Didn't Plan to Become a Companion (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 14
I’d said I was going for a walk, but I’d already wandered aimlessly for quite some time, so that wasn’t really a valid excuse. Before answering, I glanced subtly toward the elderly man I’d seen earlier to gauge his reaction. But this time, he wasn’t looking at me—he was staring wide-eyed at Ricardo in sheer astonishment.
“Yes.”
Because of that, I gave the safest possible reply.
“Freddie.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“From now on, you will serve as Lady Fennel’s attendant.”
“Me, Your Grace?”
Instead of answering, Ricardo merely lowered his eyes slightly. At that, the man bowed his head deeply, accepting his master’s command.
“Pleased to meet you. I am Freddie Fordwan, head steward of this household. I shall serve you faithfully henceforth.”
Head steward? Head steward, did he say?
In noble houses like this, the head steward was often a hereditary retainer—possibly even the head of a viscount’s or perhaps even a count’s family. Entrusting me to someone of such standing was unexpected.
Come to think of it, he’d been the one assisting Ricardo when he came to Resotia to fetch me. The fact that Ricardo had brought him all the way from such a distant place clearly showed how deeply he trusted him.
The gazes of those around me shifted subtly. It was only natural—they couldn’t possibly see me as some precious noble daughter at first glance.
Even in this exasperating situation, the first thought that crossed my mind was this:
“How long do you intend to keep me here?”
It no longer mattered how carefully everyone watched Ricardo’s every expression. If they were assigning their head steward to attend to me, just how much longer did I have to stay? Was it the duke’s approval they awaited? Or the steward’s own consent?
Ricardo, as expected, remained silent in response to my question. I hurried after him as he strode ahead and stepped directly into his path.
A collective gasp rose from behind me, but I didn’t care. Ricardo merely furrowed his brow slightly and offered no further words.
“I’ve been thinking it over carefully, and… something about what’s happening to me lately doesn’t feel right at all.”
My foolish heart pounded fiercely as our eyes met. I quickly averted my gaze and continued speaking.
“When I was little—around five years old—Count Fennel suddenly came to see me.”
Ricardo walked past me with an indifferent expression, but I followed him without hesitation.
“I’m not entirely sure, but my mother had just died then, and I stayed beside her for three days. So my memories from that time aren’t entirely clear.”
He stopped walking abruptly, and I nearly collided with his shoulder.
Ricardo raised his hand, and all his attendants immediately stepped back. Convinced we were now out of earshot, I resumed speaking.
“Until then, I’d simply believed I’d been brought into House Fennel because I carried all the distinctive traits of their lineage.”
“…”
“But it was sometime after I turned ten—right after I moved into the residence where you were staying—that I overheard the maids saying something strange.”
Even as I spoke, lost in thought, Ricardo remained facing away from me, silent the entire time.
“They said a secret prophecy from the Empire had been leaked—and that it had something to do with my silver hair and blue eyes. That’s why Count Fennel allowed me to enter the Eastern Pavilion.”
After hearing that, I couldn’t help but wonder: though I could have dismissed it as mere rumor, what if there was a connection between my entry into House Fennel and Ricardo’s presence there?
“But here’s what’s odd—silver hair and blue eyes aren’t exclusive to House Fennel. Though rare, there must be others in the Empire with the same traits, right?”
In the Duchy of Resotia, House Fennel was the only family associated with silver hair and blue eyes. Could I have been one of the reasons Count Fennel risked his life to abduct Rochester’s heir?
Before I could voice this unspoken question, Ricardo slowly turned toward me and locked eyes with me so intently I couldn’t look away. All my logical reasoning instantly evaporated into thin air.
“Did that… really happen?”
“Huh?”
“Your mother died… and you stayed beside her for three whole days? How could anyone…”
He trailed off, closing his eyes. Once freed from his piercing gaze, my breath, which had momentarily stopped, finally returned. I exhaled sharply.
“Well, I’m not entirely sure it was exactly three days… but apparently, I nearly died right then.”
But before I could finish, he opened his eyes again, cutting me off.
‘Wait—his eyes are red now?’
The subtle hue in his irises was so faint it was hard to notice unless observed closely. True to his Rochester discipline, his eyes quickly returned to their usual ashen black.
“Memories… memories.”
He let out a soft, bitter chuckle—as if the very word “memories” grated against him.
“By the way, Lady Fennel.”
“Yes?”
“I’m rather busy right now. Thinking too hard with that little head of yours will only give you a headache, so stop worrying. I’ll tell you everything when the time comes. Just be patient a little longer.”
“…”
“And whenever you go out, make sure to let someone know.”
Ricardo patted my shoulders lightly, as if offering encouragement, then turned and walked away alone.
“No, wait—you can’t just leave without finishing what you started! Your Grace! When exactly is ‘the time’? Huh?”
He ignored my shouted plea entirely. He’d claimed chickens couldn’t think, yet he left me with nothing but orders—just like one would give to a chicken—as he walked farther away.
If only I could just slap that handsome back of his head.
“Where exactly would I even go? I can’t even find my way back from the detached residence where you’re staying. I’m still just sitting in the palm of your hand, aren’t I?”
As he walked away, he gave an annoyingly smug shrug of his shoulders.
“This is practically imprisonment—don’t call me a guest.”
“I shall attend to you.”
Startled by the sudden, impeccably polite voice, I flinched and turned slightly.
“My apologies if I startled you. It’s well past lunch hour—you must be hungry.”
“Yes, Head Steward.”
“Please, feel free to call me Freddie.”
“No, I’m more comfortable calling you Head Steward.”
“Of course, call me however you please.”
From that point on, Freddie truly attended to me with utmost care. I’d worried he might show some disdain for serving a fallen noble of lowly status, but he treated me with genuine reverence.
From meals to clothing and even sleeping arrangements—even personal maids dedicated solely to me—three of them appeared.
And just what exactly was this delightful fragrance in my bathwater?
This is too much—far too overwhelming!
I sank completely beneath the bathwater until only the top of my head remained submerged. In the resulting vacuum, my thoughts inevitably drifted home.
‘I hope Jonathan’s alright. Sabrina must be terribly worried too. And what about our chickens—have they all starved by now?’
As Ricardo had said, my worries only gave me a headache. With a long sigh, I emerged from the water and decided to simply enjoy this temporary luxury.
But my resolve didn’t last long. The psychological pressure from feeling overwhelmed doubled the very next day when a certain message arrived.
[This is the timeline separator]“I humbly pay my respects to the Duchess.”
“Welcome, dear.”
Meeting the duchess required an immense amount of preparation—perhaps as rigorous as an audience with the empress herself.
A ritual bath was essential, and my attire had to strictly follow formal etiquette. I even underwent a three-hour crash course in manners beforehand. They mentioned this was only the abbreviated version, given how urgently she’d summoned me.
My preparations, which began at dawn, only concluded well past noon. The duchess even kindly sent a carriage to Ricardo’s detached residence for me.
“I hope I haven’t disturbed you during a busy time.”
“Not at all.”
She was a completely different person from the woman I’d seen yesterday, laughing idly in the flower garden. Her elaborately tailored, opulent yet stifling gown and her perfectly coiffed hair—every strand in place—completed her formidable presence.
“Please, sit.”
Surprisingly, the duchess personally brewed the tea. Her maids, clearly accustomed to this, merely watched quietly. Just sitting still made me so nervous my fingertips trembled.
The duchess truly embodied imperial high society itself. The gentle charisma that naturally emanated from her would surely straighten the posture of even the most ignorant child.
“You said you wished to see me…”
“Drink your tea first. I brewed it myself, so I can’t guarantee the taste.”
Though tea-drinking etiquette involved dozens of precise rules, all my hastily memorized knowledge vanished under sheer nerves. Right now, I was focusing all my energy just to keep my hands from shaking.
“Our meeting yesterday left quite an impression on me.”
“Oh…”
I took a steadying breath and spoke the words I’d prepared since the carriage ride. Please, let my voice not tremble.
“If I committed any impropriety yesterday, I beg your generous forgiveness—my education has been brief.”
“At my age, seeing clearly matters far more than rigid etiquette.”
I nodded, placing my teacup down as silently as possible.
The duchess gazed out the window for a moment, wordless. For an instant, I forgot my own plight and simply absorbed the painting-like sight of her. Now I realized—it was a scene straight from one of Ricardo’s paintings.
The view she was looking at—
The emotion I’d felt upon seeing that painting had been a strange sense of longing. No, most of Ricardo’s paintings carried a quiet melancholy.
Could it be that Ricardo had vaguely missed his mother—and the garden they’d once looked at together?
Male lead is a Love-Obsessed Merman
When he discovers she has gone, he risks everything to pursue her on land, enduring agonizing pain to transform his tail into human legs…
One-line summary: Male lead chases female lead. The male lead’s love is a bit sick, an invincible love brain.
Synopsis
During a voyage at sea, Jiang Yang accidentally captures a merman.
Servant: I heard that mermen are fierce and brutal.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman obediently rubbing her palm like a puppy: “You call this fierce and brutal?”
Servant: I heard that mermen have no human nature.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman with wet puppy eyes, obsessively calling her ‘A Yang’ like a childish infant: “You call this having no human nature?”
With great difficulty, she releases the merman back into the sea and returns to shore.
Who would have thought that in less than half a month, the merman, who should have been freely wandering in the South China Sea, would shed his scales, endure the pain of losing his tail, transform into human legs, and come ashore to find her?
He kneels at her feet, rubbing her palm, with merman tears rolling down: “A Yang, don’t abandon me.”
_____
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