“It’s improper, Miss. You can’t just let this go.”
“This isn’t a matter for you to intervene in, Nanny.”
“…Pardon?”
“Know your place. Don’t try to make decisions on my behalf.”
Benjamine blinked her wide eyes.
She wasn’t the only one surprised.
The escorting knights’ gazes faltered as well.
Cecilia turned her attention to Hoffman.
Startled a beat too late, Hoffman quickly lowered his head.
“Greetings to you, Madam. I am Hoffman Taylor.”
“Sir Taylor?”
“Please, you may call me Hoffman.”
“Are you the butler?”
“I am the administrator.”
Cecilia gave a light nod and turned to the knight captain.
“Sir Willa. You and the others may now return to the grand duchy.”
Utterly confused, Willa couldn’t respond.
“Your mission was to safely bring me here. Your duty is complete. You are His Grace the Grand Duke’s knights, not my personal guards.”
“…But your husband has yet to…”
“It is uncertain when His Lordship will return, but there’s no need for all of you to wait. Do you have any particular reason to meet with him? Did His Grace give you a message to deliver? I’ve heard nothing of the sort.”
“N-No, Miss, there were no such orders.”
“Not all the knights were meant to stay here from the start. Some of you will remain, won’t you?”
“Are you sure… it’s truly alright?”
Cecilia smiled faintly and nodded.
Willa had a strange look on his face.
For him, it was a relief that Cecilia was saying this.
There was nothing left for him to do here, and he wanted to return to report the completion of his mission as soon as possible.
“Even so, Miss. Isn’t it too soon to send all the knights back…”
Benjamine interjected from the side.
Cecilia turned her gaze to her.
She looked at Benjamine steadily without a word, and Benjamine lowered her eyes and closed her mouth.
“Hoffman.”
“Yes? Yes, Miss— I mean, Madam.”
Hoffman, watching the unexpected turn of events, was dumbfounded.
He fumbled the term of address and blushed in embarrassment.
“My apologies. It’s my fault for not knowing exactly when you would arrive, Madam, which is why I couldn’t have His Lordship present.”
“His Lordship is away on official business, isn’t he?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“Attending to official matters is more important than greeting me. I don’t mind. I’m tired after the long journey. Who will show me to my room?”
Hoffman answered quickly.
“I will guide you. This way…”
Cecilia turned to the knight captain.
“I won’t see you off.”
“Yes, Miss. Do you have any message you’d like me to deliver to His Grace the Grand Duke?”
Cecilia frowned slightly as she thought.
“Just tell him I was grateful. Simply convey that I expressed my thanks to His Grace.”
“Yes, Miss.”
Cecilia took a few steps, then paused and looked back at the knight captain.
“Sir Willa.”
“Yes, Miss.”
“You’ve done a great job. Thank you.”
The former Cecilia wouldn’t have understood just how much this even-tempered knight had indulged her whims.
Willa, looking bewildered, responded.
“You flatter me, Miss. It was nothing.”
Willa had known Cecilia since she was young.
It felt as though his childish little sister had suddenly grown up overnight.
He felt both proud and, somehow, a bit regretful.
He also pitied her.
Married for the third time, at such a young age.
She had always been the subject of gossip.
Willa bowed deeply as he watched Cecilia’s retreating figure. In his heart, he wished for her to live a smooth and happy life.
❖ ❖ ❖
“This is your room, Madam.”
Before opening the door, Hoffman took a deep breath.
He had managed to handle the great obstacle of the ‘lord’s absence’, but there were more challenges ahead.
‘How could I have known that the Madam would arrive so quickly?’
Decorating the madam’s chambers had been one of the most difficult tasks Hoffman had ever taken on.
There was no grand social culture to speak of in Lagos.
Survival came first, and cultural pursuits were pushed aside.
Naturally, no one in Lagos had the refined taste to suit a noblewoman accustomed to the highest luxuries.
So Hoffman had thought, ‘Let’s solve it with money.’
He had planned to fill the room with expensive, high-end furniture.
The problem was that the custom-made items had not yet arrived.
As a stopgap, he had brought in the finest pieces from within the castle.
Hoffman squeezed his eyes shut as he opened the door.
“…Hah…”
A sigh of disbelief escaped Benjamine’s lips.
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