Chapter 2 – A New Beginning (Part 7)

Ellerdin gave a brief answer and headed to the Duke’s office.  

She knocked on the door a couple of times, but there was no response from inside.  

‘…Did he go out for a moment?’  

As she was wondering whether to wait or come back later, Mollek came running from a distance.  

“Madam!”  

“Oh, Mollek.”  

“You’re here just in time! From today, please take over the master’s work!”  

“Taking over the Duke’s work…? Where is the Duke?”  

Ellerdin asked in surprise.  

She had heard of the duties of a mistress but never of taking over the Duke’s work. That would be challenging her husband’s authority and was clearly overstepping.  

“The master has gone to earn money. Please come in for now!”  

Mollek grinned and pushed her into the office.  

“Oh, wait a moment.”  

In her moment of confusion, Ellerdin found herself sitting in the Duke’s office chair. In front of her was a mountain of documents.  

Sitting in the lord’s seat so casually could get her locked up for a month.  

However, Mollek didn’t seem to notice and was happily explaining what needed to be done.  

Ellerdin wanted to say something, but interrupting someone was rude, so she awkwardly stood there, listening until he finished.  

“I was surprised when the master suddenly disappeared, but it’s a relief you’re here, Madam. Really, the Duke should have told us before he left. Please take care of things until he returns. It looks like there’s a lot of work, but it’s simple. Just stamp everything.”  

Ellerdin couldn’t hold back and interrupted him for the first time in her life.  

“Wait, wait. Mollek, calm down for a moment.”  

“Yes?”  

Mollek looked at her with wide, sparkling eyes.  

“I have a lot to say, but first, I shouldn’t be sitting here. Is there another desk?”  

“Just sit there! It’s fine!”  

Ellerdin closed her eyes tightly at his cheerful answer.  

“Second, where did the Duke go? Do you know when he’ll be back?”  

“Um… I’m not sure? But he definitely went to earn money! He’ll probably be back within a month?”  

‘A month. Leaving the castle for that long? Is that even allowed?’

Usually, when nobles had to leave their castle for such a long time, they appointed another person in charge. Leaving without a word was unheard of.  

Ellerdin felt a bit hurt. 

‘Had I grown attached already? The thought of not seeing him for a month felt strange.’  

But she thought she shouldn’t say that. To her husband, she was just a somewhat useful maid.  

Although she knew not everyone thought that way, in her past life, that was her position.  

‘At least he should have told me he was leaving.’  

Feeling both hurt and overwhelmed by the work, she sighed. Mollek, misunderstanding her sigh, spoke hastily.  

“Don’t worry too much! The master will bring back a lot of money! There’s not much work! Just stamp everything!”  

“That’s the problem! How can I just stamp everything without checking? This duchy will fall apart.”  

Ellerdin held her head and picked up a document.  

As expected, the prices of materials coming from nearby were excessively high.  

Even considering the transportation cost to the North, it shouldn’t be this high.  

‘Now I understand why the castle looked like that.’  

She remembered the crumbling state of the castle.  

‘How was he planning to make money? In the north, it would likely be hunting monsters. What if he got hurt doing such dangerous work?’  

She sighed deeply.  

“Alright, I understand.”  

“Great! Thank you!”  

Mollek, thinking her atmosphere had changed a bit, quickly left the office.  

He felt a sense of trust he hadn’t before, seeing her point out things no one else had and speak firmly.  

Meanwhile, Ellerdin started going through the documents one by one. It was a mess.  

Being overcharged several times was normal, and there were even absurd letters demanding compensation.  

Having only been able to process documents in the past, she could tell how poorly these were handled.  

This won’t be an easy job.  

Ellerdin adjusted her posture and began meticulously reviewing each document.  

Spending so much time on paperwork, she naturally ended up living in the office.  

With so much work, she spent all her time there except for meals and sleep.  

Even though she wasn’t hungry, she felt compelled to go to the dining room for meals, eating a few pieces of bread before returning to work.  

After about three days of this routine, Celine, who had been away to monitor monster movements on Fernan’s orders, returned.  

Mollek approached the returning Celine and hesitantly asked,  

“Um, do humans usually work like that?”  

“What? What nonsense is that?”  

Celine frowned.  

Mollek ended up spilling everything Ellerdin had been doing.  

Celine stomped towards the office.  

“Madam!”  

“Come in.”  

As soon as she spoke, Celine burst through the door with a bang.  

“Stop and rest! Did Mollek say something to you?”  

“Huh? Not at all! I just… wanted to repay the Duke a little. And besides… it’s also the duty of the mistress.”  

Ellerdin blushed, embarrassed to say “mistress.”  

“At least take care of yourself! It’s okay if the duchy falls apart, just take care of your health! You’re not even fully healed yet, what are you doing working?”  

Celine shouted. Mollek covered his ears in disgust.  

“Pfft.”  

Ellerdin let out a small laugh.  

‘I’ve only ever heard to die for the territory, never the opposite.’  

Unable to withstand Celine’s nagging, Ellerdin put down her pen and headed to the dining room.  

But her meal portions were so small that Celine felt frustrated inside.

‘Is that what you eat?’  

At that moment, Mollek interrupted cluelessly from the side.  

“Huh? You left some food again? The food isn’t that tasty, is it?”  

Ellerdin, flustered by his words, replied,  

“No, it’s just that I’m not feeling well…”  

“My food isn’t tasty?!”  

A childish voice cut off Ellerdin’s words and echoed through the dining room.  

When Ellerdin turned her head towards the source of the voice, she saw a small child approaching angrily.  

Startled by the sudden appearance of the child, Ellerdin looked at Mollek. The child shouted while puffing out their cheeks.  

“Tell me! Is my food not tasty?”  

“That’s not it. It’s just… I can’t eat much because I have a small appetite. The food was really delicious.”  

As she spoke, Ellerdin suddenly realized something odd.  

“Um, are you… Nisroch, the one who’s been making the food?”  

“Isn’t it obvious? Who else could make such delicious food besides me?”  

Nisroch huffed and lifted their chin proudly.  

Mollek approached Nisroch and nudged their side.  

“Hey, did you introduce yourself to Madam?”  

“Huh? Madam, I haven’t introduced myself yet?”  

The angry demeanor disappeared, replaced by an unmistakably childlike look, making Ellerdin smile softly.  

Nisroch scratched their cheek awkwardly and bowed.  

“Nice to meet you, Madam. I’m Nisroch.”  

“Hello, Nisroch. I’ve heard a lot about you.”  

Ellerdin smiled warmly as she accepted the greeting.  

“Well, let’s skip these trivial introductions. The important thing is that you, Madam, doesn’t like my food.”  

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…”  

But Nisroch, ignoring Ellerdin’s words, approached her feet and said,  

“If you have any dish you want, just tell me. I’ll make it much better than where you were before.”  

Nisroch’s eyes sparkled brightly, like a hunter who had just found their long-lost prey.  

Seeing the burning determination, she cautiously spoke.  

“For meals… could you make them mostly with vegetables and fruits? Meat is good too, but I’m not used to it, so it’s a bit hard to digest.”  

Nisroch stroked their chin with a serious expression.  

“Vegetables and fruits, huh… I hadn’t thought of that. Should I bring some from the demon realm?”  

He muttered to himself. Ellerdin, realizing her mistake, waved her hands.  

“Please forget what I just said. It was just a suggestion. I didn’t mean to burden you.”  

In the northern region, where cold weather persisted year-round, vegetables and fruits were undoubtedly expensive.  

The duchy didn’t have much money either. She didn’t want to burden them.  

“It’s not a burden. It’s just fascinating. I’ve never met anyone who eats such things… Anyway, I understand.”  

Nisroch bounced away to the kitchen.  

From the next day, meals made of various vegetables and fruits started appearing on the table.  

From familiar dishes to ones she’d never seen before, the splendid meals made Ellerdin speak to Nisroch in surprise.  

“Don’t overdo it. We don’t have much money.”  

Nisroch burst into laughter.  

“Don’t worry about the money! The master will earn it anyway!”