Chapter 24

‘…Did I know that this guy could make that kind of face?’

With that thought, Min-ha stared at Seth with a surprised look on her face. Seeing so, he asked, looking at her, who suddenly lost her words.

“What’s with that face?”

“…Oh, no. I think it was the first time you said thank you.”

“I think it’s because it was.”

“….”

“We have delayed a lot of time. Sir Lancelot, as soon as I get on my horse, send a signal to open the gates.”

“Yes, sir.”

However, Seth, who turned expressionless again, turned away from her as he ended the conversation awkwardly.

As he put his helmet back on and strode towards his horse, Min-ha gazed at him softly and spoke in a voice that seemed audible.

“…Well, have a safe trip.”

At that, Seth turned his head back swiftly and looked at her.

Embarrassed by the way he stared at her, she asked bluntly.

“…What? Why are you looking at me like that again?”

“Because it’s the first time you said goodbye. You always just looked behind me. Apparently, you always said you wished something would go bad.”

“…Now, I don’t want that. If anything goes wrong, Noah will lose his one and only family. Besides, what about the people under you?”

“….”

“So, come back safely. Don’t get hurt.”

It’s not like grown-ups to say it out loud like that, though she had to keep the promise to Noah.

Min-ha added that and turned her gaze away. She spoke out as her emotions led her, but when she said it like that, she was very embarrassed.

‘I just said it in hopes that everyone else returns safely. Of course.’

She thought so and avoided his gaze.

Suddenly, Seth, who was laughing at her reaction, replied.

“You don’t have to worry about that because I don’t hang my neck in a fight that doesn’t win.”

“…Ah, yes.”

“ And, when I come back, I have something to give you.”

“…Yes? To me?”

“I won’t return the handkerchief.”

With those words, he glided up onto the saddle of the black horse beside him. Seth then grabbed the reins and slammed it hard, and he ran away at great speed. At the same time, he waved the flag Lancelot was holding and signaled to open the gates.

The large door that had been raised climbed slowly descended from the chain and made a path.

Seth’s horse was the first to depart. After him, the knights who were waiting for Lancelot, one by one, fastened the reins of the horses and ran after them.

Min-ha stared intently at Seth and the knights, who were moving away quickly.

“Madam, it’s very windy. Let’s get inside the mansion and eat.”

“…Oh, yes.”

At the prompting of Wanda, she eventually turned her body.

What is this unfamiliar feeling…?

She couldn’t clearly explain the reason herself, but for some reason, it was difficult to take her eyes off of the appearance of Seth leaving without hesitation.

While the knights, led by Seth Persen, left, Min-ha’s daily life did not change significantly. She worked hard, as usual, got paid for her wages, and in the rest of her time, Wanda would teach her to sew and embroider.

However, there were some things that changed slightly. First, Noah would be attached to her for twenty-four hours.

And, secondly…

“I haven’t had a chance until now, but now I can officially greet you. My name is Bediviel, the treasurer of the Persen Knights and the defender of the castle.”

“…Oh, you were a knight. I thought you were just a servant chief performing public affairs.”

A handsome silver-haired young man who had always given her daily wage turned out to be a knight. Now that Seth Person was away from the estate, Min-ha got to learn that he was playing a role in defending the mansion.

The day after Seth left, she finished cleaning the east annex, had dinner with Noah, and was resting in the living room. Min-ha, who was resting in the living room, was surprised when Bediviel came to say hello since she thought there was something wrong with the wages.

Fortunately, it seemed that there hadn’t been any problems with money, except that Bediviel wanted to officially greet her.

Knowing that, she replied calmly as Bediviel smiled kindly and accepted her words.

“It is not unreasonable to be misunderstood. The Duchess met me after she said she would clean the east annex, after all.”

“Really?”

“Yes. For me, it was an honor to have this opportunity to meet the Duchess up close. It was a great opportunity to break my foolish prejudice.”

“Prejudice? …Ah.”

Hearing his words, Min-ha nodded, convinced by the previous evil deeds of ‘Minase Persen’ that everyone in the mansion talked about and the appearance of Bediviel now somewhat referring to her as ‘Minha’ now.

Bediviel, who smiled silently at the sight, soon stopped laughing and looked up at her with a serious face.

“Then, I’ll stop talking about private matters. Madam, I actually have a request for you, so I took the liberty of visiting you late at night like this.”

“Yes? Did anything happen in the mansion?”

When Min-ha tilted her head and asked, Bediviel looked at Noah, who was sitting next to her with an awkward expression on his face.

Seeing that, she also shifted her gaze to him. And, seeing Noah in her eyes, Min-ha had to shut her mouth without realizing it.

It was because the little boy was clutching a pillow the size of his torso, blinking his big eyes as if sleepy. When she screamed silently because he was so adorable, Bediviel, who was examining her face, sighed and continued his words.

“I want the Madam to help ask Noah to sleep in the Eastern Annex, which is his own residence.”

“…I don’t want to, Bedi. I want to see here.”

Perhaps he could hear his voice even in his sleepiness, Noah resolutely shook his head in response to the voice of Bediviel. Then, as if he would never fall, the little boy hugged Min-ha’s arm tightly and hung on it.

Because of that, Bediviel got up and took Noah’s hand affectionately.

He opened his mouth.

“…Noah. You must not do this.”

“No. I’m going to sleep with my sister-in-law.”

Bedibiel persuaded Noah in a more friendly voice, but her answer on her return remained unchanged. Embarrassed, Bediviel hardened his expression a little. Meanwhile, Noah buried his face in her hanging arms as if he was a little frightened.

Min-ha, who had been watching the two, looked at Bediviel and carefully opened her mouth.

“Can’t we just let him sleep here? It was very late…”

“I’m sorry, but that’s not possible.”

“Why?”

When asked if he could just leave it alone like this, Bediviel replied with a sigh on his face, like he didn’t know where to start with his words.

“I’m sure the Madam might not know since His Excellency had been silent about it.”

“Yes…? What are you talking about?”

“Many people desperately want His Excellency to make a mistake and be stripped of his title, or lose his life in battle. All they have to offer is the blood of aristocrats flowing through their bodies, but they are jealous of the achievements the Master has achieved by fighting barefoot and are jealous of being favored by His Majesty.”

“…Oh.”

“What do you think the greatest weakness and repulsion would be to him?”

“…It must be Noah.”

“That’s right. Perhaps, by now, the news that His Excellency left had reached their ears, it is a fact that we have emptied the mansion without knowing what they are going to do.”

“So, does that mean that something like that has happened before?”

“Fortunately, so far, we have been able to deal with it quietly on our line, but…”

To her question, Bediviel smiled bitterly, avoiding a direct answer. Looking at that, Min-ha smiled bitterly as she seemed to understand the situation and patted Noah’s head.

Bediviel continued while looking at Min-ha’s face, which had become dark like himself.

“Of course, that’s not to say that the place you’re living in isn’t safe. The knights are guarding every single one of them. Though it’s not good enough to stop assassins and kidnappers who have been trained for decades.”

“…I see.”

“So please, convince Young Master Noah.”

“No! I won’t go! I don’t want to be alone without sister-in-law! It’s scary!”

“…It seems that Noah is very dependent on Madam.”

“…Noah.”

Wearing a complicated expression on her face, Min-ha stroked Noah’s head. He didn’t have his older brother that he’d always relied on, so it must’ve been difficult for a child to fall asleep alone in the Easter Annex.

Nevertheless, it would also be a problem to put Noah’s will first and sleep here.

As Bediviel said, if something happened to Noah, wouldn’t it be too late, then?

‘…What should I do?’

Min-ha pondered as she glanced at Bediviel, who gazed at Noah as if embarrassed, and Noah, who was stubbornly clinging to her arm.

‘When I was young, if I had a scary dream while sleeping, I just went to my parents’ room and asked them to put me to sleep…’

Ah…!

At that moment, she remembered something and smiled meaningfully at Bediviel, who still had a difficult expression on his face.

Then, she said, tenderly stroking Noah’s head that was clinging to her body.