Jeron, who had been sick without anyone knowing the cause and had been ill day after day, finally got back on his feet after receiving Aisha’s devoted care.
“Jeron!”
Aisha beamed as she pressed her hand to Jeron’s forehead, where the fever had completely broken, and pulled him into a tight hug.
“Thank goodness. I was starting to think we’d have to bring in some renowned physician from the Capital if this kept up!”
“Ahem.”
The attending physician, who had been listening from the side, cleared his throat.
But since it was true that the fever hadn’t gone down for days, he had nothing to say and simply checked Jeron’s condition carefully.
“Let go…”
Jeron lightly pushed Aisha away.
Aisha let herself be pushed back, but she didn’t stop fussing.
“I’m so happy. Being like this with my son!”
“…”
“You’re all better now, don’t you miss the fresh air outside? Should we go for a walk together?”
“…”
“No, wait, the fever just went down, we shouldn’t go out and make you sick again…”
“Stop it…”
“Huh?”
“…You’re loud.”
“Ah.”
Aisha’s mouth snapped shut like a clam.
It felt like the roles of mother and son had been reversed.
Aisha listened to Jeron so well, almost too well.
But even the maids watching couldn’t help but let out a small laugh, as a warm, soft atmosphere spread through the room.
Anyway, after completely shaking off the fever and getting back on his feet, Jeron’s attitude toward Aisha softened a little.
That meant he had become more compliant than before.
Even so, Aisha didn’t let her guard down. He was the kind of child who could suddenly turn on a dime at any moment.
“Where are you going?”
“…”
She trailed after Jeron as he got out of bed and headed out, asking him.
“Let’s go together. But are you going out like that? Put something on.”
“…”
Aisha’s mouth, which had paused for a moment, didn’t stop moving.
Jeron, as if giving up, didn’t say anything, and he obediently put on the clothes Aisha prepared before heading out.
The two of them naturally ended up going for a walk together.
***
After sleeping deeply for the first time in a while, Aisha removed the gloomy blackout curtains that had been hanging in her room.
The room immediately felt much brighter.
With her body healthier, she became more active, poking her head into various places.
She talked to the hardworking servants and always greeted them, thanking them for their efforts.
“Hello!”
“Hi, Laura. Working hard again today.”
“Gasp… M-Madam, you remember my name…?”
“Of course. You’re someone who works for the Ducal House.”
Aisha said it with a smile, and Laura, looking deeply moved, said she’d continue to work hard.
Perhaps because of Aisha’s behavior, the servants found her less intimidating than before.
Rather, they wanted to do more for her and earn her favor.
Up to this point, it was clearly a familiar romance fantasy cliche that Aisha knew.
To truly blend into this place, it wasn’t enough to win over just the Valencia father and son.
The absolute support of the servants was essential as well.
“Aisha.”
She had been chatting and laughing with some maids when she turned around to see Luzbel behind her.
“W-we’ll take our leave now.”
The maids hurried down the corridor as soon as they saw Luzbel.
“How did you end up here…?”
“I saw you while passing by.”
“Weren’t you working?”
“I stepped out for a bit because I felt stifled.”
“Oh, then shall we walk together for a bit? Is that okay?”
“Of course.”
And just like that, they ended up going for a walk without having planned to.
It was Aisha’s first time taking a walk with Luzbel.
“The garden is very well maintained.”
“Is it? That’s a relief.”
Aisha walked wherever her feet took her, then glanced sideways at Luzbel.
“Luzbel.”
“Yes.”
“Is it really okay for me to do nothing? Doesn’t the Lady of the House usually manage the household and things like that…?”
She felt like she’d rested and taken it easy enough so far, so she asked because she wanted to be of some help.
“You don’t need to do those things, Aisha.”
It sounded like there was something behind that.
Not that there was nothing for her to do, but that she didn’t have to do it.
Honestly, it wasn’t like anyone loved working, but staying idle all the time made her feel restless instead.
She was so bored that she almost wished Luzbel would give her something to do.
So she said it plainly.
“I’m bored.”
Jeron was shut away and wouldn’t even look at her.
She had waited for the door to open, but it didn’t seem like it would anytime soon, so she ended up wandering around like this.
“…You’re bored?”
“Yes. I’m not a doll. Sitting still and doing nothing makes me feel stifled and miserable.”
“…Then what do you want to do?”
“If I say what I want to do, will you let me?”
“I’ll hear you out first.”
“I want to help with work.”
“…Work?”
“Isn’t there anything you can have me do?”
“I’d rather you just rest comfortably…”
Luzbel didn’t seem very happy about the idea of Aisha working.
“We could spend time together while working.”
“…”
That seemed to tempt him, because his expression changed.
After pondering for a moment, Luzbel soon spoke with a brightened face.
“Alright, let’s work together.”
And so, Aisha decided to work together with Luzbel.
***
In fact, Aisha was already putting into practice the advice she had heard from Deikan.
He had said that Luzbel’s excessive attachment to Aisha and his constant concern over every little thing were probably because he lacked affection.
“Affection?”
“Yes. You said your past married life wasn’t very good.”
She had told him that she had treated Luzbel coldly, and that Luzbel, despite that, had waited for her endlessly and taken care of her.
“His Grace only knows how to give. That was normal for him, and he’s never really received anything.”
“…”
“He must also be afraid of when the Madam might change again.”
“I’m not going to change…”
“Even if you think that way, from the other person’s perspective, it wouldn’t feel the same, would it?”
“…That’s true.”
“I think trust is needed. Trust that the Madam won’t change. That means you need to give enough affection not only to the Young Master, but also to His Grace.”
“Hmm…”
“Try creating time for the two of you to be together first.”
Most of the time, it had been Luzbel who approached her and spent time together, so following Deikan’s advice, she decided to try taking time to be with Luzbel on her own.
Of course, being bored was also genuinely part of it.
“Is this the work I’m supposed to do?”
“Yes.”
Luzbel beamed as he assigned Aisha her task.
Calling it work was almost embarrassing.
“What kind of work is this?”
Drinking tea beside Luzbel while he worked, that was the task Luzbel wanted.
“This is work too. When I work alone, there are times I feel a bit lonely, so I’d like it if you stayed by my side, Aisha.”
“What do you mean you work alone? You have a butler and an aide right next to you.”
“Leave.”
It took less than a second for him to issue an order to send them away.
But the aide and the butler, as if used to it, smiled lightly, finished setting up Aisha’s tea, and quietly withdrew.
“See? Without you, I’m all alone.”
She let out a hollow laugh at how absurd it was.
“Alright. I won’t disturb you, so go ahead and work.”
“It’s fine if you disturb me.”
“Work.”
“Yes…”
Only then did Luzbel turn his gaze to the mountain of documents piled up before him.
Even so, he kept sneaking glances toward the sofa where Aisha was sitting, and each time she made a quiet “tss” sound, he obediently focused back on the paperwork.
Watching Luzbel concentrate like that, he really was handsome.
Rustle, rustle.
Only the sound of papers turning echoed through the office.
Sipping her tea and listening to that sound, drowsiness slowly crept over her.
***
At that same time, while Aisha was with Luzbel.
“…That woman?”
“The Madam? She said she had something to do today, so she’ll come later.”
Flora, Jeron’s personal maid, answered.
“…What kind of thing?”
“She said she had work to do with His Grace.”
“When is she coming?”
“I don’t know that either.”
When Aisha actually approached him, Jeron pushed her away with all his strength. Yet when she was out of sight like this, he grew anxious.
Flora clicked her tongue inwardly, thinking she had no idea which rhythm she was supposed to follow with the Madam.
The Madam, who had suddenly changed one day, had become a completely different person.
Flora, too, naturally became a follower of this new Madam. Because of that, she hoped that this violent Young Master would quickly open his heart and make things less exhausting for the Madam.
In truth, Flora hadn’t been a servant at the ducal estate for very long, so she didn’t really know how the relationship between mother and son had ended up like this.
She could only feel sorry for the Madam, who was trying so hard.
She had only heard that the Madam had been ill before becoming as lively as she was now, which made it feel even more pitiful.
“She is coming today, right…?”
“Yes. She said she would.”
“…”
Jeron gazed out the window with a dejected expression.
Seeing him like this, it was hard to believe that the Young Master truly hated the Madam, so she couldn’t understand why he acted as if he were desperate to hurt her.
***
Aisha ended up falling fast asleep.
She slept so deeply that by the time she opened her eyes, the sun had already set.
She hurriedly got up, wiping the drool from the corner of her mouth, and realized that Luzbel had been watching her, though she had no idea how long he had been there.
“Ah, you scared me!”
“Did you sleep well?”
“Why are you just standing there like that?”
“You were being quiet, Aisha.”
“…Then you could have woken me up.”
“I only just noticed too.”
Somehow, that sounded like a lie.
“Did work go well?”
“Yes. Of course. Someone was sitting right next to me, so how could it not go well?”
Luzbel smiled as if he might melt on the spot.
“I think I should get going now.”
“Where to?”
Luzbel’s face, which had looked pleased, drooped the moment she said she was leaving.
“To Jeron. I didn’t see him today.”
If she waited in front of his door for an hour or two, he would usually open it reluctantly, but today she hadn’t gone to Jeron because she had come to Luzbel instead.
“Shall we go together?”
“Is that okay?”
“Yes, it is.”
Since he said they’d go together, and that sounded good too, the two of them headed toward Jeron.
“Madam!”
After knocking on the door and stepping inside, they saw Jeron causing another scene.
