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Translated by: Sienna
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“It seems like the madam has misunderstood something.”
Frowning at my words, she asked, “Misunderstood? What misunderstanding?”
“The mine, she didn’t give it to me. She entrusted it to me to sell?”
“What? What do you mean? I distinctly heard it was a gift.”
Suppressing a laugh, I continued, “As you know, my brother, His Highness the Crown Prince, enjoys gambling as a hobby. So, if Her Majesty the Empress were to personally mine the jade, it would certainly be talked about again this time.”
As soon as I mentioned Fritz, she seemed to reluctantly accept it with an irritated expression. However, given that she was dealing with the Empress and the Crown Prince, she couldn’t openly show her displeasure or anger.
“Fine, I understand.”
I smiled at her. “It seems Medelin misunderstood or made a mistake in conveying the message.”
At my words, she narrowed her eyes.
“Are you saying that girl made a mistake? Instead of covering up for a mistake between cousins.”
Having favored Medelin since she was young as a potential daughter-in-law, her bias towards Medelin was quite remarkable.
‘Well, you can have her as a daughter-in-law when I’m gone.’
For a moment, I laughed.
‘Oh, it’s going to be hard for a while.’
Seeing my smile, the matriarch’s eyes became even more sharp.
“Why do you seem to enjoy it when I’m lecturing you?”
“Oh, it’s because it’s been a while since I had a conversation with the madam.”
This was genuine.
Despite being quite angry, I found it truly enjoyable to see her fumble and grumble without knowing where to direct her anger.
Looking displeased, she stood up.
“I’m afraid I’ve interrupted your meal unintentionally. I’ll take my leave now.”
After she left, Sardin came back in with the plates. I told him, as he tried to sit on the floor again,
“Sit on the sofa. You look pitiful.”
Following my suggestion, Sardin sat on the sofa, placed the plate on the table, and began his meal. Seeing him eat like a normal person brought comfort to my heart.
‘Yeah, I’m not a mean master who makes him eat on the floor.’
I took a bite of the sandwich I had planned to eat earlier.
“Now that I’ve laid the groundwork for selling the mine, it wouldn’t be strange for the owner to change. And even if they find out I deceived them, what can they do? By that time, I’ll have already sold the mine.”
The sandwich, with its crunchy vegetables, salty ham, and tangy yet refreshing mustard dressing, was one of my favorites during my pregnancy because it was easy to eat and delicious.
‘Oh, come to think of it, I didn’t tell the madam again.’
I had been contemplating when to reveal the fact of my pregnancy. While pondering, I remembered the presence I had forgotten throughout the meal.
‘Oh, yeah, Landon. He dared to confront the lady and even endured a slap. Quite impressive.’
It’s no exaggeration to say that the matriarch’s power in this house is absolute.
Amidst all this, standing up against the matriarch and doing something that might displease her definitely deserved some credit.
‘Well, I still don’t trust him, though.’
At that moment, an idea suddenly came to mind on how to test his sincerity.
‘Yeah, something like that would be fine.’
I spoke to Sardin, who was rising with an empty plate.
“If you’re done with the meal, could you call Landon?”
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At Cornelia’s call, Landon headed to her room.
‘If the Duchess called me, there are two possibilities.’
One possibility was to test his sincerity based on his recent actions with the matriarch, and the other could be to assign him a task since the former didn’t seem to bother her.
‘Please, let it be the former.’
Landon swallowed nervously and entered the room.
Seeing Cornelia sitting by the window in a white dress, he felt an unattainable elegance emanating from her.
‘The royals are truly different from nobles.’
When Cornelia looked at him with her violet eyes, he felt an overwhelming pressure and involuntarily stumbled over his words.
“D-Duchess, did you… call for me?”
“I suppose you have guessed why I have called you?”
“I apologize; I am dull-witted and couldn’t grasp your intentions.”
Cornelia chuckled at his honest response.
“Well, it’s fine.”
What is fine? Landon wondered with suspicion.
“Sit down. This is going to be a long story.”
There, Landon guessed.
‘Ah, it’s the latter.’
Honestly, it gave him a headache.
Already in a difficult situation with the matriarch and not receiving any assurance from the Duchess made him feel even more helpless.
‘If she asks for something unreasonable, I might as well go to the matriarch and kneel.’
At that moment, the Duchess smiled warmly.
“Relax. Do you really think I would demand something unreasonable from you?”
‘Yes, it seems likely.’
Although he thought that, Landon hid his true feelings and simply smiled.
After a moment, Cornelia spoke.
“What I want to ask you is to keep an eye on the people in this house.”
“Yes, so… Are you asking me to be a watchdog?”
“I suppose you could say that.”
Landon recalled the matriarch’s sudden intrusion a while ago.
‘She’s not going to ask me to spy on her, is she?’
If that’s the case, he would refuse.
If caught, he’d undoubtedly be kicked out of this house without a chance to defend himself.
“By any chance, are you asking me to spy on one of the employers…….?”
Trying to ask indirectly, she understood right away and spoke straightforwardly.
“Don’t worry; it’s definitely not the matriarch. The one I want you to watch is a vassal. The one who took your place at that.”
Up until she mentioned the person who took his position, it seemed manageable.
The knights of the Duke of Blant were generous, and his lieutenants, with the exception of one, were easy to talk to.
But at the mention of the man who had usurped his position, Landon had to suppress the urge to flee.
“So, madam, you mean… to spy on Sir Xenon?”
“To watch, not to spy.”
“But how can I? Sir Xenon may be in charge of foreign affairs, but he’s a knight, and I’m just a mere servant…….”
“Still, you were a butler. Who else but you could verify if he performs as well as you?”
It wasn’t an entirely incorrect statement.
However, given that the target was Xenon, Landon hesitated to accept it rashly.
‘If by any chance there’s a clash with Xenon’s course, then…’
As an aide, Xenon held significant authority that only the Duke could supersede.
Engaging in a dispute with such a person would undoubtedly lead to irreparable consequences.
At that moment, Cornelia spoke up.
“Actually, I was grateful when you stopped my mother-in-law earlier.”
Throughout his time serving the Duke of Blant, Landon had never heard a word of gratitude from his superiors.
It was only natural; for nobles, servants were nothing more than tools and people doing their assigned tasks. Unexpectedly receiving such gratitude from the Duchess left Landon taken aback.
‘A noble, especially a high-ranking one, expressing gratitude to me…’
Feeling an inexplicable sense of pride and a touch of emotion, Landon adjusted his expression, holding back a smile.
Then, Cornelia, with an awkward tone, continued,
“But, as I was contemplating your reinstatement, Sir Xenon was in your case.”
“What? Why would Sir Xenon…?”
“Apparently, the Aide is not inclined to reinstate you.”
“What?”
He didn’t understand. Frankly, he rarely clashed with Xenon, which made Cornelia’s words even more puzzling.
“Honestly, I don’t understand what you mean, madam. It’s not like the aide is specifically criticizing me…….”
“I heard he’s been calling on Roban lately to discuss household matters.”
At the mention of Roban, the head maid’s son, Landon’s eyes narrowed, and soon he recalled.
‘Yeah, now that I think about it, he has been calling for Roban more often.’
Unlike himself, who was the son of the kitchen maid, Roban was the son of the head maid, in the closest position to the matriarch.
His mouth soured.
Perhaps the aide was genuinely considering entrusting the position of the butler to him.
‘I came to this position by myself..’
Landon clenched his fists in frustration.
Then the Duchess spoke.
“So, are you planning to hand over your position just like this?”
She gestured toward her room and continued,
“From these pieces of furniture to everything in this mansion, you used to oversee it all. Are you really willing to relinquish it all based on the aide’s judgment?”
Already in an intense emotional state, Landon felt his emotions reaching a boiling point at those words. However, he exercised patience, suppressing his emotions, and asked,
“What exactly are you suggesting?”
Cornelia opened her red lips.
“Follow the aide, assist him, and show him your diligent side. Then, won’t he come to recognize your true worth?”
At first, when she mentioned watching over Xenon, Landon thought it was a form of surveillance, so he felt a sense of resistance.
However, now that he heard the circumstances, he was genuinely grateful to the Duchess for considering him.
‘I never knew you were so kind..’
Soon, he choked back tears and struggled to speak.
“Thank you, Madam. I will try my best.”
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Upon Landon’s response, I smiled brightly.
‘As expected, I knew you’d take the bait with words like that.’
