Chapter 7 (Part 7)

Knock, knock.  

The words she had managed to say while fidgeting with her hands were cut off by the sound of a knock.  

“Duke, it’s almost time to resume the meeting.”  

For some reason, Dominic called from outside without entering. Tenus rose promptly.  

Sellakia instinctively grabbed his wrist as he moved away.  

“Oh.”  

She was more surprised by her own action and widened her eyes. Even so, she didn’t let go of the hand she had grabbed. She didn’t want to let Tenus go after having such an unproductive conversation.  

While she was at a loss, shifting her eyes around, a deflating laugh sounded above her.  

“Why are you looking at me like that?”  

Tenus easily freed himself from Sellakia’s grasp.  

At the moment when her empty hand suddenly felt lonely, she felt a warm touch on her cheek. The hand that had been freed touched Sellakia’s cheek.

“…….”  

Sellakia stiffened her body, but the moment she felt the touch, his hand quickly withdrew and waved lightly in the air.

Thin crumbs of bread flew like grains from Tenus’s fingertips.  

“Forget about yesterday. There won’t be any more foolish slip-ups like that in the future.”  

His voice was as light as the things flying without weight. It was hard to believe his fresh response was from someone who shared the same moment with her last night.  

Was I the only one whose heart was affected by the conversation we shared?  

Despite having shown such a wounded face, now…….  

Sellakia blankly stared at Tenus’s expressionless face.  

Suddenly, a sense of futility washed over her. The time she spent tossing and turning, unable to sleep, became meaningless in an instant.  

Tenus acted as if the time spent with Sellakia, the words exchanged, were all nothing. Perhaps he felt the same about her very existence.

Because he…….  

Unable to hold back, Sellakia impulsively blurted out the words she had kept inside all along.  

“I didn’t mean it when I called you unscrupulous. But you, you meant it when you said I’m a problem without a solution, right?”  

“I told you to forget it. Everything I said yesterday was just a foolish slip of the tongue. So just, nonsense.”

“There’s no such thing as nonsense in the world. You must have thought that way, even for a moment, to say such things.”  

How could she easily forget being called a problem without a solution?  

The ripple in her heart caused by Tenus’s words was greater than the sum of all the sorrow she felt under the stingy gazes from both the Viscount and Duke families.  

She was the one secretly thinking of running away, yet she felt as if she had been betrayed by him.  

“It doesn’t matter.”  

Sellakia doubted her ears at the tightly shut voice.  

“What did you just say? It doesn’t matter?”  

“……Why?”

Tenus, seemingly a bit shaken by her teary eyes, soon hardened his expression with a sigh. It was completely different from yesterday. His face was devoid of emotion.  

He turned away from Sellakia and spoke in a blunt voice.  

“I mean, don’t worry about it. Whatever problem you are to me, I have no desire to look into it deeply. I……”

Knock, knock.  

“Duke?”  

Dominic’s anxious voice was heard again from outside, as if time was pressing.  

Tenus, who had paused, clenched his jaw and turned his body.  

That was the end of it.  

Tenus opened the door wide and brushed past Dominic. Dominic alternated between looking at Tenus’s back and inside the office.  

“Duke? ……No, why is the atmosphere in the office……? This shouldn’t be happening……? Duke!”

Soon, Dominic hurriedly followed after Tenus.  

Sellakia, left alone in the office, stared in the direction where Tenus had disappeared.

* * *

Amy doubted her ears. Her face, bent over and facing the floor, twisted into a fierce scowl.

“It means misfortune is heavily upon you, so don’t act rashly. Do you understand?”

“……Yes.”  

“Then keep that in mind and withdraw.”  

“Understood, Lord Logue.”  

However, when she raised her head, Amy’s face was that of an obedient servant.  

“By the way, did you check the new medicine I left on the desk?”  

At the gentle inquiry, Aldrich waved his hand as if it were bothersome. Amy smiled sweetly.  

“Lord Rupert insisted you shouldn’t skip your medicine. I’ll be on my way now.”  

With a click, the door closed, revealing a hallway where not even an ant dared to appear. The west annex where Aldrich resided was always like this. It was completely different from the bustling other spaces during the vassal meeting period.  

A pathetic sight that had missed the glorious splendor of Seidon. It suited Aldrich perfectly, but it twisted Amy’s insides. When the former Duke and Duchess were alive, even the west annex was lively.  

“What? Leave that woman alone? What’s he so scared of that he’s trembling like that!”

In the silent hallway, a sinister grinding sound echoed.  

Aldrich Logue, who told her to leave the pale-faced Sellakia Seidon alone, seemed like a man possessed by a ghost.  

Feigning misfortune to hide his pitiful and petty nature only made him appear more of a pathetic human.  

“Does he think I’ll listen to his orders? He’s not even a Seidon.”  

Aldrich, temporarily staying here, seemed to have some serious misconceptions.  

All of Amy’s plans and actions were always her own, and she moved solely for Seidon.  

Even without Aldrich’s orders, Amy would have driven Sellakia out of this mansion.  

That woman was not suited for the Duke of Seidon. How could a dull and lazy woman become the master of the glorious Seidon?  

The former Duchess would lament in the land of the dead. Even Amy, who had devoted her life to Seidon, couldn’t accept it.

“Amy, as always, take good care of Seidon.”

Before her death, the former Duchess personally left a special request with her. Amy hadn’t forgotten her mission deeply engraved in her heart.

“Tsk. Why didn’t she just die quietly, instead of coming back?”

Things were taking a strange turn.

Due to the increase in wages, the servants held a slight favor towards Sellakia. The Duke of Seidon, no, the Young Duke also seemed strangely attentive to her.  

Having assigned two dedicated employees and even handed over the ledger, it was no longer easy to sneak Sellakia away as before. Under his thorough management, they couldn’t even tamper with the food.

It was a pity that Sophie died without fulfilling her purpose.  

“Foolish fools, deceived by appearances.”  

Was I the only one who truly recognized the wretched core hidden within the glamorous shell?  

“Should I expose the reality? Would that make everyone come to their senses?”  

It seemed amusing to disgrace her in front of the gathered vassals during the vassal meeting. It would be nice if she got beaten, or if she realized her place and left the mansion on her own.  

It didn’t matter if she didn’t.

“The ship will return soon. Then I can completely suppress her arrogance. Only three months, no, was it two months left?”  

Muttering to herself, Amy soon reached the main building of the mansion.  

Coming from a visit from Aldrich’s office, she spotted Nancy waving her arms in the middle of the hallway in front of the Duke’s office.

With her eyes blazing, Amy rushed towards Nancy.

“What on earth are you doing so carelessly!”  

Startled, Nancy lowered her hand as if she had been holding an invisible sword.  

“Uh, Amy.”

“Don’t you know there are many people coming and going in the mansion right now? Servants are the face of the mansion. You alone can make Seidon a laughingstock! Do you think you’ve become something just because you’re the Madam’s personal maid?”

“It’s not like that……. I’m sorry.”  

“I’ll be watching you, Nancy. Behave properly.”  

Amy glared at Nancy as if to pierce her, then threw a sharp glance at Roberta beside her before moving on.  

Left behind, Roberta looked incredulous.  

“What’s with her, Nancy? Is she some noble lady from a vassal family who prefers maid uniforms? She talks just like the heir of our Earl Belfona family.”

“It’s not like that. Miss Amy is a maid like me.”  

“She doesn’t look much older than me, so she can’t be the Head Maid. Why do you answer so timidly to someone on the same level?”

“She’s in a similar position to the Head Maid. Miss Amy has been in this mansion as long as the Head Maid. They’re as close as mother and daughter.”  

Nancy’s shoulders drooped, perhaps due to the scolding. It was unlike the energetic Nancy who remained vigorous even after rolling around the floor and air during physical training.  

Roberta, feeling sorry for Nancy, patted her shoulder roughly. The force was a bit too strong to be considered comforting, causing Nancy’s small body to sway.  

“Focus more on your swordsmanship, Nancy. Once you reach a certain level, words from such a novice won’t even reach your ears. If it’s bothersome, you can just sweep them away.”  

Roberta drew her thumb across her neck with her other hand. Nancy jumped in shock.  

“Even if you’re a noble knight, you can’t kill someone just because you’re offended!”  

“It’s just a saying. If you excel in swordsmanship, I’ll save a spot for you in the Imperial Arena I’m planning to open. You can quit being a maid then.”  

Imperial Arena? 

At the unexpected words, Nancy tilted her head but firmly refused.  

“I’m not quitting being a maid. I’ll stick by the Madam’s side until I die.”  

“What? Hey, that’s not right! What do you think is the reason I’m teaching you? It’s all an investment for my future!”  

“I learned swordsmanship to punish bad guys who trouble the Madam. I’m not interested in gladiator stuff.”  

“Nancy!”  

Ignoring Roberta, who stomped her feet, Nancy clasped her fists together in the air again.  

“Sir, let’s start the next training. Is my posture right? Should I raise my hands higher?”  

It was after this that Dominic came to find Tenus.