RYEHC | Ch 10

Episode 10

“Lotte, is it true that you told our guest how he could help with chores?”

Celeia stood before the child with a serious expression.

It wasn’t actually scary at all, but she was trying her best to look strict.

“Umm… yeah. That was me.”

Lotte rolled her eyes a bit, then nodded.

Even though Celeia’s scolding face wasn’t frightening to anyone else, it always worked on Lotte.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Raska. Lotte made a mistake. I’ll make sure she apologizes properly.”

Celeia bowed her head slightly to him.

“Oh, no, please—there’s no need for that. I was the one who offered to help, my lady,” Raska quickly spoke up, flustered, as if defending Lotte.

But Celeia still looked firmly at the girl.

There was a lot of work to do around the manor, and not enough people.

Sometimes, day laborers were hired, but most of the time, they just left things undone until someone eventually had the time.

But this man they had brought back wasn’t a hired worker.

Celeia had decided to let him stay, which meant he was a guest.

“Lotte, Mr. Raska isn’t someone we paid to work. You can’t make someone do chores without paying them fairly.”

Celeia explained firmly.

But Lotte’s eyes lit up with a new idea.

“…Then, can’t we just hire him?”

“What?”

Celeia blinked in shock, but Lotte’s green eyes were already glowing with determination.

Celeia knew that look. It meant the girl was about to dig in her heels and not let go.

“Last week, Sir Maximilian was supposed to retire, but he still hasn’t. That’s because there’s no one to protect Cheringen, right?”

“Well…”

Celeia, terrible at lying, couldn’t answer “no” right away.

Lotte turned her gaze toward Raska.

“It’d be nice if Raska became the next captain of the guards.”

“Uh, well…”

Raska’s eyes darted around awkwardly.

“Esperote.”

Celeia finally called her by her full name instead of her nickname.

That was rare—and serious. Lotte shrank back a little under her mother’s stern look.

“Apologize for putting our guest in an uncomfortable spot.”

“…I’m sorry, Raska.”

“It’s fine, young lady. I really do appreciate your suggestion.”

Raska said kindly, trying to soothe her.

“Then, my lady, I’ll go bring these curtains to Miss Vera,” he added quickly, excusing himself and leaving with good timing.

As soon as he was gone, Celeia spoke again.

“Lotte, Mr. Raska is a guest here. He feels like he owes us a debt already. Asking him for favors like that will only make him uncomfortable.”

“…But Raska’s a good person. He plays with me and tells me lots of fun stories.”

Lotte insisted.

She wasn’t wrong.

Raska’s cheeky but honest personality could catch people off guard, but he didn’t seem like a bad man at all.

“I know that too, Lotte. I’m grateful to him. And because he’s such a good person, I don’t want to make him feel burdened.”

Celeia’s voice softened, but Lotte’s gloomy little frown didn’t go away. Her small hands twisted her skirt anxiously.

“And also…”

She hesitated, lips twitching like she wasn’t sure if she should say it. Then suddenly, she blurted out:

“Mom, you and Raska look good together.”

“…What?”

Celeia stared blankly, wondering if she had heard right.

“Raska’s kind to you. And he’s handsome, tall, smart—so he probably knows a lot about books too. If you spend more time together, maybe you’ll even like each other…”

“So you want to hire Raska just because of that?”

Celeia’s tone carried disbelief.

He wasn’t only kind to her—he was kind to everyone.

Still, even while keeping a stern face, she couldn’t help but find her daughter’s little scheme kind of cute.

“I just think… Raska seems like someone you need, Mom.”

Lotte’s voice trailed off as she dropped her gaze, looking downcast.

Celeia’s heart softened completely.

‘She’s just worrying about me again.’

But it wasn’t right.

Lotte was her daughter, someone Celeia had to care for—not the other way around.

“Lotte, all I need is you.”

She spoke gently now.

Still, Lotte looked reluctant.

“But… the chances of you two liking each other—”

“Well, that’s about as likely as catching a wild bear from the mountains.”

Celeia teased, lightly tapping her daughter’s nose.

The mountains nearby were steep and dangerous.

The big animals there rarely came down, and hunting them was risky.

Even Maximilian had only ever brought back smaller game like pheasants, pigeons, or deer.

“So don’t worry about silly things. Go on inside. Wash your hands and have a snack. I’ll join you soon.”

Celeia nudged her daughter softly on the back.

Reluctantly, Lotte started walking.

The dry wind whistled across the barren land.

She sniffed the dusty air, even catching a faint metallic scent of blood, and shivered a little.

“But if it’s not Raska… then there’s no other way…”

She muttered, her small voice swallowed by the crunch of her footsteps on the dry earth.

It was spring.

Celeia found herself standing in a strange place.

‘A dream? Where am I?’

Looking around, the architecture was oddly familiar.

Then she remembered—this was the imperial palace.

‘Why am I here? I left that place long ago…’

Her eyes darted across the grand halls, elegant decorations, fountains, and well-kept gardens.

This wasn’t the 4th prince’s palace where she used to live—this was much bigger and fancier.

This had to be the Emperor’s own palace.

She reached for the book lying on her lap, but paused.

Her hand looked thinner, frailer than she remembered.

Confused, she closed the book. Crack—! A branch snapped underfoot somewhere behind her.

She turned her head and froze.

‘Raska?’

It was him—dressed in fine clothes, looking colder and more tired than usual, but definitely him.

She stared, speechless.

He, too, was staring blankly at her. Then he finally spoke.

“…What’s your name?”

The moment she heard that question, Celeia jolted awake.

“…What a weird dream.”

She murmured to herself, blinking up at the ceiling.

She had fallen asleep after putting Lotte to bed, enjoying a rare evening nap.

No doubt the dream was triggered by the things Lotte had said earlier.

‘Raska and the palace… those don’t match at all… Well, actually, they kind of do.’

The thought slipped into her head. His looks, his manners—disciplined yet elegant—he could’ve fit right in among nobles.

She remembered the faint scent of him when he’d brushed past her earlier in the day.

Celeia shivered slightly.

The room felt cool—her window was still open.

‘It’s late already. I’ll just close the window and go back to sleep.’

She got up, walked over, and just as she reached for the window, she heard wheels rolling outside.

Carriages, horses, and the sound of escorts marching alongside.

At this late hour, such an arrival wasn’t unfamiliar.

Celeia blinked slowly, as if reality had just knocked on her door.

“I can’t believe I almost forgot about this.”

Her drifting thoughts settled into clarity.

‘Sir Devonshire must’ve gone home already. I’ll have Elaine watch the front gates…’

She was still thinking when a soft knock came at her bedroom door.

Or rather, a small voice pretending to knock:

“Knock, knock.”

Celeia immediately knew who it was.

Smiling, she walked over and turned the handle.

Standing there, as expected, was her precious daughter.