The Unlucky Villainess Small Fief

Chapter 31

"My apologies, my lord! I did not know that it was lady Ortezca who was brought home yesterday! I acted on impulse!" The knight said as he bowed before Duke Jeremy Holminne who was busy reading some documents.

"It is fine. She does not seem to care too."

"But.."

"If she said that it is fine, then it is fine, ok? Dismissed." The knight mopingly went out of the room. After the door clicked shut, Jeremy put the documents down and massaged his temples. The truth is, even he find it very out of place about the incident last night as he recalled:

-'Ortezca.' He walked after the maid and approached her as he puts the shawl around her shoulders. Ortezca just stood there, dazed.

-'My lord! I'm terribly sorry! It was not my intention to-' The knight pleaded when Ortezca stopped him.

-'What is there to be sorry for? You did not recognize me. I do not recognize anyone in this place too. It is not your fault. Thank you for telling me to be careful. Um...If I had stumbled upon the places here that I am not authorized of, please forgive me, I really do not know the place. Um....are you perhaps the lord of this place? Thank you very much for the shawl. My deepest apologies if I had ran off in one of your restricted areas. I am humbled to be on your care. Um... it seemed that I had caused trouble. I will return to bedroom you had graced me. Um...where was  it again..?' Ortezca said after she bowed at him.

Duke Jeremy helplessly watched her walked away while being guided by the maid.

'Sigh. I messed up.' Jeremy mumbled. (A/N: Yah of course- Duhhhhhhh?)

__________________________________________________________________

Ortezca sat on the chair while the maids fixed her hair. She woke up late and stayed holed up in her room when a maid came in, telling her that the Duke invites her for a breakfast. She only nodded.

"There! Oh dear, your clothes are too big for you...since you became so skinny-" a maid said but another maid jabbed her on her side, telling her to shut it.

"It's ok. Please show me the way to the dining room."

It was still the same elegant dining room. Nothing changed at all after the years that she had gone. She saw her two brothers- Robert scowling at her specially, Feus beams at her, and Jeremy drinking on his wine glass. She remained standing by the door even when the maids left them inside.

"Why don't you sit, sister?" Feus innocently asked. Ortezca assessed the situation- how can she tell off Feus without hurting his feelings-Robert was glaring at her right now- and Jeremy stared at her with conflicted look.

"Um...my apologies...this lowly person has no right to dine with the duke and his family. After all, I grew up in a remote village very far from here, I had never really been in this place too...to dine with such important people...I would not dare. I will eat eat along the maids and servants in the kitchen excuse me---" Ortezca bowed and was about to open the door when Robert slammed his hands on the table and stood up. 

"The hell is wrong with you?! Father invited you here, and yet- this is how you act???"

"... I do not know what you mean by that."

"Quit feigning ignorance! We saw each other in the town before and I saw how uneasy you were with me! And now, saying as if you did not know anyone here- don't act as if you were not part of this family before!"

"I...I had lost my memories years ago. They only told me that my parents were no longer in this world, and my relatives kicked me out because I was an unwanted child. I have no brothers nor sisters. I was uneasy when I met you before because, you were glaring at me as if I had done something wrong to you If..if I had offended you with any of what I had said earlier, please forgive me." Ortezca bowed towards Robert.

'Heh, let us see how you act towards me. I already cut all ties with this family anyway, ever since the original owner died... so...your apologies and regrets won't reach her. I will give this new owner a new life. I just have to have an audience with the duke later to know what had happened to my fief...also, how am i supposed to eat those hard food...? Do they want me to die?'

"Something wrong..to me? You were the mistake in this family! You put this family to shame! Why are you back anyways?" Robert began prattling. Looks like he intended to let go everything in his heart right now.

"...I see. I am terribly sorry for letting you save someone like me. Um... after eating with the maids and servants, I will go back to my village..." Ortezca said and turned her back to the door when she heard a chair moving behind her. 

"...Feus, tell one of the maids to prepare  milk and cabbage soup in the drawing room. Ortezca, follow me to the drawing room." Jeremy said and walked out of the room.

'Finally. I can get away from this place...' Ortezca thought and followed Jeremy to the drawing room.

Once the two were inside, Ortezca remained standing while Jeremy had already made himself comfortable on a couch.

"...let me get this straight...how far did you lose your memories?" He asked her as she remained rooted on her spot.

"...when I woke up in the ground beside Melody...everything was blur. I do not know how I got there or where I came from. I only know my name..." Ortezca clutched her arm, the part where she got a long scar from her fall.

".....Call Melody here."Jeremy said and Melody came inside the room. When Melody saw Ortezca, she welled up in tears and rushed to her lady.

"My lady!! Are you ok?! Did the Duke managed to cure you??...judging by your pale face and....have you gotten thinner??? Why...?! The duke said that he would cure you! How come!?" Melody cried as she clutched Ortezca's shoulders.

'Melody!!it really is melody!!' Ortezca thought as she stare at her beloved maid.

The reunion of the two was cut short by Jeremy. 

"Sit down you two. Melody. Is it true that my daughter had lost her memories after your incident in the carriage?"

Melody glanced at Ortezca and thought about it for a moment. When she had woken up, Ortezca was still unconscious and after three days, she had regained consciousness only to act weird and even asked who she was and where she was. Later then on those days she acted weird, building things out of the blue.

"Yes...lady Ortezca was in grave situation after the incident..she had not woken up for three days....I thought she would remain sleeping but..thank goodness! She woke up back then!" Melody was in tears while restating the event. Jeremy silently listens as he glanced at Ortezca. Ortezca fidgeted on her seat.

"You will stay here in the ducal house. As for what had happened to the village, I had moved them to a place near the kingdom. All of them are fine. They had also formed a small village along with the animals that you had taken care of." Jeremy said. 

Ortezca was out of words for a moment and she looked at Melody who was nodding at her, smiling which made Ortezca cry.

'I will do my part as a father to her this time. I will become a proper father to her this time.' Jeremy thought as he looked at his crying daughter with affection.