I Was Just Trying To Raise Male Lead

Chapter 25

 

My research on Renee led me to Erin. It started with information about Renee’s past that seemed to be hidden on purpose.

 

It didn’t seem like the information that was coming out was obscured at some point. But when I dug a little more, it started flowing again. Things that are nothing special.

 

That piqued Roman’s curiosity, and it was during that time that she quickly became close to Erin.

 

As I dug into Erin, I found that her past was cut off in a similar way to Renee, and I easily came across ordinary records that were nothing special.

 

Among the numerous pieces of information, the most important thing to Roman was that Erin kept contacting Rene in an unnatural way.

 

Of course, thanks to that, I learned that I wasn’t the only one who advised Renee to stay away from Raynan.

 

“So what exactly did Erin say to Renee?”

 

“I don’t know the details. But roughly, it seems to be telling her to stay as far away from the Duke as possible, or to not impress the Duke because he will soon marry Lady Krause.”

 

“I don’t think it’s anything special. But now it’s clear why Renee suddenly avoided me.”

 

Considering that his face visibly hardened when he heard that she was told to stay away from Raynan, it was a good decision.

 

“But before that, it was Erin who encouraged Renee to stand out as much as possible to impress the Duke. It is said that this caused a lot of talk among the maids.”

 

“First of all, make sure she doesn’t get as close to Renee as possible and keep an eye on her.”

 

“All right.”

 

There wasn’t anything suspicious, but it wasn’t a good idea to try to manipulate Renee, Edwin’s nanny.

 

We didn’t know that she might be approaching Renee with bad intentions.

 

Roman wasn’t sure whether it was Renee or Edwin that Raynan cared about. However, it was clear that the instructions he gave were for Edwin’s benefit.

 

Anything that could threaten Edwin’s safety, which he had guarded very carefully for a very long time, had to be cleaned up.

 

It was fortunate that Erin was the one he could blame for telling Renee nonsense.

 

 

*****

 

When I entered the room, I immediately opened the closet. As always, the closet full of dazzlingly gorgeous dresses brought me sighs.

 

I had already checked them over and over again, but I rummaged through the dresses again, just in case.

 

“Why does Renee have all these dresses that she can’t even wear…”

 

How on earth could a maid wear such a fancy dress?

 

How much would it all be if I had saved up money instead of buying a dress like this that I knew I wouldn’t be able to wear?

 

Among the luxurious dresses, there were about three pieces that particularly stood out. It caught my eye more because it looked shabby because all of it was so outstanding.

 

“I can’t believe this is something worth wearing.”

 

I could even see that the hand I stretched out to take out the clothes was shaking.

 

I didn’t even have the mind to organize them neatly and put them away, so I roughly crumpled them into my bag and held my hands together.

 

“Let’s calm down.”

 

I took a moment to catch my breath and comforted myself. The most important thing now was to react calmly.

 

Once I calmed down, I decided to gather my bags. After that, I didn’t remember anything in particular.

 

All I thought was that I needed to pack the things I needed to leave the Duke’s residence.

 

How long has it been? When I came to my senses…

 

“What is this!”

 

In the meantime the room turned into a mess. I made a loud noise without realizing it when I saw all kinds of things lying around outside.

 

The inside of the bag was even more chaotic. It was overwhelmed by the amount of stuff I’d stuffed into it, and even I, who had packed it all by hand, was confused.

 

I couldn’t figure out why I had put it there, and it was taking up most of the space.

 

“Why did I pack the candlestick? How can I take the pillow?”

 

It felt like I was looking at someone else’s luggage.

 

After removing all the unnecessary items, the bag became much lighter.

 

But I realized that I hadn’t packed anything that I needed.

 

“I don’t have anything worth bringing, not even money…”

 

I looked around to fill it with something, but nothing stood out in the mess.

 

“Let’s think positively. It’s good thing that the bag is light”

 

The hand that was trying to close the bag stopped.

 

“No. Money is the best…”

 

My eyes naturally turned to the closet. Because all the most expensive things in this room were in it.

 

“First… Shall we take care of it?”

 

I became greedy and wondered if I could sell just one piece anywhere. Blinded by the temptation, I soon put the dress back in its place.

 

Because I felt like my arm would fall off before I could sell the dress. The glamor and weight seemed to be proportional.

 

After giving up on the dress, there was nothing more to regret about this room. That was when I packed my bag and was about to leave the room.

 

Knock knock–

 

It was a sound I had never heard in all my years in this room.

 

I looked around quickly, grabbed the candlestick I’d taken out of my bag earlier, and approached the door..

 

Has it already arrived?

 

As I grabbed the doorknob with trembling hands, I heard a voice from outside the door.

 

“Renee?”

 

“Young master Edwin?”

 

Surprised by the unexpected person, I quickly opened the door. Edwin stood in front of the door with a puzzled look on his face.

 

“I thought I heard something.”

 

It turned out that Edwin had already returned from his etiquette lesson after tea time.

 

Come to think of it, I didn’t return to his room at this time. Edwin was right to be puzzled.

 

Instead of being calm, I ended up acting suspiciously.

 

“What is that?”

 

In response to Edwin’s question, I quickly hid the candlestick behind my back.

 

“Uh, I’m just trying to organize.”

 

Edwin’s expression turned serious as he glanced behind me.

 

Did I get caught?

 

I glanced around and checked the location of the bag. I might as well just grab it and run.

 

“Renee.”

 

“Yes, young master Edwin.”

 

Edwin’s mouth opened to say something. I was only looking at Edwin’s mouth with anxious eyes.

 

Time seemed to pass very slowly compared to other times. On the contrary, my heart seemed to be beating faster than usual.

 

But the words that came out of his mouth were completely unexpected.

 

“I guess there’s a thief!”

 

“Pardon?”

 

I looked back in confusion and nodded. It was surprisingly messed up, but in Edwin’s eyes, it was even worse.

 

I breathed a sigh of relief that I hadn’t been caught.

 

“Like I said, I was just organizing, haha…”

 

While I was laughing awkwardly, Edwin’s attention unexpectedly turned elsewhere.

 

“What’s with that bag?”

 

“I’m just going to put the important stuff in here for now and put it back when I’m done organizing.”

 

“I see…”

 

I tried to think quickly, but the words came out was gibberish. But Edwin nodded with a serious face, as if he believed what I said.

 

As I watched his hair flutter as he nodded, I suddenly felt moved.

 

I can’t believe I can’t see this pretty Edwin anymore…

 

Please meet a good mother, find a good nanny, and grow up as loving and bright as you are now.

 

My vision became blurry. I could only tell from Edwin’s question that it was because my tears were welling up.

 

“Renee? Are you crying?”

 

“I think it’s because I took the items out all at once and the dust flew out.”

 

Pull yourself together. If you’re going to run away, don’t show any signs of weakness.

 

I quickly wiped away the tears before they flowed and smiled as if nothing had happened.

 

“Shall we go first?”

 

“Leave the room like that?”

 

“I can clean it up later.”

 

After telling myself several times to calm down, I realized later that I wasn’t doing that at all.

 

What is calm? My mind was no different from my room, which looked as if it had been burgled.

 

How did I get the idea to leave the room with my bag in broad daylight, with the sun shining brightly like this?

 

Rather than avoiding people’s eyes, it was clear that it would attract attention.

 

For now, it was better to carry on as usual. I had to check my bag again and prepare properly before leaving.

 

Not knowing how much time I had left was a source of anxiety…

 

Rather, the current situation is no different from before Therese left.

 

I suddenly remembered how I had become Edwin’s nanny without warning, saving money and never dreaming of running away.

 

“I wonder if it will happen again.”

 

My worry was pointless. This time, I didn’t plan on preparing leisurely like last time.

 

Since I couldn’t wait for the money to save up like before, I was going to leave when I got my next paycheck.

 

Fortunately, payday is just a few days away.

 

I’m not going to do it tomorrow, right?

 

*****

 

 

With nervousness in my heart, I busied myself with preparations for my escape.

 

My daily life continued like that, but it didn’t feel the same as before.

 

Every little thing felt like a warning or a threat to me.

 

I wanted to cross the stone bridge, but there were too many stones for that. I didn’t know where or how to cross it.

 

So, I was careful with every step I took, and I quickly became exhausted.

 

“Doesn’t it suit your taste?”

 

“Pardon?”

 

Is it because I’m tired? As I was momentarily dazed and looking down at my teacup, Raynan asked.

 

As soon as I heard his voice, I couldn’t help but feel nervous throughout my body.

 

I jumped slightly, but he probably didn’t notice. My expression would have been completely natural.

 

However, contrary to my confidence, Raynan raised his eyebrows and asked curiously.

 

“What’s so surprising?”

 

“I’m not surprised.”

 

When I said that I wasn’t surprised, his gaze began to become persistent again.

 

Again. It was those eyes that were trying to read something again.

 

Running away was the only thing on my mind these days. Feeling anxious that my true intentions might be revealed, I quickly changed the topic.

 

“The Lady from the Krause family that you are marrying is quite beautiful.”

 

Raynan visibly flinched at my words.

 

Ah… it’s not my position to say something like this.

 

I was afraid that he would look unpleasant and urge Roman to deal with it quickly, so I spoke quickly.

 

“No, I didn’t mean anything by it, I just thought she was very pretty from a distance. Something like that.”

 

“Hm.”

 

“It was a compliment.”

 

“I see…”

 

“She’s stunningly beautiful on the outside, but of course the same on the inside.”

 

Raynan, who continued to answer indifferently, ended up keeping his mouth shut at my last words.

 

I thought there was no better topic to make him feel better than complimenting his fiancee…

 

Did I dig my own grave?

 

Thinking I was in trouble, I started looking at Raynan’s face intently.

 

But I didn’t have the ability to read the emotions on his face.

 

“It’s not that I dared to judge or anything. I just said…”

 

The voice that came out like an excuse eventually became quiet enough that I wondered if it would even reach his ears.

 

It was because the way he looked at me was unusual. Raynan looked as if he was flustered or confused.

 

Am I going to be taken away today?