Chapter 12: Chapter 12

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due to staying up late the previous night, discussing various matters with the baron, luna could only wake up when the sun was already high in the sky.

“what about father?”

“the baron? he went to work promptly.”

fortunately, the baron, who slept late like luna, arrived at work on time.

she wished he had to successfully conclude the conversation about quitting.

to dispel her worries, a pleasant scent tormented luna’s stomach.

“what’s all this?”

luna asked emma with a surprised expression about the feast of dishes that seemed suitable for a birthday celebration. emma confidently replied.

“i put in some effort. it’s been a while since i prepared a meal for the young lady.”

“but this is too extravagant…”

the roasted duck seasoned with spices, soup filled with various seafood, and a fresh salad with meticulously cleaned fruits were all there.

“oh, don’t worry about the cost. the baron didn’t have a proper meal while you were away, so there’s some leftover budget.”

that wasn’t the concern. it was just that it didn’t feel right after sleeping in and waking up groggy. but if she voiced it, emma, who had prepared the meal diligently for once, might feel hurt. so luna quietly took a bite of the salad.

“it’s delicious.”

“i’m glad. please have plenty. i also prepared dessert.”

she went as far as preparing dessert in their modest household. luna felt a surge of emotion and even chewed the soup that didn’t require chewing to calm her heart.

“come to think of it, how many people do we need in the kitchen?”

“people? what do you mean?”

emma tilted her head and smiled in response to the sudden question.

“doing such thoughtful cooking, managing the pantry, taking care of ingredients, and cleaning as well.”

“why are you suddenly praising me, young lady? i can handle it alone.”

emma confidently replied that she could do everything alone.

that’s not what she meant. since they had money now, luna thought of hiring someone.

“but wouldn’t it be more convenient to have someone to assist?”

“well, that might be true. but as you know, young lady, how much do we eat? we don’t have much work to do, so i can handle it alone. don’t underestimate me.”

emma repeated ‘i can handle it alone’ until the end. meanwhile, laura entered the dining room, so luna asked her if she also needed someone.

“people? well, i don’t know. it would be nice to have someone, but there wouldn’t be much for them to do.”

“oh, really? what if the mansion gets bigger?”

“if it gets bigger, then of course we would need people. but for now, we’re managing just fine with the current size.”

so, if it doubles in size, do they have to double the staff? if it triples, to triple it?

even if it doubled, it would only be nine people. would that be enough? in novels or comics, there were dozens of servants. won’t it be insufficient?

though she wasn’t sure about the details, even in a duke’s estate, there were nearly a hundred servants. so wouldn’t we need at least dozens? luna was lost in thought while picking at the duck meat in her mouth when henry burst into the dining room.

“young lady! the carriage has arrived from the boutique. is this what you ordered?”

henry, lost in thought, ran into the dining room. luna didn’t expect the alterations to be completed so quickly; she thought it would take quite some time.

“the boutique? did they come to the wrong place?”

emma responded perplexed, and luna stood up from her seat, swallowing the duck meat in her mouth.

“it’s what i ordered. i ordered a dress because it’s cold.”

“a dress?”

a dress that was even worthy of being delivered to the mansion? it seemed extravagant even if they sold the baron’s estate. what on earth was happening?

luna wore a mischievous smile as she faced the curious servants who were waiting for an answer. she didn’t give them a chance to satisfy their curiosity and quietly headed toward the entrance.

“please move everything to the second floor.”

“yes, understood.”

the boutique staff moved the dresses, elegantly piled on fine fabrics, to the second floor.

surprised, emma dropped the towel she was holding and nudged luna.

“ah, miss! what on earth have you done!”

“could it be that you got engaged to a wealthy noble without my knowledge!?”

“it’s not that.”

laura, also lost in thought, grabbed luna’s arm. in response, luna grabbed each of their hands and confidently headed to her room.

“then what is all this?”

“miss, please tell us the truth quickly!”

“well, i used my own money to buy these dresses.”

with that answer, luna began to unwrap the packaging, revealing dresses that were undoubtedly more expensive than the baron’s attire.

emma’s face almost seemed like she was about to faint at the sight of the dazzling dresses she had never seen before.

“are you saying that you, who can’t even sew properly, managed to earn money to buy these!?”

there’s no need to shout out someone else’s shortcomings like that.

while luna was scolding emma and laura, the boutique staff, who had finished tidying up, politely bid farewell and left the mansion.

luna casually chose a dress among them that she could wear right away and looked at the two of them, waiting for an answer.

“i struck a gold mine.”

“what? what did you say? gold mine?”

“i found a gold mine!”

“you found a gold mine!?”

“yes. a gold mine was discovered in the peils estate. there was a gold nugget buried there. i dug it up and used that money to buy these.”

“…what?”

laura, with a face as if she were dreaming, dumbfoundedly asked.

“so, that’s why i asked if we need more people. we’re planning to purchase a new mansion. this place is in a bad location, and it’s too old. so, we’ll need more people, right?”

“you… you’re purchasing a mansion?”

“yeah. i felt sorry for you, working hard all this time and not being able to increase your salary. i’ll raise it right away.”

“really!?”

“oh! and father will quit his job at the duchy and will manage the gold mine. he went to discuss it today, but i don’t know how it went.”

thud. before luna could finish her sentence, emma’s legs gave out, and she collapsed to the floor.

“emma!?”

“this… this isn’t a dream, right!? you’re not lying, miss!?”

luna’s face, now flushed, looked like she was about to cry for no reason.

sure enough, laura, who plopped down next to emma, oblivious to the embarrassment, began to sob uncontrollably.

“i-is it true? is it really true? you’re not teasing us, right? can we be happy? do you know how much i hated those people who insulted and ignored the baron and miss just because of our poverty?”

rather than the promise of a salary raise, she seemed more pleased that her mistress would not be treated with disrespect.

luna thought there was no kindness in this world, but there were people closer than she thought who cared about her well-being.

“for now, i only bought clothes for myself, but after we finish sorting things out, let’s go buy clothes for all of you too. it’s not dignified for the members of the family that owns a gold mine to wear such shabby clothes.”

“we’re fine, so please wear nice clothes, miss!”

“yeah, but…”

“it’s settled! more importantly, try on the dress you’re holding right now! it’s already so beautiful just holding it, how stunning will you look when you wear it?”

emma, who had regained her energy, suddenly took the dress from luna’s hand and said.

laura joined in, urging luna to try on the clothes, so luna couldn’t refuse and changed into the new dress, pretending to lose against them in their excitement, and said goodbye to the old dress.

“my goodness, you look so beautiful!”

“it seems like that dress, passed down from generation to generation, has completely overshadowed your appearance.”

“well… i’ve worn it for quite a while, and i thought it was decent for a reasonable price. but even emma said it looks like a dress handed down through generations, leaving a bitter taste in my mouth.”

“miss, try on the shoes too! and how about gloves? they’re so beautiful.”

“i should touch your hair. how about a half-updo? would a braid look pretty? ah, well, anything on you looks beautiful.”

“here’s a hair accessory, emma!”

“let’s try using that.”

in the end, luna had to endure being dressed up by emma and laura for a long time. she complained that there was no need to dress up when they were only staying at the mansion, but her expression was as excited as theirs.

after a pleasant afternoon, as they sat in the small garden and ate apple pie baked by emma, they discussed which mansion to buy. despite having a pile of money, the most delicious thing was still the pie made by emma herself.

just as they were spending the day, a magnificent carriage, which they had never seen before, entered the mansion.

“huh? who could it be?”

laura stood up, brushing off the crumbs from her hands. luna also put down the pie she was holding and waited for someone to step out of the carriage.

and then, after a while, a man elegantly dressed and exuding charisma stepped out of the carriage.

surprised, laura took a step back and muttered to herself.

“wha-what is this…? i can’t believe such a beautiful person exists…”

the words she had said to luna earlier, complimenting her beauty, were now spoken with such sincerity that it made one doubt if they were lies.

emma, too, widened her eyes and stared at the man’s face without even being able to greet him properly.

“i brought the documents. is it a good time?”

antes spoke, but luna, like emma, could only make a dumbfounded expression and couldn’t respond.

no, why did he dress up like that? last time they  went together, he was wearing a simple white shirt with black pants. but today, he was dressed in a shirt, jacket, tie, gloves, and shoes, all adorned as if he belonged to a prestigious noble family… his hairstyle, too, was similar to what fersen had done before, a parted style that was apparently trendy.

when fersen did it, luna didn’t think much of it, but when this man does it, it somehow looks dignified and refined, as if he is a representative of the gods descended from heaven.

as luna remained silent, he smiled and asked.

“why, have you fallen for my face again?”

“what!? no, no, no!”

luna vehemently denied antes’ words and stood up from her seat. she had looked at him because he was handsome, but she hadn’t fallen for him. it was just an instinctive reaction to seeing something beautiful that she couldn’t normally see.

on the other hand, when antes saw luna’s attire, he raised the corners of his mouth and laughed.

“it suits you well.”

“…thank you.”

“so, i hope you could compliment me too. i dressed up and came here to receive compliments. it’s been a while, so it feels quite uncomfortable.”

as he pointed to his own hair and clothes, luna unintentionally glanced at his entire figure once again. his appearance and physique were truly remarkable. it made her doubt why the author didn’t make him the main character, to the point of suspicion.

seizing the rare opportunity, luna expressed her hidden admiration.

“i see. your appearance is so extraordinary that i would be grateful to my parents every night for giving birth to me.”

“…what?”

amid luna’s honest admiration, antes momentarily held his stomach and burst into cheerful laughter. however, he was the only one laughing. the servants of the baron, as if agreeing with luna’s words, nodded their heads with serious expressions.

“stop laughing and check the documents.”

“oh, right. there are things i want to confirm.”

“things you want to confirm?”

“yes.”

he smiled softly next to luna and replied, as if the main point was not the documents.

“i heard that the young lady is interested in me, is that true? if it is, i would be somewhat pleased.”