Chapter 45
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Chapter 45
"It looks like about one-fifth of the mansion grounds is garden. Dale, don't you think this will be absolutely beautiful come spring?"
"I look forward to it."
Dale smiled brilliantly with his striking features, gazing at me.
He seemed delighted that he too had taken a liking to this house.
'Well, it was Dale who found this place, after all.'
Dale's ability to locate properties was remarkable. Unlike mine.
When I first arrived in Grunvalt, every house I searched for was either already occupied or not for sale, so I failed repeatedly.
And the only one I managed to find was Dale's old house.
But the moment I mentioned wanting to move to a larger residence, Dale immediately found this perfectly suitable mansion and introduced it to me.
A fine house that I hadn't even seen a few months prior had conveniently appeared on the market.
"We were so fortunate!"
"I'm relieved it pleases you, Enya."
"I really do love it."
I gazed at Dale's profile as he smiled brightly.
...But.
'Could I have been swindled?'
Seeing his innocent, joyful expression, I suddenly grew worried.
What if we'd paid an exorbitant price far above market value?
Or what if there was some dark history to this house that was hidden before Dale sold it to me?
'No. No, that can't be right. Dale isn't foolish.'
Even if he was naively kind-hearted, Dale was a capable adult.
He was also a bit older than me.
Moreover, having spent so long as a mercenary, he wasn't the type to be easily deceived by swindlers.
It couldn't be.
...It has to be fine, right?
"Dale. By the way, how did you find this house? I'm curious. Was it introduced to you by someone you know?"
"This was a private residence owned by the Lord of Grunvalt."
"The Lord?"
Fortunately, he was someone trustworthy.
But why did the Lord own this mansion? Was there any particular reason?
While it was common for nobility to own vacation homes outside their territories, maintaining multiple residences within one's own fiefdom was unusual.
It wasn't as though he'd provided a house for his family, and this mansion was far too picturesque to simply part with.
Why had he sold this house to Dale?
As I stared intently at Dale, he seemed to understand and nodded knowingly.
"Originally, it was a vacation home belonging to a nobleman, but it was put on the market after falling into disuse. Grunvalt has vast territories with sparse forests and is heavily affected by natural conditions—the severe winter snowfall would have made it unsuitable as a vacation residence."
"Ah. I see. That makes sense, doesn't it?"
Grunvalt also had several noble estates. The greatest advantage of this fiefdom was that it didn't require as much money relative to its size.
Instead, Grunvalt, as Dale had said, was often subject to the whims of capricious nature. It was especially severe during summer and winter.
Sometimes heavy snow would fall well into the late hours.
Grunvalt was peculiar in that it snowed more frequently than other regions.
Even though it wasn't the Northern Region, there were times when snow fell so heavily it reached past one's calves.
'Yet Dale still came to work on those days.'
I had asked if he might take a rest on days when the snow fell heavily, but Dale reassured me and went about his duties.
'He's truly diligent.'
I should learn from him.
'I must make an effort today as well to increase The Emperor's workload!'
Now that I thought about it, that aspect of Dale oddly resembled The Emperor.
In the original story, The Emperor worked like a workaholic, and Dale was the same.
Apart from working and managing the household, he seemed to have no particular hobbies.
'Are they alike?'
I gazed intently at Dale's profile. He was a handsome man who could only inspire admiration.
"Forgive me, but Miss Enya. ...Is there something on my face?"
Dale, flushed all the way to his neck, covered his face.
He coughed awkwardly, embarrassed.
It wasn't the first or second time I'd stared at his handsome face like someone entranced, and Dale was always shy about it.
'He's nothing like The Emperor at all.'
The Emperor would never be bashful. Not even a little.
Because on the day the heroine secretly fled and was caught and dragged back—
'(Beep—) (Beep—) (Beep—)'
There was quite a dramatic scene, yes.
But there was something important I needed to discuss.
First, this House. We need to revise our newlywed couple disguise plan.
"Dale. You said there were five bedrooms, correct?"
"Yes, that's correct."
The House was composed entirely of similarly-sized bedroom spaces, so there was no study. Naturally, there was no office either.
"So if Dale and I each create our own office, that leaves three rooms remaining, doesn't it?"
"That is correct."
Dale opened the door for me, and I stepped inside the Mansion.
It was larger and more beautiful than it appeared from outside—a charming dwelling that felt warm and inviting despite its size.
Yet despite being unused for so long, the interior was immaculate.
"Is it possible someone was living here until just before we arrived?"
"That is not the case. Is there a problem?"
"It's so neat and looks brand new. Look at this furniture."
The Mansion was constructed with two floors centered around a staircase, and the railings, floors, and walls all gleamed as if freshly made.
If it had been left untouched and abandoned, it couldn't possibly be this clean.
"Not a speck of dust anywhere."
Not a single particle of dust came away when I ran my hand across the surfaces.
Moreover, the scent of fresh wood permeated the air.
As if it were a newly constructed building.
"I had servants called in beforehand to clean."
"Servants?"
Dale handed me some documents.
The papers were all employment applications—résumés of people with diverse specializations in cooking, cleaning, laundry, and more.
On the back pages were confidentiality agreements they had signed.
"The Mansion is too large for just Enya and myself to manage alone, so servants were necessary."
I agreed with Dale's reasoning.
There was no way two people could maintain such a large House.
"However, I thought it would be better to call people in occasionally. The servants you're referring to—they wouldn't be living here with us in this House, would they?"
Since Dale and I weren't truly married, having servants residing with us wasn't ideal.
"They will not be residing here."
"Then what?"
"They will maintain separate residences and commute to work."
"So they're from Grunvalt?"
"That is not the case. I've assembled the servants from people of various origins and current residences."
Dale answered immediately, like someone who had carefully weighed many factors systematically.
I examined the documents, which meticulously listed each servant's birthplace and current residence.
"Some of them live quite far away. If commuting becomes difficult, the staff will turn over quickly. Will that be acceptable?"
"We did not sell our previous residence, so if necessary, we can provide that as lodging."
"That's an excellent idea."
This House was too large for Dale and me to manage all the household duties alone—though truthfully, it was mostly Dale's responsibility.
Now, a new pretend marriage would begin within these walls.
* * *
"I've arranged two rooms as studies, Madam. What would you like to do with the remaining three?"
Madam Marie served as the Mansion's butler, head maid, and performed countless other duties besides.
Her work was remarkably swift—mention one task and she'd complete ten.
"Madam Marie, did you perhaps receive professional training somewhere?"
Scritch, scritch, scritch.
The sound of Madam Marie peeling an apple drifted softly through the air.
She gazed at me with a smile.
"I'm merely an ordinary servant. I received no formal training."
"Is that so?"
Yet she carried herself with such unmistakable grace, and at times, an almost austere dignity.
As though she'd been trained within the Imperial Palace itself—there was something oddly disciplined about her bearing.
Perhaps I was overthinking because I'd been dwelling on The Emperor so much lately.
No, look—she's even arranging the apple slices in perfect rows and columns.
"Forgive the interruption while you're deep in thought, Madam, but how shall we furnish the three remaining rooms? Please give your orders."
"The three remaining rooms should be...."
I pondered while eating the apple.
Dale had declared an extravagant decision to discard all his old furniture and start fresh.
It seemed wasteful, but Dale's resolve was unwavering.
And he paid for everything himself.
'Dale..., is interior design a hobby of yours?'
Such lavish decisiveness was uncharacteristic of the Dale I knew.
'Perhaps he's genuinely passionate about interior design.'
Regardless, for now, reinforcing the outer walls before winter was the priority.
Furnishing the rooms would come later.
Now that the exterior work was complete, it was time to properly decorate the interior.
"For the three remaining rooms, we should keep two as bedrooms...."
"You intend to maintain two separate bedrooms still, Madam?"
At that moment, Madam Marie raised a question.
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