Proofreader: somnium

137. Duke Luave’s Residence’s Love Story (3)

Arder pondered for a moment, then got up.

“Wait a minute.”

Nelia tilted her head as she looked at Arder’s back who abruptly got up during the discussion and entered the bedroom. But Arder returned quickly.

“This would be more comfortable for fixing the shawl.”

He glanced at Nelia for a moment asking for her consent, then grabbed her shawl and removed the safety pin when she nodded. Then, he secured it with the yellow sapphire brooch he had brought. The dark yellow brooch with a hint of orange was a good match for Nelia, who had hazelnut-colored hair and brown eyes.

“Th, thank you. I will return it to you tomorrow morning.”

“It is a gift. It seems more suited to Nelia than to me.”

“But…… !”

“It’s not a big deal, I’m just giving you what I don’t need, so don’t be pressured.”

Arder repeatedly told her not to be pressured, but Nelia couldn’t. Because she had never bought jewelry for herself, but that didn’t mean she was ignorant of the price of jewelry.

At first glance, it is a yellow sapphire with an unusual brilliance or transparency, and Arder, the butler of the Luave family, could not have had any cheap items in the first place.

But it was also embarrassing to say things like, ‘This must be expensive.’ In the end, Nelia laughed embarrassedly and said her thanks to Arder.

“Thank you very much.”

“It’s nothing.”

Arder gazed contentedly at the shimmering brooch on the auburn shawl, which she must have knitted herself. In fact, it was an expensive brooch that he ordered from Zairdelle, but it didn’t suit him as much as he thought it would, so he kept it separately to give to someone else. It felt like the brooch had found its place now.

Looking at the brooch, his gaze turned upward. Again, a blush appeared on Nelia’s both cheeks, who was looking at the shining sapphire from her chest. She had a round forehead and thick, straight eyebrows. Every time she blinked, the thick eyelashes moved up and down along with it, and her nose, like her personality, was straight. A shy smile appeared on her pale lips.

Nelia was normally pretty. Had it not been for her difficult circumstances, she would have been quite a popular young girl in her youth. But she devoted all her youth to her family, and she didn’t know how to love herself.

“Then…… I’ll go back.”

“I’ll send you off, then.”

“What? Well, you don’t have to.”

“I just want to check the lock on the windows in the hallway on the second floor as well. It is because I am in a hurry and I get worried.”

Arder took the bloodstone lamp beside him and left the room with Nelia. He immediately tried to take her to her room, but Nelia said that he would check the locks with him as well, so they walked slowly down the hallway on the second floor and checked the lock on the window one more time. Occasionally, they ran into maids and servants, but it was not surprising to see Arder and Nelia walking around the mansion together.

An hour had passed since they had such a trivial conversation, checked all the locks on the second-floor window, and escorted Nelia to her room. If he was alone, 30 minutes would have been enough. But he didn’t feel like he was wasting his time.

A few days later, while spending a normal day, Arder was standing at the landing on the second floor and found Nelia crossing the hall on the first floor. She seemed to be teaching the young maids who had just arrived. It was a scene that could have been overlooked casually, but Arder’s gaze, as usual, was directed to the shimmering yellow sapphire brooch under her white shirt collar. It was the brooch he gave her to fix the shawl.

‘As expected, it suits Nelia well.’

Since he gave it to her, Nelia has worn the brooch every day, and every time he saw it, Arder was somehow pleased. Arder, who has been called a sharp dresser since his youth, thought that he was satisfied with the accuracy of his eyes.

It was only after overhearing the careless chatter of the young maids that his thoughts were broken.

“Have you seen the chief maid? Oh my gosh, that stingy aunt bought jewelry?”

“Yeah, I saw it, too! Do you think it’s expensive? She was very fond of it.”

“It did look good on her. Did people look brighter just because they put one on?”

“The brooch is a brooch, but doesn’t she seem to smile a lot lately? Well, she wasn’t originally a blunt person, but I think her atmosphere has become softer.”

“Is she in a relationship?”

“Then, is that brooch a gift from her lover?”

The maids who had been arguing with each other about the chief maid laughed softly. It was because it was just ridiculous and embarrassing for the chief maid who is in her 40s to date.

However, Arder, who was overhearing their story, felt a burning sensation in the back of his head.

“She was very fond of it.”

“Doesn’t she seem to smile a lot lately?”

“Is she in a relationship?”

“Is that a gift from her lover?”

The words the maids were talking rang in his ears. At other times, he would have gathered them together and scolded them for disrespecting their superior, but this time, he hid himself without realizing it. Then, he crept back to find Nelia.

“Yes, butler! Are you looking for me?”

“Ah…… Nelia.”

“What’s the matter?”

He called for Nelia, but when he met her face, he didn’t know what to say. He just looked at the brooch that glittered on her neck once more.

“Butler…… ? Are you okay? Your complexion is a little red, are you feeling sick?”

Unlike him, who was somehow bewildered, Nelia’s attitude was no different than usual. She didn’t seem to be smiling more than usual, and she didn’t seem to care more about the brooch. He was somehow disappointed.

“Oh, nothing. I’m sorry for calling you unnecessarily when you’re busy.”

Arder greeted Nelia, still bewildered by his strange attitude that could not be explained. It seemed like he was so tired that his head didn’t work properly. Turning his body away with that thought, Nelia caught Arder.

“Well…… Actually, I also wanted to see Butler.”

“Is something wrong?”

“Are you free this Friday afternoon?”

“Yes…… ?”

“No, that…… I want to treat you to a meal.”

“Me?”

“Yes. I don’t think it is decent to just accept such a precious gift…….”

Nelia’s fingertips were fiddling with the yellow jewel. Arder’s throat was dry for some reason at the sight of her white fingertips gently stroking the elegantly cut jewels.

“As I said then, there is no need to feel pressured. However…… I don’t think it would be bad to eat outside once in a while.”

“Ah! Then…… I’ll see you outside on Friday afternoon. There is a restaurant called <Amanbad> on Sturchet street, and the food there is quite good.”

“Great. Then, I’ll see you at the restaurant on Friday at 1 PM.”

“Yes…… !”

The two greeted each other with a slightly awkward expression and turned around. However, Arder’s face as he turned away was far from ‘calm’. His body really felt like it was going to get hotter, and his lips kept getting tenser.

He thought that his head was not working well because he was tired before, but suddenly his body became energized and his footsteps became lighter.

* * *

It was a week that went by more slowly than any other time. He was busy preparing Sid and Abbert’s wedding, but why didn’t the time pass ….?

Arder, who had prepared everything from the night before to go out the next day, had a very busy Friday morning. Then, he went out in a high-quality suit that looked ordinary but fit perfectly. It was the middle of winter, but the weather was sunny and the sun was shining so it wasn’t too cold.

The streets of Sturchet were frequented by nobles and wealthy commoners. High-end shops frequented by nobles are lined up, and restaurants and cafes have been given a lot of attention to their exterior and interior.

A restaurant called <Amanbad> was easy to find. It was a glamorous place for Nelia to choose, but Arder shook his head, saying that it may also be a prejudice against Nelia.

When he entered the shop, the seats were already full. However, Arder easily found Nelia reading a book at the table by the window in the distance.

“Excuse me, I’m late. I have no shame; making a Lady wait.”

“Ah, butler! Don’t say that. Because I came too early.”

Nellia closed her book and smiled brightly. Seeing her in plain clothes, her impression was a little different. The pale olive-colored dress was as calm as her image, but her fine hair flowed from the loosely braided hair, giving it a more natural feel. And the yellow sapphire brooch he gave her was still attached to the neck of the dress.

They ate in a private conversation rather than talking about the mansion after a really long time. As she said, the food was delicious, and Nelia was dazzling in the winter sunlight.

“…… That’s how I got to this age. But I never regretted it, and I never blame anyone. Rather, I think I was lucky. My younger siblings are getting married and they are all doing well, and I have some savings for my old age, so I don’t have to worry too much.”

“I see…….”

“I don’t understand why Butler is still alone. I don’t stand out, but Butler does. I heard that you were popular even when you were young.”

“Who said that?”

“If you’re the chief maid in the mansion, you can easily hear rumors like that.”

Nelia wrinkled her nose and laughed playfully. It was a really fleeting moment, but it was an unexpected appearance of Nelia, who was always straight-laced that she seems to have been measured with a ruler. Perhaps that’s why Arder was completely absorbed in it. He wanted to see her mischievous smile often. Personal stories, that he would not normally say out of his mouth, flowed out.

“It’s all rumors. I’m nothing more than an ordinary Viscount’s second son who was discharged from his knightly duty due to an injury. What would I be doing now if it hadn’t been for His Excellency Damien Luave who took me as a butler ….?”

“If you had not been the Duchy’s butler, you would have still stood out.”

“I don’t know. At that time, it was a big shock that I could no longer hold a sword. I never thought I would be able to do anything else.”

“Aren’t your parents happy? It’s not an ordinary place to be the butler of Duchy Luave.”

“By that time, both of them had already died…… The eldest brother, who inherited the family, was very happy. He tried to somehow connect with the Duchy using me as a bridge, so we had a big fight and I ended the relationship.”

Nelia looked a little startled at that, but she soon smiled softly as usual.