Chapter 19
The Grandmother of the Duke of Layton
“I was worried there might be a fight back then.”
That’s what Anna said to me the next day while I was inspecting the garden for the masked martial arts competition.
“With Helene?”
“Yes, I’ve never seen the madam of the main house look that scary before.”
The Helene I knew always had that kind of aura, but it seemed she acted differently toward the servants.
The tension between Helene and me ended in an anticlimactic way.
She admitted plainly, “It was my mistake,” said she would issue only a formal punishment to Jackson the stableman, and then disappeared. Of course, she still took all the horses from the annex.
‘She ran away.’
It may have looked like a vague conclusion from the outside, but in truth, Helene had avoided giving an answer.
She admitted there had been a mistake in the punishment process, but not any wrongdoing on her part.
Still, she took the horses. In the end, Jackson, who stayed silent, was the only one who benefited by receiving a lighter punishment.
‘Or maybe not? This might just be the beginning of his suffering.’
Eventually, saying he had to rebuild the stables, Jackson returned to the main estate for work.
Anyone could predict he’d have a tough time ahead. As if confirming my thoughts, Anna added more.
“They said Uncle Jackson got beaten up by the other stablemen.”
“…Why?”
I was taken aback by the harsher-than-expected treatment.
“They yelled at him, saying, ‘Can’t you even do your job right? Mooching off everyone!’ He got scolded and even had to clean up horse manure all night with the soldiers.”
I was amazed at the maids’ information network, but Anna’s sneaky smile was even more chilling. Lately, her loyalty had grown to borderline excess.
I looked away from Anna and focused on the garden again.
I was thinking of clearing out the flowerpots in front of the fountain and making a circular arena when, just in time, the laborers sent by the Border Count arrived.
“I greet the Duchess-Dowager.”
“…Sir Nata.”
It was Nata, one knight, and several men carrying loads of equipment.
The men seemed to be squires, dressed in similar uniforms to the knight’s but in different colors. The unknown knight had them carry the equipment to the far side of the garden.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Duchess-Dowager. I’m Sir Derrick Chase, knight.”
“Welcome. Sorry I can’t offer tea here in the garden.”
“No worries. I came here on duty, after all.”
Following Anna’s directions, he led the squires in cleaning up the garden.
Maybe because they were strong soldiers, they easily lifted heavy flowerpots and decorations.
‘Anyway, the Border Count sent Nata.’
It was a move with an obvious intention. I kept a neutral expression, but I glanced at Nata’s violet eyes, sparkling with anticipation.
“Duchess-Dowager, what should I do?”
I was about to tell him to help Derrick with the garden, but Anna shook her head as if there were enough hands already.
“Then let’s go check on the outfits.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Taking Nata with me, I headed to the dressing room in the annex. When I opened the door, I saw a group of children sitting together on the carpet, busy with their hands.
“Servants?”
“No, children from the territory.”
There were a few servants among them, but most had been brought in on recommendations from the squires.
“The children are making the outfits?”
“That’s right. I commissioned them.”
I’d said I wanted to give the kids with good handiwork a job, and the squires started bringing their friends one after another.
It might look like I was exploiting child labor, but it was actually part of a welfare initiative.
With winter approaching, I offered them a warm room, meals, and a full day’s wage for what would normally take a week of chores. They were even allowed to take any leftover fabric.
‘It’s not like I can just hand out money for nothing.’
Unless I had enough wealth to feed the entire slum, this was the best kind of welfare I could afford.
“Can the children make decent clothes?”
“To be honest, I don’t care much about quality. Even if they look silly, that’s part of the fun.”
“Won’t that undermine your dignity?”
“It’s a charity event for children. Who would complain?”
Nata nodded in admiration. Even with their skills, they were still just children.
The loud colors and mismatched decorations might make the outfits look tacky, but once you say “made by kids,” it all becomes endearing.
“Of course, the seamstresses will handle the final touches.”
“I see.”
“Now, Sir Nata, have a seat and help out.”
“Pardon?”
I grabbed a bundle of thread and leftover fabric and squeezed in among the children.
At first, the kids seemed nervous because of the noble atmosphere, but thanks to the squires acting friendly, they soon gathered around me with bright faces.
“Sis! Are you making clothes too?”
I’d told the squires not to reveal my identity, so it seemed the kids didn’t know I was the Duchess-Dowager.
Back in my past life, students would often call me “sis” without formality, so it didn’t really bother me.
But Nata, who overheard, stood there with his mouth wide open.
“What are you making?”
“A knight! A potato helmet knight!”
“You like potatoes, huh?”
“They’re delicious!”
“So are you going to eat the knight’s head?”
“Um…”
Leaving the flustered kid behind, I motioned to Nata to come closer. He hesitantly approached.
“Do you know how to sew?”
“N-No.”
“Then just gather the fabric and stick it together however. I’ll do the sewing.”
“What should I attach?”
“Whatever you want.”
I pointed at a bizarre robe someone had made by sewing together strips of rainbow-colored cloth, saying it was bird feathers. That was to say—anything goes.
Maybe because he couldn’t stand idly by while I sewed, Nata awkwardly began to help.
“Who’s this really pretty sister?”
“She’s not a sister. Hmm… might not be a brother either.”
“Huh?”
“He’s a knight. The one who’s going to wear the clothes you made and fight.”
“Wow, a knight!”
The kids’ eyes sparkled with excitement. It seemed the title “knight” intrigued them more than Nata’s good looks.
‘But hey, when they met me, no one called me pretty.’
They said it so naturally about him—guess someone’s getting extra cabbage in their stew at lunch.
“Do you have a sword? Can you ride a horse?”
“Where’s the princess?”
“My dad said knights are scary!”
“W-Wait… I left my sword behind…”
As a flood of questions rained down on him, Nata kept shrinking back but still answered them all. He didn’t seem to dislike the attention, though.
“Are all knights handsome?”
“Looks depend on the person.”
“Can you use a sword well? There’s a really tough tree in front of our house!”
“Hmm… I’ve never split logs with a sword before.”
Nata got along with the kids better than expected. His stiff speech gradually softened.
The kids, enjoying the kind, good-looking knight, gathered around us and chatted as they worked with their hands.
“Duchess-Dowager, do you often hold gatherings like this?”
“This was just a chance occasion, not something I do regularly.”
“You take care of children like this… that’s amazing.”
It’s not that amazing.
The admiration in his voice made me feel a little uncomfortable. Since the masked martial arts contest, Nata’s expectations of me had been a bit over the top.
“I didn’t really do much. I just gathered the kids, gave them some money, and put them to work.”
“……”
“And it’s not even money I earned myself, so don’t praise me too much.”
Excessive admiration only leads to disappointment. I knew very well that I was just a regular person.
“…Understood.”
But instead of being disappointed, Nata nodded with a gentle smile as if he understood me completely. His beauty, paired with that smile, made his face practically glow—I found myself momentarily stunned.
“I think I now understand what kind of person you are.”
“What kind?”
“Exactly as you appear.”
‘Okay, but what does that mean?’
Nata didn’t elaborate, just kept working silently. He seemed to be naturally good with his hands; his once-clumsy handling of the fabric was growing more adept by the minute.
Rather than engage in confusing philosophical talk, I decided it was better to just get back to sewing.
‘Come to think of it, I speak pretty casually with Nata now.’
I usually tried to keep up the tone of a Duchess-Dowager, but with people I liked, I would end up reverting to my natural speech. Fortunately, it didn’t seem like Nata found it odd.
And just like that, a few hours passed—and it was almost lunchtime.
