CH 1.12

Ragnard swept the documents to the side, one after another.

His speed was as fast as ever, so fast that I thought he didn’t need me.

Actually, I really thought so when I was a kid.

Back then, when Ragnard was running everything by himself, I was just a kid and was still keen on playing.

Even then, I had a lot of studying to do, and I even had to think about my territory, so I wept for real.

But Ragnard didn’t allow me to do that, and told me that it was up to me to protect the place, and he guided me.

I thought he was a steward in the service of Count Verdigo’s family at heart.

Even when he could’ve considered taking over, he didn’t do it, and instead protected it for the next generation.

He and Rockdell were fundamentally poles apart.

A man like Ragnard also gave up on that family.

A good steward could choose his master, and he had every right to choose.

I was curious about the current situation of the Count of Verdigo’s family, but I thought it was none of my business and struggled with the documents again.

“By the way, who is currently in charge of personnel matters?”

Ragnard asked my husband as he processed the paperwork.

“It’s Mrs. Miriam, but I think it’s actually Rockdell. Is there a problem?”

“I was wondering if I can get any work done if I dismiss the number of lady attendants, attendant male servants, and other maids and manservants who are her minions…Do you have any contacts I could use to hire people?”

“I’ve donated to a few training schools. We can get priority referrals from there…”

“It would be difficult to hire a large number of people at once because of the time of year. Moreover, if we try to hire batches of people all at once, people will think something has happened. Rumors can sometimes be used ――……So I have an idea.”

Ragnard then looked at me and smiled.

“There have been many cases in the past where new mistresses have dismissed old servants because they didn’t like them…So let’s take advantage of that.  It just so happens that we need to stage an event where you’re going to show off your position as the Mistress. Let’s have you make a grand appearance there.”

I don’t want to.

Why am I about to get more work?

Husband.

Didn’t you say that I don’t have to do anything?

I’m content with the status quo for now.

If you hadn’t done anything unnecessary, we would have been able to continue to live in peace, wouldn’t we?

“To do so, as Mistress, let’s start with your visual appeal.”

“Coincidentally, we’re thinking on the same page. I’ve made arrangements for it.”

“As expected of Master, you’ve saved me a lot of work with your quick actions.”

Don’t you two get it?

I have an ominous premonition about this.

I feel like crying.

“By the way, Madam…”

“Ragnard, stop calling me Madam. I want you to call me Risha as before.”

My back was getting all tingly.

A servant addressing you by your name was a problem in public, but in private, it was not considered particularly important.

In fact, many people in important positions were from branch families or relatives, so it was quite normal to address each other by name.

I’ve been called Risha-sama (Miss Risha) since I was a child, and since I was never conscious of my status as a wife, I felt strange whenever I was called Madam.

“Then I’ll call you Risha-sama, if I may be so bold. Sorry for jumping to the point, but do you currently have a lady attendant?”

“Sort of, but they’re lackeys.”

“I see. I’ll have to get that in order first.”

The detached villa also had its own lady attendants, but they were not exclusive.

They were minimal, so my care varied from day to day.

In fact, I sincerely believed that this was the normal way to be treated.

Well, chatting with the maidservant older sisters in the laundry room was fun, but that’s about it.

Speaking of which, I hoped they were well.

I hadn’t been back to the laundry since my husband brought me here that day, so I might have made them worried.

Or were they enjoying themselves?

At any rate, my hair color was unique among the servants.

They’d seen my hair color, and Elise would have been frantically searching for me. Hence, those three must have identified me immediately.

“Husband, do you have someone in mind? I’d prefer someone with experience, if possible.”

“I have. Not everyone at the main residence is an enemy either.”

That was true.

If the mansion was full of enemies, everyone would probably be dismissed for a fresh start.

Except the senior servants, the lower rank servants were all good people.

“I can call them over here. What do you say?”

“Please do. I’d like to meet them and see what they’re like.”

I screamed “Heee!”  inwardly.

Smiling kindly, Ragnarok was, if anything, quite the opposite of my nature.

Ragnard liked people who were good at their jobs, but more importantly, he valued how loyal they were to the people they served. And he had the talent to spot people like that from the many he had sifted out.

Perhaps it was because he had worked as a chief steward for so many years, but he had subjected people to very strict assessments in that area. However, he had little say in personnel matters  in recent years due to the influence of my father and stepmother.

Or rather, he never took on the task.

Because one careless move could have ruined the future of the person he hired.

“If you didn’t have any candidates in mind, I could have looked for them myself, but I think everything will be fine.”

“Oh, yeah? Have you been testing me?”

“It’s not worth the effort, Master. Even someone like me has heard of the young head of the Duke of Lindbeld. It’s a great pleasure to serve a good master.”

Ragnard dodged my husband’s question with ease.

I really had no idea how serious he was, but at least he seemed to like my husband.

“However, I’d appreciate it if you can keep looking for some since we are going to be laying off a lot of people. I don’t have the time to do that. And if you’re going to hire students from training schools, it’s better to have some people with experience.”

“As you wish. I’ll make some inquiries. By the way, are the terms and conditions of employment the same as before?”

“Yeah. If there’s a problem, adjust it.”

“Understood.”

Hmm, were they really human?

They were processing documents at high speed while talking.

I glanced over to see Diego, the secretary, looking at Ragnard with his mouth gaping open.

Yeah, I feel you.

They’re uncanny men, and I wish I could see how their heads were structured.

“Risha-sama!”

“Yes!”

“Why have you stopped working? And you too, Secretary-dono.”

Both of us immediately confronted the documents under his sharp censure.

Never let that terrible something, lurking behind his smile, be unleashed. I am well aware of its horror.

Don’t cross him. I was sure Diego got the message.