“…Anyway, what should I do with all these letters.”

Ending her pleasant reminiscence, Yvette sighed again.

As much as she wanted to use them all as kindling, that wasn’t an option.

‘No matter what, I can’t completely ignore invitations from nobles.’

If her knowledge was correct, she had to reply to each noble’s invitation.

‘I feel like my wrist will break before I finish processing all of these.’

Just then.

Along with a light knock on the door, Herbert’s voice was heard.

“Count, I’ve brought your tea.”

“Ah, yes. Please come in, Herbert.”

Startled for a moment by the unfamiliar title, Yvette smiled and raised her head.

‘The title of Count is still awkward, for sure.’

After announcing the engagement, Herbert started calling her ‘Count’ instead of ‘Miss’.

Yvette waved her hands, saying there was no need, but Herbert was adamant.

Thanks to that, the newly hired servants also followed Herbert in calling her Count.

It felt awkward since it was a title she’d never heard before, but it also made her feel proud, as if she had become someone important.

“It seems you have a lot of work.”

Herbert entered the study carrying a large silver tray.

Yvette picked up one of the letters on the desk and let out a deep sigh.

“Don’t even mention it. There are so many people sending letters, I’m even getting confused about the names.”

The names were all so complicated that it was hard to distinguish who was who.

While Yvette was wrestling with the letters, Herbert set the tray down on the desk.

Then he skillfully poured tea into her cup.

“I don’t understand how they all know to keep sending letters here. I never told anyone I lived here.”

As Yvette muttered as if lamenting, Herbert smiled faintly.

“You shouldn’t underestimate the nobles’ information network. They probably would have found a way to send letters even if you were at the edge of the continent.”

Saying this, Herbert picked up one of the letters Yvette had put down.

“May I take a look?”

“Ah, yes. Feel free.”

With Yvette’s permission, Herbert picked up a few letters.

“This is an invitation from the Viscount Anzovi family.”

“You know this family too, Herbert?”

“Yes. If I remember correctly, the Viscount Anzovi family has had heads of the family from knightly backgrounds for generations. They’re known to be stubborn, but at the same time, they dislike causing harm to others.”

Herbert picked up another letter and continued.

“This is a letter from the Count Lerorian family. I’ve heard that the Lerorian family doesn’t have a long history, so the heads of the family have been known for their strong desire for honor for generations.”

Yvette’s mouth fell open at the information flowing smoothly as if it had been inputted by a machine.

“…How do you know all of this, Herbert?”

“At my age, one tends to accumulate connections in various places.”

With those words, Herbert left the study, saying he needed to finish tidying up the mansion.

Yvette stared blankly at the door he had left through, then looked down again at the pile of letters on the desk.

Suddenly, she felt an urge to escape from here.

‘…It’s not like I absolutely have to write all the replies today. It won’t kill me to put it off for a day, right?’

Having already decided to postpone the work, Yvette left the study with light steps.

Philia was the maid she had recently hired.

In truth, when she first hired Philia, there was some anxiety. This was because Philia had less experience compared to the other maids who had come for interviews.

However, Philia was doing so well that it made her worries seem unnecessary.

‘Fortunately, it seems I have an eye for people.’

Yvette hummed a little tune as she went outside the mansion.

Then she saw Philia hanging laundry in the garden.

“Philia!”

“…Oh, Count!”

As Yvette greeted her first, Philia welcomed her with a bright expression.

“Herbert said you wouldn’t be able to leave the study for a while, but have you already finished your work?”

“I decided to postpone the work for a bit. Something more urgent came up.”

“What? Then aren’t you extremely busy?”

“Yes. That’s why I came to ask for Philia’s help.”

As Yvette casually brought it up, Philia nodded brightly with a smile.

“I’m always ready to help you, Count! Just tell me what to do!”

Yvette smiled faintly at the enthusiastic response.

This attitude was precisely why she had chosen Philia over maids with more experience.

Most of the maids who interviewed at the time had come because of Noel’s fiancée.

Perhaps because of that, many showed disappointment upon seeing the mansion or left saying they couldn’t do it.

Only one person approached the interview sincerely, and that was Philia.

“Actually, it’s nothing much, but I think my wardrobe is a bit lacking for a noble. I’m thinking of going shopping.”

Yvette scratched her neck awkwardly as she smiled.

Having left the Baron’s house in a hurry, she hadn’t brought many clothes.

She had managed somehow until now, but it seemed she would need to get new dresses for attending parties and such in the future.

“It’s not that your wardrobe is lacking, Count. It’s just that you’re more beautiful than anyone else even without fancy dresses, so you don’t need to invest in them.”

Philia passionately defended Yvette.

Yvette looked embarrassed at the words praising her so highly.

“I don’t think I’m that great.”

“What do you mean ‘that great’? I’ve never seen anyone as pretty and angelic as you in my life, Count! Your skin is as fair as white jade, and your eyes sparkle so beautifully…”

As the excited Philia tried to continue her praise, Yvette hurriedly interrupted.

It was hard to keep listening due to embarrassment.

“Thank you for seeing me in such a good light, Philia. Thanks to you, I think I can have some confidence.”

“You don’t need to feel inferior anywhere, Count. Duke Averon got engaged to you because you’re so wonderful!”

“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind. Anyway, I think we should head to town soon. Could you go tell Herbert to call for a carriage?”

“Yes! I’ll go right away!”

Philia quickly tidied up the remaining laundry and ran into the mansion.

‘Today, I should just get a dress fitted and come back.’

Feeling a bit guilty about playing all day, Yvette decided to finish her work after returning.

Soon, she boarded the carriage heading to town with Philia.

***

“Yvette! Look! I brought flowers!”

Eden, with an excited voice, flung open the study door. However, unfortunately, the person who greeted him wasn’t Yvette.

“Eden. I told you not to run around shouting so loudly.”

Herbert, who was tidying up Yvette’s desk, scolded him in a stern voice. Eden looked around with a gloomy face.

“Where’s Yvette? Why is only Herbert here?”

“The Count just went out. She’ll probably return around dinner time.”

“Aw. I brought these flowers for Yvette…”

Eden pouted, looking down at the flowers in his hand.

The blue flowers were clearly meant for Yvette.

Seeing his disappointed look, Herbert smiled helplessly.

“Why don’t we put the flowers in a vase and show them to her later?”

“Oh, should we?”

Eden, quickly regaining his spirits, scurried over to Herbert. As he held out the flowers, Herbert carefully placed them in a nearby vase.

“By the way, seeing that you even picked flowers yourself, it seems you’ve taken quite a liking to the Count.”

“Yes! I didn’t like her much at first, but now I do. She even smells similar to Master.”