☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
Janet approached me quickly at my call.
“Yes, madam. What can I do for you?”
Janet’s voice and expression were kind. However, just a moment ago, she had been looking at Sardin with a wary gaze.
‘She must have noticed. I asked Sardin to keep an eye on her.’
But it didn’t matter if she noticed.
I intended to make sure Janet couldn’t pull any tricks.
“There’s something you need to do.”
“Yes! Command me, and I’ll do anything!”
Seeing Janet’s unusually bright eyes, I smiled slightly and told her what needed to be done.
Her eyes and mouth began to twitch slightly.
It was understandable, since I had instructed her to handle all of the mansion’s internal affairs.
“Me, alone?”
“Yes, for now, since you and Sardin are the only ones supporting me.”
The County of Herde, the Emperor’s secret estate, and the current title of the land I own.
The condition of this territory, which had long been without a lord, was much worse compared to the Duchy.
Moreover, the estate had been neglected because the person managing it on the Emperor’s orders had died of old age just before my arrival.
‘The only servants available are the caretaker’s daughter and son.’
Of course, the caretaker’s children were diligent and managed the estate faithfully, but managing such a large place with just the two of them had its limitations.
‘And honestly, neither of them is good at cooking.’
So, I planned to hire them as housekeepers and butlers to manage the estate and recruit specialized professionals, including a cook.
‘I also need to recruit workers for the territory.’
Although I was a mere figurehead as the Countess of Herde, I was still the lord of this land.
I had the responsibility and duty to manage the estate.
‘But right now, everything is in terrible shape.’
The land I owned was small, lacked notable specialties or attractions, and had a shortage of jobs.
While the managers should have worked to improve these conditions, they only maintained the estate adequately to prevent its collapse, resulting in no development.
For this reason, many of the estate’s residents lived lives that were just about getting by. However…
‘Once the diamond mine is discovered, the situation in the estate will change, right?’
But caution was necessary. Sudden wealth could bring turmoil.
Therefore, I decided to first solidify the estate’s internal structure and organization before developing the mine.
I planned to dismiss the incompetent managers and formally hire an administrator to oversee the estate’s affairs.
Additionally, to ensure the safety of my child, I intended to recruit knights and soldiers to improve security.
“I’ve assigned the estate’s security to Sardin; for now, you’ll need to handle the mansion’s internal security.”
At that, Janet sighed, then smiled and nodded.
“I understand. I will do my best to ensure that you have no discomfort while staying here.”
For now, Janet would be too busy with her duties to engage in any distractions.
‘She’ll be so busy she won’t have time for anything else.’
After a moment, I said to Janet,
“Thank you in advance.”
“Yes.”
After Janet left, I smirked.
Well, it doesn’t matter why Janet is sticking with me. Now that she’s here, I’ll make sure to put her to good use.’
At that moment, someone entered through the window. Recognizing it was Sardin, I lowered the gun I had been holding.
“I told you to use the door. You almost got shot.”
Sardin flinched, perhaps feeling a threat to his life, and responded.
“I’m sorry. It’s a habit…”
“So, what about the tasks I assigned?”
“Oh! Several knights from other noble houses, as well as a few cadets from the Eastern Academy, have applied. And several veteran mercenaries have also applied.”
As expected, offering a large sum of money attracted quite a few applicants, although the quality wasn’t great.
‘Mostly just novices. Well, I was expecting that.’
Then Sardin spoke, looking concerned.
“Honestly, none of them seem fit to be a commander, so I’m concerned. Do you intend to appoint Janet as the knights’ commander?”
I shook my head.
“No, I intend to keep Janet as my personal guard in the mansion and use her for surveillance.”
Sardin sighed deeply and said,
“Then perhaps we should make some inquiries in the capital.”
I shook my head and said,
“There’s no need to look into it.”
“No? What do you mean…”
“I plan to entrust the position of my commander to someone I can truly rely on.”
Seeing Sardin still looking at me with a dazed expression, as if he didn’t understand what I was saying, I smiled for a moment before adopting a solemn expression.
It was time to give a gift to a loyal subordinate who had served me for a long time.
“Sardin, do you know what this is?”
Sardin, with a dark expression, nodded his head.
The piece of paper proving Sardin’s subordination to me.
I set fire to his slave documents and threw them into the fireplace.
Sardin visibly looked shocked by my actions.
“Master, what is this all of a sudden…”
“I’m freeing you because I need you. From now on, you will serve as my commander of knights and protect me.”
At that moment, Sardin’s expression hardened like a statue.
“Why me…”
His gray eyes trembled, as if deeply shocked. Although I had hoped he would be pleased, he looked somehow pained, and I sighed.
‘Come to think of it, I haven’t recognized his efforts for a long time.’
I had always been stingy with praise.
Even when he helped me or saved my life, I took it for granted.
Only before death did I realize it wasn’t something to take for granted.
After all, no matter how much I was a princess and a duchess, Sardin was the only one who stood by me and Demian when we fled.
‘I was a fool. But now I will correct that mistake.’
“No matter how much I thought about it, there was no one else. There is no one I could trust as much as you.”
At my words, Sardin looked at me with a face as if he were about to cry.
“Master, I…”
To him, I revealed the feelings I hadn’t expressed in my previous life.
“Honestly, the reason I took this action was because I believed you would stay by my side. I felt that with you, you would definitely protect me and my child. So, I want you to be my knight commander.”
Sardin looked at me with tear-filled eyes, then lowered his head and replied.
“Yes, I will do that.”
I smiled, feeling a strange sense of relief.
10: I Wanted to See You, Even in a Dream
As time passed and my due date approached, the weather grew colder.
Although I had anticipated it, preparing for childbirth alone was no easy task.
The hired staff and vassals were now performing their roles thanks to persistent training, but they were still inexperienced.
As the lord, the owner of the mansion, and a mother, there was much to be done, so I had no choice but to keep moving without rest.
“It’s dark. We should install street lights here and patrol regularly. And that section of the castle wall needs repairs.”
Carrying the heavy weight of my belly was very taxing, but the anticipation of meeting my child helped me endure.
And finally, the day arrived.
“Waa! Waa!”
As I hugged Demian after what seemed like forever, I burst into tears with the joy of finally meeting my child.
‘Demian, I really wanted to meet you. I wanted to see you even in my dreams…’
Looking at the small, warm breaths coming from my child in my arms, I whispered.
“Little one, this time, I will definitely protect you. So, please grow up healthy and kind.”
Although there were challenging times with raising a child, as I wished, Demian grew up healthy and strong.
From making baby sounds, babbling, and rolling over to crawling and standing on his own, every milestone was truly moving.
When he took his first steps and called me “Mama,” my heart swelled with emotion, and I ended up shedding tears.
I thought, ‘What a precious moment.’
In the past, the time I spent on childrearing felt meaningless and exhausting.
My sole focus was on Erich, and parenting’s challenges often overshadowed the joys of raising him.
But now, experiencing those moments again with Demian made me happy.
It made me realize how valuable and precious it was to be there for every moment of him growing up.
“Mommy! I want a plum!”
“Okay, you want a plum? Just wait a minute. I need to prepare it.”
“Mmm!”
The child was like my mirror.
As he grew up imitating and following me, I also learned from him—how to care for and interact with others.
“Mommy!”
Four and a half years had passed since we arrived here, and Demian was now well over three years old.
He was now able to run around energetically.
“Mommy, guess what! I saw a man in my dream!”
“Huh? Where?”
“In my dream!”
Demian often woke up and shared his dreams with me.
Sometimes it was about monsters, unicorns, or adventures with a brave knight.
The dreams were filled with such childlike imaginations.
‘What kind of dream did he have today to be so excited?’
I smiled and asked.
“So, what did this man look like?”
“He was tall, had blonde hair, and was really cool! And he came to catch me and Mommy, like he was playing tag!”
At those words, my expression hardened.
