Chapter 112

Chapter 112

Huh? Better? What does that mean? The pilot project’s already showing results?

I stared at her, thoroughly puzzled. She, brimming with excitement, started pouring out details I hadn’t even asked for.

“There’s something going on at your family’s house, Miss, and thanks to it, there’s a bit of cash trickling down. It’s created some jobs, and the government sent more patrols here. Those patrols watch over not just around your place but this whole neighborhood, too. That’s why there hasn’t been a single thief around here lately.”

“Really? That’s news to me.”

Oh! Our house actually has that kind of influence now!

Suddenly, I recalled the break-in at the mansion before we moved. It had forced us siblings to relocate. But from what the lady said, it seemed we might no longer have to worry about such things. The only catch was the three-year condition. I opened my mouth, sounding regretful.

“But I heard the project pulls out after three years? So it’s a temporary peace, unavoidable.”

“No, no. They said the patrols will stay. The numbers might go down, but they won’t get rid of them entirely. Honestly, we had some security before, but it was lacking, wasn’t it? Patchy, too.”

She waved her hands, dismissing the idea. If that was true, I found myself thinking about buying the mansion back. No matter what anyone said, that house was the ancestral home of House Highen. Having us siblings gather there again would be a joy, surely.

“Anyway, that house. Some noble bought it, they say — and that noble, he seems kind and genuinely clever. I’m starting to realize not all high-ranking nobles are the same.”

The innkeeper’s wife kept talking, an irrepressible smile playing at the corners of her mouth. I mirrored it back at her like a reflection. It struck me anew, a warm feeling: she was doing well.

That evening, I made do with bread for supper and rented a room at the inn. By the time I’d washed the children, it was already deep into the night. After tucking in the fourth and fifth, I went to sit by the window. Beyond the clear glass, thick starlight spilled over the familiar skyline of our old neighborhood.

“Noona, you’re not sleeping?”

Ren came up beside me, arms crossed, and asked.

“Not yet.”

I glanced back at the second eldest as I answered. Then, on impulse, I grabbed hold of him.

“Ren… about our house…”

“What about it?”

“Who do you think bought it?”

The question had been circling my mind for a while. But Ren just shrugged, clearly unimpressed.

“How should I know? Why? Do you think you know who it is?”

“Well… it’s just my guess, but I think the Duke bought it.”

“What? Why? Why would he?”

His voice shot up, genuinely bewildered. Then he stared at me, as if demanding an explanation.

“Remember when the Duke came to the Highen Mansion and had to rush back to his manor? He sent someone to find a buyer for the place. But since it was a proxy who showed up, we never even saw the real new owner’s face, right? Doesn’t it feel… plausible? Like it fits?”

“…No, noona.”

“Right! And there’s more! I once saw welfare project documents on the Duke’s desk at work. And look — the Highen Mansion is running a welfare project now? See, it all clicks into place!”

“Hold on, noona. What I meant was — why would *he* buy our house?”

Ren furrowed one brow as he added. I couldn’t give him a proper answer. I had an inkling, but saying it out loud felt somehow embarrassing. So I scratched my cheek, a little sheepish, and let out a vague murmur.

“Well… maybe he’s got… goodwill toward me?”

“…Huh?”

“So he wants to do something nice for me?”

“…Are you serious?”

“Yeah, I think so?”

“It’s either yes or no — what’s this ‘I think so’?”

“I just can’t be sure. He might’ve only planned the welfare project and someone else really bought the house…”

“No, that’s not it…”

The second sibling let out a breath that could only mean exasperation. He pressed his fingers hard into his brow, wincing slightly. Then he slowly lifted his eyes to meet mine. Ren’s expression had already turned surprisingly serious.

“I think I know, but let me ask one thing. Do you like the Duke, Noona?”

“…Hmm… Does it seem that way? I can’t figure out how everyone already knows… In Cuvershaiden, the ladies-in-waiting knew, the butler knew, even the ghosts knew. At this rate, my cat will know soon, too.”

I spoke as if I was just rambling. Because if I honestly poured out everything in my heart, I felt like my face would just burst. But unlike me, who had turned into a burning hot potato, Ren’s expression just stayed hard.

“Then… don’t marry him.”

“Huh?”

“Sorry. I know this is going to sound uncomfortable… but he’s a Duke. Nobles of that rank marry among their own kind. The Barony doesn’t have proper rights anymore, unlike before. In their world, a barony is barely even treated as nobility. I get that the Duke seems like a decent person, but it’s obvious he’ll make things hard for you.”

“Hmm… if that’s the problem…”

I could easily understand what my younger sibling was worried about. In fact, hadn’t I been wrestling with the same concerns myself until just a few days ago? Even though I liked the Duke, his position had felt burdensome. Of course, that didn’t mean I wanted to cut ties with him.

When I thought about it, maybe I’d been maintaining an ambiguous stance all this time. Because I hadn’t wanted to rack my brains over our relationship. But now, I felt ready to endure all of it. Foolishly, in this very moment.

“Don’t worry. I think I can get through it if I’m with the Duke.”

I answered with a short laugh. Then, suddenly, I missed the Duke. So I thought I should go straight to Cuvershaiden as soon as I got home. My heart was suddenly fluttering wildly.

Yeah. If I thought about it, the longer we went without seeing each other, the higher the chance we’d drift apart. If we lost contact like this, we’d each end up living separate lives. Maybe we’d even end up stuck in one place, like Lady Bandark and Luka. Naturally, I didn’t want that.

* * *

The next morning, my sibling and I took an early carriage back to our house. But as soon as I stepped down from the carriage, the Duke was standing in front of the main gate. Dressed neatly and immaculately, he looked absolutely stunning. My god. It seemed he had missed me, too. With my heart racing, I found myself running towards him before I even realized it.

“Duke!”

I stretched out both arms and grabbed hold of him.

“Lo, Laura…”

The duke called my name in a fluster, his arm slowly wrapping around my back. I shot my head up and met his deeply unsettled blue eyes.

“When did you get here, exactly?”

“At dawn…”

“Then you must have waited a while. It’s cold—you could have at least stayed in the carriage…”

“I was afraid I’d miss you if I did. Actually, I came yesterday too, but you weren’t home, so I went back and came again at dawn…”

“Yesterday? We went out somewhere yesterday. Our paths must have crossed at the wrong time.”

“We’re together now, so it’s fine.”

He raised one hand this time and brushed through my hair. His cold body temperature grazed my cheek for an instant. Only then did I feel embarrassed by my bold actions. I didn’t look back, but I knew my siblings were watching this scene too.

“You came in person… Um… you must be busy… Actually, I was planning to go to Cuvershaiden myself today…”

Feeling flustered, I tried to subtly pull away from him. But caught in the duke’s arm, my body wouldn’t budge.

“It’s fine. I’ve left the work to my capable subordinates.”

“Ah… Um, is that really okay?”

“Why wouldn’t it be? I just need to handle final command well.”

“Duke… You’re much more relaxed than when we first met. But more than that… could you let me go?”

“You flew in on your own terms, and now you want to leave on them too?”

The duke’s arm tightened. My heart immediately started racing out of control. At the same time, a hint of mischief crept in. It was because his expression as he looked at me had already turned calm again, just like usual. That made me want to see him flustered once more. So, a little childishly, I grumbled out loud.

“I’m not leaving on my own terms, you know? It was you, Duke, who sent me out of the ducal house.”

“So I came to get you. Let’s go back with me.”

He let out a small laugh. It was an unbelievably gorgeous charm offensive. I had no choice but to fold up my petty desire to be difficult and nod fervently.

“Hey! Include me in this too! Please include me!”

Just then, Roti dashed between us and hugged both me and the duke. When I turned my head toward the child, I saw Ren holding Ryan beyond her. He was looking at me with a disgusted expression. Then he slowly approached us.

“Duke, it’s cold out. Please come inside. I’ll offer you some tea. And if you haven’t eaten, I’ll prepare a meal… Before you send my sister to the ducal house, I’d like our family to have a meal together.”

She spoke. The second one’s voice came out surprisingly polite. I could feel his attitude toward the duke had softened, nothing like before. I watched Ren for a moment, then turned my gaze back to the duke.

“You’d like that? Honestly, I don’t have much to offer… but I can put my whole heart into it!”

“Then I’ll gladly accept.”

After that, we all filed into the house. Then we sat down to a meal prepared with care.

The atmosphere at the table was surprisingly gentle. It was only their second meeting, the duke and the children, yet it felt almost like a family. Even more so because Ren wasn’t grumbling like before.

In that easy atmosphere, the duke and I exchanged light talk—how had we been, that sort of thing. Before I knew it, the time to return to the ducal manor had slipped past.