The Count of Serie raised the white flag before the song had even passed halfway. I quickly took Janet, who had already chatted with the other ladies, and returned to where Brandt was waiting, so that Janet, who had already gone to chat with them, would not notice.
"Count of Serie. Your feet look very uncomfortable."
The Count Serie, who was limping in my hands, said with a blushing face.
"The Duchess has seriously damaged my foot!"
"I'm sorry. That's why I said I was in trouble, but the Count persistently asked for it, and I had no choice but to comply."
As I said with a smile on my cheeks, the Count of Serie stomped his feet to see if the medicine was working.
"Fatal fool."
Brandt, who was looking at the situation calmly, said softly so that others would not hear him.
"If you are stepped on by a lady, it means that you lack your dancing skills. You wouldn't be talking about this disgraceful thing, would you?"
The Count of Serie, who was struggling, wept. He had once been upset by Brandt's words at a wedding reception. The Count of Serie took turns looking at me and Brandt, bowed his head in greeting, and then walked away. It was sad to see him screaming at the back of his head as he took a hurried step.
Fearing that the Count of Serie would walk away, I stood facing Brandt's face.
"If you are stepped on by a lady, it means that you lack your dancing skills. Are you admitting that you lack the skill of the lower body?"
"It's just a sound I've done. Do you believe that?"
"Tsk."
My lips pouted unconsciously at the answer without any thought.
"You pouted."
The mocking voice made me forget that there were servants around me.
"What are you talking about?"
"You pouted."
He muttered again as before. However, when I looked up, his mouth was drawn in a beautiful line.
'Uh, you laughed...'
It was a pure smile without any worries. It was the first time. Such a face. A warm energy spread from my chest, making my cheeks hot. I stared at Brandt's smile for a long time, fearing that it would disappear like a mirage.
***
Betty screamed when she saw her butler, Malcolm, limping into the drawing room.
"Butler. Now you walk around!"
"It's improved a lot. I don't have to sit in a patient chair anymore."
It was as if he were asking me to listen, and his shoulders shrank infinitely. But when I thought of Malcolm, who was stepped on by my shoes several times while helping me practice dancing, I was right that I should reflect a little.
"Ma'am, I have invited a new dance teacher. He has very strong feet."
"Oh, thank you, Malcolm."
"Don't say anything. Of course, this is what I have to do. As a butler, for the sake of the lady, and as an individual."
Malcolm said mischievously and frowned, but I was restless. He put down the papers on the table in a pleasant motion.
"This is a list of gifts that need to be sent."
"Thank you."
As the hostess of the Duchy, I was in charge of social affairs, such as parties, and internal affairs, such as housing and employee management, as well as sending return gifts to the mansion. The return gifts were not sent in batches, but had a certain formality depending on the sender and the items sent. First, Malcolm, the butler, made a plan and submitted it to me, and I had to check and confirm it again.
I was shocked to see the total budget amount at the end, as I read the document that made my head spin just by brushing it.
"How many times should I win the alternative lottery..."
I have never seen this kind of money in my life, let alone spent it. The hand covering the document trembled.
"Ma'am. If you are worried about what to do, why don't you discuss it with the Duke?"
Malcolm noticed my agitation and asked.
"Is that okay? Wouldn't it be a matter of putting off my work to the lower ranks?"
"No, it is not. Before the lady came, the lady was directly involved in sending return gifts. It's difficult for everyone to get the first time, so it's natural to get advice from your seniors. I happen to be in the office today."
"Then I should ask him for a favor."
I stood up with an excited step, as if I had met a Savior. Malcolm left the drawing room first, and when he suddenly saw the carpet, he made an impression on Betty, who was following him.
"Betty, when did you clean the carpet?"
"I did it yesterday."
"You did it yesterday? It's a lot of dust. Organize it again."
Malcolm's harsh words forced Betty to stay in the drawing room. My heart felt heavy when I thought of Malcolm, who had mercilessly punished her on the day the chandelier fell.
"The chandelier fell off not long ago."
My shoulders trembled at Malcolm's rhyme as if he had read my thoughts.
"People went there, and they said it was because the chandelier was old. We will make sure that doesn't happen in the future."
"That's right. I was really surprised that day. But I'm glad no one was hurt."
I was really glad I did. Contrary to Betty's terrifying predictions, it was a simple accident. Malcolm smiled shallowly at me and said.
"Sorry for Betty, but the carpet was clean."
Heh. I don't know how to change jobs so quickly.
"Then why did you clean up with Betty again?"
"Because I have something to say to you in a place where there are no other employees."
Malcolm said as he walked down the long, quiet hallway. I stood beside him and watched him pace me.
"I didn't expect you to memorize all the aristocratic manuals."
I thought he was going to talk about something heavy, but it was a noble handbook' story, so I was a little steamy.
"Oh, I actually couldn't memorize everything. There were many parts that I skipped because it was difficult."
"But I heard that the reviews at the party were very favorable."
"Really? Did they tell Malcolm a story?"
"No, it is not. However, our employees also have their own stories about their masters in each family."
"...Rumors come and go with employees from other families?"
"Of course, it's an unwritten rule not to tell the owner about it. This time, you have done a surprisingly good job, so I am proud to tell you about it."
Malcolm said secretly, rubbing his cool mustache with his Index finger and thumb. When I received excessive praise, I felt embarrassed but also happy.
"Every lady praised Duchess Albrenovic for her great insight, saying that they did not know that she was paying so much attention to them."
"It wasn't that much, but it's embarrassing."
"Nobles judge their knowledge by how much they are proud of themselves."
"Well, that's right, I did a little better."
I smiled as I looked at Malcolm. It was heartwarming to be able to share my heart and laugh with him, who seemed ten years older than I really was.
"The Duke was also very pleased."
But I didn't know how to react to the next words. I quickly moved on to the topic.
"I was worried about how I would memorize so many things, but I'm glad she did well. Betty seems to believe in me now."
"Ma'am."
Malcolm's voice weighed heavily.
"Don't trust your employees, but lead them. Don't make exceptions for me as well."
When I saw his seriously wrinkled brows, I felt puzzled.
"What do you mean?"
"It's literally"
"It means don't take Betty's opinion too seriously."
"I posted a word to help you. If I have been disrespectful, please reprimand me severely."
I could feel that Malcolm truly cared about me. A gentle smile came out of the corner of my mouth.
"No, I didn't. It was something I hadn't thought of. You will continue to give me a lot of good advice. I'm still not good enough."
Malcolm's words certainly made sense. Betty was always by my side because she didn't feel safe leaving me in someone else's hands. I naturally had no choice but to weigh in on Betty's opinion as I worked with her in every move. It was not an appropriate environment to cultivate knowledge to govern a family. When Malcolm first introduced her as my direct maid, didn't he put the premise of 'for the time being'? It was time to end that for the time being.
"Can you give me a list of maids who have served in the mansion for more than 10 years?"
It was a pity to be separated from Betty, who reminded me of Madwm Marie, but it couldn't be helped. I could no longer just do what I wanted to do.
***
When Butler Malcolm opened the door to his office, I saw his aide, Patrick Jenner, and Brandt standing at a large black desk, talking. He frowned at how focused he was, not knowing that Malcolm and I had entered.
I waited quietly and looked around every corner of the office, which was my first visit. Behind the desk stood a huge bookshelf full of thick books. At first glance, I could see the Erotic Art Collection...
"...I've never seen someone oppose my opinion so vehemently since I became chairman."
"It's always a headache to deal with issues like raising the dignity of Privy Council members, but trying to deal with real issues."
"Well, isn't it time for us to do the same? For more than 100 years, the same story has been repeated like a wheel."
My ears were tingling at the thought that they were talking about something serious. My gaze was too hot, and Jenner, the aide who was showing the back of his head, suddenly turned around.
"Are you here?"
At Jenner's words, Brandt flinched and looked at me. I was wondering if I would answer his gaze, but I laughed awkwardly.
"If you want to come, you have to tell them you're here."
Brandt looked at me and said to Malcolm.
"I'm sorry. You want me to wait...."
"Now all the talk we need to talk about is over, right?"
Brandt asked without even looking at Jenner
"Did you ask me to know about the case of the temporary convening of the Privy Council with the authority of the previous chairman..."
"I'll see you later."
Jenner, who took turns with me and Brandt, noticed and stepped back. Instead of opening his mouth, Brandt looked at Malcolm in silence. Malcolm noticed and said first.
"I came to consult with you on the issue of return gifts."
"Oh, really? That's right. I've never done it before, so I'm not good at it."
Brandt approached the table in the center from where he was standing and sat down. Malcolm also took out a chair and sat down at the same table. Malcolm placed the papers on the table, and Brandt looked at them without delay, quickly read them all, and put them down.
"What are you most curious about?"
"It's just... Overall."
"Overall, everything?"
Brandt frowned as if he was devising a thoughtful expression, and then looked at Malcolm and Jenner.
"The Duchess says she is curious about the overall and all about the return gift. It looks like it's going to be long, so go out and take care of things."
If I say that, what am I worth?
Embarrassed, I glared at Brandt and made eye contact with him. I lowered my head in surprise, and the documents were stretched out in front of me.
"You'll have a rough idea of where and how the budget is spent. I'll check the necessary items, annotate them, and send them to you. It's going to be hard to do it alone, so talk to Malcolm and Madam Kreisel."
"What? You think it's going to be long?"
That's why they humiliated me in front of the servants and gave such a simple and clear explanation!
I was dumbfounded, so I didn't avoid the glaring eyes this time. Brandt leaned back in his chair without wavering.
"What do you think of the National Assembly?"
What is this all of a sudden? I was puzzled by the topic that seemed to have fallen from the sky.
"Oh, don't you know what the National Assembly is? What is the National Assembly?"
"I know. It's a consensus body where representatives of various statuses, from aristocrats to commoners, attend and implement opinions according to votes. It's gone now, right?"
"You studied history hard."
I thought I was just studying. I also voted.
I was proud of my pride that I knew something I would never know.
"Why don't you make it again?"
However, Brandt couldn't hide his bewilderment at my next question.
"You really... It's more radical than I thought."
He clenched his chin and tapped the table with his other hand. It was the first time I saw Brandt in front of me, and I thought differently. The red sky shone on Brandt's manly face at an angle, and the shadow soaked his heavy body.
"Now, even if we change the name of the Privy Council to the Council of State Affairs and change it to a place worthy of the responsibility of being an advisory body to the Emperor, everyone is in a hurry. How can we re-establish something like the National Assembly? Moreover..."
As I watched him stand out in the sunset, Janer's loud voice suddenly played in my head.
< If you just eat well and sleep well in the evening, that's what makes you get along. >
Why haven't you been looking for me since the beginning of the year?
...Did you not like it? I liked it.
"...The only nobles who want the National Assembly to be reconstituted are you and me in Ludenbach."
Brandt's eyes, which had been immersed in deep thought, shone clearly and filled me. I was so frightened that I came to my senses.
"Well, I thought I was the only one just now."
Brandt smiled lightly. It was a natural smile that I didn't even realize I was smiling. Looking at him and seeing him talking so seriously, I felt ashamed that I thought it was lewd.
"Why do you look like that? Do you have anything to say?"
Brandt asked with his usual expression, like a plaster statue, as if he had smiled when he had smiled.
I have something to say. The only problem is that I can't get it out of my mouth.
He looked down languidly at me, who was silent and speechless. After my eyelids slowly closed and then opened, I finally broke my silence first.
Comments
Post a Comment