CHAPTER 24……………………………………………………
“Ah! And this is….”
She proudly pointed to the bread basket.
“These were baked personally by the head chef this morning! I heard the master ordered that the young lady’s bread must always be made by hand.”
‘Freshly baked bread!’
My eyes, still heavy with sleep, snapped wide open. The clause I’d added to the contract was being carried out properly.
The basket lined with red checkered cloth was filled with golden loaves, their surfaces baked to a perfect brown. The warm, nutty scent of butter spread throughout the dining room.
Gulp.
My mouth watered on its own. Drawn in by the irresistible aroma, I naturally took a seat at the table.
“I’ll pour you a cup of warm tea first.”
At some point she must have brewed it—Sina placed a fragrant cup of black tea in front of me. One sip of the warm tea whetted my appetite.
“It smells wonderful. Thank you, Sina.”
“Oh! Miss, you’re crying again.”
“Oh dear. I’m not crying today.”
Since everyone at the duke’s residence had been treating me so well while I rested in my room, I’d cried every day. It seemed Sina had completely labeled me a crybaby.
“Oh my, you’re right. What a shame.”
With a playful wink, she placed a warm croissant, steam rising, onto my plate.
I carefully picked up the bread with both hands.
‘It’s so warm.’
Crack.
With a mouthwatering sound, the pale interior tore open, releasing the rich butter aroma that had been trapped inside.
I couldn’t resist putting it into my mouth.
The moment I took a bite, the buttery flavor filled my mouth. It was crispy yet soft at the same time, melting away as if it would dissolve on my tongue.
“…It’s delicious.”
Startled by my own muttering, I covered my mouth with my fingertips.
It was strange.
At the Uberis estate, nothing ever tasted good. No—more accurately, I couldn’t taste anything at all. My chest always felt tightly clogged, so even when something edible was placed before me, it wouldn’t go down properly.
But after leaving that estate, my appetite had improved to a surprising degree—even to me. Even that thick grain porridge, whose taste was questionable at best, I’d cleaned the bowl every time.
“Please eat a lot, Miss.”
Sina smiled warmly as she placed neatly sliced chicken onto my plate this time.
My nose prickled. If I cried again today, I wouldn’t be able to argue if Sina called me a crybaby anymore.
Worried she might notice, I quickly wiped the corners of my eyes and picked up my fork.
“Yeah. I’ll eat well.”
I shouldn’t leave anything behind, considering everyone’s effort.
And it didn’t even take an hour for me to regret that resolve.
In just a week, the season had changed. Until last week it had still been a little chilly, but today was full spring, with flower petals drifting through the air.
The sunlit view outside the window was truly beautiful.
But right now, I couldn’t care less about any of that.
‘…I’m so full.’
It seemed my effort to repay everyone’s kindness had gone too far. I felt like I might die from being full just by breathing.
Sina smiled brightly, looking satisfied.
“You worked hard.”
By the end, even the smell of freshly baked bread made my stomach churn, so it really had been hard work.
‘I should avoid overeating from now on.’
Every time I emptied a plate, Sina immediately brought more food, and in the middle of the meal the chef even came out, eyes sparkling with anticipation as he asked whether it suited my taste. I just couldn’t bring myself to leave anything behind.
‘And it was delicious.’
Thanks to that, I’d essentially invited disaster upon myself.
“Sina, I think I need to move around a bit.”
Perhaps the Tears of God and the recovery magic really were effective—my stamina had almost fully returned in just three days. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt this good physically, even after being reborn.
At my words, Sina’s face lit up.
“The master said you’re free to look around anywhere! Where would you like to go?”
Anywhere? Then should I suggest the treasure vault?
The mischievous thought crossed my mind, but the image of the frighteningly beautiful duke’s smile popped up, and I immediately scrapped the idea.
“Hmm. Shall we just wander wherever our feet take us first?”
As I said that and stepped out of the dining room, I saw two knights of the ducal house standing guard at the entrance—the same ones who had followed when I left my room earlier.
“Oh. Are you returning to your room?”
One was a neatly groomed knight who looked to be in his late twenties, with brown hair and green eyes. The other looked a bit younger, with sandy-colored hair and a sullen expression.
Both wore light armor over their knightly uniforms, and embedded at the center of their chests was a bluish magic stone bearing the emblem of the Northdian family.
‘So that’s the high-grade magic stone I’d only heard about.’
The same magical energy I’d felt from the golden clock in the reception room could be sensed from the magic stones in their armor. It seemed likely they were made by the same person.
‘As expected, I really want one. With just one of those, I wouldn’t have to worry about sneak attacks.’
Getting hit while defenseless hurts twice as much as usual.
“Um… are you all right?”
I’d been standing there gripping the dining room door, staring blankly at their chests for quite a while. Both knights looked flustered. Only then did I realize how perverted I must have seemed.
“Ahem—so, what are your names?”
At times like this, it’s best to just push through shamelessly.
“I’m Dale.”
“I’m Hans.”
Perhaps because of my status, they gave their names without complaint, though both wore subtly awkward expressions. I pretended not to notice, cleared my throat once more, and changed the subject.
“I was thinking of looking around the estate.”
“Yes, we’ll escort you.”
It seemed the brown-haired knight, Dale, was the superior. I gave a slight nod and walked past them.
‘Huh?’
The moment I passed by the sandy-haired knight, Hans, I sharply turned my head.
“Miss?”
Sina called out to me, puzzled.
I looked back at the three people behind me. All of them wore expressions that clearly said they had no idea what was going on.
‘Can none of them feel it?’
I narrowed my eyes and stared at Hans, who still looked indifferent. Just for a moment, an overwhelming stench had wafted from him.
A smell I was sure I’d encountered somewhere before.
When I just stood there silently, Sina began fidgeting anxiously.
“Miss, is your stomach upset? Should I go get you some medicine?”
“…No, I’m fine now.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
The smell was truly gone now. It was strange—as if it had slipped out for a moment and then been quickly hidden.
‘Was it just my imagination?’
Maybe my nose had malfunctioned briefly after smelling food nonstop.
Feeling guilty for treating an innocent knight like someone who smelled bad, I smiled gently at him. Hans, not understanding what was going on, looked flustered but returned an awkward smile.
“Sina, shall we start with the first floor? I want to see the common areas first.”
“Yes! I’ll guide you!”
With Sina beaming, we began slowly touring the first floor. As the Northdian estate was a place with a long history, the passage of centuries could be felt everywhere.
I was happily admiring the various beautiful spaces—the banquet hall, salons, reception rooms—when I spotted a familiar face near the entrance hall. It was the head butler, busily giving instructions to the servants.
“Good afternoon, Aubrian.”
When I approached and greeted her cheerfully, she welcomed me with a gentle smile.
“Good afternoon, Miss.”
The other servants passed by quietly, bending their knees in greeting. When I responded with a slight nod, they all looked pleased.
‘Ah, this really is so nice.’
Having people I can greet—and people who gladly accept my greetings.
A small happiness that naturally brought a smile to my lips.
“Come to think of it, today must have been your first meal in the dining hall. I’ve heard that food from the East is more lightly seasoned compared to the West—did it suit your taste?”
“Ugh—sorry, but please don’t talk about food right now.”
I covered my mouth dramatically at Aubrian’s question.
“Was it not to your liking?”
She looked troubled. I answered seriously.
“No, it was too delicious.”
“Then why—?”
I slumped my shoulders exaggeratedly.
“Because it was so delicious, I ended up overeating.”
“Oh my. I’m relieved it suited your taste. Hehe.”
After exchanging lighthearted jokes, I looked around and said,
“So I came out to walk it off and look around the estate. His Grace boasted that this mansion is over 400 years old.”
In truth, he’d answered a bit awkwardly at the time, but so what? A history spanning over 400 years was something worth boasting about anywhere.
“His Grace boasted about this estate?”
She looked a little surprised. Somehow, I felt I understood why the duke had seemed hesitant when talking about the mansion.
“Does His Grace not like this house very much?”
At that, Aubrian briefly looked as though she’d made a mistake, then quickly broke into a bright smile and shook her head.
“Of course not. The Northdian estate is a magnificent structure that stands proudly even when compared to the Imperial Palace.”
She then gestured toward the staircase leading to the second floor.
“If you don’t mind, I’ll guide you upstairs. Sina is a fine girl when it comes to attending to you, Miss, but she may be a bit lacking when it comes to explaining the estate’s history.”
It was obvious she was trying to change the subject, but given my ambiguous position as a contract fiancée, I decided to pretend not to notice.
“I’d be happy to, as long as I’m not interfering with your work, Aubrian.”
“Not at all. For a butler, there is no task more important than attending to the young lady who will become the mistress of the household.”
“In that case, I’m relieved. I’ll be in your care.”
And with that, Aubrian truly gave a thorough explanation of the estate. Along the second-floor corridor hung enormous portraits of successive heads of the family.
“When the founding emperor of the Cyrus Empire established the nation, it is said that Northdian stood on his right and Teros on his left. Thus, the most fertile lands of the East were granted to Northdian, and the western lands to Teros. That was the beginning of Northdian’s settlement in the Eastern region.”
Passing through the portrait corridor, we reached the duke’s living quarters. After briefly looking through spaces like the reception room, private library, and office, we also toured the unused rooms on the third floor.
“There are so many rooms.”
“Some have since been merged or repurposed, but when it was first built, it had as many as 183 rooms.”
“183?”
When I gasped at the staggering number, Aubrian chuckled and explained.
“This estate, bestowed by the founding emperor, was originally the royal palace of the Kingdom of Ibola. Now, after many renovations and expansions, it has fully merged with the Empire’s architectural style, making it difficult to find its original form—but at the time, it was built using the most advanced technology of the Kingdom of Ibola.”
“Ibola—that was the kingdom known as the Magic Kingdom, wasn’t it?”
