“Are you alright, Jeffrey?!”

“Jeff! Don’t die!”

“Wh-who’s dying… cough!”

“Oh dear, our Jeffrey will cross the river of death before he even remarries!”

“No, I can’t! Cough! I have to live. I must live to see Cindy’s wedding and Miss’s wedding… Gah.”

“…Excuse me, Father. I’ve never seen anyone die from choking. The Miss who had an accident is this composed, so how long are you going to make a fuss over choking?”

“Ugh! Ahem. Ahem. Ah… Right.”

Feeling embarrassed by his daughter’s scolding, Jeffrey rubbed his bald head and laughed awkwardly.

Holding a cup of warm milk, Lumiere watched her noisy employees with curious eyes.

Originally, the only people working in Lumiere’s mansion were Cindy and Jeffrey. But now, there were five employees in front of her.

Including the four non-resident employees, there were a total of nine employees working in this mansion.

‘My goodness, I’ve become rich enough to employ nine people.’

Lumiere let out a surprised chuckle at this incredible change.

The Lashantia family had fallen into ruin due to the eldest son’s poor investments. They had sold off all their lands, which were not large but enough to live on, and moved to the capital to work, completely destitute.

Cindy and Jeffrey had followed them to the city, vowing to help the ruined Lashantia family until the end, as they owed their lives to Lumiere’s father, Viscount Hobbs Lashantia.

They worked for almost no pay, supporting the Lashantia family. In return, Lumiere’s parents provided them with food and lodging.

Even after the tragic accident that killed the Lashantia couple, Cindy and Jeffrey stayed in the mansion.

They continued to serve Lumiere with unwavering loyalty, as if it were their destiny. It was a precious loyalty, especially since it was for someone who was not even their parents’ biological child.

‘But what on earth did I do to become so well-off in a few years?’

A significantly larger new mansion, numerous employees, and even being a painter commissioned by Tartien.

‘This… This isn’t the wealth and honor a mere poster artist could have.’

She was just a commercial artist who made a modest living by painting posters for the opera house and portraits of actors.

Fortunately, Levania was a country where opera and theater were very popular, so there was no shortage of work.

Her portraits were detailed as if they were photographs, and her sketches had a bold touch, making her quite popular among actors. As a result, she earned a decent income.

But it was just ‘decent.’

No matter how she thought about it, it was impossible to have rebuilt the mansion and employed nearly ten people in just a year or two.

“This is really strange.”

As she muttered while looking around the house as if it belonged to someone else, Tamia approached her.

“What is strange, Miss?”

“Well, the house has become so nice… It’s just amazing because I can’t remember how it happened.”

Tamia, who was pouring tea leaves, honey, and warmed milk into Lumiere’s half-empty cup, smiled and said,

“For someone who says they are very surprised, you seem very calm.”

“Really? No, it’s just that you can’t see it, but my heart is pounding.”

Lumiere patted her chest where her heart was pounding loudly.

“You must be surprised. But you look brave, which is a relief. This reminds me of when you were little.”

Tamia’s warm gaze brought back memories from her childhood.

‘You’re very brave. To be so strong after going through such an ordeal.’

‘…I’m not brave. I’m very, very sad. So much that I don’t want to do anything.’

‘It takes courage to say you’re sad. So you’re very brave and amazing. And when you don’t want to do anything, it’s okay not to do anything.’

‘…But Viscount and Viscountess Lashantia are worried about me.’

‘How kind of you. To worry about others even when your heart is in so much pain. You have a strong and brave heart.’

‘…’

‘You just need time. The Viscount and Viscountess know that. So it’s okay. Don’t feel sorry. It’s okay to be very, very sad until your heart heals itself.’

Being told it was okay to be sad had somehow triggered her young heart.

She had burst into tears, leaning on Tamia’s shoulder, and cried for a long time.

‘It’s okay, Miss. It’s okay to cry.’

Tamia had held the young Lumiere, who was crying her heart out, and continuously patted her back and shoulders.

‘…But why was I so sad back then?’

It was shortly after she had been adopted into the Lashantia family.

She remembered struggling to adapt to the new house, but she couldn’t recall why she was so sad.

‘Am I perhaps… not very smart?’

She kept losing memories whenever something happened, so she began to suspect it might be a congenital brain limitation.

If that were the case, there was nothing she could do about it. Lumiere quietly sighed and tried to remain as calm as possible.

Fortunately, Tamia’s sweet herbal tea helped a lot.

“Ugh! I can’t stand this. I’m going to search the entire city and catch the bastard who drove Miss’s carriage and smash his head in!”

Enraged, Jeffrey stood up abruptly.

The sudden movement caused the sunlight to glint off his shiny bald head. No matter how many times she saw it, she couldn’t get used to it.

Lumiere, afraid she might stare a hole through his head, quickly shifted her gaze to Cindy. Seeing this, Cindy’s face, which had barely calmed down, filled with tears again.

“A wound on this beautiful face!”

Oh no. I shouldn’t have looked.

“Don’t cry, Cindy. Isn’t it a relief that I’m a little less pretty now? You always worried that I was too pretty and some rogue might try something. Now you don’t have to worry about that for a while.”

At Lumiere’s comforting words, Cindy’s face crumbled completely. She started cursing the coachman from Tartien again, biting her handkerchief.

Around that time, the twin boys who had been comforting Jeffrey quietly approached Lumiere.

“Um…”

Startled by their unusual approach, Lumiere looked down at the two boys clinging to the sofa and looking up at her.

“You know, Master.”

…Oh my goodness, they called me Master.

Past me, what on earth have you been doing?

“Master, do you really not remember anything? Then… you won’t remember the day you brought us here either?”

“Do you remember our names? Surely, you haven’t forgotten our names too, right?”

The twins’ names were Arwin and Darwin.

Cindy had explained that they were attendants who had come to the mansion about two years ago. Despite their exotic and beautiful appearance, the boys mainly did manual labor.

Cindy had praised them, saying they were very skilled and could fix anything despite their looks.

But…

Why on earth were these beautiful-faced attendants looking at her with moist eyes and calling her ‘Master’?

“I’m sorry, I can’t remember… Did I ask you to call me Master?”

At Lumiere’s nervous question, the twin boys burst into refreshing laughter. They were probably not even boys, but their fresh appearance made her think of them as boys.

“No. We just wanted to call you that.”

“Miss told us to call you Miss like everyone else… But we’re more used to calling you Master!”

More used to calling her Master?

Somehow, it seemed they had an extraordinary past. Arwin and Darwin cautiously lifted their brilliant orange eyes, looking incredibly scared, and asked,

“Do you… dislike it?”

“The previous Master said it was okay…”

Oh, kids. That expression feels like cheating…

Their long blonde hair, tied loosely and draped over one shoulder, and their white skin, cleaner and more transparent than any noble child’s. And look at those moist orange eyes.

Those deep and beautiful orange eyes, like the twilight sky, were so moist.

‘I can’t say anything because I’m afraid they’ll cry if I do.’

Seeing this, Cindy shook her head and gave Arwin and Darwin a good whack on the head.

“Ow!”

“Ah!”

Both screamed simultaneously, clutching their heads. The eyes glaring at Cindy were starkly different from the ones that had just looked up at Lumiere.

“You two, didn’t I tell you not to flirt in front of the Miss? Do you want to peel onions for three days straight? Huh?”

“…Cindy, you witch.”

“Stingy old hag witch!”

“…You little brats?”

At Cindy’s threat, the twins tucked their tails and ran away. Sighing, Cindy turned to Lumiere and asked worriedly,

“You don’t remember the people, but you remember where you worked? But you don’t remember how this mansion was built?”

Lumiere nodded in response.

Cindy furrowed her brow, touching her chin as if deep in thought. Soon, she dragged Jeffrey, who was trying to control his temper, to the side and whispered in his ear.

“…But… that person… doesn’t seem to remember…”

“Don’t jump to conclusions… let’s wait and see.”

They exchanged words that seemed secret but not really secret, glancing at Lumiere with worried expressions.

What’s going on?

Lumiere sipped her warm tea and smiled at them. At that innocent smile, Cindy’s expression grew complicated.

“…But… soon… that person might come…”

“Since we’ve contacted… let’s wait for now…”

Unable to hold back, Cindy suddenly shouted,

“But Dad, that person isn’t someone who lets things slide easily!”

Hmm, that person?