* * *
[carlton had come to the mansion. he felt quite wronged as he unraveled matters entwined with young lady luna. of course, i think he felt that way because there was a reason on ladyâs part.
even my parents think the same, they want to visit, hear the whole story and resolve matters amicably. may i ask for your opinion?
if you dislike, a letter would do as well, please respond at your ease.]
having read the letter three times, luna rubbed her forehead. although the letter was centered around carltonâs story, her intuition insisted that it was an excuse, and they just wanted to see her face.
âafter showing it off at the party, not knowing would be strangerâ¦â
but to say they will meet in person. knowing and meeting in person was a world of difference.
maybe if they were real lovers, but not even that, it was very awkward.
âit seems they knew about your relationship with young lord antes from the last party!â
without knowing lunaâs feelings, laura screamed and was needlessly excited.
âhow about showing them how good a person you are this time?â
âdo i need to do that?â
at lunaâs cold reaction, laura answered seriously.
âof course! if you think about marriage later, itâs good to leave a good impression! start preparing from now. though iâm sure no one would reject someone as nice as you even without that.â
marriage, thereâs no way sheâs marrying antes, right?
even if itâs not antes, luna had no thoughts of marriage. due to being tormented by fersen, thereâs no good in getting involved with men, itâs better to live alone was the conclusion.
of course, living alone for a lifetime might be a bit lonely, but for now, there were plenty of servants.
the saying was, even without writing debts or subscribing to milk delivery, newspapers, etc. to create a regular visitor, there was someone to save you before death.
âanyway, thatâs not whatâs important now.â
vincentâs coupleâs visit request was hanging on carltonâs matter.
what on earth to open oneâs mouth. it was after royer sent a document demanding the termination of the contract based on the events that had happened in the meantime.
âmaybe itâs good to meet for now.â
it was very uncomfortable, but an explanation was necessary. if one kept their mouth shut like this, one might concoct troublesome tricks, carrying the marquis couple on oneâs back.
âitâs better to clarify things by meeting. there has been all sorts of rumors as iâve been quiet until now. if the talk about antes comes up, appeal that itâs a very casual meeting with him.â
having made the decision, luna called for laura.
âlaura, some pen and paper.â
âoh, are you sending a reply? are you meeting them?â
laura, who didnât know lunaâs inner thoughts, asked with twinkling eyes. at this, luna nodded her head.
âyes. iâll make sure this time.â
iâll meet briefly and part. whether itâs fersen or antes, iâm not taking anything.
if youâre giving something, give money. except for the crazy ones.
âgive me several sheets. i have to send one to the young lord too.â
âyes! miss!â
she should say not to come for a while. thereâs a chance of filming part 3 of a crazy drama if i run into the marquis couple unnecessarily.
luna had finally regained peace, and that was appreciated.
* * *
as the day to meet the marquis couple approached, all the newly hired servants moved in, and the mansion gradually regained its old appearance.
of course, the servants who hadnât yet adapted to the mansion made mistakes occasionally, but luna, the owner of the mansion, reassured everyone, and it was a peaceful everyday life.
âmiss⦠i really canât do this.â
among them, only laura was upset. it was because she had been appointed as a temporary butler since the butler was also fired.
of course, in name only a butler, all money-related matters were handled by royer.
laura was only handling practical work like receiving reports from servants or giving instructions, and it was her first time telling someone what to do so it was very burdensome.
âif laura doesnât do it, do i have to?â
as luna pointed at the piles of documents in response, laura pouted her lips.
she didnât like it, but she couldnât annoy luna, so she had nothing to say.
âemma is doing well too. iâll ask you only until a butler is determined.â
âemma has always been good.â
âlaura has always been good too.â
it was said in advance that when a newly hired servant showed the aptitude of a butler, then the temporary position would be dismissed.
of course, it wasnât said that laura would continue to be the butler if no one appeared.
as time went on, it would gradually become familiar. it might also suit her temperament. the aptitude of a butler might sprout from her head.
fortunately, all the newly hired servants were gentle, so even when laura acted awkwardly, they didnât mind much. rather, they digested the poor instructions very well, reminding themselves that luna cherished her the most.
ena, who was hired as a coachman, also learned how to harness horses from antesâs coachman. whether it was because she was given an advance for her motherâs medicine, she was very passionate about everything.
âeverything is going smoothly, so i should have some leisure and be happyâ¦?â
the reason she couldnât was probably due to the soon-to-arrive guests.
luna, checking herself in the mirror, searched for any rough spots. in a not too extravagant dress, with neatly combed hair, jewelry was worn minimally to match the outfit.
âmiss! the guests seem to have arrived! itâs the sound of the carriage!â
time is come, hasnât it. the misfortune announcing voice of laura made lunaâs heart heavier.
âmiss. the guests have arrived.â
no need to inform twice. the mansionâs servant once again notified luna of the misfortune. at this, luna sighed softly and left the room.
upon descending to the first-floor entrance, she caught sight of three blondes entering the mansion. it now made sense why both antes and rosemary were blonde, as the marquis and marchioness both had blonde hair too.
the entrance suddenly brightened with the sparkling blond hair. reflexively, luna looked down at her own black hair before lifting her head to rosemaryâs voice calling her.
âlady luna, sorry to bother you during a busy time.â
âno, itâs alright. itâs busy, but i should be the one thanking you for making time.â
so saying, luna greeted the marquis and marchioness politely.
ânice to meet you. my name is luna peils. thank you for sparing your precious time to come here.â
she was a bit nervous as the lover of their estranged son, but the marquis and marchionessâs attitude was entirely different from what she had expected, and they reacted a beat late.
âthank you for allowing this visit.â
âweâll be careful not to take up too much of your precious time.â
of course, luna also swallowed her bewilderment at the normal reception of the marquis and marchioness. she had thought them to be rude as they were parents of the final villain.
why did antes turn out like that when rosemary and the marquis and marchioness seemed fine? it was a sad thought.
with antes absent, the four people who shared similar thoughts soon moved to the glass greenhouse. thanks to the pre-informed visit, refreshments were set as soon as the marquisâs family sat down, and a moment of silence followed.
âitâs awkward to the point of going madâ¦â
even though she had bought snacks from the most famous bakery in the capital, she couldnât taste anything.
say something. as they chewed on the tasteless, odorless, and colorless snacks in silence for a while, the marchioness, who had been pretending not to notice luna, spoke first.
âare you⦠alone?â
she meant if antes was around, but luna, who didnât understand the implication, replied affirmatively.
âyes? oh, yes. my father is down at the estate.â
it was a misunderstood conversation, but the answer was clear. antes wasnât here.
it was odd to suddenly ask where antes had gone in this situation. the marchioness hesitated for a moment before bringing up the main, yet unrelated, point.
âoh! i see. um⦠the reason for this visit is, carlton came to the mansion. he said he was unfairly fired by you and was assaulted by antes, so he sought our help.â
she placed a document on the table. it was a document summarizing carltonâs claims.
luna reviewed it slowly. it took some time, but the marquis and marchioness patiently waited for lunaâs response.
âiâm sorry, but thatâs not true.â
as if she had never been nervous, luna opened her mouth with a chilly face.
âwhat do you mean?â
âhe claimed he doesnât need to treat me, a poor noble, well, and instigated the servants against me, secretly excluded the chef i brought from cooking. moreover-â
she calmly explained all the facts, careful not to lash out at the wrong person.
lunaâs argument coincided with rosemaryâs. it was that carlton deceived luna with clever wordplay and incited the servants.
as unjustly accused as she was, it was sufficient grounds for firing.
âso the young lord also is not at fault. carlton grabbed my hand. of course, the young lord kicked him later, but if he hadnât, i would have kicked him.â
with the story of antes, luna ended her explanation.
upon that, the marquis and marchioness stared at each other for a moment without saying a word. their expressions with tightly closed mouths were very mysterious.
their son, whom even they had given up on, and who had even hired a professional lawyer for settlement, how could she defend him so calmly?
they mentioned it from a very objective standpoint, but initially, the people of the marquisâs house had lost objective judgment regarding antes a long time ago.
they thought this time again, antes must have lost his temper, and got angry, so they were planning to roughly handle it through a lawyer.
ââ¦thank you for saying so.â
therefore, the marchioness sincerely thanked luna. regardless of the truth, just for believing in their naughty son.
suddenly the atmosphere flowed into thankfulness, luna, puzzled, glanced at rosemary. on the other hand, quick-witted rosemary tightened her lips.
âdid i bring her here in vain? should i have just left them to communicate in writing?â
she was glad her parents seemed to view luna favorably, but it seemed too favorable.
the fear of having her precious friend taken away by her brother engulfed rosemary. and probably, her parents who seemed likely to actively support that.