Chapter 1 – Part 4

‘Goodness. How could he be so casual about taking off his clothes in broad daylight, no matter how hot it was? Someone might see him!’

The man was not normal. She was breathing hard, her heart pounding. The heat on her face wasn’t just from the scorching sun.

She had to get out of here now. Liese scrambled to her feet, and at that moment, a loud, splashing sound echoed through the silence.

Splash!

Without realizing it, Liese turned back towards the lake just as she took her first step away. Large waves rolled over the calm surface of the water. The sun shone down and sparkled on the deep blue waves. Silence crept in, as if time stood still.

But only for a moment, as the man finally surfaced from his dive.

Rising to the surface, he lifted his chin and swept back his drenched blond hair. There was a faint glint of amusement on his face, as he looked somewhat free.

Soon, with arms outstretched, the man glided across the water. The muscles in his broad shoulders and arms bulged with the motion. There wasn’t a part of his body that didn’t glow, soaked with water and sun.

Liese watched him for a moment, mesmerized. He blended into the blue lake and green grass like a watercolor. Intense curiosity overcame her.

Who could he be?

The navy blue officer’s uniform was immaculate, wrinkle-free, and crisp. His muscular body and upright posture make it seem as if he’d been practicing the same routine for years. The man’s striking features pointed to only one answer..

On a day when the city was abuzz with the return of its military commander, the Duke of Balthasar, no one was foolish enough to guess the identity of the soldier spotted on the lakeshore.

But the place below, Bachmann’s Square is still buzzing with anticipation and excitement. The hero they were all waiting for had not yet appeared.

‘Duke Baltasar is a hero, returning to his land after a military campaign. Someone like that wouldn’t deliberately avoid people’s greetings and sneak into back streets.’

It was not just one soldier who returned to Bachmann after the long war. So Liese decided that the n*ked man wasn’t Duke Baltasar. Besides, he was too…

That was as far as her thoughts progressed. The blond man, who was swimming skillfully in the lake, suddenly stood up and looked in Liese’s direction.

Liese realized belatedly, that she had been watching him without hiding her body properly. She was standing at a distance, holding a tattered cloth bag with a pistol in it, and watching the n*ked man with a dazed expression on her face.

Was she caught?

Her heart pounded as she waited an uncertain amount of time. Finally, the man turned his head with an indifferent expression.

Perplexed, Liese blinked, wondering if he had not noticed her. Then he lay on his back, facing the sky, and began to swim vigorously, his wet front gleaming like a polished statue in the sunlight, his well-built body radiating a dazzling light. Overwhelmed by the man’s unbridled abandon, Liese blinked again.

She took a cautious step back, trying not to attract his attention until she was out of his sight. Then she grabbed the end of her straw hat with one hand, held the cloth bag with the other, and ran like mad.

Her speed was as swift as when she had escaped from the country manor in the middle of the night.

* * *

“Why don’t you go to the employment agency when it’s daylight?”

Viscount Brennan put down his glass and asked during dinner when the smell of savory soup filled the air. Liese was absentmindedly moving her utensils around and did not hear the question because the man she had seen by the lake was stuck in her mind and distracted her.

“Hey, Lieselotte!”

“Ah, yes, Grandpa. What about the employment agency? ”

“I think we need more hands to tend the orchard properly.”

“Extra help? ”

Liese’s hand stopped on her spoon at the unexpected words. Wiping the corner of his mouth with a napkin, the viscount pulled a small notebook from his pocket and flipped through it. It was a cultivation note from an acquaintance who used to own this house and orchard.

“Cultivation and work are done about three times, depending on the state of the flowers. Even though it’s a small orchard, it’s too difficult to do alone, isn’t it? ”

Liese lifted her chin without hesitation.

“I don’t think we can afford to hire someone to help us with the orchard right now, and we can’t afford to pay them.”

“In a pinch, I could sell some of my antiques to help pay the bills, but who knows, maybe they’ll be of some use.”

“Don’t tell me you don’t love it, but it’s a well-maintained orchard on fertile land, and I have the growing notes, so there shouldn’t be any immediate difficulties.”

Living expenses are barely enough, and there are debts to pay. They had to borrow from Bachmann’s bank to pay for the house, which they bought at below-market value.

Hiring labor was an obvious luxury, but her grandfather was in no mood to be deterred.

“It’s not the condition of the orchard that’s the problem; it’s the labor,” he said, “and what about the all-important harvest season, not to mention the fact that I have a bad leg, and Joanna will be busy taking care of the house and all the little things.”

Viscount Brennan looked up at the ceiling with a slightly distressed expression.

Earlier, Charlie, who sulked after seeing the same unchanging menu, had gone up to the second floor with his nanny, claiming he was going to bed early.

“If we can only have a successful harvest, things will be better than they are now. Let’s try to find some help as an investment for the future,”

Grandfather said.

“….”

“Go to the square tomorrow and see.”

Lost in thought, Liese looked down at her bowl of soup in silence. Despite its minimal ingredients, the soup, which was free of impurities, did not look particularly good to Charlie, who was still growing and had to eat it.

Once he started attending school in the big city, he would be more sensitive to the way others looked at him and judged him. What if Charlie felt excluded because of his small stature and cheap clothes compared to his peers?

Grandfather’s words had some validity. The task of separating the flowers from the fruit is crucial to the success of the harvest and has a significant impact on the harvest season. Perhaps we need at least one experienced worker.

‘But we have neither the time nor the resources…’

A thought flashed through Liese’s mind as she bit her lip. It was a way to get help and improve their livelihood by taking care of the orchard.

She believed that there was always a way out of any crisis. If there was no money, they had to find a way to earn it.

“…I’ll do that, Grandpa.”

She said.

But she had to keep it a secret from him.

* * *
At dawn, Liese dressed neatly and prepared to go to the central square.

The largest employment agency in Bachmann was near the river bank. Although she could have taken a carriage, Liese stubbornly chose to walk, wearing only a hat to protect her from the sun as usual.

It was just after noon when she reached her destination.

“Are you here to look for a job?”

The clerk sitting at the desk next to the entrance asked in a businesslike manner as she pushed the door open and walked in.

Liese looked around the large room and nodded. The room was full of chattering people, so she had to raise her voice a bit.

“I would like to find a job that pays everyday, if possible.”

“Are you looking for a full-time job? I usually recommend women work in textile factories.”

“No, I want to work part-time, so full-time work is not possible. I would prefer work that I can take home, like sewing, and if the conditions are right, I could also work in a restaurant or tea shop. And I would also like to hire laborers to work in my orchard….”

“I will look at each one. There are no vacancies at the moment.”

“I see.”

Instead of answering, the clerk handed her a document. Liese filled in her personal details as required by the document. In the section where she had to check whether she had any relatives with titles, she hesitated for a moment before ticking the box.

“Please sit in the waiting room. We’ll call you when it’s your turn.”

When she returned the document, the clerk wrote a number roughly on a small piece of paper and handed it to Liese. When she saw the three-digit number, she was embarrassed.

“How long will I have to wait?”

“I have to check the application form because you have special conditions. There are people who have come before you.”

The clerk pointed to a pile of documents, and people were queuing. Young women and even children were sitting on several chairs in a row.

The clerk looked Liese up and down with a worried expression, then down at her document. Then she whispered.

“How would you like to work as a maid?”

“A maid?”

“A noble family is looking for someone to help with their household. They throw a lot of banquets and are often short-handed, especially with the summer social season coming up.”

She knew about the social gatherings of the upper classes.

Especially during the summer social season, it was a big event for young nobles to eat and drink at various parties and charity events.

It was not unreasonable to hire someone to help, especially since this year’s social season was to be held in Bachmann instead of the capital of Rosen.

But Liese tilted her head in confusion.