Chapter 1: The Berkshire Family Became Her Lifeline Part 18

Marien walked past the office desk and stood respectfully in front of Ruston, folding her hands politely.

“I heard you’ve been a great help with my mother’s long-standing illness.”

“My late mother had the same disease… I know a little about how to alleviate the symptoms.”

Ruston’s expression stiffened unexpectedly at Marien’s response. The report hadn’t mentioned the disease’s name. Hadn’t the healer said she had left the village?

“I didn’t know that. Since when?”

As Ruston’s gaze and expression sharpened, Marien answered with a tense expression.

“Ah… My mother was diagnosed when I was very young.”

“……”

Even after all her suffering, she never returned to him, never sought his help.

The realization that her mother had ultimately died from the illness sent Ruston’s mood plummeting into the depths.

Seeing Marien’s startled wide eyes, Ruston pressed his fingers to his forehead, trying to lighten the atmosphere.

If he stayed like this, Marien might become frightened and, like her mother, be inclined to run away.

If Janine had been full of thorns that needed to be carefully removed, Marien was the type who needed to be gently coaxed into feeling safe.

“I heard you lost your mother. Since it’s the same illness, I was worried.”

“Oh, the lady is doing fine. She has a personal physician who prepares treatments and there’s a local herb habitat nearby… My mother couldn’t get such help in time.”

“Is that so? I have high hopes, so I’d like you to continue doing your best. In that sense, I plan to change your lodging to a private room so you can focus solely on treatment and rest.”

“A private room, sir?”

Marien’s mouth opened naturally in surprise.

Private rooms were a privilege reserved for the head maid, the steward, or those directly serving the inner circle of the Berkshire family.

“Why are you so surprised? I heard you’re currently staying in a four-person room. Since you’ve contributed greatly by attending to the mistress, a private room is only fitting. If there’s anything else you need, just say so.”

“I don’t need anything else, Master. A private room alone is more than enough…”

“If you don’t need anything, then make a request. Unless you want to make me seem like a petty master.”

Ruston then slowly patted Marien’s head, his hand trailing over her soft hair.

Seeing Marien looking up at him with her cheeks flushed and eyes wide open, Ruston smiled in satisfaction.

It seemed he knew what this naive maid wanted.

Hadn’t it been said that Erik Nielsen died before Marien was even born? A man who couldn’t even properly fulfill the role of a father or husband, yet still took what was his.

Though it was still a regret that he hadn’t personally cut off Erik’s life, knowing what was now in his hands, he was certain Erik wouldn’t rest peacefully even in his grave.

Ruston’s slow hand, which had been stroking her hair, now moved to her cheek.

Feeling her soft skin pressing warmly into his palm, Ruston’s anticipation grew, wondering how it would feel to hold her in his arms.

My Marien. This time, I must make her mine completely, without fail.

***

“Tamilan, look. This is the curtain Marien made. The pattern is clean and classic. It fits your room’s atmosphere so well. How could she have known without even seeing it?”

A smile spread across Tamilan’s face as he touched the thin summer curtain hanging in the large window.

“It’s hard to understand how she found the time to make curtains when she was supposed to focus solely on nursing.

“Sir, what would you like for breakfast?”

The youngest apprentice knight attending to Tamilan asked about his intentions.

“What’s my brother doing right now?”

“The Master is still in the training grounds. It seems he’s staying longer than usual today. What should we do?”

It was a question Tamilan habitually asked every morning, but today’s answer was different.

Still in the training grounds at this hour?

Didn’t he say he was busy these days?

As his previously good mood took a nosedive, Tamilan irritably ran his hand through his hair. His brother had a knack for spoiling his day, even from the early morning.

“Breakfast at the dining hall, keep it simple. No, never mind. Tell them to take their time and prepare it properly.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll pass along the order.”

Reluctant to encounter his brother in any way, Tamilan composed his rising emotions as he dressed in formal attire with the apprentice knight’s assistance.

His face returned to its usual impassiveness.

After leisurely finishing his breakfast, Tamilan finally moved only upon hearing the news that Ruston had left the training grounds after sparring several times with the knights.

“Why do you think those maids are loitering there?”

Seeing a few maids lingering near the entrance of the training grounds, Tamilan asked the apprentice knight at his side.

The knight sheepishly rubbed under his nose and answered,

“It’s nearing the season of the Coming-of-Age Day, isn’t it?”

“Oh, right. It was around this time, wasn’t it?”

During the Coming-of-Age Day, unmarried knights would present a flower of loyalty and pledge to a lady, expressing their feelings.

However, since there were no unmarried noblewomen in Berkshire, the knights would often present flowers to women they fancied.

Some of these relationships blossomed into courtship or even marriage, making it a sort of secret festival for the unmarried men and women of Berkshire.

Thus, the maids of Berkshire, sensing the occasion, were subtly loitering near the training grounds, pretending it was by chance to make their presence known.

The training grounds were not a place for servants to frequent, and their access was usually strictly restricted, but during this season, exceptions were often made.

Come to think of it, wasn’t Marien approaching her coming of age as well?

It was unlikely she would loiter in front of the training grounds like those other maids, yet Tamilan couldn’t understand why he felt so low.

Sending the apprentice knight to the training field, Tamilan entered the captain’s office, where he encountered Haint, who looked at him quizzically.

“You seem to be in a bad mood this morning. It’s not like you ran into the Master, is it?”

“I didn’t run into him, but you guessed right. Not great.”

As Tamilan handed over his jacket, Haint took it and gently inquired,

“Isn’t today the day you’re supposed to meet that maid? You always seem to be in a good mood on this day.”

“…Was I?”

“Yes, you were.”

Come to think of it, whenever he was scheduled to escort Marien, he would find himself smiling unconsciously when reviewing the day’s schedule.

Meeting her felt like basking under warm sunlight with a gentle breeze caressing his skin, a comforting feeling.

That it had shown on his face surprised Tamilan, who had always prided himself on controlling his emotions.

“Enough with the nonsense. Report on the information you gathered. What’s the situation with Erentas? The results should be coming in soon. Is it as expected?”

“Yes, the signs are becoming clearer, and it looks like a war will break out soon. This clearly indicates that the Lord has lent a hand to the royal family. In exchange…”

“The mining rights have been secured.”

“No matter what decision you make, we will trust and follow you, Young Lord.”

Running a hand over his face, Tamilan mulled over the plans he had laid out.

It was one of several contingency plans he had devised since noticing suspicious movements between the Kingdom of Wailers, where Berkshire was located, and Erentas.

Once war broke out, Berkshire was expected to be included as part of the main force in Wailers.

The goal was to distinguish themselves on the battlefield, return with titles and lands, and achieve independence for Berkshire.

With the Berkshire knights, it was a plausible plan.

The Viscount had always found family to be a burdensome matter, so he might even welcome the separation.

However, that was the second-best option, to be considered only if Mother’s health improved.

It was something Tamilan had always thought was unlikely… but now, with the possibility growing, why did his mind feel so complicated?

He let out a deep sigh, and Haint quietly spoke up.

“About Marien, that maid, I have something to tell you.”

As Haint calmly recounted what had happened between Marien and Ruston the previous day, Tamilan shot up from his seat.

“Did I hear that right? That the Viscount—gave Marien her own room and praised her?”

Tamilan’s voice rose as if he had heard something unthinkable.

What had he done to deserve praise? That man who had never cared one bit about Mother’s health—what could he possibly be plotting?

Even if Mother was on the brink of death, Ruston was the kind of person who wouldn’t care at all.

From his childhood experiences, Tamilan had learned that no matter how critical Mother’s condition was, his brother was incapable of offering help.

For him, it was something utterly insignificant, and what returned for asking for help were scorn, disdain, and punishment.

Tamilan looked like he was about to storm out of the captain’s office when Haint caught his arm.

“Calm down. No one’s been hurt. What do you plan to say if you go there now?”

“Does the Viscount care even a bit about Mother’s health? How can I possibly calm down over such an absurd thing?”

Haint tried to distract him, to steer his attention elsewhere.

“Do you also call the master the Viscount elsewhere?”

“Depending on the situation. Sometimes I just don’t want to call him brother.”

“……”

“No one cares, so don’t worry about it.”

It was since he was twelve, after that incident, that Tamilan began calling Ruston Berkshire “the viscount” instead of “brother.”

“Captain. I’m his family, so why am I treated worse than a stranger, do you know why?”

His resentment toward the viscount was so deep that even his twelve-year-old gaze was filled with a sorrow hard to believe.

Except for the information unit of the knighthood, no one in the knighthood considered Ruston Berkshire the true master of the order.

Haint, like Werner, had been with Ruston since his youth.

Though he knew every detail of Ruston’s wayward behavior, separate from that, he did not consider him a proper lord because of his disregard for the knighthood.

The Tamilan Berkshire before him was much more like the late previous viscount of Berkshire, the one Haint trusted and followed. He was full of responsibility and lacked nothing as a trustworthy lord.

However, there was one thing that had been on his mind lately—the maid Marien Reed, whom the young lord seemed particularly fond of.

“What do you think of that maid, Marien Reed?”

Tamilan raised his eyebrows as if to ask why he was being questioned.

“She’s kind. Not a member of the knighthood, but considering her contributions to my mother’s care, she’s invaluable.”

“That’s true.”

That didn’t mean he saw her as a romantic interest.

It was true that since the young lord had taken a liking to her, the maid had become important. But why did it feel so unsettling?

Haint stroked his chin, lost in deep thought.