PLMYP 38

 Chapter 38 —

“Miss Elizabeth, I’m back.”

“Oh, you are?”

When her maid Anne returned to the room, Elizabeth was sitting by the window, resting her chin on the windowsill.

Anne smiled and walked over to Elizabeth, who hadn’t even glanced her way and was still staring out the window.

“Is that mercenary man carving something again today?”

“Yeah. Today he’s making something that looks like a really big animal. Look there—it looks really weird.”

Following Elizabeth’s pointing finger, Anne stood beside her and looked out the window.

In the garden of the annex, under the shade of a large tree, Heath had pulled up a chair and was carving a giant wooden sculpture of a four-legged animal.

He wore only a vest, no shirt, so every time he used force, the muscles in his arms stood out clearly.

His body was rugged, and his face looked scary. If she saw him up close, she might be terrified. But from the second-floor window, watching from afar, he didn’t seem that scary. That’s why Elizabeth often secretly sat by the window to watch him carve.

Anne, her close maid, always ended up watching with her.

“Hmm… it looks kind of like a horse, but it has two big humps on its back.”

“Maybe it’s a camel? Or could it be one of those ancient beasts from the Wayneberg Forest? What do you think?”

Elizabeth’s cheeks were red with excitement as she chattered.

Anne just smiled and nodded, enjoying how cute her lady looked.

“I’m not sure. But if you’re that curious, why don’t you go down and ask him yourself?”

“Huh? Umm… T-Talk to him directly? I don’t know…”

Elizabeth mumbled shyly, but then her eyes widened when she saw what Anne was holding.

“Wait—what’s with those flowers?”

If they were in a vase, she would have assumed they were meant to decorate the room. But what Anne held was a beautifully wrapped bouquet of bright yellow freesias, mixed with small white flowers.

“Aren’t they pretty? They’re a gift for you from the lady staying in the annex.”

“The annex lady?”

That referred to Janice Elpheus, who had been staying in the annex for the past few days. She would become part of their family once Irene got married.

Elizabeth had only met Janice once—during a dinner a few days ago.

But Elizabeth knew everything that went on in the house, including how the guests in the annex spent their time. After all, she was like the young mistress of this huge mansion.

And if her maid Anne was sent out, it was only a matter of time before all the gossip from the other maids came flooding in.

“I thought she hadn’t left her room?”

Janice had only come out once to get a dress fitting, and even then, she went straight to the main house.

Since she said it had been a while since she came to the capital, Elizabeth assumed she’d go out sightseeing—but Janice had never left the mansion.

“She actually went out briefly earlier today. I heard she stopped by a flower shop and bought flowers for the marquis and the youngest lady too.”

“I see…”

So her first outing was to buy us gifts?

Elizabeth’s cheeks turned red again.

“If she went out just to buy us gifts, that must mean Janice doesn’t dislike me, right?”

“Oh my, of course not! Why would she dislike you?”

“But I told her she could call me Ellie, and she didn’t give me a nickname or call me that… she didn’t even call me Ellie.”

Elizabeth’s excited face turned gloomy again.

As her maid, Anne probably should’ve felt upset on her lady’s behalf—but honestly, Elizabeth just looked too cute.

“Seems like you really like the lady in the annex.”

“Huh? N-No, not really… I mean, she’s going to be family soon, we’re around the same age, and also…”

Elizabeth twirled her long hair around her finger.

“She has the same hair color as me.”

Unlike her silver-haired sisters, Elizabeth had always been unhappy about being the only blonde. And now, the girl who was going to become family also had blonde hair and blue eyes—just like her.

To Elizabeth, that felt like a special connection.

“And since we’re the same age… maybe we could become friends?”

“Not maybe. I’m sure you can. You even got this pretty flower from her, didn’t you?”

“Right? She wants to be my friend too, doesn’t she?”

Elizabeth’s eyes sparkled, and Anne nodded firmly.

“Of course! Since things are going well, why don’t you invite the annex lady to tea tomorrow or the day after? You can return the favor for the flowers.”

“Should I? What should I give her in return?”

“Flowers are best repaid with flowers. There are some beautiful blue hydrangeas blooming in the garden.”

“Oh, right! That’s perfect—blue flowers.”

She gave me flowers that matched my hair, so I’ll give her flowers that match her eyes.

Anne smiled at Elizabeth fondly as she mumbled to herself. She was happy her lady might gain a new friend.

“Oh, and I heard the future marquis is returning home today. There’s going to be a dinner party tonight. You should invite the annex lady during dinner.”

“Should I? …But what if she says no?”

“She won’t. No way she’d turn you down.”

Then Anne gently pushed Elizabeth into the bathroom to get ready for the dinner. She carefully washed her lady’s long, silky hair and chatted like a singing bird.

“By the way, Miss, you haven’t heard this yet, have you?”

“Heard what?”

“Well, the future marquis said our lady looked like an angel!”

“An angel?”

Elizabeth stuck out her tongue. “Do people still say stuff like that these days?”

Anne laughed as she rinsed the bubbles from Elizabeth’s hair with warm water.

“I know, right? But that’s not all—he also said she’s beautiful and lovely and kept praising her.”

“Well… my sister is pretty.”

Elizabeth nodded in agreement, then suddenly looked serious.

“Wait a second… What if he fell for her face, not her money?”

“Hmph. Who wouldn’t fall for our lady’s looks?”

“Of course! But I want my brother-in-law to like her for her heart, not just her money or looks.”

Elizabeth pouted and declared,

“If he’s just a shallow guy…”

“If he is?”

Elizabeth slammed her fist into the bathwater.

“Then I’ll do whatever it takes to kick him out of this house!”

But two hours later…

When she sat down early at the grand dining table and saw Leonard escorting Irene into the room, her eyes widened.

He had the most handsome and sharp features she’d ever seen, and Irene was looking at him with the softest, dreamiest eyes.

“This is your first time meeting him, right? This is my younger sister Elizabeth, and that’s our second sister, Charlotte.”

Irene looked at her sisters with pure happiness in her eyes—it was so obvious that Elizabeth couldn’t not notice.

“Girls, this is the man who will become your brother-in-law.”

So the one who fell in love at first sight… wasn’t Leonard. It was her sister.

“Nice to meet you, Lady. I’m Leonard Elpheus.”

So Elizabeth had no choice but to respond as he kissed the back of her hand.

“Oh… Um, I’m Elizabeth. Elizabeth Blair. I’m 19, and I’ll be an adult next year.”

“I see. It’s early, but congratulations in advance.”

“Well…”

His smile was so dazzling, it was like light shone behind him. He was definitely worth the 500 million lark they spent.

Even without knowing swordsmanship, Elizabeth could tell that Leonard had a strong and well-trained body.

The way he pulled out Irene’s chair instead of a servant showed his refined manners. No one would guess he was a mercenary-born illegitimate child.

After carefully observing him, Elizabeth felt confident in her conclusion:

‘Way better than those stuck-up nobles who act all high and mighty.’

Still… her sister was the one who fell for his looks?

‘…Well, that’s fine.’

Her sister was a capable woman. She could fall for a pretty face if she wanted.

As long as he wasn’t the one trying to trap her sister, but the other way around—it was okay.

And he did say she looked like an angel, after all.

“Please take good care of me, future brother-in-law.”

“Of course. I look forward to it.”

Now Elizabeth had only one task left—make a friend!

‘When would be a good time to talk to her?’

Elizabeth stared intensely at Janice, who sat across from her, waiting for the right moment to speak.

‘W-Why is she staring at me like that?’

Did she not like the flowers she sent?

She had no idea that Janice was starting to misunderstand…