‘They’ve designed that area a step higher. A platform for musicians, perhaps? It would take at least a hundred players to fill it up.’

Looking around the empty, abandoned hall, Cecilia felt a thrill, as if she were in her rightful place. She must have spent more than half her previous life in banquet halls.

Not all memories were happy ones. In fact, many of them were bitter and ones she’d rather forget.

But both joy and sorrow had made up her life.

“Madam.”

Joy, who had been standing watch, hurried over to Cecilia.

“I feel a presence. Please step behind me.”

Startled, Cecilia nodded, and the two maids took positions on either side of her.

Footsteps—distinct and unmistakable—grew louder, approaching their direction.

Standing behind Joy as a shield, Cecilia peeked out to the side, her curiosity piqued rather than fear.

Then, through the doorway they had entered earlier, a man appeared.

‘Hm?’

Her eyes widened, and she quickly straightened her posture.

“Milord.”

Recognizing Russell, Joy immediately dropped her guard.

As soon as Russell entered the southern wing, he could easily trace where Cecilia had gone thanks to the light layer of dust on the floor, marked by the passage of four people.

Wanting to avoid startling them, he made his footsteps deliberately loud.

Russell spoke,

“You may leave. I’ll take over guiding the way through the southern wing.”

Joy and the two maids nodded and exited the hall, leaving Cecilia watching their retreating figures.

‘Not even asking for my opinion, I see.’

It was expected. After all, the lord was their master and the one in command.

‘If Nanny were here, she would’ve asked me first. And even if I told her to go, she’d stubbornly insist on staying.’

But even so, the thought that ‘my nanny is all I have’ didn’t occur to her.

Cecilia knew now that the people from the grand duchy were, first and foremost, loyal to the grand duke.

In a similar situation, if Grand Duke Jericho ordered it, they wouldn’t give Cecilia a second thought.

‘I need my own people.’

In her previous life, Cecilia had failed at building her own circle.

More precisely, she’d mistaken others for ‘her people’, even when they weren’t, like when she’d assumed Nanny was on her side.

‘How does one make someone truly theirs?’

Despite having lived one life already, she still didn’t know the answer.

Usually, the strongest allies came from blood relatives, and connections grew from there. But Cecilia had no one.

Hearing a small cough, Cecilia turned to see Russell, looking somewhat sheepish.

“I know the layout of the southern wing, more or less.”

Seeing her blank stare, he continued,

“I thought it’d be better if I showed you around, but that was just my thought. Should I call those three back?”

Cecilia let out a small chuckle. She’d just been lost in thought, but he seemed to think he’d upset her.

Like last time—and now this time too—she realized that this man wasn’t a rude fool. On the contrary, he was more considerate than he appeared.

“You always show up out of nowhere. Did you just return?”

Russell nodded.

“So, where does this hall lead if you go over there?”

“From here, if you go straight, the right side connects to the kitchen and the left to what I’d assume is a lounge.”

“Assume?”

“There are a lot of small rooms, but they’re too small to be bedrooms. A mirror’s even installed on one side of the wall.”

“A private lounge, then. Those are highly sought after and probably reserved only for important guests. Let’s go take a look.”

The two of them walked side by side across the hall.

“This is the largest banquet hall in the southern wing, yes?”

To Cecilia’s question, Russell nodded.

“How do you know the southern wing’s layout?”

“I used to come in here a lot… when I was young.”

“Wasn’t this area off-limits even back then?”

“It was. But when you’re young, you don’t listen.”

Cecilia chuckled softly.