IMDL 05

Chapter 5

Even though it wasn’t yet the middle of winter, she was wrapped in such a thick coat that she looked more like a blanket than a person. Her navy-blue hair, a color he had never seen before in this place, hung loose as she stared intently at the ground.

I need to pull those weeds…

He couldn’t simply walk past her. The patch where she stood was especially overgrown.

Johan cautiously approached her.

Judging by the way she was dressed, she didn’t seem to be a noble.

The nobles he knew wore extravagant clothes covered in jewels and were always surrounded by attendants.

They certainly didn’t wear something that looked like a blanket.

“Um… I need to pull the weeds.”

“…Go ahead.”

She looked at Johan.

Her navy-blue eyes, matching her hair, gave off an aura that was difficult to approach.

Silently, she stood up and took two steps back.

Though Johan wondered who she was, he bent down to pull the weeds.

“Are you Johan?”

He froze, halfway through pulling one out.

Before he could ask how she knew his name, she continued.

“I heard about you from Mirinae.”

“Ah…”

It seemed she was someone Mirinae knew.

“They said you’re really good at pulling weeds.”

“Uh… yes.”

“And they said you’re very smart too. They said you’re a kind older brother.”

Is she… complimenting me?

Her tone was blunt, but her words were unexpectedly warm.

Whether she noticed his confusion or not, she suddenly sat back down beside him.

…She smells nice.

It wasn’t the perfume nobles usually wore.

Instead, it was the sweet scent of butter mixed with medicinal herbs.

He had smelled that fragrance somewhere before.

As he searched his memories, she suddenly reached into her coat.

“Do you like potatoes?”

“Pardon?”

She pulled out a potato wrapped in a handkerchief.

Steam still rose from it, as though it had just been cooked.

A slit had been cut into the top, with a spoonful of butter melting into it.

“They aren’t spring potatoes, but potatoes this time of year are delicious too.”

Ah…

Here, have a potato.

The moment she said those words, he remembered where he had smelled that scent before.

It was the scent from the days when his grandmother and mother were still alive.

The fragrance of his grandmother brewing herbs to treat colds in the kitchen, and his mother baking bread.

That familiar scent drifted from this woman he had just met.

“Should I peel it for you? I also have some cinnamon tea.”

She felt too familiar to refuse.

Talking with Johan was surprisingly enjoyable.

It probably helped that I had deliberately hidden my identity, but after giving him a warm potato and letting him borrow one of my coats, he seemed to relax enough to speak comfortably.

He’s still very cautious, though.

Even drawing on my experience as a school teacher, I couldn’t completely tear down the walls around his heart.

He absolutely refused to enter the annex, so all we did was sit together on a bench in the garden, sharing potatoes.

Still, I had made some progress.

“Um… may I come see you again?”

When I told him I’d be here every Wednesday morning, he asked if he could visit me then since Wednesdays were also the day he came to pull weeds.

“Of course. I’ll have potatoes ready.”

Whether he was looking forward to the potatoes or simply missed the warmth of a caring adult, Johan shyly smiled and nodded.

He really is clever.

Since I knew nothing about the situation outside the castle in the Layton territory, I planned to hire Johan to investigate it for me.

Now that I’ve become Layton’s Grand Madam, I should at least know what’s happening in the territory.

And at the same time, I could give Johan some work.

Just as I was heading back toward the annex, looking forward to next week, I spotted a man walking in through the garden entrance.

His upright posture and tall frame immediately reminded me of the head butler from the main mansion who had guided me to Helene.

“Grand Madam, I hope you have been well.”

“I have. What brings you here?”

Had he come because of the promise with Helene?

The year-end banquet was still about two months away.

“I have come to deliver a message on Madam’s behalf.”

“Helene must be quite busy.”

“Yes. She asks for your generous understanding.”

In other words, she didn’t want to meet me in person over trivial matters.

That was understandable. She might be willing to show proper courtesy to her mother-in-law, but she had no intention of becoming close.

At least this isn’t rude.

The fact that she had sent her trusted butler rather than an ordinary servant was sincere enough.

“Go ahead.”

“In one week’s time, there will be a small banquet. It is a celebration honoring the Border Count’s achievements.”

There was only one Western Border Count I could think of.

“Madam has been summoned to the Imperial Palace and will be unable to attend. Therefore…”

“You want me to attend in her place.”

“…Madam recommended you in the hope that you would become familiar with Western high society.”

Put bluntly, I was the substitute.

Of course, I could also interpret it as an opportunity to practice before the year-end banquet…

Still, I doubted Helene was thoughtful enough to do something like that.

If anything, she’d probably lecture me about the proper attitude of a noble lady and warn me not to disgrace the Layton family.

“Only a portion of the Duke’s retainers and those close to the Border Count will attend. It is a small celebration, so it should serve as good practice.”

Well, I really did lack experience in noble society.

A rehearsal wouldn’t hurt.

“Very well. I’ll attend.”

I agreed without hesitation.

In truth, I probably had no choice. They called it a recommendation, but refusing would almost certainly bring consequences.

Besides, since I was only attending as a representative, all I had to do was play a supporting role.

That made things much less stressful.

“Thank you. Then I shall invite a tailor and an experienced lady to instruct you.”

“A lady?”

“Yes. Since this will be your first appearance in Western society, you’ll need someone to explain the customs that differ from where you previously lived.”

In other words…

You don’t seem like a proper noble, so receive some education.

Of course, I wasn’t immature enough to feel offended.

It was true that I didn’t know those customs.

There was nothing wrong with learning.

“Call them in the afternoon instead.”

“Is there a reason?”

“I’m sleepy in the mornings.”

I answered confidently.

I’d had more than enough morning studying back in Korea.

The butler blinked in surprise for a moment before quietly bowing in acknowledgment.

And so, my first official schedule as the Grand Madam was decided.

The etiquette instructor who came was Lady Rollan, the wife of Viscount Rollan, a renowned etiquette teacher throughout the West.

Apparently, after her husband passed away, she chose not to continue managing the family and instead devoted herself to teaching etiquette, raising countless young noble ladies.

She was also the author of Modern Etiquette for Ladies, a book considered a classic even in the capital.

Of course, I had never read it.

Would she get angry if I said I sympathized with her because her husband died?

Our situations were completely different.

Better not stir up trouble unnecessarily and just focus on the lessons.

Thus, my lessons with Lady Rollan continued over three days.

At first, she had plenty of criticism, but perhaps my desperate efforts paid off, because she gradually began offering praise.

“…Grand Madam, your composure is admirable. Even when you make small mistakes, you never panic. That is impressive.”

“That’s thanks to your teaching.”

“There are still areas where you need improvement… but I believe you’ll have no trouble at the celebration. You won’t need to dance, after all.”

I had no partner, so there would be no dancing for me.

Which suited me just fine.

I planned to greet the guests politely, then spend the rest of the time sitting quietly at a table.

“And finally… hmm… I shall explain the proper conduct expected of a madam toward young ladies who have only recently made their debut.”

As Lady Rollan continued her lesson, she suddenly pressed a hand to her forehead, as though dizzy.

She quickly regained her composure, but she couldn’t hide her pale complexion.

“My lady, if this part can be explained verbally, shall we sit down?”

“…Yes, let’s.”

I helped Lady Rollan over to the sofa.

After briefly stopping by the fireplace, I returned and sat beside her.

“Grand Madam?”

“Here, hold this.”

On the mantel above the fireplace were several small, neatly wrapped cloth bundles.

They were hand warmers used by the young attendants.

“There’s a heated stone inside. If it gets too hot, wrap it in a handkerchief first.”

“Why are you giving this… to me?”

“Your hands are cold.”

Lady Rollan wore gloves, but during the lessons I had often seen her remove them and clasp her hands together.

That was a habit common among people whose hands were always cold.

She could simply have taken off the gloves, but according to the etiquette book, guests were expected to keep them on.

As the teacher, she couldn’t very well break the rules she taught.

“…Thank you.”

She looked genuinely surprised that I had noticed.

Quietly, she accepted the hand warmer.

“It’s quite a unique hand warmer.”

“The attendants found the stone. I only made the cloth cover.”

“Did you buy this cover?”

“No. I made it.”

“…For the attendants?”

I nodded.

“Yes. It wasn’t difficult.”