Chapter 09
“What’s wrong, Jerome? Do you know her? She doesn’t look like she’s from this village.”
Completely clueless, Meria just shrugged. But Jerome’s face had gone pale—unlike his usual self. He was reminded of something he’d seen a few days ago.
A mysterious man had secretly visited the mill his parents ran. A well-dressed, middle-aged man who had offered a handful of glittering gold coins in exchange for grinding a few sacks of grain.
‘I’m sure… After the man left, Dad said he worked at that new mansion and was running errands for some noble family. The grain was so high-quality, he said you’d never find anything like it around here…’
And now, here in the present—the very same man stood at a distance behind the little girl, his expression grim and severe.
Not only that, but beside him stood a knight in a sharply pressed uniform, a sword hanging at his waist.
‘Jerome, don’t even think about pulling your usual pranks. I heard that guy’s a butler working for a noble from the capital. If you mess up, you could get dragged away by scary soldiers!’
As soon as his eyes met the knight’s, Jerome remembered his father’s strict warning.
He quickly stepped back and whispered to Meria.
“H-Hey… that guy behind the kid. He’s… the butler from that new mansion.”
“W-What?”
Meria flinched too.
While there were plenty of romantic rumors about the mansion, there were just as many unsettling ones about the mysterious noble family living there.
The two kids who had been so bold in front of Miela just moments ago suddenly shrank down in fear.
“How dare they treat Miela like a thief.”
Meanwhile, Istin muttered with a look of disbelief. He had seen clearly how Miela was being cornered and misunderstood just moments ago.
“Wait, who do you think you are, butting in like this—”
Meria was about to lash out, but Jerome quickly stopped her, his voice low and urgent.
“Keep your voice down, Meria! Isn’t it obvious? That kid’s from the mansion too. If he’s not one of those fancy nobles the adults talk about, then who is he?”
“Wait… are you saying he’s a noble?”
Istin flinched slightly but answered with a straight face.
“…Of course not. I’m not a noble.”
If Miela hadn’t been watching, he might’ve given those two a proper scolding so they’d never pull such petty tricks again. But he held back.
“What? If you’re not a noble, then who do you think you are, acting all high and mighty? What a joke.”
The moment she heard he wasn’t a noble, Meria snapped back to her usual brash self. But Istin simply smiled faintly.
“But the young master I serve is a noble.”
“Y-Young master?”
“Yep. And that young master happens to be quite fond of Miela.”
By now, Istin had grown accustomed to selling the idea of a fictional young master.
Well, it wasn’t exactly a lie, so maybe it was fine.
“What?!”
It wasn’t just Meria and Jerome who reacted. Even Miela pointed at herself in shock.
“N-No way! The young master l-likes me?”
“Yes.”
Istin nodded, and Miela flustered.
“B-But why? I’ve never even met him.”
“I told him about you. He said you seemed like an interesting girl.”
“Is that… really true?”
A flush of color returned to Miela’s cheeks.
Meria and Jerome, meanwhile, scowled.
“No way. How could some fancy young master like a shabby, ragged girl like her?”
“Seriously. It doesn’t make sense. You’re just lying to protect her, aren’t you?”
Istin just shrugged.
“Believe what you want. The important thing is, I’m here under the young master’s orders to fetch Miela. He invited her again today for lunch at the mansion.”
“What?! Miela was really invited to the mansion?”
Their eyes widened in disbelief.
“Of course. Even the clothes you two accused her of stealing—those were a gift to her. Right, Mr. Butler?”
Istin turned toward the butler behind him.
The butler, who had been quietly observing the situation, gave a solemn nod.
“Indeed. I guarantee it on my honor.”
“No way…”
Meria and Jerome stared at each other, dumbfounded.
Meanwhile, Istin turned to Miela and smiled as he extended his hand.
“Well, looks like the misunderstanding is cleared up. Shall we go, Miela? It’s almost lunchtime.”
“Y-Yeah!”
Miela took Istin’s hand, her cheeks slightly flushed.
‘This is the first time I’ve had someone on my side since Mom passed away.’
She had always been alone. Even when Meria, Jerome, and the village kids mocked and teased her, not a single person stepped up to defend her.
She had always wished that even one person would ask her if she was okay. Never in her wildest dreams did she expect that wish to come true so suddenly.
‘Maybe Istin… is an angel that Mom sent from heaven to answer my wish.’
Meanwhile, Meria, who had been blankly staring at the two children walking away with their loyal knight and butler, suddenly burst out.
“Ugh! This is ridiculous! What makes that dirt-covered rat so special that she gets invited by a noble?”
“Seriously. I wish I could visit that mansion too… Maybe I should’ve been nicer to Miela. Then I might’ve gotten invited… Ugh.”
Jerome muttered under his breath, poking at the dirt with his toe. Meria snapped.
“Are you kidding me, Jerome? Don’t you have any pride? You were gonna cozy up to her?”
“Tch, can’t you take a joke? It’s not like I was planning to grovel to her or anything.”
But Meria fired back, clearly still annoyed.
“Oh, please. You were just about ready to crawl on the ground and beg, ‘Please take me too!’ weren’t you?”
“What?! Say that again?”
“I will! And I’m gonna tell the others, too. That Jerome here actually wanted to be friends with Miela. What a perfect pair! Hmph!”
Meria dashed off toward the village, shouting her mockery.
Jerome’s face turned tomato red as he chased after her.
“Hey! That’s not true!”
A crack had formed in the fragile alliance between the two who had once united in teasing Miela.
Once inside the mansion, Miela was guided to a different room than before and once again stood in awe.
“W-Where is this place…?”
A chandelier as grand as the one in the lobby hung from the ceiling, and a long, luxurious table filled the center of the room.
With her limited imagination, Miela guessed that it was where nobles gathered to talk.
‘What was it called again? A s-salon?’
But the answer she got from Titi was completely different.
“This is the dining room.”
“What? This huge room is a dining room?”
The only dining place Miela knew was Aunt Nancy’s inn in the middle of the village.
There, only two tables sat in a cramped space, and even then, each barely fit four adults.
But this long table alone seemed three times bigger than Nancy’s entire restaurant.
‘It’s big enough to feed the whole village! Does Titi eat here every day? With the butler, the head maid, the knight, and… the young master?!’
But even if everyone in the mansion gathered, they wouldn’t fill half the table.
Then, Miela understood.
‘It must feel less lonely with even just one more person here.’
Oblivious to her thoughts, Istin tilted his head.
“I’ve never thought it was that big… I mean, it’s in case there are lots of guests.”
He hastily added that last part, worried she might think he was bragging.
Of course, no guests were ever going to visit this retreat. It was just a regular (well, overly fancy) dining table with the duke’s crest.
“Oh, I see. But today, I’m the only guest.”
“Even one guest is enough. Go ahead, have a seat.”
“Okay.”
Before long, a grand feast was laid out before Miela. Even more dishes than yesterday.
“Mm, it’s delicious!”
“Glad to hear it. Don’t eat too fast—you’ll get a tummy ache.”
Watching Miela enjoy her meal, Istin’s heart warmed like a hearth.
But the peace didn’t last long.
Suddenly, the hallway grew noisy, and hurried footsteps echoed closer. Then, the dining room doors burst open—and the head maid shouted:
“The Madam has arrived!”
