Chapter 31
The mansion, made of massive gray stone, looked as if it had stood for hundreds of years. Spruce trees, which were rarely planted near houses, grew here and there, giving the impression not of a capital city residence but of a house deep in the forest.
“Just like the Duke,” I thought.
It looked desolate and gloomy, but somehow it suited Dante perfectly. I blinked for a moment, staring at the enormous mansion, then tilted my head and asked Rowan.
“Am I going to be working here?”
“Yes, that’s right. I’ll explain what your duties will be.”
Rowan jumped down from the carriage and began walking briskly toward the entrance. I followed her down from the carriage, calling out:
“W-wait a moment! I think I need to sort out my room first. I also need to unpack my things.”
Though all I had was a small bag, I said it that way to ask Rowan to help me find a room. If Rowan left so suddenly like Dante, I might feel completely lost and start crying.
Rowan stopped in her tracks at my words. Tilting her head as if asking what I was talking about, she repeated:
“Your own room? You were thinking of getting a separate room?”
“Eh?”
Isn’t that natural? I couldn’t understand Rowan’s reaction. Hugging my bag, I said:
“Well, I can’t rely on the Duke’s help forever. I wasn’t hired under the condition that room and board would be provided, after all.”
Moreover, for an unmarried woman to stay at an unmarried man’s house could spark scandalous rumors for both parties.
I hesitated, unable to voice that thought. But Rowan seemed to read even the unspoken meaning, shrugging her shoulders.
“I don’t think His Grace would care much. He rarely comes to the mansion anyway. You don’t need to worry.”
“Does he often leave the mansion?”
“He has a separate residence in the palace. When he’s in the capital, he mostly stays there. For more than half the year, he goes down to his lands or on official assignments in the provinces.”
“Oh…”
No wonder. Inviting an unmarried woman to the house so readily made sense now—he hardly ever came himself.
‘I feel a bit left out,’ I thought, lowering my head without realizing it. Then I snapped back to myself.
‘No, why am I sulking again? Get a grip!’
Ever since he helped me find Pepe in the valley, I had felt inexplicably fluttery whenever I saw Dante. I shook my head.
‘Well, maybe it’s for the best. If I don’t see him, this strange fluttering will disappear too.’
Unaware of my feelings, Rowan continued walking briskly and grabbed the heavy front door.
“You don’t know anyone in the capital yet, and you don’t have any saved money. The Duke’s mansion has plenty of vacant rooms. You could even have an entire annex to yourself.”
She pulled the door with force, and it opened, revealing the grand entrance of the enormous gray mansion.
In a typical noble house, the entrance should be the most lavish part.
But the Christopher Duke’s mansion was different.
“…Desolate, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
To put it bluntly, it looked like a massive tomb. Was it necessary for both the exterior and interior to be exactly the same gray?
‘Well, maybe the walls are awkward to wallpaper. But even so, you could at least paint them something…’
Or put up large decorations, or bright lighting…
I pointed to the empty central wall.
“In most noble houses, they hang tapestries here, portraits there… but there’s nothing here.”
“They just weren’t interested. The previous Duke burned everything, too.”
Why did the previous Duke burn all the decorations? I was curious about the story, but Rowan just grimaced and said, “He was crazy.”
Then, pointing to the bleak house energetically, she said:
“Your task here will be to make the house a little more beautiful. I’ll make sure you’re paid well, so I hope you do your best.”
It suited my aptitude and was something I enjoyed. But I couldn’t nod immediately. Decorating the house was strictly the role of the mistress of the house.
“Even if I do that…”
What if I decorated it beautifully, but the next Duchess didn’t like it? I hesitated, and Rowan shrugged her shoulders.
“You can see His Grace for yourself. If things go on like this, he might never marry and just grow old alone. Don’t worry about it.”
What’s wrong with Dante! I got flustered, but before I could respond, Rowan hugged me. Nobody had ever hugged me like that before, so I stiffened reflexively. Rowan patted my back and said:
“I’m relieved that Miss Yvonne will take care of this. Stay healthy until we meet again.”
“Alright.”
I sniffled, my nose twitching. Rowan hugged me once more, then let go. I rummaged through my bag and handed her the socks I had made.
“This is a gift.”
“A gift?”
Rowan’s eyes widened at the hand-knitted socks. I smiled at her.
“Thanks to you, I managed to come to the capital safely. Thank you.”
“Oh my…”
Rowan blushed, clearly touched.
“Why are you so wonderful? What if they take advantage of you?”
“Who would take advantage of me? I don’t even know how to do anything.”
“That’s not true. You’re a beautiful, kind, and lovely young lady.”
Rowan bowed politely.
“You’ll have plenty to do while at the mansion. Please be as kind then as you were today.”
“That’s what I’d like to ask of you,” I replied.
Rowan paused briefly as if about to leave, then turned back to me with a serious expression:
“If anything happens, please contact me. I’ll do everything I can to help you.”
“Thank you.”
Feeling her sincerity, tears pricked my eyes again.
Upon entering the Christopher Duke’s mansion and waiting in the reception room, a thin elderly man with white hair soon appeared.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Miss. I am Armando, the butler in charge of this mansion.”
“Hello.”
His lateness didn’t bother me. What caught my attention was the desolate mansion that no one seemed to pass through.
‘Do they have very few staff, or do they hardly use the main building?’
In a normal mansion, the butler would have come out to greet an unfamiliar carriage.
Regardless, the butler’s attitude toward me was perfectly professional. He bowed politely and clearly outlined my duties.
“The order was given not to hold back on the budget for whatever Miss wishes to do. Furniture, wallpaper—anything you wish to change, you may do so.”
“Gasp! What do I even know to buy?”
I was startled at the instruction to buy whatever I wanted without restraint, though I didn’t even know if Dante, who hadn’t come down from the carriage, had given it.
‘Even when I was Emil’s fiancée-to-be, I never had such authority.’
I hadn’t even been able to change a single chair in the Kline household. The furniture and bedding in my own room were not to my taste.
Seeing my hesitation, the butler gave a faint smile and gently encouraged me.
“Not at all. I hope Miss will not refuse and will purchase freely. Every year, we set aside a budget for repairs and improvements, but His Grace never uses it, so there’s plenty left over.”
“Ah, really? That much…”
I was about to say there’s no way someone could ignore the mansion so completely when my eyes caught the view outside the window, and I flinched. The window frame itself looked ancient, and the garden beyond appeared barren, like a snow-covered plain.
And spruces. Spruce trees, rarely planted because even birds avoid them, were here.
“…First, I suppose we’ll need to hire a gardener, right?”
“There is a gardener. But His Grace instructed them to do nothing, so that’s all they’ve been able to do.”
“Is there a reason for that order?”
The butler answered calmly.
“Perhaps he was just too lazy.”
“I see.”
It seemed the mansion had been neglected more than I had thought.
“You could have taken the initiative yourself, couldn’t you?”
“If I did anything, His Grace would say resting is my duty.”
“He’s a very indulgent master, isn’t he?”
“If one rests too much, subordinates get uneasy. Please keep busy, Miss.”
I chuckled at his polite yet playful remark and stood up.
“I’d like to greet the staff first.”
