The one who prepared the refreshments for the thoughtful young lady was the butler in a slightly graying tailcoat, who seemed to have served in employment for quite a long time.
“Though it may seem like a lot at first glance, this is mostly according to our staff guidelines. Managing the rooms, tending the garden flowers, feeding the cats—all of this is our responsibility. The new mistress will not have to trouble herself much at all.”
“‘New mistress’?”
Not ‘Grand Duchess,’ not ‘Lady,’ but ‘Mistress’… Karian, hearing a title from a human after such a long time, couldn’t help but ask back. The butler bowed gently before her with a kind smile.
“Once you purchase the mansion and become our employer, you are naturally the mistress. We will do our utmost to ensure your stay is comfortable.”
The experienced butler’s movements and speech were flawless. Unlike the butler at the Grand Duke’s palace who despised her as an illegitimate child, or the Pandion household butlers who only knew how to flatter the powerful, this one was entirely different.
If she employed him, even if he had hidden thoughts, outwardly he would be her loyal servant. And if the butler is loyal, the rest of the staff would certainly not act carelessly either.
Karian coveted the mansion, but ever since regaining the memories of her previous life, she had always longed for a properly structured system like this. It had been natural to her in her former life.
“But even if everything else is fine, why is the terrace off-limits? When I first saw this mansion, the terrace caught my eye first. I just can’t understand why it was built and then made unusable.”
“That is…”
The butler hesitated at her question instead of answering directly. His eyes sought permission from the count, who had remained silent while the butler tried to persuade Karian. The count calmly recounted an old story.
“A few years ago, someone fell and died. Not just anyone, but my daughter’s family.”
“Ah…”
“My daughter, her legal husband, and my granddaughter. They argued over bringing my estranged wife home and all of them fell. The daughter and granddaughter died instantly, while the son-in-law suffered for three days. His ribs were broken, and breathing was painful; in the end, he even asked to be put out of his misery. Of course, I didn’t personally do it, but he suffered enough before passing.”
That’s why the terrace is blocked off—because no one can guarantee that nothing like that will happen again.
Even the count himself was surprised at his calm tone while recounting the story. He rarely spoke about his daughter to others, but at that moment, he worried more about whether Karian might face a similar danger than felt the usual pain of recalling his loss.
“So, it’s because you’re worried about me?”
“-Worried is putting it too nicely. It’s embarrassing, really.”
Yes, Karian had to admit that while her face and personality were completely different from Enje’s, there were still many similarities. It almost felt as if his daughter had guided her here to help in her stead.
“I see. Alright. I can enjoy the view from other windows anyway. Fine, I’ll accept the other conditions too. So now, there shouldn’t be any issues, right?”
Karian let out a deep sigh as she looked at Count Lowell’s eyes, which, although appearing slightly cold, carried a trace of subtle favor.
She was confident that even if she fell from the third floor or from the high skies, she wouldn’t be harmed a hair. But she couldn’t prove it, so she reluctantly wrote the check—a single one for 100,000 gold.
“-What are you doing? Not taking it?”
She had signed the sale contract and offered the check, but the count silently looked at it before pushing it back toward her.
Surprised that he might have changed his mind, she frowned, but the count clicked his tongue at her sharp expression.
“The money is fine. All I wanted was to hand over this wretched townhouse. If you live well here, that’s enough for me.”
“What nonsense is that? Is it because the amount is too small? Shall I write another one for about 300,000 gold at market value, sir?”
“That ‘sir’ again! I’m only fifty-three! And do you know how much it will cost me to live alone? Don’t just waste checks like that, save some!”
Karian growled in response to his intrusive nagging, and the butler served the two of them, stepping in for the frightened maid.
What irritated the count the most was that the butler, who had served him loyally all this time, had pleaded for Karian, saying, ‘Please go easy on this poor old man.’
The count erupted in anger, ordered his belongings to be delivered to his estate, and left the mansion. Karian was thus able to claim the townhouse.
And time passed to the present.
“You said you come by occasionally? Isn’t it a bit too often?”
Karian openly scolded the count.
“I was on my way down to the estate for business. I came to let you know I won’t be able to come for a while.”
Count Lowell spoke sharply yet without expression, while a young maid quietly served tea and refreshments, her gentle smile hinting at how frequently such conversations occurred.
“The estate is nearby anyway… and who’s waiting here for you? Was it really necessary to announce it?”
“I’ll pretend to be away so you relax, then suddenly appear to check if you’re keeping your promises. So don’t let your guard down.”
“-You two seem close.”
Meanwhile, Alcard, who had been sitting idly like a stuffed sack, spoke unnecessarily and received two sharp glances in return. But he genuinely thought they looked friendly.
‘They’re so different in gender and age… how did they get this close?’
He had never seen Karian voluntarily sit with someone for tea. And she seemed completely at ease joking with the count.
Her pouting face, her unguarded speech—these were sides of her she had never shown her family.
Annoyed by this, Alcard forcibly changed the topic.
“-But why the guards?”
“Guards?”
“If you needed protection, why not a knight? Mercenaries in a noble’s house… it doesn’t look right.”
Alcard frowned at the burly mercenaries stationed outside the parlor. With his siblings being royal knights and the ‘Red Falcon’ knights serving the duke, why hire outsiders—especially non-knight mercenaries?
Trained knights are more skilled than mercenaries, who fight for money, not honor, and could betray you. It’s risky to have them nearby.
But Karian frowned, clearly offended by his critique.
“They are more skilled than most knights, so don’t worry.”
“Skill aside, they just don’t look right.”
“Isn’t it better than having knights who ignore the lady? These are people I personally selected. Don’t insult them.”
Karian vividly remembered how despised she had been by knights while living in the Grand Duke’s house. Loyal knights escorted her per her father’s orders, but even when she spoke kindly, they ignored her. The royal knights were even worse—they treated her as if she didn’t exist.
Alcard clenched his cup involuntarily, seeing her firm stance that left no room for discussion.
“-Are you saying I’m inferior?”
“What did you say?”
“Nothing, the tea was good. I’ll be going now.”
Feeling suffocated, Alcard couldn’t remain seated. He had heard too much about divorce and a new home, none of which had been discussed with the family—or even properly communicated. A distant relative seemed to know more about her than he did, which hurt his pride.
“Sir, I’ll take my leave. Thank you for helping my sister.”
“Ah… yes, travel safely, Grand Duke.”
Count Lowell spoke politely, yet Alcard’s anger-filled gaze fascinated him. He had thought the Grand Duke’s family was indifferent to her, but apparently not entirely.
‘But no matter the interest, inaction is meaningless.’
In his youth, the count had believed that standing quietly like an old tree behind one’s family was love. He realized this was wrong after repeated reproaches from his wife and daughter. Yet Karian seemed to have no expectations at all.
If she dislikes it, he had no reason to interfere. Count Lowell was willing to be concerned but not meddle insensitively in sensitive family matters.
“Are you… not sick or anything?”
Alcard asked once more, glancing back as he left the mansion. His gaze seemed almost to plead for her to speak or stop him.
“Why do you ask that?”
“-Never mind.”
Karian didn’t answer yes or no, reinforcing the solid wall between them.
Alcard sighed, nervously brushing back his hair. As he left, Karian didn’t once turn her head to watch him go.
