Chapter 47

The Eldland mansion, though it may be inferior to the Albert family's, is still a grand residence with its own dignity and grandeur.

The maids must constantly polish it, for there is not a speck of dust, and seasonal flower arrangements and paintings adorn the space. Every corner is meticulously maintained, revealing the house's dignity and the respect the new young master commands.

In such a hallway, the sound of uneven footsteps echoed.

"Miss Mary...! Miss Maryyy!"

Running and crying was Parfait.

Even from a considerable distance, she had already spread her arms wide, the hem of her off-white dress fluttering as she ran. When she reached right in front of Mary, she was about to embrace her in joy...

But Adi swiftly intervened, changing her trajectory to hug Alicia instead.

"Miss Mary, I wanted to see you... No, this feeling isn't Miss Mary's! Miss Alicia!?"

Realizing she was hugging Alicia, Parfait's eyes widened.

Despite being mistaken, Alicia still hugged her tightly.

"Parfait, it's been a while!"

"Miss Alicia, it's been a while...!"

The two beautiful women embraced, rejoicing in their reunion. What a beautiful scene.

Mary, who was left out, shrugged and glanced sideways at Adi.

"Would it be fine if Parfait hugged you?"

"It's not allowed. I won't let anyone hug the young lady."

"Oh, so no one will hug me. I'll be lonely for a while, then."

"...I'm an exception."

Adi, blushing slightly but maintaining a serious face, firmly stated. Mary smiled wryly.

She then looked at Gaius, who was greeting Patrick.

Gaius, the head of the Eldland family, is now one of the representatives of this country. To Mary, he is just a man who is dominated by Parfait, but in reality, he is a head of a prestigious family with influence not only within the country but also abroad.

His influence is significant, especially concerning the neighboring country, Silvino.

After explaining everything, Mary, still smiling, clapped her hands.

"So, I'd like Gaius to intervene in Silvino's affairs and make the lord of the region where Anna lives suffer."

"Miss Mary, this could become an international issue, so perhaps a more delicate approach..."

"Give them a good thrashing!!"

"...I will handle it appropriately."

Gaius, nodding dejectedly, still gave his consent. Patrick patted his shoulder to console him.

Looking at Gaius with a calm and beautiful smile, as if to say he understood, he nodded deeply...

"Push them to the point of no recovery."

At that moment, Patrick's smile was radiant. Despite the violent nature of his words, his radiance increased by twenty percent.

Gaius, either out of exasperation or dazzled by the brilliance, squinted his eyes.

"Even you, Master Patrick..."

"I have a position, so I can't interfere in another country's territory without cause. If a representative of a country were to get involved in a foreign slum out of personal feelings, it would be a problem. But the Eldland family is different."

"Indeed. Recently, many people have been coming from Silvino to our country, so it would be easier to discuss this issue. Moreover, the wealth gap in Silvino has often been a topic of concern, so this is a good opportunity."

"Yes, thank you. If necessary, be prepared to annex the territory of the Eldland family."

"Master Patrick, please maintain a peaceful stance..."

"Take everything."

"...I will handle it appropriately."

Realizing it was futile to argue, Gaius slumped his shoulders.

Adi called out to him, his voice unusually deep, his rust-colored eyes fixed on Gaius.

Adi's imposing presence made Mary, who was sitting next to him, notice the change and look up at him. His expression was serious, and though he was calm, the fiery passion in his rust-colored eyes was evident.

"Master Gaius, please do your best."

"Master Adi..."

"Of course. Anna is not my daughter, but she came to me for help, even though it was a misunderstanding. A small child walked for days alone. How anxious and scared she must have been. I can't just drop her off and leave it at that."

Adi's serious tone made everyone who heard him turn their attention to him.

A cold anger could be felt from him. He was thinking about Anna's situation and the injustice of it, unable to contain his emotions.

Gaius, moved by this, also became serious and turned to Adi again.

"I will send a messenger to speak with the lord immediately."

"Thank you."

"I think it's best to leave tomorrow. Everyone must be tired today, so I will prepare rooms for you."

Gaius, inviting them to stay, was thanked by Mary and the others, who decided to accept his offer.

The Eldland mansion is large, with plenty of guest rooms. It would be a disgrace to the Eldland family to let Mary and the others stay at an inn.

Sometimes it's best to accept kindness without hesitation and repay it at another time. This is also a way to deepen relationships between families.

Parfait and Alicia, who had been with Anna, also heard this and bowed to each other.

"Please make yourselves comfortable."

Parfait, already exuding the air of a lady of the house, welcomed them gracefully.

Alicia also bowed, saying, "Thank you for your hospitality." It might be a problem for a princess to bow so easily, but this was a greeting for staying at a friend's house, so it was acceptable.

Anna, sitting between them, looked at Alicia and Parfait alternately and bowed in imitation, saying, "Thank you for your hospitality," in a cute and awkward manner, making the two of them exclaim in delight.

Seeing this peaceful scene, Mary and the others relaxed and smiled. Mary then turned to Gaius, remembering something.

"Can we also prepare rooms for my brothers? They said they would gather information about Silvino and would likely return here."

"Lord Rang and Lord Lucian, of course, that's fine."

"Since they're noisy, it's fine to put them in one room."

"Surely that's... I will prepare proper rooms for them and Lord Adi's brother."

"That's right. Prepare a room for Robert too."

"Isn't that unfair treatment?"

Gaius's face twisted.

Normally, it would be unthinkable to put two heirs of a prestigious family from a neighboring country in one room and give their attendant a separate room. It would be considered rude and ignorant of etiquette.

But Mary insisted, "It's fine for my brothers to share a room." It was less about politeness and more about the hassle of dealing with her brothers, so she wanted to keep them in one place.

"In that case, I will prepare three rooms in a row. They can choose their rooms freely."

"That would mean they would all be in one room."

"Why choose the smallest option...? I will prepare rooms for the number of people, so please assign them as you like."

Gaius slumped his shoulders, realizing that further discussion would be futile.

He left to give instructions to the servants, and Mary took a deep breath, finally able to rest.

They had been traveling all day, and the sun had already set. Even though they had been in a carriage, it was still tiring.

Anna had traveled such a long distance alone, relying only on a dirty postcard.

Thinking about letting her rest today, Mary heard Gaius instruct a maid who had entered to prepare dinner. It seemed they would prepare a meal despite the sudden visit.

Deciding to accept their kindness, ...

"Mary, you should be careful about your meals, right?"

Patrick called out to her.

He must be referring to her baby.

Mary looked down at her abdomen. While it might seem like overthinking to worry about meals now, it might be better to be cautious while traveling.

Gaius, hearing this, turned to her.

"Miss Mary, is there anything you dislike?"

"No... But yes, I might want to discuss the dinner arrangements."

"Understood. I will call the head maid. Would you like to tell her yourself?"

"Yes, thank you. As a thank you, I'll send five points... No, since everyone is staying, I'll send ten points from everyone."

"In that case, it might be good to prepare dessert and chocolate in the rooms."

Gaius, jokingly, left to call the head maid.

Seeing him go, Mary called out to Adi.

"Could you talk to the head maid about my meals?"

"Leave it to me. I will manage your meals."

"Be careful not to overdo it and end up with just a little vegetables. I don't want a lot either."

Mary joked, and Adi, realizing he was being teased for being overprotective, pouted and replied, "Don't worry."

The head maid entered the room at that moment, and Adi left to speak with her.

Seeing him go, Mary glanced sideways at Patrick, who had been watching the exchange. He must have already noticed her condition.

But it wasn't appropriate to state it clearly here, so Mary only whispered her thanks. Patrick, understanding her situation, winked at her. How suave and cool.

In the midst of this exchange,

"Anna, dinner will be ready soon."

Alicia's pitiful voice interrupted, and Mary and Patrick naturally turned to look.

Anna, exhausted and sleepy, was leaning against Alicia. Her eyes were drooping, and when Alicia shook her shoulder, her head drooped.

"Anna, at least let's have dinner! It will be delicious!"

"We'll prepare it right away, so please try to stay awake..."

Alicia and Parfait were trying to keep her awake, but she would likely fall asleep in a few minutes.

She hadn't complained about fatigue or discomfort during the journey, and yesterday, she had pushed herself to the limit before collapsing. She must have been trying to endure as much as possible, considering her situation.

What a brave child, Mary whispered softly.

We have reached 200 chapters!

I will continue to work hard to make it enjoyable, so please look forward to it.

...I had planned to include this afterword in the 200th chapter.

(I thought this was the 200th chapter)

Thank you very much...!