Chapter 23
It felt so thrilling.
Yes—up until this point, everything was great. But now… I had no idea what to do next. I’d never defied him before, so what was I supposed to do now?
Go back to my room? That would look so lame. I’d just said things like I’d never see him again, but in reality, I’d still have to run into him at home. And I couldn’t forget about the head maid Gemma, standing over in the hallway corner, watching everything.
As if reading my mind, Owen held out his hand.
“Are you hungry? Let’s go have breakfast.”
“Where?”
“Where else? My place. Arne’s waiting.”
Since when was the Grand Duke’s residence “our place”?
Still… I liked his suggestion. It meant breaking both my house arrest and fasting order at once.
Father just glared at me without moving—he knew he’d lost this round.
Owen took my hand and started walking past him, but then glanced back to say,
“Oh, by the way—our family’s formal marriage proposal letter will arrive today. But it’s nothing you need to worry about, Father-in-law.”
Right then, a butler came up the stairs at the far end of the hall, followed by a neatly dressed man I didn’t recognize. The butler, sweating nervously, spoke to Father.
“My lord, I’m sorry to interrupt, but you have a visitor. I thought it best to deliver this to you directly…”
The man behind him opened a long, jewel-encrusted crimson tube. Inside was a rolled-up document.
The brown-haired man handed it to Father.
“A marriage proposal from the House of Glentino.”
“What?”
The butler quickly added,
“However… it’s not for the late Young Master Arnold—”
“It’s for me,” Owen finished.
He frowned at the brown-haired man.
“You’re late.”
The two seemed to know each other well. The brown-haired man gave Owen an incredulous look.
“If you were here yourself, why didn’t you just bring it over?”
“I have to follow proper etiquette.”
Not that that stopped him from proposing before the letter even arrived.
Father no longer even looked at me. He took the letter with a furious expression, quickly opening it. The brown-haired man subtly moved to block Father’s view of Owen—clearly trying to buy time.
Not bad.
The order of things had changed slightly, but this made my proposal officially flawless.
Feeling lighthearted, I started to walk past Father toward the exit, when Owen leaned down and whispered to me,
“Sophia, are you going to leave it at this?”
“…What?”
“I only removed one ‘bug’ from Father-in-law’s face earlier. I left the rest for you.”
I laughed.
But he was right. Since I’d decided to leave home, why not cause a proper stir? The butler was here, and Gemma, plus the Lion faction servants, were still in the mansion.
I called out loudly, “Hans!”
“Yes, my lady.”
The butler bowed. With Owen holding my hand encouragingly, I said calmly,
“I’m not coming home for about a week. Keep that in mind.”
“…Pardon?”
“Oh, and gather all the household staff in the first-floor hall. I have something to announce.”
The butler, puzzled, agreed and left.
I was already enjoying what I was about to do.
With Mother gone, the official lady of the Bartoli household was me, the eldest daughter. But most of the servants probably forgot that.
Proof? The first-floor hall was full of them, yet none seemed to know why I was standing at the top of the grand staircase looking down on them.
Popo lay curled up against my leg at my side.
‘Wow… seeing them all in one place, there are a lot.’
Three butlers, the head chef and kitchen maids, the male servants, head maid Gemma—plus familiar faces like Bessie and Lizzie. Even Shima, the maid who crossed me yesterday, was there.
When I raised my hand, the chatter stopped instantly.
I spoke loudly,
“Starting today, everyone gets a week off. Paid leave, of course—collect your wages from the butler. Oh, except Gemma. The head maid will stay here and work.”
The staff began murmuring again. A week off was unheard of—three days was usually the most anyone got. Gemma’s face turned red even from this distance, and nearby servants glanced at her.
The butler near me asked,
“My lady… all the servants?”
“Hm… maybe not all? What do you think…”
I slowly looked over the assembled staff. Just as I expected, the Lion faction maids flinched noticeably. No wonder—they knew that if half the staff left, the rest would have to work double for a week.
Shima was nervously biting her nails.
After pretending to think it over, I said brightly,
“No, all of them. And give them a generous bonus too.”
“Understood, my lady.”
“But Hans, surely you can tell which servants have truly served faithfully and which haven’t, right?”
The butler caught on immediately and bowed.
“Of course, my lady. There are, regrettably, some who don’t deserve the bonus.”
“Good. Give it only to those you deem worthy. After that, you butlers take a vacation too.”
All three butlers looked up at once.
“Us too, my lady?”
“Yes. You’ve all been away from your wives too long. Go enjoy some hot springs—Capoletti territory is famous for them.”
They exchanged delighted glances. It wasn’t often that butlers, bound to their master’s side, got time off.
This mansion would be left with only Father and Gemma. No one to clean, no one to buy or cook food, no one to serve it.
‘They’ll be starving for a week.’
And I’d made sure to give both Lion and Lilac factions the same paid leave. That bit of generosity would make it clear which side they should choose in the future.
Then I remembered something and clapped my hands.
“Oh, I almost forgot—take all the fresh food that came in today as gifts to your families. You should be able to brag about the fine food you get working here. Make sure to take everything.”
The servants, glancing around, rushed toward the kitchen.
Owen, smiling in satisfaction, squeezed my hand and said,
“I admire your generosity, but I do worry for your father-in-law, left alone here. Someone might trespass, or he could be harmed if he goes out. May I station my own servants here for protection?”
In other words—he meant to keep Father from running off or calling for help. I liked the sound of that.
Smiling, I said,
“My, how thoughtful. I’m sure my father will be deeply moved.”
“I only care if you’re moved. Now, shall we go eat?”
I took his hand. The pink diamond on my ring finger caught the sunlight.
“All right. I think it’s time to see my son.”
“Arne!”
“Mom!”
We ran toward each other and hugged as if reunited after years apart. I’d worried about him so much while I was locked up.
It was strange—Eloise had practically dumped him on me, but he’d crossed mountains and rivers to meet the woman he believed was his mother.
And most importantly…
Arne was adorable! That soft, round face with a bit of baby fat still left—his smile could conquer the Empire. He was bound to grow into a stunning man someday.
I couldn’t stop smiling as I asked warmly,
“How have you been, Arne?”
“I’ve been eating well and sleeping well.”
Of course, that was Owen answering. Arne ignored him, used to his interruptions by now.
“Everyone’s been nice to me. But now that Mom’s here, I think things will be even better.”
Oh my goodness—he wasn’t even ten yet, but he spoke so sweetly.
Behind me, Owen grumbled,
“I’m hungry, Sophia.”
I ignored him and asked,
“Have you had breakfast, Arne?”
“No, I was waiting to eat with you!”
“Oh, you must be hungry. Shall we go have breakfast now?”
“Yes!”
Hand in hand, Arne and I walked into the Grand Duke’s townhouse. Owen strolled behind us.
I hesitated for a moment, then turned and offered my free hand. Owen took it immediately, lacing our fingers together. I didn’t dislike it—so I squeezed back lightly.
The three of us walked toward the dining room side by side.
The Grand Duke’s hallways were beautiful, the sunlight warm. On either side of me were the Empire’s most handsome man and the most handsome boy, both holding my hands.
Had I ever walked to a meal with family at the Marquess’s house? Probably not since I was as young as Arne, back when Mother was still alive.
The memory left me feeling strange.
‘Mother, I think I’m doing okay.’
I felt tears prick my eyes. To hide it, I walked more briskly.
Then Owen spoke softly beside me.
“Sophia.”
“Yes, Owen?”
He pointed to the right.
“The dining room is this way.”
