Chapter 8
Mehen’s day has a new routine: going to Arellin’s door, standing around, and coming back.
“Why am I doing this?”
It’s a strange behavior.
But whether he was working, taking a break, or just walking around, he was always near Arellin’s door when he woke up.
He goes over, grabs the doorknob, and comes back without even turning it.
“I’m so busy, what a shovel.”
How many businesses are you responsible for, and how many organisations are under your control?
He’s the one who keeps this huge family running smoothly and without noise.
Even ten bodies are not enough.
“Hah…”
He’s never felt like this before in his life, but these days, he’s really overwhelmed.
Archduke Halbern was a strange man to hand over such an important position without a second thought.
He can only wonder what went through his head.
He wonders if he has ever been able to understand him.
“What about the northern castle?”
“I still haven’t heard from them.”
“…ha.”
He muttered a string of expletives, and Mehen squeezed the snowball out of his eyes.
He’s been working a lot lately, and he tired enough as it is, and then there’s Arellin.
She was already a sensitive creature, but she could feel the mood of the manor shifting as she stood on edge.
“And the lady?”
“She’s been in her room all day.”
“Does she read or do anything?”
“No. She just sits there or lies in bed, according to the childminders.”
“…”
Mehen snapped his fingers and his expression hardened. Clearly unhappy with the idea. But he doesn’t feel like he’s entitled to interfere, so he puts up with it.
‘You don’t have to put up with this.’
Dylan, who had been Mehen’s aide for so long, felt bad for the way things were going.
“Ha. Forget it. Let’s get to work.”
Rubbing his temples, Mehen sat back in his chair, still looking tired.
***
A butler-maid from the Ernst International Academy.
These six individuals, the so-called ‘Nurturing Corps’, were quite an oddity in the Halbern household.
In Halbern, the so-called fifth ducal family, there is a family of servants who serve for generations.
Even the most menial maids are not easily recruited, but to entrust an outsider with the task of serving the lady? It was unthinkable to the tight-knit nobility of the Zodiac.
“How is she today?”
“She’s up earlier than yesterday, but judging from her heavy breathing, she should refrain from strenuous activity.”
“We’ll have to prepare something more easily digestible.”
But the maids and butlers, armed with their specialised knowledge and skills, made a significant contribution to Arellin’s development.
Uni, the health maid, in particular, had the knowledge of a doctor and was responsible for keeping an eye on Arellin’s health, giving her medication on time and liaising with her GP.
“Lady…”
Uni frowned.
Today, Arellin was going to stay in her room and lie down all day.
‘She used to be so well behaved, so compliant.’
What happened to her?
Uni’s affection for Arellin is extraordinary, having raised her from the time she was a cub. Of course, that was true of the entire nursery.
“I think something has happened between Mehen and the young lady.”
An emergency meeting of the entire Nursery.
“This is …, our enquiry.”
The entire nursery group sank into silence.
“Is it too much for us?”
“It is our destiny to fill the void left by the Duke and Mehen, and to serve our master perfectly to make her happy! Lena, do not speak such weak words!”
“But no matter how well we do for you, we can’t take the place of your family, can we?”
“That’s right, it’s not like the young lady doesn’t have a family…”
“I see.”
Butler Gregory’s expression darkened.
“Rather than that, I’m curious as to why the young lady has been keeping her distance from us lately, does anyone know?”
Amber, the dining maid, asked.
Since the last time she thought she had changed, Arellin’s attitude towards the Nursery had changed.
A subtle distance. An air of unapproachability. They’re human, and they’re sad and hurt, but it’s Arellin they’re worried about.
She seemed so vulnerable on her own.
“Hoo-hoo. This is the biggest crisis in my 30 years as a butler.”
“I’ve staked my maid life on this!”
“Stop whining! We’re professionals.”
“Yes! Yes, we are! We are professionals!”
“Even if the lady doesn’t like us, we have to follow her to hell and back!”
“That’s professional!”
Everyone tried to steel their resolve.
“Ugh. But I still don’t like being hated!”
“Me neither, lady~!”
“Pathetic bastards, it’s actually me too!”
The emergency meeting quickly turned into a sea of tears.
***
Who am I, where am I.
Graham looked at the sky. The sky was as transparent and clear as ever. It was as if it were mourning his fate.
“Graham, what are you doing? Wake up!”
“Ah.”
He didn’t want to come back to reality.
Graham felt embarrassed at the sight of Halbern Manor.
‘There’s a mad dog living in Halbern Manor.’
There was no time to prepare.
“What the hell… is this…”
He hadn’t even had time to drop off the letter at the Halbern beforehand.
It wasn’t the first time the Crown Prince of Pession had behaved in a way that left him wondering where he was going, but it was the first time he’d been so clueless.
“Me, Your Highness?”
The guards looked at Pession in bewilderment.
“What are you doing? Open the door.”
Pession was confident.
“Oh no, it’s my head…”
The embarrassment was Graham’s.
“Do you want me to announce your arrival Your Highness?”
“Sure.”
Pession nodded slightly, then paused. An amusing thought suddenly occurred to him.
‘Wouldn’t she like it better if I just showed up out of the blue and surprised her?’
“Wait!”
As Pession stopped the guard, Graham looked off into the distance.
The sky is really clear today.
“Graham, come with me!”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
It’s his job to clean up after himself. Graham resigned himself to it. He just hoped the crown prince didn’t mess up too badly to be repaired.
The dry reply slipped past his ears and Pession shifted.
‘She’ll be happy to see me, won’t she?’
Pession was excited at the thought of the surprise. Surely she wouldn’t collapse again if he surprised her? He stepped forward, trusting Arellin to not be that weak.
He’d been lost last time, but this was different.
‘That way.’
The room from before. It didn’t seem to be Arellin’s room, but it seemed to be nearby.
And then.
‘What is it?’
The mansion, revisited after only two weeks, had a different atmosphere than before. The air was strangely edgy.
“Hmm?”
“The mansion seems untidy.
Pession stopped in his tracks. Seeing Pession shake his head in bewilderment, Graham, who was following behind, wondered.
“Your Highness, what are you doing?”
“Graham, shhh.”
Pession concentrated on something, ignoring Graham’s icy glare.
His wide-spread aura still had a narrow range, but he could read the unmistakable approach.
As he fell silent, he could hear the approaching maids. The lowest rank of maids, the ones responsible for the mansion’s chores.
“Really? Did you hear that?”
“Yeah, and when I asked, Mojiri just looked at me with this look on her face like it was none of your business?”
“Wow, that’s really mean. What’s her personality?”
“I mean, there must be something going on with Sir Mehen.”
“Come to think of it, Sir Mehen has been going to the mojiri room all the time lately, and she’s been making faces!”
“Yeah, I’ve seen it too, when I was cleaning up around there.”
“She really thinks she’s something. She’s nothing without Mehen, and she is half a subject.”
“Wow, a noble is a noble. She’s a commoner.”
“I know. Look.”
Mojiri? Half-breed?
The voice was harsh, as if someone was being slandered. Graham, sensing something, immediately frowned and tried to cover the crown prince’s ears, but Pession stopped him.
It was a sixth sense.
Like he had to hear this.
“Funny how the halflings are so fond of you, Lady Arellin, even though you’re a lady.”
“I see, it’s Yuni again.”
“Money is good, isn’t it?”
A chuckling voice.
“…?”
What did he just hear?
Pession glanced back at Graham, whose expression was rigid, and it convinced Pession that he hadn’t been wrong.
“How many people does she tell Mehen about how much she cares?”
“Honestly, if Mehen doesn’t take care of her, she’s just a drop in the bucket, isn’t she?”
“Yeah, honestly, who cares?”
“It’s useless, it’s useless, we all know she’s going to die soon anyway.”
“That’s what I’m saying. She doesn’t even know the subject.”
A chuckle.
A resounding laug
The moment.
“Who says she doesn’t know the subject?”
A cold voice descended on him.
