Although I said I was going for a walk, I had already been lost for a while, so it wasn’t an accurate excuse. Before answering, I glanced at that elderly man from earlier to gauge the situation. But this time he wasn’t looking at me. His eyes were wide with surprise as he looked at Ricardo.

“Yes.”

Thanks to that, I gave the most neutral answer.

“Freddie.”

“Yes, young master.”

“From now on, you will assist the Pennel young lady.”

“Do you mean me, sir?”

Instead of answering, Ricardo slightly lowered his eyes. The man then bowed his head and accepted his intention.

“Pleased to meet you. I am Freddie Fordwan, the head butler of the family. I will serve you to the best of my ability from now on.”

Head butler? Head butler, he said?

The head butler of such a noble family was often a hereditary vassal. He could be at least a viscount, or perhaps even the head of a count’s family. To have such a person assigned to assist me.

Come to think of it, he was the one who assisted Ricardo when he came to Lesotia to fetch me. The fact that he brought him along on such a distant journey showed that Ricardo must trust him greatly.

The gazes of the people looking at me changed subtly. It was understandable. At first glance, I probably didn’t look like a young lady from such a noble house.

Despite the situation that made me sigh, the first thought that came to mind was this:

“How long do you intend to keep me here?”

Now it didn’t matter how closely the others watched Ricardo’s reactions. Why would the head butler be assigned to assist me? What about the duke’s approval? What about the head butler’s own opinion?

As if it were only natural, Ricardo remained silent at my question. I ran after him as he walked ahead and blocked his path.

I heard people gasp behind me, but that was none of my concern. Ricardo only slightly furrowed his brow without adding any other words.

“I’ve been thinking carefully, and I feel that what’s happening to me right now is quite unusual.”

When our eyes met, my thoughtless heart pounded fiercely. I averted my gaze from him and continued speaking.

“When I was young, around 5 years old. The Count Pennel suddenly came to find me.”

Ricardo walked past me with an indifferent face. But I followed him immediately without hesitation.

“I’m not entirely sure, but at that time, my mother had died and I stayed by her side for three days. So not all of my memories from then are accurate.”

He stopped walking again. Because of the sudden halt, I almost bumped my forehead into his shoulder.

Ricardo raised his hand, and all those following retreated. Thinking that people’s voices wouldn’t reach us now, I continued speaking.

“Until then, I thought I had been taken into the Pennel family because I possessed all the colors of the Pennel family head.”

“……”

“But it was around when I turned 10. Right after I moved to the building where you were staying, young master. That’s when I heard the maids saying strange things.”

While I spoke, deep in thought, Ricardo remained silent with his back turned to me the entire time.

“They said that some secret prophecy had been leaked from the empire. That it was related to my hair and eye color. That’s why Count Pennel allowed me to come to the east wing.”

After hearing that, I had such thoughts. I could have dismissed it as just a rumor, but what if my entry into the Pennel family and Ricardo’s presence in the Pennel family were somehow related?

“But the strange thing is, silver hair and blue eyes aren’t exclusive to the Pennel family. Though not common, there should be people with silver hair and blue eyes in this empire too, right?”

In the Duchy of Lesotia, the Pennel family was the only one known for silver hair and blue eyes. Then was I one of the reasons why Count Pennel risked his life to kidnap the heir of Rochester?

As I swallowed the words I couldn’t bring myself to ask, Ricardo slowly turned around. And he met my gaze in a way that left me unable to move. Thanks to that, all the logical deductions I had been making until just now evaporated into thin air.

“Did… such a thing happen?”

“Pardon?”

“Your mother died and you stayed by her side for… three days? That’s……”

He closed his eyes without finishing his sentence properly. Released from the gaze that had held me captive, my suspended breathing returned. I let out a deep sigh.

“Yes, well, I’m not sure if it was exactly three days… But I must have been on the verge of death.”

But as he opened his eyes again, I too couldn’t finish my sentence properly.

‘Wait, are his eyes red now?’

The color just faintly tinged his pupils, so it was hard to detect the change unless you looked closely. True to his well-trained Rochester nature, his eyes quickly returned to their ashen black color.

“Memory… memory, huh.”

He chuckled. It was a chilling laugh, as if the very word ‘memory’ had offended his mood.

“Well then, Pennel young lady.”

“Yes.”

“I’m a bit busy right now. Racking that little brain of yours will only give you a headache, so stop thinking and I’ll let you know when the time comes. So wait a little.”

“……”

“And make sure to tell someone before you go out anywhere.”

Ricardo patted my shoulder casually. As if he were encouraging me. Then he turned and walked away alone again.

“No, you should finish talking before you leave. Young master! When exactly is that time? Huh?”

He paid no heed to my shouting. Despite saying he didn’t think of me as a chicken, he left behind a bunch of orders as if I were one, and walked away.

If only I could smack that handsome back of his head once.

“Where would I even go, when I can’t even find my way back after leaving the annex where you stay, young master? I’m just in the palm of your hand anyway, aren’t I?”

As he walked, he annoyingly shrugged his shoulders.

“This is confinement, not being a guest.”

“I will serve you.”

Startled by the sudden polite voice, I turned my body slightly.

“I apologize if I startled you. It’s already past your lunchtime, so you must be hungry.”

“Yes, Head Butler.”

“You can just call me Freddie comfortably.”

“No, I’m more comfortable calling you Head Butler.”

“Very well, please call me as you wish.”

Afterwards, Freddie truly assisted me properly. I was worried he might show displeasure at having to attend to a fallen noble of lowly status, but he literally served me with the utmost care.

From meals to clothing and sleeping arrangements, I even got three dedicated maids to look after me.

Moreover, what is this fragrant scent coming from the bath water?

It’s burdensome, so burdensome!

I sank into the bathtub until my head was completely submerged. Glug, glug, as it became a vacuum, I naturally started to worry about home.

‘I wonder if Jonathan is alright? Sabrina must be worried sick too. And I hope our chickens aren’t all starving?’

Just as Ricardo said, my worries only gave me a headache. Pah, as I exhaled and emerged from the water, I decided to enjoy this temporary luxury.

But my resolution didn’t last very long. The psychological pressure from the burden doubled with the news that arrived the very next day.

“I’m here to see the Duchess.”

“Welcome.”

Meeting the Duchess required a great deal of preparation. If I had to have an audience with the Empress, I would probably have to go through such procedures.

Bathing and purification were basic, and of course I had to dress formally. I even received three hours of education before the meeting. I was told that the current preparation was abbreviated because the meeting was requested so urgently.

The preparations that began at dawn finally ended past noon. The Duchess kindly sent a carriage to Ricardo’s villa.

“I wonder if I called you when you were busy.”

“Not at all.”

She looked completely different from the woman who sat in the flower garden yesterday, smiling and swaying. The elaborate and constricting dress that fit her body perfectly, and her appearance without a single hair out of place, completed her image in itself.

“Please sit.”

Surprisingly, the Duchess brewed the tea herself. Even the maids seemed accustomed to this, merely watching. Just sitting still made me so nervous that my fingertips trembled.

The Duchess was literally the embodiment of the imperial social circle. The gentle charisma that naturally emanated from her body would surely make even an ignorant child mind their manners.

“You called for me……”

“First, have some tea. I brewed it myself, so I can’t guarantee the taste.”

There were dozens of etiquette rules for drinking tea, but the knowledge I had hurriedly learned was all useless in the face of nervousness. Now was the time to focus all my nerves on not letting my hands shake.

“I found our meeting yesterday quite impressive.”

“Ah……”

After taking a moment to catch my breath, I spoke the words I had prepared since the carriage ride. Hoping, please, that my voice wouldn’t tremble.

“If I committed any impropriety yesterday, please forgive me generously. My education is lacking.”

“At this age, one begins to see things more important than etiquette.”

I nodded while setting down the teacup as quietly as possible.

The Duchess silently looked out the window for a moment. For an instant, forgetting my situation, I took in her image like a painting. Come to think of it, it was a scene from one of Ricardo’s paintings.

The view she was looking at.

The emotion I felt when I saw that painting was somehow nostalgia. No, most of the paintings Ricardo drew made one feel melancholy.

Then did Ricardo vaguely long for his mother, for the garden he used to look at with her?