Chapter 9

Bernard Fitcher was an elderly historian and a very difficult man.

He could not move on his own but wanted to have tea at a fixed time and was particular about how it was made. He would become irritable if anything was even slightly out of place, not just in his study or living room, but anywhere in the house. Moreover, when his research hit a snag, he would become irritable over small matters more frequently. Few people could serve as his assistant for long, and he was troubled by the constant turnover of assistants and staff, which he felt was his own doing.

It was then that Victoria Sellers came for an interview after seeing the job posting at an employment agency. She claimed to be fluent in four languages and capable of handling household chores such as cleaning and cooking. Bernard thought it was too good to be true, but her claims turned out to be true.

"Mr. Bernard, I have finished translating the documents you entrusted to me yesterday."

"Really? In just one night?"

"Yes. Please check for any errors. I'll clean up in the meantime."

Victoria handed the documents to Bernard and started tidying up his desk. Her method of tidying was remarkably efficient. She never disturbed the order of the messy stacks of papers and neatly organized the three piles of documents by content, clipping them together and adding headings to make them easy to read.

Bernard, who had a weak respiratory system and a house full of dust, had been told by his niece that he was engaging in "slow suicide." However, since Victoria's arrival, the house had become neatly organized and dust-free.

Bernard thought to himself after a few days, "I can't let such a capable assistant go."

At first, he was against the idea of Victoria bringing a child to work, but the child, Nonna, was well-behaved and quietly read in the corner of the kitchen without getting bored. Victoria seemed to be teaching her reading and writing.

Bernard, who had always disliked children, began to think, "I don't dislike well-mannered children."

One day, while Nonna was helping Victoria with the cleaning, Bernard mustered the courage to ask, "What kind of food do you like?" It was the only question he could think of. Talking to a child was a big adventure for him. After some thought, Nonna replied, "The roasted lamb that Victoria makes."

Coincidentally, roasted lamb was Bernard's favorite dish, so he impulsively asked Victoria, "If you have no plans tonight, could you make roasted lamb for us? You and Nonna can join us for dinner." This was an unusual request for him.

Victoria smiled and replied, "Oh, I'd be delighted to. I'll go shopping right away and get the ingredients."

When Bernard tried to pay her extra for the extended hours and the cost of the ingredients, she refused, saying, "I can't accept it. This is an opportunity for Nonna to experience dining with someone other than me." No matter how many times he insisted, she refused to take the additional payment.

"Are you quite stubborn?" Bernard asked.

"I'm often told that," she replied. Such a human conversation was a rare and enjoyable experience for him.

Victoria efficiently prepared roasted lamb with herbs and carrots, green pea soup, and creamy mashed potatoes. Midway through, Nonna added some crispy buttered toast, which she wanted to eat.

This was the first time Bernard had eaten such a meal at home since his wife's death, which was eight years ago. The previous cook had never prepared such a labor-intensive dish. After the cook left, Bernard had been eating out for lunch and dinner, always choosing similar menus and finishing his meals without much enjoyment.

Victoria and Nonna ate heartily and engaged in lively conversation. Victoria, who was from the Kingdom of Randall, had extensive knowledge about the country. She listened with great interest to Bernard's historical stories. After they finished cleaning up and left, Bernard suddenly felt the house was eerily quiet. He, who had always found the presence of others bothersome, was bewildered by his own change.

"I thought you wouldn't want to talk to me. I'm glad I stopped being stubborn and talked to you. I didn't expect such a pleasant dinner. The food was delicious," Bernard said to his wife's portrait in the quiet room.

Because of this, Victoria and Nonna began to have dinner with the old historian from time to time.

Eva, Bernard's niece, who visited once a week, was surprised. When she opened the front door, the house was so well-organized and polished that it seemed like a different place from her last visit.

"Uncle! What on earth happened? Did you find a new housemaid?"

Eva, the daughter of Bernard's sister, was a lively and energetic woman in her thirties with reddish-brown hair.

"Eva, you're as noisy as ever. I posted a job listing at an employment agency and got an excellent person."

"An assistant? Not a housemaid?"

"An assistant who is fluent in four languages and skilled at cleaning and cooking."

Eva had a bad feeling.

"Uncle, how much are you paying this person? I hope you're not paying them the same as an assistant?"

Bernard, who was naive and not very considerate, had only been paying the assistant's salary. He panicked, thinking, "Perhaps I was being unreasonable?" His wife had often warned him about being naive and unreasonable.

Bernard, stroking his mostly white hair, remained silent.

"Uncle, that excellent assistant is doing the work of three people. If you pay them such a low wage, they'll be poached by someone else."

"That would be terrible. I can't do without her."

"Her? A woman? Please let me meet her. I need to thank and apologize to her."

As a result, the next morning, when Victoria and Nonna arrived for work, Eva greeted them and apologized for her uncle's unreasonable low wage, offering to triple it.

"Triple? Isn't that too much?"

"No, before you came, Uncle had two housemaids in addition to an assistant, and the house wasn't this clean. Besides, they all left within three months. You even serve as Uncle's conversation partner. I'd say four times the salary would be fair. Uncle doesn't have any other expenses anyway. Don't be modest."

Eva, who spoke with large gestures, almost knocked over a vase on the table. However, Victoria, sitting across from her, quickly extended her arm without changing her expression to steady the vase, keeping her eyes on Eva the entire time.

Eva thought, "What a capable person. I'd like to hire her for my own household," but she knew her uncle wouldn't let her go.

A few days after this meeting, Bernard learned that his 65th birthday party would be held at his house, with only family members attending.

"It's just me, my husband Michael, and two cousins, a total of four people. I'll pay extra for you to prepare everything. No need to go overboard."

"Of course, I'd be happy to."

Victoria smiled and accepted the task. With Victoria handling everything, Eva, who was busy in many aspects as a countess, was greatly relieved.

Unexpectedly, one of Eva's cousins, Jeffrey Asher, the Second Knight Commander, was attending the birthday party, but Victoria did not know this until the day of the event.