After he left, and after a while of commotion, the door finally opened.
I saw Margaret in the very front, and pretended not to know her, smiling.
“Margaret.”
“Rivian, are you alright? Did something happen?”
“I’m not sure. I was just waiting as instructed…..”
“I’m sorry. It seems our employee accidentally locked the door.”
The representative, who was the manager, hurriedly bowed his waist.
Having served the nobility for a long time, he knew exactly how to solve a problem when one arose.
Even if the noble had made a mistake, it could not be the noble’s fault.
Especially if they were highranking nobles.
When a problem arises, it’s better to step forward, make an excuse, and cover up the mistake rather than awkwardly avoid responsibility. That was the secret to continuing business comfortably in the future.
“We apologize once again for upsetting the Duchess Creighton with this incident. We will duly compensate her on our side, so please forgive us generously.”
“No, you don’t have to. You don’t need to apologize excessively.”
“That’s fine. They treat the Duchess Creighton like this! If the Duke Creighton knew about this, he would not stay still.”
“Stop it. The party involved is fine.”
I’m glad I’m taller than Margaret at times like this.
I put my hand on Margaret’s shoulder, which had been standing in front of me as my spokesman, and nodded firmly, causing Margaret’s eyes to falter.
Margaret, who had been handling me arbitrarily, seemed even more taken aback.
“I’m sorry. I hope you’re all not too upset. My friend worries about me too much. As you all know, I’ve been unwell recently.”
“No, Duchess Creighton. We should be the ones who are sorry.”
“And don’t worry about this. I’ll talk to my husband about it. People make these kinds of mistakes all the time.”
In the benevolent gaze looking at me, I smiled lightly, making Margaret’s expression even more subtle.
But I just pretended not to know and hooked her arm.
[This is the time separator]“You’re so beautiful, Madam.”
“Thank you for saying that.”
“Lower your voice. I’m just a maid.”
“Oh, right. I should. Sorry. I’ve been awake for quite a while, but I’m still not used to life in the mansion, so I’m careful with my words. I know it’s not proper etiquette, but I get nervous.”
“No! Madam, you don’t need to apologize to me. Of course, you should do as you please. You are the mistress of Creighton.”
The maid, with her hands clasped, quickly bowed her body.
She seemed afraid she might have offended me.
That’s understandable because there had been several changes in servants at Creighton recently.
From the perspective of the servants who didn’t know the situation, they couldn’t help but fear when they might be fired.
“Now, relax and talk. There was no other meaning, I just wanted to chat a little.”
“You’re talking to me, a person as noble as you?”
Surprised, the maid opened her eyes wide and stepped back.
“You’ve just arrived at the mansion, Lucy, haven’t you?”
“How did you know my name…?”
“There’s a name tag there.”
“Oh…”
When I pointed at the badge on Lucy’s chest with a smile, her cheeks flushed.
“Can I call you Lucy?”
“Of course. It would be an honor for me.”
Lucy smiled shyly, rubbing the toes of her shoes together.
The maid, her face dotted with freckles, seemed quite young, and I could feel the passion that only those of her age can possess.
I had observed her for a while, and it seemed there was no one else like her.
“I’ve been watching you because you look familiar.”
“Familiar? Me? With whom?”
“You didn’t know what to do when you first came, just like me.”
“Oh.”
“In fact, I’m still like that.”
With a bit of sympathy in her gaze, I gave Lucy another soft smile and took out a faded wedding ring from the jewelry box.
“So, I was wondering if you could occasionally be my conversation partner, if it’s alright with you?”
“Me, me? Can I do such an important task? I don’t even have a way with words.”
“Any story is fine. Even trivial things. I just need someone. Someone who knows not the me that people remember as the one who lost her memory, but the me right now.”
“Will it be difficult? If it’s hard, you can’t do it.”
“Oh, that… Uh, no! I’ll do it! I don’t know if someone like me can be helpful, but I’ll try my best!”
“Thank you for saying that. And, let me greet you in advance. I look forward to our future together.”
The information that a maid could know might not be much, but even that was desperate for me now.
When I came to my senses, there was no one left who had been planted by Cheshire beforehand.
As I had already changed my servants several times and couldn’t bring in new people for a while, I needed someone new to be my eyes and ears.
“Can you go down first and tell his lordship that everything is ready? I will finish up on my own.”
“But you still have to dress up.”
“I can do this much on my own. I just have to put on some jewelry. Look, I have hands.”
When I showed her my hands, Lucy hesitated, fumbling with her fingertips.
She seemed quite conflicted, but a knock on the door didn’t let her waver last long.
“Can I come in?”
“Of course, you can. Please come in.”
As soon as my permission was given, Bake, who had been hesitating, stepped into the room and blushed when our eyes met.
Whether my memory loss was a novelty for him, lately, he had been behaving like a boy in love.
I held back a chuckle and sent Lucy out first. Surprised by Bake’s appearance, she quickly left without hesitation this time.
“I’m sorry. I took too long to get ready, didn’t I?”
“I didn’t come to rush you! I just wanted to see you sooner… Are you upset?”
“Why would I be? I just have to do this, so please wait a moment.”
I took out an earring from the jewelry box.
The newly purchased earring had dangling decorations that brushed my neck with every movement.
The cool metal touch on my skin made me catch my breath, but I didn’t take the earring off.
The sensation of something touching my neck was still terrible, but it was far less compared to the pain of losing my daughter.
It was also the only punishment I could inflict on myself now.
I put on the earring and immediately took a necklace to my neck.
Even though my back was turned, the mirror reflected the gaze of a man watching me.
After several attempts to fasten the clasp of the necklace, I turned my head toward Bake.
“Can you call a maid?”
“Huh? What?”
“It’s a bit hard to do on my own. But I can’t keep you waiting like this.”
“……”
I looked down and traced my neck with the tip of my thumb.
From the moment he entered the room, I knew Bake hadn’t taken his eyes off me.
Seeing the man in a fluster, unable to even swallow in case he makes a noise, I lifted my chin again.
At that moment, Bake’s eyes wavered.
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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