Chapter: 15
“Let’s leave the greetings at that and head to my office first.”
With perfect naturalness, Kaiden led everyone into the mansion.
He intended to draw up Emilia’s employment contract.
Harold, who had finally caught on to this absurd turn of events, had no choice but to step in.
“Um, Your Grace?”
“What.”
The reply was so half-hearted that anyone could tell he wasn’t really listening.
A crack appeared in Harold’s forced smile.
‘What do you mean, “what”?!’
Naturally, Kaiden’s schedule for today hadn’t been to return straight to the mansion.
The only addition had been dropping the young woman off.
Since she had saved his master’s life, Harold had understood that much.
But it seemed the duke had completely forgotten where they had originally been headed.
A second deviation from the schedule absolutely could not happen.
Still, he had to preserve his master’s dignity in front of their benefactor…
Harold desperately tried to communicate with his eyes.
‘I already overlooked the fact that we came all the way here, didn’t I?!’
Having served as Kaiden’s aide for years, this kind of silent communication was second nature to him.
He had that much confidence.
“Ah, right.”
Kaiden nodded as though he finally understood.
Then he handed Emilia’s luggage, which he had been carrying himself, over to Harold.
“Huh?”
“Prepare the room in the center of the third floor.”
“W-Wait…”
Harold’s words trailed off at Kaiden’s order.
Instinctively, he recalled the layout of the mansion.
‘This man…’
Even in a situation like this, he chose the very best guest room!
After a brief silence, Harold spoke again.
“In case you’ve forgotten, Your Grace… you have another appointment afterward.”
Only then did Kaiden seem to remember, clicking his tongue quietly.
Harold could only stare at him in disbelief.
“Now that you remember, could you please get going?”
“How long will it take?”
“Not very long, but we’re already pressed for time. Even while we’re standing here, the clock is still ticking.”
At that moment, Emilia, who had been quietly watching their conversation, cautiously spoke up.
“Um… if you’re busy, wouldn’t it be better if you left now? We can sign my contract later.”
The contract really wasn’t that urgent.
“Then would you wait for me?”
“Of course.”
Emilia nodded readily.
“Then we’ll complete it this evening.”
Just watching Kaiden somehow made her feel busy herself.
“Yes, yes. I’ll wait here for Your Grace until you return, so don’t worry.”
She spoke as though soothing an impatient child.
“I’ll be back soon.”
When Kaiden looked visibly satisfied with her answer, Emilia tilted her head.
‘…Was Kaiden always this impatient?’
With that, Kaiden left the mansion once again with Harold.
As the two men disappeared, an elderly but dignified butler who had been standing at a distance approached Emilia.
“I am Robert Griffin, the head butler.”
“Ah, I’m Emilia. Please just call me Emilia.”
She greeted him politely.
“Very well, Miss Emilia. I will do everything I can to make your stay here comfortable.”
Having already received a brief explanation from Kaiden, Robert bowed respectfully.
In his hand was the suitcase Harold had passed to him.
Seeing it, Emilia hurriedly reached out.
“Oh! I’ll carry it myself!”
“There’s no need. Allow me to show you to your room.”
“O-Okay.”
Unable to overcome Robert’s firm refusal, Emilia answered awkwardly.
She was just about to follow him empty-handed when Ivan called out excitedly.
“Emilia!”
“Oh, shall we go upstairs together?”
She asked with a smile.
“Yeah!”
Ivan answered enthusiastically before quickly taking her hand.
The moment Emilia entered the room she had been shown, she stood there in amazement.
Not only was it spacious, but every single piece of furniture looked like something worthy of being displayed in a museum.
‘Just looking at it, everything seems incredibly expensive.’
She wondered whether it was really alright for her to stay in such a luxurious room when a voice came from behind.
“I’ll leave your luggage here.”
“Ah, thank you.”
“Then, if you’ll excuse me.”
After setting down her luggage, Robert gave a small bow, as though his task was complete, and quietly left.
Like someone who had spent decades serving as a butler, even his footsteps were almost completely silent.
‘Butler Robert…’
Emilia recalled what the original novel had said about him.
‘If I remember correctly, he was the one who opposed Kaiden and Reina’s contract engagement until the very end.’
It wasn’t difficult to understand why.
His family had served the Valen ducal house for generations, so his reluctance to accept an illegitimate child was understandable.
Still, the novel had described him as a good superior to the mansion’s servants, so there probably wasn’t much to worry about.
Emilia looked around the room once more before sitting down in one of the soft-looking chairs.
‘This room is really nice.’
Just as she finally relaxed, a sudden thought crossed her mind.
‘This mansion is sturdy… right?’
She quickly realized how ridiculous that thought sounded.
Sturdy wasn’t even the right word.
This mansion was priceless—something money could never truly measure.
Unlike her own house, where compensation had been impossible after it had mysteriously collapsed.
No matter how many times she thought about it, it had been an unbelievable disaster.
‘Seriously… how does a house suddenly collapse like that?’
Then Emilia suddenly froze.
‘…Wait a second.’
Now that she thought about it, hadn’t something similar happened in the original novel?
Buildings in the capital had collapsed.
Since the main story hadn’t officially begun yet, she had never connected the two events.
Back then, there had even been people who suffered serious injuries.
‘What was the cause again?’
As Emilia desperately searched her memory, she suddenly shot to her feet.
‘Ah, that’s right! It was that!’
Baron Hariben swallowed nervously as he watched the man across from him flipping through the contract.
A young duke who had inherited his title early after the deaths of his parents.
Despite his refined, restrained appearance, people said he had an incredibly uncompromising personality.
‘It certainly seems that way…’
Even while reviewing the contract, not a single change appeared on his expression, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.
He was probably calculating every possible profit and loss behind that emotionless face.
Just then, Kaiden set the contract down on the table and spoke.
“We’ll proceed with it as written.”
“Th-Thank you very much!”
Baron Hariben’s face lit up.
“Then, regarding the next matter…”
“Yes! Please wait just a moment!”
Overjoyed, the baron hurried out of the room.
Kaiden, who had actually intended to say, “Let’s discuss the next matter another time,” quietly held back his words.
Crossing his legs, he pulled out his pocket watch and checked the time.
‘Not even an hour has passed yet?’
Kaiden doubted his own eyes.
Even just now, the baron’s explanation had felt unusually long, making him briefly want to abandon the contract altogether.
He hadn’t actually done it, but that was how painfully slow time had seemed to pass.
As he waited for the baron to return, Kaiden casually looked out the window.
‘What?’
A strange sense of déjà vu made him frown.
‘…I must have imagined it.’
Even so, an inexplicable uneasiness settled in the back of his mind.
Kaiden nudged Harold beside him with his elbow.
“Yes?”
They weren’t lovers carrying on a secret romance, so Harold looked at him with confusion.
Kaiden gestured toward the window.
“Did you see outside just now?”
“Outside?”
Harold turned to look with a puzzled expression.
But there was nothing unusual beyond the window.
Only the busy crowds moving through the capital’s streets.
“What exactly am I supposed to have seen?”
“Didn’t that woman just walk past?”
“…What?”
There was only one woman Kaiden could possibly be referring to.
Emilia.
‘…What nonsense is he talking about?’
Harold’s face crumpled like a sheet of paper.
“Miss Emilia is obviously at the mansion. Your Grace personally took the trouble to escort her there, spending your own valuable time.”
At Harold’s reminder, Kaiden nodded in agreement.
That’s right.
He definitely had.
“…Then why are you standing up?”
