Chapter 13
“Anyway, now, seriously, do something about it.”
Do something? Like what?
And could she even do anything?
Erika couldn’t grasp the situation at all. She just bit her lip and didn’t answer.
“It would’ve been nice if you handled it before I even had to bring it up.”
Letting out loud, exaggerated sighs as if to make sure Erika heard, Bonpiju looked around again.
After confirming that none of the knights were paying attention to them, she shot Erika a sharp glance.
“You acted like this back at the Marquis’ estate too. Are you going to keep being this clueless even here at the Grand Duke’s residence?”
The small but sharp scolding made Erika flinch.
Bonpiju was cunning enough to stab precisely at what Erika was most anxious about right now.
She knew better than anyone what Erika, the nanny’s daughter who had always lived cautiously at the Marquis’ estate, was like.
The child, who had been disliked by everyone there after getting on the real young lady’s bad side, had always wanted to prove her worth.
Her nature of not wanting to be hated wouldn’t easily change, no matter where she was.
And as expected, Bonpiju’s malicious guess was right on target.
Gulp.
Erika swallowed hard and answered weakly.
“Ah, today… I’ll bring it up with the Young Lord…”
“Be sweet about it, and speak nicely, okay?”
Erika nodded timidly and turned her body away, almost lifelessly.
Bonpiju watched her with a smug look.
Honestly, she still wasn’t sure if this would work or not.
But one thing was certain: it was far more likely to succeed coming from Erika than if she did it herself.
‘That girl has a way of making people feel sorry for her.’
And even if the Grand Duke’s son rejected the request, the blame would fall on Erika for asking, not her. Bonpiju would stay completely off the hook.
But there was one thing Bonpiju didn’t know.
It was Erika’s true feelings.
‘How should I wiggle my way out of this?’
In truth, Erika had no intention whatsoever of giving in to the head maid’s demand.
Sure, Bonpiju was scary.
But Erika knew better than anyone that this wasn’t the Marquis’ estate anymore.
In other words, Bonpiju’s influence wasn’t as strong here.
No one had told Erika how much farther they had to go to reach the Grand Duke’s residence.
But whatever the case, she had no intention of giving up this rare moment of peace with her own hands.
Still, to avoid Bonpiju’s suspicion, she had to at least pretend she was trying.
Erika started to turn her small head, scanning her surroundings.
The knights were all busily carrying out their duties, looking as though they were well used to this.
Some were lighting fires, others were gathering firewood, and some were drawing water.
Then, not far away, she spotted Sebastian talking seriously with Milord.
Gulp.
Erika swallowed again.
Sebastian was someone whose mere presence made people tense up.
Thump, thump, thump, thump!
Trying hard to calm her fast-beating heart and shaky breathing, Erika quietly took a step toward him.
Noticing her approach, the two men stopped their conversation.
Two pairs of eyes immediately turned to her, making Erika’s steps freeze as well.
“Um…”
Sebastian asked indifferently.
“What is it?”
Milord glanced around, then politely bowed and stepped back.
“Please, the two of you, continue your conversation comfortably.”
Sebastian openly scanned Erika from head to toe.
The girl, whose only resemblance to the Marquis was her bright red hair, was always too busy reading the mood.
Sebastian never approached her unnecessarily, as she seemed to fear him too much.
Even though they were technically married on paper, that was all it was—a document relationship.
He had no real business with her, no intention of getting close, and certainly no desire to entertain her.
And now, she was the one approaching him?
He raised one eyebrow, clearly surprised.
Meanwhile, under the cold gaze of those crimson eyes, Erika’s lips went dry.
Her tightly clasped hands held together as if grabbing onto a lifeline.
“I… I have something to say.”
“What is it?”
“Well… The head maid wants to ride in the carriage with me.”
At that moment, Sebastian’s thick, straight brows furrowed.
For Erika, who had lived her life reading others’ moods, it wasn’t hard to catch the sudden change in atmosphere.
“Hey. Wasn’t that matter settled when we left—”
“Of course! You haven’t changed your mind, right? R-right?”
Erika hurriedly cut in.
Too nervous, she only realized after the fact that she had interrupted Sebastian mid-sentence and immediately made a panicked face.
‘What if he gets mad at me for interrupting?’
As a noble lady, she had been strictly taught back at the Marquis’ estate to always listen when others were speaking.
‘No matter how urgent I felt, I shouldn’t have forgotten that!’
Erika felt like she could almost cry from how foolish she was acting.
‘Hopefully… He won’t suspect me just over this?’
Not being a natural liar, even this small slip-up made Erika anxious.
As she cautiously glanced at Sebastian’s expression—
“…?”
Contrary to her worries, Sebastian didn’t seem particularly offended.
If anything, he looked like he was full of curiosity while watching her.
Just as Erika suspected.
Sebastian was starting to find this conversation very strange.
‘Why did she say it like that?’
He recalled Erika’s exact words when she first approached him:
“The head maid wants to ride in the carriage with me.”
If Erika herself wanted to ride with the head maid, she wouldn’t have phrased it that way.
She would’ve said something like, “I want to ride with the head maid,” or whined that she was uncomfortable without her.
But Erika’s statement clearly lacked her own opinion. It was obviously someone else’s demand.
Sebastian’s gaze shifted slightly upward, landing on the head maid from the Marquis’ household who was watching them from a distance, anxiously observing the atmosphere here.
The moment their eyes met, the maid jumped in surprise and hurriedly looked away like a criminal caught in the act.
Sebastian’s lips curled into a slanted smirk.
‘Feels like their power dynamic is… reversed.’
Well, Milord had been tasked with investigating, so he’d learn more soon enough.
Letting out a light sigh, Sebastian turned his attention back to Erika and asked,
“Can’t you handle it on your own?”
Erika instantly understood what he meant.
After a brief stare into those red eyes boring into her, she lowered her head and avoided his gaze.
Her fingers, clasped tightly together, intertwined nervously.
She took a small breath, then, barely audible, she murmured,
“…Not yet.”
Well, well.
A gleam flashed in Sebastian’s crimson eyes.
What a cheeky little thing.
His internal evaluation of Erika gained one more point.
Sebastian narrowed his eyes as he stared at her again.
‘Considering how hard she begged to be saved, their relationship doesn’t seem that great.’
In a way, this wasn’t uncommon.
In noble households where the mistress was absent, head maids often held real power.
Since the Marquis hadn’t remarried, it was likely the head maid had wielded more influence over Erika at the estate.
Sebastian deliberately let out a low “Hmm.”
Even as he did so, his red eyes continued to observe Erika carefully.
It was the gaze of someone judging her abilities.
‘Let’s test her.’
For now, he could help her out of goodwill.
But if things like this kept happening, he knew he’d just end up annoyed later.
To prevent that, Sebastian decided to probe Erika’s current mindset.
With one corner of his mouth lifting into a crooked smile, he asked,
“So… does that mean you’ll be able to handle it, given a little time?”
