“Like I’ve told you over and over—never leak your technique anywhere. Do you have any idea how many craftsmen keep asking me what secret lies behind your dolls? But who am I, huh? Mark is a man among men when it comes to loyalty! I told them not to try anything funny, that I wouldn’t spill a word even if someone put a knife to my throat!”“Yes. I’m always grateful for that.”Angela expressed her thanks with her whole heart.If not for Mark, she could not even have held a funeral for her parents who had so suddenly left the world. And it would have been nearly impossible for her to grow up on her own in a child’s body.“Nothing happened on your way here today?”Because he dealt in dolls of many kinds, ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) Mark truly loved dolls.As both a doll shop owner and a considerable collector, his attitude toward treating a craftsperson was unusual.And among them, the greatest dollmaker of the current era was the very Angela he had practically raised from childhood. Of course his heart would remain fixed on her even more.“…It was fine.”The malice Angela had endured from a young age was beyond imagining.Being called a half-breed born of a wooden doll was the bare minimum; from rumors that she cast curses through dolls to claims she was mute, or that her face was so hideous she had to hide it under a cloak….People never reflected on the malice and persecution they themselves had shown her. Instead, they were busy inventing slander and spreading gossip about Angela—who was only just approaching her coming-of-age ceremony.So when townspeople whispered about her, Mark had tried shouting at them, demanding where they’d heard such nonsense. He had even rushed in, grabbing collars and shaking them.But that only intertwined him and Angela further in rumors, making everything uglier.“To think they’d treat such a gentle child this way…”It pained him endlessly that she suffered precisely because of her extraordinary skill.No matter how strongly Mark insisted that Angela was simply a normal girl, prejudice and rumor were too deeply rooted to be overturned by the will of one person.“Anyway, here—these are the things you asked for. And please, for the love of everything, eat your meals properly. Stop living on dried fruit. How many times do I have to tell you—if you want strength, you need meat and fish, regularly.”When Angela lost herself in work, she would skip meal after meal, dedicating herself entirely to making dolls.Of course, the advantage was that commissioned dolls were finished quickly—but if left alone, her thin, frail body looked as though it might fail at any moment. Mark lived in constant worry.“I really am eating well….”“Well, that’s clearly not true! That’s it. Tonight, you’re eating at my house—”“Thank you for doing the shopping for me. I’ll bring the next commission in half a month.”Once, she had allowed herself to be dragged to Mark’s home and ended up with a terrible stomachache afterward.So Angela swiftly gathered her things and stepped back.“Angela, wait!”But remembering that harrowing experience, she dashed off without even looking back, no matter how desperately he called her name.***“Whew.”Angela adjusted the paper bag held against her chest and hurried her steps.Because the townspeople believed she was ominous, they avoided letting her into their shops.So she had long gotten used to asking Mark in advance to do the shopping for her, then simply picking up the goods from him.“Hey, looks like the Duke of Grace changed lovers again.”“My goodness, this time it’s Violetta! The flower of the musical stage!”“It won’t last a month anyway. Honestly, every lover he dates is always beautiful.”Portigios, a coastal city some distance from the capital, had originally been a broad hereditary domain of House Grace. But as times changed and feudal systems crumbled under the Empire’s constitutional order, the nominal rule of the local lord disappeared.Even so, the Duke of Grace was still regarded as the true master of Portigios.A prime example was the method of choosing the mayor.Formally, the citizens voted—but in practice, the selection was always made from candidates pre-screened by the Duke.His influence extended across administration, economics, security, culture—every aspect of city life—so the decisive authority of Portigios remained well within the reach of House Grace.And yet, the citizens held no resentment toward this influence—because of the Duke’s vigorous urban development efforts.As a businessman, he possessed a keen interest in new technologies, and he invested freely in adopting them.The innovation most warmly welcomed by the public was the network of tram lines laid throughout the city.Powered by a compact steam engine, the vehicles ran like small trains—faster and smoother than any carriage.Their accurate schedule and reasonable fares enriched daily life for the people of Portigios.At first, everyone had been wary of the unfamiliar machines, but now nearly all citizens used trams instead of carriages.As a result, the tram stops were always full of crowds.Naturally, the newspapers stacked at the kiosks near those stops—full of gossip—became entertainment for passengers waiting for the tram.After a lively round of chatter, the passengers boarded the arriving tram and departed.“No one’s around…?”Right after a tram left, the area was at its most empty.So Angela approached the kiosk carefully.She quickly picked up one copy from each newspaper and paid the clerk.Successfully hugging the thick bundle of newspapers to her chest, she fled the area.Taking the tram would have made returning home much easier—but Angela had never once ridden it. She feared the disgust and contempt she might draw.“Haa… haa…”Once she left the stop and stepped into a quiet back alley, her breathing gradually calmed.Whenever she entered crowded places, she almost always fell into a mild panic; only now did it feel like she could breathe again.The only reason she came all the way out to the bustling district was singular.[The two who spent the night in the Grace Hotel’s luxury suite—are they officially lovers? Edgar de Grace ♡ Violetta Schulten vehemently denies romance!][A night of ecstasy. Violetta Schulten’s suggestive confession.][“Just business partners.” Edgar de Grace and Violetta Schulten release conflicting statements. What is the truth?][Royal Court requests restraint: “We know nothing of the Duke of Grace’s private life.”][“Awaiting confirmation.” Violetta Schulten’s agency retracts relationship admission—pressure from the Royal House or House Grace?]“She really is beautiful…”Angela stopped walking entirely, staring at the newspaper.On the front page, Edgar and Violetta faced each other with champagne glasses, smiling in a dazzling ballroom.Violetta Schulten possessed striking red hair and dark eyes.Jewels that accentuated her beauty, a gown that emphasized her full figure, and refined makeup made her impossible to look away from. Like a red rose in full bloom, she matched the radiant Edgar perfectly.Two years ago, it had been surprisingly easy to learn that the man who had intervened when she had been struck by an egg was the Duke of Grace, Edgar de Grace—because there had been much noise about how he had shown the demeanor of a gentleman even toward a “witch.”That was when Angela began collecting all newspapers that mentioned Edgar.“Lord Edgar changed his hairstyle to the current fashion. It suits him well.”Angela lightly stroked Edgar’s hair in the photograph, as though she were smoothing it herself.The back was neatly trimmed, the front half-tousled, half-swept—dandy and free at once.He understood his strengths better than anyone.The youthful charm, the angular jawline, the strong eyebrows, the firm build—all together gave off a subdued but undeniable masculine allure.Angela, entranced, stared at Edgar’s photograph—then looked at Violetta, standing confidently beside him, with something like envy.How radiant the woman looked.So unlike Angela, who had not even been able to meet Edgar’s eyes back then.“They live in a completely different world from mine.”Angela always gave up quickly.After losing her parents, she had given up on being loved, on asking for help or affection, on the very ordinary act of living among others.She was, after all, a half-breed born of a wooden doll, an ominous witch.No matter how many collectors sought her dolls, no matter how highly Mark praised her as the world’s finest dollmaker—in reality, she was still nothing more than the witch.Someone like that, dreaming of someone as radiant as him—it was absurd.It was enough just to see Edgar’s many expressions through photographs in newspapers.“How much time is left before the tram?”“There’s still plenty. No need to rush.”While she was staring vacantly at the newspaper, voices echoed faintly from the end of the alley.Startled, Angela quickly folded the paper so it wouldn’t crease, tucked the bundle under one arm, and adjusted the paper bag from Mark.To reach her home and workshop, which lay in a remote corner on the outskirts of town, she would have to walk quite a while.She fastened her cloak and began walking briskly.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.