Chapter 243
243:
Suddenly, the woman’s gaze dropped. A shadow swept across her delicate features as she pressed her fingers gently to her forehead, instinctively shielding the spot she hated most. Buried beneath her heavy bangs, a bluish mark clung stubbornly to the edge of her brow—a blemish she’d spent years trying to hide from the world. Every gust of wind was a potential enemy, every careless movement a risk. She never ran wild or played with abandon—not for lack of longing, but out of bone-deep fear that someone would catch a glimpse of her flaw.
She hadn’t been born with it. The mark had crept in over time, along with the relentless taunts and whispered mockery. With every passing year, the isolation grew. Real friends were nonexistent. All she knew was pity, or worse, cruelty disguised as kindness.
Christina watched the woman closely, noting how her eyes dimmed and her hand hovered protectively at her temple. Even without a word, she sensed the weight of whatever scar the woman was hiding—something that haunted her every waking moment.
“Why are you out here all by yourself?” Christina’s tone softened, her voice warm and inviting. “Do you work for the Hubbards?” She sidestepped the word “servant” entirely, careful not to bruise the woman’s fragile dignity. The last thing she wanted was to make the woman feel small.
Instead of replying, the woman only dipped her head, her luminous eyes lingering on Christina—curious, but haunted by something impossible to pin down.
Christina held her gaze and offered an encouraging smile.
But before Christina could say anything else, the woman’s cheeks colored. She ducked her head, shoulders drawn in, hands twisting anxiously in her lap.
“Would you like to be my friend?” Christina asked, easing onto the bench across from the woman.
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Christina’s gaze landed on the tea set nestled between them, and for the first time, she truly noticed the finer details. A sudden thought sparked—maybe she’d gotten this woman all wrong.
That wasn’t just a simple tea set. The porcelain gleamed, etched with elaborate designs, and every piece felt impossibly delicate, almost regal. An intoxicating, floral fragrance curled from the pot. No ordinary servant could afford tea this rare, let alone serve it from exquisite ceramics this refined. Also, this was the Hubbard family’s estate. No servant here would dare touch something so precious unless they belonged to the Hubbard family or were treated like nobility themselves.
The woman gazed at Christina, momentarily frozen, as if struggling to believe that Christina would genuinely want to be her friend. Then, almost too quickly, she gave a timid nod—eyes wide, eager, like she was terrified the moment would vanish if she didn’t seize it.
Christina let out a soft laugh and gestured toward the elegant tea setup on the table. “Did I misread things earlier?” she asked, her tone teasing but observant. “This tea setup alone looks like it costs more than my first car, and that aroma? That’s no off-the-shelf blend. I’m guessing you’re not just one of the estate staff.”
The woman’s eyes went round again, clearly taken aback by Christina’s keen insight.
Christina smiled and leaned in slightly. “Whatever your role is, it doesn’t matter now. We’re friends now, right?”
The woman nodded once more, her lips curving into a bashful but sincere smile.
Christina’s own smile lingered, but her gaze sharpened. She took in the woman’s appearance with a more calculating eye—her porcelain skin, the faint bluish tint on her lips, the way a passing breeze stirred a delicate scent from her clothes.
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.
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