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Chapter 13
“Ugh, I’m so tired. Why does one day feel this long?”
I just want to see Fleur.
Dealing with my employer is exhausting. Ah, he drains all my energy.
Honestly. If he’s the one who stopped me from leaving, then he should lead the conversation. Why make me do all the talking? Haah. I really thought I was going to age ten years.
Because of that, how much useless nonsense did I even say? I just rambled on and on. Ah, I want to crawl into a hole.
‘Still… why didn’t he nitpick at anything for once?’
Did some sudden wave of “loneliness of a leader” hit him, and he needed someone to comfort him?
‘No way… was I just a conversation partner?’
No. That can’t be it. Today must have just been special. He’s a busy man, after all.
‘Or… was my reaction to the bonus too lukewarm?’
Every time I tried to stand up, he stopped me. Every single time. Anyway, he was strange today.
I barely managed to end the conversation by using Fleur possibly waking up as an excuse.
‘Next time I receive a bonus, I’ll make sure to react properly.’
“Young Master~ how does it look?”
I showed Fleur the hairpin Morgan had given me yesterday, now placed in my hair.
It felt like a small galaxy spreading above my head.
Once in my hair, it shone even more beautifully. I loved it.
“It’s pretty. Maricel, you’re pretty no matter what you do.”
“Aww~! Young Master, thank you~”
I hugged Fleur tightly and gently rocked him side to side in my arms.
Fleur really likes being hugged like this.
We made a promise—to only hug like this when we’re alone.
If anyone else found out, they’d be shocked. Especially Morgan. He might be furious.
He might say I dared to treat the heir of the Grand Duke’s house so casually, like a servant handling someone beneath them.
“This was a gift from His Grace the Grand Duke. It’s all thanks to you, Young Master.”
“Why? Because of me?”
“Mm… because you started speaking. He was happy about that, so he gave me a present. Actually, you should have received the gift. But I got it instead. I want to give you a present too—what would you like?”
At the word “present,” Fleur’s eyes sparkled brightly.
Who knew how far his imagination traveled, but his face shifted from bright to serious and back again.
“You don’t have to tell me right now. You can think about it and tell me later.”
“Okay. I’ll tell you later.”
Freed from the pressure of deciding, Fleur looked much more relaxed. Seeing that peaceful expression filled me with joy.
“Mm, Young Master… is there a present you’d like to receive from your uncle?”
“…A present?”
Fleur lowered his head and mumbled softly.
Unlike before, his eyes drooped, and a small crease formed between his brows. He looked deeply troubled.
Even after a long pause, his tightly pressed lips didn’t part.
“Is it that you don’t know what you want from your uncle? Or that you’re afraid he won’t listen even if you say it?”
“……”
Is it hard to say? I should try a different way.
“Number one. There is something you want from your uncle. If that’s right, nod your head.”
Fleur nodded.
“Number two. You’ve never asked for something you wanted before and received it, so you’re scared to say it. If that’s right, nod. If not, shake your head.”
Fleur nodded again. Just as I thought.
He wanted to get along with his uncle. But if he asked for something and got rejected, the hurt would be too big—so instinctively, he was afraid.
The pain of disappointment grows in proportion to the size of one’s expectations.
It broke my heart that at such a young age, he already understood that much disappointment.
A child should be full of hope and expectation, not fear of rejection.
‘Fleur. I’ll make sure your wish comes true.’
“Young Master… Morgan, your uncle, cares about you very much. And he’s different from your mother and father. Ah! I’m not saying they were bad—just that they think differently. As proof, your uncle even allowed us to bake cookies for you, didn’t he? See? He’s different, right?”
Fleur thought for a moment, then blinked his big, clear eyes and nodded.
“Alright, then. Would you like to tell me now?”
After a short silence, Fleur seemed to make up his mind. His expression turned solemn.
“…I want to go on a picnic with Uncle.”
Gasp!
A picnic? With his uncle? This difficulty level is way too high!
That busy man—time is probably the hardest thing for him to give…
I felt troubled. Starting off at such a high difficulty—what do I do?
I couldn’t let the child down after boasting so confidently.
‘My shoulders feel heavy…’
“Young Master, since that requires matching your uncle’s schedule, how about we go together and talk to him about it later? If you tell him yourself, I’m sure he’ll gladly try to make time. But he is busy, so you might have to wait a little.”
The shadow on Fleur’s face lifted, and hope bloomed instead.
‘Ahh—so cute.’
I want to protect that smile no matter what.
‘Boss. Looks like I’ll be seeing you again soon. Sob.’
Finally, I received my salary.
Now I could treat Pour, Mary, Jeffrey, and Abelyn.
“For a company dinner, grilled pork belly and soju is perfect!”
‘Pork belly… what a shame. Such a shame…’
Wait— even if soju isn’t possible here, maybe grilling pork belly is?
We could set up charcoal and a grill in the kitchen or outside and cook it. Even if we can’t replicate ssamjang exactly, we could manage with sesame oil dip and vegetables as side ingredients.
Fleur could join too—it would become a great memory. For drinks, we could serve juice for him.
Mm— a barbecue party. That’s actually a great idea.
‘I should go see Jeffrey.’
After leaving Fleur’s room, where he had just fallen asleep from his nap, Maricel headed to the kitchen.
“Chef Jeffrey~ have you been well?”
The kitchen was always filled with warm, delicious smells.
Jeffrey stopped chopping vegetables at the familiar, cheerful voice and turned his head.
“Oh my, Nanny, you’re here. Of course. Thanks to you, I’ve been doing very well.”
“Oh dear, saying it’s thanks to me makes me embarrassed. Hohoho.”
“Oh! Nanny!”
Abelyn also stopped what she was doing and hurried over.
“Abelyn, you’ve been well too, right?”
“Of course, Nanny. Ever since that day, strangely enough, good things keep happening. I think you bring good fortune to the Grand Duke’s household. Everyone says the atmosphere here has completely changed compared to before.”
“…Really?”
Maricel was momentarily stunned by the unexpected news.
‘The atmosphere changed because I came? And for the better?’
“It’s true. Ever since you arrived, people say the Grand Duke’s residence finally feels lively, like a place where people actually live. Ah! Was that too rude of an expression?”
Jeffrey suddenly worried he had spoken too freely, using the casual words servants shared among themselves.
“No, not at all. When I first came here, I also wondered if this was even a place where people lived—it felt that bleak. So don’t worry.”
Maricel waved her hands, telling him not to worry. Only then did Jeffrey sigh in relief.
‘As expected… the Nanny is special.’
“Nanny… but what brings you to the kitchen today?”
Jeffrey asked with a relaxed expression.
“Ah! I came today with inquiries, suggestions, and to seek your valuable opinion. Hohoho.”
Remembering her real purpose, Maricel smiled brightly.
“I finally received my salary. So the six of us from the cookie crew want to have a small party—but it’s a bit unusual, so I need your help.”
“If it’s something I can assist with, I’ll help with anything. Please, tell me.”
Jeffrey’s eyes sparkled at the word “unusual.”
“I’ll need quite a lot of thick-cut bacon. We’re going to grill it over charcoal, so we’ll need charcoal too.”
“Thick-cut bacon? How thick are we talking?”
“Mm… about this much?”
Maricel demonstrated about one centimeter with her fingers.
“Ah… that’s possible. Is there anything else you need?”
“Of course there is…!”
With a playful expression, Maricel explained in detail about the grill rack, kitchen scissors, meat tongs, ingredients for sesame oil dip, and various vegetables.
After listening to everything, Jeffrey scratched his head.
“I honestly can’t picture what you’re trying to make. But I’ll prepare the ingredients as closely as possible to what you described.”
“Thank you, Jeffrey. If you prepare the ingredients, I’ll take care of the rest—just make sure you enjoy eating it.”
Since becoming a chef at the Grand Duke’s estate, every dish had always passed through Jeffrey’s hands. He had never imagined someone else cooking for him.
And now, a meat party—hosted personally by a noble young lady? It was the first time in his life.
He had already experienced something special once. And not long after, Maricel was planning something unusual again. To Jeffrey, she truly was extraordinary.
Moreover, she never looked down on or despised commoners.
In many ways, she was special to him.
“Hohoho. Life certainly brings unexpected days now and then. Then it will be important to choose a day when everyone can gather.”
“I’ll speak with Butler Pour and gather everyone’s opinions about that.”
