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“W-what do you mean, a hospital?”
“There have been countless complaints that the Roar region has no hospital. I’ve decided we need to build one this time.”
“Isn’t Roar a royal territory? It’s the royal family’s responsibility. Why is it that we are—”
At that moment, a butler across the table gave Josh a warning glance.
“Lieutenant.”
“Huh?”
Josh felt a strange twinge and turned his gaze toward the butler.
The butler was winking one eye at him, deliberately.
Meanwhile, Josh’s master, Calix, was still staring intensely at his soup.
“M-Master?”
Josh sat back in his chair weakly and asked.
“Is the reason you want to build a hospital in Roar…?”
Screech—
Suddenly, Calix stood up.
“Let’s go, Josh.”
“Huh? W-where are we going?”
“To Roar.”
“W-what? Right now? W-wait a moment!”
Josh panicked and tried to stop him.
Then the butler blocked Josh and said to Calix,
“Master, don’t let go of what you want.”
“What does that mean?”
The butler grinned, revealing all his teeth.
“I’m not sure, but I’m certain you know, Master. Perhaps it’s the one who was in your soup earlier.”
“…!”
In that instant, Calix’s face turned a blazing red.
Redness spread all the way down his neck, so much so that anyone watching didn’t know where to look.
Calix’s large hand covered his face, but it couldn’t hide the entire flush on his cheeks.
“…”
He froze for a moment, motionless.
Everyone held their breath in silence, waiting for him to speak.
“….”
After a short pause,
Calix awkwardly brushed his hair back.
Yet his voice remained cold and commanding.
“We leave immediately. Get ready.”
Step, step, step.
Thud.
Calix left, and the dining room door closed behind him.
Josh stared at the closed door, completely flustered.
“W-wait a moment…!”
No matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t make sense of the situation.
The butler beside him looked sympathetic.
“Lieutenant, after serving so closely, you still don’t understand your master’s feelings?”
“W-well…”
Of course, Josh had noticed Calix’s emotions before.
But this was far beyond Calix’s usual behavior.
“Huh…?”
Suddenly, a sharp realization struck him.
This was not the time to worry about his master.
“If I follow my master now… who will manage the estate, handle interviews, or oversee training…?”
“Lieutenant, why worry about such things? Just go back and forth every day.”
“W-what? That’s over six hours of travel round-trip…!”
Josh’s face twisted in distress, on the verge of tears.
“M-Master…!”
“Tsk tsk. Life is hard for everyone, after all.”
The senior butler patted Josh on the shoulder.
A luxurious carriage drawn by two horses raced up a hill.
Inside were Mari and Mildred of the Weatherwood household.
“Miss Marianne, why did you schedule things so hastily? You could’ve taken a few days to rest before starting this new project…”
Mildred tilted her head.
Mari frowned, recalling Calix’s earlier words.
“In six months, the success of a venture is usually decided. Besides, you’re scheduled for the title succession review in six months too.”
“…I just want to go and get started quickly.”
Mari cast a casual gaze out the window.
Though she hadn’t felt threatened before, she now felt a sense of urgency.
“You’re not worried about anything else, are you…?”
“Anything else?”
Mildred stopped mid-sentence, unsure of what to say.
“It’s better to focus only on the positive. Yes, there were hardships, but at least you didn’t have to remain trapped.”
“What do you mean by that all of a sudden?”
“Oh, I mean… don’t you remember at all?”
“Remember what…?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
Mari furrowed her brows unconsciously.
She retained most memories of her previous life as Marianne Whitehouse, except for a vague gap of a couple of days before possession.
“Don’t go. Don’t go, Henry!”
She recalled a scene where she had clung to Henry, begging him not to leave.
She and Henry weren’t particularly close.
But that day, upon hearing that he was leaving by ship, she had cried while holding onto him.
“Sorry, Marianne. I’ll be back soon. It’s something I must do.”
“Wait! What am I supposed to do if you leave like this?”
The last thing she remembered was losing consciousness while clinging to Henry.
When she regained awareness, it was the day she had been possessed.
‘My head feels like it’s going to split…’
Mari pressed her palm against her forehead.
Recalling that day occasionally gave her headaches.
“Mildred, what are you trying to say? Is there something I don’t know about?”
“Oh, no! That’s not it…”
Mildred spoke cautiously.
“Still, considering you were almost left stranded recently, isn’t it fortunate? The duke is helping you too.”
“…Mildred. Are you taking Calix’s side now? You used to dislike him because of the cliffs and fire, remember?”
Mildred had more chances to express her opinions than before, and her thinking had grown deeper.
“…Ah, yes. I’m still a little scared. But still, he could’ve just thrown us out, yet he’s helping us instead.”
“So you no longer believe the rumors about him?”
Mildred gave an awkward smile.
“Well, I don’t really know about those rumors. But in any case, he hasn’t treated us badly.”
“That seems like a fair assessment.”
Mari finally smiled.
Then Mildred showed her the schedule.
“Miss, look at this. We’ve received so many interior consultation requests.”
“All for glow-in-the-dark stars and cloud wallpaper, I suppose?”
“Oh? How did you know?”
“Right now, I’m just a lucky person with one hit idea product.”
“Ah…”
Mildred’s voice softened.
As Mari said, all the noble clients were requesting children’s room interiors.
For them, Mari’s style was like a trendy new item—something they wanted to try out for curiosity or conversation.
“People still don’t recognize me as a proper interior designer. If interest in glow-in-the-dark stars fades, I could be forgotten immediately.”
“Is that so? Then what should we do?”
Mari merely shrugged calmly.
“Nox is unmarried, so his request won’t be about glow-in-the-dark stars.”
“I-I see! Thinking about it, almost all consultation requests have been for houses with children or noble daughters.”
“Exactly. That’s why this villa interior is important. If we do well, our reputation could rise a level.”
Through the carriage window, the vast ocean stretched out.
Emerald-colored waves, like something from a movie, crashed along the shore.
“The sea! Miss, it’s the sea!”
Nox’s villa was at the beginning of the Roar coastline.
The building’s exterior walls and roof were painted a striking blue.
“Miss, the house is blue!”
“Yes. I’ve never seen such vivid colors in Leongrad…”
Entering the villa, guided by the butler, they saw that the walls and floors were also blue—almost overwhelming.
On top of that, conch shells and other large seashells were displayed everywhere.
“….”
It was excessively sea-themed.
“Welcome, Marianne!”
Looking up, Nox hurried down from the second floor.
“Nox, thank you for inviting me.”
He was a gentleman in the blue sea, dressed in a white shirt and pants.
His bright teeth shone when he smiled.
His curly golden hair and blue eyes perfectly matched this blue house.
“I’ve been waiting.”
Nox smiled warmly.
The healthy flush on his cheeks betrayed just how delighted he was by Mari’s visit.
“You can take it easy. People aren’t expecting too much anyway.”
Mari recalled what Edith had said.
Nox might just be asking Mari to help, without having high expectations of her skills.
‘Just don’t forget he’s a client.’
Nox spoke confidently.
“What are your thoughts on our villa interior? I’m curious about Mari’s opinion.”
He seemed very pleased with his villa.
He didn’t appear to be dissatisfied, trying to make changes to improve it.
“This house shows a lot of attention to interior design. I can immediately tell it’s sea-themed…”
Mari answered softly with a smile.
“Oh, you noticed right away. Yes, we tried to make it feel as much like the sea as possible. Everyone who visited commented that it was unique and daring.”
Nox clearly enjoyed his home.
“Yes. Unique and daring, indeed. Most people wouldn’t make their living spaces this blue.”
“Hahaha. Really? I do like unique things. The designers at Arsen must have noticed.”
“But… if you like this interior so much… may I ask why you invited me?”
For a moment, a hint of anxiety crossed Nox’s handsome face.
“That is…”
