Then it doesn’t seem that strange… but something still bothered her. Wait a minute.

“…I didn’t even know how famous Madame Charlize was before my debut. But she said that was my boutique?”

Right. That’s it.

Since she rarely participated in social activities, she hadn’t been particularly interested in elaborate dresses that were just uncomfortable. So she just wore whatever dresses her father had filled her wardrobe with through the merchant guild each season.

The past her had valued comfort over design when it came to clothes.

“…I never mentioned that either?”

Sage added suspiciously.

“……”

Could it be that their first meeting and everything about their relationship had been planned?

She had never thought that far before, but suddenly everything became suspicious.

“Anyway… don’t keep such things secret from me anymore.”

“…Alright.”

Though she managed to move past the situation somehow, it was too embarrassing.

Constantine had learned about her past when she had no friends and her social skills were at rock bottom. Feeling embarrassed, she glanced at him discreetly, and Constantine smiled very slightly.

“Saya. If you hadn’t made your debut, I might never have had the chance to meet you.”

…Ah. Is that how it works?

“Should we be grateful to Lady Valdez then?”

“That’s…”

“But knowing these facts now, you can’t call her a friend anymore. It’s not your fault.”

Though she hadn’t particularly felt sorry, his words made her feel strange.

Especially considering his past with Elizabeth…

“Besides, you have real friends now. You wouldn’t have gained them either if you hadn’t made your debut.”

She had been talking about Elizabeth from her past life, but his words were definitely comforting.

“Yes, you’re right.”

They were practically estranged anyway, and she thought it unlikely they would have any more contact in the future. Suddenly, even spending time feeling upset about Elizabeth seemed like a waste.

‘Right. Don’t dwell on the past. It’s a relationship I’ve already decided to end.’

Looking back later, her ill-fated relationship with Elizabeth didn’t end there, but that’s what she thought at the time.

* * *

There were a few things to do while at the Debov house.

One of them was meeting her nanny.

“Miss!”

“Nanny!”

She left Constantine in the reception room and went out alone. He would probably have to endure some uncomfortable conversation while being attacked by his father-in-law and brother-in-law, but he could handle that much.

“No, you’re not Miss anymore, are you? What should I call you? Duchess?”

“Ugh… not you too, Nanny.”

“But you’re properly married now… Ah, how was your wedding night? Were you in pain?”

“……”

A nanny will be a nanny.

She brought up topics that other family members wouldn’t dare mention. But it was Saena whose face turned red.

“Come on, tell me quickly.”

“…It was fine.”

“How was it fine? Fine because it was bearable, or fine because His Grace was excellent?”

“……”

“I heard about it, you know. That His Grace didn’t let you out for the whole week. Is that true? You weren’t lying in bed the whole time because you were hurting, were you? I was worried because he’s so big…”

“N-Nanny!”

How far was she planning to go?

Saena stopped her nanny’s unrestrained words and changed the subject.

“I came to ask you something!”

“Yes?”

“Nanny, will you come with me?”

She couldn’t bring her before, but now it was possible.

Of course, that’s assuming the nanny wanted to.

“If you want to stay at the Debov house, you can stay here. I can just visit often.”

“What are you saying! Of course I need to look after you, Miss. Oh my, I said Miss again.”

“But when I go to the Kramer territory, it’s too far to come together, so I thought maybe it would be better to just stay at the Debov house.”

Saena explained these circumstances.

Since she herself didn’t know exactly when and for how long she could stay in the Kramer territory, or what the yearly schedule would be like, it was awkward to recommend it.

“I don’t know how long I’ll be staying in the territory either, so don’t move right away. Let’s decide gradually.”

“Shall we?”

“Yes.”

“Alright.”

And there was one more thing to do.

“Where’s Yolly?”

“Ah, right. You should go see that little guy quickly.”

“Why?”

“Oh my. He’s been so listless lately… I think it’s because he hasn’t seen you.”

He must have been alone this whole time.

Suddenly worried, Saena quickly made her way to Yolly’s room.

“……”

Yolly was in the room.

However… he was crouched near the window, showing his melancholic back as he endlessly gazed outside.

“Oh, Yolly?”

“Kyang?!”

Yolly heard her voice and jumped up, turning his head.

“Kyaang…”

Then he looked up at Saena endlessly with somewhat tearful eyes.

She approached Yolly and picked him up. He buried his face in her neck and made a sound like crying, “Kheuk.”

“Yolly, are you crying?”

“Kyu…”

Why was he suddenly acting like this?

Was it because she hadn’t seen him, leaving him alone because of the wedding?

“The busy schedule is over now. I can play with Yolly, okay?”

“…Kyu…”

…Maybe not that.

“Why are you sad? Are you sad that your sister got married?”

“Kyaang!”

Yolly suddenly showed an intense reaction. She couldn’t tell if it meant yes or no.

“Hmm.”

A sound that could have been either a growl or a sob continued to come out. Though she wasn’t sure, it seemed like a moment that needed comforting, so she patted Yolly’s back.

“Kiuung… Kyuung…”

Once he seemed to have calmed down somewhat, Saena tried to refresh the mood with an intentionally cheerful tone.

“Now, shall we move to your sister’s new home?”

“Kraaang! Krang!”

But Yolly suddenly became agitated again, then whimpered with another “Kyuung…” She had no idea why he was acting this way. Anyway, since he wasn’t refusing, Saena took good care of Yolly and rejoined Constantine.

Then after having dinner with the whole family, they returned to the Kramer mansion.

* * *

Life at the Kramer house wasn’t much different from the days around their first night.

She still lived a life where getting up in the morning was difficult because he would explore her excessively at night, but even that became somewhat habitual with repetition, and she could gradually wake up earlier.

Though ‘earlier’ still meant around noon.

“Madam.”

Royter came to visit.

See, since she woke up at noon, Royter could come visit.

‘Madam… Though it’s a natural title, it feels somewhat awkward.’

She had been called this before, but it felt different.

Being called ‘Madam’ at the Hollander house felt like an inescapable yoke, or someone who had to fulfill mountains of obligations.

But when Royter called her ‘Madam,’ it didn’t feel that way.

‘Well, I suppose it’s the difference in mindset…’

Saena responded.

“Yes.”

“Madam. Please speak comfortably.”

“I am comfortable now.”

“But…”

“You’re the head butler of the Kramer ducal family, after all.”

The position of head butler in a house like the Kramers was no comparison to most lower nobility.

For a ducal house, it was common to have multiple titles belonging to the family, allowing them to bestow baronies and viscounties on their own.

In fact, a ducal house’s head butler would be at least a baron, but rather than being called baron, they were called head butler. This meant that the position of Kramer house’s head butler was considered higher than an ordinary barony.

“Please consider it a sign of respect.”

She had heard that normally the head butler should work at the main territory, but due to the ducal house’s special circumstances, he worked at the town house.

Since Constantine, the lord, rarely came to the imperial capital except for essential schedules, the head butler stayed here instead to coordinate between the imperial family and the ducal house and handle necessary work.

“…Yes. Thank you.”

Royter cleared his throat for a moment, then placed what appeared to be a long list in front of Saena.

“I’ve organized the wedding congratulatory gifts that have arrived. They’re arranged by importance, and the first page contains what appear to be gifts from your acquaintances, which I’ve separated and left unopened. They’ve been moved to the next room for you to open personally.”

“Ah…”

“From the second page onward are items that seem to have arrived according to custom. I’ve summarized the items, senders, and brief relationships, so please look them over and let me know if there’s anything you need or would like to see personally.”

Wow… Such a meticulous and neat list.

The list, clearly organized by category, contained well over hundreds of items at a glance.

“Yes, I’ll check it.”

“Very well.”

Saena stopped Royter as he was about to leave after briefly concluding their conversation.

“Royter.”

“Yes?”

“Thank you for taking care of this despite being busy. The organization is excellent too. It’s very easy to see at a glance.”

“…It’s nothing.”

From the Kramer family’s perspective, Saena was still an unfamiliar presence. Though her habits and relationships probably weren’t fully understood yet, the neatness of this list likely demonstrated Royter’s capability.

Since the topic came up, Saena decided to check right away. She would need to personally verify the items on the first page and send handwritten thank-you letters and return gifts.

“For those beyond the first page, the administration will send thank-you letters and return gifts according to custom. Please let me know if there’s anyone you’d like to handle personally.”

“Yes. Hmm… I don’t think so. Ah.”

“……?”

There was an opposite case though.

“Here. Please move this person from the first page to the back. I’d appreciate if the administration could handle it.”

Elizabeth Valdez’s name was on the first page list. Though it made sense given their past association, that wasn’t the case now.

“Yes. Understood.”

Royter answered without question.

“…One more thing.”

“Yes. Please speak.”