Chapter 4

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A new owner

The sunrays parted through the low hills through the darkness casting its orange unhurried rays along the wind.

Whenever the sun hit,the creatures shed their darkness from the nighttime and stretched out vigorously.The dew that remained on the blades of grass fell and the butterflies spread their colorful wings. The buds that had closed themselves slowly unfolded, revealing vivid colors.

The awakened sheep moved slowly in search of fresh grass and in the distant village,smoke from baking the morning bread rose faintly,then melting into the sky and disappearing.

The beautiful land overflowed with life; Except for one place.

Even under the bright sunlight, the Edenhurst mansion was engulfed in darkness. It was as if winter still lingered inside.

The servants of the mansion who had woken up moved quickly but quietly.

The previous masters of the mansion would be in a very deep sleep at this time. However, the butler stared fiercely at anyone who made any noise,especially when passing the Countess’ room.

The Countess had not been able to sleep without medication for the past few months, and even with medication she had not been able to achieve deep sleep. That’s why when she heard the slightest bit of noise, she would keenly notice, and mercilessly hit the servants.But no one in the Edenhurst mansion could complain about such a Countess.

It was partly because of the deep loyalty the servants had to the Earl of Lauderdale, but also because of their sympathy for the Countess,a mother who lost her only son.

All of Edenhurst’s servants were dressed in black for mourning. There was no smile on anyone’s face; Because they wouldn’t be able to smile or laugh unless their master did.

The busiest place in the morning in the mansion was the kitchen. Emma, the chef with a voluminous body, was the first person to take care of the master’s meals. They rarely called for food at such an early time of day, but if they asked, the kitchen had to prepare without delay.

After preparing the master’s things, they made meals for the servants. The soup, filled with ingredients, was brought to a boil in a large pot big enough to fit a person, and the kitchen maid assisting Emma, was busily pouring the soup into bowls. When even those of the lowest-ranking servants were fed, the large pot finally would be emptied.

Emma then took the bowl containing the vegetable peels, scraped the bottom of the pot, and poured the soup, which barely filled the ladle, into the bowl.

“You there.”

Emma, after looking around, called a new young maid.

“Put this up there” she instructed.

The maid took the bowl and went to the place Emma was talking about. It used to be a storage space next to the kitchen. A place where there was no light and where the potato sacks were piled up. Near to it was a small table that could barely fit two plates and a round wooden stool.

After placing the bowl, the maid looked around and placed a nearby bread basket on the small table.

Emma who saw it ,shouted at the maid.

“”What are you doing? Why are you putting the pack of bread there?””

“But that’s Anastasia’s….”

The maid mumbled in a low voice, as if she didn’t know what she was doing wrong. Emma clicked her tongue and beckoned her maid to come closer.

“”What name did you call out?””

“Anastasia.”

The name was not unusual in Novgorod. In this country, which was only two hundred years old, there were not many names, so a there were a lot of people with the same names.

“Do you plan on taking the Edenhurst name as your own?”

At Emma’s question, the maid nodded fiercely. At the mention of the Edenhurst name, there was a look of longing in the maid’s eyes.

“Then be sensible.”

Emma turned her head and looked at the table in the corner with the soup bowl. That seat was only for one person.

Ten years ago, the former Count of Lauderdale suddenly brought a red-haired girl from somewhere and said he would adopt her. That day, the always noble, elegant, and ungainly Countess raised her voice for the first time since she came to the mansion. While the Countess quarreled, the girl trembled with her head down.

A few days later, the girl was given the name Anastasia Lauderdale. The name contained the resolute opposition of the Countess. Accepting her husband’s will to take her as an adopted daughter but determined to not give even an ounce of affection.

Those recognized as members of Edenhurst are given Ils names, not Novgorod names. The head chef was given the name Emma instead of her Novgodian name Svetlanya. The butler, Sergei, also got the name James at Edenhurst.

All others who, with the Countess’s approval,were qualified to remain here, bear the name of Edenhurst. Even three dogs kept in the mansion did.But the girl the Count had brought was named Anastasia,a Novgodian name.

“Do you understand?”

When Emma asked, the maid nodded. She then quickly removed the bread bowl she had put on it and put it on the another of the servants’ table. Seeing this, Emma was relieved.The little maid didn’t seem as stupid as she had thought.

Slowly, the servants who finished cleaning the mansion came down to the kitchen and sat down at the table. Although manner was demanded, the servants reached out to eat with a light mood as the butler and maid’s supervision could not reach the basement dining room with only lower-class servants.

Near the end of our meal, we heard someone coming down the stairs inside. At the edge of her table, the young maid, who was tearing bread while listening to the stories of her seniors, felt her popularity and turned her head. After a while, the woman appeared.

It was a woman wearing layers of old clothes that were long out of fashion even for a maid. She had her hair covered with her thin scarf as if I was a nun, plus a wide-brimmed hat that covered her face.

If I had met the lady on the street, I would have looked at her with strange eyes and avoided her.

The woman, who came into the kitchen with a sound of dragging her feet, sat in front of the table where the young maid had just placed the bowl.

She was Anastasia Lauderdale.

As Anastasia came down, the servants gathered at the table shut their mouths for a moment and looked at her. However, she soon turned her head, and as if no one had seen her, They continued the conversations just as they had before. The young maid looked at the others and turned her head to follow the other servants.

She quickly learned the rules of this mansion.

Without anyone paying attention, Anastasia looked at the food prepared for her.

A bowl of soup that only half filled the plate. That was all. On the table of the servants seated a short distance away was a soup full of ingredients, as well as bread and yellow butter for breakfast.

Anastasia looked at their table for a moment and then turned her head. Then, I put my hands together and prayed over the soup that was left for me. Though others could not see her expression, as she closed her eyes and muttered her prayers, she resembled that of a devout monk.

After a long prayer, Anastasia picked up the spoon that had been thrown on the table. It was a spoon with traces of the person who used it before.

Anastasia rubbed it with the skirt she was wearing and started eating the soup.

The soup had already lost its warmth, but Anastasia was happy. Unlike some time ago, the soup contained a lot of ingredients, even if it was only a little. As she swallowed the savory water, her empty stomach fluctuated more and more, but Anastasia moved her hands slowly. While Anastasia was eating, servants who were eating nearby were chatting after finishing their meal. The food has definitely gotten better these days.

Yeah. Until a month ago, I didn’t know if this was soup or water. Did my mother’s distant relatives in the capital know about our situation in the mansion and come to help us?

Sadness passed through the servants’ faces when they said they had gotten helped. How did Count Lauderdale end up getting help from others?

The Count of Lauderdale was a noble family of their own in Novgorod. The first Count Lauderdale, who had fled from Ils, continued to retain the name of Ils even after he moved to Novgorod. It was a good choice in Novgorod, where there are many people who envy royalty, nobility, or Ils’ in general.

It has been more than 100 years since the Count moved to Novgorod. The prestige of the count family, which was expected to rise further in the future, went downhill in an instant. Starting with the death of the heir to County five years ago.

The Future Count went hunting for a fox to a hunting ground near the mansion, and fell off a horse and hit his head against a rock and died instantly. The count was thirty-seven at the time. He was too young for his life to end.

It was sad, but nonetheless, everyone was not worried about the future of the Count’s Residence. The Count had another son, Edward, who would inherit everything. But that year, war broke out with Schweig, and afterward, his successor, Edward, was forced to go to war on the orders of the Empress Dowager to fulfill his duties.

Everyone knew that the nobles were in a safe place in the end, so they thought that Edward would return as soon as the war was over and become the next Earl. However, the war was longer than expected, and Edward’s return was also delayed.

The Counteds put in a petition to the imperial family to speed up Edward’s return, offering many things. Thanks to this, the townhouse in the capital, the villa and the rich land in other places besides Edenhurst, became imperial property. From then on, the Count quickly walked the path of collapse.

After four years. As the sluggish war finally came to an end, Edward was caught up in the explosion of unfriendly explosives and died.

The countess, who received a notice of her son’s death last winter, fainted and has since lost her touch at everything.

Even so, when the countess put her mind back on work, where she had to pay more attention to managing the estate due to the declining income, there was no way she could go back to grieving. Even the man who managed the estate on behalf of the Countess secretly sold the Count’s jewels to use for gambling and entertainment.

In the end, the countess was thrown into a corner. The servants were the first to see the floor of the food warehouse. When the monthly salary was delayed, some of the employees left the mansion.

After such a rough winter, spring came, the rest thought that it would be difficult for them to stay any longer, so they left.

Then, suddenly, a stranger came to the mansion, saying that it had been sent by a distant relative of the Countess. He took care of the count’s urgent affairs, saying it was ordered by his wife’s relatives. Thanks to this, the warehouse was filled with potatoes and flour, which were only a few bags left, and fresh butter and milk came in every day. Thanks to this, the servants’ table became prosperous again after a long time.

“But he said he wasn’t a relative?”

The servant who was sitting in the corner cautiously spoke out. Everyone looked at him for the first time.

“What are you talking about? They aren’t relatives? So who helped?”

“You know what?”

The servant hesitated and looked into the eyes of the people. As a general employee, he was educated not to talk about the work of the masters recklessly. So keeping your mouth shut is the right thing to do.

As he looked around, Emma slipped in and said.

“Who cares? There’s no butler or maid here.”

She, the head chef, should never make a fuss and should’ve stopped him, but Emma was also curious when he said that the mystery man was not a relative. When Emma’s tacit permission was given, the servant opened his mouth again.

“Actually, while I was cleaning from above, I overheard the conversation between the Countess and the butler.”

The servant beckoned the others to come closer and said, lowering his voice to the fullest extent.

A new master is coming to Edenhurst.

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