IPMPBB 23

Chapter 23

“Do you mean Elia?” Michael asked cautiously.
He still couldn’t figure out the intentions of the Marquis of Elvington.

“Yes, I’m talking about Elia.”
The Marquis nodded, and Michael fell into thought.
‘How should I respond? What answer does Father want from me?’

Just as he was caught in this dilemma—
“Perhaps I…”
The Marquis of Elvington trailed off, uncharacteristically.

Michael waited tensely for the Marquis to continue.
A moment of silence passed.
His gaze, fixed on the closed door, deepened.

Soon, he spoke again.

“Perhaps I’ve been wrong about that child all along.”

Michael looked at him in shock.
‘Father, who was always so strict with Elia…’
But now that he thought about it, Elia had indeed changed recently.
Even today had been like that.

When he first heard Elia fought with a subordinate knight, he assumed she’d lost her temper and picked a fight.
But when Michael had an aide investigate, the truth was completely different.

‘She won fair and square and even gained the subordinate’s loyalty.’

Even for Michael, who had led the knight order and was often praised as the best commander, that was no easy feat.

‘That unruly Elia actually managed to do that…’

Though he initially thought the duel with a subordinate had been rash, the results left him impressed.

‘And in the end, didn’t she even persuade Father?’

Michael understood just how rare it was to hear his father say “I was wrong.”

‘Maybe… maybe Elia really is…’

Michael clenched his fists without realizing, deep in thought about Elia.

‘If that’s the case, maybe… maybe we can return to how things used to be.’

He recalled the time when their mother, the Marquis’s wife, was still alive—when Elia still had both arms.
Back then, the household was filled with laughter and happiness.

‘I never imagined Elia would take that first step.’

The study fell silent again, as both Michael and the Marquis were lost in their own thoughts about Elia.

* * *

“Sigh.”
After leaving the Marquis’s study and arriving at my room, I washed up quickly and flopped onto the bed.

I thought all the villains were dealt with after putting down Zachary and Ginata, but now a new villain—the Marquis himself—had emerged, giving me a headache.

“…I didn’t expect being recognized by my own family to be harder than getting acknowledged at work.”

A sigh escaped me.

“But I said everything I needed to say.”

That would have to be enough for today.
No point stressing about why stubborn elders are so hard to reason with—I’d only lose sleep over it.

I shook off my stress and jumped up, pulling the summoning cord.
I was hungry and wanted dinner.

One thing I really appreciated here—whether in the knight order or at home—was that the food was really good.

Knock knock.
As soon as I pulled the cord, someone knocked, clearly already waiting outside.

“Come in.”
“Milady, are you all right?”
Of course, it was Mary.

Mary looked anxiously at me, clearly worried.
She must have expected bad news, since nothing good had ever come from my encounters with the Marquis.
But this time, it was different.

“I’m fine!”
I replied brightly, still excited at the thought of food after brushing off the stress.

Mary’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Milady… you really are all right?”
She clasped her hands and sighed in relief.

“I’ll bring dinner right away!”
She hurried out of my room with quick steps.

When she returned, she was carrying a huge tray filled with dishes.

“Whoa, is this lobster?”
“Lobster? Ah yes, it’s a kind of lobster dish!”
Mary responded cheerfully as she laid out the food in front of me.

There was lobster grilled in butter, salted sauce-drenched potatoes, cold cuts with tangy jelly, a soup clearly made from expensive ingredients, warm white bread, and fresh fruit juice.

I bit into the bread first, and its fragrant, fluffy texture melted in my mouth.
Next was the potato dish.
The perfectly boiled potato fell apart as soon as I touched it with a fork, the sauce seeping inside like a masterpiece.

One big spoonful of the sauce-drenched potato brought together the salty and sweet flavors in perfect harmony.
Then came the lobster.

Cutting into the butter-glazed white meat revealed the soft, succulent flesh.
One bite, and I felt like I was in heaven.

It was like something out of a food manga—was that the sound of waves in the background?

As always, the meals here were not only extravagant but delicious beyond belief.

“That was amazing.”

After finishing the soup and cold cuts, I smiled in total satisfaction.

“Seeing you happy makes me happy, Milady.”

Mary spoke warmly as she cleared the dishes.
She handed them to another maid waiting outside and returned to me.

“Milady, what exactly happened today?”
“Hm?”
“The Marquis and young master summoned you. Nothing serious happened in the knight order, right?”

Mary was trying hard to hide her concern.
It occurred to me that the staff still didn’t know about the duel with Cesare.

“Nothing serious. But if you’re curious, I’ll tell you.”
“Please do!”

“Okay, so this morning I got to work and was eating breakfast, and then…”

Since it felt good to share everything and to have someone who would genuinely listen, I began telling Mary everything that happened.
She reacted with all kinds of expressions, listening attentively to the end.
That alone made me feel so much better.

Having someone who truly listened—