Chapter 8

Constantin was so surprised that his eyes nearly popped out.

Recently, Gregoire had been urging him to get married, but he never imagined that he would recommend his son to a woman they had just met.

Lucien’s eyebrows drooped, clearly troubled.

Constantin pointed out, as if blaming his father,

“Father, isn’t it rude to say such things to a woman you’ve just met?”

“Oh, oh. Yes, you’re right.”

Gregoire bowed his head. Lucien, still looking troubled, shook her head from side to side.

Breakfast was somewhat awkward.

After breakfast, he showed her around the rooms.

As they walked down the corridor, a palm-sized, mottled spider crossed their path.

He stopped and glanced at Lucien. She smiled and said,

“The spiders in the capital have such stylish patterns.”

It seemed she was really unfazed by insects.

If it were Constantin’s mother, she would have screamed and turned pale.

Lucien’s room was on the second floor, in the guest quarters.

“It gets cold at night, so we keep the fire in the fireplace going. And then—”

She stared at Lucien, making him slightly flinch.

“What is it?”

“Lord Arambour, you don’t need to use formal language. I’m not a guest.”

Ultimately, the head of this royal kitchen garden was Constantin. Lucien had come to work under him.

If that was the case, he had to respect her request. Constantin also had to recognize her as one of his coworkers.

“Alright. If I don’t use formal language, my speech might become a bit rough. Is that okay?”

“It’s absolutely no problem. Compared to my father, Lord Arambour’s speech is much more polite and gentlemanly.”

The luggage Lucien brought wasn’t that much—just three wooden boxes. For a woman, he had expected at least twice as much.

“I plan to buy small items at the capital’s shops.”

“Oh, that’s a good idea. During the social season, the shops have a wide variety of goods.”

“Oh, how exciting. Lord Arambour, if it’s not too much trouble—would you accompany me shopping?”

“Shopping?”

“If you don’t want to, that’s fine.”

Lucien placed her cherry-colored lips and tilted her head, making a request.

Could any man refuse such an adorable person? Constantin asked himself.

The answer was clear.

“Alright, I’ll show you around.”

“Thank you! Lord Arambour is so kind.”

“I’ve never been called that before.”

“Really?”

Actually, this was the first time he had spoken at length with a woman.

Lucien was a mysterious woman.

Despite her pale skin, she was quite charming.

Unlike his mother, she was full of vitality.

“Then, take it easy today, and we’ll go shopping on my next day off—four days from now. Is that alright?”

“I was planning to start working this afternoon.”

“Aren’t you tired from the journey?”

“No, not at all. Why would I be tired when I haven’t even started working?”

It seemed Lucien didn’t know the meaning of travel fatigue.

“I see. Alright. This afternoon, I’ll show you the fields, and then we’ll have—”

“Meat pies, right!”

“Oh, no… well, yes.”

He had intended to talk about pest control, but Lucien thought he meant meat pies.

It was her first day. There was no need to rush.

The schedule was set. Constantin bid farewell to Lucien and returned to his usual duties.

◇◇◇

In the afternoon, he showed her around the royal kitchen garden as planned.

Lucien appeared in a simple apron dress, like a servant. She wore a wide-brimmed hat tied under her chin with a simple ribbon.

She had leather gloves on, and she seemed ready to go.

“This is the royal kitchen garden. Compared to the large farm of the Fortrieux family, it’s quite small.”

“The fields are divided by vegetable type, right?”

“Yes.”

“It looks so cute. Like a dwarf’s garden from a storybook.”

To someone used to large-scale farming, the royal kitchen garden might look like a fairy’s garden.

At this time of year, the garden mainly supplied cabbages, spinach, and lettuce, which were harvested from autumn to winter, to the king.

Lucien squatted down and gently grabbed a radish leaf to examine it.

“Is there anything unusual?”

“A rabbit has been nibbling on the leaves. Over here, it looks like birds have been pecking at them.”

“Can you tell which animal by the marks left on the leaves?”

“No, by the droppings.”

“I see.”

The autumn appetite of pests was a real headache. The harvest had significantly decreased, and the palace kitchen had even complained.

“There are traps set, but according to the reports, they were effective at first, but recently they haven’t caught anything.”

“Animals are smart. They learn. When they see their companions caught, they avoid the traps.”

Then, what should they do? They couldn’t use pesticides. The royal kitchen garden was supposed to be organic. Naturally, they couldn’t use repellents that might stick to the leaves.

“Lord Arambour, have you ever gone rabbit hunting?”

“A few times.”

During his time at the military academy, he had gone hunting with knights.

He had joined rabbit hunts a few times.

Dogs would find them, and they would shoot them as they jumped out.

“So—”

“The only option is to go rabbit hunting.”