Chapter 13
“I also like my daddy and sister.”
Luciana laughed merrily when her little brother cutely mimicked her. She fiddled with River’s unshakeable bangs that seemed to be glued to his forehead.
Other kids were cute, but River was especially cute.
River murmured with his face buried in Tino’s body.
“I hope my stepmother will like me, too. I learned how to say stepmother. Stepmother, stepmother.”
“I hope so, too.”
A warm voice full of hope rang in the room.
***
At the crack of dawn.
Ordinary people would still be asleep, but not Carlyx. When the quiet darkness ceased, Carlyx woke up at the touch of cool air.
5 AM. Such a precise time that sometimes sends chills down his spine.
‘This damn habit.’
Carlyx heaved a sigh and swept his eyes lightly.
“…I should get up.”
In the past, he just continued to lie still because he hated this habit of his. He lied on the bed awake for one or two hours due to the frustration of being fully awake against his will.
‘I’m going to do that, but…’
Carlyx turned his head right after he raised his upper body. He caught sight of Daisy’s angelic face. A gentle breath escaped her lips.
“Your hand is getting better.”
He gently touched Daisy’s wrist the same way he did with precious jewels. Her thin wrist made him a bit uncomfortable.
The bandage wrapped around her wounded arm was loose. At that moment, Carlyx sighed weakly at the absurd sight.
“What the hell is this?”
Upon closer look, it seemed as if she applied something to prevent the bandage from coming off. It was on the verge of falling apart.
How unexpected.
She sounded as if she would look for me anytime, but she didn’t come even if it turned worse. She didn’t even show up for a few days.
‘Medicine.’
Carlyx opened the drawer under the candlestick with a grim expression. He always put bandages and medicine kits in there just in case. He took out what he needed and carefully loosened the bandage around Daisy’s wrist.
“What the hell did you smear on your wrist?”
She insisted on wearing long-sleeved loungewear despite the hot weather. Just to stop the rumors from flowing out.
“It must be frustrating. You worked so hard.”
Perhaps because she has a goal to achieve.
Well, that’s possible.
A person with a clear purpose can overcome any obstacles.
The same reason why she was nonchalant about me being an illegitimate child with the blood of another empire.
I don’t know how long it will last, but what’s more important is that I can relax for the time being.
“What a strange person you are.”
As if to hear that, Daisy’s smile deepened. He knew she was sleeping, but it felt like a vague consolation.
A tired breath escaped Carlyx’s lips.
“You won this time.”
Daisy was right. The parents’ role is important for the child’s growth.
“I’ve lost miserably.”
Even if the father showers them with love, the children will be hurt if the mother treats them as if they are invincible.
It’s better to give them love and distance themselves as time passes by.
He knew better than anyone.
How lonely it was to grow up without being loved.
How childhood memories make him skeptical of small kindness although he craved for love.
He didn’t want to become obsessed with it, so he ended up beating himself up.
He knew better than anyone.
How it felt to grow up with an empty heart.
***
Daisy was very busy preparing the small party.
She prepared it very thoughtfully as it was finally the day she’d meet Carlyx’s children.
Since first impressions are important in a relationship.
During the preparation, Carlyx did not say much contrary to her expectation. He only said he would attend the party earlier than the children.
It went smoothly at first, and she got a lot of freedom, but it didn’t last long.
“Why are you following me?”
Either the butler was tasked to help with the preparation, or he was simply offering help out of kindness.
But Daisy didn’t need Tyler since she could handle it alone.
“Please don’t misunderstand. I wouldn’t dare to do that. I’m not following madam around.”
At Tyler’s calm answer, Daisy clicked her tongue.
“When I came out of the drawing room, you also did. You’re coming to the party venue as well. Aren’t you following me even more intensely than May?”
Don’t even think of lying.
Eventually, Tyler gave in to Daisy’s determined attitude.
“I stand by near you to see if I can help with anything.”
“Just say you’re observing me.”
Tyler did not trust her.
He couldn’t trust her yet, so seeing if he could be of help was just a lame excuse.
He followed her to teach her in case she made a mistake. That was enough to sum up the whole situation.
“Observe? Madam, how could I observe you?”
“Indeed.”
Daisy, who was thoroughly checking the small party venue’s interior, turned around. A smile spread on her face as she glanced down at him with intelligent eyes. She seemed to question his attitude when he had no right to do so.
Silence fell between them.
Just as the polite Tyler tried to bow at Daisy, she continued the conversation.
“Why aren’t the servant and maid rooms properly separated?”
Their rooms should be thoroughly divided to prevent inappropriate encounters. The door that separated the rooms should be tightly locked.
‘Sally and Tommy were able to do that because the lock was broken.’
Only the butler and the housekeeper could open the door. Even the butler and housekeeper shouldn’t open the door without any particular reason.
“Well, because the system is not really organized…”
“Are you making an excuse?”
Daisy looked sharply at Tyler. Her lips were smiling, but not her eyes.
A frightful energy swept Tyler’s spine.
“As you already know, my master has no devotion towards this mansion and the estate. He completely let go of everything.”
“Yes. I know.”
“It’s not that I didn’t put any effort at all, but my authority as a butler is limited.”
“Have you tried to persuade him?”
As a butler, it was his duty to manage the mansion and the estate. But it was ridiculous for him to manage everything at once.
His main job was to advise, request, or criticize.
“I tried, but it was futile. It’s just my speculation, but I might get fired if I keep pushing my opinion.”
A shadow fell on Tyler’s face. A sense of incompetence started dominating him. If he truly was a capable butler, he wouldn’t have given up so quickly.
Only then did he truly confront his shortcomings.
‘There’s nothing I can do even if madam laughs at me.’
A sense of shame overtook him.
For Daisy, who was left out by the aristocracy, seeing this might discourage her from trying to achieve something different.
“I figured so.”
“Pardon?”
“I knew he abandoned the estate, but I never thought he would abandon the mansion as well.”
Since Luciana and River were here. But Carlyx truly exceeded her expectations.
He monitored Belia closely because she was the closest to the children, but he was nonchalant about everything else.
“Good job.”
The bewildered Tyler opened his eyes wide.
‘What is there to praise?’
“You did your best to manage a place with a disorderly system.”
She could tell that much by looking at the documents Tyler had organized and handed over to her. He was struggling due to his ambiguous position.
That was pretty remarkable.
“From now on, you should follow Carlyx, not me.”
He was about to say, ‘I will be kicked out if I followed my master’, but Tyler couldn’t say it because he was stunned.
Daisy gently said.
“I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m sure he won’t fire someone like you.”
Her words were true. It was Carlyx’s impulsive decision to hire Tyler. It was also his first and last rebellion.
After being thrown into a political marriage, he headed to his new mansion and saw a man on the way.
The man was begging for a salary equal to his work, but they cursed at him and kicked him out.
It wasn’t clear how he felt, but Carlyx hired the man right on the spot. That man was Tyler.
“What do you mean?”
It wasn’t long since she met Carlyx. So he couldn’t help but wonder about how much she knew…
Daisy stopped trying to persuade Tyler and turned the conversation around.
“You won’t get fired as long as I’m here.”
A reliable and charming low-pitched voice comforted Tyler.
“From now on, do your actual job.”
Tyler was not a marquis. However, that didn’t mean the family did not need him.
“Butler, Tyler.”
As Marquis Jean’s people, he was supposed to lead the servants and assist the Marquis and the Marchioness.
The butler of the family is someone who should not cross the line, but politely gives advice to the nobles if necessary.
Tyler, who was left alone, murmured.
“I clearly heard, butler, Tyler.”
Tyler couldn’t move for a while as if his feet were glued to the ground. Daisy already left a while ago, but he just stared at her back as she walked away.
***
As Daisy finished preparing for the party, she patiently handed over certain things she was not happy with today to someone else.
It was beyond her ability.
Even if the conductor was capable, a perfect result couldn’t be achieved if the performers were unskilled.
“Eh? You arrived early.”
Carlyx came to the venue. He walked over and glanced at the surroundings.
“They don’t normally close the window curtain on a party venue. Did you do that on purpose?”
As expected, he was sharp.
Marquis Jean’s servants did not usually close the window curtains. She wanted to see what the atmosphere was like.
“That’s the theme of today’s party. But I have a question.”
“Yes. I am listening.”
“Why doesn’t the chef check the menu every morning?”