Chapter 18

Perhaps it was because he remembered what happened the last time he had believed in the Londinis. As a result, all four people went to visit Liliana’s room.

“Wow, this is my room?”

Liliana looked at her room decorated in bright colors and couldn’t hide her joyful expression.

The best room that she has ever seen was the room used by her sixth cousin sister, Baron Londini’s daughter… ‘I think this is a lot better than that room.’

Liliana, who couldn’t take her eyes off the scene of the room, was slightly depressed a little later. Anriche quickly noticed her reaction, asked a question.

“Is there anything you don’t like?”

“Oh, no, it’s not like that…”

She was only quivering her lips for a long time and spoke with an expression that seemed to quench all the worries of the world.

“Now that I have my room, I don’t think I will sleep with mother anymore…”

“What, were you worried about that?”

Anriche burst into laughter.

“If Liliana wants, you can sleep with me anytime.”

“Yes? But…”

“Is that right, Duke?” She turned the question to Alexei.

‘We use our own room anyway, right? So, hurry up and say yes!’ The fiery purple eyes were shouting like that towards him. Unable to overcome the force, Alexei nodded his head without knowing.

“That’s… right.”

“Look, the Duke says so, too.”

Anriche, who said so, stroked Liliana’s hair. She buried her face in the hem of Anriche’s dress, relieved.

And Alexei, who was watching her… ‘something’s a little weird.’

For them, it was quite natural to use different bedrooms. Somehow now, it was a natural thing.

‘…Too bad.’

With an emotion of unknown reason, Alexei crumbled his forehead.

***

After everyone went back, Liliana was left alone in her room.

‘This pretty room is my room…’

Looking around in her room with her eyes beaming. She stroked the canopy over the bed and even the dust-free furniture. As she stared at the flickering curtains, Liliana’s eyes were soaked with thrill.

‘It’s not cold, it’s not dirty, it’s all… It’s my room.’

It’s not a warehouse with stuff in, nor a gloomy attic room that doesn’t even get the sun. A room reserved exclusively for her.

Liliana was deeply touched.

‘…Somehow, I feel like I’m back in time.’ At the time when Liliana lived not as “the insect in the orphanage,” but as “the dear daughter of Count Aberyt.”

“…”

Somehow, it seemed like tears would fall, so Liliana bit her lips lightly.

“Why are you so slow?”

Through the half-open door, a sharp voice rang.

‘What’s happening?’ Liliana peeked her head out of the door. The first person to come into her sight was a new maid, holding a full laundry basket. What did she do so wrong, she thought. The maid was tightening her waist.

“So-sorry.”

However, the maid who stood across from her showed no sign of relieving her anger.

“How much time do you want to spend carrying this laundry?!”

“I’ll bring it to you as soon as possible. Miss Meg…”

The new maid was now almost crying.

‘Meg?’

Liliana’s eyes went wide. It was definitely a name she’s ever heard of.

Well…

‘When I was playing dolls earlier, Elliot told me.’ His excited voice was still good in her ears.

‘I’ll introduce Meg to you later.’

‘Meg? Who is that?’

‘She’s the maid chief who has worked in my house for the longest time. She’s been taking care of me since I was a kid.’

Elliot’s eyes, who said that, were filled with unhidden affection for Meg.

‘Meg is really good to me.’

‘Really?’

‘Hmm. So, she will definitely treat Liliana very kindly.’

At that time, she heard that the maid named Meg was like a very warm person…

When she tilted her head.

“Really, so useless!”

With her ferocious cry, Meg pushed the new maid.

“Ack!”

Badump! Lying on the floor, the new maid missed her basket of laundry. Dirty laundry, soaring into the air, fell over the maid’s head. The maid’s face was dyed a new red with shame. At the same time, Liliana popped out of the door without her knowledge.

“Well, you don’t have to be so angry, right?!”

Liliana, who raised her voice, bit her lips tightly, achingly.

‘Maybe, am I too presumptuous?’

She hasn’t been in the townhouse for long yet.

Even though mother tells her that she is “her daughter-in-law,” she has not even been recognized by everyone…

‘…But.’

Liliana slightly looked down, glancing at the new maid. Over the maid who was being bullied, she saw herself suffering in the Londini orphanage. With a sharp feeling in her heart, she came to her senses.

‘My body moved first before I knew it.’

She swallowed dry saliva.

Suddenly, Meg, who looked furious, was facing Liliana.

‘I didn’t know we’d run into each other like this here. Bad luck…’ Meg grunted inside. She was now in a terrible mood. Since Liliana came to the townhouse, Elliot’s interest was all about her.

‘It’s very troublesome with just one madam, but he has to pay attention to that little girl as well.’

Recently, Anriche has changed her attitude as though she had become someone else. Fortunately, so far, Elliot has not completely dropped his wariness to his mother.

However…

‘If the Madam keeps acting so kindly, Master Elliot will eventually open his heart.’

And if that happens, her position narrows. In such a crisis, she sees Liliana, a thorn in the eye, interrupting her…

‘…This feels offensive, too.’ It felt like her stomach was twisting.

Meg opened her mouth in a cold voice.

“Lady Liliana, it’s my job to teach the new maid.”

“Yes, though. This is…”

“The Lady better not get involved in the maid’s business.”

“…”

Liliana swallowed her breath.

Meg slightly raised chin, stiff neck, and waist. Then, she put her arms crossed in front of her chest and spread her lips with an oblique smile. Above all, even those pupils arrogantly looking down at Liliana.

Meg was now completely ignoring her.

But just then.

“…Meg, why are you that rude to Liliana?”

An unusual voice rang.

It was Elliot.

Liliana opened her eyes wide. Meg, too, became white-faced and fixed her gaze on him.

“Yo-Young Master Elliot?!”

In her thinly trembling voice, the arrogance from dealing with Liliana disappeared without a trace. He stared at Meg with cold eyes.

“No matter how much I like Meg, I think this behavior is unacceptable?”

Elliot, who shot his words like that, bowed his waist. He picked up a piece of laundry that fell on the floor and put it in the laundry basket.

He then looks back at Meg.

“You don’t have to push people, right?”

“Well, that’s for education…”

“You can teach with words. Why do you need to push people? What if that maid gets hurt?”

He was very disappointed.

“Besides, Liliana is my fiancée.”

Fiancée. At that word, Meg crushed the soft flesh in her mouth.

He was speaking in a rare determined voice.

“That means, treating Liliana with care is the same as treating me with care.”

“…Yo-young master.”

“So, in the future, I hope you will be polite to her.”

Then, Elliot turned towards Liliana.

“Are you okay, Liliana?”

“Yes.” She nodded blankly.

Only after hearing the answer, Elliot looked a little relieved. Even at the new maid, he immediately asks questions.

“You’re not injured either?”

“Yes, yes.”

“Good thing. You can go now.”

At that point, the new maid bowed her head over and over again and she hurriedly left the place. Meg quickly tried to soothe Elliot.

“Young Master, I…!”

“I don’t want to hear excuses.”

At those cold words, as if cutting with a knife, she hardened her shoulders without realizing. His gaze towards Meg was cold.

“Come on, Liliana.”

Saying so, Elliot quietly took her hand in his.