Chapter 16

Time went on. Day and night passed as if they were kissing each other, the seasons changed and autumn came, then winter, and finally spring. Green buds began to sprout on the branches that had been bare over the past few months. Flocks of migratory birds that had left for winter seemed to be returning home.

Herietta opened her window wide and stuck her upper body out of the window. The spring breeze, which had not yet completely shaken off the scent of winter, blew and caressed her face and hair. Not long after waking up from her sleep, she, in her thin pajamas, trembled involuntarily.

She couldn’t remember the name of the novel, but in the story, the female lead romantically enjoys the winter breeze as she looks out of the window. But why is she always failing when she tries to do it?

As Herietta tried to close the window while muttering to herself when she suddenly caught something in her peripheral vision. Turning her head, she saw her father, Baodor, standing in the middle of the yard. As if he were trying to explain something, Baodor’s arms were moving around in large movements.

Another man was standing next to Baodor. Unlike Baodor, who was busily moving and gesturing as he spoke, the man hardly moved.

Herietta was pouting just a while ago, but upon seeing the man, a bright smile bloomed on her face.

“Edwin!”

Herietta shouted as she raised her hand and waved at him. If she could, she would jump out of her window and run over to him, but alas, she was too high up to do so.

Hearing her voice, the two men looked up at the window on the second floor. One man looked surprised and unsure about what to expect if she were to fall over the window sill, while the other man frowned.

“Herietta! What are you doing there! It’s dangerous!”

Baodor shouted. But she didn’t care. All of Herietta’s attention was on Edwin. His figure, standing tall under the sun, was so perfect that it was unbelievable that she was seeing it so early in the morning.

“Wait! I’ll get ready and come down soon!”

Herietta slipped back into her room without listening to her father’s warning and stillness settled down in the noisy yard. Baodor looked at the now empty window with a bewildered expression on his face.

* * *

Herietta hesitated as she looked at Edwin. He didn’t say anything, but she could tell from a glance that he wasn’t in a good mood. Creases formed between his brows, his eyes were on anything else but her, and his beautiful lips were tightly shut like a door that had not been opened for a hundred years.

It was obvious that he didn’t want to deal with her right now.

“Is something… wrong?”

Herietta asked cautiously. But Edwin pretended not to hear Herietta at all and focused on what he was doing. She could be angry at him for ignoring her so openly, but he was such in a bad mood that she couldn’t even be angry.

The sound of tableware was deafening. The McKenzie family was getting together for a meal.

Baodor gave lengthy explanations of how he would soon renovate the mansion’s front yard. Rose listened to him and chimed in from time to time, but his two children were distracted and their thoughts were elsewhere.

Herietta and Hugo, who were arguing over who would get the last piece of bacon, eventually agreed to make a decision using rock-paper-scissors.

The Mackenzies, who value dining etiquette, would be astonished to find out that the two were about to play rock-paper-scissors under the table without them knowing.

“Herietta, I hardly see you around these days. Where have you been going and what have you been up to recently?”

As if he had finished talking about the yard, Baodor changed the subject. When she suddenly found herself the center of the conversation, Herietta was surprised and sat upright.

“I’m not doing anything special. I have been spending time at home for a while.”

“Really? That’s weird. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you any time except for dinner.”

“What do you do when you are home? We must know where you are even if you’re at home.”

Hugo mumbled as he quickly brought the bacon to his plate. Herietta glared at him, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t take back the food on his plate.

“What do you mean? Where does she spend time at home?”

“Sister usually spends her time in the workshop, in the warehouse, or the stable. You wouldn’t normally go to places like that, would you?”

Hugo said, slicing the bacon with a knife. Upon hearing his words, the McKenzie couple’s expressions looked strangely disturbed. Workshops, warehouses, and stables. Since she is the daughter of a nobleman, she had no reason to go there.

But of course, they weren’t ignorant as to have no idea what that meant.

“Herietta. Are you still hanging out with 11542?”

Rose asked. A dark shadow fell over her youthful face, which looked much younger than her actual age.

“His name is Edwin, not 11542.”

Herietta corrected Rose with a sullen expression. She hated seeing others call Edwin by his item number.

“He is a very nice person.”

Herietta added as if to emphasize that fact.

“Yes. As you said, he’s a good man. He doesn’t talk much and is shy, so it’s hard to know what kind of person he is. From what I’ve heard, it doesn’t seem like he’s caused any problems or anything since coming here.”

Rose meekly affirmed her words.

But Herietta was waiting for what her mother was going to say next. She knew her mother well, so she could guarantee that this was not the end of the conversation.

“Herietta. Why don’t you spend a little less time with 11… no, Edwin?”

And there it was. Herietta thought as she looked at Rose, who was revealing her secret intentions.

“Why?”

“He must be busy with a lot of work, so wouldn’t it be a hindrance to him if you were around like that?”

“It’s okay. Edwin has a great ability to learn and gets things done quickly, and if he thinks I get in the way, he doesn’t hesitate to tell me.”

At Herietta’s unobtrusive answer, Rose’s face spread with embarrassment.

She didn’t know if she should worry about her daughter knowing Edwin as well as she does, or if she should be angry with Edwin, who was a mere slave, for reproaching Herrietta, his master’s daughter, whenever she was a nuisance to him.

“Rose. Don’t worry too much. I think he is a very good person. Although he is a slave, he speaks and behaves differently, and he seems to have a rather good head. Besides, he looks good and has a very strong physique. If you think about it, it is a pity that he was born as a slave.”

Baodor, unaware of Edwin’s past, sincerely felt sorry for him. But upon hearing those words, Rose’s heart became more complicated. Just because Edwin is a good person, why doesn’t Baodor get that she cares more about her daughter’s conduct?

“Honey. Herietta will soon turn 18. She’s going to be the same age as I was when I got engaged to you.”

Rose put on a frustrated expression.