âMy lord! My lord!â
A loud knock on the door made Glenn correct his posture.
The voice coming from outside the door belonged to Gordon, his butler. Glenn couldnât hear him wrong because he had been on his side since he was young.
âWhat in the world is going on?â
That Gordon, who had always kept his dignity, was in such a state of panic.
There must have been a massive accident.
God, Glenn clenched his teeth and replied that he could come in.
Soon afterwards Gordon, an all red-faced, came into the room almost stumbling forward.
He went on without taking a breath.
âM-My lord.. Did you hear the news?â
âWhat news?â
âHave you heard yet, cough.. S-Something big happened!â
ââ¦.â
Gordon was saying there was a situation left that was going to get worse than the situation they were in here? Glenn said, sweeping down his face in dismal fashion.
âSigh, just say it. I, at least, should hear it first.â
âNow weâre saved!â
ââ¦what?â
Did he hear it wrong?
Glenn lifted his hand from his face and looked at his butler.
He wasnât sure whether the expression his butler, Gordon, had was he was about to cry or laugh.
Looking at his face, he couldnât guess whether he was trying to deliver good news or bad news.
Glenn asked once again.
âWhat did you just say?â
âNow weâre saved! We just got a jackpot!â
âAnd what do you mean by something big?â
âYes, that too.â
Gordon answered with a face mixed with emotions.
âWeâre in trouble, and now we are safe!â
ââ¦.?â
Glenn, who didnât understand, grimaced.
* * *
A few days ago.
âHum, hum.â
On a warm sunny afternoon, the wind outside was strong, but it was warm inside the indoor garden.
Nadia was humming and walking around the greenhouse.
She had a watering can in her hand.
âEat a lot and grow a lot.â
Water was sprinkled over the garden.
At first glance, it was just a turquoise sprout sticking out its head on the muddy fields.
It was actually a thorny herb that she had obtained from all over the continent after she gathered merchants.
Some of the bought seeds were stored in a low-temperature dry environment, and some were being cultivated in this field.
Nadiaâs expression at the little sprout was as graceful as the goddess of motherhood.
âHum, hum, hum..â
ââ¦..â
ââ¦..â
The two maids looked at Nadia weirdly.
It was Aidyn and Lisa, Nadiaâs personal maids.
The two girls spoke to each other with their eyes.
âHurry up. You said youâd do it.â
âCome to think of it, youâre closer to Madam than I am! You will do better than me..â
âNow youâre saying you canât do it? But I won the bet yesterday!â
The scuffle continued for a long time through their eyes and facial expressions.
It was Lisa who finally stepped up first.
âI have something to tell you, Madam.â
âWhat is it? Tell me.â
âWell, thatâsâ¦â
Lisa, who began the talk, hesitated for a long time before bringing up what she wanted to say.
Her temple was covered with thick sweat as she started talking.
âIâve been wondering if I should tell you this for a while, but I thought itâd be better if you knew. Itâs just that thereâs a slight misunderstanding among the servantsâ¦â
âThat I am running an inutile business just because I donât want to spend my dowry for Winterfell?â
âH-how did you know?â
âI have ears too. How can I not know?â
Nadia replied with a shrug.
âOf course, we know your true feelings, but not others. If you keep going like this, people will misunderstand you even more. By then, you may not be able to change their perception. And⦠andâ¦.â
âAnd?â
âAnd didnât you want to get along with His Highness? You said you loved him.â
âWell.â
Actually, that was a lie.
Nadia didnât love him.
But there was no way she could tell them the truth.
Nadia just smiled awkwardly.
âIâm just going to let it go. I knew such rumors were going to spread. Noâ Iâd rather say that I intended it to be that way.â
âWhat? But, uh.. why?â
Were there even people who deliberately wanted to be criticized by others?
Lisa looked up at Nadia with a startled look.
Nadiaâs face was calm without any emotion.
âIf I go around complaining that Iâm serious about business, will everyone believe me? I will be criticized for having thick skin.â
âWell, butâ¦â
âEverything is proven by results. Just wait and see. I will make so much money that I can even pay off your debts.â
Lisa couldnât force herself to argue anymore. She held back her opinion with a sullen face.
âMadam!â
But then, as soon as Lisa returned to her place, the door of the greenhouse burst open.
It was Fabian, Nadiaâs escort who opened the door.
His striding hand held an envelope.
Nadia looked back and greeted him.
âOh, youâre here? What is this about?â
âI was told to deliver this letter to you.â
This morning, a messenger from Nadiaâs father arrived from the capital.
She left the task of receiving the letter to Fabian because she thought he would only get suspicious if she met the messenger in person.
âDid the messenger say anything else?â
âNo, this is all.â
Nadia opened the envelope handed by Fabian.
Her fatherâs handwriting was hard to read sometimes.
Nadia had to stare at the paper for a long time to comprehend the content.
It was just a greeting to ask about her current wellbeing.
There was an epidemic in the southern part of the Kingdom, and the DUke was asking how the situation was at the Winterfell estate.
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Her eyes sank as she read the letter.
The letter did not give details of the epidemic, but she was already well aware of it.
A dark and deadly disaster.
âIt finally started.â
The worst plague ever, the Black Death.