CH 22

After returning to her bedroom, Serdel worked on the list and books. How long has it been? 

Knock knock, and an old maid came in.

“Lady.”

It was Monem. 

Pushing the trolley, she approached and laid down freshly baked apple pie and black tea on the tea table. The sweet scent made her hungry. 

“I thought of something you liked, so I baked it for the first time in a while. Please try it.”

The apple pie she took a bite with a fork was very sweet and delicious. The tea brewed at the right temperature was also much softer, more savory and fragrant than Siri’s. As the sweetness in her mouth was cleared, she could feel the lingering feelings deeply.

She’s swallowing resilience inside, “By Master’s command, I will be there to help you for the time being.”

“—I’ll be in your care.”

Softly curved eyes, a kind face. Her eyes, which seemed to be quite scary with no expression on their faces, were now full of warmth and did not look cold at all. Nevertheless, it was strangely reluctant. Somehow, she didn’t feel like it. As if the emotions in the body had risen—. 

She felt uncomfortable. 

‘I wonder why? She looks so nice.’

Uncomfortable anxiety felt like scratching her stomach. Serdel was afraid to put down the fork, so she pulled the string. Her maid, who was waiting in her hallway, came in and she left with an empty plate and a teacup. 

“Lady, I have a report for you.” 

As she nodded in the sense of telling her, Monem’s expression became heavy. 

“The maid Rudella is getting married in two months. In this regard, I think you should set the amount of the dowry.” 

Serdel smiled at her, who was a little worried, even though she had spoken.

“It’s something to celebrate.” 

Her broken engagement was a thing of the past. She didn’t want to create an awkward atmosphere with such things. Serdel, who picked up the list and the books, found a record of Rudella. 

‘She started working at the age of 11 and worked here for 15 years, so she had been working for quite a while.’

Unless they were kicked out for doing something big or quit first, they were all members of the mansion. Therefore, people usually do not turn a blind eye to the congratulatory events of their servants. Not all aristocrats care about that, but in the case of Count Robbesta, he was more willing to take care of it. Serdel first figured out how much dowry the married maids had received.  

“The person who will become her husband has been working at the top of Robbins, located in the center of 4th Avenue, for ten years, and he is very sincere. They plan to get married and live nearby. How about entrusting her with repairs or something like that?”

Hmm. 

“If you look at the books, each maid will get paid differently for her dowry. The reason is—”

“According to the number of years of service, or the type of work, we would have given more severance pay to those who wished to retire. It would have reflected the price.”

“—Yes. That’s right.”

“By the way, it seems money is urgent.”

“Pardon?”

“I mean, Rudella. I don’t know if it’s going to be a distant marriage. If it’s not even that, but giving up the job of a maid in a noble family isn’t an easy choice, is it?”

It was like a dream job for ordinary people. The higher the salary and the greater the power of the aristocratic family, the higher their nose became. Getting married is not a job worth quitting.

“It’s easy to get out, but to give up a place that’s hard to get back in doesn’t mean you have a lot of money to spend in a hurry?” 

“—maybe there’s a separate reason for getting her retirement pay. It certainly is. Let’s find out more about her situation just in case.” 

Serdel nodded and signed the document Monem handed out after writing down the amount to be given as a dowry and severance pay. The amount was exactly what Monem was thinking.  Her eyes got bigger as if she was a little surprised. It was Serdel’s first time reading the account books.

For Serdel, who would find it difficult to make a decision, she had even thought about how to inform her in advance. But without having to do that, Serdel quickly finished the calculation.

It felt like seeing the former Countess.

“Well—”

“—Ah. Yes.”

The woman, who had been immersed in thoughts, came to her senses at the paperwork that was pushed right in front of her. 

“You can go now.”

“Yes, then— if you need anything, please call me comfortably.”

After she left, Serdel, who was left alone, sighed loudly and turned to the list and the books again. 

******

Ugh. 

As she was concentrating, it suddenly became night. While rubbing her shoulders and shaking her head, the butler came in with a knock.

“Lady. This is an invitation from the family, and the owner has entrusted the classification to you. He asked you to select only the places he must go.” 

The volume of invitations was no joke. The Count was still a hot topic because of the Elbash forest. In addition, Serdel was getting more attention because she broke up her engagement and even changed her partner for forest development. She quickly confirmed who it was from, and pushed it to the butler.

“Give it all up. And don’t take invitations for the time being.” 

“Pardon? But would that be okay—?”

“We haven’t even conducted a formal exploration yet. Attending a meeting like this for a job that hasn’t even produced any tangible results is only going to get a lot of talk.” 

There were a few people who were jealous. Even the families who had been close to each other were uncomfortable with Cartal’s refusal for them to participate in the development of forests. 

There was no need to be swept away by the invitation sent out in the hopes of being able to put even a spoon at the table. On the contrary, it was highly likely that it would only create a justification for a quarrel.

‘Moreover, empty cans are noisy.’  (t/n : empty cans are noisy meaning that the least intelligent people are always the loudest.)

It was only for a moment that it became funny when it started to look like an empty can to the people who wanted to get rid of it when they couldn’t do it together. 

“What’s the situation like in the estate? Are the territories agitated?” 

“Yes. I’m afraid so.”

“Even the vassals guarding the castle must be pretty nervous.” 

The butler nodded. 

“So shouldn’t we be more careful?” 

At times like this, the speed at which rumors are conveyed is bound to increase. Because it was far away from his owner, they were able to react even more to a single noise. 

Everyone was scared at the most important moment and was in trouble if they didn’t move properly. 

“There must have been a lot of invitations going to the Marquis Spendar. Just in case, send someone to check it. If anyone makes fun of it, report it immediately.” 

As much as Cartal had warned, Damon would take care of his mansion, but his half-brothers would be bothered. Moreover, it was not yet a formal conversation with Marquis Spendar. She wanted to prevent unexpected problems in advance.

“Yes, I understand.”

The butler with an invitation card opened the door. In between, Blenn was seen leaning shoulder to shoulder against the hallway wall and looking this way. Their eyes met at that moment. 

With a hardened look. 

In his cool eyes, she was criticized and blamed for not looking for his sister. 

Tak. The door is closed. At the same time, his emotions that had been transmitted to her were also blocked.

“…..”

He looked at her like that. He didn’t knock, he didn’t come in. Maybe he’ll stand in the hallway for a while and go back to the bedroom she gave him. As usual. 

“Please wait. Wait until I can get to save her. Your sister.”

*******

When did she fall asleep? Her arms were raised by the bright sun seeping into the window and covered her eyes first. 

“Ugh—”

When she raised her upper body, she groaned. 

“My waist—”

Serdel, who clung up from her chair, stretched with her eyes still closed. Ugh. Is it because she slept uncomfortably? She felt more tired. She was moving around for a long time when a maid came in.

“Lady, I’ll wipe your face.”

When the wet towel touched her skin, her eyes opened little by little. When she came to her senses, she took a shower, changed her clothes, and finished her hair and sat back at her desk. 

At that moment. 

“Lady. I’ve prepared breakfast in the dining room. The Master is waiting for you too.” 

She left the bedroom at the report of the butler, which was not forewarned. Blenn was standing in the same posture as last night. Serdel passed him casually.

No, she was trying to get past him. 

If only he hadn’t blocked the way.