Chapter 60
On the Safety Rules of the Belmont Ducal Manor
‘Why on earth did my favorability go up by 15 points?’
Since Edwin had left, I had been in a state of confusion.
Today, “bad” Edwin seemed somewhat… different. Well, his words were still smooth and charming as usual, but his attitude felt strangely neutral.
The person who usually barged in as if there were no consequences now kept a distance, which made it even stranger.
‘Could it be because I sympathized with his confession(?)?’
Honestly, it was probably because the world in this game, being a feudal society compared to the 21st century, treated life rather lightly. And dukes in movies or fantasy novels weren’t exactly the type to kill someone just for upsetting them.
Without knowing the full story, I tried to understand him in my own way, but I couldn’t quite tell how he had taken it.
‘No matter how messed up his personality is, he doesn’t seem like the type to kill someone recklessly.’
Of course, a subtle madness still lingered, but somehow, the “Edwin” who visited at night didn’t feel like an irredeemable villain.
His eyes, in particular, seemed gentler compared to when I first saw him.
Maybe it was all my imagination, but for now, I decided to trust my instincts.
“Ugh, I’m so sleepy.”
I loosened my eyes, which were starting to droop, and burrowed into the blankets.
On nights when bad Edwin visited, I inevitably stayed up all night, making it almost impossible to live a normal life the next day. Of course, this time, I also had an unexpected appointment to blame.
“Two people can ride the Pegasus?”
“Yes. If I don’t make mistakes, there won’t be any incidents like falling off today. That’s why I was studying Pegasus until late, to make sure I wouldn’t make mistakes.”
“Then next time we go out, I’ll come with you. Pegasus is a magical creature, so it’s worth trying.”
“Hm? But why go outside?”
“I have something to check…”
Although there was a hint of danger, it seemed there was a definite reason to go outside.
By then, dawn was breaking outside the window.
‘I need to wake up early if I want breakfast…’
From an outsider’s perspective, since I often couldn’t function properly on nights when the duke visited, it would be easy to misunderstand that some romantic thing had happened between the young, energetic pair.
Especially since the head maid probably already had that misunderstanding. Edwin didn’t even bother to hide coming into my room, so she must have seen it a few times.
‘But it’s weird to bring it up first, too. Saying we just talked all night as an excuse is also awkward…’
Even so, I realized one thing:
‘Every Tuesday, I need to take a long nap.’
That was the only way to survive.
The next day, I had slept through breakfast and didn’t wake up until the afternoon.
I was reading the Pegasus care manual I had left off yesterday when there was a knock, and the chef appeared.
Behind him was a mysterious dish covered by a large lid.
“This is a special menu for Miss Windsor.”
Curious, I lifted the lid and couldn’t hide my amazement.
“Wow!”
This quality… insane.
I took a bite immediately and looked at the chef with eyes full of admiration.
“This is too much!”
“Eh, eh?”
“It’s so delicious! How can you make something like this?”
With a delighted expression, I picked up my fork again.
[Golden Carrot Cake ― 1,000 Diamonds]
A carrot cake made with all the heart and soul of a certain duke’s chef. Thanks to the golden carrot used as an ingredient, those who taste the cake can experience a mild improvement in blood circulation.
Even the selling price was ridiculously high. Of course, with such ingredients, that made sense. I even felt I could survive by selling food if needed.
“Is this for real?”
“Yes! Of course. And this carrot cheese bread!”
The other bread had thin slices of carrot throughout and a rich, aromatic cheese.
When I cut the round bread in half, white steam rose, and the soft inside tore along the grain.
“I’ve never eaten anything like this.”
“Haha, you flatter me.”
“Truly. Especially this carrot cheese bread—I’ll miss it later, for sure.”
The chef probably thought I was exaggerating, but I was sincere. I usually resist unfamiliar foods, but this carrot cheese bread felt like it brightened my vision the moment I ate it.
‘But how can a flavor I’ve never experienced be so perfectly recreated?’
Since the game works through brainwaves, I shouldn’t be able to perceive tastes I don’t know, right?
But that thought was quickly swept away by the heavenly sweetness.
“The quality of the carrots Miss Windsor provided made it possible. Almost nothing went to waste.”
“Oh, you’re too kind! Oh, now that I think of it, those people should like the bread the chef makes too…”
Even they couldn’t call the chef’s food bad if they had taste.
But the more I thought about it, the stranger it seemed. Why would the traders, who deal with the Luden Company, send such hard-to-get golden carrots for free without charging?
What’s the reason?
‘They couldn’t have known I’d prepared something to trade in advance.’
Was this some kind of setup for the next quest?
Since I had learned that the Monteur village’s code of conduct needed to change, the system had stayed silent, and my curiosity kept growing.
Another thing—if the game’s world expanded beyond the Belmont Manor to the outside, when would I get to go out? Or would I keep receiving vague messages like this?
Usually, to leave a map, you’d have to clear all the quests in that area.
Of course, there were still some uncleared quests inside the manor…
[▶Things Lost by the Manor Servants (In Progress)]
The servants of Belmont Manor spent many years trapped in the secretive manor, losing three things without even realizing it.
As the prospective mistress of the Belmont Duke’s household, help the servants recover what they lost!
Face
■■
■■
Thinking carefully, I could figure out one thing:
It was the name. None of the servants, except Edwin, had had their names revealed yet.
But I had no idea how to restore their names.
I opened the map of the Belmont Duchy once more.
Most areas were now accessible, so I could move freely.
For areas that weren’t open, it was impossible to tell if it was because the place was naturally hard to enter or if certain conditions hadn’t been met.
For example, Edwin’s room.
‘Will I ever need to go in there?’
As I scanned the map, I found nothing unusual and closed it.
‘Might as well go for a walk.’
I had wasted the day by waking up late, so I wanted to make the most of the remaining time. After snack time, I left my room.
Turning a corner to go down the stairs, I heard murmured voices.
“But Assistant, night shifts are too harsh, and if staff are assigned to every area, no one will get rest time.”
Even without seeing, I knew it was the head maid.
This must be about the work schedule we discussed before.
I tiptoed closer, trying not to be noticed.
Sure enough, the assistant standing in front of the head maid looked troubled.
‘Who would’ve guessed that strict-looking Imjin would have such a kind side?’
I glanced at the slightly flushed assistant and listened to their conversation.
“But madam, night work is stated in the contract.”
“Even so!”
“Ah, this isn’t something I can change on my own.”
Yet… the two of them seemed increasingly agitated.
