The good times passed quickly.
After her sorority classmates left, Lilian headed back to the study.
She was very busy preparing for the grand reconciliation and preparations for the winter. Fortunately for her, it went very smoothly because Mrs. Maureen was very cooperative, and Lilian didn’t seem like it was her first time doing something like this.
“Looks like this is all you need. I think the rest of the small things can be procured when needed.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Mrs. Maureen nodded happily as she recalled the storerooms stocked with all sorts of fabrics and groceries.
“And this is the list of employees you were looking for.”
“Ah, thank you.”
Each family has their own rules regarding the division of duties and the contents of employment among employees.
Mrs. Maureen, a little nervous, gave an honest report on the current state of operations, the size and distribution of employment.
“The content itself is not very different from what I said before. If there’s something irrational or outrageous in your eyes, please tell me without hesitation. I will correct it immediately.”
“Um…”
She thanked her in her heart, but Lilian didn’t think she had the right to do that. It wasn’t polite to touch this or that in a household that would be out of her hand in five years at the most anyway.
“The missus’ work is smooth, so at first glance, there’s nothing to be touched. However…”
However? Mrs. Maureen perked her ears up to listen to instructions.
“It would be nice to find out if the servants have families to support and pay some attention to them.”
“Your Ladyship.”
Mrs. Maureen expressed her disapproval for a moment.
“His Highness is already a generous master. It seems to me that extending warmth beyond this is a bit over the top.”
“It’s not warmth. You know, now is not a good time.”
“…”
“Even trustworthy people can easily do unbelievable things if something goes wrong with their family. What I mean is to identify weak points in advance and prevent unsavory things, so I hope you understand that.”
“Ah, yes. That’s right.”
Mrs. Maureen admired again. She had long since forgotten her bitter disappointment the first day Lilian arrived at the manor.
‘Our Crown Prince is not the kind of person who would talk nonsense. I should have believed his words.’
At that moment, a decision was made in her heart.
“Your Highness, today, this Maureen has something for you.”
“Something?”
What Mrs. Maureen held out was a set of keys. A key to each room was hung from a round ring.
“In the meantime, I inevitably kept it, but in fact, I think it’s right that the keys to the original house should be in the hands of the hostess.”
“No, I think you better keep it.”
Anyway, important keys such as the housekeeper’s room, the hostess’ room, the safe key, or the master key were supposed to belong to Damian or the Head Butler.
Still, the whereabouts of that set of keys clearly reveal where the housekeeping power lies. So, it was not uncommon for a veteran head maid and a new bride from a foreign country to fight over the key.
She was grateful for Mrs. Maureen’s willingness to give it up first. But, Lilian thought she wasn’t the right person for it.
“Until now, you have kept it well and used it only when needed, so I believe you will continue to do so.”
“Your Ladyship, hah…”
Mrs. Maureen raised her hand to her forehead and pursed her lips as if moved.
Lilian deliberately lowered her gaze to her papers and nonchalantly said.
“As you know, my body is weak. It must be difficult to carry such a heavy thing.”
“Yes, yes.”
Mrs. Maureen whimpered, wiped her eyes, and answered.
“If so, this Maureen is willing to live up to Her Highness’ trust.”
It was then. An orderly knock signaled the entrance.
“Your Ladyship, this is Alan.”
“Come on in.”
The Head Butler came in with a stern face. Mrs. Maureen was frightened.
“Oh my God, Alan! What the hell is that!”
The old gentleman, who wore a suit like a knife every day, was wearing a shirt with his sleeves rolled up and an apron made of thick cotton.
“What are those feathers! Where did you catch the chicken? Wait, don’t come close to Her Highness!”
“I won’t go in even if you don’t say that. And what I caught was a duck, not a chicken.”
“Yes?”
“It’s winter and it seems like Her Majesty is losing her energy. Skipping meals often…”
Only then did Mrs. Maureen realize why the Head Butler had come to see Lilian in such a guise.
“Oh my, a gentle nobleman even caught a duck himself like that, oh dear. Of course, Her Highness will be sincere. What are you worrying about?”
“Hehe, I’m getting older, so I’m worried for nothing.”
After being caught sleeping with Damian, even though they didn’t do anything, it seemed that the expectations and imagination of the two had passed the issue of producing a successor, just as Lilian expected.
However, since Lilian was ill and had only recently been married, the prudent two didn’t express their expectations with hasty words.
In this way, they began to support Lilian’s health diligently.
‘It’s embarrassing.’
The reason the favor felt burdensome was because Lilian couldn’t live up to their expectations no matter what.
Five years left. Maybe in that, the relationship between Lilian and Damian will become more like a couple and have a child, but will it be possible to conceive with a body whose vitality is almost at the bottom?
Originally, it was difficult to give birth to only one son due to difficult labor. Lilian guessed.
‘I wonder if I’m close to infertile right now.’
Lilian was someone with a maximum sentence of 5 years. There’s little chance of giving birth to the heir they expect.
That was Lilian’s reality right now.
“Thank you for your sincerity, but…”
The moment she opened her mouth, Lilian suddenly felt the inside of her nose grow cold.
It was a precursor to the nosebleeds she had become accustomed to over the past few days. Lily looked at Rita.
“Your Ladyship, it’s past nap time.”
The quick-witted Rita intervened, and the Head Butler and Mrs. Maureen backed off, apologizing when she was tired and holding onto her for too long. As soon as the door closed, Lilian quickly grabbed her nose.
As if it had waited, hot blood flowed out.
“My lady, here.”
She put a towel under her nose frantically.
Rita tried to stop the bleeding.
“It hurts.”
“It’s because the blood isn’t stopping.”
After more than 30 minutes of soaking two towels, the situation was finally over. Lilian almost collapsed in her chair from exhaustion.
Rita gave her some medicinal smoke, but she couldn’t smoke properly because it was difficult to breathe deeply.
“Lady, from my point of view, it can’t go on like this. Even now, please let Lord Cedric know.”
Without even the energy to shake her head, Lilian only frowned in silence.
“Or at least reduce the amount of work.”
As Grand Duchess and hostess, the amount of work Lilian assumed grew with each passing day.
Damian was a Grand Duke and an Elector.
He was the Lord of Valmiera, Hemenlinna, and Palmiens, as well as the naval fleet and trading ships of the Alt Sea.
It wasn’t that Damian didn’t work, but he was a man who wasn’t interested in his own wealth so everything was rough.
In such a situation, a Grand Duchess with both the head and desire to work appeared.
She didn’t do anything great.
She didn’t even have that kind of knowledge.
Lilian just felt sorry for the vassals led by Ivan, so she only gave them advice once or twice, or urged Damian’s decision on their behalf. When he didn’t have the time, she would make decisions for him.
As she played the role of a buffer zone one by one, she suddenly received the enthusiastic support of Damian’s ministers.
The fervent support was returned with more work. Thought Rita.
‘Where have I seen this scene?’
Come to think of it, there was another person who was on the verge of being crushed to death by being surrounded by the work he called on himself. That person also had blue eyes.
Aha, oh gosh. How can brother and sister be the same?
“Lady is very certainly Lord Cedric’s younger sister.”
“You’re telling me what other people want to say when they see you and Lord Allen.”
“Please don’t make such a terrible sound.”
Lilian smiled and went back to working on the paperwork.
Cedric’s version. The only problem was that Lilian had no one to stop her.
In fact, Lilian knew it too.
If she does nothing and lives as a hostage and evidence of an alliance, she can be comfortable.
If nothing is done, the Head Butler and Mrs. Maureen might be very disappointed in her and lose interest.
That might be better than just getting used to it for about five years or so.
Even thinking so, Lilian couldn’t completely give up.
‘What’s the point of living a life like that?’
She wanted to do as much as she could in the little time she had left. She wanted to be acknowledged and didn’t want to be hated.
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