Chapter 10

Lady of the Asher Dukedom (10) (10/141)

"Shouldn't we call the doctor now?"

At Haeil's question, Arina shook her head with a look of disgust.

"Who's going to hit anyone? It's fine. She just fainted for a moment, that's all."

"Right, Haeil. It's just a matter of resting. Why make it a big deal?"

Lindsey chimed in with Arina, waving her hand.

But Haeil, who had clasped her hands tightly, took a step forward hesitantly.

"That's not the case. She lost a lot of blood. Her white clothes were soaked with the blood from her nose. What if something serious happens? How will we take responsibility?"

"Oh, look at what this girl is saying!"

Arina jumped up and turned around.

"What responsibility? Are you saying I did something wrong? What responsibility am I supposed to take?"

"Well, you should call the doctor. It's just a matter of calling the resident doctor, so why..."

At Haeil's words, Arina frowned and glanced at Leticia, who seemed to be sleeping.

How could she explain that she had been watching Leticia, who had been bullied by Mr. Chandler, from the second floor of the annex?

Of course, it wasn't her place to interfere in matters between the young masters, but if she started being questioned about the bruises on her knees, elbows, and palms, and the various marks on her body, it would only lead to headaches.

It was better not to cause a commotion with the head of the household present.

"It's fine. She'll wake up tomorrow."

"But..."

"If she can't open her eyes in the morning, then we'll call the doctor or the head of the household."

"Miss Arina."

"You! A mere housekeeper, are you questioning what I, a second-class maid, say?"

Arina's words, trying to assert her authority, made Haeil bite her lip and turn her head.

Leticia's pale, bloodless face, which seemed to be in a deep sleep, made Haeil doubt whether she would wake up the next day. Given her already thin and malnourished state, Haeil was afraid that something might go wrong.

Haeil clasped her hands tightly, and Arina, who seemed to find her appearance annoying, put her hands on her hips and raised her chin.

"Have you finished all your work? Didn't you have to do all the laundry you dropped earlier today?"

Haeil, who seemed to be trying to get her out of the room, turned her head and said, "Yes," while looking at Leticia on the bed and sniffing.

"Do it all today. If you don't, you won't get any food."

At Arina's threat, Haeil nodded and walked out of Leticia's small room, carrying the laundry basket she had dropped behind the annex, and trudged away.

"Here, the working children—oh."

Behind the garden, a group of men were walking in a line. Haeil, who had dropped the basket again at the sight of the well-dressed men, was surprised.

"What—"

"Oh, she seems to be a maid working in the annex. Sir."

"Oh, we are the administrative officers of the main house. Don't be surprised..."

"The main house?"

"Yes."

The man called "Sir" looked like he had just had his coming-of-age ceremony, with a youthful face.

He wore glasses and looked tired, making it hard to guess his age, but without the glasses, he would have looked like a boy who hadn't grown up.

However—

'Administrative officers.'

Haeil, who was momentarily hesitant about whether to mention Leticia, swallowed hard.

She was afraid of making a mistake.

But Leticia's condition didn't look good.

Just six years old.

Leticia's appearance, which reminded her of her younger sister, made Haeil bite her lower lip and look up.

"Excuse me."

The eyes of the administrative officer, who was looking at her, darkened.

"Leticia is sick."

* * *

"This is really annoying."

Arina, frowning, threw the towel into the bucket after roughly wiping Leticia's hands, feet, and the blood-stained face and neck.

"Who's going to hear it?"

"Still, do I have to take care of a bastard's mess?"

"She's not a bastard."

"If the parents are bastards, the child is obvious. The mother is a commoner, right?"

"That's what the rumors say."

Lindsey nodded, pouring warm water into the bucket.

"Still, the lady is too much. What's so pretty about this little ball that she has to be treated so well?"

"It's because the head of the household is here, isn't it?"

"Hmph."

Just before Leticia collapsed, Ellyn, a close attendant of Bellia, had given strict instructions.

To treat her so well that she couldn't do anything without them, and to instill in her that everything was due to the second lady and her husband.

'Then your path will be smooth.'

While Ellyn was saying that the second lady would remember it well, Arina, rolling her eyes, roughly wiped Leticia's small wrist with a towel.

"Is it because her skin is pale? Why isn't the blood coming off... Huh!"

Just as she was putting more force into the towel, as if to peel off the delicate skin, Lindsey's brown hair appeared in the gap of the door that hadn't been closed.

"Sir?"

At the appearance of a person who couldn't be unknown if he had worked at the main house, Arina stared blankly at Bennett, who also stared back at her.

Specifically, he looked at the thin wrist she was gripping with her left hand and the towel in her right hand, which she was rubbing until it turned red.

Bennett, who seemed to understand the situation at a glance, slowly entered the room and looked around.

The fireplace had no embers, and the mantel was covered in white dust.

The rough-textured blanket, the cheap-looking wallpaper and curtains, and the spider webs in the corners of the ceiling all indicated that this was a room neglected by the family.

And—

"Hmph."

Bennett, scratching his brow, bit his lip at the sight of Leticia lying on the bed.

"Comet."

"Yes, Sir Bennett."

"Go to the main house immediately and bring the on-duty doctor."

"Understood."

"Y-Yes, Sir Bennett!"

At Bennett's words, Arina, who had just regained her composure, jumped up from her seat.

"No, the young lady is just tired."

"..."

"Especially since the young lady dislikes doctors. I planned to watch her all night and call the doctor if it didn't get better. Look!"

Arina, trying to show that she had been taking good care of her, pointed to the bucket and towel and forced a smile.

"I cleaned up all the blood that soaked her white clothes. Look, not a single hair is stained with blood."

"A lot of blood."

"Yes! I was wondering where all that blood came from..."

"But you didn't call the doctor."

"Th-That's because..."

"Because the young lady dislikes doctors."

"Yes, yes."

Arina, nodding meekly, and Lindsey, nodding more vigorously behind her, made Bennett sigh deeply and turn around.

The small body, breathing heavily, was moving under the blanket.

'How can I report this to the head of the household?'

If the treatment of a potential noble with abilities was this messy, he couldn't avoid responsibility.

Even though he had entrusted the main house to the second lady,

'It's not an excuse.'

Moreover—

'Bennett, please check on Leticia occasionally.'

He had even been asked by Lady Sharie.

'Damn it.'

Bennett, feeling frustrated, lightly rubbed his lips.

When he occasionally met her at the main house, she seemed to be doing well, laughing and mingling with the nobles.

He was a bit concerned about her small and thin frame, but he thought it was just her constitution. Honestly, he didn't want to be bothered by her tantrums and crying to the servants.

He had simply pushed her aside.

There was nothing that wasn't his fault.

"Hmph."

Bennett, biting his lip, turned his head to see the child, who couldn't even open her eyes, shaking her head slightly.

"..."

"Young lady?"

At the voice mixed with her breathing, Bennett quickly bent down, and the child, as if following his warmth, reached out and grabbed his fingertips.

"No."

"..."

"No."

The small hand, which was tightly gripping his, felt desperate, as if clutching at a straw.

It was as if she was pleading for help.