“Isn’t Ian such a blessing? He solved the headache we’ve been dealing with so quickly.”
“… .”
To be honest, aside from this exception, most of their headaches seemed to come from Ian’s troublemaking.
But it was also true that he had resolved a major issue in the territory.
“…Yes, indeed.”
Though they didn’t want to admit it, the credit he had earned this time was far from insignificant.
So, Hubert and Jurdan had no choice but to acknowledge it.
“Hubert.”
“Yes, Father.”
“Don’t you see your brother in a new light now?”
“…Indeed, I do.”
He had no choice but to agree, but it wasn’t sincere.
‘I can already imagine him becoming arrogant, thinking he stumbled into success.’
Of course, even though he had accomplished something significant, their perception of Ian didn’t change overnight.
“Is this where we’ll be staying for a while…?”
The house itself was larger than the one she had lived in before.
It had three rooms, and just a few steps outside was a communal well.
But aside from that, the only furniture was a bed and a desk, making it feel empty.
‘The young lord said he’d come by after meeting with the lord, right?’
She could guess why he wanted to come right away.
‘Just focus on not upsetting him and think about returning home safely.’
If the rumors about the young lord were true, he would surely grow tired of her soon.
If he abandoned and forgot about her, then… she could return home.
‘Mother…’
Rimil had tried to convince her daughter to run away, but Sera refused.
Becoming a fugitive would mean a life on the run, and she couldn’t bear to put her weak mother through that.
She wanted to sacrifice herself to ensure her mother’s comfort.
Ultimately, Rimil failed to persuade her and locked herself in her room.
She was probably crying silently inside.
‘Father.’
Sera gently stroked a book that was her father’s keepsake.
She couldn’t read it because she was illiterate, but her father had treasured it like his life.
She had never missed her father as much as she did today.
Knock knock!
Just then, there was a knock at the door.
“W-who is it?”
“It’s me.”
Ian’s voice.
Sera stood up, carefully opened the door, and bowed her head.
“Y-you’re here, young lord.”
She had prepared herself, but as soon as he arrived, a wave of tension washed over her.
Unaware of her feelings, Ian looked at her attire and thought,
‘It’s cold at night, why is she dressed so lightly?’
Schrantz was cold even in the middle of summer, as if the air conditioning was cranked up.
‘Is she used to the cold since she’s not from here?’
Assuming she was accustomed to it, he glanced around the house.
“It’s so empty without furniture. I’ll have someone bring some over.”
“Huh? To our house?”
“You’re not living alone, and this is where you and your mother will stay. It’s only right.”
It would be too much for the women to move furniture back and forth.
Ian thought he was being considerate, but…
‘Ah…!’
Sera despaired.
It seemed the young lord wasn’t planning to let her go easily.
She felt tears welling up.
It was the feeling of hope slipping away.
But she couldn’t show such weakness, so she summoned superhuman strength to hold back her tears.
“Young lord, I have a request.”
“A request? What is it?”
“As I mentioned earlier, my mother is not in good health. Even if something happens to me, she needs someone to take care of her.”
She was already thinking about what might go wrong.
‘She’s preparing for the possibility that working with me might be tough. What a filial daughter.’
“Sure, that’s no problem. In fact, I’ll put it in writing.”
“R-really?”
‘It’s not a big deal for my future loyal vassal.’
With that thought, Ian firmly agreed.
“I’ll have it written up as soon as I return to the lord’s estate.”
Only then did Sera visibly relax.
“By the way, I have something for you.”
“What is it?”
Hoping it was at least something she could sell for money, what she received was…
‘…A book?’
A book.
“These are the things you’ll be learning from now on.”
“…Huh?”
“You’re illiterate, right? I’ll assign someone to teach you how to read and write. Learn as quickly as possible. You’ll need to work diligently, so study hard.”
“…Huh?”
Suddenly being told she would learn to read and write, Sera could only stare at him blankly.
“We’ll start tomorrow. I’ll give you a pass to enter the lord’s estate, so be careful not to lose it. Be at the estate by 9 a.m.”
With those final words, Ian left as if his business was done.
“…He came all this way just to deliver this?”
He could have sent a servant, but he came himself.
‘No, more importantly… nothing happened? Did I misunderstood him?’
Ian was nothing like the rumors she had heard.
Moreover, his actions just now were something even a noble wouldn’t normally do.
Sera could only stand there, dazed, for a long time.
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