CH 21.4

Lila wrapped her shawl around her and made her way through the manor. There was a different vibrancy to the Duke’s house than before, and the smallest change had completely changed the mood.

The atmosphere at work was even better, as the employees were more proactive and didn’t discriminate based on appearance.

Lila decorated the mansion herself to make it suitable for winter and to create a warm atmosphere.

Under her touch, the mansion transformed like a warm winter coat.

Wine-coloured velvet curtains were draped in every room, with golden accents at the angles and ruffles of the curtains.

The carpets looked bright with a mix of yellows and greens. It looked as fresh as a lawn with yellow wildflowers.

“Hmm… still seems a bit lacking, doesn’t it?”

The mansion was so stark that just changing the curtains and carpets completely changed the atmosphere, but in her eyes, it was not enough.

“I think it’s the lack of decorations. Jessie, what do you think?”

“I think you’re right.”

Jessie agreed with her. Lila pondered for a moment, then clapped her palms together.

“I wonder if there’s an ornament in the treasure room?”

Remembering the Duchess’s key Lucas had given her, she started toward the place he had pointed out earlier.

Ascending from the first floor to the third, Lila entered the public rooms for the first time. At either end were the Duchess’s and the Duke’s private rooms, and in the middle was a common room for the two of them to share.

Lucas had told her she could set up a place here if she needed a workspace.

It was an unremarkable room, but it was old-fashioned. She crossed the room for what seemed like ages and stood in front of the bookcase he’d mentioned.

Finding the emerald-coloured book, Lila tugged at the spine with excitement.

Thud.

With a small noise, the bookcase spun slowly like a revolving door. It revealed an object that looked like a magnificent painting with a finely-drawn depiction of Lupus, the grey wolf.

“Where do I insert this in?”

Standing in front of the door with no handle in sight, Lila peered at it for a long moment, and then she saw it.

“Ah!”

The grey wolf’s emerald eyes narrowed.

“Uh, um…”

It was a nice discovery, but she felt a little weird about it, especially its eyes…

Lila took the key from her subspace ring, hesitated for a moment, then thrust it in.

Something inside made a sound like a machine turning, and then emerald light burst from the wolf’s eyes.

After the brief burst of light, a handle appeared where there had been none.

“Jessie, I’ll be right back.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Trusting Jessie, even if he was trustworthy, to go into the treasure room alone, Lila gave her hand a squeeze.

She slipped through the creaking door and heard it close behind her.

The next moment, the darkened room lit up.

“Wow…”

She was surprised to find such a treasure trove in a shared room, but she hadn’t expected it to be so large.

This is because she thought his room, her own room, and the common room were exactly the same size as the third floor.

So even if there’s a secret room in the middle, she was pretty sure it couldn’t be that big.

But…

“I think it’s bigger than the garden…”

It seemed to be wider than the spacious garden attached to the Duke’s estate. She could see the room from one end to the other.

When she was given the key, she thought she was getting a glimpse of the Duke’s wealth…

“Not a glimpse, but I have no idea how rich he is…”

If the Duchess had such a treasure trove at her disposal, the wealth under the Duke’s direct control must be beyond imagination.

Lila dragged her shuffling legs inside.

“Crazy, really.”

Jewels and precious metals, trinkets, tiaras, and furniture made from materials she’d never seen before…

There seemed to be a vast amount of wealth here that money couldn’t buy.

Lila decided to take her time with the other sights. If she didn’t set her mind to it, she’d be stuck here, unaware of how much time had passed.

She began to look for the ornament she was aiming for.

“Wow, I love this one.”

The main character of the painting in the garden full of blue hydrangeas was not the flowers, but a man.

“Doesn’t he look just like Lucas?”

The man’s hair colour and eye colour were different, but he looked exactly like Lucas.

Lila stared blankly at the man with grey hair and emerald eyes.

There was something about his expression that made her feel sad.

After standing and staring at the painting for a few moments, Lila blinked as if she had suddenly come to her senses.

“This is not the time…”

She tore her gaze away from the painting to find the ornament, which was its original purpose. Somehow, the farther away she got, the more lonely the man in the painting seemed.

Even though she had found the ornament, Lila was troubled. The ornaments were all grey wolves.

“This one is nice, but…”

There was nothing wrong with the statue of the gray Lupus, the emblem of Montefeltra. However…

“It’s so bland. Aren’t there any ornaments that are a bit more cosy and rounded?”

She turned away at the sound of a distant knock on the door. Perhaps she would have to come back for more.

The treasure room was spacious, but too spacious.

When she stepped outside, Jessie stiffened.

“My lady, we have a visitor.”

“A visitor? Was there one coming?”

“Not really.”

The look on Jessie’s face was telling, but Lila confirmed.

“Who’s here?”

“Him…”

Jessie was about to answer when Lila’s head snapped up. Bothered by the sudden darkness in the room, she checked outside through the window.

“Huh?”

Wondering if she’d been in the treasure room longer than she’d thought, Lila spotted pure white snow falling from the darkened sky.

The flakes were falling like grains of rice.

“It’s the first snow…”

Lila had heard about the harsh northern winter, but the first snowfall of the season made her feel strange.

She was worried about her first northern winter, but at the same time, she was excited about her upcoming wedding.

Thinking about the wedding made her miss Lucas. It would be nice to share a cup of tea while watching the first snowfall together.

“Is the Duke in his office?”

“No, he’s away for the moment.”

“Really? Where?”

“I have no idea either.”

“I see.”

Lila nodded, but she felt a pang of regret. She walked over to the window and stood at the bay window. The weather was overcast and it didn’t look pretty, but it was a first for Lila.

As she admired it, Jessie spoke up.

“But what about our guests?”

“That’s right. You said we had guests, right?”

Lila, who had momentarily forgotten, looked at Jessie.

“But guests?”

“Yes, Lady Ezrada and the others came to visit.”

“They’ve come unannounced again.”

Lila’s brow narrowed at the familiarity of the name. There was a hint of displeasure. Hilda showing up unannounced again.

At this time, Jessie revealed one piece of information she had learned from her education from Vincent.

“Ma’am, it’s a tradition in the north to have a tea with the young ladies on the first snowfall. Perhaps that’s why they’re here.”

“So, when the first snow falls, they gather at the home of the highest ranking person, or something like that?”

“Yes, that’s what I’ve heard. I’m from the north too, but that’s the first I’ve heard of it. It seems to be a tradition that only the nobles in the centre of the country gather, regardless of the outskirts.”

“Let’s see… In that case, it must mean we’re going to gather starting with the count’s daughter.”

“Yes, that is correct. What shall we do, my lady?”

It had been some time since they had arrived, but Lila was not fidgeting as before. Instead, she leaned lazily against the bay window and stared outside.

Then, she slowly spoke.

“Have you been communicating with the chef?”

She’d heard Lucas say that he’d passed the communications devices to the chiefs behind their backs.

Lila marvelled at his ability to act promptly. All she had to do was speak, and he understood exactly what she meant, made a plan, and set it in motion.

Perhaps that’s why Tenebris Company had grown so large.

“Yes, Vincent and I have a communication device that will put us in touch with all the heads.”

“Good.”

Jessie had been training Vincent in his spare time while covering for Lila. Even if they didn’t need more people now, Jessie knew that they would need to hire more maids to assist the Duchess in the future.

When that time came, Jessie would be the one to teach the new maids, so Vincent trained her to the point of fondness.

Lila, admiring the snow with a relaxed expression, murmured softly.

“Did you wear warm clothes when you went out?”

With the sudden snowfall, Lila became worried about him. Lila, who had been looking out the window with a relaxed expression, turned her head towards Jessie.

With a hard look in her eyes, she ordered her.

“Call the chef and tell him to prepare the best dessert. And make sure the tea leaves are of the finest quality. Oh, and I hear they’ve brought in a set of china from the Duchy of Charlesworth, so that would be a good choice for the teacups.”

“Yes, my lady.”

“And call Vincent and tell the young ladies to wait. Shouldn’t they know the error of their ways when they come unannounced, even if it is tradition?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Lila smiled brightly at Jessie, who bowed deeply and then raised her head in a formal gesture.

“And you help me out a bit.”

“Sure.”

Lila met her eyes once more, then pushed herself to her feet. In the future, She intends to give a stern warning, not only to the servants, but to all the nobles of the North, that they may not look down on Montefeltra.