| Chapter 19

“And if you’re going to live as a baron, you should improve your rhetoric. You won’t just be dealing with young ladies anymore. No one wants to use a man who only knows how to speak sweet words.”

Even though he wasn’t dressed in a shirt, tie, and silk vest tightly like nobles, there seemed to be an elegant dignity about him, and I couldn’t take my eyes off him.

He would probably shine even in a dusty pit.

He was a mysterious being. I had never seen anyone like him in my life.

“I have no intention of being used greatly. My humble calling is simply to please as many women as possible.”

Kirhin made a prim expression and gave a slight bow. The man snorted cynically and retorted.

“You’re no longer the dissolute second son of the baron family, but Baron Bickman now. If you don’t act smartly, you’ll only be able to fulfill that calling in the next world. Try to use your head at least as much as that child does.”

Having been verbally beaten all over without missing a spot, Kirhin looked at me with aggrieved eyes, forcing me to turn my head away.

But as I turned my gaze, I met a pair of green eyes and froze on the spot. As if he had been waiting, the man raised his eyebrow.

“I told you to watch your mouth, little one.”

The stiff tone was threatening, but I was more glad that he had spoken to me. Rolling my eyes, I asked back with an expression no less aggrieved than Kirhin’s.

“…More than this?”

At that, the corners of his smooth mouth relaxed as if he was about to laugh. Then, his still weighty retort came flying like an admonishment.

“Not everyone is as soft as Kirhin, you know.”

If it had been someone else, I wouldn’t have responded like this either. I had an instinctive certainty that Kirhin wouldn’t treat me harshly.

Of course, the reason to that was his presence, who had covered me with the cloak and left.

“You’re quick-witted, so you must have found a good place to settle.”

My eyes widened at his words, which seemed to have read my thoughts. The man stared at me with unwavering eyes and added.

“But next time you make such a proposal, make sure to get a certificate first before showing your hand. Verbal promises mean nothing.”

It didn’t sound like a casual joke, so I engraved those words deep in my mind. As he chuckled at my focused expression, he suddenly furrowed his brow.

“What’s with that grotesque dress?”

“Perhaps you should say such things after bringing proper clothes, Lord Winton.”

My ears perked up at Kirhin’s somewhat defiant words. It was the first time I had heard someone refer to his name. Glancing at me, Kirhin suddenly flashed a bright eye-smile.

“Ah, since you said you didn’t know his name, let me introduce him. This is Lord Damian Winton. He’s the youngest son of the Winton baron family. He’s known to few people because he rarely goes out due to his picky personality. Recently, he’s been wandering around various places for recuperation due to poor health.”

…He wasn’t a priest?

Kirhin’s careful observation of my expression was noticeable, but I didn’t hide my surprise. Words stumbled out between my trembling lips.

“Where are you, not feeling well?”

“Well. It’s like a disease where I suddenly want to kick someone’s butt.”

As Damian turned his head slightly and his sharp gaze fixed on him, Kirhin deliberately looked away and cleared his throat. Still glaring at the back of his head as if cornering him, Damian opened his mouth.

“Rather than that, worry about your future. It seems Baron Bickman here wants to throw you out.”

Even though they were both sons of baronial families, Kirhin was now on the verge of inheriting the title. If I had known a little more about the world of nobles, I would have found it strange to casually address someone of higher status by their title, but I was ignorant. Moreover, Kirhin’s constant attentiveness to him naturally established the hierarchy between them.

As I turned my gaze, Kirhin looked at me and grinned.

“Of course, it was a joke. How dare I throw out a girl under Lord Winton’s attention? Don’t worry about it, Lucy. I was just teasing you. I’m good at jokes, you know. You’ll need to know that if you’re going to stay in this house.”

“Yes, Master.”

As I bowed my head in response, Damian, who was picking up the teacup on the table, frowned. Kirhin raised his eyebrows, expecting him to reject that title again as before. His eyes sparkled with curiosity.

“It takes some skill to get into a mansion like this. What are you good at?”

Looking at him as he asked leisurely with his arms crossed, I answered diligently.

“I’m good at everything. I’m familiar with laundry, cleaning, and sewing. I sleep little and eat little. I know a bit about herbs, and also…”

“I heard you can write. Where did you learn that?”

Most maids were illiterate. I thought of Laurel.

“There was someone among the maids from another house I often associated with who knew how to write. I can read and write, albeit slowly.”

“Good.”

Suddenly clapping his hands approvingly, Kirhin said.

“I like that part. I’ll hire you.”

I almost screamed at those words. Barely pushing down the scream trying to escape into my throat, I quickly bent my knees.

“Th-thank you, Master. I won’t be lazy and will do my best at any task…”

“No need for that. I’m thinking of making you my sister.”

There was a sound of something being spit out, but I couldn’t look up right away. I couldn’t understand the meaning of what Kirhin had said.

Then, hearing the sound of someone coughing as if choking, I slowly turned my head to see Kirhin handing a napkin to Damian.

“Lord Winton, are you alright? Was the tea too hot?”

His hood had come off while coughing, revealing a face that captivated attention. Deep green eyes shimmered narrowly on the sculpted face that was taking a deep breath. A voice full of disbelief flowed out ominously.

“Sister? Did the late Baron Bickman have an illegitimate child?”

The words were close to sarcasm, but Kirhin smiled brightly and snapped his fingers.

“I think it’s a decent story. If so, we could change the reason why father frequented the house of a woman like Nora Almon to something quite wholesome, and we could also protect Lucienne’s honor.”

I had to struggle not to stagger, as even following their conversation was overwhelming. The corner of Damian’s mouth, who had been quietly watching the grinning Kirhin, turned up crookedly. He didn’t seem entirely displeased.

“You’d abandon past honor for present honor? I understand that the baroness passed away while trying to give birth to her third child. If what you say is true, it would mean that Bickman had an illegitimate child with a new woman not long after his wife died.”

“Well, that’s true, so there’s nothing to feel wronged about. Ah, I mean the part about the new woman, not the illegitimate child part. They say father was crying in his lover’s arms even on the day mother passed away.”

A twisted sneer flashed across Kirhin’s eyes as he calmly retorted. It seemed his relationship with his father wasn’t very good. He shrugged his shoulders, looking at Damian who was making a disgusted expression.

“I may seem lacking, but I’m not just good at wagging my tongue. It’s just that my other talents are overshadowed because I’m so excellent in that area. If I officially bring father’s seed into the Bickman family, won’t people see me as a magnanimous head of the family?”

* * *

Lars could roughly read Kirhin’s calculations. If it had been a boy, he wouldn’t have thought of such a scheme due to property issues, but it’s different for a girl. Especially with looks like Lucienne’s.

Just by shedding yesterday’s grime and wearing a loose dress, she drew attention.

Her skin was white and glossy as if light was rolling over it, and her intelligent and cautious eyes formed a strange harmony with her ash-gray pupils that seemed unusually calm for a child. The rounded tip of her nose still gave a youthful impression, but her appearance was such that one could look forward to a few years later.

In an era where a daughter’s beauty was one of the family’s greatest competitive edges, Kirhin must have judged that she would be a sufficiently promising asset. After all, the Bickman family had no daughters.

Not liking that calculation very much, Lars was about to stop it when he noticed the confused-looking Lucienne.

From her perspective, it might indeed be a good deal. Nobles have their own hardships, but it would still be better than being a maid in someone else’s house.

Kirhin, taking after his father, was generally soft on women, so he wouldn’t torment Lucienne. Moreover, from what he saw earlier, the child seemed quite intelligent.

If that intelligence was innate, she might be able to wrap Kirhin around her little finger in a few years.

Soon, he laughed briefly and playfully raised one eyebrow.

“It doesn’t seem like a bad idea. It might cover up the late baron’s shabby death a little.”

“I knew you’d say that.”

Kirhin, who didn’t have much affection for his father, nonchalantly turned to Lucienne. Her face had lost all color and looked like a wax figure.

Suddenly, something caught his attention and Lars frowned. Kirhin spoke to her kindly.

“As I said yesterday, I like you, Lucy. It would have been better if you were a little less intelligent.”

Lucienne was staring at him without even blinking her large eyes. Kirhin tapped her slender shoulder and declared in a cheerful tone.

“By the authority of the head of the family, I’ll accept you into our family. From today, you may use the Bickman surname.”