This was just a glimpse, and I couldn’t imagine how much more there would be once we fully entered the house. I shook my head and walked into the house. A soft carpet enveloped my shoes.

‘……!’

Lowering my gaze, I saw a navy blue carpet beautifully embroidered with gold and silver threads. It felt softer than the best clothes I owned, confirming my suspicion that it was made of expensive fabric.

I had wanted to lay a carpet on the floor to prevent Elodie from falling and getting hurt. But due to a lack of time and resources, I had been putting it off. I had to admit.

‘……I like it.’

The carpet wasn’t the only thing that showed the Duke’s consideration for Elodie. Wooden steps were placed wherever Elodie might find it difficult to climb or reach. Safety devices were installed near sharp corners or dangerous heat sources.

But it wasn’t just things for Elodie that were brought in. The kitchen utensils and tools, which I had bought second-hand years ago to save money and were missing teeth, had all been replaced with new ones, and the nearly empty condiments were fully restocked with new ones.

The bathroom, too, had changed so much that its former shabby appearance was nowhere to be seen. And above all, the biggest change was in the bedroom.

‘Wow….’

I inwardly marveled as I looked around the bedroom. Fortunately, the Duke hadn’t replaced my bed. I would have been quite angry if he had. It was a high-end bed I had splurged on.

‘He’s even got an eye for detail.’

But the Duke had changed everything except the bed. The first thing that caught my eye was the insulation. It was still late autumn and I hadn’t been able to prepare properly, but perhaps thinking of the coming winter, the walls with windows were covered with thick insulation.

Instead of the cheap, hastily cut curtains, high-quality blackout curtains hung on the windows. Several soft-looking dolls, seemingly for Elodie, were neatly arranged on one side of the floor, and fluffy bedroom slippers in various sizes were displayed on top of the dresser. I even spotted a set of scented candles that I had thought would be nice to have.

There was even a soft night light that would be useful when Elodie slept alone. Why was it? The corners of my mouth kept turning up. No, to be more honest, if it weren’t for Elodie looking uncomfortable, I might have been grinning like a madwoman.

“……Um, Aria.”

Elodie called me cautiously.

“Yes, Elodie?”

“All this…… that man did it, right? Because of me?”

“It seems so.”

After a moment of silence, Elodie spoke with a determined tone.

“I’ll tell him not to do things like this. I don’t know if he’ll listen to me, but……”

I made a ‘hmm’ sound. Certainly, what the Duke had done couldn’t be called good, even as a courtesy. It was even selfish. He had ordered a bunch of furniture without asking for my or Elodie’s opinion and sent it to our house.

Even if the person in charge sent by the Duke had tried to get my permission, how many people in that situation could have said, ‘No, thank you, please go back’? But…… Didn’t I say it earlier? It was too much money to feel bad about.

***

The next day at lunch. As I had thought, the Duke appeared at the same time as the previous day. Leading a group of customers.

“……What would you like to order?”

All sorts of questions rose to my throat, but I took the order pretending to be calm. I wasn’t stupid enough to tell the dozen or so customers who were perking up their ears whether or not this handsome man had spent money at our house. The Duke arrogantly placed his order.

“The same as yesterday.”

“Understood.”

I nodded. I thought he didn’t like it because he barely touched it, but it seems he liked it well enough. For someone who liked it, he barely ate a few spoonfuls, but who could understand the picky tastes of noble gentlemen? I was just grateful that he ordered the most expensive item on the menu.

After that, everything flowed the same as yesterday. Today, I made dozens of huge shaved ice desserts again, and the shop was filled with customers who came to see the Duke. It seemed even busier than yesterday. At this rate, the Duke would disappear like yesterday while I was busy taking orders.

‘I can’t let that happen.’

I pretended to bring service to the Duke and slipped a note onto the table. How much time had passed? Finally, after the cafe’s operating hours were over, I leaned against the counter, exhausted.

“Aria, are you okay?”

Elodie’s worried voice reached me.

“Of course I’m fine.”

I reached out and stroked Elodie’s hair with just my fingertips.

“I’m just a little tired. Let’s go home quickly.”

Of course, the reason for wanting to get home quickly wasn’t just because I was tired. I quickly tidied up the shop and hurried my steps. There was someone I needed to meet.

A moment later, Elodie gasped as we arrived home. Naturally, it was because an imposing handsome man with a face strikingly similar to Elodie’s was standing in the doorway. I placed my hand on the child’s stiffening shoulder and politely opened my mouth.

“Thank you for coming, Your Grace.”

“What’s this about?”

Duke Baniche spoke seriously, yet couldn’t take his eyes off Elodie. It seemed he hadn’t grown tired of looking at Elodie despite staring at her all afternoon.

“Let’s go inside first.”

I opened the front door. Although this alley was relatively quiet, I didn’t want to imagine the consequences if someone passing by saw and spread rumors.

“……”

The Duke, who was about to enter the house without thinking, visibly flinched. It seemed he was somewhat aware of what he had done. I snorted.

“You’ve already turned the house upside down by calling people in, why hesitate now? Come in quickly.”

The Duke frowned.

“……I couldn’t just stand by and watch my daughter grow up in a place that looked like a beggar’s den.”

A “huh” escaped me involuntarily. No matter what, calling someone’s carefully nurtured home a beggar’s den was too much. But…… I recalled the rough cost I had calculated in my head yesterday. The corners of my mouth turned up ever so slightly.

“A beggar’s den…… I suppose it might look that way to Your Grace. But even this beggar has preferences. And so does Elodie, of course.”

“……Tell me.”

I pointed to the armchair. Although I liked how soft and truly comfortable it was, there were some things I wasn’t entirely satisfied with. And since the person responsible for the changes had appeared, it was a perfect opportunity.

“You arbitrarily replaced the rocking chair with an armchair, but I prefer the rocking chair. Please add a rocking chair as well.”

Next was the table.

“The table too. This large and splendid table is nice, but for everyday use, a table for two is more convenient.”

Of course, I couldn’t forget about the things for Elodie.

“And Elodie prefers large dolls that she can hug rather than small, dainty ones. I’d also like carpets laid throughout the house. I want to eliminate even the slightest possibility of Elodie getting hurt.”

As expected, the Duke didn’t seem displeased at all. Rather, he nodded, appearing to memorize each point I mentioned. And what he said next was also quite something.

“……There were no clothes.”

I frowned. While it’s true that Elodie didn’t have many clothes, children this age grow so quickly. I had been planning to buy clothes as needed, but I felt attacked and didn’t like it.

But this too was about money. The Duke could buy Elodie much better clothes than I could afford.

“You’re very observant.”

I answered with a bright smile.

“Especially since she only has one coat, I was planning to go shopping soon. If Your Grace would fill the wardrobe, that would be most welcome.”

“I see.”

The Duke nodded.

“Is that all you need?”

“I think so.”

I shrugged. I didn’t want to push for too much. Then what about the demands I just made to the Duke?

Well…… I had been wronged, so shouldn’t I at least get some compensation? It wasn’t easy working at the cafe with wrists still bearing dark bruises.

“We’ll go to the tailor’s right away. It would be better to call someone in normally, but that might be too late.”