Chapter 27
The day to establish the system for the mansion had arrived.
Maintaining and managing an established system was something I was familiar with, but starting from scratch was a first for me, so there were a lot of things I needed to pay attention to.
‘It will take a few more days to hire a butler… For now, I have to tidy up the mansion.’
Selena was on her way to the central hall, where the servants were gathered.
“Isn’t that Becky? It is, isn’t it? Becky Wyvern.”
As she was passing through the hallway, just before heading down the stairs, a maid’s voice was heard.
One of the maids recognized a maid named Becky.
The tone was sharp, not quite what you’d call a casual greeting.
“Gi-Gini?”
“It’s been a long time, Becky. How have you been?”
“Ah… Uh, but how did you end up in the capital…?”
“I came here looking for a job. I didn’t expect to run into you here! It’s reassuring to meet someone from my hometown in the capital!”
From the conversation, it seemed like Becky and Gini knew each other.
“Cough. Hm.”
As I made a noise to announce my presence, the conversation abruptly stopped, and the surroundings went quiet.
The six people I had hired—three servants and three maids—stood there.
“Nice to meet you all. I am Selena Es… Just call me Selena. I’ll be the one to assign your tasks for the next few months.”
I instinctively used the last name Estarion.
Since I had abandoned the Estarion name, I would need to create an appropriate one for myself.
“You must have been shown to your rooms by Sophie. Now, I’ll assign you your duties.”
Three servants and three maids.
Though it wasn’t enough staff to manage such a large mansion, there hadn’t been many applicants for the job, so there was no choice.
I assigned each person their duties.
Kitchen duties, laundry duties, cleaning duties, etc. After assigning the tasks, I gave them a few words of caution, my concerns apparent.
“As you know, the owner of this mansion is Duke Calypso. I’m just temporarily in charge, so never forget that Duke Calypso is your true employer.”
Having grown up in the capital, I knew the mentality of the capital’s people well.
Regardless of status, they all had a strong sense of pride.
So, there was a high possibility that they might look down on Sir Aiden, who came from a slave background.
They would likely think he wasn’t a true noble, and that would make them resentful of the fact that he was their employer.
I wanted Sir Aiden to at least receive respect, if not admiration.
“If you forget this, there will be strict punishment.”
“We understand.”
“Good, then let’s all go and start working.”
Having said what needed to be said, I dismissed the servants.
I was about to move on to organize the upcoming lessons when I was called.
“U-Excuse me, Miss Selena.”
A new maid called me. She looked to be around my age. I vaguely remembered her name…
“Eva?”
“Yes, it’s Eva.”
“Is something the matter?”
“Well…”
She hesitated to speak.
Though I didn’t hear the rest, I could guess what she was about to say.
This was something I had often encountered in the Estarion household.
‘She’s asking for an advance.’
As soon as I had this thought, Eva made her request.
“Although I know it’s shameless, could you please give me an advance?”
People in urgent need of money were everywhere.
However, it was rare for someone to ask for an advance on the very first day of work.
‘There are cases where people take the advance and then run off without working.’
So, I couldn’t just give out money casually.
“I’m sorry, but according to the rules, advances can only be given two weeks before payday.”
“Ah…”
Eva’s eyebrows drooped in disappointment.
Her pale face clearly showed that she was in urgent need of money.
“I understand that it’s difficult to give an advance on the first day, but could you at least help me with a small amount? I really need the money.”
“What’s the reason for such urgency?”
“Well…”
I had seen plenty of people in similar situations at the Estarion household.
People who were in debt due to sick family members, gambling losses, or poor investments often faced urgent financial needs.
However, I couldn’t make exceptions for everyone.
Most importantly, aside from the interview, today was the first time I had met Eva.
There was no trust between us for me to believe that she would work for the money I gave her.
‘And besides, it’s not my money.’
If I were still Lady Estarion, I might have helped with my own personal money.
But I had no money now, and any payment to these workers would come from Duke Calypso’s funds. I couldn’t just hand it out recklessly.
“How much do you need?”
“Thirty shillings. Please. Without it, I might be sold as a slave.”
“You’ve borrowed from a loan shark, haven’t you?”
“…”
The silence was enough to convey the meaning, and my head tightened.
It was common knowledge that if someone couldn’t pay off a loan shark’s debt, they could be sold into slavery.
To be in debt to loan sharks at such a young age… I felt a sigh escaping me.
“I’m sorry, but I’m not a philanthropist. I’m a manager. I can’t just give out advances.”
Eva nodded sadly, seeming to understand that her request was unreasonable.
‘If I had money, I would help… but…’
I too, had no money as I hadn’t received my salary yet.
“…Eva, follow me.”
There was one thing I had of value.
I led the way to my room.
From the drawer, I pulled out a scarf that had some stains on it.
I had originally thrown it away, but Sophie had found it and carefully washed it before returning it to me.
I couldn’t dispose of it because I knew Sophie had gone through a lot of trouble to clean it.
“Would you like to use this, if it’s okay?”
Though the shine wasn’t as bright as before, the beautiful pattern and embroidery still indicated it was a high-quality item.
“Take it.”
In the end, giving the scarf away was more for me than for her.
‘This scarf, I want to get rid of it in front of me.’
I made an excuse of Eva’s desperate situation to rid myself of it.
‘Now, this is the end. The end.’
I felt a sense of lightness and even a little excitement as I let go.
“If you sell this, you should be able to raise the money you need.”
“Such a precious thing…”
“Take it. Quickly.”
“But this isn’t an advance…”
Eva seemed to hesitate greatly, unsure whether to accept or refuse.
“This is something I no longer need. But don’t misunderstand, I’m not giving it to you for free. When you get your salary, pay me back little by little from the money you earn from selling it.”
“Okay. I’ll gratefully accept it. Thank you so much, Miss Selena.”
Eva looked at me with a strange gaze before carefully taking the scarf.
She might just take it and run, but I didn’t care.
It was a useless item for me, and just getting rid of it felt good.
With my thoughts on Eva behind me, I headed to the study.
