Yvette, her expression now devoid of any amusement, stood up from her seat.

“That’s quite an intense greeting.”

“…I apologize, Miss. It’s my fault for not managing the child properly.”

Herbert bowed deeply, offering a polite apology.

Yvette looked back and forth between him and Eden before speaking.

“I heard Herbert has a grandson. Is that him?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Herbert answered with his head bowed low.

Yvette let out a short sigh and gestured to Eden.

“Your name is Eden, right? Can you come here for a moment?”

“Don’t call my name! I never gave you permission to call me!”

“Don’t, don’t call my name!”

Seemingly afraid of potential consequences, Eden hid behind Herbert.

Yvette smiled gently at him, who was peeking out with just his eyes visible.

“If you don’t come here by the count of three, I’ll sell this house to a scary man, okay?”

“……!”

Eden’s eyes widened at Yvette’s threat.

It seemed he hadn’t considered the possibility of the mansion being sold to someone else again.

“You wouldn’t like it if a scary man became the owner, right? Isn’t that so?”

Eden nodded vigorously at her question.

His eyes, which had grown so large they looked ready to pop out, quickly filled with tears.

“I, I don’t like scary men.”

“That’s right. So, before big sister sells the house in anger, come here quickly. And put those teaspoons back on the table.”

Yvette extended her hand again. Obediently, Eden put down the teaspoons and trudged towards her.

Up close, Eden had quite a cute face.

His eyes were a clear leaf-green color, and freckles were sprinkled across his round nose.

‘He doesn’t look much like Mr. Herbert.’

As Yvette was quietly observing Eden, she suddenly looked up.

She noticed Herbert watching her with a peculiar expression.

“…It’s the first time I’ve seen Eden listen to someone else’s words so readily.”

“I suppose this happens often?”

“Not often, but there have been a few incidents with passersby.”

“Ah, I see. A habitual offender, then.”

Yvette narrowed her eyes and turned her attention back to Eden.

Seeming to know he had done wrong, Eden’s shoulders were slumped.

“Now, apologize to the young lady, Eden.”

At Herbert’s stern voice, Eden flinched and glanced nervously at Yvette.

“…I’m sorry. I won’t throw things again.”

Eden clasped his small hands together and bowed to Yvette.

Yvette watched Eden apologize with her arms crossed.

His dejected appearance made him look as pitiful as a rain-soaked puppy.

‘This should be enough.’

She had received a proper apology, after all.

She thought it was about time to wrap this up.

“I’ll forgive you this time. But if this happens again, I’ll immediately sell the mansion to a scary man.”

As Yvette threatened with a serious face, Eden’s eyes widened again, and he clung to her skirt.

“I’m sorry! I won’t do it again!”

Yvette quietly swallowed her laughter as she watched the sniffling Eden.

Perhaps because his reactions were cute, she kept feeling the urge to tease him.

‘But I shouldn’t bully a child.’

She deliberately composed her expression and patted Eden’s head.

“…You’re not going to scold him further?”

Herbert, who had been silently watching, spoke up as if surprised.

“What’s the point in making a child cry? He said he won’t do it again, so that should be the end of it.”

Yvette answered lightly, shrugging her shoulders.

If something like this happened again, she’d have to scold him properly then.

But she didn’t want to push a child who had promised not to repeat his mistake.

“I see.”

At those words, Herbert smiled quietly.

He spoke to Yvette in a much kinder voice.

“The tea must have gone cold by now. If you’d like, I can bring a fresh cup.”

“No, the tea is fine. But would it be alright if I took a look around the mansion first?”

Yvette shook her head as she spoke.

The broker had said that Herbert would have kept the mansion clean, but she couldn’t just sit idly by, trusting only those words.

“If you wish, I can guide you personally.”

“Would you do that?”

“Yes. I’ll tidy up quickly, so please wait a moment.”

Saying this, Herbert smiled gently.

A little while later.

Having finished tidying up, Herbert took Yvette on a thorough tour of various parts of the mansion.

Fortunately, the mansion was maintained so impeccably that her earlier worries seemed unfounded.

As if it had been cleaned without fail every day, not even a speck of dust was visible.

‘Is it possible to maintain this level of cleanliness alone?’

Yvette was inwardly amazed throughout the tour of the mansion.

As far as she knew, Herbert was the only caretaker.

Even if Eden helped, it seemed nearly impossible for one person to maintain the mansion so immaculately.

“Is Herbert the only one managing this mansion?”

“Yes. Since the previous owner left the house, I’ve been managing it alone.”

“It must have been difficult for Herbert alone to maintain it like this. How long has it been since the previous owner left?”

“Probably about 20 years.”

“Ah, 20 years…”

Yvette, who had been repeating his words without much thought, suddenly paused.

“Wait a moment. Did you just say 20 years?”

“Yes.”

“Then, are you saying this mansion has been empty for 20 years?”

“Yes. It seems that nobles willing to buy a mansion under these conditions are rare, so it hasn’t found an owner until now.”

“What do you mean by ‘a mansion under these conditions’?”

Yvette asked cautiously.

The more she heard from him, the more uneasy she felt.

Sure enough.

At Herbert’s next words, Yvette’s jaw dropped.

“It’s on the outskirts of the capital where public safety is poor, and the mansion is ridiculously small for its price.”

“……”

Instead of answering, Yvette quietly buried her face in her hands.

As she remained motionless in that state, Herbert asked with wide eyes.

“Don’t tell me you signed the contract without knowing?”

“Yes. I wasn’t told about any of this.”

Yvette muttered in a small voice.

The broker had only introduced this place as a quiet neighborhood.

She had thought it was perfect since she hated noise.

‘No wonder she couldn’t look me in the eye properly when I was stamping the contract.’

Thinking she might need to grab the broker by the collar later, Yvette slowly continued speaking.

“Just how bad is the public safety? Surely it’s not like criminals swarming every alley, where you’d get stabbed immediately if you go out at night…”

“Ah, it’s not that bad.”

At his firm answer, Yvette inwardly sighed with relief.

Thank goodness. At least her life wouldn’t be in immediate danger.

“However, if you happen to witness something you shouldn’t see, you might be assassinated without a trace.”

……Scratch that previous thought.

Feeling suddenly dizzy, Yvette pressed a hand to her forehead.

‘I wonder if I’ll be able to survive here……?’