Chapter 21
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#21.
'What's gotten into this troublemaker?'
Cobystein regarded Rhoena with reluctant unease as she offered him a nugget of gold with a benevolent smile.
She seemed to be smiling in an attempt to appear affectionate, but her expression struck him as strange and terrifying.
The smirk playing at her lips reminded him of a mischievous imp, and his heart began to race.
'I'd rather she be angry!'
Had he not known her, it would have been one thing, but suddenly being handed gold left him genuinely frightened.
Just how sinister was the task she intended to assign him, offering payment in advance like this?
He feared she might be about to have him commit a crime, and his courage shriveled to the size of a bean.
To be honest, I had been so happy not to be summoned since she nearly drowned and fell gravely ill recently.
I had hoped she would forget about me entirely, and I was just beginning to grow accustomed to my peaceful routine when this uninvited guest appeared once more.
Cobystein felt his expression crumble at the thought of resuming his servitude under Rhoena.
Yet contrary to his dark imaginings, Rhoena's voice was remarkably gentle.
"I heard you've been busy with frequent overtime because of the Flower Festival. It must have been exhausting, hasn't it?"
Exhausting? Not a question about whether I was still managing to survive?
Whenever I complained of exhaustion, she would accuse me of malingering while still walking about perfectly fine, then pile more work onto my shoulders. But this... this gentle response?
Such unexpected kindness left me bewildered.
Cobystein found himself unable to adjust to Rhoena's encouragement and instinctively repeated her words back to her.
"I... I beg your pardon, what did you just say?"
"I said it must have been quite difficult. After all, because I brought up the seed lanterns, you ended up having to work overtime again in a rush."
"Well, that's true, but..."
True, the Grand Duchess had suddenly ordered the seed lanterns to be made, but the workload wasn't truly burdensome.
Compared to the intensity of my usual duties, it was barely a scratch.
"I'm quite all right. Overtime like this is routine for me."
"Good heavens, routine?! Then when do you ever rest?"
"Well, since arriving here, I haven't had a single full day off. The work is essentially year-round."
"So you're at the Villa every single day?"
"Yes. The Grand Duke provides both meals and lodging, so I live quite comfortably. Besides, I've never been one to enjoy going out and socializing."
Cobystein adjusted his glasses and spoke hesitantly.
I wasn't sure why I was reporting my working conditions to Rhoena, but since she asked, I answered.
In truth, compared to the countless workplaces I'd passed through before, Hadelus Castle was merciful.
The only minor drawback was that there was so much work I did overtime constantly, and though I earned well, I was never given time to spend it.
Cobystein, already accustomed to the shrewd life of a corporate slave, failed to recognize that he was managing an extraordinarily brutal workload.
Rhoena, who had been silent all this while, suddenly brought her small fist down on the table with a sharp crack.
"I never took Father for such an exploitative employer!"
"I beg your pardon?"
Why was she suddenly like this?
Cobystein stared at Rhoena in bewilderment as her anger flared. She growled at him.
"Cobystein, what you're saying amounts to working seven days a week. Isn't that right?"
"I do get one day off every two weeks on rotation, but otherwise, yes, that's accurate."
"That's absurd!"
Rhoena's face crumpled as though she'd heard the most heartless thing imaginable. Her reaction was so dramatic that anyone watching might have mistaken her for someone who labored every single day.
In that moment, Rhoena grasped Cobystein's hand firmly with her small fingers.
"You must have had such a difficult time, haven't you?"
"Pardon?"
"Goodness, look how pale your hands are. You must have been cooped up in your room doing nothing but research. Are you getting enough vitamin D? Do you take walks regularly? No matter how bothersome it seems, you absolutely must take walks."
And there she went, launching into a gentle stream of nagging. Half of it was incomprehensible to him.
The connection between pale hands and walks seemed utterly bewildering.
"I'm fine, truly."
"Fine, my foot!"
At Rhoena's stern rebuke, Cobystein's eyes widened. For a moment, he had the strange impression that she was taking his side, but he quickly dismissed the notion.
'Impossible. Have I fallen for her tricks once or twice before?'
She was none other than the Grand Duchess herself. When someone like that did something uncharacteristic, suspicion came before gratitude.
Cobystein was steeling his resolve by recalling Rhoena's past misdeeds, but it lasted only a moment.
Her warm words that followed melted his heart in an instant.
"I'll ask Father to grant you a vacation. I'll gather up all the time off you've missed and make sure you get every bit of it. Just trust me!"
From that moment on, he decided he would call her not a troublemaker, but an angel.
* * *
I waited for Grand Duke Hadelus to return home with solemn determination.
Since the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess were out on external business and returning in the evening, I had spread a mat on the Lobby Stairs ahead of time and was staging a protest.
It was a sort of one-woman demonstration to show my resolve against the tyranny of an unscrupulous employer.
Servants passing by cast sidelong glances in my direction, but I deliberately ignored them.
I recalled Coby's face, brimming with emotion from hours earlier.
'Th-thank you so much, Grand Duchess!'
Even now, the memory of those words made my nose sting.
Cobystein had wept with gratitude at the mere mention of a vacation. Despite his protests that everything was fine, he clearly longed for that rest.
Though I'd initially sought him out for personal reasons, I now felt a sense of duty to address the dire circumstances of this unfortunate servant.
'Poor Coby. Foolish Coby.'
Somehow, memories of my past life as an ordinary commoner surfaced, and I found myself deeply empathizing with his position.
The difference was that back then I had been powerless, but now I stood in a position of authority.
'I'll show him exactly what it means to be a benevolent superior.'
I was steeling my resolve with such thoughts when—
"They said they'll inform you when he arrives. You'll catch a cold sitting in this chill."
Hannah draped a blanket over me while fussing, and I smiled sheepishly in response.
"Thanks for the blanket. I told you not to worry, but you keep bringing things. At this rate, I'll set up house right here on the stairs."
"You haven't fully recovered yet, so I'm concerned."
"That's enough. Go do your work. If you wrap another layer of blanket around me, people will mistake me for a snowman rather than a person."
As I gestured at the blankets wound tightly around my body, Hannah let out a long sigh.
"No one can change the Young Mistress's stubbornness."
"Go on now, Hannah."
I waved my hand dismissively and issued a command to leave, and Hannah cast a doubtful glance over her shoulder before disappearing to attend to her duties.
Finally alone, I drew my knees up and rested my face in my hands, staring at the door. How much time had passed?
"Rhoena?"
At the familiar voice, I lifted my head to see Arkid just returning to the castle after finishing his sword training.
The moment our eyes met, Arkid's widened in surprise, and he asked softly.
"Why are you out here in the cold?"
"Oh, well...."
I had been on the verge of tattling on Grand Duke Hadelus's outrageous behavior.
"Your face is cold."
Arkid approached me with long strides and touched my cheek, speaking with concern.
My heart suddenly contracted at the unexpected closeness between us.
Arkid's grayish-blue eyes gazed at me with worry.
He was wearing a white training uniform, having just finished his sword practice. The pristine martial robe suited him so well that I found myself swallowing hard.
"You've only just recovered from your illness, and yet you're out here. What if you catch a cold?"
"...."
"Were you perhaps waiting for me?"
"...Yes. That's right."
I lied without batting an eye.
In truth, I had been so distracted that I'd completely forgotten I was waiting for Grand Duke Hadelus.
Though I hadn't been waiting for Arkid, seeing him now made the wait feel worthwhile.
'Well, all's well that ends well.'
As I tried to rationalize it, Arkid gently chided me.
"Why would you wait for me like this?"
"What do you mean? You're my husband."
I smiled brightly, even making a playful gesture, and Arkid flinched, his body trembling.
Was the flush spreading across his cheeks due to the difference between the outdoor and indoor temperatures?
With the proud feeling of a mother watching her child, I was about to hand him a blanket when Arkid wrapped it around me securely and spoke.
"Next time, just call for me. Don't wait like this without knowing when I'll arrive."
"Hehe. Yes."
How could he be so kind?
I found myself smiling naturally, delighted that Arkid was concerned about me.
I was grinning foolishly, wanting to act spoiled, when the butler approached.
"Young Madam, the Grand Duke says he won't be returning to the castle today."
"Oh, is that so?"
I didn't care about that anymore.
After seeing Arkid in that elegant training uniform, my earlier competitive spirit had long since faded away.
'I'll settle things with Cobystein about his vacation tomorrow.'
I smiled brightly, thinking thoughts that would have made Cobystein feel hurt had he heard them.
With Arkid standing before me, what else could possibly matter?
At that moment, Arkid asked the butler a question.
"Is something the matter?"
"Ah, well... there was an incident on the way here, or so I'm told."
"An incident?"
Arkid asked in surprise, and I, who had been utterly entranced, widened my eyes in tandem with his.
As Arkid and I turned our gaze toward Asil, he spoke with an uncomfortable expression.
"The volcano on Frozen Mountain erupted while they were traveling by carriage. The terrain has become unstable, so they've decided to stay at a hotel in that area for the night."
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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