CH 79

“Riett, why are you here?”

Lucas exclaimed, raising his voice in surprise.

‘That’s what I want to ask.’

Lucas couldn’t believe that Riett was here of all places.

“You should be in the capital!”

“…”

Riett didn’t say anything in response.

It was still difficult for her to admit that she had been falsely accused of being a spy and had to go into exile. The fact that Lucas, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time, was the one she was facing made it even harder.

As Riett remained silent with a somewhat darkened face, Lucas sensed that something was wrong.

“… Riett.”

At that moment, a forgotten child approached and tugged at Riett’s clothes.

“Sister.”

Oh, right. She momentarily forgot about the child, who had her attention stolen by Lucas.

The child had already succumbed to the temptation of delicious jerky and was chewing on one piece, savoring it. Then, after swallowing with a gulp, the child said:

“I have to go back now.”

But she couldn’t hold onto the child any longer. The image of outsiders was already bad, and if she held onto the child for no reason, it could create strange rumors like she was a kidnapper or something.

“Alright… Thank you, little one.”

She shook hands with the child who had guided her to enjoy jerky with her family. The child smiled brightly, bowed slightly, and disappeared.

“Come to think of it, what time is it?”

Riett took out a pocket watch from her pocket. It was already three o’clock.

‘The time I promised Natasha is running out.’

She hadn’t bought firewood yet.

She thought about asking the jerky vendor about where to buy firewood, but he was preparing to leave.

With the short days and cold weather, it seemed like the shops were closing early in Parman. While Riett hesitated, the vendor disappeared without a trace. Other merchants were also preparing to leave.

She looked around to see if there was a place to buy firewood, but most places had signs that were not properly displayed, making it difficult to distinguish between shops and residential areas.

Riett couldn’t buy firewood. She pondered what to do. It was a bit awkward to return empty-handed. She boldly set off down the road, believing she could find a place to buy firewood on her own, but it seemed hopeless.

‘What should I do?’

Riett looked away from her watch and turned her gaze to Lucas, who was still looking at her in astonishment.

Hmm… This guy had behaved quite familiarly with the shop owner earlier and negotiated the price.

‘Judging by that, he doesn’t seem to have arrived today like me…’

As Riett pondered, she slowly opened her mouth.

“Lucas.”

“Yeah?”

Since he seemed to have some free time…

“Do you know where they sell firewood?”

* * *

“Riett, can I leave it here?”

Lucas pointed to the cabin in the corner of the mansion and asked.

“Yes.”

Riett nodded, and Lucas and the firewood deliverymen started moving swiftly. Riett helped Natasha organize the groceries she had brought.

With the money they had, Riett didn’t expect to buy much, but when they loaded all the firewood, the carriage was packed so tightly that there was no room for anyone else.

Seems like she’s not very good at calculating household supplies.

“It’s done.”

Lucas entered the mansion, brushing off the snow from his shoulders.

“Since we filled the cabin with firewood, it should last for a week.”

Even in such a cold region, is it really just enough for a week with that amount? 

Riett realized how busy her mansion employees must have been, taking care of the household.

“Thank you, Lucas.”

Regardless, their unexpected meeting eased some of her burdens.

‘It’s the first time I’ve seen you since the debutante ball.’

In fact, just before that, she had been sharpening her resolve to beat up Lucas, who had betrayed her and disappeared.

But ever since she had a chance conversation with him at the debutante ball, her anger had subsided significantly.

He was already a person of the past, someone who didn’t appear in front of her anymore. Venting her anger on someone who wasn’t Lucas would only drain her emotions. Besides, there were plenty of people around Riett who made her angry.

Perhaps that’s why when she faced Lucas today, she was just surprised.

“Oh, it seems like you arrived today. The house is a mess.”

Lucas said, putting his hands on his waist. She didn’t explain why she came here, but it seemed like he had a rough idea.

‘He probably doesn’t think I brought my employees here to this eerie mansion for a good reason.’

Riett glanced at the gloomy interior of the house. She was worried about when she would be able to make this house feel like a place where people lived. She had brought a total of five employees, including Natasha.

They were all experienced maids and servants, but five people were far from enough to clean this large mansion.

Then suddenly, Riett thought that the attendant standing next to her could be a good addition.

‘His hands are quite skillful, and he’s strong too.’

Riett looked at Lucas with sparkling eyes.

“Lucas.”

“Yeah? Do you have another task for me?”

Luckily, Lucas seemed to say what she wanted first.

‘This kind guy.’

Even though he had betrayed her in the middle, he wasn’t a bad person to begin with. Especially because he was the type to take the initiative, he often took care of unpleasant tasks without being asked.

In short, he was easy to take advantage of.

“How long are you planning to stay in Parman?”

“I’m not sure… I’ll probably have to stay a bit longer.”

Perfect.

Riett asked, hiding her ominous thoughts.

“Then, do you want to stay in this mansion?”

“What?! What are you talking about?”

Lucas was astonished. Did he already realize her plan to make him stay here and take advantage of him?

“I mean… Stay here, eat, and sleep…?”

That’s what it means to stay, right?

Riett nodded as if it were obvious.

“That’s what I mean.”

“Why would you trust me…?”

It’s not about trust, but rather the need for extra hands.

“Why would I? Let’s just say it’s thanks to our past connection.” 

Riett became uneasy, thinking that Lucas might have caught onto her plan. In times like this, she had to be strong.

“Well, if you don’t want to, then forget it!”

“No, it’s fine.” 

Lucas replied immediately, as expected. Riett smiled with satisfaction.

“But, Riett.” 

Lucas looked around and spoke quietly, 

“What if other people misunderstand?”

“Misunderstand what?”

Lucas’s pale face turned visibly red from the question, but Riett brushed it off, thinking it was because he had been in the cold outside and came into a warm interior.

“People might misunderstand since we’re adults living together, thinking we got married or something… that kind of misunderstanding.”

Ahaha. Riett burst into laughter and playfully slapped Lucas’ back, making a loud sound. 

Lucas flinched and bent his back.

“This guy, worrying about every little thing.”

“…Worrying about every little thing.” 

Lucas’ voice carried a hint of sadness. However, Riett didn’t notice at all.

“Lucas, if we say that we’re outsiders, the townspeople will avoid us. No one will dare to come near this mansion.”

“What about the servants?”

“I’ll explain it well.”

This guy worries too much. The servants would be pleased to have an extra pair of hands. Riett noticed Natasha’s happy face.

Riett firmly made up her mind about Lucas’ decision.

“Anyway, stay here.”

“Fine.” 

Lucas seemed a bit uneasy, but he eventually nodded.

‘Now I can confidently give Lucas some work.’

Riett handed Lucas a broom and said, 

“Lucas, since we’re going to live together now, shall we clean up?”

* * *

First, Riett filled the fireplace with wood and lit the fire. Fortunately, despite the shabby exterior, the interior was well-built and provided warmth quickly.

Although it was an exile, it was where the aristocrats had stayed, so the furniture and facilities were better than expected.

After hours of scrubbing and cleaning, the interior looked much better.

“Let’s call it a day.”

Riett threw the cloth she had been holding onto the floor and plopped down on the sofa.

“Thank you for your hard work, my lady. We could have done it ourselves…”

“It’s fine. With Lucas helping us, we managed to finish this much today.”

“But…”

Natasha seemed burdened by the fact that she had asked her lady to work.

“Just a moment.”

Riett, leaning against the sofa, looked around and then waved her hand toward Natasha. Sensing that her lady wanted to say something secretly, Natasha quietly approached.

“Yes, my lady.”

“Well… I trust all of our household staff, and especially the people who have come here. But about Lucas, you know, right?”

Although she had said that she was not worried about Lucas, Riett had also secretly worried while cleaning. 

If it was known that she had come to exile and lived together with a man from the outside, the gossip would go crazy.

“Of course. Even though the people here are not likely to go and talk to others, I will enforce tighter security measures.”

“Thank you, Natasha.”

Since every action of hers seemed to attract attention, she had been particularly cautious in her behavior while in the capital.

It was disheartening that she had to worry about such things even after coming to this rural valley, but there was no harm in being thorough and making sure of everything.

“Enough! Let’s have dinner already.”

It was already approaching eight o’clock. Riett decided to have a late dinner.

The hastily prepared food was simple, but calling it a market dish wasn’t accurate. The dinner was more delicious than any elaborate feast.

After finishing the meal with a satisfied expression on his face, Lucas asked, 

“Isn’t it time you told me why you came here?”

Lucas probably had some idea, but he would likely be curious about the specific reasons. He must have seen her weak moments here and there, even though she tried not to show it.

Riett pondered for a moment and gave a brief answer, 

“Exile.”

Lucas untangled his crossed legs.

“Exile, you say……?”

“Exile… I was accused of being a spy. I fled here to avoid immediate impeachment.”

Once she started speaking, the rest came easily.

Explaining her situation to someone else had always been painful for her, but it felt different now. It was refreshing, so to speak.

‘Yeah, I didn’t do anything wrong.’

Why should she feel miserable and angry as if she were the guilty one? Perhaps cleaning after such a long time had brought some relief. Her thoughts seemed to be slightly more at ease.

“I see…”

There was a trace of concern in Lucas’ eyes.

“It must have been tough for you.”

He looked more pained than she had anticipated.

Although she had proposed that Lucas stay here to give him work, Riett had no intention of becoming close to him again or opening up her heart.

However, at this moment, she wanted to believe that the concern he showed was genuine.

Riett smiled faintly at Lucas, who was worried about her.

“It’s okay. Think of it as taking a break.”

From the moment she arrived here, her heart had been so weary and tormented.

However, she wanted to think of this time as a resting period, just like she had said. It included both the incident of her exile and Evan’s matter.

As Riett comforted herself in silence, she became curious about the same thing.

“By the way, Lucas.”

Lucas, who had been wearing a gloomy expression, raised his head in response. 

Riett gazed at him intently.

“Why are you here?”

Why had he come to this remote area all by himself?