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Chapter 14
From across the corridor came the sharp sound of hurried footsteps, accompanied by a voice laced with irritation.
“Honestly. There’s not a single thing done properly in this place! Does no one know how to work?”
It was Rachel.
She was striding forward, leading a group of maids in a flustered march toward some unknown destination.
Her voice cracked like a whip, and the maids’ shoulders visibly flinched under the lash of her words. She was loud enough to be heard even from our distance.
“Straighten your backs! Keep your eyes lowered at a diagonal!”
“Y-Yes, ma’am!”
“Anyone who doesn’t finish their assigned tasks will go without supper!”
After barking this order, Rachel disappeared into the building, her face twisted in fury.
The young maids trailing behind her wore uniformly miserable expressions. Some of them even limped, as if they’d already been beaten.
*She must not have seen us—didn’t even offer a greeting.*
I frowned slightly.
*They’re just children.*
Melissa, who had brought the washbasin earlier today, was among them. All of the maids I’d seen recently looked far too young.
Though it wasn’t unheard of for noble households to employ young girls as maids, it was customary to hire experienced adults when possible.
“Butler Vernon.”
“Yes, milady?”
“All the maids appear to be very young.”
He immediately bowed his head, seeming to understand what I was implying. His voice was subdued, much like earlier.
“…When His Grace’s episodes worsened, and the screams began echoing every night, the staff started resigning one by one. After that, no one new wanted to come.”
“I see…”
“So only the girls from families in desperate circumstances remain… or have newly arrived.”
Ah. I understood now.
Life was harsh for commoners in this world. Children entered the workforce young, and girls—especially—faced the risk of being sold into marriages with men they had never met.
Perhaps that was why I found it difficult to tear my eyes away from the maids.
“We tried to reduce their workload out of sympathy, but in doing so, fell behind in maintaining the estate. It is entirely my failing, milady.”
“No, it’s not.”
I raised a hand to stop Vernon from bowing further and spoke in a lowered voice.
“About the repairs to the estate I mentioned earlier…”
“Yes, milady?”
“I don’t mind if those are delayed. There’s something else I’d prefer you to take care of first.”
“Please, go ahead.”
I leaned in and whispered something into Vernon’s ear.
“…What? What is it? I don’t get to know?”
Gerald grumbled behind me, but I ignored him.
—
As night fell, lights began to flicker on throughout the Luciano ducal estate.
In earlier times, magic stones would have been used to brightly illuminate the hallways and interior of the manor.
But with the tax revenue now severely reduced, such luxuries had become unaffordable.
Young maids scurried through the halls, lighting candles and tending to chores.
Vernon watched the flurry of activity with a heavy heart before stopping at a particular door.
*Knock knock.*
“Your Grace, it’s Vernon. May I come in?”
“…Enter.”
With that gruff permission, Vernon slowly stepped inside.
As the door shut behind him, Denok set down the document he was reading and removed his glasses.
“So, what did you observe over the course of the day?”
“…She was far kinder than I expected.”
“Kind, you say?”
Vernon nodded.
The rumors surrounding Edith had painted her as a textbook aristocrat—haughty and commanding. As the treasured daughter of the illustrious Sertia family, it was said she never deigned to lower her head to anyone.
But the woman he had met had been different.
She had quietly bowed her head in respect when passing the portraits of the previous duke and duchess, and her eyes had lit up slightly when shown the library.
More than anything—
“She asked me to arrange for repairs to the estate using her dowry.”
Though she had furrowed her brow at the cracked walls and the overgrown garden, she had voiced no complaints or criticisms.
Rather, she had offered the funds with calm matter-of-factness, as if fulfilling a basic responsibility.
“She seems like a good person,” Vernon added inwardly, a gentle smile tugging at his lips.
A person like her was exactly what His Grace needed right now.
Meanwhile, Denok tapped his fingers lightly against the desk as he listened to Vernon’s report.
He had deliberately withheld the details of their contractual marriage. He wanted someone who could observe her objectively.
But now… she had offered to use her dowry?
*Could that be her idea of doing her part?* he wondered, frowning slightly. Her actions seemed too generous to be simply good manners.
In Denok’s experience, nobles only extended kindness to serve their own interests. Every favor came with an expectation of greater return.
This, too, must be some form of calculation—or so he told himself.
And yet… he found himself strangely at ease.
It was then that Vernon spoke again, cautiously watching Denok’s expression.
“There was one more thing she requested.”
“What is it?”
“She asked for the personnel records of all the staff—names, ages, work history, wages.”
“…Personnel records?”
Denok’s brow furrowed deeper.
“For what purpose…?”
“I couldn’t say. I wouldn’t presume to guess milady’s intent.”
Vernon cast a glance at the wall clock and then offered a slight bow.
“Perhaps you might ask her yourself. She’s already waiting in the dining room for supper.”
Denok’s gaze darkened.
It was strange, the thought of eating a proper meal, or of someone waiting for him at the dinner table.
At this hour, he would usually be bracing for another attack of his madness, drugged into a dazed stupor by sedatives.
*Still… it’s undeniable that this marriage offers me certain benefits too.*
“…Very well.”
Letting out a low sigh, Denok pushed the documents aside and rose to his feet.
The heavy scrape of his chair echoed across the room.
Soon, all that remained was the quiet flicker of candlelight.
—
“Oh, you’re here.”
As the dining room doors opened and Denok entered, I greeted him with a natural smile.
Whatever else could be said, he was the person I’d encountered most frequently in this house.
The feeling of familiarity—maybe even relief—bubbled up inside me.
He hesitated for a moment, then gave a curt nod.
“You were waiting?”
“Yes. I thought it would be nice to eat together, if possible.”
“…I see.”
Because he typically preferred to eat in solitude, we were alone in the dining room.
Which meant, at least for now, we could speak more freely.
I smiled and nodded, and after a moment of visible hesitation, Denok sat across from me.
*What was that about?* I tilted my head slightly in curiosity, but just then, Vernon began serving the food, cutting off the question.
Like yesterday, we ate mostly in silence.
Until, like a stone cast into still water, his voice rippled through the quiet.
“I heard you asked Vernon to repair the estate.”
“Oh, yes.”
I set down my spoon and nodded.
I had assumed the report would reach him, but I hadn’t expected him to bring it up so soon.
“The manor is in poor condition. I thought it might be dangerous if we left it that way.”
“And you’re willing to spend your dowry on it?”
There was a note of displeasure in his voice. And beneath that, a trace of guarded suspicion.
It suited me. I’d rather he saw me as a disposable presence than grow attached.
So I met his gaze calmly and replied.
“Of course. Even if only for a while, this is where I’ll be living.”
He studied me silently.
I turned and reached for my cup.
“And the personnel records? You requested those as well?”
*So that’s what you really wanted to ask.*
I took a sip, wetting my lips, then nodded.
“Yes. I wanted to know who I’d be living with. Only then could I decide how to treat them.”
“Was it for surveillance?”
“No. On the contrary—it’s for their protection.”
His gaze deepened, as though trying to discern the true meaning behind my words.
