She was glad that Bailey, who seemed so frightening at first, now spoke to her gently, and she was grateful that Bailey was the only one in this vast manor who spoke to her and acknowledged her presence.

If there was one thing the charity school gave her, it was the ability to read a room.

Over those two or three months, she naturally learned how to watch others and pick up on the negative feelings people held toward her.

And she grasped right away that no matter what happened, she must never draw the attention of that proud noblewoman she met yesterday.

Just as Bailey advised, it would be best to move carefully and stay out of the duchess’s sight as much as possible.

“Ma’am. Today the weather is nice. May I go outside for a little while? I have never seen such a beautiful rose garden.”

Adele, who wanted to open the outer shutters connecting her room to the garden since the day before, finally let out the question she held back.

Bailey considered it briefly before speaking.

“I see. It really is a lovely day today. The rose garden of Heitzrind manor is quite famous even within Portzsheim. But I think it would be better to stay in your room today. The duchess has not yet come out of her room either, and if you happened to cross paths during a garden walk, that would not be good.”

“Yes, I understand, ma’am.”

Adele was a little disappointed but nodded.

Even Bailey could see that the gloomy Portzsheim weather of the day before was gone, replaced by the clear and bright June sky it usually wore, as though nothing had happened.

It was a shame to spend such a day shut indoors.

On top of that, the rose garden, the manor’s great pride, fortunately kept its blooms through yesterday’s rain.

A beautiful day, but still, it was better to keep a low profile for at least one more day.

Bailey recalled what head butler Norman said a short while ago and gently reassured Adele.

“Miss Adele, did you bring any luggage when you came here?”

“Nothing at all.”

Adele answered with a brief flush of embarrassment.

From the moment she arrived at the charity school, she carried no bag of any kind.

The only thing she had to her name was a pendant her kind nanny hid deep inside her clothing.

Opening the pendant revealed a photograph of her gentle father on the left, and her kind mother on the right.

It was the only thing she had left, and she fought with everything she had at the charity school to keep it from being taken.

The pretty silk dress she wore when she left the Baden household was stripped from her and replaced with a rough cotton dress, then disappeared somewhere.

But her treasure, the small pendant, stayed hidden deep in her underclothes, and thankfully it remained.

That was the only possession Adele had left.

“I see. With nothing to read and nothing to pass the time, spending the day cooped up in this room will be hard. When the master returns, I’ll quietly ask whether you might borrow a book or two from the library. Do you enjoy reading?”

“Very much!”

Adele’s eyes lit up.

The only books available at the charity school were a history of the Erwin Republic, a grammar textbook, and an arithmetic workbook.

Occasionally slips of paper with prayers written on them were passed around, but they were not enough to quiet Adele’s deep curiosity and hunger for books.

She sang the verses of the prayers to herself like a troubadour’s poetry, memorizing them over and over. The history and grammar books were simply impossible to love no matter how hard she tried.

“Would there be any storybooks, or books about the southern lands?”

“I’m not sure. I don’t use the library myself, so I couldn’t say. But when Master Karl was around Miss Adele’s age, he practically never left the library, so I would think there are books that might interest you as well.”

“Who is Master Karl?”

A faint look of surprise crossed Bailey’s face.

He would be returning next week anyway, so it was fine to mention him. And giving her a word of caution in advance wouldn’t hurt.

“Master Karl is the son of His Grace the Duke of Clausen. He turned eighteen this year and is currently studying in Schultz. He has decided to study at university starting this September, so you likely won’t see him often. He may return during school breaks, but in any case he is a busy person, so if you do happen to meet him, simply show him the proper courtesy.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Adele felt a slight pang of worry.

The Duke of Clausen, whom she met for the first time yesterday, was a little frightening, but he was the one who pulled her out of the gutter that was the charity school.

Even without many words exchanged, the grey eyes that looked at her seemed, just a little, warm.

But the duchess she encountered after arriving here was truly frightening.

Those marble-blue eyes were filled with fury, and meeting that gaze, blazing like it might throw off sparks, made her head bow on its own.

She worried a little about which side Master Karl would fall on.

“Are you worried?”

“…A little.”

Adele looked down and fidgeted her feet, pressing them into the carpet.

“Don’t worry. Master Karl is a gentleman. If you show him proper courtesy, he will treat you like a lady in return. He is very tall and handsome. There is no young man in all of Portzsheim who could compare. He is quiet and composed by nature. Just be careful not to cross paths with him too often inside Heitzrind. Though he likely won’t pay you much mind.”

Adele nodded.

“Good. Can you sew?”

“A little.”

“Then today let’s practice sewing and embroidery with some scrap fabric. Time will pass quickly, and once you finish, you can use it as your own handkerchief. Two birds with one stone.”

Sewing was not something Adele particularly enjoyed, but there was nothing else to do in this room, so she nodded and agreed.

A short while later, Bailey brought a piece of cotton cloth for a handkerchief and several colors of thread to Adele’s room.

Adele took the cotton cloth Bailey cut for her and soon followed her lead in hemming the edges.

It was not the kind of repetitive work she enjoyed, but just as Bailey said, time really did pass quickly.

Once she grew comfortable with the hemming, Bailey used a soft chalk to sketch a small outline on her cloth.

Adele began embroidering along the outline following the method Bailey showed her.

Clumsy but lovely, pink roses as pretty as those in the Heitzrind garden bloomed here and there across Adele’s handkerchief.

* * *

Heitzrind manor was busy for days on end.

The many servants swept and polished the manor over and over in preparation, and the kitchen was in a flurry making dish after dish.

It seemed there was nothing left to clean after all the daily scrubbing, yet everyone kept at it diligently.

The kitchen especially was a battlefield.

Adele’s room was fairly close to the kitchen, so every day the smell of delicious food drifted in through the gap under the door, and when she was bored with nothing to do, she passed the time imagining what dishes were being made.

That one must be a sweet fruit cake packed with prunes and raisins. That one now must be a roast chicken, crisped up with olive oil and herbs.

The game of picturing foods she knew was fun. It made her hungry quickly, but still.

Bailey believed young children needed frequent snacks, so she occasionally brought over bits of what the kitchen was making.

Thanks to that, Adele got to taste butter-laden cookies and soft chocolate fudge, things she couldn’t eat during her time at the charity school.

Bailey discovered, somewhat to her surprise, that Adele had refined tastes.

Then again, thinking back on the Baden household before the bankruptcy, Adele’s discerning palate made sense.

Whatever the case, Adele ate well and lived comfortably thanks to Bailey’s warm attention.

These days, Adele was absorbed in reading.

Adele’s room was a comfortable enough size for a twelve-year-old, and the furnishings inside were as good as new, but there was nothing to capture a child’s interest.

She was already accustomed to days without toys from her time at the charity school, but truly there was nothing in Adele’s room besides sewing, so she read every single day.

The third day after Adele came to Heitzrind.

The Duke of Clausen sent for Bailey.

He already heard through Norman that Bailey was looking after Adele.

The duke wore a deeply tired expression and, closing his dry, worn eyes, spoke to Bailey.

“Is Adele getting on well?”

“Yes. She is doing well. She is a very good and gentle soul.”

“I see. If she needs anything, tell Norman. I would appreciate it if you looked after her comfort.”

“Yes, Your Grace. Might I ask whether Miss Adele is permitted to use the library?”

Bailey recalled her conversation with Adele the day before and asked whether Adele could borrow books from the library.