Chapter 33
Ever since Duke Bellomon returned—more specifically, since breakfast with him—the servants’ attitudes toward me had changed.
Before long, I found out why.
“The Duke has doubled the budget allocated to you, Lady Lucella!”
“What?”
I immediately stood up, forgetting about my hair, which Riley had been fixing.
“Doubling my budget? Why all of a sudden?”
“I don’t know. The butler said the Duke just ordered it without any explanation.”
“Well… it’s a good thing, but…”
Why did it feel so unsettling?
There was no reason for the Duke to treat me well.
I quickly went through the events in my mind.
When I first arrived at the mansion, Duke Bellomon treated me the same as before.
But his attitude changed after breakfast. That meant something must have happened before then.
“Ah.”
I suddenly remembered my conversation with Claude the night the Duke returned.
“The Marquis of Agris must have spoken well of me to the Duke.”
That was the only logical explanation for his sudden change in attitude.
“I should send my thanks to the Marquis.”
“Oh my, are you going to visit him?”
Hearing my muttered words, Riley smirked mischievously.
“It’s not like that.”
“Even if it’s not for you, it might be for him.”
Ever since she saw Claude make that vow to me, Riley had been making a fuss every time we met.
“The Marquis only sees me as someone who saved his life.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“If you’re going to say weird things, get out.”
Shoo, shoo.
I waved my hand dismissively, and Riley left the room, still covering her mischievous grin.
“Ridiculous.”
Shaking my head, I stood up.
The orphanage children would be arriving soon, so I needed to head downstairs.
The weather was nice today, and the Duke was home—it was the perfect chance to introduce Edwin.
“I’ll just play with them until the Duke comes out of his office and have them ‘accidentally’ run into each other.”
I was thinking about when he might leave his office as I went down the stairs—
“Duke?”
I came face to face with him just as he stepped out of his office.
Unlike his usual attire of a shirt and vest, he was wearing a thick coat.
Wait…
“Are you going out?”
“Yes.”
His uninterested response made me frown slightly.
If he left, Edwin wouldn’t get the chance to meet him!
“You must have finished all your work, then.”
I had expected him to be too busy to leave his office for a while.
“Something came up outside.”
“Ah… I see.”
No, I didn’t!
I had been foolish to assume he would only handle his work inside the office.
As I stood there dumbfounded, the Duke walked past me. Panicked, I quickly called out.
“Duke!”
He stopped.
“When will you be back?”
“I don’t know yet. Why?”
Because I need to know when to have Edwin ready!
Of course, I couldn’t say that.
“The orphanage children are visiting today. I wanted to send them back before you return.”
It was a reasonable excuse.
After all, no one would want guests in their home right after finishing work.
“It doesn’t matter when you send them back.”
“But—”
“It’s your wish. I won’t put any restrictions on it. Don’t worry about me.”
How generous… when he usually had no mercy at all.
“Alright…”
Reluctantly, I nodded.
Without another word, the Duke left.
Shortly after, I heard the sound of hooves, and his carriage rolled away.
He was gone.
“Well… there’s always another day.”
I could bring Edwin another time—though I’d have to come up with a new excuse.
With a sigh, I made my way downstairs.
The servants were busy decorating the playroom, and I helped prepare snacks.
I even set up blankets and pillows in case the children got sleepy.
While I was occupied with the preparations—
“The Marquis of Agris has arrived with the guests.”
Hearing the butler’s words, I quickly left the playroom and headed outside.
Edwin and the other orphanage children had arrived.
“Wow…!”
“Pfft.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at the children staring up at the ceiling with their mouths wide open.
Their eyes sparkled under the lights, and their rosy cheeks looked adorable.
“Hey, don’t just stand there—come eat some cookies.”
Even with the temptation of sweets, the children didn’t respond.
They were too busy admiring the grand chandelier and the spacious room.
“They’ve been like this since we got in the carriage,” Claude whispered beside me.
“First, they couldn’t believe how soft the seats were. Then, when we arrived, they were awestruck by the mansion’s gate.”
“Well, of course. They’ve spent their whole lives in the orphanage.”
I picked up a steaming mug and looked at the children still fixated on the decorations.
“I even put marshmallows in the hot chocolate for you. It’s going to get cold.”
“Hot chocolate!”
As soon as I mentioned marshmallows, Rona and Lua, two sisters aged seven and four, rushed to the table.
Rona, being the same age as Amelia, was particularly close to her.
The two sisters tried to sit next to Amelia—
But before they could, Lucian swiftly squeezed in, pushing them aside.
“Lucian.”
“What? I sat here first.”
“Honestly…”
Shaking my head, I seated the sisters elsewhere.
Then, I turned to Edwin, who was staring out the window.
“Edwin, come sit too.”
I gestured for him to come over.
Slowly, he walked to the table and sat across from Amelia—the seat I had saved just for him.
“If you want more, just tell me. There’s plenty of food.”
“Okay!”
Claude and I took a few steps back from the table, giving the children space to play comfortably.
We settled into some armchairs a little distance away, watching them.
After finishing their cookies and hot chocolate in no time, the children were now busy playing with toys.
“Look at this! I brought it to show you.”
“What is it?”
“It’s a hero’s sword! If you press this button, it lights up like this…”
To my relief, Lucian wasn’t fighting with the others.
Unlike before, he wasn’t bringing in spiders or frogs either.
Instead, he even handed his favorite toy to Rona first.
“Lucian, you’re so kind.”
“No, I’m not… hehe.”
Lucian scratched his head shyly at Amelia’s compliment.
“I can’t believe Lucian has become so gentle…”
Watching this, I covered my mouth in amazement.
Sure, he was doing it to impress Amelia, but who cared?
What mattered was that he was changing.
“At this rate, he might completely transform into a new person!”
It had been less than a month since he met Amelia, and he was already different.
If he spent more time with her, he might become an even kinder child.
Maybe—just maybe—he could escape his fate as a villain.
If it were anyone else, I wouldn’t believe it.
But if it was Amelia, I thought it was possible.
I quickly turned to Claude.
“Marquis.”
“Y-Yes?”
Startled, Claude stammered.
“Can you stay at the Duke’s mansion for a long time?”
“W-What?!”
Not only did he stutter, but his eyes widened in shock.
