🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 18
Dragging my exhausted body along, I crawled onto the hard bed.
The moment I lay down, the events of the day slowly replayed through my mind.
I never expected the duke himself to come all the way here….
My inability to ignore Kalios had led to an unexpected result.
I had only hoped that he wouldn’t suffer the way he did in the original story, but because of that, the duke had started taking an interest in his own son.
Well, maybe this turned out for the best.
If the duke could maintain a good relationship with his son like this, then he probably wouldn’t think about bringing in a replacement heir.
Maybe Kalios would even be able to inherit the dukedom without having to kill his father.
At that thought, a satisfied smile spread across my lips.
Until now, the only things I’d been able to do here were cleaning, laundry, and basket weaving…
But for the first time, it felt like I had actually accomplished something.
And then, the next day.
Perhaps because of what had happened the day before, yet another visitor came looking for Kalios.
It was the head maid, Melissa.
After inspecting the hallways and bathroom, Melissa entered Kalios’s room.
“Young Master.”
Melissa spoke in a stern yet respectful voice.
“Until now… I believe I have failed to properly look after your condition because I was too occupied with matters concerning the estate. The incident involving the two maids who behaved disrespectfully toward you as well… was clearly my negligence.”
Soon after, the rustling of fabric could be heard.
Though nothing could be seen in the dark room, it was obvious that she had bowed deeply in apology to Kalios.
“I also apologize for the delay in assigning additional staff. I will send new maids as soon as possible so that you no longer experience any inconvenience, Young Master.”
“…It’s fine. There’s no need to rush. Just make sure to choose diligent ones.”
Hey, my opinion’s different! I want the new maids to arrive as soon as possible!
Too timid to interrupt their conversation, I could only protest inwardly.
“……”
Meanwhile, Melissa fell silent for a moment, apparently caught off guard by Kalios’s response.
Then, after repeatedly promising that she would select hardworking and capable maids, she quietly left.
“Still, it seems like the head maid really cares about you, Young Master, doesn’t it?”
Once the sound of Melissa’s footsteps had completely faded away, I spoke up to defend her.
But Kalios merely scoffed.
“As if. She never visited me even once while I was shut away in here.”
Even after her apology, he still kept his distance from her.
“She probably noticed Father suddenly taking an interest in me and is trying to be cautious for now. In the end, she’s just another employee of the family, like the butler or the aides.”
Was that so?
Well, it wasn’t exactly wrong.
The head maid I’d observed all this time had always been someone strict and mechanical with everyone, never swayed by personal feelings.
And that probably wasn’t any different when it came to Kalios.
Honestly, if you wanted to work in one estate for a long time, maybe that was the smartest way to survive.
Soon, Kalios’s voice darkened slightly.
“So I don’t want to waste my emotions worrying about whether people follow me or not.”
Was it because he had been alone for so long?
Kalios seemed to have abandoned not only trust in people, but expectations as well.
Given his circumstances, that was understandable…
But unable to come up with anything to refute him with, I felt a little sad.
Even late into the night, the office of Duke Levannion was as bright as midday.
However, unlike the brightly lit room, the duke’s expression was grim.
Lost in thought, he rang the bell on his desk.
Soon, his aide Jerome entered through the door.
“You called for me, Your Grace?”
“Take measures to procure defective mana stones for the ducal house as soon as possible.”
“Yes, understood.”
Jerome, who had already been reviewing related documents, immediately accepted the order and was about to leave the office.
But the duke stopped him once more.
“One more thing. At daybreak, send letters to Amarcus and Mikael. Tell them to visit the ducal estate as soon as possible.”
“To the two young masters?”
Jerome asked back in confusion.
The two were nobles from branch families of Levannion living in different territories.
However, because Kalios—the only legitimate direct heir—had long solidified his position as successor, they had never had any opportunity to interfere in the line of succession.
They only visited the ducal estate during important family events, and even then, they had never received much attention from the duke.
But now, summoning the two of them here…
“But, Your Grace.”
Jerome looked at his master with clear confusion.
“Didn’t you just order mana stones to be procured for the young master?”
It was a cautious question asking whether the duke still considered his son the sole heir.
After all, hadn’t he also granted permission to devote more manpower and money toward finding a cure for the mana-rage disease?
“Of course. Kalios is my only son. Therefore, I will do everything possible until a cure is found.”
The duke raised an eyebrow and calmly continued.
“However, that is separate from ensuring that the succession remains solid and secure.”
Then Duke Levannion stared coldly out into the dark night beyond the window.
“At present, there’s no knowing whether a cure can even be found. So I intend to prepare for the worst. I cannot allow rumors to spread that our family is unstable because it lacks a proper heir.”
“……”
Preparing for the worst, he said.
No parent thinks about “what if” when it concerns their child’s health.
The way he spoke, as though his son and nephews were replaceable objects, shocked Jerome once again.
He had always known the duke clearly separated personal and professional matters…
But to remain this cold even regarding his only son’s situation.
Still, Jerome’s duty was simply to obey his master’s commands.
He cleared the unnecessary thoughts from his mind and bowed his head.
“Yes, I will carry it out.”
After bowing respectfully, he exited the room.
“Yaaawn……”
“Good grief, your jaw’s going to fall off. How can you yawn that loudly?”
Early in the morning, Tilda shot me a look as I stretched my mouth wide in a huge yawn.
In the main hall, various servants besides us stood lined up in formation.
At the ducal estate, all servants were gathered together once a week like this to receive announcements.
“Quiet.”
As always, Melissa silenced the noisy atmosphere with a single word.
The maids immediately stopped chatting and waited for her to speak.
After confirming that no maid was absent from the assembly, Melissa got straight to the point.
“You all know that Mary and Dorothy were punished and sent to the laundry room for behaving disrespectfully toward the young master.”
Who here wouldn’t know about that incident?
Even now, whenever the topic came up, people quickly shut their mouths, afraid they might end up the same way if they mocked him carelessly.
But why bring it up again now?
Was she trying to tighten discipline among the maids once more because of that incident?
Just as I was wondering, Melissa delivered unexpected news.
“To fill the vacant position, Lizzy Swan has officially been assigned as the young master’s personal maid starting today.”
At those words, I couldn’t hide my shock.
The hall briefly erupted into murmurs.
The maids who heard Melissa’s announcement were more agitated than ever, whispering among themselves.
Well, of course they were.
I had only been at the ducal estate for less than two months, and on top of that, I was blind.
Until now, everyone must have assumed I had only become the young master’s attendant temporarily because they were short-handed, and that an experienced maid would eventually be assigned instead.
“Lizzy, that’s wonderful!”
The only person congratulating me was Tilda, standing beside me.
