7. Newlywed Life (2)

For the first time since marrying him, she slept alone and woke up alone.

Waking up in the middle of the morning in the vast bed, Saena felt somewhat strange. Come to think of it, waking up in the morning had become unfamiliar lately.

‘I hope he isn’t injured?’

While she had slept and woken up so comfortably and safely within the castle, he would be somewhere out there earnestly hunting demonic beasts.

Saena tried to imagine what that looked like.

But having never seen subjugation firsthand, her vague imagination only conjured bloody and extremely dangerous scenes.

‘Hmm…’

Feeling increasingly anxious and worried while spacing out, Saena looked for something to do.

‘I should write letters.’

Everyone must have been surprised by their sudden departure from the imperial capital. She hadn’t properly thanked them for attending the wedding and for their gifts either.

‘I’ll write letters of thanks and apology, and decide on the return gifts too.’

That settled today’s tasks.

‘Ah, right, the Princess too.’

The gift from the Princess had been so wonderful that choosing a return gift would require more thought.

“Please send these to the imperial capital.”

“Yes.”

She spent two days diligently writing personal letters and selecting return gifts.

Once again finding herself without tasks, Saena wondered what to do today.

“Kyang kyang!”

Perhaps Yolly also needed something to do. He seemed especially restless today.

“Hey, hey. What’s wrong? Hm?”

“Kya–wang–!

After bouncing around the room almost literally jumping off the walls, he started scratching at the door, seemingly wanting to go outside.

“Want to go out?”

“Kyang!”

“Okay. Let’s go look around.”

Come to think of it, she realized she still didn’t know Castle Cream’s layout well.

She had barely figured out the area around the Duchess’s room where she stayed, but knew nothing about the overall structure, locations, or facilities.

Recently, Nadia had visited and said she would give a tour after a few days of rest, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t look around before then.

“Yolly! Slow down! Hey! Where are you going!!”

Yolly moved about quickly as if he had been waiting for this day.

Whether he was a dog or a wolf, it must be his canine nature that explained why he was so energetic today. Maybe he built up stress if he didn’t get to move his body.

Watching Yolly running freely outside made her feel guilty for keeping him indoors too much lately.

“Yolly, are you happy?”

“……”

Yolly, who had been running around here and there for a while, stopped.

Unlike his usual pattern of responding with a ‘kyang’ when she asked, he seemed somewhat serious.

His ears and nose twitched as he appeared to be looking somewhere far away.

‘Why is he acting like this?’

Wondering if there was something in that direction, Saena looked around but could only see a well-maintained walking path.

“Oh, Yolly?!”

Suddenly, Yolly started sprinting.

How could such a small creature be so quick? Saena was startled and chased after him.

“Hey? W-wait!”

Swoosh. He disappeared between the walking paths, blending into the forest path.

The startled Saena stopped and looked around in all directions.

For a moment he had vanished from sight, but then revealed himself again with his swaying tail, and Saena diligently followed Yolly. Though she worried she might lose him if he disappeared into the bushes on either side, she could keep following because he stayed on the path.

“Yolly! Where are you going? Come here!”

Still, she had no idea where he was heading. Despite her calls, Yolly wouldn’t return, seemingly moving with purpose without looking back.

After continuing like this for a while…

Suddenly, a different landscape appeared before her eyes. Position-wise, it must be inside a small forest beyond Castle Cream’s back garden, where a wide clearing had suddenly appeared.

In this spacious place where warm sunlight flooded in as the shade from tall trees disappeared, there stood a small house built with red bricks, along with a well-tended vegetable garden and a modest flower garden. It clearly looked like someone’s residence.

What is this place?

“…Oh. Yolly! Come here!”

Suddenly realizing she had become an intruder, Saena urgently called out to Yolly, but it was too late.

“My, what a new face we have here.”

He had already scampered over and met who appeared to be the house’s owner.

“Child, where did you come from?”

“Kyang!”

He’s certainly first-rate at causing trouble. Despite being the intruder, Yolly started barking at the house owner.

‘Oh dear…’

Saena shook her head and stepped forward.

“Yolly!”

She quickly approached and picked him up in her arms.

“Hello. I’m so sorry for suddenly intruding like this.”

She apologized for their sudden appearance. The owner of the red brick house was an elderly woman with an elegant air.

‘…Who could she be?’

The woman, who gave off a peculiar impression, discovered Saena and responded with a smile.

“Hello? How did such a lovely miss end up here?”

“I was taking a walk and ended up here. I had no idea there was a house in such a place. I’m sorry if I’ve intruded.”

“Oh my, not at all. I’m grateful for this unexpected visit to such a secluded place.”

The woman seemed genuinely pleased as she smiled and gestured toward Saena.

“Would you like to stay for a cup of tea?”

“What? Yes. Thank you.”

Though she found herself in an unexpected tea time with a stranger, while it felt awkward, it didn’t seem dangerous, and somehow it felt like the right thing to do.

While Yolly could be troublesome, there was always a reason when he acted strangely. Besides, the woman’s complexion was so pale that she looked like she might collapse at any moment.

‘…Is there no one taking care of her?’

She felt she should at least check if there was even one maid in the house before leaving.

“Wow, it’s so cozy.”

The red brick house was tiny compared to Castle Cream, but quite large for a single person, and the interior showed clear signs of careful decoration.

Unlike its exterior, the interior items were quite luxurious, and while she wasn’t sure if it reflected the resident’s preferences, the atmosphere was incredibly comfortable.

Considering the woman’s complexion, it looked almost like a place for recuperation.

‘…Does Constantine know her too?’

While she thought he must know someone living in his territory, she also wondered if that was realistic given the number of residents and employees.

Yet considering this residence’s location, she felt he must know about it. It was in a place not easily accessible, clearly within the inner castle area rather than the outer castle.

“Ah, let me do that.”

“No, no. You’re my guest, I should do it.”

“It’s alright. Despite appearances, I’m quite good at brewing tea. Please, let me.”

Though she was in the position of receiving tea at someone else’s house, seeing the woman’s thin hands made it impossible to just sit and be served.

Though her expression was very bright and she clearly wanted to serve the tea, Saena gladly took the pot.

‘Come to think of it, this is an old-style tea stove.’

It’s a charcoal brazier that isn’t commonly used nowadays.

“This must be difficult to use…”

“No, I can manage.”

It was actually familiar to Saena.

The Hollander household never invested money in new stoves, so she had to brew tea on old-style braziers. They even had to be careful with charcoal, only using it when necessary and removing it afterward, which was quite troublesome.

‘Looking back now, I wonder how we lived like that.’

Nevertheless, thanks to that experience, Saena could skillfully brew tea.

Old-style braziers made it difficult to gauge water temperature, making it hard to brew good tea without long experience, but it wasn’t a problem for Saena.

“My goodness. How can such a young miss be so skilled? It tastes wonderful.”

The woman sipped her tea slowly and smiled brightly.

“Thank you. Would you like another cup?”

After refilling the nodding woman’s teacup, Saena picked up her own cup to drink.

She had simply brewed the tea leaves that were next to the pot, though it wasn’t a type she was familiar with. She guessed it might be medicinal tea.

“Our young master used to love tea brewed like this…”

Hm? Young master?

“I worry about who’s brewing his tea now…”

The woman, pausing mid-sip with a wistful expression, seemed lost in remembering a scene from the past.

“Miss!”

Then suddenly, the woman brightened up and called to Saena.

“Yes?”

“Your tea-brewing skills are quite remarkable, could you perhaps brew it like this for our young master?”

“…Young master?”

Young master? Who could she be talking about?

“Kyang!”

Just as she was about to ask out of curiosity, Yolly turned and barked loudly toward the door.

“Yolly?”

Wondering what was happening, she heard the front door open with a bang. Someone seemed to have arrived.

Come to think of it, since there didn’t seem to be any maids, could they be returning from an errand?

“Sister? How are you today… Oh?!”

“…Nadia?”

It was Head Butler Nadia.

“Madam? How did you come to be here?”

Why was Nadia here?

“Well, I was out for a walk and happened to pass by this place. This lady invited me in, and we were having tea together. What brings you here, Nadia?”

“Ah, I see…”

Nadia showed signs of awkwardness. Come to think of it, didn’t she say ‘Sister’ when she came in earlier?

‘Could this woman be Nadia’s sister?’

Since being a head butler usually meant coming from a hereditary vassal family, then this woman must also be…

As her thoughts naturally connected, Saena’s eyes widened.

“…Madam? This miss is the Lady? Then is this person the one our young master married?!”

The woman, seemingly having learned new information herself, suddenly stared at Saena with wide eyes. Then she hurriedly approached, grabbed Saena’s hands, and began to cry.

“Thank goodness. Thank goodness. Our young master married such a lovely miss. This nanny has no more regrets.”

While Saena was too surprised by the sudden tears to speak, Nadia soothed the woman and pulled her away.

“She is my sister and His Grace’s childhood nanny. Please understand her joy at meeting the Duchess, Madam.”

“Ah, I see. I don’t mind.”

So he had a childhood too. Though it was natural, why did it feel so unfamiliar?