Shortly after, the kitchen door opened.

Thud-

“Waaah-“

“The delicious smell spread all the way to the corridor.”

They’re always quick to act. The children Sion had brought, the staff who had smelled the sweet aroma, and the volunteers arrived, quickly filling the dining room.

“Now, today, Lady Lorazie has made snacks for us. Well then, let’s begin!”

“Thank you! We’ll enjoy them today as well!”

The children, who had recited the snack greeting in unison, began picking up and eating the cookies with sparkling eyes.

Smiling at their cuteness, I pushed the plate toward the child sitting next to me. As I looked up and scanned those seated, I spotted the man I had met earlier in the kitchen.

Still with his face hidden under the robe, he was busy filling the plate of the child sitting next to him with cookies.

Unable to take my eyes off this cognitive dissonance, suddenly his body turned toward me.

Though hidden by the robe, the direction of his gaze was clearly visible. As I met his gaze without looking away, his lips curved into a smile.

And at the end of that enigmatic smile, a delicate hand slowly rose.

Rustle-

The elegant robe that had been covering his face was pulled back.

First, I saw light brown, fine hair flowing along with the robe. Lowering my gaze a bit more, warm wheat-colored eyes were staring at me. They were pleasantly curved, just like his lips.

He looks different from the Grand Duke’s portrait. But who knows?

The fact that he’s revealing himself so directly is even more suspicious.

After blinking quietly, I curved my eyes back at him. Just as he was about to open his mouth toward me, a child jumped into his arms.

“Wow- Did you take off your hood, mister?”

“Yes. It’s a bit warm.”

As expected, he answered kindly and looked at me again.

And just as he was about to move his lips again—

“Lora!”

“You’re finally here.”

This time, Limpe approached with a smile. I also smiled back and stood up.

***

“Ah, that man’s name is Tan. He’s the youngest son of the Kan merchant group, and he’s been volunteering for three days after making a huge donation.”

“I see.”

Limpe’s private office, where he conducted business,s was a space that was neither luxurious nor modest—just like him. I was currently there, trying to dig up information about that man.

“I thought I saw golden hair under the robe, so I wondered if it might be the Grand Duke out incognito.”

“Hmm. There’s nothing to worry about, but we should be careful.”

He raised his eyebrows as if something had occurred to him.

“Lora, have you heard the news?”

“What news?”

Limpe leaned back comfortably against his chair and smiled.

“I heard that all of Eslina’s guards have been replaced.”

“Ah, I heard about it through a very detailed letter.”

I also leaned back on the sofa and smiled.

“Really, the more I see, the more amazing it is. To contact the Grand Duke’s residence directly and summon the Grand Duke himself.”

“Usually in these situations, you need to go straight to the head, but it’s a bit disappointing.”

“H-head…”

Leaving Limpe unable to process my blunt language, I picked up my teacup, took a sip, and recalled that day.

The day I brought back the lost child, the next place I contacted after Limpe was the Grand Duke’s residence. Filled with deep anger, I firmly pressed the crystal ball number of the Grand Duke’s residence, and after the signal tone, when I was connected to the administrative department, what I did was:

“Are you saying that Kalschmitz was completely unaware of this situation? How is that possible?”

“Haha. Well, managing all territories from here…”

“Then what about the people in territories beyond your management area?”

“This, this issue seems difficult for me to handle at my level. I’ll bring in someone in charge.”

“I’m busy. Please call them right now.”

“I completely turned things upside down.”

“Hahaha.”

The flustered low-level employee called their superior, then that superior’s superior, and finally, until the second-in-command responsible for northern administration appeared, I passionately expressed my outrage—or rather, my condemnation of the guards’ ruthless actions.

In truth, I wanted the Grand Duke to appear in person, but that didn’t work out.

“I didn’t do it thoughtlessly.”

“Of course not. Kalschmitz is a family that thoroughly remembers both favors and grudges. You knew that, didn’t you, Lora?”

“And considering Count Ante and his knights, this much is nothing, right?”

It seems today is a day for Limpe to feel awkward. He smiled while avoiding my gaze.

Becoming indifferent to his evasive behavior, I crossed my arms and wiggled my finger, causing Limpe to smile reluctantly.

“An ordinary person wouldn’t demand such things in return, nor would they be able to directly summon someone of such high position.”

“That’s right.”

“But summoning the Grand Duke is Tangerous.”

“But calling the head directly is the most effective method.”

When I said this to Limpe, he once again smiled awkwardly.

“Haha. Lora. Please don’t refer to the Grand Duke as ‘the head’ elsewhere.”

“Of course not.”

If I did, my own head might disappear.

“I know my limits.”

Anyway, a few hours after causing a commotion through the crystal ball.

They brought back an answer with lightning speed that the Grand Duke had approved it. Normally, approval wouldn’t come so easily, but the Grand Duke was also someone who clearly understood debts of gratitude.

Thus, a major overhaul of the northern guard and poverty relief projects were implemented by the Grand Duke’s residence.

From now on, all northern guards would be directly supervised by Kalschmitz. Additionally, they declared they would hold funerals for those who had died during this winter.

Normally, they would have dug a large hole and buried them, but with the image of the woman holding the lost child lingering in my mind, I strongly insisted.

In any case, it was certainly unprecedented.

“They handled the matter properly. Their score went up a bit in my heart.”

“By how many points?”

“It went up by a hundred points, so now it’s only negative one billion points.”

The Grand Duke’s score increased because he sent me an invitation. He probably sent it out of curiosity after this incident.

It was a sad ending.

As I sighed, Limpe, who had already picked up his pen, asked.

“Ah, what happened to those two guards?”

“Wouldn’t they be fighting the cold in prison by now?”

The two men who had been insolent toward me went to prison for dereliction of duty.

Although it was only for a year, it was a heavy sentence that no one would believe was given because of a slum child.

“And what else did the Grand Duke’s residence say?”

“Well, they said the usual things—that they’re grateful I stepped in to do what they should have done and that they’ll improve in the future. But what are you writing now?”

The sight of him scribbling something on paper was quite suspicious. As suspicious as that man from earlier.

“What is that?”

“Ah. It’s a story for tomorrow’s newspaper.”

“What are you planning to publish now?”

When I asked suspiciously, Limpe smiled innocently.

“You’re leaving for the Kalschmitz Grand Duke’s residence soon, right?”

“And?”

“The atrocities of the vicious guards. The illegitimate daughter of House Epine who personally rescued a child from their clutches. Was her notorious reputation actually false? How about that?”

As I stared at him blankly, at a loss for words, Limpe cheerfully disappeared, saying he’d take my silence as approval.

***

“Mia! Are you ready?”

“Yes!”

Mia answered energetically.

Today was the day we planned to visit the cemetery where Mia’s mother was buried. Those who had frozen to death last winter were identified and laid to rest in common graves in each territory.

As the weather had improved a bit and Mia seemed more stable, we decided to go together. Once I left for the north, I wouldn’t be able to return for quite some time.

“Shall we go?”

“Yes!”

With Mia ready, the entire household boarded the carriage.

Today’s coachman was Sion. After everyone from the mansion had boarded the carriage and was safely seated, we departed.

“Then, we’ll be departing.”

“Okay.”

Clatter-