HSYR 16

She spoke in a firm tone.

“Mr. Kurt, we don’t need the Count’s permission for something like this. Let that fool go on hiding socks under his bed. The count’s family doesn’t belong to Benjamin alone.”

She said this while gripping Kurt’s shriveled hand tightly.

“For hundreds of years, it wasn’t only the people of the Ishpern family who protected that castle. Without the strength of the people of Burwood, and the retainers who have devoted themselves to the Ishpern family, it would have been impossible.”

Sparks seemed to fly from Helena’s green eyes.

“At this rate, Burwood’s pride will disappear. Mr. Kurt, we need your help to raise the count’s family back up again.”

Her fervor seemed to reach even the old man.

Kurt stared quietly into Helena’s blazing eyes, then clasped her hand in return and finally began to speak his true feelings.

“…You are absolutely right, my lady. The count’s family was the pride of all of us…!”

The corners of the old man’s eyes visibly grew moist.

“Everyone said the count’s family was already finished, but I knew that wasn’t true. Indeed—unless God Himself abandons Burwood…!”

Overcome with emotion, the old man was unable to continue for a moment.

“When we heard the Count would be marrying a noble lady from the north, we worried greatly about what kind of mistress would come. Everyone said anyone would run away once they saw the state the count’s family had fallen into. But to think you would be someone with such unwavering resolve…!”

At the word run away, Helena gave an awkward smile.

Truth be told, if she hadn’t had the grand goal of uncovering Benjamin’s secrets and landing a solid blow to the back of his head, she would have fled long ago.

“…Oh ho ho, I suppose I am that kind of person.”

Kurt, gazing at her with the utmost satisfaction, gestured to a blond boy.

“Jo, the time has come.”

Placing a hand on Jo’s shoulder, Kurt continued.

“My lady, as you can see, I am old. And I am already a person of the past. The Count would never tolerate people from the old count’s household appearing before him.”

The old man slowly closed his trembling, wrinkled eyelids.

“No—even if the Count were generous enough to forgive it, I could not bring myself to do so.”

Helena wondered what kind of nonsense this old man was talking about.

“But this child will be fine. This is Jo, my adopted son. I have passed all my knowledge and experience on to him.”

Kurt looked at Jo’s face as he spoke.

“Jo, from now on, this is the person you will serve. Do you understand?”

Jo lifted his clear, light-green eyes and looked at Helena.

In the child’s transparent gaze and confident smile, Helena could read a small but definite ambition.

‘Good eyes. Eyes of someone who grew up watching a great person’s back—and wants to become like him.’

She had seen many people with such eyes, and she knew exactly how to handle them.

Helena looked at Jo and gave him a meaningful smile.

It was roughly the kind of smile that said, What you want is in my hands—try taking it with your own ability.

It was unclear how much of her intention he understood, but Jo bowed his head politely.

“I am Jo Wilton. I will do my very best.”

Helena nodded.

“From now on, you are the head steward of the House of Ishpern. Well, it’s a castle without even a single attendant, but still.”

Jo replied in an obedient voice.

“If you grant me three days, I can gather enough personnel to manage the castle modestly, at the very least.”

Helena narrowed her eyes and smiled.

“Three days? Do I really have to wait that long?”

Seeing her gaze, Jo smiled brightly back at her and spoke again.

“On second thought, one day should be enough. I will have all preparations complete by tomorrow morning.”

“I’ll look forward to tomorrow morning.”

Helena left Kurt’s estate with a confident smile.

Aaron, who had silently observed everything from behind her, looked at her with an expression of disbelief.

“…What was that? What just happened?”

“What do you think?”

Helena said as she mounted her horse.

“The castle’s a mess and there’s no head steward, so I came to find one—and I did.”

“I understand that, but… my lady, this is your first time in Burwood, isn’t it? How did everything fall into place as if it had been waiting for you…?”

From atop her horse, Helena pointed her riding crop toward Kurt’s garden.

“Look.”

“…Yes?”

“It’s small, but the garden and layout are exactly the same as the count’s estate.”

She looked at Aaron and said,

“It didn’t appear as if it had been waiting—it’s that so many people truly were waiting and hoping for the count’s family to rise again.”

“…!”

The look in Aaron’s eyes as he gazed at Helena subtly changed.

Whether he did or not, Helena turned away, thinking to herself,

‘Whew, now that wretched place might finally become livable. Tsk—so much work, so much work…’

That evening, Benjamin returned from the construction site at the frontier and saw something absurd.

“…What is this?”

On the bedroom floor, a pile of extremely dirty shirts and socks was gathered together.

They looked like they belonged to him, but it was unclear where they had come from.

For now, he called a maid and had her clean them up.

“Strange things keep happening.”

As Benjamin was about to fling his soiled shirt into a corner in irritation, he suddenly froze.

He looked at the crumpled shirt in his hand—and the direction it was headed.

Straight under the bed.

“….”

He quietly carried it to the bathroom instead.

Feeling an inexplicable exhaustion, he summoned a servant and had hot water drawn into the bath.

After dismissing the servant, Benjamin submerged himself deeply in the water and muttered,

“I’m tired.”

He was tired.

He wasn’t used to staying in such a clean room, nor to sleeping in a bed.

Originally, he had never intended to hire people to take care of him.

He had only instructed the workers he’d temporarily hired before leaving Burwood to prepare the annex to receive his wife.

Yet somehow, something had gone wrong in communication, and they had cleaned his own room.

Even that, he could tolerate.

What he found hardest to endure was Helena’s presence last night—sleeping soundly while facing him, her small hand tucked beneath his waist, breathing softly.

Because of that, despite returning to what should have been a base of operations after a long journey, he hadn’t slept properly.

‘Come to think of it, I didn’t order the annex to be cleaned today. No— even if I started now, it would take days…’

Benjamin sighed, running a wet hand through his hair.

‘Do I have to sleep like that again tonight?’

That was when it happened.

Suddenly, the bathroom door flew open.

“…!”

Standing boldly in the doorway was Helena.

“Benjamin Ishpern.”

She spoke confidently.

“Give me money.”

Benjamin hurriedly wrapped both arms around himself in the bathtub and shouted,

“Wh—what are you doing?!”

“What do you think? I’m asking for my dowry. It’s my father’s money and Her Majesty the Empress’s anyway, right? You weren’t planning to use it all by yourself, were you?”

Benjamin’s neck began to flush red.

“Y-you…! C-close the door!”

“Oh, shall we talk with the door closed?”

As Helena stepped one foot into the bathroom, Benjamin shouted at her with a reddened face.

“You leave too—and close the door!”

Helena was genuinely surprised.

“Oh my, are you actually embarrassed right now?”

Most of the men she knew were strange creatures who would tear off their shirts at the slightest opportunity and flex their chest muscles proudly.

Even young little Henry had once stripped off his sauce-stained clothes in front of Penelope and puffed out his belly as hard as he could.

Believing all men were like that, Helena couldn’t help but feel respect for Benjamin’s unexpected modesty.

Stepping back, she said,

“Give me the money. And matters inside the estate are my responsibility, so I don’t need your permission for that, right?”

After speaking and convincing herself all on her own, Helena nodded.

“Then enjoy your bath!”

The bathroom door slammed shut.

Left alone, Benjamin clutched his shoulders with both arms, pressing his back tightly against the bathtub, and crouched silently in the water for a long while.

He couldn’t believe what had just happened to him.

After some time, Benjamin buried his head between his knees and let out a long, almost despairing sigh.

“Haaaah……!”