Chapter 33
Time passed quickly, and summer break had finally come. As soon as Lou returned from the academy, he had the carriage prepared. It was late at night, and I kept yawning.
I stretched and then sank wearily into the seat. Of course, this was a duke’s carriage. It was huge, and the ride was perfectly smooth.
“Going to sleep right away?”
Lou, who had just climbed into the carriage, asked. I shook my head and looked at him while lying down.
“What about the other maids?”
“There aren’t any.”
“……?”
I immediately sat up. Staring at Lou, I asked in a dazed voice,
“Excuse me……?”
“My mom doesn’t like having too many people around.”
“Then why bring me?”
“You’d be bored otherwise.”
Sigh… really…
I turned to look out the window. Sure enough, there were no other duke’s carriages following us. No wonder they put me in the same carriage as Lou.
“At least you should have brought some guards.”
“Don’t need them. I’m the strongest.”
Where does he get this confidence from?
I gave up on talking and flopped back into the seat. Judging by the size of the carriage, we’d probably stick to the main roads. And the Sharonde Empire was safe enough that nothing dangerous would happen anyway.
Feeling relaxed, sleep started to take over again. I blinked slowly and finally closed my eyes.
The carriage was comfortable, and the duchess’s mansion wasn’t far, so the trip shouldn’t take long. I decided to just enjoy this journey.
I’ll get him one day, I thought.
I glared at Lou, who was asleep while sitting up. He had been excited about riding the carriage for the first time, but the trip was longer than expected. It already felt like summer break was almost over.
I had been foolish to believe Lou when he said it wouldn’t take long. I kept staring at him, but he didn’t seem to notice at all.
“Master Lou.”
I was bored, so I called his name. He didn’t move.
Maybe he’s pretending to sleep?
Lou usually woke up quickly when called once. Thinking I wouldn’t be fooled a second time, I stomped my foot loudly. The carriage shook a bit, but he still kept his eyes closed.
“Master Lou.”
“…….”
“Hey.”
“…….”
Wow, he’s really sleeping. I smiled. The noise of the carriage seemed normal to him, so small sounds didn’t wake him.
I could have woken him, but it was too much effort. I leaned back and just watched him sleep.
He’s definitely grown. He used to seem like a kid, but looking objectively, Lou no longer looked like a child.
Comparing him to a few months ago in winter, the change was even clearer.
“He really is handsome.”
I had to admit it. I smiled, watching him. I didn’t like that he had already grown taller than me, but seeing someone I cared for grow up was satisfying.
As the sunlight through the curtains faded, evening came, and the carriage stopped.
“Ugh……”
I groaned, looking at the mansion outside.
Finally here… thank you…
I kept offering thanks, though I wasn’t sure to whom.
Getting out of the carriage, the duchess’s mansion was smaller than I expected. It looked barely a fraction of the size of the duke’s main residence, and I wondered if we had come to the wrong place.
The building looked more like a normal commoner’s house than a noble’s mansion.
“Is this really the right place……?”
I stared at the mansion, then asked Lou.
“It’s the countryside.”
“But isn’t it too small? She’s a duchess…”
There wasn’t even a guard at the door. Lou opened the door and went inside like it was normal.
The inside of the mansion felt warm. The smells of food and people chatting happily made it look like a normal, cozy home.
Passing through the hallway by the entrance, we came to a large table. About ten people were seated around it with a roasted chicken in the center. Their clothes were simple, but I could immediately tell who the duchess was.
“Lou?”
A woman who looked exactly like Lou looked up at us, surprised.
Seeing her black hair and golden eyes, identical to Lou’s, was amazing.
How could they look so alike? I glanced at Lou, who was smiling gently.
“You’re Master Lou?”
Then everyone at the table looked at Lou. They all seemed surprised.
“That’s me,” he said playfully. The others got up and went to greet him.
After asking usual questions like how he had grown or how he had been, one lady clapped her hands sharply.
“Enough! Eat first!”
“Weren’t you eating already?”
“We were about to, but since it’s been a while, you should talk to the duchess first.”
Hearing this, everyone gradually left. I looked around nervously, unsure if I should leave too.
Before I could decide, the room was empty except for the duchess, Lou, and me. I quietly stepped back.
“Where are you going?”
Ah, he’s really sharp.
As soon as I moved, Lou looked at me.
“You should talk to the duchess first since it’s been a while,” he repeated exactly what the lady had said earlier.
The duchess’s voice followed behind him.
“Don’t do that. Sit with us. You haven’t eaten yet anyway.”
True to her reputation, the duchess called me to the table. Lou smiled and sat in the empty chair.
Really? I sat down too, next to him. The smell of roasted chicken made my stomach growl.
Lou took pieces of chicken and put them on my plate. I watched the duchess take a bite first, then tried it myself. After so long, it felt amazing to have a proper meal.
“I wanted to meet you anyway. Thank you for coming, Lily.”
I froze mid-bite at her voice and softly asked,
“You know my name……?”
“Abel talked about you nonstop. For two months, it was all about Lily,” the duchess said with a smile. I knew Abel had mentioned me, but two months straight? I felt warm inside.
“Lou, you’ve grown too. You must have been taking the supplements I sent?”
“Ah, please…”
Lou scowled. He had been taking the one supplement to grow taller, even though he hated it. It must have been sent by the duchess herself.
I bit back a laugh and said,
“I made sure he took them properly.”
“Oh, thank you. Lou, take care of Lily. It’s lucky to have someone looking out for you like that.”
Lou sighed, and I laughed quietly. The duchess seemed to enjoy teasing Lou as much as I did.
Feeling relaxed, she looked at us with a warm smile.
“Since you’ve come, rest and enjoy yourselves. I was worried it might feel cramped compared to the duke’s mansion.”
“Not really.”
“Lily, not you,” the duchess said firmly. Lou quietly ate his salad, looking a bit embarrassed.
“Surprised the house is smaller than you expected?”
I nodded, watching her closely.
“I grew up in a small place like this. Big, crowded mansions never suited me. Living simply with people you’re close to is much more enjoyable.”
“I heard you came to the countryside for your health……”
“If it was really about health, I would have lived in the city with better medical care. The duke’s mansion is too crowded and noisy—it would drive anyone crazy,” she said.
As expected of Lou’s mother, she did things her own way. No wonder she looked so healthy—coming to the countryside for health was probably just an excuse.
“Oh, there aren’t any empty rooms, so you’ll have to share with another maid. Jena, show Lily her room,” the duchess said to a passing maid.
After finishing the meal, we followed her.
The next day, Lou went down to the first floor and walked around the mansion. The staff were all working, and the duchess was sitting at the table drinking tea.
The afternoon sunlight filled the house.
“Shall we have lunch soon?” the duchess asked. Lou nodded and pulled a chair to sit, still looking around the mansion. There were few servants, so it was easy to tell if anyone was missing.
“Lily wasn’t seen at breakfast. Is she skipping lunch too?”
The duchess sounded worried. Lou also knew Lily had missed breakfast, but he hadn’t expected her to be missing at lunch.
“Jena, where’s Lily?”
Lou asked the maid sharing a room with her. Jena, carrying a pile of laundry, answered casually.
“She’s sleeping.”
“Sleeping… what?”
“She wouldn’t wake up no matter what, so I left the door open.”
Jena walked off quickly. Lou let out a laugh of disbelief. Oversleeping on the first day out…
The duchess chuckled, then said to Lou with a teasing smile,
“Why don’t you go wake her? Everyone’s busy.”
“……Me?”
“If you don’t want to, I’ll go. My body aches too much these days, but if my son says no, I have to go myself…”
“I’ll go!”
Lou jumped up and ran upstairs, giving the duchess a nervous laugh.
