MPAWD 39

Chapter 39

“But why isn’t Harry here?”

At today’s meal, Harry’s seat was empty.

“That boy has an upset stomach. Don’t worry about him and just eat,” said Count Raiford.

Lucy felt a pang of guilt as she remembered Harry devouring all the leftover ice cream earlier that day.

‘Did he overeat because of me…?’

After the meal, Lucy headed to the kitchen.

“Milady, what brings you to the kitchen?”

The head chef greeted her with a warm, friendly smile.

“I heard that Master Harry has an upset stomach. Is there any food or tea that might help him feel better?”

“Oh my, how kind of you! Master Harry does tend to get an upset stomach quite often. But if you leave him be, he’ll be running around as usual by tomorrow. No need to worry so much, ha ha!”

The chef waved his hand as if it were a routine matter and laughed.

“If you insist on worrying, I can prepare a tea brewed with herbs that are good for upset stomachs.”

Seeing Lucy’s still-concerned expression, the chef reluctantly agreed to make the tea.

“If you tell me what goes in it, I can do it myself!” Lucy offered.

“Oh no, don’t worry! I’ll take it to Master Harry myself,” the chef said, gently nudging Lucy back toward her room.

Lucy ascended to her room, trying to push aside her guilt.

As she settled in to rest, there was a knock at the door.

Opening it, she found Hayris standing there.

“I heard you made the chef prepare tea for me? I can’t believe it—this is the first time the chef has done something like this for me! He usually only scolds me whenever he sees me. Ha ha!”

Hayris scratched his head, laughing cheerfully.

“Did you drink it? Are you feeling any better now?” Lucy asked.

Hayris furrowed his brows.

“I never want to taste that again—ugh! But since you prepared it for me, I drank it all. Did I do well?”

Clearly unimpressed with the taste, he stuck out his tongue and made a dramatically sour face.

Lucy found it adorable and let out a small giggle.

“Ugh… Lucy, you should rest! I have something urgent and need to go…”

Suddenly, Hayris’s face turned pale. He clutched his stomach and ran toward his room.

Lucy watched his retreating figure with worry before closing the door behind him.

Lucy was gradually adapting to life at the Raiford estate.

She had thought the Raifords were just another noble family running a trade guild, but they actually managed the largest guild in the Duchy of Cretain.

Members of the Raiford household were frugal and unpretentious, interacting casually with the staff, unlike most nobles.

‘Are these the people they call “noble in spirit”?’ Lucy thought.

She was slowly soaking in their kind hospitality.

But the world rarely leaves good people alone.

Several months after Lucy had arrived, as evening approached, the estate suddenly became chaotic.

Curious, Lucy went outside with Mrs. Meriel.

Uniformed officials had gathered in front of the estate. A man of apparent high rank was showing Count Raiford some documents.

Everyone in the household, including Lucy and Mrs. Meriel, held their breath, sensing the severity of the situation.

“Arrest the Earl immediately and search the house!”

Before the words had even left his mouth, soldiers bound the Count and dragged him away. More soldiers stormed the house.

The staff’s shouts and screams filled the estate, turning it into utter chaos.

“Valencia, what is the meaning of this? Why are they taking my son?!”

“It’s probably nothing serious. Don’t worry too much… O-Oh, Mother! Please stay conscious, Mrs. Meriel! Try to stay with us!”

Mrs. Meriel, who had been anxiously watching the events, finally fainted from shock.

After the storm passed, Lucy only left Mrs. Meriel’s room upon hearing from the doctor that she had stabilized.

She needed to understand the situation first.

“May, perfect timing! Has the Count returned yet?” Lucy asked a passing maid.

“Master Hayris went to the town guard to get details. I can’t believe this… Our Count is a man who usually does as he pleases without law!”

The maid stomped her feet in frustration, pouting.

Lucy anxiously questioned the staff throughout the day, but Hayris, who had gone to the guard, did not return until late at night.

The next day.

When Hayris still hadn’t returned by morning, the butler in charge of the estate went to the guard.

When he finally returned, his expression was grim.

“Sir has been arrested on smuggling charges. They also imprisoned Master Harry, suspecting him as an accomplice for protesting….”

At the shocking news, the Countess began to sob.

“It’s better not to tell Mrs. Meriel. If she finds out that Master Harry was also arrested, it will surely shock her even more!”

Taking Lucy’s advice, the Countess gathered the staff, explained the situation, and ordered them to keep Harry’s arrest a secret from Mrs. Meriel.

“Valencia, is Harry still sleeping in late?”

“No, Mother. He left early this morning; the guild has a lot of work. He’ll be busy for a while,” Lucy said, offering a prepared excuse.

Mrs. Meriel seemed calm, as if she had forgotten the trauma of seeing Count Raiford arrested the day before.

‘Maybe it’s a blessing that her memory isn’t entirely reliable…’

The Count was always busy with guild affairs, so Lucy said he hadn’t returned because of work.

Days passed, and even after three days, the Raifords were still not released.

On the fourth day:

“Countess, um…”

“Lucy? What is it?”

As the Countess left the estate to visit Count Raiford, Lucy approached cautiously.

“Can I come with you?”

“Of course. Seeing you will surely cheer Harry up.”

Lucy hesitated, but the Countess smiled warmly.

However, upon reaching the underground prison where the guards held them, Lucy froze at the sight of the Count and Hayris.

Even from a distance, it was clear they had been through brutal treatment.

“My dear! Harry… ugh…”

The Countess, who had gone down first, began wailing upon seeing them behind bars.

Lucy couldn’t bring herself to look closely, hiding at the stair entrance.

‘If I go too close, it’ll only be disrespectful…’

She lingered at the stairs without even greeting them, and when the Countess returned, staggering from shock, Lucy helped her back to the estate.

Back in her room, Lucy paced anxiously, thinking.

The guards had already treated Count Raiford and Hayris as guilty.

Yet, they had refused to confess, enduring harsh torture.

“Lucas might think it’s shameless, but considering all the kindness I’ve received from the Raifords, I can’t just watch this happen! I don’t know if this will work, but I have to try something!”

Determined, Lucy decided to do what little she could to help.

She retrieved the brooch she had secretly kept from Lucas.

Following Lucas’s instructions, she planned to go to the constabulary, show the brooch, and ask him to relay her message to the Duke.

“If that doesn’t work, I’ll have to send a letter directly to the Duke!”

Lucy knew it was bold and shameless, but she felt it was the only option left.