Chapter 7
Maybe her persuasion had worked, because Jamie immediately shook his head.
“No, I don’t want to!”
Then he changed his expression and began focusing intently on the letters Anne had pointed to.
Watching this, Anne let out a hollow laugh. In just three days, Grey had managed to completely charm Jamie.
Not long ago, Jamie had come to her before bed and rambled on excitedly, saying he’d never met such a kind nobleman before.
He even shared the candy and jelly he received from Grey with her.
“This is for you. The young master said I should give some to you too.”
Every day, Jamie brought something with him.
Desserts from lunch, expensive chocolates or candies, even rare coffee imported from across the sea.
Since Jamie arrived, Anne had fewer direct encounters with Grey, which made things easier, but hearing about him through her younger brother always left her feeling uncomfortable.
Recently, she heard that a new tutor and etiquette teacher had been assigned to him.
The duchess, though she never had a kind word for Grey, seemed determined to raise him in a way that wouldn’t bring shame to the Benton family name.
Anne recalled that in her past life, Grey had also been pressured to become a knight.
After all, it was the most ideal occupation a noble’s illegitimate child—unable to inherit the family name—could pursue.
“Nuna—!”
Lost in thought, Anne was startled by Jamie calling her loudly from a distance.
When she looked up, she saw Grey being trained by a fencing instructor nearby.
Since Jamie’s arrival, it had been quite a while since she’d run into Grey like this.
“That’s enough for today.”
As the lesson ended, Jamie ran straight toward Anne, who had just turned around.
“Jamie!!”
Anne scolded him sharply for his unruly behavior.
Try to act your age already.
Grey might be a generous master, but it felt like his leniency was spoiling her little brother.
“The young master told me to bring you—!”
“Why?”
Even as Jamie pulled her along by the hand, his bright steps made Anne lower her guard, and she followed him to Grey without suspicion.
Just as she was about to greet the young master, she saw Jamie reaching into a basket—clearly prepared for Grey—without permission.
“Jamie!”
Instead of answering Grey’s earlier comment, Anne reacted first to Jamie’s actions, slapping the back of his hand.
“How many times have I told you not to touch the master’s things without permission!”
“Ow! But the young master said I could eat some!”
Jamie pouted in protest, but Anne stood with her hands on her hips. Grey handed Jamie the cookie he hadn’t yet taken and said gently:
“I told him he could help himself anytime. Don’t be too hard on him.”
“Young Master Grey, Jamie is a servant. He must never take the master’s food first.”
“This time I gave him permission, so let it go. He’s close to my age—it just feels like we’re friends.”
Grey stood between Anne and Jamie, defending the boy.
It had been just over half a year since Grey joined the duke’s household, and now, at fourteen, he was noticeably taller and more mature than the still-childish Jamie.
His deep, calm gaze didn’t suit a boy his age, and Anne instinctively took a step back.
“You called for me?”
“Yeah. Jamie said you taught him how to read.”
Grey sat on the bench and gestured for Anne to sit beside him, but she remained standing. She was still on duty.
These days, Anne had been particularly busy.
Once the head maid learned that Anne could read, she started giving her more errands.
Anne glanced down at her plain uniform—an apron over a solid-colored dress. Unlike the attendants, maids had a standard uniform, making it obvious she was working.
So why had Grey called her?
“Where did you learn to read?”
Grey’s question made Anne’s breath catch.
You taught me.
She barely managed to swallow the resentment and grief rising in her throat and replied calmly:
“I borrowed books from the library and taught myself.”
“Self-taught?”
Grey’s question brought back memories.
In the past, Grey would sit beside her and carefully read aloud from light, simple novels, pointing at each word. Eventually, he’d fall asleep, exhausted from fatigue.
Though he had been a noble—even as an illegitimate child—he had ended up doing manual labor just to survive. His life must’ve been unbearably hard.
There were countless nights when Anne held his now-roughened hands and wept. But even then, he had made time to teach her letters—his sincerity had always warmed her heart.
“Yes.”
Despite her caution, she noticed a flicker of affection forming in the boy’s eyes.
But she had no warmth left to give.
Even when she answered in a single word, Grey didn’t let her go so easily.
“Why?”
“Pardon?”
“Why did you want to learn how to read?”
Anne hesitated.
Just as Grey had said, reading wasn’t essential for a commoner’s life.
Who had time to learn when you were barely scraping by?
But Grey had calmed her grumbling and personally demonstrated how useful literacy could be.
He showed a landlord a written document to stop a rent hike, and when thugs picked a fight, he recorded their threats to prove her innocence.
He easily resolved problems that would have otherwise left them helpless if they couldn’t read.
“…Because I wanted a job that pays more.”
That skill had also helped her once she returned to the ducal house with Grey.
Or maybe it would’ve been better if she hadn’t known.
If she hadn’t been able to read the notes exchanged among the maids, filled with slurs and insults about her—clearly encouraged by the duchess—would she have been happier?
“May I go now?”
Jamie waved at her with cookie crumbs stuck to his lips. Anne furrowed her brow at his foolish face.
She could feel Grey’s gaze trailing behind her, but she turned and walked away without hesitation.
From then on, Anne tried her best to avoid running into Grey.
But as she was often pulled into errands with the servants, she inevitably found herself crossing paths with him more frequently in the central halls of the duke’s mansion.
“Where are you off to?”
Beside her, Jamie seemed to get chubbier and rosier every day—Grey’s generosity as a master clearly rubbing off.
Anne tried to scold him, but Grey was too kind for it to matter.
He treated his people so well—how could she complain about that?
Whenever Grey stopped to speak to her as she hurried by with letters, she answered only out of obligation.
“I’m delivering a letter to the madam.”
“If you’re not busy, want to rest here a bit?”
Jamie, sitting beside Grey, jumped up when Grey patted the seat and said cheerfully:
“Nuna, sit down.”
“I need to get back to work.”
Anne waved her hand to politely decline. Grey’s eyebrows dipped in disappointment.
She held her weakening heart tightly.
“I’m sorry, Young Master. The head maid has given me more work, so I must go.”
“Are you always this busy?”
She was about to quicken her steps when Grey called out behind her.
“When will you be free?”
“I’ll be busy for the foreseeable future.”
Without hesitation, she answered quickly and tried to walk away. But behind her, Jamie’s loud voice betrayed her:
“No, she’s totally free! Not busy at all! She hardly does laundry or dishes these days. She only cooks when the chef specifically asks her to. Next time, how about a picnic with me and Nuna?”
I am busy! Extremely busy!
Even as veins bulged on her forehead, Anne didn’t look back and kept walking.
“A picnic, huh. Shall we go?”
“Really? Young Master?!”
She ignored her foolish brother and Grey’s voices echoing behind her.
Then one day, while she was quietly going about her routine, the Duchess of Benton summoned Anne.
“Grey requested permission to go out—and he recommended you as his guardian, Anne.”
The duchess already found Grey’s very existence offensive. That he would dare make a suggestion only added to her displeasure.
“How insolent. Is he implying I’ve imprisoned him by asking for permission to go out? Tsk.”
Though he was a duke’s son—even if illegitimate—it would damage her reputation to harm or suppress him directly. So instead, the refined duchess vented her irritation on Anne, a low-ranking maid.
“A servant as a guardian—have you ever heard of such nonsense? And your brother, the one who delivered the message, said he trusts you and insisted he wanted to go with you.”
“I’m terribly sorry, Madam. It’s inexcusable!”
To fall out of favor with the duchess meant ruin. Even if she had to quit, there was a world of difference between leaving with a recommendation letter and without one.
Anne bowed deeply, even on Jamie’s behalf, and the duchess sighed heavily before crumpling the paper and throwing it at Anne.
“If you’re going to work in this household, you need to learn shame and tact. Just because you’re competent doesn’t mean I’ll extend that courtesy to your brother.”
“Yes, I will teach him properly.”
“Don’t bother me with this sort of ridiculous nonsense again.”
“I’ll be sure to pass that on. I deeply apologize for troubling you.”
“You’re a smart girl, so I trust you—but you need to be firm with that simpleton. Call the steward and then leave.”
“Yes, thank you for your understanding.”
Anne bowed, picked up the crumpled paper, and retreated backward.
After finding the steward and delivering the message, she unfolded the paper.
