TMLWA 19

Chapter 19

Oliver looked just as surprised as I was.

“Victoria, did you finally grow up?”

As Oliver approached with a chuckle, Victoria gave him a hard jab in the ribs.

Meanwhile, Hannibal pulled the butler aside amid the bustle of people unpacking.

“What happened to Victoria?”

As soon as they moved to a private room, he fired the question—how was Matilda still alive?

Everyone knew what kind of consequences the child Matilda might give birth to could bring. And yet, she was allowed to live?

When Hannibal pressed the butler for an answer, the man simply smiled and placed a single sheet of paper before him.

“A letter of recommendation from the Duke of Benton.”

“…Ann Perrot? Who is she?”

The Duke of Benton’s household was one of the most powerful in the Empire, a family of real influence that practically ran the capital, Edith Tara.

Why would they go so far as to send a maid all the way to the western frontier?

“She worked for the ducal family for four years and can read and write.”

Patrick looked pleased, even excited, which made Hannibal narrow one eye and question further.

“Is that an answer to my question, Patrick?”

“Yes, sir. Thanks to Ann, Miss Victoria no longer clashes with Lady Matilda.”

“So you’re saying she put this woman in charge of the maids just for that?”

“Not yet. Even with a recommendation from the ducal family, there’s no real reason to dismiss Head Maid May. We thought it was a matter for the lord to decide, so we held off. Besides, Ann is currently serving as Miss Victoria’s personal maid. In practice, she’s acting more as a governess.”

Seeing the butler’s satisfied face, it was obvious he already considered Ann the next head maid. Had he forgotten he was the one who recommended May in the first place?

Frowning, Hannibal read through the letter of recommendation.

Elizabeth Benton. The seal on the letter belonged not to the figurehead Duke Hans Benton, but to the real power behind the household—the Duchess of Benton.

The content was simple. Ann was an excellent maid, good enough to be recommended by the duchess herself, and she wanted the Clayde estate to appoint her as head maid. It wasn’t so much a request as a command.

Though the two households hadn’t interacted much before, it was not something he could easily dismiss given the duchess’s influence in the capital.

If it ever got back to the capital that they’d only used Ann as a mere maid despite the request, his father would be the first to suffer.

That in turn would cause an avalanche of trouble for Hannibal.

“She’s skilled, of good character, and has a solid reputation—so why send her here? Why go so far as to write a letter of recommendation?”

But Patrick wasn’t curious beyond that.

He was loyal and dependable but also simple and stubborn, never one to question the actions of those above him.

And that, sometimes, made Hannibal feel stifled.

Anyone from the West should have at least questioned a capital-born woman showing up so boldly like this.

Sighing, Hannibal gave a casual command.

“Bring Ann here.”

* * *

“This tea is really good—tastes even better when you brew it, Ann.”

“Thank you. Light compliments that make others feel good are always welcome. Please speak freely.”

Lately, Ann had been spending frequent tea times with Victoria.

If you try to teach etiquette starting with balancing a book on the head or walking properly, you’ll only meet resistance.

Victoria was easily agitated, quick to anger, and had poor concentration. Verbal instructions alone rarely stuck.

It wasn’t due to any lack of intelligence, but rather a life that had completely excluded the concepts of effort and practice.

“The most important thing is always posture and attitude, my lady.”

“My back hurts.”

“Shall we take a short break?”

Watching Victoria, Ann was reminded of the time Gray taught children while in hiding.

Those children had never studied a day in their lives, so the first step wasn’t teaching them to write, but simply getting them to sit still.

Victoria, despite being grown and of higher status, was just as ignorant as those countryside kids.

To make matters more delicate, she had the power to bully others.

That’s why Ann never held back on praise and made sure to keep her spirits up with plenty of sugar.

Lessons were always given in tiny doses—only what Victoria could absorb.

Eventually, it would get better.

“You sat for ten minutes longer than yesterday.”

“How long is a tea party supposed to last?”

“At least an hour.”

“That long?”

“Once you’re used to it, time will fly. You can do it.”

Soothing Victoria wasn’t difficult.

Though she flared up easily and threw tantrums, Ann quickly realized she wasn’t inherently violent—just a fragile girl who blushed at a single compliment.

Of all places, she had to meet another unloved child here.

Whenever Ann thought of Gray, she found herself growing more tender toward Victoria.

Knock knock.

Just then, a knock came at the door, and it opened.

“Ann, the lord is calling for you.”

After briefly excusing herself from Victoria, Ann followed the butler.

“You called for me?”

Arriving at Hannibal’s private study, Ann cautiously stepped inside.

The room was sparse aside from the bookshelf and desk in the corner.

The only eye-catching feature was the large window behind the desk, which allowed a clear view of the sprawling garden—even from where Ann stood far away.

The lighting was perfect, and the openness refreshing, but more than anything, it seemed designed to give a commanding view of the entire estate.

It finally felt real.

Hannibal Clayde.

In the Empire, he was referred to as a minor count, but here, he was the undisputed Lord of Tegenes.

“Ann Perrot.”

“Yes.”

Hannibal Clayde was a silver-haired man with mesmerizing violet-blue eyes—just as the gossiping maids at the Duke’s house had described him.

Rather than handsome in a conventional way, he had a mysterious, unreal charm.

He resembled Victoria to some extent, but carried a unique, uncanny air.

Maybe the rumors were true—that an ancestor of House Clayde seduced a witch and received an oasis as a reward.

Even his long eyelashes shimmered silver in the midday sun as he looked down at the letter, and his perfectly sculpted face showed no flaws.

Without thinking, Ann looked up at him—and quickly lowered her gaze when met with his chilling stare.

Meanwhile, Hannibal tapped his desk with a finger and murmured.

“No matter how I look at it, I don’t get it.”

“Excuse me?”

Ann stood at a distance, confused, lifting her head in surprise.

“A maid teaching a noble? That doesn’t happen. You must’ve received a special mission from the ducal family.”

His tone suggested he thought she was a spy. Ann opened her mouth in disbelief, then quickly closed it.

There’s no way the most powerful noble family in the Empire would bother scheming against some backwater count.

True, many nobles were eager to fully bring the West under control, but that didn’t include the Benton family.

Yes, the West was wealthy due to trade routes passing through its oasis—but it was also full of risk.

The forests belonged to witches, the deserts swarmed with unpredictable monsters, and the plains were plagued by raiding nomadic tribes.

And to top it off, they were constantly clashing with Luto, the neighboring kingdom, and were at odds with their own homeland, Haiman.

To people in the capital, the West was a land on the verge of war year-round, a dangerous, unstable region.

It simply wasn’t worth the Benton family’s attention, no matter the wealth.

“There’s nothing like that. I only came here with a letter of recommendation.”

She had no obligation to sing the Duchess’s praises after leaving the household.

Ann answered plainly and honestly.

“Telling us to make you head maid—is your master aware that’s infringing on Clayde’s authority?”

Hannibal jabbed at the recommendation letter with his pen, clearly irritated.

“My master now is Clayde.”

If they said jump, she’d at least pretend to ask how high.

Donna told her the salary was supposedly double, though that was an exaggeration. Still, the average pay was 30% higher than at the Duke’s.

If she ever got promoted to head maid, maybe that dream of double pay would come true—but seeing the energetic May, Ann had her doubts.

Still, if she became Victoria’s exclusive governess, maybe she could renegotiate her contract for better pay… that was the plan brewing in her mind when—

“Why are you acting as Victoria’s governess?”

Hannibal still couldn’t shake off his suspicion.

“Matilda… was a colleague of mine at the Benton household. She didn’t get along with Miss Victoria, and I tried to mediate. In doing so, I simply wanted to help the young lady.”

She avoided calling Matilda madam, sensing that Hannibal didn’t seem particularly fond of her either.

Ann answered carefully, reading the mood.