“Please try to avoid hiring someone like Mr. Bimon, whom you hired last time.”
As Meiana spoke, Cedelois chuckled and nodded.
“Who is the person I have to meet tomorrow?”
Cedelois opened a drawer next to the table, took out a piece of paper, and handed it to her. It was a concise resume, and Meiana read it with great care.
The applicant for the maid position was from a region quite distant from the Ducal estate. The family name was not specified, and the name was Ibian. A young lady who had just turned eighteen, she would be the youngest among the four maids if she worked together.
“It says she has never worked for a noble family before. She does have experience working as a maid, though.”
Cedelois tilted his head slightly.
“So, I thought she might be more suitable.”
Meiana pondered for a moment and soon agreed with his words.
“That’s right. It’s better to know nothing. People who have worked in various places tend to be accustomed to the unique culture of gossiping, especially those who have worked for a long time.”
Although not all employees were like that, those who had worked for many houses were generally familiar with the culture of gossiping. To fit in smoothly with the group, they had to pay attention to gossip or scandals and sometimes indulge in gossip. Just like Vainty did before.
Meiana didn’t want someone like that hanging around Ariante. Vainty had almost completely severed ties with other employees who used to be close friends, and Bridget tended to be more friendly with everyone rather than forming cliques, which Meiana liked.
Folding the paper neatly, Meiana put it in the apron pocket and said, “Okay. She seems like a good person. After I meet her, I will send a letter to the Duke right away.”
Cedelois said, “There’s no need for that. Just tell Jemero. I’ll leave a message with Jemero.”
Meiana nodded her head. Cedelois, who had been looking at her with a faint smile, suddenly sat up straight.
“Do you want some tea?”
“If you would like, I can boil it for you.”
“No, it’s okay. Jemero!”
The door opened, and Jemero appeared. Cedelois said, “Bring two cups of tea.”
“Understood, Your Grace.”
Jemero closed the door. Meiana looked at Cedelois with a slightly bewildered expression.
“Am I supposed to drink with you?”
“Why, is there a problem?”
“I don’t think there’s a big problem, but others might see it as a serious issue. It’s not common for a maid to drink tea with the Duke.”
“You’re not an ordinary maid, are you?”
Meiana stared at Cedelois as if asking what he meant.
Cedelois, who was lightly tapping the edge of the table, said, “I’ve been wanting to ask you for a while. Why do you cherish Ariante so much?”
“What do you mean?”
“Exactly that. When I hired you as Ariante’s personal maid, honestly, I didn’t expect you to care so much. I just hoped you wouldn’t run away like other people. Because of your personality, I expected you to get along well with Ariante, unlike the previous maids. But you… you cherish and love Ariante as if she were your own daughter or niece. I’m curious about the reason.”
Meiana, after taking a breath for a moment, responded in a calm voice.
“It’s because it’s my job.”
“Is that the only reason? A sense of duty?”
“No, it’s not just that, of course.”
“Then what is it?”
Once again, a tranquil silence descended. Cedelois wondered why Meiana suddenly posed such questions, curious about his sincerity. However, understanding his inner thoughts had always been a challenging task. He wasn’t a child, and not immature either.
His inner thoughts, his secrets, were concealed in a deep and intimate place. Just as before, unless Cedelois chose to reveal them, Meiana had no way of knowing his thoughts.
“Why are you suddenly asking such things? From the perspective of an employer, do you want to assess the work situation of your employee?” Meiana inquired, and Cedelois, moving his eyes unexpectedly, glanced at the ceiling.
“Let’s just say it’s a father’s curiosity.”
“Alright. Then I will answer not as a lady’s personal maid but as a close friend of the lady. As I mentioned earlier, at first, it was a sense of duty. However, Lady Ariante is a child who deserves love from anyone. Doesn’t the Duke think so?”
Cedelois nodded, albeit looking slightly dazed. As if he hadn’t expected to hear such words.
Meiana continued, “I can’t help but cover Lady’s strengths to some extent as merely playful antics. Absolutely. Lady Ariante is a lovely person. Not just because I serve her, even if I look at all other children, it’s true. I love Lady’s childlike innocence and cherish her childlike honesty. Crying, getting angry, throwing tantrums—it’s something all children do. Without going through such processes, one cannot become an adult. I like that Lady is a child who can get angry, cry, and throw tantrums. I want to listen to her stories and share what I know. Watching her learn and grow every day makes me feel redeemed as well.”
The initially calm tone became somewhat passionate. Cedelois noticed a faintly different emotion in Meiana’s attitude than usual.
Male lead is a Destined Young Husband (Female-dominant)
One-sentence summary: Wife-master, listen to my explanation!
Li Ruantang, a young lady from a prestigious family, stumbled and fell. When she woke up, she saw a noble and beautiful young man sitting by her bedside, wiping away tears.
The young master had slightly reddened eyes, and his every move exuded charm.
The sight made Li Ruantang’s eyes hot and her heart flutter. After all, she had made a bet with the young master Meng from the neighboring family. If she couldn’t marry a husband before the end of the year, she would have to admit defeat and give up the jade she had worked so hard to obtain.
Outside the window, the flowers were in full bloom.
Rather than losing the bet, the jade, and her face, Li Ruantang calculated that it would be better to seek marriage with the young master in front of her, killing three birds with one stone.
…
Meng Jun never thought that an accident during a spring outing would lead to them rolling down a cliff and into a river, yet still survive.
Now they were trapped in an unknown village, and Meng Jun had overheard that the family who had rescued them had their own intentions.
After all, it was Li Ruantang who had lost her mind and sought marriage first. He was only trying to protect himself!
Glancing at Li Ruantang, who was listing her own merits, the young husband’s voice softened, and he blushed as he lied, “W-wife-master, Wife-master, don’t you remember me?”
The young husband’s voice was clear and handsome, coaxing Li Ruantang’s heart to be soft and sweet, and she spared no effort to protect him.
It wasn’t until they returned to the capital that Li Ruantang suddenly remembered.
When they had fallen off the cliff, in order not to implicate Wei Yunruo, whom he secretly admired, the young husband had instead pulled her, who was slightly farther away, down the cliff with him…
Short summary by Yuushi L: Initially, the male lead (ML) liked another girl, while the female lead (FL) liked the ML. Both fell off a cliff. The FL temporarily lost her memory, and the ML, fearing others might take advantage of him, claimed FL was his wife while they were staying in a village. Later, when they returned home, the FL regained her memories and remembered that the ML liked someone else, so she kept her distance from him. However, during their time living together in the countryside, the ML’s view of the FL had completely changed. From this point, his pursuit of the FL begins.
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