Chapter 14
An emergency had broken out at the Somerset Ducal Estate.
“Did you check the number of dishes?”
“Yes! Did you finish dusting the curtains?”
“That was done earlier! What about the chandelier in the hall?”
“They’re cleaning it right now!”
The reputation of Freya Hayworth—the noble and impossibly meticulous dowager lady—was known throughout the capital.
Even the Somerset ducal estate, which by necessity stood on the outskirts of the capital due to its immense size, could not escape her influence.
Especially because Freya’s strict standards spared no one, regardless of age or status.
Even after Seymour had become little better than a living corpse, the Somerset estate had managed to maintain at least this much grandeur largely thanks to her constant management.
Hugo was present, of course, but he was still only a servant. To keep the staff disciplined, someone of even higher standing was needed.
And so, merely hearing the “Hay” in “Hayworth” was enough to throw the entire mansion into chaos.
“The Hayworth family carriage has arrived!”
“Everyone, line up!”
At Hugo’s command, the servants hurried into formation, standing in neat rows on either side of the entrance.
The atmosphere was so tense that one could hear a pin drop.
Then the doors opened, brilliant sunlight pouring in as the old lady’s cane struck sharply against the marble floor.
“Welcome, Dowager Lady!”
“Yes, Hugo. Have you been well?”
“Thanks to your grace, all has been peaceful. You also seem much healthier than before, my lady, which puts my mind at ease.”
Trying to lighten the mood, Hugo offered polite pleasantries, but Freya merely clicked her tongue.
“What good is it for an old woman nearing death to look healthy? That son-in-law of mine looked yesterday as if he’d sooner sleep beneath a coffin lid than a blanket. I suppose people will say the old woman only thrives because she lives off her son-in-law’s name. Still, thank you for the sentiment.”
“Ah… no, of course not…”
Cold sweat trickled down Hugo’s back.
If only she had simply insulted him directly. Instead, she had spoken in such a way that disagreeing felt awkward, yet agreeing sounded even worse.
And now he had managed to sour her mood as well.
Though he didn’t dare turn around, he could practically feel the servants glaring daggers into his back.
‘Why would Lord Hugo say something like that…’
‘He’d be better off saying nothing at all!’
Freya was not particularly cruel, but after losing both her husband and daughter early, she had developed an obsessive fixation on hygiene and cleanliness.
As a result, whenever she was in a foul mood, even a single speck of dust on a display shelf could earn the servants a severe scolding.
And everyone present instinctively knew that today would be one of those days.
“Hm…”
The dowager lady’s sharp eyes swept over the interior of the estate.
Everyone remained silent as Freya narrowed her eyes in displeasure, clearly about to speak—
“Dowager Lady!”
Right then, Rowena popped into the suffocating silence like a little spark.
Unlike usual, her hair had been tied into high twin tails adorned with ribbons. She looked devastatingly adorable. But at this moment, the servants were far too terrified to gush over it.
‘M-Miss!’
‘She’s going to get scolded terribly…!’
The thing Freya hated most was rude behavior.
And yet here Rowena was, running up to her instead of offering a proper greeting.
Iris, pale as a sheet, rushed forward to stop her—
“Rowena, did you sleep well last night?”
Freya smiled warmly and opened her arms to the child.
“Yes! The blankets were super soft and cozy!”
“Good. Make sure to stay warm so you don’t catch a cold.”
“Hehe, okay!”
Rowena even rubbed her cheek against Freya’s skirt.
The servants were so shocked they forgot even to blink.
But the two of them behaved as though this was perfectly normal.
“Your legs must hurt, so come inside quickly! I’ll guide you!”
“How impudent. Acting like the mistress of the house already, are you?”
As Freya’s eyes sharpened, Rowena scratched her cheek sheepishly and laughed.
“Well… actually, I still only know this one route. I was trying to pretend I had memorized everything already. Oops.”
“Hmph. You little rascal.”
Freya smiled indulgently at the child’s antics before her expression turned serious again.
“In truth, there is someone I wish to introduce to you today. Someone you ought to know well from now on.”
“Come in.”
At Freya’s command, footsteps sounded beyond the entrance.
Peeking out from behind Freya’s skirt, Rowena looked toward the newcomer.
The moment she saw the figure entering the mansion, her eyes widened in shock.
Because that person was—
“Greet her, Rowena. This is Dante Graham.”
The boy who would become Rowena’s future fiancé.
* * *
After introducing Rowena and Dante, Freya declared that she wished to enjoy tea in the Somerset estate greenhouse for the first time in a while, then left the two children behind.
And so, a strange sort of silence settled over the estate once more.
“I’m not sure this is truly the right thing to do, Senior.”
At Hugo’s worried words, Henry—who had accompanied Freya as her attendant—looked up.
The two men were alumni of the same butler academy, with Henry being several years Hugo’s senior.
“What do you mean, Hugo?”
“The young lady and young master are complete strangers. And the young lady only arrived at the estate yesterday. She hasn’t even had time to adjust yet, so leaving them alone together without an adult present feels… questionable.”
“You needn’t worry about that.”
Henry smiled gently.
Truthfully, this meeting had happened a little sooner than either he or Freya had expected.
Dante had been staying at the Graham estate in their territory.
‘I thought it would take him longer to come to the capital after receiving the message.’
Neither of them had expected him to arrive so quickly.
Henry himself had worried that the timing might be premature, but Freya had simply replied:
“Whether now or later, they were bound to meet eventually. Better to do it when the opportunity presents itself.”
And Henry tended to trust the dowager lady’s judgment almost blindly.
“Besides, Young Master Dante will eventually live here at Somerset as well. Isn’t it better for them to become acquainted early?”
“You’re right. Still, shouldn’t we try to ease the atmosphere a little?”
“There’s no need. The dowager lady said Lady Rose and His Grace the Duke first met the same way.”
“Ah…!”
Only then did relief spread across Hugo’s face.
Rose and Seymour had also first met around this age. And their relationship had deepened into something far beyond what simple love could describe.
“Then I suppose there’s nothing to worry about.”
“Exactly. The dowager lady understands children far better than we do. She’s a woman of great insight.”
So all they had to do was trust the children and wait.
Smiling kindly, Henry patted his junior on the shoulder.
“Who knows? Perhaps the two of them will come out as good friends.”
At the exact same moment this warm conversation was taking place outside the door—
“……”
“……”
Rowena stared at the boy seated across from her: Dante.
Dante didn’t even look in her direction. He simply kept his eyes lowered, expressionlessly staring at the empty plate before him.
As a result, Rowena found herself nervously staring at the tea table as well, swallowing repeatedly.
Finally unable to resist the temptation of the opera cake, Rowena cautiously slid a slice toward Dante.
“Hey, try this. It’s really good.”
At that, Dante finally lifted his gaze.
‘Yes!’
Everybody likes cake!
Excited by his first reaction, Rowena chattered brightly.
“After you eat, let’s play together! The garden here looks perfect for hide-and-seek, and there’s also a fountain where we can—”
“You’re noisy. I have no intention of playing with you.”
“Huh?”
