Guided by Jeffrey and Monica, Ellin toured the mansion in the morning.

The mansion was much larger than it appeared and beautiful throughout, befitting its historic significance.

“This is the back door leading to the stables. There’s also a path connecting directly from the stables to the main gate.”

Touring the maze-like mansion, there seemed to be hundreds of doors.

Opening one of them led directly to the back garden.

“What’s that?”

A detached, old single-story building somehow didn’t harmonize with the mansion.

Seeing Jeffrey and Monica’s expressions harden at her question made her even more curious.

“That is the gardener’s residence.”

“The gardener? I met him while walking this morning—Tommy…… that blonde man with a good impression?”

Ellin recalled the middle-aged man she had encountered that morning.

The one who had tipped his hat and greeted her with a bright smile.

When Jeffrey hesitated at Ellin’s question, Monica answered instead.

“No. Someone else lives there. A troublemaker.”

Just then, the door of the cottage opened, and a disheveled man staggered outside.

Unaware they were watching, he stretched widely and then spat phlegm onto the ground.

“That person……”

Ellin recalled the scene she had witnessed from the carriage when she was about to go out last time.

“He stays drunk all day. That’s why the maids avoid him and never use this door. He picks fights when intoxicated.”

Monica rapidly shared their ongoing troubles, which they had been suffering through silently.

Jeffrey just cleared his throat awkwardly beside her.

“Why do you keep someone like that around?”

Ellin couldn’t understand. By all accounts, he didn’t belong in this mansion.

Why had no one taken appropriate measures?

“Well, actually……”

The head maid, who had been venting her frustrations until just now, glanced at Jeffrey and began to speak.

“The old duchess has been away from home, traveling abroad or staying at the villa, so she doesn’t know much about household matters and rarely gets involved. She completely avoids troublesome staff issues and leaves them to the butler.”

Ellin looked at Jeffrey. Now it was his turn to speak.

“That fellow knows his place when the duke is here and stays quiet as a mouse. It’s the lower staff who actually suffer. I’ve mentioned it to the duke several times, and he said he would remove him from the mansion, but he’s so busy with business and external affairs. Besides, that man’s father had a special relationship with the late duke……”

“Special relationship?”

“He threw himself in front of the duke during a carriage accident. Thanks to him, the duke survived unharmed, but the man injured his leg and became lame. The late duke felt indebted to his father for that incident.”

Hearing Jeffrey’s explanation, Ellin understood the whole situation.

“So that’s why he still behaves as he pleases, using his father as an excuse.”

“Yes. He used to be diligent and innocent when young, but after his father died and he started drinking, he became completely unreasonable.”

Having heard the circumstances, Ellin nodded with a complicated expression.

This wasn’t a simple matter.

“I heard the late duke left him a brick house in the provinces and enough land to farm.”

Ellin privately paid her respects to the late duke’s consideration.

She knew plenty of nobles who took their servants’ sacrifices for granted.

However, she had never heard of a master leaving an inheritance to a servant.

“He has a house in the provinces. That’s good news.”

“Pardon?”

Jeffrey and the head maid looked at her with puzzled expressions.

Ellin, who had been troubled by the man, now felt somewhat relieved.

“Where did you say we were going to see next?”

Ellin turned away with a smile as if nothing had happened.

A few steps later, she looked back at the man, her eyes calm and settled.

* * *

The garden of the Linderto ducal mansion was famous for its beauty, but there was something many people didn’t know.

That the mansion’s secret back garden was even more beautiful.

Swans glided and flew across the small lake attached to the mansion, while trumpet vines and hydrangeas bloomed abundantly around it.

Ladies sat gathered in this place that resembled a watercolor painting.

Ellin naturally attended as well.

Today’s gathering was prepared by her mother-in-law Melissa, bringing together prominent women of society including Countess Muas, Silvia, a marchioness, and a marquis’s daughter.

They were already on familiar terms, always socializing together at parties, so the conversation flowed pleasantly like a babbling brook.

“Have you heard that Miss Zilda and Mr. Roman Kropski have returned?”

“My goodness. How long has it been? Then the opera performances will resume soon too.”

“My husband and I have been counting the days.”

“Was the last performance a year ago? I remember being so moved that my tears wouldn’t stop flowing even after it ended.”

Though she hadn’t intended to be reserved, Ellin found it difficult to join their conversation.

Their shared experiences of operas they enjoyed together, poetry readings by their favorite poets, and polo matches their husbands played—

She couldn’t naturally insert herself into conversations between people who already shared so many daily experiences.

Moreover, though she was noble by birth, these weren’t familiar topics for Ellin who hadn’t lived like a noble.

When she quietly sipped her tea and just listened, Countess Muas glanced at Ellin with a somewhat disdainful look.

“The duchess surely knows how to ride a horse? Will you join the duke in the next hunting competition?”

Ellin felt slightly flustered by the sudden question.

She wasn’t confident about horseback riding. She never had a caring father to teach her how to ride from childhood.

Ellin recalled what Melissa had told her before the gathering:

Don’t act frivolously in front of the ladies, and don’t try too hard to impress them.

When unfamiliar topics arise, just listening attentively to others is enough.

Since it was her first time, she could gradually become accustomed to it.

This made her even more cautious about joining the conversation.

She worried that any mistake might cause trouble for Melissa.

But not answering a direct question would be even more foolish.

Ellin set down her teacup and smiled gently toward the countess.

“I’m not skilled enough to participate in hunting competitions. The duke is the best horseman in the Kingdom, so I plan to learn diligently from now on. However, I’m somewhat reluctant about shooting guns, so I’m not sure if I’ll be able to attend.”

“Ah……”

Ellin had tactfully expressed that she neither excelled at nor enjoyed hunting.

The countess merely nodded slightly at her plausible answer.

“When one has a tender heart, pointing guns at poor beasts isn’t particularly pleasant.”

Melissa supported Ellin’s statement from beside her.

“Indeed. There are plenty of other excellent hobbies. So what does the duchess enjoy?”

Silvia raised the topic again, as if challenging what could have naturally passed.

“Yes. I’m curious about the duchess’s other excellent hobbies. Please give us a hint.”

The countess’s eyes gleamed again.

She seemed determined to discover just how lowly Ellin’s hobbies might be.

Everyone present knew that Silvia had long harbored feelings for the duke, and they all noticed her unfriendly intentions.

‘She’s determined to humiliate her somehow.’

Melissa noticed the malicious intent but made no further effort to help Ellin.

This was something she would have to navigate on her own in the future.

In truth, Melissa was also curious about what answer would come from Ellin’s lips. Though what grand hobby could she possibly have?

“I……”

When Ellin carefully parted her lips, everyone looked at her.

“I enjoy painting. Since childhood, whenever I opened the windows wide and painted, time would fly by. Even when I felt upset or sad, those feelings would somehow lift away.”

“Ah……”

Unlike her seemingly intimidated demeanor just moments ago, Ellin’s eyes now began to shine lovingly.

She appeared genuinely happy, like someone talking about something they truly loved.

Silvia nodded with a disgruntled expression.

Painting seemed like an ordinary yet somewhat refined hobby.

Having little interest in that area, Silvia had nothing more to say.

“A duchess who paints—that itself paints a picture. Ho ho.”

The marchioness, who knew how to lighten the mood, smiled at Melissa.

Melissa also smiled slightly, recalling a previous incident.

She now somewhat understood why Ellin had been so captivated by the painting in the reception room when they first met.

“Actually, I wanted to ask Mother for a favor. May I use this occasion to speak?”

Everyone looked at Ellin with curious eyes when she, who had been quiet throughout, spoke up first.

“Go ahead.”

“There’s an old, unused indoor garden in the back of the mansion. May I clear it out and use it?”

Though Ellin asked politely, she seemed tense, as if making a difficult request with great courage.

“My goodness! You plan to turn that space into an atelier.”

The marchioness lifted the mood again.

“How wonderful. We could hold our next tea gathering in the beautifully decorated artist’s atelier! And appreciate the duchess’s paintings too.”

The lively young marquis’s daughter clapped her hands in agreement.

“The Madam has deep artistic appreciation. Having a duchess who paints as a daughter-in-law. You must have much in common.”

Even Countess Muas, who had tried to embarrass Ellin earlier, reluctantly added a comment, forced to join the positive atmosphere.

Now all eyes turned to Melissa.

The duchess had courageously made her request, and it was time for the old duchess to answer.

“Why make such a formal request for something so simple? You’re the mistress of this mansion now.”

Melissa naturally granted permission as she picked up her teacup.

“I’m already looking forward to our next tea gathering.”

The atmosphere suddenly became warm and friendly.

“Thank you. I’ll prepare something special for our next gathering and invite everyone.”

The noble ladies smiled at each other with expectant faces at Ellin’s words.

Ellin, who had been excluded from the conversation until moments ago, was now leading it.

Melissa also looked at Ellin with a satisfied expression while sipping her tea.

She seemed pleasantly surprised, having expected nothing.

But just as the atmosphere was warming up, an unexpected accident occurred.

Crash!

A teacup fell to the floor, and Melissa’s body tilted weakly to one side.

“……!”

“Kyaaaa!”

“My lady!”

It happened in an instant.