Chapter 5 – Part 1

“You woke up early.”

Dominic, who had come out to make butter for breakfast, encountered Eli, who had been exploring the surroundings of the mansion early in the morning.

Her former owner, who had barged in yesterday, was sleeping in the mansion with his secretary.

Fortunately, the mansion had spare rooms for guests. They’d never had to use it, but it was ironic that the first person to use it was her old master and the husband of her current employer.

“You’re an early riser.”

“There are a lot of people for breakfast today.”

Dominic started making butter, adding familiar ingredients.

Eli silently watched her.

“You can be mad at me.”

“What?”

“For following the Madam without telling you, even though that’s what you hired me for.”

Eli clenched his fist as if lost in thought.

“Did you know why Ruby left?”

“… No.”

It was true. There were nothing but vague reasons that she couldn’t figure out.

“How did you acquire this mansion? It doesn’t seem like Ruby could have obtained it without help.”

“…”

“You don’t know this either?”

“Even if I knew, I wouldn’t tell you.”

Dominic knew she had help, but she didn’t know exactly who it was. She deliberately didn’t try to find out. It was more comfortable not knowing, as she might accidentally reveal it.

Being employed by someone whom you are not directing or serving has its complexities. Even if you knew, you need to pretend not to. Sometimes, not knowing was even more comfortable in such complicated matters.

“Answer like that if anyone asks in the future.”

“What?”

“That’s what I want you to say if someone asks you about Ruby, including myself. It’s a good attitude.”

‘Is he serious?’

Dominic looked at him with an impressed expression. His former owner seemed genuinely satisfied.

“But if anything happens to Ruby, whether you can handle it or not, don’t hesitate to call me then. I’ll be moving nearby soon.”

He looked around the neighborhood as if searching for a suitable place.

“Aren’t you angry?”

“About what?”

“Both Madam and me. We betrayed you… didn’t we?”

Dominic hesitated slightly as she spoke. She was unsure whether Ruby belonged in that category.

But she had betrayed her old master. She had left with Ruby despite receiving a substantial salary and financial compensation.

“Taking care of Ruby was also your responsibility. Consider it an extension of that work. With you around, Ruby felt more secure.”

If Ruby were alone, she might not even know how to make butter and would have struggled. She would have cleaned and swept the house without any skill. It was doubtful if she had ever eaten proper food.

“And it’s no wonder Ruby’s leaving me. I hate myself, and she hates me even more. If she wants to live here, all I have to do is make it safe.”

Her older master spoke as if evaluating the situation from a third person’s perspective.

He seemed to consider Madam leaving as a matter of course, as if he had anticipated it someday. However, their reasons seemed different.

Eli thought about what he had to do in his mind.

By his standards, this place was too vulnerable to be safe. There are many areas that need attention.

It would be good to change the locks on the doors to more robust ones, and it would be better to replace the fence surrounding the mansion with a higher and denser one with sharp ends to make it difficult for anyone to easily climb over.

In case someone tried to break in, they might get injured.

As he was thinking, he realized that the distance he had traveled seemed considerable compared to the shopping district, but there was no sign of a carriage. It seemed they only used the carriage when coming from a long distance.

It would be good to have a carriage ready in advance.

He had already sent a letter to Deven’s stable to send a carriage here early in the morning.

And when Leton woke up, he planned to purchase the mansion closest to Ruby’s house.

Ideally, he would like to build a new one, but that would disturb Ruby with noise, and it would take too much time. It was faster to buy an existing one, even if he had to pay extra.

“How was Ruby while living here?”

After finishing all the necessary scans here, he asked before entering.

“… Did she seem okay?”

Not knowing what answer he was expecting, he asked the question he wanted to ask the most.

“It must have been hard, teaching etiquette, cleaning, cooking, and even doing her own laundry, but she didn’t say it was hard.”

“…”

“In my eyes, although her body was tired, she seemed mentally at ease.”

“Is that so?”

Yeah, that’s enough.

Eli comforted himself and turned away.

“It doesn’t mean Madam liked it. In my eyes, she just seemed to accept it.”

Turning back, Dominic quietly said as Eli was about to leave.

“I don’t know the details either, because she didn’t tell me about such things.”

With those words, Dominic said no more. It was fitting to say that there was nothing more to say.

Dominic, who had churned the butter she made, said, ‘I’ll go in first,’ and headed towards the mansion.

Eli stayed alone for a little longer.

Many questions swirled in his mind, but there was nothing he could find answers to.

Eli swallowed his questions and entered the mansion.

***

“Are you going back?”

Ruby asked while having breakfast together.

“Yeah, I have to.”

Eli briefly made eye contact and replied.

Next to him, Leton was surprised by the unexpectedly straightforward answer. Was it true that he just wanted to confirm that she was alive?

“Good idea.”

Ruby felt a little uneasy about his answer, but she didn’t ask any more questions and continued with the meal.

After that, there were no further exchanges. It was a stark contrast to the chaos of the previous night.

***

“How long are you going to be gone?”

Ruby asked Eli from her spot on the parlor couch.

“Every day.”

He casually sipped the tea Dominic had brought.

“Aren’t you going to the capital?”

“Nope.”

“I thought you said you were going back.”

“I didn’t say capital.”

Ruby narrowed her eyes at that response.

“If I say no, will you not come?”

“I’ll do what I want. You’re the one who broke your word first.”

While playfully responding to Ruby by just sipping his tea, he eventually gave a serious answer. Ruby had nothing to say about him.

“How far are you going to go?”

“How far do you want me to go?”

Knowing that he was asking for permission, she asked again, more playfully.

“If I decide, will you do as I say? You said you would do as you pleased.”

“I’ll listen to you, but it’s up to me whether I go along with it or not.”

He raised and lowered his shoulders in a teasing manner, and Ruby turned away from him without answering.

“If there’s anything you don’t want me to do, tell me. I’ll try to listen and consider it.”

As she walked away, Eli followed her closely.

“Just don’t touch my life or the mansion.”

Ruby told Eli firmly.

It had been a week since he arrived in Zenfield.

On the first day, with nowhere to go, he stayed at Ruby’s mansion. The next day, he bought the mansion closest to Ruby’s house and lightly renovated it.

It took a long time to build a new house, so he generously paid several times the value of the shabby house, simply because it was close to Ruby’s house.

“It’s nice meeting you; I’m your new neighbor.”

When Eli handed over the pie as a moving-in gift, Ruby realized that he had not returned but had withdrawn to buy a house.

From that day on, Eli visited Ruby’s mansion every day.

It’s called a visit, but in reality, it was almost like staying there. He would visit the mansion early in the morning, spend time together until late at night, and then go back to the newly purchased house to sleep.

Most of the time was spent meticulously inspecting Ruby’s mansion and lecturing her.

He constantly reminded her about the security of the mansion, the inconvenience of not having a carriage, and other things that didn’t interest her.

In the end, it was about the need for extensive repairs.

His grand plans were halted when he heard Ruby’s threat to ban him from visiting and throw him out if he touched a single thing.

Eli still had a look that was looking for an opportunity, but he always answered obediently.

“Got it.”

Just like now.