CH 171

“Sarah was a maid I used to meet. Dietrich doesn’t know who she is.”

I nodded as I stared at Yuric, who confessed with a puffy face as if he was beaten by someone – Dietrich of course. 

“Yeah. I guessed as much.”

“Then why did you tell Dietrich you didn’t believe him!” 

Yuric raised his voice, feeling unfairly accused as he clutched his cheek as if his molar had gone out. 

“I’m really going to die at this rate!” 

I was amazed by the blame he was directing on me. I clicked my tongue at him who at some point grew up to be promiscuous.

“Who told you to play around like a rake? And what I couldn’t believe was…..”

I just wanted to be petulant at Dietrich who thought I would naturally marry him.

Seeing his indifferent attitude made me miss Dylan who felt like a playboy. 

“I also want to receive a confession and do everything that others do.”

“That’s true. He’s the one in the wrong.” 

Yuric nodded, agreeing to my words.

“Right?”

I bandaged his loose arm and turned to the sound of someone knocking on the door.

“Come in.”

“It’s Li-Lindsay, Princess.” 

The maid who carefully bowed toward me and Yuric was Lindsay.

I knitted my eyebrows at her awkward behavior and opened my mouth. 

“I told you there’s no need to call me that.”

“.........How could I dare to do that?”

I sighed at Lindsay, who had murmured softly as if she couldn’t believe what I was saying.

“Lindsay.”

When I called her, she avoided my eyes. 

I walked over to Lindsay, held her face with both my hands, and fixed her head in place before continuing. 

“From now on, don’t even think about calling me ‘my lady’ or ‘princess’.” 

It wasn't that I couldn't understand Lindsay's reaction since it was a society with an established class system, but she was my only friend, so I didn't want to be awkward because of the difference in status.

“How could I dare do that? I mean, really?”

As I raised the corners of my lips awkwardly at Lindsay and glared at her, she also curled her lips as if embarrassed.

“I understand so don’t glare at me so cutely.”

‘I was aiming to be scary though.’

Well, whether it was scary or cute, I’ve achieved my goal of having her treat me just like before so it didn’t matter anymore. 

Shrugging my shoulders, I followed Lindsey out of the room to look around the disordered Viscounty.

‘Now that we've decided to buy it, we've got to pull out everything we can pick up and make use of them.’

The house itself collapsed to the point you could see its old skeleton, but its location was good since it was on a hill overlooking the territory. 

“I’m thinking of building a villa here, Lindsay.” 

“A villa?”

“Yeah. Not Lagrange’s or Euclid’s but my private villa. I’ll come here when I want to be alone.” 

Lagrange was always noisy because there were so many people, including the triplets, and Euclid seemed to be as noisy as Lagrange because Hermann was equal to that of a hundred men with the way he could chatter away by himself.

“Certainly, it’s strangely loud these days.  The Viscounty was originally a quiet place.”

“Yes. So I want you to take care of that villa. With your younger sibling.”

“.....My younger sibling? But my younger sibling is currently in another territory.” 

I grinned at Lindsay, who shook her head at my words. Her eyes widened at my smile and she asked, “Don’t tell you found my sibling who had been sold?” 

“Yes.”

“Oh my goodness!”

I smiled as I wiped the water from her eyes with my fingertips.

“Your sibling will be arriving soon.” 

As soon as my memory came back, the first thing I did was look for Lindsay’s sibling. 

I knew Lindsay was good to me because I remind her of her younger sibling who had been forcibly sold to an aristocrat.

‘Oslo was the one who did all the work so it’s a bit weird to show off.’

“It’s nothing. You have a friend who’s an aristocrat, so what use would I be?”

He only showed the seal of Lagrange and the search for Lindsay’s sibling went smoothly.

“You’re right, at times like this, it’s useful…..hic.”

I comforted Lindsay, who couldn’t speak properly, and held her hand.

“Don’t cry, Lindsay. Only good things will happen now.”

Because I would make things happen that way. 

I didn't want to be the hero who saves the world as Hermann dreams, but at least I wanted to live while taking care of the people around me.

“The head maid was demoted to a maid, wasn’t she?”

“Yeah. It was the madam’s orders.”

In response to Lindsay's akward response, I asked Lancel, who I just ran into, to call the head maid.

Fortunately, there was yet no newly hired head maid and he immediately knew who I was looking for.

“Annie…..?”

The head maid, who was demoted for secretly helping me run away from Donovan’s sight, looked emaciated over the past few days.

“Why are you here?”

It seemed that the story about me had not yet reached her ears, the head maid’s expression completely distorted as if she didn’t understand why I had returned to the Viscounty.

“How are you going to deal with the consequences now that you’ve come back…..No, since young master Donovan isn’t here, I guess it’s okay?”

“Head maid, she’s not Annie, but Princess Anissa. Lagrange….I mean, is it the Princess of Euclid?”

Lindsay spoke for me instead at the head maid’s worried rebuke.

She continued to speak ambiguously, making excuses about my identity, which even I was confused with. 

“Anyway, it seems that Master Donovan told an extremely bad lie.”

Astonishment slowly rose over the head maid’s wrinkled face as she heard Lindsay's words.

“Anissa? You mean the Princess who bought the Viscounty?”

“Yes! That Princess is our Annie. I’m not sure, but it seems she lost her memory and was tricked by Donovan to become a maid.”

“Heavens! Princess! I don’t know how I should apologize for the young master’s sin.” 

I was surprised and stopped the maid who was about to kneel in front of me.

“There’s no reason for you to pay for Donovan’s sin. However, I have a favor to ask.”

“What is it?”

“I’d like you to take over as the head maid of Lagrange. It’s going to be difficult to manage that many maids at once, so you’ll be assisting for the time being.” 

It was a small gift for Marilyn who would be struggling because I didn’t return to Lagrange right away even when my memory returned. 

‘It’s also time for her to be promoted.’

“My lady, what are you saying? What about Marilyn?” 

I turned to look back at Lancel who had been quietly listening to our conversation when he suddenly cut in. 

“I’ll leave Marilyn in charge of the mansion.”

“But isn’t that the butler’s job?”

“Yeah, I know. Marilyn will now take over the butler’s position.”

“Pardon? Then, what about me?”

I scoffed at the butler of Lagrange whose jaw dropped open in surprise. 

“You’re demoted to an assistant butler.” 

“Why?!”

“You came here to play, didn’t you? Under the pretext of assisting Dietrich.”

“Th-That’s because of His Grace……”

I glared at Lancel who was trying to come up with an excuse for my sharp question.

“In this situation where the head of the family is absent, why are you here instead of protecting Lagrange?”

Dietrich was obviously a cold and rational head, but he found it troublesome to give proper responsibilities to the butler, Lancel, or deal with subordinates.

‘There's no way this clever bastard didn't take advantage of that.’

“I don't want to leave the position of a butler to someone as irresponsible as you.”

I smiled as I took back the power that Lancel, who in the midst of the rush to get rid of Asmodeus, sneakily took for himself the position of a butler. 

He raised his voice as if there was an injustice.

“You’re too much!”

“Then, go and tell Dietrich. Tell him I demoted you and that I’m being too much.”

“I don't want to be the butler to the extent that I’d want to die by His Grace’s hands.”

“Then shut up and send Marilyn a letter.”

────── 〔✿〕──────

Now that we've got the situation sorted out to Marilyn through Lancel, we just need to go back.

‘It seems like work has piled up a bit.’

I slowly opened my mouth as I watched Dietrich reach for a pile of papers on the table.

“Ah, I left Lindsay in charge of the Viscounty.”

“I see.”

He nodded his head indifferently like it had nothing to do with him. 

“I also plan to erect a villa. I’ll come here when I want to be alone.”

“.......I see.”

I narrowed my forehead at Dietrich, who was nodding his head like a force of habit when his aura suddenly turned black.

‘Destroy….?’

In an instant, a strong sound of the heart was transmitted to me.

“Did you just think of destroying the villa?” 

“No.”

I shook my head at Dietrich’s brazen reply. 

“Liar. Your aura’s shaking too much.”

He gave a brief sigh at my words and nodded his head.

I approached him, looking at the papers as if avoiding my eyes, and sat down next to him.

“Why are you dissatisfied with building a villa?”

“…….”

“Hm?”

“Because I was wondering why you're so eager to leave me and go somewhere else.”

I was stunned for a moment at Dietrich's reply, which came right out as if he was saying something he had been holding back.

“I’m not building it because of you, though? There are a lot of people in Lagrange, so there are a lot of times when it's noisy…..”

“Then just kick them all out and that would solve the problem.”

It’s so easy for him to say he’s going to throw away his siblings.

I found his displeasure a little cute, so I furtively raised the corner of my mouth.

“I’ll give you the key.”

“What?”

“If it’s just you, then you can come.”

“Ha……”

He suddenly scrubbed his face at the quiet words I whispered. 

“Hm?”

I silently watched his ears go red, which couldn’t be covered by his large hand and opened my mouth.

“If you don’t like it, then never mind.”

“I don’t dislike it.” 

I couldn't resist Dietrich's immediate denial and burst into laughter.

“Yeah, I see. So you don’t dislike it.” 

When I tapped the back of his flushed ears, which looked like they would explode any time soon, he groaned as if in pain. 

“......Who exactly is playing with whom here?”