Chapter 1 – She Was Greedy (Part 4)

The first line of the standard employment contract stated that employees must always keep their mouths shut. That’s how much nobles valued their employees’ discretion.

Especially the Duncan family, one of the four great dukes, with an unmarried head, was even more stringent in this regard.

‘It won’t just end with a pay cut, will it? How much did I repay for the medicine last month….’

Calculating the unpaid medicine bills in her head, Jane’s face turned into a frown. Lorraine, watching her, pushed up her glasses and spoke.

“But….”

“…….”

“Can I ask you one thing?”

“…Yes.”

With Jane’s permission, Lorraine smiled.

“Why are you alone? You didn’t say much yourself.”

It felt like the termination notice was looming before her eyes.

“…You heard quite a lot.”

Jane muttered quietly. Lorraine, with an indifferent expression, shrugged and continued.

“Isn’t it unfair? The ones who talked are different, but you’re being scolded because you’re senior.”

“It’s my fault for not managing them properly.”

Lorraine, who had been silent for a moment at Jane’s retort, spoke again.

“So you admit you have some fault as well, understood.”

“…….”

Jane tried to remain composed, but she looked like she might collapse at any moment.

Then, Lorraine clapped her hands with a solemn face.

“I’ll handle this matter personally.”

“Pardon?”

Jane looked at Lorraine with a face full of confusion.

Seeing the evident bewilderment on Jane’s face, Lorraine shrugged and jested.

“Everyone has days when they want to gossip. But.”

Lorraine approached Jane, fastening the buttons on Jane’s maid uniform.

“It’s only possible if you don’t get caught, right? I trust you’ll go back and teach your juniors about keeping their mouths shut.”

Her blue eyes gleamed coldly. Though she spoke softly, it was clear that she wouldn’t be lenient next time.

“Yes.”

Jane nodded. She then bowed deeply and quickly ran back towards the mansion.

Watching Jane’s retreating figure, Lorraine let out a sigh.

“Sigh… I hope I handled that well.”

Stretching her tense body, she muttered.

“She must be about eighteen now.”

Though she had given a stern warning, she felt uneasy. The face of her youngest sibling at the art academy came to mind.

「Olivia Wigg!」

「Aah! Help!」

Olivia, the youngest, had grown up receiving an overabundance of love from the family. Even at eighteen, she was extremely lively.

「Unpredictable Livvy.」

Everyone called her that.

At three, she had colored the entire house and fallen asleep in the attic, leaving the servants and her three sisters fuming as they cleaned up.

「Olivia Wigg!」

「Aah! Father! Put me down!」

「How did you get up there…. Bring a ladder, quickly.」

At nine, she had climbed a lime tree in the garden, terrifying the household.

At twelve, she had gotten into trouble by playing pranks on the bishop with the boys from the estate.

「Come out at once!」

「Waaah… I don’t want to….」

Despite his limp from a prosthetic leg, her father, David, had somehow found the strength to deal with her antics.

「Dear!」

「You stay put! Olivia Wigg! Come out right now while I’m still speaking nicely!」

「Father!」

The situation only ended when her mother fainted and the bishop intervened to stop her father.

***

Lorraine entered the mansion just as Philip was coming down the stairs. He greeted her enthusiastically.

“Oh! Lorraine! Just in time.”

Descending the stairs quickly, he pulled a piece of paper from his notebook. It was a receipt indicating that the transfer had been processed.

“This month’s bonus should have been deposited today. Check it when you get home.”

“Oh, yes.”

Lorraine’s blue eyes sparkled as she checked the receipt, clearly pleased with the news.

Philip approached her as she headed toward the study, speaking in a casual tone.

“So, what are you going to do this time?”

Lorraine paused to think for a moment before answering in a calm voice.

“I’m planning to spruce up the garden a bit. The garden at my family’s estate is neat, but the townhouse garden is still quite bare.”

As she finished speaking, she added a confession with a slight smile.

“Whether it’s planting flowers or trees, my mother will take care of it. Honestly… I don’t know anything about home decorating.”

Lorraine laughed awkwardly, aware of those who still believed that managing a household was a woman’s virtue.

As she opened the office door, she suddenly clapped her hands as if she had just remembered something.

“Oh, and I need to repair the back gate that broke last winter. And pay off the last of the bank debt.”

She listed the tasks in an innocent tone, causing Philip to look slightly overwhelmed.

“…Will that be enough? It seems like it won’t cover everything…”

“Of course not. I didn’t plan to do everything at once anyway.”

Lorraine sat down and began cleaning her glasses with a soft cloth, answering as if it were the most obvious thing.

“…….”

“If I divide it over several times, I’ll get everything done eventually, won’t I?”

She held her glasses up to the light, then put them back on and started working on the remaining documents.

“But still…”

“Yes?”

“…Aren’t you taking on too much by yourself?”

Her hand, which had been flipping through the papers, stopped abruptly.

Lorraine sighed deeply and looked up. A faint smile played on her lips.

“Philip.”

It lasted only a moment.

“Yes?”

Then Lorraine’s expression turned serious, and she spoke in a cold tone.

“That’s enough.”

“…….”

“I said I wouldn’t pry into your personal affairs.”

“…Oh.”

Before Philip could respond, she was already immersed in her paperwork again.

The atmosphere grew tense, and after a moment of watching her, Philip spoke first.

“Sorry.”

Lorraine glanced at him with an awkward expression and nodded.

“Okay.”

Philip’s voice grew louder immediately.

“As long as you’re okay, that’s all that matters, right? Isn’t it?”

“Yes, well…”

“Oh, and I’ll lend you a carriage for the bank trip later, so take it.”

Lorraine grimaced as she organized the stack of documents.

“Ugh, it’s fine…”

“Take it. There have been a lot of pickpocket incidents in front of the bank lately.”

He pointed to the newspapers neatly arranged on the central table in the study. Headlines like [Pickpocketing in Front of the Bank, Is This Safe?] and [The Ineffectiveness of the Knight Order Against Elusive Pickpockets] were prominently displayed.

“The military is even discussing whether to dispatch personnel, so….”

As Philip’s nagging continued, Lorraine quickly raised her hands and nodded.

“Okay, okay. I’ll take the carriage, alright?”

Philip smiled as if to say that she could have agreed sooner.

About 30 minutes before the end of the workday, Lorraine glanced out the window out of boredom and nearly fell over in shock.

‘Why is that…?’

She turned around with a horrified expression.

“Why is that out there?”

Pointing with a trembling hand, she indicated the rare and prestigious carriage, the Black Wind.

“It’s the safest and sturdiest.”

Philip shrugged, speaking as if it was the most obvious thing.

“You say that like it’s nothing…!”

“When else would you use it if not for times like this?”

He spoke nonchalantly, but the Black Wind was actually a symbol of the Duke.

“No matter how you look at it…”

Her skepticism was evident.

Whether he understood her feelings or not, Philip leaned in and whispered as if sharing a big secret.

“Enjoy it while you can. Not everyone gets this privilege.”

“Well, thanks… I guess.”

Lorraine squinted suspiciously but nodded, and Philip raised his voice.

“Don’t you trust me?”

“…….”

Lorraine didn’t bother to deny it, even out of courtesy. Philip, looking exasperated, muttered.

“You really shouldn’t be like that.”

His voice was thick with indignation.

Just then, she noticed the clock pointing exactly at six o’clock.

“Oh, it’s time to leave.”

Her tone was theatrically dramatic.

“Hey, hey.”

Philip waved his hand as if he hadn’t finished speaking, but Lorraine quickly packed up and stood.

“I’ll be going now!”

“…Yeah, go ahead.”

Philip waved her off with a resigned look on his face.