Chapter 1: The Berkshire Family Became Her Lifeline Part 20

“Then I can’t just stand idly by either.”

Hersil killed a large poisonous insect and glanced at Marien.

It seemed the mullein herb was attracting snakes and insects, but she was blissfully unaware as she continued picking leaves.

“Should I put it in this pouch?”

He held up a mullein leaf he had plucked, and Marien nodded.

“Yes. Once we fill this, we’ll be done soon.”

Hersil occasionally swept the area near her and picked a leaf or two.

Marien Reed had become quite famous among the knights, though she seemed unaware of it.

At first, it was her beautiful face that made her name known, but later, it was her role in nursing the lady of the household back to health.

It was considered a miracle, something even the attending physician hadn’t been able to achieve, and there were rumors that the head of the household himself had summoned her to express his praise.

Despite being a maid adored by everyone in the Berkshire family, Marien never boasted about it and always focused on her work.

Hersil could see why the young lord cherished her. He was not the type to easily keep people close.

“Damn….”

Hersil muttered as he killed another poisonous insect, brushing off the venom that had splashed onto his white uniform.

His gloves were also stained with venom, and he looked troubled.

Marien, who was already a bit tense with the unfamiliar knight by her side, turned to look at Hersil when she heard him muttering.

“Sir Hersil, what’s that?”

“Got splashed with venom from killing a poisonous insect. If you see one of these insects, let me know right away.”

“A poisonous insect…? I’ve never seen one before. Are you okay? Should we stop and go back? I think we’ve gathered enough already.”

Seeing Marien flustered, Hersil fell silent for a moment.

Just how had the young lord managed to clear the area so thoroughly that she knew nothing of this?

“If you go back without finishing your work properly, I’ll be the one getting scolded. So don’t worry about me.”

He had caught not just poisonous insects but also several harmless insects and small snakes. Every time, Marien flinched and jumped in surprise.

Hersil could almost hear the young lord’s nagging now, and he frowned.

Judging by her reactions, the young lord must have handled these things swiftly and discreetly so she wouldn’t know.

“Would you like to use this to wipe off the venom?”

Marien handed him a handkerchief she always carried with her, and Hersil accepted it gratefully.

***

Today was the day when all the knights were required to have their skills reviewed by the captain of the knights and Tamilan, a monthly event that was mandatory for everyone.

Tamilan, though he looked reluctant to send Hersil Presen, was forced to pick him. Max Müller was very disappointed that he hadn’t been chosen.

Even during the inspection of the knights, Tamilan found himself glancing towards the entrance of the training hall several times, almost absentmindedly.

After the inspections of the knights had concluded, when Hersil Presen appeared with black stains all over his uniform, Tamilan couldn’t suppress his rising frustration and approached him.

In his hand was a familiar handkerchief.

“…Why do you have this?”

“That is, Marien gave it to me to wipe off some venom that splashed on me.”

“Marien gave it to you…?”

Did this mean they had gotten close enough to call each other by name and for her to hand him a handkerchief in just one day?

“Yes. Marien seemed concerned about the venom….”

Seeing Tamilan’s expression darken further, Hersil trailed off, unable to finish his sentence.

Hersil, expecting to be scolded for failing to handle a poisonous insect neatly, straightened his posture as he prepared for reprimand. However, what he heard next was completely unexpected.

“Hand it over.”

“What do you mean, sir?”

“The handkerchief.”

Hersil frowned, unable to comprehend why the young lord wanted a handkerchief that was now smeared with venom. It was supposed to be returned to Marien, and handing it over to Tamilan would complicate things.

“I’m sorry, but I cannot give you the handkerchief, my lord. It must be returned to Marien….”

Max, who had been observing them from the side, gasped at Hersil’s response and quickly snatched the handkerchief from him to hand it to the young lord.

“Don’t you have any tact? We just finished the inspection!”

Max clicked his tongue at Hersil, hinting that arguing over the handkerchief could result in a reinspection.

However, Hersil couldn’t take his eyes off the handkerchief, reluctant to part with it. In the end, Max dragged him away to remove him from Tamilan’s sight.

Tamilan stared at the handkerchief in his hand.

Though he felt like discarding a handkerchief that had been used to wipe off venom, he couldn’t bring himself to throw it away since it belonged to Marien. He was caught in a swirl of conflicting emotions.

“Young lord.”

“What is it?”

“The master is calling for you.”

Haint’s voice, which shattered his internal conflict, made Tamilan slowly lift his head.

“For what reason?”

“I’m not sure. As of now, there seems to be no particular reason, but I have a bad feeling about it.”

***

When Ruston was put on the marriage market of high society, he was proving his worth as a bona fide viscount of the Berkshire family.

Ruston Berkshire, transformed into the best groom of high society as a diligent and capable businessman.

No one in the upper class cared about his promiscuous past. They might see it as just a brief indulgence by a charming man.

But he had no interest in marriage.

After Janine Aster left and he inherited the family, he replaced most of the servants, which led them to question things in private.

“They say in other noble houses, the servants often become the master’s mistresses, but our master has no interest in women at all.”

“I heard from someone who used to work here that the master once loved a servant….”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“The servant the master loved ran away with another servant.”

“No way, I’ve never heard that before!”

“It’s been hushed up, but all the old-timers at the lord’s estate know about it. After that, the master got so angry that he replaced a huge number of the servants, to the point where the estate’s operations were paralyzed, and even the residents were in an uproar. And get this! Before he met that servant, the master was incredibly promiscuous.”

“Oh my…!”

Rumors circulated in noble society and within the Berkshire territory, but Ruston gave no room for speculation. He focused solely on launching and expanding businesses.

If there was one thing his stepmother, Sophia, had contributed to the family, it was the Varine Iron Mine, which she brought as part of her dowry when she married his father.

Sofia Rened, the cherished illegitimate daughter of the illustrious Duke of Fioren, who cherished her as much as any official daughter.

The Varine Iron Mine was as valuable as a diamond mine, if not more so in recent times.

The weapons made from its ore were of such exceptional value that they could be handed down as heirlooms.

Here’s the translation, following your rules:

Berkshire, which had long been an illustrious martial family, had not only blacksmiths skilled in handling Varine iron but also the technology, which allowed Ruston to expand his business, so it could be said that his stepmother played a significant role in this.

However, when Duke Fioren handed over the mine to his father, he had made a request.

It was to create an environment where Sophia could live happily in Berkshire until the very end. But now, more than twenty years later, he had already vanished from this world.

The current Duke Fioren did not recognize his half-sister Sophia as family, so there was no chance he would bring up such a promise now.

He might not even have known such a condition existed.

The Varine Iron Mine left by the Duke had long since dried up, and after this much time had passed, it could be said he had more or less fulfilled his duty.

It was on one of those days when it seemed such days would continue.

When he heard that she had fallen ill with a rare disease, Ruston wore a troubled expression. To be precise, he found it bothersome to care.

Having lost Janine Aster, whom he had always believed would remain within his grasp, he found no reason to live.

Ruston, who had thrown himself into work as a refuge because he could not bring himself to die, found everything bothersome. Yet that incident soon became an attractive card for him.

Since he was not married, he thought it would suffice for Tamilan to simply fulfill the role of heir.

The best move to make his young half-brother obey before his head grew too big was his stepmother’s health.

Ruston did not consider them family. So long as they maintained an appropriate distance, Ruston would have eventually passed on his position to Tamilan at the right time.

He did not spare Tamilan because he was his brother but because he was the heir when, at the age of twelve, Tamilan had tried to take the family sword to the royal family of Wailers.

And so, Ruston continued his life of indifference—until Marien Reed appeared before him. Having learned that she was Janine’s daughter, he wondered whether he even needed Tamilan and his stepmother anymore.

Ruston, who had been somewhat mindful of the heir’s presence, abruptly changed his mind.

He silently reflected on the two people with a troubled and regretful expression. Now that he had Marien, he thought to take care of them one by one when the opportunity arose.

The first step would be to break the power of Tamilan, who was gaining respect in the knighthood.

Ruston, in a pleasant mood, took a cigar from his cigar case and was about to light it when a polite knock came from the parlor door.

“Brother, it’s Tamilan.”

“Come in.”

It was Ruston himself who had ordered Tamilan to remain silent and perform his knightly duties.

Dull-witted and taciturn, just like the previous Viscount, Tamilan was boring but perfectly suited to managing the knights.

In that respect, Ruston appeared as a peculiar character within the Berkshire family, but he was not the type to care about such things.

If he had cared about the honor of the Berkshire family, he wouldn’t have abandoned his training in his youth, seduced noble ladies, and sought pleasure.

It was ironic that he now presented himself as the most aristocratic figure, but even that was solely to adopt the persona of a businessman that the upper class favored; nothing about his essence had changed.

At his core, he was still the same Ruston Berkshire as ever.

Now that Marien Reed had appeared to accept all his pleasures and desires, there was nothing to hold him back.

He gestured to the seat opposite him for Tamilan, who stood before him with a blank expression.

“……”

Ruston crossed his legs and lounged back against the sofa, lighting his cigar as he leisurely observed his brother’s face from his prominent forehead down.

Though they were indeed brothers and bore a striking resemblance that made him feel slightly strange, that was all.

Since they did not share meals unless it was necessary, there was no such thing as affection between them. It was no different for Tamilan either.

“Did you call me?”

Leaving that handsome face alone might come in handy someday.

Ruston took a long draw of his cigar, exhaling the smoky haze with a languid smile.

“You’ll be turning twenty next month, won’t you?”

For a moment, ripples crossed Tamilan’s eyes at Ruston’s words, but he quickly lowered them, concealing any trace of emotion.

“You couldn’t possibly remember my birthday, so let’s just get to the point.”