Chapter 25. Elise Leaves  

The next day, the carriage sent by the Grand Duke arrived.

Elise, descending with a joyful heart, stopped in her tracks upon seeing the carriage.

It wasn’t the grand carriage of the Grand Duke that she always saw. The carriage sent by the Grand Duke was one that seemed to be used by wealthy commoners.

It was made of good wood but lacked any decorations.

“Are you not the people sent by the Grand Duke?”

While Elise was taken aback, one of those who came to fetch the viscount’s household stepped forward.

Seeing him, a sense of relief washed over Elise’s eyes. He was certainly one of those who assisted the Grand Duke.

However, he too was dressed in a very simple manner, without the emblem of the Grand Duke’s household on his clothing.

If he hadn’t been wearing clothes made of high-quality fabric, no one would have thought of them as retainers of the Grand Duke’s household.

He greeted Elise politely and spoke in a low voice.

“It is the Grand Duke’s wish. He was displeased with how others were carelessly talking about your relationship and worried about how much you must have suffered. So he said this was an unavoidable choice for your peaceful recuperation this summer, and he asked for your understanding.”

“The Grand Duke…”

Even without that, she had to endure the finger-pointing due to the rumors spread by Riena’s group. The Grand Duke was concerned about her wounds.

“Oh, of course. I am just moved by the Grand Duke’s deep intentions.”

Elise boarded the carriage, escorted by the retainer.

The viscount couple, following Elise, were about to board another carriage when they spoke to Ael, who had her head bowed low.

“Manage the house while we are away. You can do at least that much, can’t you?”

“Yes.”

The viscount clicked his tongue at Ael’s small-voiced reply.

He had intended to keep her confined longer to truly break her stubbornness, but the sudden invitation meant they released her early, which he regretted.

‘The Grand Duke didn’t invite her, after all.’

It was fortunate. Bringing her along would only tarnish their dignity. Moreover, when they left the house, only the servants would remain.

Normally, other noble families would have the butler or head maid manage the house in such times, but there were no such high-level servants at the viscount’s house now.

‘So, as annoying as it is, we have no choice but to leave it to her.’

At least she wasn’t as lazy as the servants, so it was the best option.

Hearing Ael’s response, the viscount couple quickly boarded the carriage.

As the door closed, the carriage swiftly left the viscount’s residence, as if it didn’t want to draw any more attention.

Watching the carriage disappear into the dust, Ael remembered that the viscount hadn’t left anything behind before leaving.

‘What about the food expenses?’

The ones who left were the viscount couple, Elise, and even Elise’s maid, making four people.

After they left, only Ael, Jenna, two maids, and three servants remained at the viscount’s house.

That made seven people in total.

‘They didn’t even say when they’d return.’

Judging by what Elise happily told her maid, it seemed the Grand Duke intended to keep Elise and the viscount couple at the villa for the entire summer.

‘What should I do?’

For now, she would have to shamelessly ask for credit from the places they always traded with. She also needed to contact the viscount to get money.

Fortunately, the viscount had boasted to Ael about where the Grand Duke had invited them. So she planned to send a letter there immediately to request the servants’ wages.

The first few days passed quietly.

Among the remaining servants, except for the older couple, the two other servants and one maid were not very diligent.

With the usual nagging family gone, they threw aside their duties and lazed around all day.

Ael demanded they work, but they mockingly agreed and continued to idle away their time. Ael couldn’t blame them.

Those who had seen her being ignored daily wouldn’t recognize her as their employer just because the viscount couple was absent.

Then, about a week later, the shop where they bought food supplies said they couldn’t provide any more.

Ael promised to pay as soon as the viscount returned from his trip, but they flatly refused. At the same time, they demanded payment for the credit they had given so far.

Of course, Ael couldn’t pay that. So the shopkeeper abruptly came to the viscount’s house, entered the reception room, and took whatever seemed sellable.

The servants didn’t stop him as they watched.

After all, people needed to eat. Seeing Jenna sigh in front of the pantry, where only a few potatoes remained, Ael searched the mansion.

Aside from the items the viscount couple had bought on credit, there was hardly anything of value, but she fortunately found an antique candlestick deep inside that could fetch some money and sold it.

Thanks to that, she had money to last for a while, but she would struggle again after that.

‘I did send a letter…’

At first, she sent a letter to the Grand Duke’s household, but they seemed unwilling to reveal that Elise was staying with them and returned Ael’s letter.

So Ael paid separately to send a letter to the villa in the forest the viscount had mentioned. But still, no reply came.

Feeling uneasy, Ael reduced her own food intake.

She hadn’t been eating much anyway, so it wasn’t a significant amount, but she hoped that by eating less, Jenna could eat more.

The problems troubling Ael were not only with the servants and meals.

‘What should I do about the torn books?’

Even though they were borrowed under her father’s name, she was the one who borrowed them. So she had to take responsibility for the damage to the books.

At that moment, a voice echoed in Ael’s mind.

〈If there’s anything you want, please contact me. I will do anything for you.〉

Kyle’s voice, speaking from beyond the door.

Of course, she didn’t intend to ask him for money.

‘If I teach the ancient language to the branch manager, I should be able to earn a salary.’

Couldn’t she do that job?

Lost in thought, Ael rubbed the bruises that still hadn’t faded.

* * *

That night, Ael lay in bed, unable to sleep.

‘I want to accept Kyle’s offer.’

She wanted to teach the ancient language. But if rumors spread, her father wouldn’t leave her alone.

‘But if I hide it well, I might not get caught. After all, there are hardly any nobles who would recognize me.’

Couldn’t she work while her father was away?

But she would have to quit immediately when her father returned. Would it be possible to work for such a short period?

‘And going in this state…’

Her face and limbs were still covered in bruises. Because of that, whenever she went outside, she wore clothes that covered her arms and neck despite the early summer weather and desperately hid her face with a wide-brimmed hat and shawl.

‘I don’t want to go looking like this.’

It was embarrassing in front of others, but especially in front of the people at the Ash Merchant Guild, particularly Kyle.

She couldn’t understand why, but she felt she would rather die than stand before him looking pitiful and miserable.

“Sigh…”

In the end, Ael couldn’t sleep and got out of bed. Her stomach, which hadn’t been properly fed all day, felt hungry.

‘I should at least drink some water.’

As Ael left her room and was about to pass through the third floor, she heard voices coming from Elise’s room.

“This is nice.”

“……!”

At first, she thought it was a thief. But as she listened, she realized they were familiar voices.

They belonged to the servants remaining in the mansion.

Ael, holding her breath, observed them. Thanks to the lamp they were holding, it wasn’t difficult to see what they were doing.

‘Oh my…’

Seeing them illuminated by the lamp’s light, Ael was stunned. They had entered Elise’s room and were wearing whatever they pleased.

Approaching quietly and peeking inside, she saw them lounging on the sofa and bed, chatting away.

Moreover, somehow they had managed to get their hands on the precious liquor the viscount kept in his study cabinet.

“When else would we get to enjoy this?”

“Right? Look at this. Doesn’t it suit me? I think I’m better than that bitch Elise.”

The maid’s laughing voice reached her ears. Then another servant clapped and spoke.

“Nice. Just take it. With so much here, they won’t notice if one goes missing, unless they’re really stupid.”

It was the voice of the servant who would bow his head so low it almost touched the ground whenever he saw Elise.

“Besides, so what if they notice? Do you really think she’d come after us? She’d probably go after the person she always beats up.”

At those words, Ael bit her lip. It seemed they intended to pin their crimes on her.

Soon after, she heard the sound of drawers being opened as if they were rummaging through Elise’s room. She couldn’t stay still any longer.

Ael immediately entered the room.

“Pfft! Wh-what!”

As Ael entered, the servant drinking straight from the bottle spat it out in surprise. At the sound, the other servant and maid also looked up in shock.