Chapter 10

Episode 10

TL: Jasmine

“I’m only wasting the paper.”

Chloe sighed as she looked at the crumpled paper rolling around on the desk. She never had a hard time filling out a household account book or document, but writing a letter was a different story. Even more so, if the other person is not happy with it.

“Lady.”

When Chloe turned her head towards the presence of someone, Gray was seen standing by the door. After the servants, whose salaries were overdue, left the mansion the horseman volunteered to serve the Verdier family. As soon as Chloe saw him carrying her own drink, her heart felt a little heavy.

“Thank you, Gray. I was already frustrated. Sit here.”

Chloe looked at him after moistening her dry throat.

“What about Alice?”

“…She went out in the morning and came back a while ago. As soon as she returned she shut herself in the room without eating anything.”

“I see.”

Chloe nodded, swallowing a sign that exploded naturally.

“She….didn’t meet that gypsy, did she?”

When Alice befriended a gypsy wandering with a band last winter, Chloe never imagined that things would go so seriously. She has no idea how the gypsy infiltrated the party which was organized by the Duke Tisse, while pretending to be a nobleman.

“I don’t know.”

Gray added after hesitating for a moment

“Maybe not. Miss Alice is someone who has an idea about how the world works, too.”

Chloe looked out the window, hoping Gray was right. It was after Count Cromwell, who Alice last danced at the party, sent a letter saying he would visit her soon. Chloe and Alice knew that there is a high chance that he would propose.

“How can you marry someone you don’t even love?”

Chloe bit her lip a little, reminiscing on Alice’s brown eyes that were crying out. After shaking her head, a little, she murmured as if casting a spell to herself

“…Alice will definitely be happy.”

He would have done this for anyone other than her, even if it were Alice’s family. It was impossible to allow a relationship with a wandering gypsy without knowing his origin or future.

“The count is a good man and has a good reputation.”

Gray called her quietly next to Chloe, who repeated several times as if praying.

“Lady.”

“….What? Gray.”

Gray looked at her for a moment and hesitated, and quietly opened his mouth.

“If Miss Alice gets married and leaves the castle, you will be very lonely.”

Chloe smiled softly as she looked at Gray’s face, which had a slight faint freckle.

“Are you worried about me?”

“Did I go overboard?”

Gray blinked, looking down. When he first came to this castle, he was smaller than Chloe, but now seeing that he was much taller than Uncle Chester, Chloe realized that many years had passed.

“Yeah, you went overboard.”

Surprised, Gray looked at her. His tanned nose became even redder.

“I’m sorry, Miss Chloe.”

“Why would I be lonely when I have a father and you.”

Teasing a good servant was not Chloe’s hobby. In particular, it was no exaggeration to say that Gray is her friend because he had been in the castle for a long time. Of course, it’s something her father would be quite surprised to hear.

“Alice will go to the capital and have a good time, and soon a lot of pretty nieces will be born. The Count promised that he would send manpower to reclaim the territory, so the situation in our territory will improve soon, and then we will be able to pay you the ridiculous level of salary in line with the market price.”

“Lady, I can take any amount.”

“I know, Gray.”

Chloe looked into his black eyes and said as if to confirm once more.

“Even when we had to let them go because we didn’t have money to give to the servants, you tried to persuade them by giving them your share of money.”

“I have received a lot more from the lady and the

master.”

“Nothing else, but I’m sure I was your tutor.”

Gray, who learned to write thanks to her, nodded shyly. The curly hair that covers his forehead a little still made him feel like a boy.

“I don’t want to be a master who causes worries for my servant, so stop worrying about me. Can you come here and read this letter? I’ve been holding onto this all morning.”

Only then did a smile bloomed a little on Gray’s face at Chloe’s words.

“If I can be of any help, I will.”

“I’m writing a thank-you letter to Duke Tisse for inviting me to the party, but it looks like something is lacking.”

“From what I read, it seems to be just a polite, polite thank-you letter, my lady.”

After reading the letter carefully, Gray made a questioning face, Chloe looked at him and shook her head.

“That’s the problem.”

“Why is that a problem?”

“Duke Tisse’s personality is so eccentric that I have an ominous feeling that he will definitely find fault with whatever I send.”

Because of that, she had hesitated to send a letter which she was supposed to send earlier. Watching Chloe bite her lip slowly, Gray felt a little different. It was unfamiliar because he had never seen her gossiping about someone before, but soon came to the conclusion that the opponent would have done something worthy of those words.

“If he is such an eccentric person, wouldn’t he be even more displeased that you didn’t send a letter.”

Chloe thought so too, so she forced herself to grab the pen.

“That’s right. I’ll send him a telegram after finishing it no matter what by this afternoon. Can you go out to the village later? I don’t want to leave Alice alone.”

“Of course, lady.”

Then, through the study, he felt Viscount Verdier’s presence. Gray stood a little straight and took a step back immediately to distance herself from her. Viscount Verdier was a generous master to his servants, but that did not mean that he would let his child get along with a servant.

“You’re here, father.”

“My daughter.”

Viscount Verdier approached her with a face that could not hide his excitement. Chloe blinked quietly. Her father’s expression looked very happy, but on the contrary, Chloe’s heart was filled with unknown anxiety.

When was the last time I saw my father’s face like that?

Something very unpleasant was about to happen.

“The Duke Tisse is coming to our estate for hunting.”

Chloe realized that her uneasy hunch was just right, Viscount Verdier had the same face when he first received a party invitation from the Duke.

“What… What? What are you talking about?”

“Isn’t there a lot of wild animals in the forest of our land? It’s clear that he knows it’s incomparable to the easy hunting of deliberately releasing and catching animals.”

Now was the season for hunting. However, if you want to enjoy the high-end sport of hunting, there are many better castles than the countryside. Chloe’s face grew even paler when she was convinced that the Duke was coming here on purpose. Could this unfortunate incident have been prevented if the letter had been sent sooner?

“Father, but we don’t have enough room for guests in our castle right now.”

Viscount Verdier also knew what she was worried about. Hunting was a male social gathering place, so there was a very little chance that the Duke would come alone. Viscount glanced at Gray, who stood silently, pretending not to hear anything.

ahem.

Viscount then cleared his throat.

“Don’t worry. I still have that much leeway. And I’ve been informed that the Duke even sent food and servants, saying that he would take the trouble for his friends while staying.”

“Father, then when will you…”

Chloe turned her head and looked out the window at the sound of the carriage, which almost terrified her.

Duuk duuk

A fully loaded wagon was clearly seen entering the castle.

“I was told he was nearby, but it seems that the duke

came sooner than expected.”

Viscount Verdier smiled in vain while she alternately looked out the window with the telegram in her hand.

“It’s natural for a man crazy about hunting to become impatient.”

Viscount Verdier who had been immediately summoned by the duke and received the news, couldn’t hide his embarrassment

“I should go out and greet the duke. Gray, go and gather the servants. Chloe, you bring Alice down.”

Chloe put her hand on her forehead as she felt the heat on her forehead. Her eyes, looking out the window, shook with despair and anxiety at the same

time.

“…Chloe, dear.”

Taking the lead while sitting on a horse of excellent descent at a glance, it was Duke Tisse, whom she longed to never see again. The duke jumped off the horse and walked toward the gate. The eyes that looked up at her in the window made her feel as if she was just in front of him even at that distance.

“Daughter, are you listening to me?”

“Yes, father.”

Chloe got up from her seat, shaking her head in dismay. The letter, whose ink had not dried out, fluttered in the wind and fell to the floor of the desk, disappearing under the piano.

The number of people in the castle of Verdier who lined up to welcome the duke was modest while the number of servants brought by the Duke was much greater. The Viscount welcomed the visit of Duke Tisse and congratulated him on the victory.

While the Duke listened to Viscount Verdier’s fatherlike praise, he just nodded and said, “The number of servants has decreased a lot.” From the Duke’s point of view, he may have said what he saw, but it was natural for the Viscount’s face, who was in financial trouble, to turn red.

“Well, over the past few years….”

Chloe took a step forward before her embarrassed father told him the truth about the castle, and then opened her mouth slightly.

“The castle is in a cluttered state after the news of the arrival of the Duke was belatedly delivered. We will do our best to accommodate you without any inconvenience.”