The Abandoned Duchess Seems to Want a Peaceful Life - Chapter 52

Chapter 52: The Lord’s Manor and Its Servants

Compared to his last visit, the facilities seemed somewhat improved, yet the manor still struck Alexis as small. This was his genuine impression.

The first floor had a small hall, a kitchen, an adjoining dining room, a storage room, and a newly built hall that could accommodate about twenty people.

The second floor housed the master bedroom, two guest rooms, and an office. The attic on the third floor, which had previously been used by the servants, was now vacant.

Alexis was shown to a guest room on the second floor of the new annex. The glass for the windows had not been installed yet, so wooden shutters were in place instead.

Even a baron’s summer house would likely be larger in scale. It was clearly insufficient for a high-ranking noble to reside in permanently. One could only wonder how a marquis’ daughter, raised in the capital, endured such conditions.

“There’s not much to look around here.”

August remarked frankly.

“Yes, indeed.”

Alexis responded tersely.

He had heard that this building was originally constructed for his father, the previous Duke of Oldrand, to stay for a night or two during his inspections of the area. However, Alexis himself had never stayed in this building.

The neglect had lasted only a few years, but buildings without human presence tend to deteriorate quickly, or so he had heard.

When Melfina first arrived here, she hadn’t brought enough personnel even to clean the manor adequately.

There were surely many ways to have the villagers help, but it was still not the sort of thing expected from a high-ranking noblewoman.

“Your Grace, how would you like your bath?”

“A bath? This manor has a bath?”

“Yes, it does.”

The footman trailing quietly behind them smiled amiably and nodded.

“It was completed recently at Lady Melfina’s insistence. She has even made it available to the servants. It warms you to the core and is quite delightful.”

“Eventually, it seems she intends to build a public bathhouse in the village as well.”

The servant’s expression as he continued spoke of an innocent pride in his master.

“A warm bath is a luxury even knights seldom indulge in, so it piques my curiosity. Do the servants bathe alongside you?”

“As long as it’s three adults or fewer, it’s not an issue. Lady Melfina allows us to use it individually if we wish, but it feels unfair to occupy it for too long. Besides, we’re mindful of the fuel costs, so we usually bathe together as a group of three.”

Even affluent nobles seldom bathe daily; it’s a habit for only the most indulgent. Carrying and maintaining hot water is quite labor-intensive. Sometimes, by the time one finishes bathing, hair and body might not dry completely, rendering the effort meaningless.

“The new facilities at the Lord’s Manor do spark curiosity. Since we’re here, we might as well make use of them.”

“Indeed…”

While Alexis himself wasn’t particularly keen on baths, he was curious about Melfina’s motivations. Whenever she embarked on something, it often began with unclear intentions and ended up surprising those around her.

“It will take a bit of time to heat up the water. I’ll go prepare it now. Could you please wait here in the guest room?”

With awkward formality, the footman relayed this and descended downstairs.

“He’s quite courteous.”

“Yes, his words and mannerisms may be rehearsed, but he seems genuinely intent on hosting guests properly.”

Cedric had reported early on that this footman was one of those Melfina had recruited. While his etiquette might seem inexperienced, his effort to be polite was commendable.

With proper training under a skilled butler, he could become an excellent servant. Reflecting on this, Alexis realized he might have been influenced by Melfina’s ways more than he thought.

“A servant’s duty is to perform their tasks diligently. Their selection and training fall under the steward or the head housekeeper’s purview, not for us to micromanage.”

“Is that also a testament to Lady Melfina’s charisma? Everyone around here, from farmers to serfs, seems to have that kind of attitude. They’re all eager to serve Lady Melfina with all their might.”

“…Indeed.”

That likely included Cedric, who had pledged loyalty to the ducal family, and Marie, the high-born lady whose manners and education were impeccable but who always wore a cool expression.

Having once been close to them, Alexis could clearly see their changes. Marie’s expressions had become more animated, Cedric seemed less likely to break under pressure with his earnestness, and both appeared more vibrant compared to their days in the capital. Alexis found himself both pleased by their positive changes and slightly annoyed by them.

The guest room was modest, with a bed, a small sofa facing it, and a simple set of furnishings for receiving guests. The bedside table next to the bed held only a magical stone lamp. The carpet was new, the curtains tasteful, but overall, the room lacked decoration and felt plain. Alexis couldn’t help but think it would brighten up with just a single painting on the wall.

As he settled into the sofa, crafted by a skilled furniture maker with unexpectedly good elasticity, it gently cradled his back, which had been jostled during the long carriage ride.

“However, we’ve come at an inconvenient time. Lady Melfina seemed genuinely angry for once.”

“That’s how she always is.”

After the wedding, she swiftly and efficiently set conditions, made preparations, and then departed the ducal estate like an arrow released from a bow. Alexis had only met her twice since then, and though those encounters were brief, Melfina’s demeanor always carried a hint of thorniness.

“Well, that may be true for you, Duke, but Lady Melfina is incredibly kind to those below her. She walks hand-in-hand with peasant children and has no qualms sitting at the same table as commoners.”

“But isn’t that unconventional for a noblewoman?”

“If she did the same in the capital, she’d likely become the laughingstock of the insidious social circles. But here in Enkar, she’s revered like a goddess. People here talk about Lady Melfina morning, noon, and night. She’s actually doing all those things.”

They dramatically advanced settlement, introduced new crops, overcame famine, and sold harvests for cash income. Using that money, they planned to improve village facilities, inviting many craftsmen to further develop the area.

Alexis had grasped some of this through Cedric’s reports. Given the successive planning and successes, there was no doubt Melfina was competent and rational.

Being constantly the target of her anger, however, left Alexis feeling somewhat uneasy.

While he never doubted his own governance abilities, seeing someone drastically develop a frontier settlement in less than a year made him feel as though he had committed a serious mistake.

Until now, Alexis had found certain individuals bothersome but had never felt this way about anyone.

“…What exactly is she angry with me about this time?”

“In this case, it’s the sudden visit. She said it’s inconvenient to take time away from winter preparations.”

“The Crown Prince is already heading from the palace to Soarasone. It was an urgent matter for us as well.”

“According to Lady Melfina, she would probably say, ‘What does that have to do with me?'”

Despite feeling irritated by his trusted knight’s uncharacteristic mimicry, Alexis knew better than to get upset with August now. Furthermore, when this man joked excessively, it often carried essential advice that Alexis needed to heed.

“As nobles of the kingdom, isn’t it our duty to accommodate the kingdom’s needs? Besides, this involves diplomatic matters with a neighboring country. As a noble of this kingdom, there’s no room for personal sentiments.”

“For Lady Melfina, perhaps the royal family’s request is aimed at Duke Oldrand, and not being able to host the Crown Prince in the capital could be seen as the Oldrand family’s selfish decision, leaving the lady of the house or her proxy unattended to care for the child they were entrusted with due to an inability to maintain public order.”

He was a straightforward knight and servant.

Yet his blunt presentation of the facts only further aggravated Alexis.

“But still, she…”

She’s his wife and effectively the mistress of the Oldrand Duke’s household. He couldn’t be so insensitive as to openly voice such thoughts.

Since their wedding, she had lived on the land rightfully inherited and managed her personal finances from her dowry. Now that she had turned the estate profitable, there seemed no need for that anymore.

Rights come with responsibilities; that’s the noble’s golden rule. But he hadn’t forgotten who had stripped Melfina of her rights as the Duchess. Time hadn’t dulled that memory.

The guards’ glances at her seemed colder than ever.

“I also felt a chill when Lady Melfina directed her anger at me this time. She’s certainly the daughter of Marquis Crawford, who governs the largest estate in the South. When a woman who rarely gets angry does, it’s terrifying. I don’t want to cross her again.”

It seemed he didn’t notice at all that his master was always the target of that woman’s anger.

Normally, August’s self-assured and witty demeanor didn’t bother him, but now it grazed his mind oddly, like sandpaper on his heart’s surface.

“Milord, everything is prepared… Is something the matter?”

“No… It’s nothing.”

Even as the servant peeked his face through the open door, Alexis refrained from pointing out the correct etiquette of announcing oneself properly with a bow before stating business.

He was Melfina’s servant, and Alexis understood that even if it seemed like mere venting, he truly despised anyone who would vent their emotions on subordinates.