Chapter 49: Invitation – 3

Chapter 49: Invitation – 3

A splendid corridor, and rooms exuding luxury everywhere.

The Duke’s mansion, rumored to inspire awe from afar and gasps upon entering, truly shone with its grandeur.

Of course, if one were to compare mere splendor and ornamentation, the Imperial Palace was an overwhelming opponent, but the Duke’s mansion had its own atmosphere that overwhelmed people.

Therefore, countless people praised this Duke’s mansion.

……However, since the Duke and his only daughter were each holed up in their own territory and the Defense Force office, respectively, this mansion in the capital was rarely used.

Especially after the death of the Duke’s wife, no one had ever been invited, so it was widely considered the mansion that had met the worst owner.

Therefore… even the butler, who had worked there for over 20 years, hadn’t even thought that he would suddenly have to prepare something like this.

“Butler, it seems the young lady wishes to invite a guest, so prepare accordingly.”

“Yes, I unders…? G-guest, you say?”

“…Do I need to say it twice?”

“Ah, no! Understood.”

One single sentence delivered by the Duke, who had gone to the young lady’s room to meet her briefly on the evening she arrived.

But… that one sentence put the mansion on high alert.

Because when the people of the Duke’s family told them to prepare something…… it was never an order to be taken lightly.

From decorations to food, and even etiquette during reception. Everything had to be perfect.

……And they didn’t even tell him who the guest was, or how many there would be.

“Haa…. Should I go to the young lady….”

“Hmm? What’s wrong, Head Butler-nim?”

“Ah, Head Maid-nim. It’s nothing, but the young lady… is inviting a guest to the Duke’s residence.”

At those words, the Head Maid froze, standing just like the butler.

…In the past, when the Duke’s wife was alive and the Duke invited guests to this mansion, the order to prepare for the Duke’s reception was the most terrifying thing for the maids.

If even one thing went wrong, the maid in charge of that part was immediately dismissed that very day.

Of course, they were humanely given severance pay and some consideration, like helping them find a job after dismissal… but that was a completely different matter. 

It was so bad that at the time, there were even separate servants whose job it was to arrange severance pay and post-dismissal jobs for the maids.

……At least the Duke’s wife used to nag the Duke about it and stopped him from going too far, otherwise, there wouldn’t have been any maids left in the Duke’s residence.

Of course, after the Duke’s wife died, the Duke himself became reluctant to come to this mansion, and naturally, there were no guests either.

But…… in that situation, this time, the young lady, who had inherited the Duke’s personality completely, or at least acted that way, was trying to invite a guest.

The Head Maid, who had been a low-ranking maid back in the days when guest reception was the scariest thing in the world… felt a learned fear slowly creeping up on her.

“…Who is it? Their rank? How many people? What kind of food do they like, or what atmosphere do they prefer?”

“……Calm down. I just received the message from the Duke-nim and am on my way to ask the young lady.”

“The Duke-nim? …Did he just say that one thing, without any other explanation?”

“He did. …Ah, now that you mention it….”

The butler and the Head Maid paused, deep in thought.

The young lady inviting a guest was certainly a headache and a troublesome matter, but… the fact that the Duke only conveyed such news……

“He’s just a person who lacks emotional expression, isn’t he?”

“…He said he would try to speak differently this time, but now that I think about it, he probably couldn’t speak properly.”

“Indeed, the young lady is just like the Duke-nim. It would be difficult to tell her to speak comfortably there.”

Saying that, the two recalled the question the Duke had asked them just the day before.

…Thinking that while the Duke was truly excellent in other areas, he was truly immature in these aspects.

***

“”…Did you call?””

A day earlier, in the Duke’s office, where a solemn atmosphere flowed.

The Duke, who had returned to the capital’s mansion after a long time in his territory, suddenly summoned the butler and the Head Maid.

…Unlike usual, and right after arriving.

“Yes, I called you two to ask something.”

“If it’s about the mansion’s facilities…”

“No, that part was sufficiently covered by what I asked last time. Especially since it seems to be well-managed.”

“Then, the trends in the capital……”

“Again, no. Whatever the vermin of the capital do, it’s outside my interest.”

The Head Maid and the butler each offered their own answers, but they were all cut off.

Therefore, a brief silence flowed in the office.

And the one to break that silence, or rather, the only one who could break it, was the Duke.

“…It’s been almost 20 years since Cathy died. As time passes, the emptiness left by my wife feels truly bitter.”

“”……””

It was a sudden topic, but… the butler and the Head Maid quietly listened to the Duke’s words.

…It was the first time he had spoken of his deceased wife.

He, who had loved his wife terribly, he, who had only lowered his stiff and perfect mask in front of and beside his wife, had truly become stiff and cold after her death.

……Even to the only bloodline his beloved wife had left behind.

The fact that he was speaking of his wife meant something significant, so… the two waited for the Duke’s next words with tension.

“Those naive stories, about how the vermin of the capital might try to kill her, yet she always said we should embrace them, that there was no need to live so stiffly……

 As time has passed, I truly miss them.

 So, to forget that longing, I instead hid my own emotions and thoughts even more, and only acted as the ‘Duke.’

 The reason I didn’t go to those trivial balls or banquets was also because Cathy would come to mind if I went there.

 Therefore… I might have lived even more stiffly, just as I was before I met Cathy, or perhaps even more so.”

Having served the Duke for a long time, both the butler and the Head Maid vaguely knew this story.

The fact that he hardly ever visited this mansion, while ostensibly for inspecting his territory…… was in reality because staying in this mansion, which his deceased wife loved, reminded him of her.

To that extent, the Duke disliked being swayed by his wife’s death and losing rational control over himself.

“So, I wished that my daughter would never resemble Cathy, but resemble me instead. That way… I wouldn’t be reminded of her when I looked at the child.

 Unfortunately…… that child resembled Cathy too much.

 Perhaps that’s why I pushed her even harder. Maybe I forced her to live like me.

 ……It might even be my stubbornness, not wanting to lose my daughter too.”

The Duke’s wife was a benevolent person.

Someone kind to everyone, and trusting of everyone.

Her personality was, in a way, completely opposite to the Duke’s, but… even the Duke became more human and benevolent in her presence.

Unfortunately…… such a personality was a strength humanly, but a weakness as the Duke’s wife.

The Duke’s wife, who trusted people so easily and especially loved cute things, was assassinated all too easily.

It was right after she picked up a poor, cute child abandoned on the street and made her her maid.

……Of course, no one truly believed that child was actually abandoned on the street.

There were plenty of nobles in the capital who disliked the Duke’s family as much as abandoned children and wished for their power to wane.

Therefore, the Duke paid immense attention to the safety of his daughter, the only blood relative left by the Duke’s wife.

Not only did he educate her relentlessly so that her personality wouldn’t resemble the Duke’s wife’s, but he also strictly regulated her meetings with outsiders and her social relationships.

…That’s how the current young lady, who closely resembled the Duke, was created.

“…But, at some point, a thought suddenly occurred to me. That I had done something terrible to Christie… the last child Cathy left in this world.

 And that child…… only feared me.”

At those words, the Head Maid and the butler momentarily felt the urge to shout, “You just realized that?!” but endured with superhuman patience.

……Along with the thought that it was fortunate the Duke himself was aware of the problem, anyway.

Because the Duke had left the mansion after the Duke’s wife’s death, the young lady grew up alone in this mansion with the servants.

The Duke, who occasionally visited, only provided strict guidance and evaluations, never truly showing affection.

…Of course, considering his concern for the young lady’s safety, education, and daily life, and how he constantly badgered the mansion’s servants with letters, it wasn’t that he had no affection for her at all…

 But he never expressed it.

“……So, I’m thinking of trying to talk to that child now, but what do you think would be best?

 It’s a problem I’ve pondered alone for a long time, and I’ve tried various approaches, but… as you both know… I’m a bit clumsy in these matters.”

…And because of that, the Duke’s last words were enough to make the butler and the Head Maid gape.

……Especially the part about having tried various approaches and having pondered it alone for a long time.