Maynus’ younger cousin is the Emperor. They were close enough in their childhood to play ball games together.
Count Artemio’s family was a pain in the emperor’s neck. They owned banks and many other families followed them as they had quite a long history.
Thus, a marriage between one of Count Artemio’s daughters and Maynus was prompted. The family pushed their eldest daughter into getting engaged to him.
Maynus became a scapegoat for the sake of the Emperor. If only Maynus wasn’t related to him, he could have confidently rejected the engagement. If only the Emperor had not mentioned his mother, the Empress dowager, who raised him on behalf of Maynus’ deceased mother.
Anyway, he was an annoying guy who liked to use everything to his advantage. Maynus unfastened the button that was tight at his neck, before ruffling his hair.
The very same reason for the issue back then was coming back to haunt him. The headache he thought had died down seemed to be coming back up again.
Maynus took long strides, the butler simply following behind him.
***
The workers at the mansion glanced at me as I stood with fidgety feet while holding a baby.
The material of the clothes I was wearing looked too expensive, so they couldn’t talk to me recklessly, but the way I stood was quite pathetic. To them I probably looked strange.
Still, thanks to the warmth circulating the mansion, my frozen body started to slowly warm up.
I squeezed my hand between my outer garment, warming it to rub the baby’s red cheeks.
It would’ve been fine if they had only kicked me out, considering the things Veloce has done in the family. But what crime did this child commit to get kicked out?
It’s not like the baby really killed Elice.
“Miss Veloce?” A voice similar to the world’s smoothest cup of coffee asked, taking me out of my thoughts.
The man standing in front of me had a beauty that could not be deterred by his rolled up sleeves and wrinkled clothes, which showed that he had been busy. He had red eyes that shone like rubies and hair as white as snow.
It was not until I thought about it for a while that I realized who this man was.
“Maynus Hermias?”
The man frowned, perhaps because he had heard my murmur.
“… That is my name.”
Goodness…
This guy who looks just as handsome as a main character is Veloce’s fiance? A man like this was just an extra?
Wow.
How in the world did my hand create such beauty? I heard that you can see a handsome man with each step you take in Italy. This really is heaven.
I answered, still in a trance-like state, “My name is also Veloce.”
Even though I’m not really her on the inside.
Maynus looked at me in disbelief and then sighed. He continued in his low voice, “Why are you here?”
It was time to address the issue at hand.
I took in a deep breath.
‘Alright, Veloce! Let’s act very shameless! I just need to throw away all of my shame and ask.’
“Please do me a favor.”
“What?” Maynus tilted his head. As if he had heard wrong.
“I got kicked out of my house. But I have nowhere to go with this baby in such a cold winter.”
“… I don’t think this is a place you’re welcomed at either.”
“That’s true.”
He was right.
“But a young lady of the Count’s family was kicked out by her own family?” Maynus asked incredulously.
“It kind of ended up like that…” I said, smiling awkwardly. “However, I’m still your fiancée, right? At least be considerate to the child and do her a favor.”
The man sighed and only looked at me from my head to my toes.
“… By the way, is this your child?” Maynus’ eyes were on the child. Well, it was a good question, considering the fact that a woman claiming to be his fiancée appeared with a child in her arms.
“… She’s not my child.”
The look on his face told me that he didn’t believe me.
“She’s really not mine!”
Maynus didn’t seem to trust me, but he said with a displeased look, “… I learned it’s not polite to abandon someone who came in from the cold.”
That much is a relief.
See? I didn’t make his character so cold-hearted.
“Don’t worry. I’ll… leave as soon as I can.”
However, even before I could say anything else, he already turned his back and left.
Like he couldn’t care less about me.
I really was an unwanted guest here. I made a pledge to get out of this place somehow.
* * *
Maynus Hermias made a humanitarian effort by taking care of the baby and I. Being able to stay in a warm room instead of freezing to death outside in the cold was more than enough at this point.
‘Right, baby?’
It was quite worthwhile to have asked him so audaciously. If I had stayed outside a little longer, I might have frozen to death with the baby.
I stroked the baby’s fluffy cheeks.
“Wahh.”
At the sight of the baby’s eyes open wide and her mouth trying to stifle a small yawn, my worries were completely relieved.
‘She’s pretty since she resembles Elice.’
But Maynus, that guy.
“Is he blind? How could he think I was the one who gave birth to you?”
The only similarity we have is that we’re both human beings.
I couldn’t see any trace of myself in the baby. She looked exactly like Elice. No matter how much she resembles her father, I don’t think anyone could see her as a child I gave birth to.
“You’re hungry, aren’t you?”
While resting from exhaustion and hugging the baby, I heard a knock on the door.
“My… lady?” A voice said with a lot of hesitation, as if the term for me had not been properly established on their tongue.
“Come in.”
The door opened.
The first person to come inside was the man who followed Maynus earlier.
“Hello, my lady.”
The man took a deep breath and said. I seemed to have been given the title of ‘young mistress’ in the mansion.
“Hello.”
A moment of silence passed between us. The maids who had followed him in looked at each other with anxiety.
“Well… I am Eden Downis, the butler of this mansion. If you need anything during your stay here, do not hesitate to ask me. The head maid is not feeling well and is recuperating at the moment.”
“Oh. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Eden. Thank you for your kind words.”
“And these are the maids who will serve you. They’ll do their very best to assist you if needed.”
“Hello, young miss. My name is Jewel Indik.”
“Hello, my lady. I am Eljya.”
“Hello, my lady. My name is Yuzu.”
“Nice to meet you all.”
Eden looked back at me, proud look on his face at the maids’ perfect manners. I could see it without much thinking. Eden Downis was a loyal figure to the Hermias family. It looked like I could only maintain a smooth relationship with him if I was careful with my remarks about the Hermias family.
This is the world I created, but I don’t know much about places that I never focused on writing.
I had to figure it all out by myself.
“Do take care of me. I can see your hard work from how well maintained the mansion is.
“‘Well maintained?’ Not quite so, I would say.”
“It’s a place that anyone would admire. The harmony of colors also adds to the luxuriousness. It’s such an honor to stay here.”
“That’s a big compliment.” His smile widened and I knew then that I had succeeded in winning Eden Downies’ favor with those words.
Flattery was an important asset for a member of Korean society, afterall.
* * *
Eden Downies stepped out and the maids prepared milk bottles and milk for the young baby. I thanked the maid for quickly going to the city area to get them.
The baby, who was gentle and did not cry much, drank the milk without whining. She was definitely hungry, but also very patient.
“Wah… Goo-goo!”
Jewel and the other maids exclaimed at the baby’s wide smile, perhaps in a good mood because she was full.
“Oh my!”
“So cute!”
My shoulders raised up in pride.
The baby’s smiling face was like an angel’s. She looked so much like Elice that it was impossible to hate her.
It’s amazing that Count Artemio and his wife hated such a child.
I simply held onto her and fed her, but the baby had fallen asleep quickly after playing.
“By the way, what do you call her?”
“Hmm?”
“What is the baby’s name?”
It was only then that I realized what Yuzu had asked.
I had not yet named the baby!
“… I probably shouldn’t have asked.” Yuzu said hesitantly and Eljya nudged her at her side. I looked blankly at Yuzu, who had a troubled face, and murmured, “… Not yet.”
“What?”
Read latest Chapters at Wuxia World . Site Only
“I haven’t named the baby yet.”
There was a small silence in the room at my laughable words.
I felt sorry to the baby who had fallen asleep and was now snoring.
However, Elice died shortly after giving birth to a baby and I was kicked out. I could never afford to give the baby a new name.
Well, I guess I had to make up an excuse.