

"Mhm, more 'lucky' in the future." Sherly whispered underneath her breath as she went back to eating.

"Mhm! This stew really is good!'

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||End of chapter 11||

(I just wanna clarify that Victoria is not a yandere romantice interest but a platonic one)