"Don't call me brother! You have no right to call me brother!"
Though the boy's voice thundered with irritation, Anastasia only looked back at him with innocent curiosity.
"Then what should I call you... Mister?"
----++
Meanwhile...
"Have you seen Anastasia?" Lucy asked anxiously, turning to Gina, one of the maids.
Gina raised an eyebrow and eyed Lucy from head to toe before rolling her eyes with a haughty scoff.
"Do I look like I care about your young lady?" she sneered before casually resuming her task of filing her nails.
Her hands were spotless, without a trace of dirt or calluses-proof that she never lifted a finger for hard labor. In fact, she acted more like the owner of the old castle rather than a servant, given her close ties to the head maid of the main manor.
"Miss Anastasia is not just my young lady. She is still a member of the Winston family, and you should show her respect." Lucy stated coldly.
But Gina merely raised an eyebrow at her, as if she had just heard the most ridiculous joke.
"Pffft..... And why should I respect her?" she mocked.
"Go on, then. Tell the Duke that I don't respect her. Go ahead, complain. Tell him that his little young lady isn't receiving respect from his servants... if he even bothers to listen to you! Haha! Honestly, I bet he'd side with me over your so-called young lady."
"What did you just say?"
Gina froze, her smug expression instantly wiped away as a deep, commanding voice cut through the air. Her body stiffened, and her eyes widened in alarm when she saw Captain Henry stepping out from behind Lucy.
The Duke's knight commander stood tall, his broad frame casting an imposing shadow over her. His brows were furrowed in a deep scowl, his sharp gaze locking onto her.
"C-Captain..." Gina stammered in disbelief before quickly bowing to him. However, she immediately froze in shock as the cold edge of a sword suddenly pressed against her neck.
"Where is the young lady?"
Henry's voice was eerily calm, yet the weight behind his words sent a shiver down Gina's spine.
Gina swallowed hard, feeling the sharp blade dangerously close to her skin. Her breath hitched as she carefully glanced up at the captain.
"I-I d-don't know..."
Henry's expression remained unreadable, but his grip on the sword didn't waver.
"What kind of maid are you if you don't even know where the person you're supposed to serve is? Someone like you doesn't deserve to serve the young miss. Pack your belongings because, starting today, you are no longer a maid here."
With a simple hand gesture, Henry signaled his men to seize Gina and escort her out.
"W-Wait! C-Captain... What is the meaning of this? You can't do this to m-me!" Gina struggled against the knights, her voice rising in desperation.
The knights didn't budge.
"I know the head maid! You can't just fire me like this!"
"I don't care about your connections to the head maid. I heard you disrespect the young lady-isn't that reason enough to have you dismissed?" Henry stated coldly, his tone devoid of emotion.
Then, he turned to Lucy. "And you. I'm giving you five minutes to find her, so hurry up. The Duke wants to see her."
Though momentarily taken aback by Henry's order, Lucy quickly nodded and rushed off to search for Anastasia.
Fear gripped her at the thought of Anastasia meeting the Duke, but there was nothing she could do to prevent it-after all, she was just a maid.
"Have you seen the young lady?" she asked the other servants, but not a single one could give her an answer.
That was when she suddenly remembered Anastasia's favorite hiding spot-the old tree she often visited.
From a distance, Lucy's eyes widened in shock.
There, standing right in front of Anastasia, was one of the young masters.
A wave of unease washed over her, her heart pounding with anxiety.
"W-what? You don't know me?" the boy in front of Anastasia asked, disbelief evident in his voice.
"No... If you tell me your name, then I'll know you." Anastasia replied innocently.
The boy scoffed, his lips curling into a smirk laced with disdain.
"Hah! Just like the head maid said-you really are an idiot."
"Idiot?" Anastasia frowned, her brows knitting together in confusion.
"Young master!"
Lucy hurried toward Anastasia and quickly covered her ears.
"Please don't say that in front of the young lady." she pleaded, bowing her head respectfully.
The boy merely raised an eyebrow at her.
"Are you Lucy?"
"Y-yes..." Lucy answered hesitantly, unsure of why he knew her name. A nervous feeling crept up inside her, making her uneasy.
"Now I understand why she's an idiot. She takes after you. That explains a lot. What a disappointment."
With that, he turned away and approached the young girl beside him.
"Let's go, Ingrid."
Unlike his cold and harsh tone toward Anastasia, his voice softened when he spoke to the little girl.
Lucy clenched her fists, frustration boiling inside her. But more than that, she felt an overwhelming sense of pity for Anastasia, who simply stood there, wide-eyed and innocent, watching as the young master walked away, hand in hand with his cousin, Ingrid.
"Let's go, young lady."
Lucy lifted Anastasia into her arms, but Anastasia's gaze remained fixed on the two figures walking away.
"Tell me, Lucy..."
Lucy's heart skipped a beat. Anastasia's voice was different this time-far from its usual innocent tone.
"Is he my brother...?"
Lucy froze, unsure of how to respond as curiosity shone in Anastasia's wide eyes.
-––
"You're late."
Henry's cold voice snapped Lucy out of her thoughts as she arrived, still carrying Anastasia in her arms.
She barely had time to respond before his next words hit her like a blow.
"You're fired."
Lucy's grip on Anastasia tightened instinctively. She bowed her head, her heart sinking. She had failed. No matter how hard she had tried to care for Anastasia, it hadn't been enough.
She wanted to protest, to plead for another chance-not for herself, but for the child in her arms. But she knew better. Henry was firm and strict, and any hope of staying by Anastasia's side was now impossible.
"Who's fired?"
Anastasia's round eyes widened as she looked at the man dressed in a knight's uniform.
At once, the knights accompanying Henry bowed their heads in respect.
"Nice to meet you, Princess Anastasia. We have come to escort you-the Duke is looking for you right now."
Anastasia's eyes widened in surprise before excitement quickly took over. A bright, ear-to-ear grin spread across her face.
"My dad finally wants to see me?!" She giggled, bouncing slightly in Lucy's arms before wriggling free and landing on the ground. "Hehehe, okay!"
"Y-Young Miss..." Lucy murmured anxiously, but before she could say more, the knights shot her a sharp glare.
"You are no longer qualified to serve the princess," one of them stated. "So what are you waiting for? Pack your belongings and never come back."
"Who's leaving?" Anastasia repeated, her gaze shifting between the people around her.
"Your young servant, Miss" Henry replied respectfully before turning his stern eyes toward Lucy.
"She is not qualified to serve you, so it's best if we remove her now."
"No!"
Anastasia's cry was immediate as she threw her arms tightly around Lucy's neck, clinging to her as if her very life depended on it. Realizing what Henry meant, her voice trembled with determination.
"Lucy is my family! You can't get rid of her!"
Henry was momentarily taken aback by Anastasia's outburst. Though he didn't particularly approve of Lucy serving her, he still bowed his head politely in acknowledgment.
"Okay. If that is what you wish, young lady, then she may continue to serve you. However, one more mistake from her, and she will never set foot in Wingston Dukedom again. We do not tolerate failure in Wingston."
With that, Henry turned away, signaling the knights to escort Anastasia and Lucy to the main manor.
----+++
Meanwhile...
"Are you really going to let her in here, Dad?"
The eldest young master of the Wingston family stood rigidly, his tone filled with resentment.
Like his father, he couldn't accept someone like Anastasia in their family-especially when she was the reason the duchess was no longer with them.