Chapter 47
“I Am the New Employee Here”
“D-Did my lady eat well?”
Seated alone in front of Mercian’s house, Ruan shot to his feet when Edward stepped inside.
“Of course. Perhaps because it’s been so long since she last saw us, she ate as much as she used to at the duke’s estate. Which means, master, you should finish this as well.”
Ruan let out a faint sigh as he gazed at the meal Edward had brought.
“Thank goodness… It was the right choice to come with you.”
He was a man who had never once lowered his head to anyone.
Though his faults were undeniable, watching his master struggle like this was far from easy for Edward.
But just as Olivia had said, he wanted Ruan to at least realize the things he needed to realize.
Edward spoke to him earnestly.
“Master, no matter how much we care for my lady, the only one she truly wishes for is you.”
“No… that’s not true. She doesn’t want to see me anymore.”
Ruan’s voice was hollow as he recalled Mercian’s cold words, telling him to go back.
“Then why are you here? If my lady doesn’t want to see you, isn’t staying in the house across from hers nothing more than tormenting her?”
As Jang set the food down, his blunt words cut through the room.
Ruan exhaled softly.
Perhaps Edward and Jang were right.
His presence here might indeed be nothing but a burden to Mercian.
And yet, without being close to her like this, he felt as though he could not breathe.
He cursed himself a dozen times a day for not heeding Olivia’s counsel back then.
If he could only turn back time, he swore he would listen to her this time—swore he would not let his wife leave the ducal house.
But that was nothing more than a futile vow now.
“It may sound like an excuse, but I truly had no choice at the time. Still… once it was all over, the first thing I intended to do was tell her everything. I thought if I explained, if I begged her forgiveness, she would understand.”
Clea, stepping in from outside, frowned at his words.
“Master, you still don’t realize what you’ve done wrong.”
“Clea?”
“To be honest, when I first came down here, I hoped things would work out between you and my lady. But… I don’t think you’re her match after all.”
“Clea! How dare you speak like that?”
Edward snapped, throwing Ruan a nervous glance.
“Ed, be quiet. Listen to me, master. This is the last piece of advice I can give you. Think again—was that truly the only way? Yes, perhaps declaring yourself dead from poison was the quickest and safest method. I’m only a maid, I know nothing of politics… but if you truly loved and respected my lady, you could have kept her out of it entirely.”
“W-what do you mean?”
“You could have told her the truth. After the announcement of your death, you could have said the marriage contract was void, and then sent her somewhere safe. From the start, you and my lady agreed on only six months of marriage. No one would have suspected a thing. Isn’t that so?”
“But the crown prince had his eye on her—”
“Perhaps. I can’t say for certain. But if your intention was to protect her, surely you could have devised a far better plan than anything a simple maid like me could imagine. You may score zero in love, but in the empire you are still the most cunning strategist alive, aren’t you?”
Her words struck him like a blunt weapon, leaving his head ringing, his mind blank.
Yes.
If he’d wanted, he could have told his wife the truth and kept her outside of his schemes.
If he had wanted, there were a thousand ways to deceive the crown prince.
And yet… not once had he even considered it.
Even when he told himself he ought to beg for her forgiveness, a part of him still felt resentful when Mercian had confronted him.
I did it for the empire.
Couldn’t she forgive me, just this once?
Ha… ha… What madness.
Fool.
Idiot.
A man undone by his own cleverness.
Someone like me doesn’t even deserve forgiveness!
His face contorted as he lowered his head in self-reproach.
Watching him, Clea sighed softly.
“Master, this isn’t about men or women—it’s the same for everyone. I’m older than you, so let me give you one piece of advice from my years of living: every love must be built on trust and faith. If your feelings for my lady were real—if you truly loved her—you should have told her the truth. Of all people, she deserved that much. When you lay unconscious for a week, wasn’t there more than enough time to confide in her?”
Trust and faith…
Yes. Clea was right.
I said I loved her.
I said I respected her, cherished her as she was.
And yet I deceived her.
I kept the truth from her, and in doing so, I hurt her more deeply than anyone else.
Can I really ever earn her trust and faith again?
Can I truly… be forgiven?
As Ruan finally grasped the weight of his wrongdoing, a crushing uncertainty settled over him.
If he truly wished for Mercian’s happiness, then perhaps Clea was right.
Perhaps the best thing he could do for her now was to disappear from her sight altogether.
But since she had left, he had come to understand one truth: without her, he could not live.
Even if he told her now—told her with every ounce of sincerity—that he loved her, that he could not live without her… she would never believe him again.
What on earth am I supposed to do?
Luan felt that it might have been easier to march onto a battlefield and fight an enemy army. He had never once been afraid to face tens of thousands of soldiers, yet when it came to his wife, his courage vanished without a trace…
Clea, who had always spoken harshly to him, lowered her head in guilt as she watched Ruan sitting there in such dejection.
She quietly sat down across from him.
“To be honest, if it were up to me, I’d tell Madam to leave you behind and find someone better. But… I don’t want her to lose you either. What comforts me is that Madam is far kinder and better than I imagined. And it’s not too late yet. Seeing how she still worries about you, it’s clear her heart hasn’t completely turned away. Why not think of this as your last chance and work at her shop?”
“At… my wife’s shop?”
Ruan lifted his head at Clea’s words.
“Yes. Help her make sandwiches, spend time with her. Whenever you get the chance, apologize with all your heart. Madam is kind. If you truly put your sincerity into it, she will forgive you.”
“Do you really think so?”
When Ruan asked in a faltering voice, Edward clenched his fist tightly.
“Don’t worry. Madam may speak that way, but she still has feelings for you. Treat this as your final chance and hold strong.”
Yes.
If she forgives me, then there’s nothing I couldn’t do.
Working as a shop assistant?
That’s nothing.
Spurred by Edward’s words, Ruan suddenly leapt to his feet and began putting on his coat.
“M-Master, where are you going in the middle of your meal?”
“To her shop. I’m going to help her. Did she go there already?”
“Yes, she left earlier with a woman named Zelda.”
“Thank you, Clea. Because of you, I’ve finally realized what I did wrong. This time, I won’t fail.”
“Yes, Master! You can do it!”
Cheered on by Edward, Ruan left the house.
“Do you think that will be enough?”
At Edward’s question, Clea smiled strangely.
“Oh no, this is only the beginning. Once he gets to the shop, he’ll be in for quite a shock.”
“What in the world are you plotting, Clea?”
Clea murmured with a cryptic look on her face.
“He has to learn too—that if he isn’t careful, he could very well lose Madam.”
“Zelda, doesn’t it seem like the entire neighborhood decided to visit today?”
At Mercian’s words, she glanced around the shop.
It was unusually crowded with men.
At Clea’s request, she had asked Peter to send a few male customers to the shop for Madam’s sake, but she had never imagined this many would come.
This feels… a bit much, doesn’t it?
“Well, word probably spread. Since Rosalin was sick, I was making sandwiches for a while, but today people must have heard she was back. They all want her sandwiches again. Isn’t that right, Peter?”
Zelda looked at him, and Peter answered with a gentle smile.
“Of course, Zelda. After all that time, when you were the one making sandwiches instead of Rosaline, it was hard to come by the real thing. Now that Rosaline’s back, there was no way I could miss this. For now, I’ll take a ham sandwich and an avocado one. Oh, and Henry said he’d be coming later too.”
That Peter… I know he likes Rosaline, but does he have to say mine don’t taste good? How rude.
Zelda quietly glared at him.
At Peter’s words, Mercian chuckled.
“Then I’d better prepare Henry’s favorite chicken breast sandwich too.”
“See? That’s what I said—Rosaline would make it if she knew he was coming. Zelda, please, don’t touch that sandwich. That one’s mine.”
As Peter tried to stop her from making it, Zelda deliberately kept working with a smirk.
“Peter, it’s the same ingredients either way. Why are you whining? You’re twenty-five, not five. Here, take it.”
“Haah… Honestly, Zelda, why are you always hanging around here instead of minding your own café? Don’t you sell tea anymore?”
Grumbling, Peter took the sandwich. Zelda leaned in and lowered her voice.
“Listen carefully. Rosaline already belongs to someone, so stop casting those eyes at her.”
“What? Really?”
Startled, Peter turned toward Mercian, but she waved her hands frantically.
“N-no, no! She’s just joking. Zelda, enough nonsense—oh! Sam, it’s been a while.”
“I figured Rosalin might be back today, so I came. Do you have salmon sandwiches by any chance?”
Sam winked at her as he sat down.
Mercian quickly began preparing his order.
“Of course, just give me a moment.”
“Take your time. Peter, why are you still here?”
“Sam, don’t pester Rosaline too much.”
Peter’s sudden warning made Sam shrug with exaggerated innocence.
“Who says I was pestering her? Right, Rosaline?”
“Of course not, Sam. Here you go—one salmon sandwich.”
“Thanks, Rosaline. But… have you been alright? You look like you’ve lost some weight. If you’re free, would you like to have dinner with me sometime?”
“I’ll just take that as a kind offer. Oh? Lila, it’s been a while.”
When Rosaline declined, Sam looked disappointed, but Peter patted him on the shoulder knowingly.
“If you need company for dinner, Sam, you can always eat with me.”
“No thanks. Rosaline, next time then. I’ll hold you to it.”
Sam picked up his sandwich and started toward the door—only to find someone blocking his way.
“Wh-what the… who are you?”
“Me?”
The man towering at least ten centimeters above him stared down with cold, merciless eyes.
Sam shrank under the gaze, bowing his head instinctively.
The man’s smile only grew sharper, more dangerous.
“I’m the new employee here.”
