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Chapter 8
The police officer watched Milena’s receding figure and pursed his lips. With a heavy sigh, he turned around.
His seniors approached and draped arms over Alex’s shoulders.
“Ohhh, she came again today. Isn’t it almost three times a week now?”
“Maybe she’s just that desperate?”
“I don’t think so. Even though we tell her we’ll contact her, she keeps coming back—there must be a reason!”
The seniors chuckled.
“Maybe she’s coming to see you, Alex! She always talks to you before leaving, doesn’t she? That’s definitely it!”
At that, Alex’s face turned bright red. The seniors poked at his sides teasingly.
“Is it really that hard for missing persons from Luikaron to return home? It might be better if she just settled down here. For that, she’d need a man from Siern… and you’ve clearly caught her eye!”
“Ohhh, is spring finally coming for Alex?”
“She’s from Luikaron, but she speaks our language well and is pretty. Go for it, Alex!”
Alex bit his lip and blinked.
Hearing this over and over made his heart waver. Could it be true?
She always came alone, always spoke with Alex, and then left. Even though they said they would contact her, she kept coming back to ask questions.
She always smiled and thanked him. He also remembered meeting her eyes often.
Just as his seniors said, Milena was strikingly beautiful. He didn’t know what her status had been in Luikaron, but her skin was fair and her fingers looked soft.
And her speech was elegant and refined.
‘My mother doesn’t like foreigners…’
But maybe it would be okay. Milena seemed kind. A kind woman like that would probably be able to win his mother over easily.
“I-I’ll try asking her out next time,” Alex mumbled.
“Ooooooh, finally!”
“Good luck, Alex!”
Alex nodded. In his mind, he was already imagining a married life with Milena.
I finished work and went home with Kaisar, talking about the Count Caster household.
On the way, we also stopped by the market. It was crowded with people returning from work. We joined the flow and picked out vegetables.
“You’re saying you have to take care of a dementia patient? That won’t be easy. It’ll be exhausting, both physically and mentally,” Kaisar said.
“I know. But I can’t deny it’s a good opportunity. Don’t you think so too, my lord? Oh, the cabbage is really good. How much is this?”
“Oh, young wife. That’s only 5 shillings.”
“Come on, I saw it being sold for 4 shillings down there.”
“Who on earth… 4 shillings?”
“Then this cabbage, two tomatoes, and some peas… 6 shillings?”
“Hey, young wife! We won’t make any profit like that!”
“I don’t make any profit either. You know how much 6 shillings means for someone poor like me! Please, just 6 shillings!”
“Haaah… fine, because you’re pretty.”
“Thank you! I’ll come again!”
I handed the full bag of vegetables to Kaisar. He naturally took it.
I was already used to being called “young wife.”
After all, it had already been three weeks since I started living with Kaisar.
Whether by choice or necessity, we were living under the same roof and moving together every day. At this point, there was nothing to really explain.
So I decided to just accept the misunderstanding instead of correcting it. Kaisar remained expressionless anyway. Well, he didn’t understand the language.
We didn’t even look like siblings. Not even close. Our “art styles” were completely different.
If Kaisar was a cold, city-type man, I was more like a sunny candy-type character.
So I just let people misunderstand.
“Anyway, what do you think, my lord?”
“If Milena believes so, then it must be right,” Kaisar replied seriously.
“Ever since we came to Siern, you’ve never been wrong. So whatever you choose, I will support you.”
At his words, I let out a small laugh.
“And what if I make a really bad decision? What if we ruin our house and end up on the streets again?”
“Then…”
Kaisar turned to look at me.
His deep, melancholic eyes made my heart skip. Seriously, why is the male lead like this? He always hits me with his face when I let my guard down.
“I will sell my sword.”
I chuckled.
That much was certain.
Kaisar would never abandon me. No matter what, he would stay by my side.
At least until we returned to Luikaron.
“Why do you always talk about selling your heirloom? Your ancestors would be angry.”
Even though it was a sword granted by the Emperor, it had been passed down through Kaisar’s family. It was the tradition of House Lorensia to retrieve the sword when a head of the house died and pass it on to the next. It was practically a family heirloom.
And he was talking about selling something like that.
“There is nothing more important than a person. My ancestors would understand.”
Hearing that gave me a bit more courage. Having someone who wouldn’t abandon me even if I made mistakes was always a great strength.
The next day, I submitted my resignation at the bakery.
The owner was sad to see me go, but after hearing I was going to Count Caster’s estate, she let me leave. She even added extra pay on top of my wages.
“Thank you for working so hard, Milena. You don’t know how much you helped increase sales.”
She also warned me several times to be careful of the dowager.
And just like that, I went straight to Count Caster’s estate.
Strike while the iron is hot. I needed to apply before the positions filled up.
But surprisingly, Count Caster’s estate was almost empty.
Huh?
I thought many people would apply since the pay was high.
As soon as they heard I was applying for a maid position, other maids immediately guided me to the head maid’s office.
“Hello.”
“Oh, are you here to apply?”
“Yes. Am I the only one?”
“Well… my name is Sophia. You can call me that.”
“Yes, Madam Sophia.”
“The reason there are so few applicants is probably because they added the requirement of being able to read.”
“Read?”
I hadn’t seen that.
Well, it was fine since I could read. I secretly felt relieved.
“It seems literate people don’t want this kind of work.”
“Ah…”
“And the dowager’s condition has already become widely known.”
I nodded.
That seemed true. Everyone had been talking about her dementia.
Unless someone had a specific reason like me, it was definitely a difficult job to apply for.
“Then I guess I’m the perfect candidate. I can read, and I don’t plan on quitting anytime soon.”
“Not quitting anytime soon?”
“At least six months.”
At my declaration, Sophia’s eyes lit up. She had probably heard that previous maids couldn’t even last two weeks.
“Why six months?”
“Oh, I might return home after six months. My hometown is very far away, and I probably won’t be able to come back once I leave. I’m working here to earn travel money.”
“I see. In that case, as long as you sincerely take care of the dowager for those six months, we will not treat you unfairly.”
“That would be more than enough for me.”
I replied with bright, sparkling eyes.
