CH 14

“You do not need to prove yourself”

The Duke of Winfried continued with a smile.

“Because I am well aware.”

“… Did you know?”

The duke nodded.

“So, this is my prize for you, Miss Irina. A reward just for you.”

A reward. She knew what it meant but she never thought that one would be given to her. 

And it was a reward ‘just for’ her. 

Not anyone else, her. 

“A reward…”

As her words trailed off, Irina could only stand there blinking. Winfried nodded. 

“The room will look pretty decent once it’s all cleaned up. If there’s a book you want to read, you should tell Aaron. He will help you get anything you want.”

“W-wouldn’t that be expensive?”

“Expensive?”

Winfried smirked. 

The Duke of Winfried had always been a house that never had to worry about money. The eastern lands of the country, or its granaries, were all part of Winfried’s domain.

The house even owned the precious gem mines in the east along with plots of lands where rare herbs and flowers could be gathered. 

Hadn’t the Dukes of Winfried been running large successful businesses for generations?

Although they could not spend as much as they used to as they were still reeling from the aftereffects of the war, the Winfried Duchy was not one to collapse from the purchase of a few books. 

Furthermore, compensation from their enemy nations and rewards from the Imperial Family that would soon be sent was only expected to be plentiful. 

Their projects, which had been abruptly halted due to the war, were now scheduled to resume their activities.

The reason why their townhouse in the capital seemed disorganised was not because they were low on funds but because having a place where they could escape to during the war would only weaken the resolve of their knights. 

“They are mere pennies. And you are already doing your duties so diligently, Miss Irina, while these are just books.”

“My duties?”

But she hadn’t done a thing?

“A student’s duty is to learn.”

“Learn…”

Irina slowly repeated the duke’s words to herself.

“And you are a student. So, don’t you think you’ve carried out your duties exceptionally well?”

Did she? 

She would suppose so.

So, she was carrying out her duties.

The reason she had work till she almost died in that inn back in the slums and had to constantly prove her worth was because she had been a mere worker there. 

But to the Duke of Winfried, she was a student. A student whose duty was to learn.

For some reason, when she heard that, she felt much better. She could feel the anxiety that had just been messing up with her insides quieting down. 

And relief took its place.

Irina grinned. 

***

The study that was meant to finish construction in a few days was instantly ready to be occupied. 

In just two days, the ground had been laid with carpet and the white bookshelves were filled with books.

In the middle of the study, two large sofas were placed side by side facing each other, and a round table could be seen placed beside a comfortable one-seater by the window. 

The large desk in the study also seemed to have been adjusted to match Irina’s height. 

And it was at the large desk that Irina found herself usually sitting at these days. 

‘The garden is nice but this room is nice too?’

The garden was nice to read in as she was in the company of the smell of the trees and grass but here she had soft seats and could read books comfortably. 

She found the novel the duke had got her particularly interesting. 

It was a story about how the main character goes back in time after being murdered to exact revenge on their murderer and the other villains. 

Out of all the villains that were punished by the main character, there was one that reminded her a lot of Ben and the innkeeper. 

That was how Irina continued to turn the books’ pages while cheering for the main character on the inside. 

“This is so fun.”

Halfway through her read, Irina sighed before placing the book down. If she could, she wanted to finish reading this book today.

Unfortunately, the homework Viscountess Alphington had assigned her was waiting to be done on her desk. 

‘Let’s make this quick’

Irina clenched her fists. 

After she quickly finished her homework, she planned on continuing the book where she left off. 

Since she had just stopped at the part where the main character was about to take their revenge again,  Irina could not wait to continue reading. 

Raising her quill, she wondered how much homework the viscountess had handed her.

“Hm?”

There was a lot of noise coming from outside the estate. Irina looked away from her homework and glanced out the window. 

There was a carriage she had never seen before. 

“Is Viscountess Alphington here?’

She did say her work downtown might take longer this time but was she already done?

Now, leaning a little closer to the window, Irina’s head tilted to the side. 

The side of the carriage was embellished with a deer and not the blue bird that symbolised the Duke of Winfried. 

It was only at that moment did Irina realise that the carriage must belong to a different family. 

“People I don’t know…”

Mumbling softly to herself, Irina approached the window. She spotted Aaron, the butler, coming out of  the mansion and saying something before opening the carriage door. 

A woman her age stepped out of the carriage. 

The lady had long black hair cascading down her back and just upon first glance, Irina could tell that she was as pretty as a doll and as elegant as Viscountess Alphington. 

Aaron spoke to her. Even from this distance, Aaron looked taken aback.  

‘Who is she?’

While Irina continued to watch curiously, the Duke of Winfried emerged from the estate.

The woman’s expression brightened. She had looked grave when she was talking to Aaron but as soon as she saw the duke, it looked as though flowers were blooming on her face.

But from her angle, Irina could not see the expression the Duke of Winfried had on his face though she was curious.

The two stood at their spots and exchanged a few words. The woman stuck herself onto the duke’s arm. 

Then, the two entered the estate with their arms interlocked. 

“…..”

Watching everything unfold, Irina only bit her lips slightly without saying a word. 

She froze in place for a moment before closing the curtains and lifting her quill again. 

But for some reason, she could not focus as well as before. 

Just like that, time flew by. She would rather read her book again but unlike before, she no longer found it interesting. 

“Ha.”

Irina took a deep breath before closing the book. Maybe it was because all she did the whole day was read and do her homework. 

Perhaps she should take a break and have a cup of tea.

Getting up, Irina headed for the kitchen.

‘Is Mister Bayden here?’

Bayden, the chef placed in charge of the kitchen, adored Irina. Whenever she dropped by, he would fill her arms with snacks and sneak out rare dishes for her to try. 

The large potatoes she had the last time that had been roasted to perfection had also been gifted by Mister Bayden. 

Since she was dropping by, she might as well stay to drink tea and chat with the others there. 

She thought she would be able to focus again after she had a cup of warm tea, a few pieces of cookies and hearing Mister Bayden’s cheery voice.

Feeling better, Irina’s steps hastened. The moment she arrived at the kitchen situated on the first floor. 

Irina was first greeted with an uproar.

“First, I’ll tell Mister Bayden to serve tea with the desserts he can push out the fastest to the drawing room on the 2nd floor… young miss.”

Aaron, who had grabbed onto a passing servant and was busy handing out instructions, spotted Irina standing along the stairway.

“Mister Aaron, what’s with the commotion?”

“We have a visitor.”

When Irina asked as though she had not been aware, Aaron answered.

“A guest?”

“The young lady of the Florence County, Seine Florence, has visited. She is the duke’s distant relative.”

So, they were relatives. That was why they seemed so close.

Irina nodded.

“Where are you heading off to, young miss?”

“I was planning on having a cup of tea in the kitchen.”

“I’m sorry.”

Aaron gave a brief sigh. 

“Mister Bayden should be preoccupied for a while.”

Irina nodded understandingly. There was nothing else she could do. 

“Uhm.”

Looking anxious for some reason, Aaron urgently added. 

“Would you mind if I brought your lunch to your room today?”

“So, I’ll be having my meal in my room?”

“Yes, please. We might have to use the dining hall for our guest.”

Aaron looked very distressed as though he was troubled by the said guest. 

She could not bring herself to add onto his stress. 

Irina nodded lightly. 

“Alright, I shall eat in my room.”

“Thank you for understanding. You should be able to eat dinner in the dining hall as usual.”

“The guest must be leaving in the evening then.”

“Would she not?”

Aaron smiled in pain.

“It must be because of her sudden visit but it feels like a storm is passing through this estate.”

Irina could not understand why Aaron looked so taken aback in front of the carriage earlier. 

In the palm-sized book on etiquette the Viscountess of Alphington had handed her to have a look through whenever she had time, it stated that one should always make an appointment before visiting someone’s mansion.

But it did not seem like that relative of his did. 

“And I might get busy from now on so if there is anything you need, could you please inform Miss Berry instead?”

That was the name of the maid who often took care of Irina. She nodded her head once again. 

That was not too difficult to do. 

“I shall return to my study.”

“Yes. My apologies again for inconveniencing you.”

“It isn’t even your fault, Mister Aaron.”

Just as he said earlier, the fault lies with the guest that had visited the estate like a storm. 

Shaking her head, Irina now climbed back up the stairs to return to her study. 

“Where is the butler?”

And came face to face with the guest. Seine, who had popped out of the drawing room on the 2nd floor, stared at Irina who stood in front of her.

“Hm?”

Irina also stared at Seine. Just as she had expected when she saw her from afar, she was as pretty as a doll.

Before Irina could greet her, Florence spoke first.

“And who are you?”

She sounded polite but at the same time, rather presumptuous.

“I didn’t hear there being other guests in this estate. And you don’t look like some maid…”

Seine’s eyes scanned her from the tip of her toes. 

She seemed to be ascertaining the price of the dress Irina was wearing and which designer’s work it was. 

However, when she realised that the dress was inexpensive and Irina’s posture was far from corrected, the aristocrat’s expression hardened. 

Seine’s eyes paused when she reached Irina’s face.

“Ah, perhaps.”

Seine’s lips curled as though she was certain.

“Are you on the prowl for a sponsor?”