Chapter 63

In truth, her late husband Jonathan had only worked at Edward’s Wale Corporation for about half a year.

It was at the very beginning of Edward’s business venture.

After her husband’s death, Edward presented her with the contract he had signed with her husband.

If Edward hadn’t shown her the contract, she wouldn’t even have known such a clause existed.

[Working hours are set at eight hours per day. In the event of overtime, no overtime pay will be given, but the commute time will be included as working hours. If, during working hours, an accident occurs that makes it impossible to work, the company will pay the employee until age sixty. In the event of death, the company will pay the deceased’s family the salary the employee was receiving at the time of death, every year until age sixty.]

Her husband had died while returning late at night after a meeting with Edward.

Since it was overtime, the commute was counted as working hours, and even after her husband’s death, Edward promised to pay the family the salary until age sixty.

At the time, Selina, who had never worked in society, simply accepted Edward’s contract clause without much thought.

But years later, she realized that such a peculiar contract condition existed nowhere else.

She had no idea how Jonathan had managed to include such a unique and advantageous clause in the contract, and even now she found it strange that Edward had accepted it.

She’d never asked Edward about his stance. But if she had to guess, the lack of overtime pay favored Edward, and the chance of her husband dying was so slim that he probably accepted the clause for that reason.

In reality, her husband had almost never left work on time until he died.

Otherwise, maybe it was a contract that matched the interests of both employer and employee—to make the employee feel the company would take care of their family no matter what happened, and thus get the most out of them.

In any case, even if the contract bound them, a wealthy man like Edward could have overturned the contract terms with money if he wished. Yet Edward had continued to pay her husband’s salary.

From the start, it had been set at the highest level for a lawyer’s salary. Of course, that money allowed her and her daughter to live comfortably without want.

So, even though she rarely met Edward in person, Selina always felt grateful to him.

He never spoke words of comfort or encouragement like other friends or nobles, but Edward helped her in his own way—by supporting her with money.

That’s why.

If, because of his rotten personality, he ended up losing Diane Lina, the woman he was so obsessed with, Selina thought she should step in and help him.

That was why she’d told Diane to come to her house if she had nowhere else to go.

Besides, you never knew.

Maybe that reluctant woman would really come knocking at her door one day.

“Crazy bastard. I’m going this far. Me.”

Selina cursed at Edward once again.

* * *

On the day of the Compton School visit, Leon was buzzing with excitement at breakfast over the prospect of visiting the school he might attend next year.

Originally, the plan was to send him to boarding school at age eight, but now the Duke was considering enrolling him in a day school at age seven, and explained they were attending the school’s invitation event. Diane felt a bit flustered.

In just a few months, Leon would turn seven, and if he entered school at that age, Diane would no longer be able to work at the ducal residence.

She’d always thought she’d be let go eventually, but the thought of having to leave this house in just a few months made her anxious.

Where would she find a place to live and a new job?

Unlike Diane’s heavy heart, Leon was thrilled at not having to go to boarding school, and kept asking his father endless questions about Compton School.

But as breakfast was ending, Roden came running in.

“Your Grace, urgent news from the Royal Palace. His Majesty the King is gravely ill.”

The King of Traum Kingdom had been in poor health for years, so this wasn’t the first time Duke Wale had rushed to the palace upon receiving such news.

The Duke’s face darkened.

No matter how many times he’d received such a message, he couldn’t ignore a report that the King was critically ill.

Between going to see his son’s school and visiting the ailing King, the Duke’s choice was obvious.

It was just past nine o’clock, and the school visit was scheduled for eleven, so the Duke’s schedule was bound to overlap.

His son was so excited….

“Leon, what should I do? I think I need to go to the Royal Palace.”

“Then what about me? Can’t I go to Compton?”

“…”

The Duke’s lips remained tightly shut.

“What about Uncle? Can’t I go with Uncle?”

“…”

Diane looked back and forth between the silent Duke and Leon.

Of course, that wouldn’t work.

Since the childish fight over the mail, when their faces were all bruised, she hadn’t seen the Duke and the President speak to each other.

She’d worried about when their faces would heal, but both recovered quickly; this morning, both the Duke and the President looked fine as they left.

Still, they weren’t speaking now, so it would be awkward for the Duke to ask for a favor.

With that personality, the President wouldn’t agree anyway.

Besides, the President had already left the house before breakfast.

He looked even more displeased than usual today.

“It’s because of you, Dad! You hit Uncle, so Uncle won’t go with me!”

When his father didn’t answer, Leon suddenly blamed the Duke.

For days, Leon had sided with the Duke over the President about the fight, but now that he thought he couldn’t go to school, he seemed resentful of his father.

Kids….

Diane clicked her tongue inwardly as she watched Leon.

“If I leave for the palace right now, I might not be too late for Compton. Would you like to go ahead with Roden?”

Roden straightened his back.

The Duke’s suggestion that he go with Leon must have been very satisfying.

“No! Roden is a grandpa!”

At Leon’s words, Roden’s back drooped again.

“Then… what should I do? I have to stop by the palace.”

The Duke sighed.

Diane felt very uncomfortable in this moment.

She bowed her head deeply.

The Duke put down his spoon.

“I think I have to go now, Leon.”

“…”

Leon didn’t answer.

“Leon.”

“It’s because you didn’t marry Teacher.”

Leon poured out a random remark at the Duke, who called his name again.

Diane, already hunched over, froze even more.

“What do you mean, Leon?”

“If Teacher was my mom, I could go to Compton with her today. But Dad, you insisted on not marrying Teacher, so this happened. The King is sick, and I can’t go to school.”

“Leon, stop saying nonsense. I told you I’d go to the school!”

The Duke’s voice rose, and Leon stared straight at him, almost defiantly.

Diane shrank further.

She definitely didn’t want to get involved in a father-son quarrel.

She had to endure, just endure.

“It’s all your fault. You shouldn’t have said I could go to Compton. Or you should have married Teacher!”

Finally, Diane let out a deep sigh.

She couldn’t hold out any longer.

“Um… Should I stay with Young Master until you arrive, Your Grace?”

Though she was inwardly frustrated, Diane ended up saying it.

She’d been anxious ever since the Duke said he couldn’t go, fearing this would be the outcome—and now she couldn’t avoid it.

The Duke was troubled, and Leon was angry.

Watching their fight was too difficult.

Besides, she knew that in the past, Leon would have begged her to come along without hesitation, which made it even harder to endure.

Leon seemed to be watching Diane for her reaction.

After she’d warned him several times that if he kept being stubborn, she couldn’t stay in the house, Leon took it seriously.

Of course, he didn’t say it directly to her, but tried to draw her in by arguing with his father.

“Really? Teacher, you will go with me?”

Just as expected, Leon instantly brightened up with a big smile.

He had no idea.

He couldn’t possibly understand how burdensome it was for a commoner tutor to act as a noble child’s guardian in such a place. This little master wouldn’t know for years.

“Then, if you could stay with him until I arrive, I’d appreciate it.”

Diane gave a wry smile inside.

It wasn’t just Leon.

The Duke’s relieved expression seemed to be waiting for her answer too.

“Yes. I’ll do that. Please come as soon as you can.”

Compton….

It was an elite private school she’d only heard about.

She never imagined she’d ever go to such a place.

Her heart felt endlessly heavy.