Episode 10
When Ian burst out laughing, both Estella and the old butler turned their attention to him.
Then Ian said,
“Compared to the sofa, this one’s much lighter.”
“…Sorry?”
The old butler, who didn’t know the earlier conversation, looked at his master with a puzzled expression as if to say, “What are you talking about?”
But since Ian didn’t explain further, the butler turned back to focus on Estella.
“There’s no need for you to go that far.”
After thinking for a moment, Estella asked carefully,
“Do you mean… I can do it if I want to?”
The butler widened his eyes, surprised by her question. With his soft face and round eyes, he looked just like a kind baker from a children’s storybook.
“Well, yes… but are you planning to keep doing this hard work?”
“If you allow it, yes.”
“But why go that far?”
“It’s actually easier this way.”
It was all about cleaning efficiency.
With a carpet, she couldn’t spray water on the floor. That meant more dust and more time spent sweeping and wiping.
“Well, if you insist…”
The butler looked at Ian, who slowly blinked without showing any interest.
Since the master gave no objections, the butler allowed it with a dazed expression.
“Alright then, go ahead.”
“Thank you.”
“No, thank you. But if it ever gets too much, stop right away. Don’t push yourself.”
“Yes, I understand.”
With that, Ian and the butler left the mansion.
****
As soon as they stepped outside, Ian scolded the butler.
“If you’re going to jump down the stairs like that, you should stop complaining about your knees, Wilbur.”
Wilbur rubbed his elbow joint dramatically.
“Ah, you’ll see when you’re my age, young master! It’s easier to list the parts that don’t hurt!”
“That’s why I told you to be careful.”
“If you really cared, you’d let me retire!”
Ian didn’t reply. Wilbur muttered under his breath,
“Trying to squeeze every last drop out of me, huh…”
But despite his grumbling, a gentle smile stayed on Wilbur’s face.
“Still… that big thing didn’t look heavy to her at all.”
Wilbur loved to talk.
Even if no one responded, he chatted away as if he had a good conversation partner.
“Kamila brought in quite a unique lady. As someone who manages this place, I appreciate her being thorough, but… I worry she might hurt herself.”
It looked like he was going to ramble again, but surprisingly, Ian spoke up.
“Is she a friend of the former maid?”
It was the first time Ian had ever asked about a servant, so Wilbur slightly raised his eyebrows.
“Not a friend exactly… more like a savior.”
“Savior?”
Wilbur then explained what happened the day before—how Kamila got hurt and how the new maid helped her.
After listening, Ian lowered his gaze slightly.
“She rejected the invitation but asked for a job as a maid instead… Why?”
He touched his lips thoughtfully.
The way she acted during dinner was very different from other noblewomen he had met.
She didn’t try to show affection—if anything, she was guarded.
Instead of complaining about the dining room, she seemed quite pleased.
“The atmosphere is nice.”
Yes. She was nothing like the noblewomen Ian usually met.
“She even ate really well.”
She ate so well, Ian had almost felt proud of buying the meal.
That wasn’t all.
Ian recalled the bizarre moment earlier—when the baroness lifted a large carpet with ease.
“Is it because she’s from a mining region?”
The Barony of Bansen was in a mining area.
Her late husband had been a mining safety inspector. Maybe the baroness had experience with the field, too…
“No way.”
Even if they were short on workers, there’s no way they’d make a noblewoman do labor like that.
Just then, Wilbur interrupted Ian’s thoughts.
“She looks delicate, but she carried Kamila and lifted that heavy carpet like it was nothing. It’s impressive.”
Ian quietly agreed.
“They say strong mothers raise strong daughters. She seems like that kind of woman.”
Although Ian knew her circumstances, he didn’t mention that she was a widow with a child.
Then Wilbur quickly added,
“Ah, but no need to worry, young master. She may have been a baroness, but she’s good at her work.”
Wilbur assumed Ian was upset about hiring a fallen noblewoman as a maid.
“She handled all the household chores herself, even before her husband passed away.”
Ian nodded slightly.
“The Baron of Bansen had money troubles. It makes sense she took care of the house.”
“And I tested her skills myself—she’s really good. Also—”
Ian cut him off,
“That’s enough.”
Ian had no issue with hiring Estella, so he didn’t need more explanation.
They arrived at the stables just then.
The stable master had two horses ready.
Ian mounted his horse gracefully, while Wilbur struggled to climb onto his.
“Ugh… I’m too old to still be riding horses. When’s Jack coming back?”
Since Ian’s secretary Jack was away, Wilbur had to come along unwillingly.
As always, Wilbur complained non-stop.
Ian smirked.
“You talk like you’re ninety.”
“Eighty, ninety—what’s the difference…”
Muttering to himself, Wilbur urged his horse to follow Ian.
“Young master, I’m definitely retiring next year!”
****
Later, while Ian was quietly drinking tea, a man burst into the room.
“Oh no, I’m late again, aren’t I?”
Looking over the man’s slipping glasses and the heavy bags in both hands, Ian smiled calmly.
“It’s nothing new.”
“You never say ‘no,’ do you? Haha.”
This man was a broker. He connected people with ideas but no money to people with money but no ideas.
“I’ve brought projects that will interest Lord Wyndham.”
He fixed his glasses and pulled out several documents from his bag.
“If you’re just going by popularity, these are the top choices. But I know you don’t like trendy investments. Still, just in case—here they are.”
The files included:
- A technique to make high-quality steel cheaply
- Construction projects using that steel
- Synthetic dyes
- Cooling technologies
- A repeating firearm
As the broker said, these were clearly money-makers.
But Ian, uninterested, set the documents aside.
The broker chuckled.
“I figured you’d say that.”
Ian preferred hidden gems—promising but overlooked ideas.
Knowing this, the broker handed over a second stack of documents.
This time, Ian’s gaze sharpened slightly.
“What about competition?”
“These aren’t attracting attention. Except for one: the ‘internal combustion engine.’ Even that one’s losing investors who prefer steam power.”
“Perfect.”
“These ideas seem useless now, but you and I can see their potential.”
“So… will you invest in them all?”
Ian looked through the files again.
They were good…
But something was missing.
“Nothing really grabs me.”
He wanted something more bold, more direct—something groundbreaking.
As he scanned the documents, Ian suddenly asked in a calm tone,
“Have you heard anything about the Bansen family?”
“The Bansen family?”
The broker raised an eyebrow.
“Didn’t think you were still interested in them.”
Truthfully, Ian still couldn’t forget Baron Bansen’s research.
But Ian wasn’t the type to long for lost causes. The baron was dead. Wishing wouldn’t bring him back or revive his work.
So why ask?
Because of the baron’s wife.
He’d now met her twice… and she was hard to forget.
