The Abandoned Duchess Seems to Want a Peaceful Life - Chapter 160

Chapter 160: Late-Night Visit

The dinner was to be taken with Alexis and William in the dining room.

After finishing dessert and as they were sipping their after-dinner tea, Melfina asked Marie to bring Ed.

“This is Ed, who was in charge of tonight’s dinner. We’ve met a few times, but I’d like to formally introduce him since it’s a good opportunity.”

“I’m Ed. I served as the head chef for tonight’s dinner.”

Alexis, who seemed sufficiently satisfied with the meal, told Ed, who was bowing with a nervous look, that he could relax.

“Even if I went to the royal palace, I wouldn’t be able to taste something like this very often. I thank the wonderful chef.”

“I-It’s too kind of you to say so. But, thank you very much!”

“I especially liked the dessert. Is that also your recipe?”

“I came up with the idea, but he finishes it much more deliciously than I do. I can’t compete with him anymore.”

At Melfina’s words, Ed looked as if he wanted to say that wasn’t true, but it was the truth.

Even if the same procedures are followed, the results of cooking are never exactly the same. There had been many times before when dishes that Melfina could reproduce with her knowledge turned out one or two levels better when Ed made them, but recently, Ed had been finishing dishes that she had made once even better than her.

The dessert tonight was a square-cut Italian pudding. The texture was firm, and the sweetness and bittersweetness were perfectly balanced.

“I really liked the bread. It’s white, fluffy, and it’s the first time I’ve eaten such white bread.”

“It was certainly a surprisingly white and soft bread. It was like eating clouds.”

“It takes a little skill to bake, but it’s not that difficult. If you like, I’ll serve it again tomorrow morning.”

Seeing the two conversing calmly, it seemed that the relationship between uncle and nephew was not bad at all.

Since she had left the Duke’s house the day after the wedding, she only heard about the internal relationships of the Duke’s house occasionally from Marie and Cedric. As for William, she had no more information than that he was the child born between Alexis’s fiancée and his brother, but she was relieved that there was no resentment between the two.

Looking at William, who was standing up straight and behaving like a nobleman, she suddenly noticed a small stain on his cheek.

It was probably caramel from the Italian pudding. His hair and skin were so white that it was a little noticeable.

“Lord William, excuse me.”

It was common for children to get food on themselves. Her younger brother, Rudolf, also sometimes had sauce on his cheek and had his mother, Letizia, wipe it off.

Just as she was about to wipe William’s cheek with a handkerchief, a rather loud snap sounded. It was a moment before she realized that her hand had been brushed away.

With a soft rustle, the handkerchief fell to the floor.

“Ah…”

“I’m sorry, Aunt Melfina!”

It was William who had raised his voice first. His white face was turning pale, and he looked very flustered.

“I didn’t mean to be violent. I was just a little surprised.”

“No, I’m the one who’s sorry for trying to touch you so suddenly. I should have said something first.”

Perhaps it was because she was used to the easygoing interactions with Serleine, or because the interactions between her mother and Rudolf were burned into her mind.

“It’s not your fault, Aunt. It’s mine.”

“It’s just a slight misunderstanding. There’s no need to apologize so excessively. Melfina, is your hand alright?”

“It’s fine.”

“William, come here.”

Alexis gently wiped William’s cheek with a handkerchief as William stood before Alexis, pale and as if going to receive punishment.

“It’s true that the food at the lord’s residence is delicious, but try to eat more slowly.”

“Yes… I’m sorry, Uncle.”

“There’s no need to apologize to me. –Let’s end the dinner soon. Before the escort knights in the back start drooling, we’ll return to our rooms.”

“I’d appreciate that! I’ve been hungry just from the smell of the food for a while now, and I’m starting to feel dizzy.”

When August said that in a brighter tone than usual, the atmosphere of the room relaxed a little. She smiled at William, who looked apologetic as he looked back as he left the dining room with Alexis.

Still, William’s expression did not clear up.

“Lady Melfina.”

Marie, who had been standing behind Melfina, picked up the handkerchief.

“I’ll have this laundered.”

“Thank you. …I wonder if Lord William is alright.”

“Yes, I’m a little worried.”

Marie also told her that with a concerned look.

No one in this place would have thought that William deliberately brushed Melfina’s hand away.

Even so, she was concerned that he himself seemed to be blaming himself so much.

* * *

She entered the bedroom, lit the magic stone lamp, and was secretly going through the documents she had brought into the bedroom when a small knock, tap, tap, tap, sounded.

It should have been almost two hours since she had entered the bedroom. By this world’s standards, it was well into the middle of the night, and she instinctively braced herself.

“Lady Melfina, it’s me. I’m sorry for coming at this hour.”

“…Ed?”

She blinked and opened the door to find Ed standing alone in front of the door, looking very awkward.

“What’s wrong, at this hour?”

Ed currently had a room in the servants’ quarters. Although it was only a few minutes’ walk within the grounds of the castle, it was an odd hour for him to be in the lord’s residence.

Ed spoke in a hushed voice, as if reluctant to disturb her at this hour, saying that after the dinner cleanup was finished and the maids had returned to their respective homes, he had been preparing breakfast for tomorrow.

William had seemed to like the white bread, so he thought he would serve the same thing tomorrow, he said. So, after preparing the bread dough and was about to return to the servants’ quarters, William had apparently visited him out of the blue.

“Oh, my, Lord William?”

“He said he wanted some tea, so I made him some, and then he asked me various questions, like how old I was and how long I’ve been working here, and as we were talking, um… he started crying, and I couldn’t just leave him alone.”

He didn’t know why he had started crying, Ed added.

So, while staying by William’s side until he stopped crying, it had become this late.

“So, where is Lord William?”

“I escorted him to his room. He apologized to me politely for making me work when I would have work tomorrow, and then he told me to forget about tonight… I didn’t know if it was okay to pretend I didn’t see a little kid crying like that.”

Ed was still young enough to be considered a child himself, but William was about five years younger than him.

At this age, even a one-year difference feels very large. Ed seemed very worried about William.

If she got ready and went outside in the morning, Marie and the escort knight Theodore would always be by Melfina’s side.

If he wanted to tell Melfina something without anyone else knowing, he had no choice but to visit her room at this hour.

“I understand. Thank you for telling me. Can Ed return to the dormitory alone?”

“Yes, I’m fine. I’m used to coming home after dark, and there’s a moon out tonight. …Lady Melfina, I’m sorry for coming at this hour.”

“You came to tell me because you thought it was important, right? It’s okay. I will never tell Lord William what Ed told me.”

Ed looked relieved and said good night before going downstairs. She watched him go before closing the door.

During the day, William didn’t make a fuss or run around, and he treated Julius and Rena politely with an attitude that was more mature than his age.

Although he had shown signs of being upset during the dinner, it would not be outside the scope of a child’s mistake.

–This is not a problem that I should get involved in.

The head of the Oldrand family is Alexis, and William is his successor. Melfina, who had run away and abandoned her position as Duchess, could do nothing and would have no right to interfere.

If William was holding something painful, she could quietly whisper it to August and have him work on Alexis from there.

–It’s my bad habit.

She didn’t particularly think of herself as a pushover, but when it came to children, she couldn’t settle down.

She had always liked children, but since coming to the Enkar region and making good friends with the children, she felt that she had become more inclined to side with small children in particular.

–What should I do?

In the end, it was a problem that Alexis and William, as guardians, had to do something about.

In Melfina’s eyes, Alexis seemed to be cherishing William in his own clumsy way.

However, Alexis was not good with words, and above all, dealing with that Ice Duke, whose expression rarely changed, would be too much of a burden for a child.

She touched her temple with her finger and sighed.

Besides, Ed had come to visit her at this hour because he wanted Melfina to help William.

Melfina was aware of how much Ed respected and served her. She could not take lightly the fact that Ed had visited the mistress’s room late at night to tell her the story.

“…Being meddlesome isn’t in character for a villainous lady.”

She leaned against the bedroom door and muttered to herself as if making an excuse.

She looked at the documents left on the table.

Then, she sighed deeply.