Chapter 11

Duke Elgrandark works as the deputy minister in the Ministry of Law at the royal palace. Additionally, he is the lord who governs the Nerglandi territory at the eastern end of the kingdom, where he is known as the Margrave of Nerglandi. He entrusts the practical management of the territory to his younger brother, Viscount Elgrandark, but regularly visits to inspect the current state and discuss management policies.

After returning from his monthly inspection of the territory, Duke Elgrandark was immediately beseeched by his wife, son, and daughter about hiring additional servants before he could even take off his coat.

"First, let me change. We can talk while having tea."

Greeted with a welcome home, the duke was cornered by the three of them and responded with a wry smile as he headed to his room. The valet who accompanied him to the territory informed Elise that he had brought back sweets from Nerglandi and asked if she wanted to serve them as tea snacks.

"Dianna, let's go to the tea room first. It seems there are some souvenirs from the territory."

"Candy! After eating candy, we have to brush our teeth! Big brother!"

"That's right! Dianna, you know that well, good job. After we finish eating, let's brush our teeth together with big brother."

Holding hands, they walked to the room where they would enjoy tea and light snacks. Knowing that Elise would follow once the tea and snacks were prepared, Dianna walked along with Cain.

Upon arriving at the tea room, Cain took out an apron from a drawer and put it on Dianna. At three years old, Dianna was not very skilled at eating, and there was a possibility that she might spill the duke's souvenirs, so Cain put the apron on her. When she wore the frilly white apron over her light blue dress, Cain thought, "It looks like Alice in terms of color coordination," recalling the protagonist from a fairy tale from his previous life.

Sitting quietly and waiting, their father and mother soon arrived.

"Cain, aren't you going to let your father, who hasn't been home in a while, hold Dianna?"

Upon entering, the duke frowned at the sight of the two children sitting on the sofa. Cain was sitting on a two-seater sofa with Dianna on his lap.

"Let... Father, please don't refer to Dianna as an object. That's a human rights violation."

"Using such a complicated word... Anyway, I want to be able to dote on Dianna too."

"Dianna's cuteness won't diminish just because of a table between us. Please feel free to admire her from the opposite seat."

"I want to hold and pet Dianna."

Cain tightened his grip on Dianna, who looked back and forth between her brother and father with a puzzled expression. A white hand slipped in from behind Cain and lifted Dianna. Elise, from behind the sofa, pulled Dianna away and handed her to her husband, then tapped Cain's head lightly.

"Behave yourself. You've been together all the time, so let your father, who hasn't been home in a month, have a turn."

"But..."

"If you don't spend enough time together, Dianna might start asking, 'Who is this old man?' again, and that would be sad for your father."

Cain had heard before that this had actually happened when the inspection of the territory took a bit longer. He had no choice but to back down when he heard this.

The maid of the tea room brought in the sweets and tea. Once everything was set, the duke spoke.

"So, you want to hire another servant? Since you manage the household, Elise, you didn't need to wait for me."

"The servant I want to hire is for Cain."

As the lady of the house, Elise had the authority to make certain decisions. If necessary, she could hire or fire servants on her own. In practice, she made decisions after consulting with the head maid or butler. However, for exceptional cases, such as hiring a personal attendant or a position involving political duties, she needed to seek the duke's approval.

"A servant for Cain. He hasn't attended tea parties or evening gatherings yet, and he's not old enough to start school. Is there something specific?"

"Actually..."

Cain explained what had happened during the duke's absence, starting from when they found Ilvaleno. He mentioned Ilvaleno's proper speech, good table manners, and how his reading sessions had improved Dianna's reading skills. He also mentioned that Ilvaleno was an orphan and that both Cain and Dianna had grown fond of him, and Elise liked him too. The duke folded his arms and hummed thoughtfully.

"He's the same age as Cain, six years old. It might be a bit early to serve as a servant."

"It's hard to find such a good child. If we wait, he might be taken by another family."

Cain inwardly thought, "No, it's rare for a noble to take an orphan," but kept it to himself. After all, no one would expect an orphanage to have children with noble education. Perhaps, as a charitable act, a noble might take in orphans as employees in their business, fishing, or agricultural organizations.

"Dianna's valet would be fine, father. Ilvaleno is really good at reading books!"

While eating a cream pie in the duke's arms, Dianna looked up and spoke, and the duke looked at Cain.

"Call him 'Ilvaleno'! Not 'Ilvaleno-sama'!"

Cain's face remained unchanged as he said this, and he laughed. Elise, who had been trying to stop Dianna from calling Ilvaleno 'Ilvaleno-sama' without success, was now hiding her mouth with a handkerchief, her shoulders shaking.

"Let's move on from that! If he becomes a servant, I'll make sure to explain the difference in status to Dianna!"

Even though his mental age was in his thirties, Cain still felt embarrassed. While the possibility of having more siblings in the future was not zero, the number of brothers would never increase. This was Cain's pride and the support for his heart.

"Then, let's do this. Bring Ilvaleno here once. I'll interview him and make a decision."

Clapping his hands, the duke made his decision. They confirmed a free day in the schedule, and after the adjustment, they would conduct the interview and decide on the hiring.