Published: August 15, 2025
In that way, we were spending time together with the marquis in a fun—or rather, tense—atmosphere on the verge of an outbreak.
Time passed quickly. We gathered in the parlor, relaxing around Lisa. I sat on the soft carpet, playing with a cloth ball with Lisa. Up until then, Lisa had been happily playing, but she suddenly started to fuss—a common phenomenon for babies around evening time.
Lord Cyrus, sitting cross-legged opposite me, seemed to have the same thought. He glanced out the window and murmured, "It's almost night."
I checked the color of the sky as well.
Indeed, the view outside the window had grown quite dark before I realized it. The daytime scenery with squirrels and birds chirping had transformed into a dark forest that gave off an eerie feeling.
Holding the fussy Lisa against my chest, I muttered,
"Thomas is late..."
Yes. Thomas, who had gone out to scout the ancient city for the museum, still hadn’t returned. He left in the morning, and the ancient city was said to be nearby, yet it was already dinner time.
He was a gatekeeper guarding the entrance of Granado Castle and was fairly well-trained. Moreover, he was said to be good at walking through the forest, so I had entrusted him, but… sometimes Thomas could be a little unreliable. Even though I gave him a packed lunch at noon, he must be hungry by now. I was starting to get a bit worried.
I approached Lord Cyrus and whispered softly,
"Maybe it wasn’t good to send him alone in unfamiliar territory."
"...Dario said it wasn't a path or distance where he could get lost..."
"Shall we ask the marquis for directions again and go look for him together?"
"No, wait. That’s why we had Thomas scout ahead—it might be a trap. Let's wait a bit longer."
While we were having that conversation, suddenly a loud voice echoed through the parlor.
"Ahh, is dinner ready yet? I’m starving!"
The marquis, who had been reading quietly on the couch in the corner, tossed his book aside and shouted as if throwing a tantrum. No, this wasn’t just extreme displeasure—it was more like a jab directed at us, especially Lord Cyrus. He wanted us to feel apologetic.
I smiled warmly and replied,
"Our attendants are preparing it now. Please don’t rush them. They aren’t even familiar with this kitchen, yet they’re preparing food for such a large group."
"Ah, and it’s all because some people took the cooks and maids away!"
Ugh, hearing that...
As I shrank back, Lord Cyrus immediately glared at the marquis and silenced him, but the marquis’s anger was justified—it was the truth.
Just a while ago, I had heard that the five women present were each trained in housework like cooking and laundry and were employed as housekeepers (maids) for those tasks.
Rather, they were probably prostitutes who could do housework, brought along to have an excuse ready if anyone asked why they were there.
Even so, the fact remained that now that all the women had been taken to town by carriage, not everyone here could do housework. At first, I volunteered to be in charge of all household chores. I had been doing cooking and laundry for the Shadelan Family for years and considered myself pretty good at it.
But Tunic stopped me. "If Lady Marie did it, I don’t know what Lady Mio would say afterward," she said, and offered to take on the chores instead.
Now that I was holding a baby in both arms all the time, I honestly appreciated her offer.
Tunic wasn't a professional cook, so even if her skills were worse than the professional cooks, it was understandable.
I wanted to say that, but I probably would just get the same sarcastic reply again. Ugh.
"Haa, honestly, if this turns out bad, I can’t bear it—I’m a gourmet man, you know."
The marquis rubbed his stomach, and just then—
"Dinner is ready!"
Tunic’s voice echoed through the mansion. We all called out, "Yes!" and stood up.
The dining room in the marquis family’s villa was located in the center of the mansion.
It wasn’t very large, but there was a big table that could seat ten people. On the beautiful amber tabletop, steaming dishes were laid out tightly packed. There were many side dishes, and in the center was one huge pot. We all peered into the pot and cheered.