IMDL 19

Chapter 19

2. The Grandmother of House Leyton

“I was honestly worried you two were going to start fighting.”

That was what Anna said to me the next day while we were inspecting the garden for the upcoming masked martial arts tournament.

“With Helene?”

“Yes. It was the first time I’d ever seen the lady of the main house look… that frightening.”

The Helene I knew always looked like that, but apparently she acted differently around the servants.

The standoff between Helene and me ended rather anticlimactically.

She simply said, “The mistake was mine,” admitted there had been an error in how the punishment had been handled, added that Jackson would only receive a token punishment, and then left.

Of course, she still took all the horses from the annex.

‘She ran away.’

On the surface, our confrontation had ended inconclusively.

But in reality, Helene had simply avoided answering my question.

She admitted there had been a mistake in the disciplinary process, but she refused to admit that the mistake itself was hers.

Even so, she still took the horses.

In the end, Jackson was the only one who benefited by receiving a lighter punishment.

‘Or maybe not. His hardships are only beginning.’

Since the stable was being reorganized, Jackson had been transferred back to the main estate to handle the work.

Anyone could predict the difficult days waiting for him there.

As if confirming my thoughts, Anna added,

“I heard Uncle Jackson got beaten up by the other stable keepers.”

“…Why?”

That was harsher than I had expected.

“They kept yelling things like, ‘Can’t you even do your job properly? You’ve been slacking off for too long!’ Then they made him stay up all night cleaning horse manure in the soldiers’ stables.”

The servants’ information network was impressive.

But Anna’s sinister little grin was even scarier.

Lately, her loyalty had become a little excessive.

Turning my attention away from Anna, I focused on the garden instead.

I was considering clearing away the flower pots around the fountain to create a circular arena when the workers the Margrave had promised finally arrived.

“We greet the Duchess Dowager.”

“…Sir Nata.”

The arrivals consisted of Nata, another knight, and several men carrying armfuls of supplies.

The men appeared to be apprentice knights, wearing uniforms similar to the knights’ but in different colors.

The unfamiliar knight ordered the apprentices to carry the supplies into one corner of the garden.

“It is an honor to meet you, Duchess Dowager. I am the knight Derek Chasey.”

“Welcome. I’m sorry I can’t even offer you tea since we’re in the garden.”

“Not at all. We’re here to work.”

Following Anna’s instructions, Derek led the apprentices in clearing the garden.

Being soldiers, they easily carried away heavy flower pots and decorative ornaments.

‘Still… the Margrave really sent Nata.’

The intention behind that assignment was painfully obvious.

Pretending not to notice, I glanced at Nata’s amethyst-colored eyes, which were brimming with anticipation.

“My Lady, what would you have me do?”

I was about to tell them to help Derek when Anna subtly shook her head, as though to say there was already plenty of manpower over there.

“Then let’s go look at the costumes.”

“Yes.”

Taking Nata with me, I headed toward the sewing room in the annex.

As soon as I opened the door, I saw a group of children sitting together on the carpet, busily working with cloth and thread.

“Pages?”

“No. They’re children from the territory.”

There were a few pages among them, but most had come through recommendations from the pages themselves.

“The children are making the costumes?”

“That’s right. I commissioned them.”

When I offered work to children who were good with their hands, the pages had immediately brought all their friends.

At first glance, it probably looked like I was a heartless employer making children work.

But in reality, it was a form of welfare.

With winter approaching, I provided them with a warm room, meals, and enough pay in a single day to equal what they would normally earn through a week’s worth of odd jobs.

I also allowed them to keep any leftover fabric.

‘I couldn’t exactly just hand them money.’

Unless I had enough wealth to support the entire slum, there was naturally a limit to the kind of charity I could provide.

“Can the children really make proper costumes?”

“Honestly, I don’t care much about the quality. Even if they’re ridiculous, that just makes them more fun.”

“Wouldn’t that lower the dignity of the event?”

“It’s part of a charity project for children. Who’s going to complain?”

Nata nodded in admiration.

No matter how talented they were, they were still children.

The costumes would probably end up looking gaudy because of their wild color choices and decorations.

But once people heard that children had made them, everything would simply seem adorable.

“Of course, professional tailors will handle the finishing touches.”

“I see.”

“Then, Sir Nata, go sit down and help.”

“…Pardon?”

Carrying an armful of thread and leftover cloth, I sat down among the children.

At first they had been nervous because they were inside the Ducal estate.

But thanks to the pages acting so friendly, the children soon gathered around me with cheerful smiles.

“Big Sis! Are you making one too?”

Since I had specifically instructed the pages not to tell anyone who I really was, none of the children seemed to realize I was the Duchess Dowager.

Back in my previous life, disrespectful students often called me “Big Sis,” so it didn’t really bother me.

Nata, however, stood frozen with their mouth hanging open.

“That’s right. What are you making?”

“A knight! A Potato Helmet Knight!”

“You really like potatoes, huh?”

“They’re delicious!”

“So… are you planning to tear your knight’s head off and eat it?”

“Uh…”

Leaving behind the child who clearly thought, ‘That’s not what I meant,’ I beckoned to Nata.

After hesitating for a moment, they walked over.

“Can you sew?”

“N-No.”

“Then gather pieces of fabric together however you like. I’ll handle the stitching.”

“What should I put together?”

“Whatever you want.”

I pointed toward a bizarre robe someone had made by connecting long strips of rainbow-colored cloth, claiming they were bird feathers.

Something like that was perfectly acceptable.

Perhaps thinking it would be shameful to stand around while I was sewing, Nata awkwardly began helping.

“Who is this super pretty big sister?”

“Not a big sister. Hmm… maybe not a big brother either.”

“Huh?”

“This person is a knight. They’ll be wearing the clothes you make and fighting in them.”

“W-Wow! A knight!”

The children’s eyes sparkled.

Apparently, the title of knight fascinated them even more than Nata’s beautiful appearance.

‘Wait a minute… when they met me, nobody called me pretty.’

They naturally complimented Nata as a “pretty big sister.”

That little brat was getting an extra helping of cabbage in his stew at lunch.

“Mr. Knight! Do you have a sword? Can you ride a horse?”

“Where’s the princess?”

“My dad says knights are scary!”

“W-Wait… I left my sword behind…”

Faced with a barrage of questions, Nata gradually leaned farther and farther backward.

Even so, they patiently answered every question one by one.

It didn’t seem like they disliked the attention.

“Are all knights handsome?”

“Everyone looks different.”

“Then, Miss Knight, are you good with a sword? There’s a really big tree in front of my house!”

“Hmm… I’ve never used my sword to chop firewood.”

Nata got along with children much better than I had expected.

Their awkward speech gradually became more relaxed.

The children seemed to adore the beautiful knight who answered all their questions.

Soon they were sitting around us, chatting happily while continuing to work on their costumes.

“…Do you often spend time like this, My Lady?”

“No. I just happened to have the opportunity this time.”

“Taking care of children like this… it’s admirable.”

It wasn’t anything that impressive.

The quiet respect in Nata’s voice made me feel a little uncomfortable.

Ever since I proposed the masked martial arts tournament, Nata seemed to have developed unrealistically high expectations of me.

“I haven’t done anything remarkable. I simply gathered some children, paid them a little money, and gave them work.”

“…”

“And it’s not even money I earned myself, so don’t praise me too much.”

Excessive admiration always led to disappointment sooner or later.

I knew perfectly well that I was just an ordinary person.

“…Yes. I understand.”

Yet instead of being disappointed, Nata simply smiled gently, as though they understood something.

Seeing someone so beautiful smile was dazzling enough that I stared absentmindedly for a moment.

“I think I understand what kind of person you are, My Lady.”

“What kind?”

“Exactly as you appear.”

‘Which tells me absolutely nothing.’

Nata offered no further explanation and quietly continued working.

Apparently they were quite skilled with their hands.

The clumsy cutting from earlier gradually became more precise and confident.

Rather than wasting time on cryptic conversations, I decided to focus on sewing as well.

‘Come to think of it, I’ve started speaking casually with Nata too.’

I tried to maintain the dignified speech expected of the Duchess Dowager.

But whenever I was around someone I liked, I naturally slipped back into my usual way of speaking.

Fortunately, Nata didn’t seem to find it strange.

Several hours passed like that.

Before long, it was nearly lunchtime.