TMWLCP 12

Chapter 12

“I’ll settle the matter with a 20% salary reduction for one month.”

Just as Cindy smiled, thinking she was about to be struck by lightning, an unexpected statement followed.

“Logan! I told you she needs to be fired! We almost had rumors spreading outside the mansion that Olivia is an idiot!”

Cindy finally gave up maintaining appearances and shouted furiously.

“We found Olivia, and the rumors you’re worried about didn’t spread.”

“……”

“And Olivia—your daughter—is not an idiot, so take back what you said.”

However, Logan’s calm response only triggered cold fury. When Logan pressed Cindy with his icy gaze, her face flushed red as she clenched her teeth. The tension in her delicate jaw was visibly apparent.

“Fine. Since I hired her, I’ll be the one to fire her. Miss Hudson, pack your things and return home at once.”

Cindy struggled to suppress her anger as she spoke. It was difficult to accept that Eleanor, who should have been punished, was being protected, while she herself was being blamed. Even Usher and the servants were watching, and Cindy’s pride was crushed like paper.

“Mother.”

“……”

“The master of the Claven estate is me, not you.”

At last, Logan drove the nail in with a quiet voice. Cindy’s hand, which clutched her skirt, trembled uncontrollably with suppressed rage. She glared at Eleanor with burning intensity before standing and storming out of the sitting room.

“Miss Hudson, stay with Olivia. As for you, return now.”

Usher seemed like he wanted to say something, but he just nodded and left. Although Logan held great authority, he was not one to abuse it. Usher didn’t believe Logan would harm Eleanor simply because he wasn’t there to protect her.

“It’ll be alright.”

Before passing by her, Usher gently took Eleanor’s hand, and the warm touch made her bow her head deeply.

“Olivia.”

Logan motioned for the servants to leave the room. Now only Olivia, Eleanor, and Logan remained.

“I was wrong…”

Just hearing her name, Olivia sniffled and apologized reflexively.

“I got distracted for a moment. It was my fault, Your Grace.”

“I’ll speak with Miss Hudson later. Olivia, tell me what you did wrong.”

When Eleanor tried to shield Olivia, Logan interrupted firmly. Olivia hesitantly explained that she had seen her mother at an open-air café and was told to avoid being noticed. After she finished, Logan sighed softly.

“I’ve told you many times—Olivia, you don’t need to hide.”

Olivia Claven was a legitimate member of the Claven ducal family. Though she seemed not to understand despite being told repeatedly, there was no reason for her to feel ashamed or to hide anywhere.

“See? Because you didn’t listen and hid, Miss Hudson got scolded instead.”

Olivia looked up at Eleanor with wide eyes. Eleanor smiled to reassure her, but Olivia’s eyes quickly welled up with tears, knowing her brother never lied.

“I wonder if you’ll keep hiding and running away.”

“N-No! I won’t! Olivia won’t do that anymore!”

Olivia quickly denied Logan’s assumption.

“You promised, so you have to keep it.”

“Y-Yes, I will!”

Olivia replied with conviction. Logan smirked and rang a bell to summon a servant.

“Olivia’s a mess. Wash her and put her to bed.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Eleanor waved softly with a reassuring smile as Olivia was led away by the maid. With Olivia gone, only Eleanor remained—left before a beast with its jaws open.

“It’s true that I made a mistake, Your Grace.”

Eleanor met Logan’s eyes clearly and answered. Instead of responding, Logan rolled up his sleeves and picked up the glass on the table. The amber liquid inside shimmered with a strong scent of alcohol.

“For someone who admits her mistake so directly to hide behind a man—it’s quite an absurd claim.”

Logan downed the drink and made a comment unrelated to the topic. Eleanor blinked, unsure of how to respond, and waited for his next words.

“But the fault lies first with Cindy Claven, who threatened the child, and then with Olivia, who let herself be manipulated like a puppet.”

Eleanor had braced herself for more blame, but Logan, surprisingly, didn’t see her as at fault.

“It would have been a problem if we hadn’t found Olivia. But we did. It was something that had to happen eventually.”

“But…”

“Miss Hudson. If you continue to object to my decision, I’ll take it as a sign that you don’t trust it.”

His firm voice carried a hint of displeasure. He was the master of this estate, and it was within his right to determine her status. Asking him to rescind his decision would only offend him.

“No, not at all.”

Eleanor quickly denied it. Logan took another sip of his drink. His lips, slightly wet from the strong liquor, shimmered under the light. Eleanor instinctively turned her eyes away, feeling as though she’d seen something she shouldn’t have.

“From what I’ve observed, Olivia needs someone like you, Miss Hudson.”

Olivia had promised not to hide anymore. But Logan knew that was a promise he couldn’t fully trust. If she encountered Cindy again, she would try to hide, and the situation would repeat itself. Deep-seated fear doesn’t disappear easily.

Still, the affection Olivia showed Eleanor suggested that change was possible. That’s why Logan decided to settle the matter with just a salary reduction.

“So go back and get some rest.”

“……”

“You must be tired from looking for Olivia.”

Her disheveled hair and untidy clothes showed how hard she had searched. It hadn’t even been a month yet, but Logan could already see Eleanor’s deep affection and sense of responsibility for Olivia.

“…I—”

Eleanor started to speak but instinctively shut her mouth. She had thought of him as cold and scary, but hearing him acknowledge her efforts made her throat tighten with emotion.

She bowed her head and twisted the hem of her skirt on her lap. Her pale knuckles betrayed the effort she put into holding herself together. She had tried not to show her distress in front of Olivia, but on the way home, she had nearly burst into tears from the relief.

She had wanted to confess her fear that they might not find Olivia—but admitting that felt too humiliating.

“You did well.”

But in front of someone who acknowledged her…

The low, yet strangely gentle voice finally made Eleanor cry. Silently, without sound, her tears fell one after another, marking her emotional hardship.

Logan turned his gaze to the garden bathed in moonlight.

As Eleanor quietly wiped away her tears, a peaceful silence lingered. Logan neither dismissed her nor offered awkward comfort. That was the best way a man like him knew how to show kindness.

“Thank you for understanding, Your Grace.”

“……”

“I’ll make sure this never happens again.”

Eleanor, eyes red from crying, bowed deeply with a smile. Logan simply nodded without a word.

With a lighter heart, Eleanor left the sitting room and closed the door. In truth, as Cindy said, she should have been scolded and even fired. Their relationship was just employer and employee—but Logan’s consideration meant the world to her.

“His Grace said to pass this message: A glass of strong liquor will help you sleep soundly.”

That was enough. But when Eleanor, freshly bathed from the search, returned to her room, she found an even greater kindness awaiting her. On the table sat a clear glass filled with amber liquid—the same liquor Logan had drunk.

She wasn’t much of a drinker, but she couldn’t ignore his kindness. With a determined face, Eleanor downed the undiluted drink in one gulp. Her throat burned like it was on fire, the heat traveling down into her stomach.

Soon, the alcohol hit her head, making everything dizzy. Covering her mouth with both hands and trying to cool her breath, Eleanor staggered to the bed. The soft sheets rustled as they embraced her like floating on clouds.

“You did well.”

Logan’s words had been right. The intoxication soon lulled her into sleep. As her body and mind relaxed, the voice that had comforted her echoed in her mind. She even recalled how he had looked away, pretending not to see her tears.

A person like a strong, immovable wall—someone who would never change no matter what.

She wasn’t afraid of him anymore.