His expression was serious, and he looked somewhat uneasy as he bit his fingertips and paced the terrace. Riccardo’s eyes narrowed at her incomprehensible behavior.
*’It seems my lady was very shocked.’*
The words he had heard from Ernhart came back to him, and his gaze unconsciously fell to her wrist. He could see a white bandage wrapped around her wrist and the back of her hand. He had heard from Yan that a doctor had come and treated her, but seeing the bandage on her wrist made him feel something akin to displeasure.
He drained the rest of the wine in his glass and turned to go back inside. At that moment, he met her gaze. She was stretching just then, and her eyes happened to look up at the floor where he was.
“Ah…”
She slowly lowered her stretched arm and hid her bandaged hand with the other one. Whether she wanted to quickly get out of this awkward situation or was embarrassed that he had been watching her, her expression was extremely flustered.
“Ah, hello, Duke.”
She smiled awkwardly and gestured toward her room with her hand. “The air felt a bit stuffy, so I came out for a bit, but I’m heading back in now. Well then.”
Like she had remembered his earlier words to stay out of his sight in the mansion, Kayla quickly darted inside. He let out a small, sigh-like breath, looking at the empty terrace where she had just been. She was a woman who was at times utterly cunning, and at others unbelievably clumsy.
—
The next morning, Ena brought breakfast to my room, saying I still needed to be careful. I sat by the window, about to have a cup of warm tea, when the morning scenery of the mansion came into view.
The industrious gardener pruning branches and the busy kitchen maids carrying ingredients looked no different from any other estate. However, the sight of men clashing swords and shields in the training ground a little further away caught my attention.
*They’re all so handsome. I guess they recruit based on looks.*
A satisfied smile formed on my face as I ate breakfast, watching the powerful men. As I chewed on my bread, a polite cough sounded from behind me.
“!”
I turned and saw Yan standing there with an awkward expression. “I knocked several times, but you didn’t seem to hear me. Since you are in the middle of a meal, I will come back in a little while.”
As he turned to leave, I quickly swallowed my bread and said, “Ah, I was just thinking about something.” I straightened my body, which had been turned toward the training ground, and in a dignified voice, as if I hadn’t been watching anything at all, I asked, “What brings you to me this early in the morning?”
He presented a thick ledger bound in red leather. “It’s the account ledger. While Gary, the aide, handles the overall accounting for the ducal house, the expenses for the estate itself have been separately recorded in this ledger. As you are now the lady of the house, I had it prepared for you in case you were curious.”
Even though he knew I was an unrecognized figurehead, Yan was as diligent in his duties as he was in the original novel. Reporting on the funds managed by the lady of the house was one of his natural and important duties. My ears perked up at the mention of a ledger I could manage myself.
“Oh, I see. That’s good.”
I quickly wiped away my flustered expression and naturally took the thick ledger he had presented. It felt like I had discovered an unexpected treasure trove.
The original novel came to mind. Kayla had complained that just looking at such a ledger gave her a headache, briefly glanced at it, and never looked at it again. Saying it would be better for someone knowledgeable in accounting to manage it as they always had, she returned the ledger. I had seen Yan accept it without hesitation and had passed over the scene without much thought, assuming it was a normal custom among noblewomen.
But the situation was different now. If I was going to prepare for a divorce from Riccardo, I had to scrape together every last bit of change. Since this was money that was originally given to the lady of the house, couldn’t I use it to prepare for the future, depending on what I did?
“Thank you. I’ll examine it carefully and call you again if I have any questions.”
“Yes. I will inform Dalton, the one who managed the ledger until now, to brief you in detail.”
“Ah, you said there was a separate person who managed it. Understood.”
I slowly nodded, stroking the soft leather.
“I will take my leave then.”
He bowed respectfully and was about to leave when I remembered something truly important and called him back. “Wait. The imperial hunting competition will be held soon, won’t it?”
My question seemed unexpected. He paused for a moment, looking into the distance, then nodded. “Yes. It’s held around this time every year. Now that you mention it…”
Yan turned his head to look out the window. He was looking toward the training grounds that I had been watching earlier. “It must be true, as Sir Ernhart has been looking busy lately. He’s in charge of the hunting competition preparations every year.” As he spoke, he was eagerly searching for someone. As soon as I heard the name, I too got up from my seat and walked to his side. Yan was so focused on finding him that he didn’t even notice I was beside him.
“He’s somewhere on the training grounds, isn’t he?”
My voice, right next to him, made Yan jump. He bowed and took a step back. “Ah. Yes, my lady. He must be somewhere over there, but I can’t seem to see him.”
Now that I thought about it, I had never properly seen Ernhart, who was a major character in the original novel. My eyes were filled with curiosity, and I joined Yan in searching for a man who resembled him.
“Ah! There he is.”
I followed Yan’s pointing finger and saw him near the fence, not on the training ground. Though he was quite far from the terrace, I knew it was him at a single glance. He was the only person with such a tall stature and short, mysterious sky-blue hair.
“Before I look around the mansion, I should meet the people of the Duke’s house first,” I muttered to myself, staring intently at Ernhart.
—
After a leisurely breakfast, I headed to the spot I had been eyeing earlier.
