Chapter 1: The Berkshire Family Became Her Lifeline Part 9

“Thank you. Thanks to you, I’ll be able to offer a beautiful flower to my mother. If there’s anything I can do to help, please let me know anytime.”

Having visited the garden often, Marien had grown quite close to Felix.

Today was the one day a year when those who had lost loved ones would meet with the priest to hold a memorial mass.

However, Marien had not yet received permission to leave the estate, so she had decided to pray alone for her mother.

Though she could not visit the monastery, it was fortunate that there was a statue of Pare, the goddess, within the estate.

Pare, the goddess of family harmony, fertility, and abundance, was said to be as beautiful as the goddess of beauty and was a beloved and merciful deity.

Deeper inside the garden was a small botanical area where elegant and aesthetic sculptures, plants, flowers, and trees were arranged beautifully and gracefully.

The statue of Pare stood at the center of the fountain in that botanical garden.

Originally, this place was off-limits to anyone who wasn’t a member of the Berkshire household, but today Marien had been specially granted permission by the Madam to enter.

Marien carefully opened the gate to the garden entwined with vines and stepped inside.

At the fountain, she offered the single rose at the feet of the statue of the goddess and placed a small candle holder on top of the fountain.

She took out her parents’ handkerchief from her chest and clutched it tightly, ready to say a prayer for her mother.

While kneeling in prayer, she suddenly heard the heavy sound of footsteps approaching and looked up, startled, quickly standing up.

“Ah, hello, Master.”

Marien hastily greeted Ruston, who locked his piercing blue eyes on her. In that moment, she realized why he felt so different from Tamilan.

Whereas Tamilan’s deep blue eyes resembled a profound lake, Ruston’s blue eyes evoked dry land, as if the lake had long since dried up.

Though both men’s expressions were difficult to read, the Master’s was even more unreadable.

“What business do you have here?”

Ruston’s question made Marien flustered. She hadn’t considered that while the Madam had given her permission, the Master might not be aware.

This garden was likely reserved for those holding the title of the estate, so her presence might seem sudden. Fearing misunderstanding, Marien hurried to explain.

“Today is the day for the memorial mass at the monastery, but I haven’t been working at Berkshire for a full year yet, so I couldn’t get permission to leave.”

“So?”

“So… the Madam said I could pray in the garden with the goddess statue. Master, if this offends you…”

Ruston glanced at the candle on the fountain and the single rose placed at the foot of the statue.

“Take the candle and the rose back with you.”

His words caused Marien’s face to darken.

He said that he would not allow her to hold a requiem in the garden.

“Yes… I’m sorry, Master.”

Marien quickly cleared the candles and roses.

She didn’t realize she also needed the master’s permission, and her eyes grew red with embarrassment.

Her heart pounded loudly with tension and anxiety. After tidying up the area and bowing politely, she was about to leave when Ruston called her back.

“Marien, Reed.”

“Yes, Master.”

“Lift your head and look at me.”

Marien, who had been looking down at her toes to hide the wetness in her eyes, carefully raised her head to meet Ruston’s gaze.

“……”

He reached out and wiped the moisture from Marien’s eyes with his thumb, leaving a transparent trace of tears on his finger.

Marien, frozen like a lamb before a wolf, trembled slightly as Ruston softened his gaze to reassure her.

The pale-faced maid seemed completely unaware of why she was standing there.

It was a troublesome situation. A thornless rose was enticing him with sorrowful tears.

In this way, she indeed resembled her.

Even setting aside her beautiful appearance, her uniquely poignant atmosphere was suffused throughout her body and expression, stirring something inside him.

“I didn’t mean to make you cry, but it seems like I surprise you every time we meet, and it makes me feel bad.”

“It’s not because of you, Master…”

“Don’t say things you don’t mean.”

“……”

Marien was at a loss for words and tried to lower her head again, but Ruston cupped her chin, holding her face steady. The sight of her watery eyes evoked a sense of sadism in him.

“The reason I asked you to tidy up here was to grant you permission to go out, so get ready.”

“Yes…?”

Marien’s eyes widened in disbelief. She couldn’t quite believe what she had just heard.

However, Ruston’s serious expression confirmed that Marien’s guess was correct. As she blinked, the tears that had been gathering at the corners of her eyes trickled down her cheeks.

Ruston slowly wiped away the moisture from her flushed cheeks with his thumb. Since the tears were shed because of him, they would surely taste sweet.

As he wiped her tears, his thumb brushed against her lips, causing her moist wine-colored eyes to quiver slightly.

“Ha…”

A sigh filled with deep desire escaped from Ruston’s lips. He wanted to claim her red eyes and lips right then and mark every part of her, but not yet.

He didn’t intend to ruin the second opportunity that had come his way.

Suppressing his increasingly heavy lower body with cold rationality, he withdrew his hand from Marien’s cheek.

“I told you to go to the monastery and offer a requiem mass. Didn’t your mother even allow something like this? How heartless.”

“Ah… Thank you, Master. Truly……”

“I was planning to go out myself, so we’ll ride in the carriage together. Come to the main building when you’re ready.”

“Yes. I’ll get ready quickly.”

When he released his hand from her chin, Marien expressed her gratitude several times and hurriedly withdrew.

It was only after Marien’s figure had disappeared from sight that Ruston finally spoke.

“Report. How much have you found out?”

At his call, Ruston’s trusted aide, Werner, emerged from the shadows nearby.

Werner was part of the intelligence unit Ruston had covertly organized, separate from the Berkshire knights.

They were once the core of the Berkshire knights’ elite force, the very foundation that allowed the family to establish itself as a prestigious martial lineage.

However, as peace endured, maintaining the elite unit consumed many resources, leading to debates within the family about its necessity.

Eventually, it was disbanded under the previous generation, but Ruston reorganized it with a different purpose for his business ventures.

Thus, the current unit was, in essence, more like his personal hands and feet than a true knightly order.

They were composed of quick-footed and skilled personnel, serving not as a military force but as a vital component to expand the family’s business, becoming Berkshire’s primary information network rather than an elite combat unit.

“We’re conducting a thorough investigation. There’s a break in the traces, which is making it difficult to find the connection to Janine Aster…”

Ruston furrowed his brow and cut him off with a dismissive wave of his hand.

“I didn’t expect it to take this long, Werner. How much longer do I have to wait?”

Werner, well aware of what Ruston’s words implied, lowered his head and carefully gauged his intentions.

“I’m sorry, Master. This time, I will…”

“Good. Make sure it’s certain. Marien Reed must be Janine Aster’s daughter.”

As he followed Marien’s retreating figure, Ruston recalled the vivid memories of her that lingered in his mind.

Ruston had led a life filled with chaos and indulgence, to the extent that the previous Viscount loathed even mentioning his name.

Despite his excellent swordsmanship, he was lax in training, and the responsibilities he was burdened with felt like a stifling leash that constrained him.

He often thought how much easier things would have been had he been born the second son, but unfortunately, he only had a half-brother much younger than himself.

It was inevitable that the title of heir would fall to Ruston Berkshire.

Just when it seemed he would squander his entire life in idleness, a woman appeared and put an end to his debauchery: Janine Aster, a newly hired maid in Berkshire.

At first, Ruston didn’t even notice her presence, too busy slipping into empty rooms at masquerades or flitting from one banquet hall to another.

He only came to know Janine Aster after hearing whispers from the knights. The rumor of an exceptionally beautiful maid spread not once, but repeatedly through the ranks of the knights.

“Ah, Janine Aster? She wasn’t just pretty. When I first saw her, she seemed like someone from another world.”

‘Hmm, aren’t they exaggerating a bit? Everyone says that, but who would believe it? They’d think the goddess Pare herself had descended.’

‘You should’ve seen her. I’ve never seen such a beautiful woman before.’

Ruston, who had never cared about maids, was unimpressed by the rumors. After all, knights were known for adoring any woman in a skirt. That was his reasoning.

But it was on the day he was about to board his carriage in front of the porch to head to a ball that he noticed a fragile-looking maid precariously carrying a heavy load toward the main building.

Normally, he wouldn’t have spared a second glance, but for some reason, that day, he couldn’t take his eyes off her. The woman, with her neatly tied platinum hair, had eyes as red as roses, and their depth was as complex as a fine wine.

Her unadorned, clear, and smooth skin looked so delicate that even the slightest pressure would leave a red mark.

Ruston took in her appearance quietly. It didn’t take him more than a few seconds to realize that this was the maid everyone had been talking about.

Sensing his gaze, the maid set down her heavy load and knelt to greet him.

“Hello. It’s an honor to meet you, Master Ruston.”

“……”

Ruston accepted her greeting, his eyes scanning her up and down. Her figure traced curves that could captivate any man’s gaze, and her waist was impossibly slender.

She appeared more mature than he, who was on the verge of adulthood, but that didn’t matter to him at all.

The first thought that came to Ruston’s mind when he saw her was, “I want her.” It wasn’t a fleeting whim for a night’s pleasure but a desire for complete possession.

Ruston was not a man of great ambition or greed by nature. His personality lent itself to indifference, and he had always easily obtained whatever he wanted, whether it was material possessions or people. Therefore, he lacked attachment and simply let things flow naturally.

He felt a burning desire to make Janine Aster his own, something he had never felt for anyone else. He regretted his past self for not even trying to see her when rumors about her beauty had spread.

The mere fact that she wasn’t his drove him to the brink of obsession.

That day, Ruston sent the empty carriage away and stayed behind in Berkshire.

“What’s your name?”

“Janine Aster, Master.”

“Come with me.”

He thought he could make the beautiful maid his with just a day. But that was a grave miscalculation.

Ruston naturally led her into his room and, without hesitation, wrapped his arms around her waist and moved to kiss her red lips.

That is, until she turned her head away.