“All of this…?”

The words slipped from Meg in a voice of disbelief.

She was shaken—and for good reason. This was not something one could possibly read through in only a few days. These documents contained years’ worth of accumulated records. Not just financial accounts, but even the smallest events within the household, all meticulously preserved.

Any well-bred young lady with a formal education would normally recoil at the very thought of reading such things. All the more so for the young mistress of Hildebalt, who had lived among commoners until now…

“Of course, there were some parts I couldn’t quite understand. I noted them down here…”

Awkwardly, Ilenia handed over a sheet of paper. It was filled from top to bottom with mathematical formulas. It was proof—clear, undeniable—that she had not merely skimmed but had truly studied the contents.

“And here, this part.”

“Yes?”

“The number of servants here seems a bit low. While hiring more staff might seem like a loss at first, it would surely be beneficial in the long run.”

Meg now looked at Ilenia in near shock.

‘In the long run, it would help.’

Of course, Meg knew that. But there was only one reason she had never raised the matter herself: she was doing it for the sake of the servants, not the master. Servants could not prioritize their own convenience over that of their master. It was something that could always be ignored.

This was an unfamiliar and perhaps even unsettling perspective. Yet Meg found herself looking at Ilenia with a gentler gaze, almost against her will, before clearing her throat.

“…I’ll discuss it with the butler and bring it to the master’s attention.”

“All right.”

Meg fluttered the paper filled with Ilenia’s notes. As she turned through each page, her stiff expression gradually softened.

“You truly don’t know quite a lot, do you?”

“Ah… I’ve done bookkeeping a few times, but I’ve never seen documents this complicated. I’m embarrassed to admit it, but it took me hours just to look up the terminology.”

“Even so…”

With a soft thap, Meg straightened the sheets into a neat pile, an almost delicate smile on her lips.

“With skill like this, I believe we could prepare the next quarter’s accounts together, my lady.”

“Truly?”

Meg nodded.

How could anyone harbor ill will towards someone so earnest? Despite the rumours and scandals surrounding her, if this mistress was persistent and hard-working, perhaps she wasn’t so bad after all. At the very least, she was not the type to sit around blaming servants while doing nothing herself.

For a moment, the prejudice in Meg’s eyes eased, turning into something warmer.

But only for a moment.

“My lady. A guest has arrived.”

The sudden announcement shattered the harmony that had only just begun to settle.

“There shouldn’t be anyone scheduled to visit today.”

“Well, it’s… it’s…”

The servant, stealing glances at Ilenia as though hesitant to speak, finally opened her mouth.

“…It is the Marchioness’s daughter of Calante.”

In that instant, Meg’s expression changed. Ilenia froze too as she recognized the name: the Calante Marquisate. Delphius himself had spoken of its importance, and she had committed the key details to memory. She had even exchanged a smile with the young lady amid the chaos of the wedding hall once. Yet back then, she had seen no other woman beside the Marchioness.

“For now, I’ve escorted her to the drawing room as usual…”

“See that refreshments are prepared without delay. The young lady is particularly delicate, so the tea must be brewed lightly.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Relieved by Meg’s swift orders, the servant hurried out of the room.

“Does she come to this house often?”

Ah! Meg turned her head too late.

When she saw the shadows under Ilenia’s eyes, she knew her mistress needed to get dressed and freshen up again. But she quickly shook her head.

There was no time. She would not give the young lady of the Calante household the slightest chance to exploit any weakness. Meg’s brows drew together.

“My lady, the daughter of the Marquis of Calante, is only here because of her family ties. Her father has always indulged her every whim because of his family’s influence.”

Beneath her sharply arched eyebrows, Meg’s eyes flickered with unease.

The reason her master had not married until such a late age was not merely his lack of interest in women. There was another reason.

Although he had finally married, what would become of it? She swallowed her anxious breath and looked at the young mistress.

“So whatever she says, please don’t let it trouble you.”

······ ✦ ✧ ✦ ······

The Lukehardt drawing room was similar to the main hall. The stately yet subdued fireplace and modest table reflected the master’s own nature.

Beyond the deep red sofa, Ilenia caught sight of a head of silver hair gleaming in the sunlight. When the owner of that iridescent, dazzling hair turned her head, Ilenia held her breath without realizing it.

The woman with the fluttering, long lashes was strikingly beautiful. She had a straight nose and delicate lips. Beneath her full lashes, her cheeks were flushed with a rosy colou that looked as though they had been kissed by the sunlight itself.

Ilenia found it easy to recall something similar. She was reminded of the angel statues that always stood in the small chapels of country villages — statues with lowered lids and serene, noble expressions. The young lady before her looked just the same.

“Oh, the usual tea will do. That’s quite enough.”

The Calante Marquis’s daughter, treating Lukehardt’s servants as though they were her own, suddenly turned her head.

“Oh my.”

Her lips curved brightly when she noticed Ilenia standing there.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Calante. I am Lady Lukehardt.”

“Ah, so you’re the one.”

Her clear voice rang through the drawing room.

“Truly, I was astonished. Delphius, who always regarded women only as if they were fine art, to think he would marry. At first, I thought I must have misheard.”

The innocent radiance of her face stood in stark contrast to the harsh words with which she belittled Ilenia.

Meanwhile, Meg tightened her grip on the water jug behind her.

“Oh, forgive me. I forgot to introduce myself.”

With her blue eyes crinkling at the corners, the young lady placed a hand lightly over her chest and smiled.

“I am Daniel Lukehardt’s fiancée. Delphius and he are the closest of friends.”

“…Ah, his friend. I see.”

At that, Ilenia’s voice softened. Until a moment ago, she had half-feared a matter of jealousy, but hearing that the woman was her brother-in-law’s betrothed put her heart at ease.

Ahem, ahem!

She heard a light clearing of the throat behind her, followed by a faint tap on her back. As she tried to turn around, the cough became louder and a firmer hand pressed against her shoulders.

Why?

Unable to look back, Ilenia straightened her posture, back stiff as she faced forward. If nothing else, she wished to ease whatever displeasure Meg was feeling.

“You are the one they called the little miracle of Hildebalt, are you not?”

“Ah… yes.”

Ilenia answered with a somewhat reluctant nod. She had never liked that title, as it had always seemed to carry a hint of mockery. It was one of the names she disliked the most.

“I hadn’t heard that the Count of Hildebalt had an unmarried daughter left. One never knows how things will turn out, does one?”

“I believe so as well, Lady Calante.”

“To think you managed to win over Delphius… Were you acquainted before the marriage negotiations began?”

“No. Not at all. Aside from meeting him at a banquet, I had never spoken to him.”

“Of course, I thought as much.”

Her face brightened, hands clasping together.

“Delphi tells me everything. There’s no way he could have met someone without my knowing.”

Beneath that radiant smile—so full of relief—Ilenia murmured quietly.

“Delphi…?”

“Oh.”

The young lady pressed her hand lightly over her mouth, as though startled by her own slip, and smiled as if embarrassed.

“Forgive me if you didn’t know his pet name. I’ve called him that freely since we were children.”

Her lips curved into a perfectly composed smile, as though nothing could ruffle her. The words were quiet enough to almost escape Meg’s notice, yet she heard them all the same. However, above those softly parted, rose-red lips, the woman’s eyes did not smile at all.

“Delphi is the jewel I discovered. A rough stone cast aside by Lukehardt, which I picked up, polished, and made shine.”

Once again, she set her hand gracefully against her chest.

“That was me.”

“I see.”

Ilenia’s lukewarm reply made the Marquis’s daughter’s brow twitch.

What? At this level of provocation, her expression should have faltered—her composure should have cracked.

Instead, Ilenia remained calm. So Lady Calante leaned back deliberately against the sofa, making her presence all the more imposing.

“Delphi and I have always shared so much. The same tastes, the same pleasures. Perhaps that’s why… I truly don’t understand why he chose you. After all, Delphi always preferred someone smaller, more—”

Her gaze traveled down from head to toe, appraising Ilenia like an object on display. After a brief inspection, her lips curved faintly.

“…petite in stature.”

Realizing her mistake too late, she covered her mouth, startled by her own words.

“Oh, I didn’t mean to imply that you were lacking, my lady. With fashion trends changing these days, broad, straight shoulders are becoming increasingly admired.”

‘Well then.’

The Marquis’s daughter of Calante wore a confident smile, certain of her advantage.

“Ah…”

Ilenia gave a faint shiver of her shoulders, then lifted the corners of her lips as if embarrassed.

“I can only be grateful that you would see me that way.”

“…What?”

The unmistakable note of genuine pleasure in Ilenia’s voice left the young Calante lady staring, her mouth falling open before she could stop it.