***
The next day, as soon as the sun rose, knights began to guard her door. They looked young, as if they were apprentice knights, but their leader was familiar.
“Grand Duchess, the protector of swordsmen and drunkards, I greet you.”
“Sir Raoul!”
Amarion greeted him with a bright smile.
Raoul bowed down his head deeply. He was holding an axe, like always. Raising his head, he pressed his temples exaggeratedly.
“Are you all right? I thought I was going to die of a hangover yesterday.”
“Is that so? I am fine.”
“You really are my idol!”
Raoul chuckled.
The apprentice knights looked a little nervous at the gigantic Raoul’s laughter, but surprisingly, none of her maids were intimidated.
It was strange that such people were afraid of Victor’s every move.
“Then, are you going to escort me?”
“Yes. I volunteered because it’s my job to serve the Madame.”
Raoul shrugged his shoulders.
“But what could be dangerous to Madame? You wouldn’t mind if chimeras attacked in swarms. So it’s a position where I can just play and eat and get paid.”
“Is that so…?”
She nodded her head.
For some reason, she seemed to understand why Raoul had quit the mercenary life.
As a mercenary, you earned as much as you worked, but Raoul seemed like a man who preferred to leave work to a knife rather than chasing prey all night long.
He was, of course, a mercenary with an impeccable personality.
After a light breakfast, she offered Raoul a snack.
But Raoul politely declined.
“I would happily take a drink over a piece of cake, Madame.”
He then asked about today’s schedule.
She answered awkwardly.
“I’m going to take a look around the castle.”
“Good! I also wanted to take a look. Did I mention that this is my first time visiting the Morte estate?”
He escorted her to the door with a smile.
The maids and apprentice knights rushed to follow them.
One of the knights looked up and asked.
“The commander ordered us to guard your door… Is it okay if we all leave like this?”
Raoul turned around and narrowed his eyes. It was as if he was thinking, ‘Why does she have something so useless?’
He stopped two young knights at the door.
“Stand here, you two. If you’re tired, go downstairs and drink some ale. Well… take it easy, okay?”
Then he ran after her, quickly catching up.
“Where are we going?”
***
Mary was their guide, because the other maids were still too terrified.
Mary said she’d show them everything, starting with the rooms on the higher floors, and working their way down.
As they were walking up the stairs, Raoul suddenly asked.
“Did Madame ask for escort knights?”
“No. I said yes because Victor recommended it.”
“I see…”
He frowned.
It was rare to see Raoul’s cheerful face distorted.
She tilted her head.
“Is something wrong?”
“No, it’s just a little weird.”
Raoul stroked his chin with a calloused hand.
“It is not uncommon to escort the hostess inside the castle, but the Madame is stronger than any of us, isn’t she?”
“Yes…”
She didn’t want to look arrogant, so she spoke vaguely. But Raoul didn’t seem to care.
“Nevertheless, having an escort force is important…”
He cut himself off by biting his lip. Suddenly, they reached their destination.
“I’ll show you this first, Madame.”
Mary showed her the rooms most important to the hostess.
There was the banquet hall, guest bedrooms, a salon for tea time, and a separate drawing room for the hostess’ guests.
Each room was pure white and beautiful. They were decorated with white carpets, curtains and large chandeliers, which cast away all shadows. It reminded her of a temple.
Raoul stuck his tongue out.
“Do you clean this place every day?”
“Not every day, but once a week. Dust builds up easily on carpet.”
“Oh my God… you should raise their salary, madame.”
She nodded seriously.
She couldn’t believe the hard work that must have gone into keeping these rooms clean.
It must be difficult just to sweep and polish the entire castle, which was pure white. She secretly wanted to repaint everything to a color that was easy to clean.
Raoul grinned as if he had read her thoughts.
“Please order them to remove these curtains and replace them with Draca skins, madame. You won’t need to clean for the next hundred years.”
“How could I do that?”
“How could you? His highness would be pleased even if Madame said that she wanted to destroy the castle and rebuild it.”
Her face suddenly turned red. Despite being teased by the knights often, her face still got red.
She quickly turned to Mary.
“Where does he work, the Grand Duke?”
“He was in his office, but it seems as though he went to the conference room for a meeting with the drivers earlier today.”
“I see.”
He had been busy in the Capital too, so he must be even busier here since he had been away for years.
She wished she could help him with something…
Victor told her not to worry about work, but she didn’t like it.
‘Should I learn how to manage the books? Then I can help Diderick manage the castle’s ledger…’
Before she could get lost in her thoughts, Mary opened a large and colorful wooden door.
“This is the library, Madame.”
“Wow…”
She entered the room.
She was astonished. She wondered if the library in the Imperial Palace was as magnificent as this.
This room was larger than the study in the Capital, and was full of tall oak bookcases. There were more books than she ever could have imagined.
Luxurious candles made of oil illuminated the place.
The bookshelves were full of books from all kinds of genres and subjects. From history and geography to astronomy, music and swordsmanship, this library had it all.
She soon found the bookshelf containing novels.
Surprisingly, that she was reading was a series with three volumes.
She picked up the second book and read a random page.
[…Dordophin, the knight who served Princess Rapier, fell in love with Flamberge, the great duchess who was trapped in a tower. He confessed his love to her, but Duchess Flamberge was cruel! “If you want to win my heart, fulfill three favors”…]
Below that, there was an illustration of Dordophin and the beautiful Flamberge.
She would have to ask them to bring it to her once she finished the first book. She put it back in its place and turned away.
Raoul was waiting for her by the door, talking with her maids.
The maids, who were still frightened, seemed to be getting along with Raoul and loosening up a little.
Seeing that put her at ease.
In fact, since arriving at the estate, her nerves had been on edge.
The atmosphere of the castle was strangely bleak, and the servants acted terribly frightened.
It felt like this castle had no maids or butler.
The Morte estate felt somewhat empty. Just like an Amarian village after being attacked by a monster.
But when she saw kind and familiar faces, her nerves calmed down a bit.
Maybe she was being paranoid because she was nervous.
‘Once you get used to it, you will be able to have fun with Victor and his attendants just as before.’
She sincerely hoped so.
She made up her mind and joined them.
Raoul was exaggeratedly telling stories from his mercenary days.
She walked down the hallway with her maids, listening to him and smiling.
The afternoon sun filtered through the white curtains.
***
Victor’s meetings didn’t end until evening.
It was rare for him to skip dinner with her, so she ended up eating alone anxiously.
On the menu was steamed deer, baked potatoes, and raspberry pudding. It was surprisingly delicious. However, the delicious food did not stop her from worrying.
Mary asked her cautiously as they headed back to her room with a serious face.
“Madame, did you not like the food?”
“No, it was really, really delicious!”
She answered quickly.
Startled, Mary opened her eyes wide and nodded her head.
She had answered too hastily.
She asked with a little embarrassment.
“Has he eaten, the Grand Duke?”
“No. I heard that he only ate bread and cheese during the meeting.”
‘No way.’
She sighed.
It’s not like he didn’t eat anything, but he was so busy that he ate poor food instead of good food.
She was the kind of person who thought that food was the most important thing in the world.
After much deliberation, she ordered her maids.
“Tell them to bring fruit, sweets, and grilled meat to the meeting room.”
“Yes, Madame.”
“Oh, and…”
She paused.
“If anyone comes to the castle and asks for Malakan, please let me know.”
“…Malakan?”
“Yes. That’s my… nickname.”
She did not know how to explain the customs of mercenaries, so she gave an awkward explanation.
Mercenaries used aliases when they worked.
It was because they were afraid that their family would be retaliated against if their real name was revealed.
Most of the time, clients hired mercenaries for their lord, so they didn’t use pseudonyms like mercenaries did. When necessary, they would say anything that came to mind.
Stick, ice pick, water cart, wine barrel…
But Mary had a complicated look on her face.
She examined Amarion’s hands for a moment.
She had rough, calloused hands, unlike the white and voluptuous ones of ladies. She clenched her little fist as if determined.
“I’ll make more delicious dishes tomorrow, Madame.”
Amarion didn’t understand.
She had many questions on her mind.
***