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Chapter 12
I heard she was a fallen noble lady—but a sick mother? Was this the reason she even lied about being a commoner to find work?
Olive fell into thought.
Money itself could be advanced at any time. However, matters concerning her were not something he could decide on his own.
Strictly speaking, her superior was not him, but the duke. Of course, she and the other regular servants were unaware of this.
Several specially hired personnel were all directly managed under the duke. Therefore, matters concerning her had to be reported to the duke first.
“First, I think I should inform His Grace.”
“The duke?”
Her light green eyes widened in surprise.
“Yes. Your treatment is entirely determined by His Grace.”
“I see….”
She replied softly, her expression deflated.
“Then, shall we go?”
“Yes.”
Marin followed Olive and walked toward what felt like the lair of a demon lord.
Since it was nighttime, candles were fixed along the dark corridor walls. Although it was brighter than during the day, the flickering candlelight and shifting shadows made the place feel more desolate and frightening.
Soon, Olive stopped in front of the duke’s office. Come to think of it, he had never once knocked on the door.
Even if the duke had sensitive hearing, could he hear sounds through the door?
“What is it?”
…He could hear.
“Miss Marin says she has something to discuss.”
“Come in.”
“Miss Marin.”
Olive lit a candle in a candlestick and handed it to her.
Marin looked at Olive with wide eyes.
“Aren’t you coming in with me?”
“You alone were requested.”
“Did ‘come in’ mean that only I was being called?”
Olive responded with a smile instead of an answer and handed her the candlestick as if encouraging her.
Marin steadied her trembling hands, then opened the office door and stepped inside. She began by apologizing.
“I’m sorry.”
“What for?”
“For visiting so late at night. I sincerely apologize.”
“So, what is it?”
The duke urged her to get to the point.
“I’d like to request an advance payment.”
“……”
There was no response from the duke.
“I mean… I’d like to receive part of my wages in advance….”
Marin awkwardly rephrased her request more simply.
“Why?”
“I’ll be evicted from my house tomorrow if I don’t pay the rent.”
Marin closed her eyes tightly and confessed honestly. Admitting poverty was less frightening than being thrown out.
“If I give you an advance, what will you do for me in return?”
“Pardon?”
Marin blinked in shock and asked back.
“Tell me why I should give you an advance.”
Marin racked her brain to find an answer.
What should she say?
Her light green eyes quickly welled up with tears.
What should she do? She couldn’t think. If they were evicted, where would she take her mother?
Her gaze wandered around the room before landing on the wine glass on the desk.
Suddenly, she remembered what Olive had said.
That the duke had trouble sleeping.
“I’ll put you to sleep.”
“…What?”
The duke’s husky voice cracked in surprise.
“I’m good at reading reports, but I’m also good at reading books. When I read aloud, my mother falls asleep easily. I’ll help you sleep as well, Your Grace.”
Marin spoke without structure, saying whatever came to mind. At some point, her tears had completely dried.
“How did you know I don’t sleep well?”
Should she say she heard it from Olive? Or not?
As she hesitated in thought, the duke answered for her.
“Olive?”
“Yes. But what he said wasn’t meant in a bad way….”
“Good.”
“Yes?”
“Let’s sleep.”
His languid voice brushed past her ear.
Marin’s face turned bright red in an instant. His words were correct, but hearing them said so briefly made it feel oddly strange.
“How long does it take to get from the castle to your home?”
“About an hour.”
“We’ll relocate.”
“Pardon?”
Her voice rose slightly in surprise at the unexpected suggestion. Startled by her own raised voice, Marin quickly covered her mouth with her hand.
“Olive.”
The duke called in a low voice.
Olive, waiting outside the door, immediately understood and slipped back into the office.
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“Move her temporary residence to the annex tomorrow morning.”
“Yes.”
Marin cautiously raised her hand and interjected.
“Um… if you don’t mind, I live with my mother.”
“Move her together.”
“Yes, understood.”
A strange sense of déjà vu washed over her—being excluded from her own matter.
Ah, it was the same back when her wrist had been treated too.
“Miss Marin, shall we go?”
“Yes. Thank you, Your Grace.”
Marin politely bowed to the duke and left the office.
Walking down the corridor with Olive, he spoke first.
“Shall we go to the office?”
“Yes.”
They returned to the office where she had worked just a few hours earlier.
Marin sat on the sofa, staring blankly, while Olive took 1 gold coin from the safe and handed it to her.
“Here you go. But if you’re moving, you might not need an advance anymore, right?”
“I still need to pay the final rent.”
It was a large sum of money she hadn’t seen in a long time.
Marin received the gold coin with trembling hands. With this money, she could buy plenty of food and medicine her mother liked.
She held the gold coin carefully, then handed it back to Olive.
“Um… could you possibly exchange this into silver?”
“Certainly.”
Olive handed her a pouch containing 100 silver coins.
Marin hugged the money pouch tightly to her chest, hesitated, then spoke with difficulty.
“Thank you. And….”
“Go on.”
Olive asked with his usual gentle smile.
“Do I really have to come live here?”
“Isn’t that the arrangement you made with His Grace?”
“To be precise, I said I would help His Grace sleep.”
“Yes. And His Grace goes to bed very late. How will you go back every night?”
Indeed, the road home was dark and dangerous. Traveling it every night would clearly be difficult.
“I’ll arrange a carriage for you tonight.”
“No! I don’t want a carriage. I’ll walk.”
Marin immediately refused with a pale face. Her fingertips trembled. Her vision blurred.
She had not ridden a carriage since the accident. Their family had fallen into decline, so she couldn’t afford one anyway—but even the thought of it made her break into a cold sweat.
Olive carefully observed her reaction, but she, caught in panic, did not notice.
Marin clenched both hands tightly, trying to steady herself.
“Then, since it’s dangerous for you to go alone at this hour, I’ll accompany you.”
“Pardon? No, I can’t trouble you like that.”
Startled by his words, she waved both hands to refuse.
Olive stood up and casually asked,
“You can ride a horse, of course, right?”
“Y-yes… no.”
Her light green eyes trembled. The answer came first, followed by thought.
Do commoners nowadays naturally know how to ride horses?
“I’ll assume you can.”
Olive declared with a half-moon smile.
Marin had no choice but to nod.
After that, things proceeded quickly.
Following Olive, they went to the stables and borrowed two horses. Riding the horses, the trip back home was quick.
After arriving in front of her house, Marin dismounted with Olive’s assistance.
“Is… this the place?”
There was a hint of surprise in Olive’s voice.
“Yes.”
Marin looked at the shabby hut with renewed eyes. Still, it had been the place that sheltered her and her mother for years.
“Then I’ll take my leave. I’ll send a carriage tomorrow morning.”
“A carriage is unne—”
Marin tried to refuse with a pale face, but Olive gently interrupted her.
“You said your mother is with you, correct? Wouldn’t a carriage be more comfortable for her? I’ll leave the horse you rode today. You can ride that one back.”
Ah… because of her fear of carriages, she had completely forgotten how to bring her mother along.
