Dh – Ch 03 – Noveo Novels

Chapter 3: The Return of the Duke

“Brother, are you really going to leave without meeting Edward?”

The woman’s lush hair, shimmering like golden waves, swayed slightly with her irritated tone.

The man, sitting in an armchair by the fireplace that had kept the drawing room warm all winter, slowly shifted his gaze from the book he was reading to the woman’s face.

A maid, who had been bringing tea to the man, couldn’t help but stare, entranced by the picturesque scene of the man and woman.

Raymond, the current head of the Cheister dukedom, and his younger sister, Cecilia.

The two siblings, as beautiful as a scene from a holy painting, were renowned for their striking looks even within the Rubeyk Kingdom.

The siblings closely resembled the glamorous paternal side rather than the more ordinary maternal side.

Golden hair as fine as silk and mysterious turquoise eyes were among the hereditary traits passed down through the Cheister family.

Raymond finally spoke in response to Cecilia’s petulant question, her captivating red lips pursed in a pout.

“Didn’t I tell you to take your time and come with Mother as originally planned?”

At his impassive retort, as if asking what the problem was, Cecilia’s delicate forehead creased slightly.

“If you’re not here, why would Edward bother coming?”

She glared at his infuriatingly oblivious expression, fully aware of why she was so upset yet pretending otherwise.

Raymond, looking at the spoiled Cecilia—who had been overly indulged by the duchess—finally closed the book he was reading.

“I’ve told you time and again, if you keep acting like such a spoiled child, you’ll never win even a sliver of Edward’s heart.”

Clicking his tongue in reprimand, Raymond caused Cecilia to clamp her mouth shut, pouting discontentedly.

“What could possibly be so urgent that you’re leaving us behind and going alone?”

Despite her grumbling, she still said everything she wanted, her insolent demeanor prompting Raymond to let out a shallow sigh and shake his head.

Known for being cold and composed, the young duke of the Cheister family tended to yield a little when it came to his much younger sister.

So, as he stood to leave the drawing room, he finally brought up the topic he had deliberately avoided.

“I sent a letter to Edward yesterday.”

“…A letter?”

“I told him that I had to leave early due to urgent business and couldn’t meet, so I asked him to take good care of Mother and my sister until Elfengrin.”

Tossing the comment casually and striding forward with long steps, Raymond’s back was fixedly stared at by Cecilia, whose eyes grew wide.

Though he couldn’t see Cecilia’s expression behind him, Raymond’s lips curved slightly upward, as if he knew exactly how she’d react.

“Brother! Is that true?!”

As if the earlier petulant glare had belonged to someone else, Cecilia’s beautiful face lit up with a radiant smile.

“Really! You always tease me like this! You should’ve told me earlier!”

She shouted loudly at Raymond’s back, feigning indignation, but her face was brimming with excitement.

* * *

“…Phew. When will this ever be finished?”

Deborah let out a deep sigh as she surveyed the main library on the second floor.

The grand spring cleaning had already stretched past two weeks.

The date when the ducal family, the owners of Elfengrin, were set to arrive was now just around the corner.

Under the capable direction of Mr. Greig, the butler, and Mrs. Charlotte, the housekeeper, Elfengrin was nearly ready, taking on a pristine appearance.

As a result, most of the servants were wrapping up the grueling schedule that had lasted nearly ten days by today.

For Deborah, too, polishing the library floor until it gleamed like a mirror was her final task of the day.

It was a labor-intensive job, starting shortly after lunch and likely continuing until late evening, requiring her full focus.

Since everyone else had avoided the task, Deborah had no choice but to take it on.

Though daunting, she realized that dawdling would mean not finishing even by evening, so she nodded resolutely.

She set down a tin bucket filled with a mixture of wax and turpentine oil and rolled up her sleeves.

After rolling up both sleeves, she lifted her skirt hem, tied it firmly above her knees, and prepared herself.

The reason for rolling up her sleeves and skirt hem before cleaning the floor stemmed from an incident ? that had occurred the last time she cleaned the base of the staircase.

After diligently polishing the staircase base, Deborah was horrified to see her skirt stained and ruined with wax marks.

No matter how many times she washed it, the stains embedded in the skirt wouldn’t come out, and she ended up having to throw it away.

For senior maids, uniforms were provided by the estate, but new or junior maids had to purchase their own at their own expense.

For maids working in others’ homes due to financial hardship, this was a significant burden.

Typically, families would frugally save to provide one or two uniforms, or, for those in worse circumstances, maids would ask Mrs. Charlotte, the housekeeper, for an advance on their wages, which would then be deducted over several months.

For Deborah, an orphan who had fled with nothing, this was an especially daunting prospect.

Thankfully, with the help of Miss Helena, who had assisted her in getting hired here, she had managed to secure a morning work uniform, but she couldn’t afford the more expensive afternoon uniform.

With no other choice, she had gone to Mrs. Charlotte, Elfengrin’s housekeeper, to request an advance, but the housekeeper looked at Deborah with disapproval for making such a request so soon after arriving.

However, having heard about Deborah’s difficult circumstances through Mr. Greig, Mrs. Charlotte mentioned that a maid who had recently quit had left behind an old afternoon maid uniform and asked if Deborah would like to take it.

Thanks to this, Deborah was able to acquire an afternoon uniform for free.

Even so, with only two uniforms and no spares, Deborah had to wash them frequently.

She would wash them before bed so they could dry overnight for the next day.

So, when her precious morning uniform became unwearable, the despair Deborah felt that day was indescribable.

After several trips to the laundry, realizing the uniform was ruined, Deborah moped all night. Seeing this, her roommate Hannah brought out a uniform from a tin box.

“Hey, Deborah. This was left by my previous roommate who quit, but it’s such an outdated design… I haven’t worn it either…”

Hesitating, her hand trembling as she offered the clothes, Hannah continued.

“Um, if you don’t have anything to wear until you can buy a new one, would you like to use this? Of course, if you don’t like it, you don’t have to!”

Deborah, seeing Hannah’s awkward smile, suddenly hugged her tightly.

Saying there was no way she wouldn’t like it and thanking her profusely, Deborah promised multiple times to repay the cost of the clothes once she received her wages.

Of course, Hannah, who had also received the clothes for free and insisted they weren’t worth paying for, waved her hands dismissively.

Given these circumstances, it was only natural that Deborah took every precaution to avoid getting a single drop of stain on her clothes this time.

Though she looked comical with her arms and calves exposed, what did it matter?

The main library was assigned to Deborah alone to clean today, so no one would come here before the day was over.

“Alright. Let’s get started!”

Deborah tightly gripped the rag in her hand and clenched both fists determinedly.

* * *

Mr. Greig, the butler, and Mrs. Charlotte, the housekeeper, hurriedly dashed out to the main hall of Elfengrin.

The servants, accustomed to seeing the two maintain dignified postures and stern expressions, cast curious glances at their flustered haste.

The pair quickly passed through the entrance hall and practically ran down the white marble staircase.

At the bottom, their gazes fixed on two carriages that appeared to have just arrived.

The front carriage was an impressive one, adorned with black and gold patterns, while the one behind it was an utterly ordinary carriage.

The two rushed toward the front carriage as a footman, who had come out earlier, opened its door.

Through the open door, a well-muscled, long leg stepped onto the ground.

As the owner of the leg fully emerged, Mr. Greig and Mrs. Charlotte bowed deeply.

“Welcome, Your Grace.”

“Have you been well?”

A pleasant, low voice flowed out, and the two raised their heads.

“Your Grace, there are still a few days until your scheduled arrival, so how…”

Mrs. Charlotte asked with a flustered expression, and Raymond, the master of the estate, gave a slight smirk.

“That’s how it turned out. I told them not to inform you because I knew you’d fuss over my sudden arrival, so don’t scold too much.”

His comment about not scolding was directed at Mr. Greig, who was glaring at his grandson, Robin, who had jumped out of the rear carriage and bowed.

Robin, seeing his grandfather for the first time in months and about to greet him warmly, hesitated at the stern expression and awkwardly scratched his head.

Greig seemed displeased that even his own kin, who shadowed the master closely, had handled the matter so carelessly.

Knowing Greig would be even harsher with family, Robin’s face darkened.

Observing the situation, Raymond spoke again to shift the attention.

“Mother and Cecilia will arrive with Edward on the originally scheduled date, so prepare accordingly.”

“Yes, Your Grace. We will ensure everything is ready without issue.”

Mrs. Charlotte responded, and Mr. Greig added,

“Please come inside, Your Grace. While some minor maintenance in the estate remains, most of it will be completed today.”

“Well done.”

Raymond praised their efforts and stepped forward with long strides.

Walking at the same pace beside him, Mr. Greig quietly asked,

“Would you like to have a meal first, or shall we prepare bathwater?”

Concerned for his master’s condition after a long journey, the butler’s question was met with Raymond’s reply as he walked ahead.