Chapter 9

“What did you just say?”

Hazel blinked. Even though she had clearly heard what Elena said, there was an underlying desire to deny it. Elena spoke with force in her voice.

“A governess position… Could you introduce me to a governess position where I could have room and board with my sister?”

Elena spoke once more with a reddened face. It was so embarrassing to make such a request so shamelessly when they had only met twice. Why was it such a series of embarrassing things lately? Perhaps sensing Elena’s emotions, Leana rolled her eyes beside her and hugged her sister.

Hazel looked back and forth between Elena and Leana.

“…A governess position.”

Of course, Elena was a fallen noble, but she would have enough refinement to teach young children. From Elena’s eating manner, speech, and having heard she did translations, she would probably be good at foreign languages too.

Looking at her straight, long fingers, she might also play piano well. She often thought that Count Joseph had raised one daughter well. But this wasn’t what Hazel had expected.

When Maxim had made a ‘request’ with that smooth face of his, she had thought it would surely be something sweeter and happier than this. She had been absorbed in thoughts of going up to the central capital and boasting to her beloved family about the achievements she had made in Levonto like a heroic tale.

‘This, this ungrateful Maxim…!’

Hazel’s lips trembled.

“Did Maxim promise you that? I didn’t hear it properly.”

“…Maxim…”

Elena blinked. Just thinking about that day made her heart pound. It was the day Elena Joseph had opened the door to a new world for herself and for Leana.

She had thought Maxim might not grant her request. Maxim was the only high-ranking noble Elena knew, and he was her only option, but she wasn’t his.

[‘…I want to run away from my mother, Maxim. Could you help me? I’ll repay you for everything you’ve helped me with so far, all at once. I’ll repay you even if it takes my whole life. So…’]

[‘You want to run away?’]

[‘Just not Levonto. Just somewhere my mother doesn’t know. I can speak the common language, Carmen, Mantung, and Homir, so even a foreign country would be fine.’]

To Elena, who was pleading with her pride cast aside, Maxim replied calmly.

[‘This is more suited to Countess Presto than me. I’ll mention it to her, so come back when you’re ready.’]

She was sure he had smiled kindly at the end too. Elena gulped. Surely he hadn’t said nothing to the Countess? Elena’s fingers curled. Of course, there was no reason anywhere for Maxim to keep this promise.

The compensation Elena had promised wasn’t something she could pay right away, and Maxim wanted nothing from her.

The scales were tilted one-sidedly.

“If it’s difficult for you…”

“No, no. That Maxim, that boy.”

Hazel barely managed to lift her lips.

“That boy just didn’t explain properly to me. He must have been busy, just said to take care of you and left.”

“…Ah.”

Thank goodness. So Maxim had kept his promise after all. With the relief that she wouldn’t be kicked out of this place, Elena’s shoulders relaxed. Watching that pitiful sight, Hazel sighed.

‘It can’t be helped.’

Her husband in Levonto and her already grown son had the ability to find their own way. It wouldn’t be a big problem if she wasn’t by their side for a while. Of course, the two would bicker over marriage matters, but that was something that happened in any household.

What could happen by leaving only grown adults behind?

Right now, Maxim’s affairs seemed more urgent than theirs.

“It would probably be better to look for such work in Andres. I was thinking of going to Andres for a while anyway, would you like to come together?”

Elena opened her eyes wide. Then she looked down at Leana. Surely if they went to Andres, treating Leana would become easier too. The center was bound to have more things than the provinces.

Elena gulped.

“How about it, Elena?”

“…I want to go…!”

Elena answered with a trembling voice.

---

Cecilia, who had gone out early in the morning, returned when the sun was setting. Cecilia ran up to the second floor with a flushed face.

In Cecilia’s hand was a marriage proposal.

Finally, her efforts had borne fruit. It was the position of second wife to Baron Benjamin’s house. The previous wife had been driven back to her family for not bearing a son, and the divorced baron was looking for a new wife.

Baron Benjamin’s family was making great profits from diamonds discovered in an abandoned mine. Cecilia had secured a promise of 1 million gold as dowry from Baron Benjamin.

It was a flaw that he was in his mid-40s, about a span shorter than Cecilia, and didn’t have much hair, but would such things matter? The most important value in life lay in money.

“Elena!!”

Cecilia called Elena loudly. This child should know that her mother was working so hard for her sake.

“Elena. Elena? No, why isn’t this girl answering…”

Cecilia, who opened Elena’s door, frowned. True to Elena’s meticulous nature, the room was well organized. It always looked the same so there was nothing different, but it was strangely odd.

The empty desk and the room that felt no warmth. Besides that, various spots seemed strangely empty.

Cecilia entered the room. From Cecilia’s trembling hands as she opened the wardrobe door, the marriage proposal fell with a thud.

“E, Elena!!”

Had this crazy girl run away now? Cecilia sat down on the bed with a hollow laugh. Could someone be this crazy even if they were out of their mind! Cecilia ground her teeth.

Nowhere in the room were Elena’s belongings left. Even the postcards she had been collecting, true to her stubborn personality of liking old-fashioned things, had all disappeared.

She had no intention of returning.

Cecilia, who came to her senses, shot up from her seat. The next place she headed was Leana’s bedroom. Cecilia threw the door wide open.

It was the place where Leana should always be lying.

“…This girl has made up her mind firmly.”

Cecilia ground her teeth while clenching her fists. Leana’s disappearance didn’t matter. But Elena’s disappearance when things had progressed this far was problematic.

Cecilia worked her brain.

Anyway, Elena was Cecilia’s child. Under this country’s law, the right to decide Elena’s whereabouts belonged to Cecilia herself as the mother. After her husband died, the young relative who took over the family had dumped all the household affairs on Cecilia.

To drag Elena back and seat her next to Baron Benjamin would take at least ten days.

She had to find this girl within ten days.

In the meantime, she could cover it up with a story about being bedridden with illness. Cecilia staggered up from her seat. Her heart was pounding.

The elation from anger wrapped around Cecilia. Where on earth could she have gone? Had she been hiding money all this time?

She wouldn’t have had money to buy train tickets. Trains were still the exclusive domain of the wealthy. Even buying passage in a hired carriage would have cost quite a bit to leave Levonto.

Still, a hired carriage was more plausible than a train. If not that…

‘Did someone help her? Maxim?’

The face of the handsome young man flashed by. Since the banquet, Cecilia had also made every effort to approach Maxim. All things being equal, choose the better option. Why would Maxim dislike Cecilia when he seemed to have a lot of money and was young and handsome?

But no one was willing to speak about Maxim. Not only that. Whenever she asked about Maxim, the noble ladies would avoid the spot. Even so, no matter how brazen Cecilia was, she didn’t have the courage to seek out Countess Presto, the party host.

She was an imperial adult after all.

If unlucky, she could be charged with insulting the imperial family.

‘Still, they said he was staying there…’

Cecilia narrowed her eyes. She had a small suspicion that Elena might have followed Maxim. That foolish girl had eyes higher than her station.

She might have caused real trouble.

Cecilia caught her breath. If it went well, she could just extort money from that man, but if not…

She would bring Elena back within ten days.

Cecilia steeled her resolve.