Chapter 145

 

The butler was a man loyal to the head of the household.

 

To him, the orders of the head were to be followed without question.

 

As he carried out the various commands given by Hayden, he must have rationalized his actions.

 

He would have told himself that it was something he couldn’t help, that he had no choice in the matter, and that he was not at fault.

 

Iona, too, did not think he had made a particularly wrong choice.

 

He always did his best given his position.

 

However, every time Iona saw his face, she couldn’t help but remember him standing beside Hayden,

 

punishing and imprisoning her at the head’s command,

 

silently watching as Nils and Yvonne poured out their violence and abuse... It was inevitable that these memories of him would come to mind.

 

“You probably think the same. We don’t exactly have good memories together, do we?”

 

“......”

 

“I consider it fortunate. Because you didn’t put your last hope on Nils, I could let you go with just a dismissal.”

 

The butler swallowed involuntarily.

 

It was obvious what Iona would eventually do with Nils and Yvonne.

 

He was an outsider, but as someone who knew the Modrov family’s affairs intimately, he never thought Iona would leave them alone.

 

What would have happened if he had sided with Nils or Yvonne and planned for the future with them?

 

He didn’t know, but it didn’t paint a very good picture.

 

By withdrawing from the conflict early, he had certainly avoided a great disaster.

 

Seeing the butler’s subdued demeanor, Iona wrapped up the situation.

 

“I’ve assigned someone else to handle the disposal of the mansion, so you don’t need to worry about it. Just make sure the staff keep their mouths shut. There is a confidentiality clause in their contracts, but... If anyone gets any ideas, it will be troublesome for all of us.”

 

Iona spoke as if she was concerned about the safety of someone who might talk too much.

 

It was a warning that if he leaked any information about what he had seen and heard while working for the Modrov family, she would personally make things difficult for him.

 

The butler, understanding the hidden meaning, nodded with a tense expression.

 

With her business concluded, Iona issued him a dismissal order.

 

“If you understand, then leave.”

 

“...Yes, Countess.”

 

The butler’s steps were heavy as he turned to leave.

 

Unexpectedly joining the ranks of job seekers, but it wouldn’t be a big problem for the staff to find new jobs. Officially, it would be known that he had handled the disposal of the mansion, which led to the termination of their employment.

 

In desperate times, even a mouse will bite a cat, so he had no intention of threatening their survival.

 

If those who had fallen into poverty started spilling the family’s secrets out of desperation, it would also make things difficult for Iona.

 

“Do you have any questions?”

 

Iona asked Reni, turning to her once the door was closed.

 

Reni, who had been staring blankly at Iona for quite a while, finally snapped out of it and spoke in awe.

 

“Um... Wasn’t that a really great opportunity?”

 

Indeed, it was a great opportunity.

 

Out of dozens of servants, only three had managed to keep their jobs, so Reni had objectively survived a very high competition rate.

 

Relieved that she had not only avoided being fired but also gotten a promotion, Reni let out a sigh of relief. Then, with a curious expression, she asked,

 

“So, when are you heading down to the duchy? Is that also in a month?”

 

“No.”

 

Iona quietly shook her head.

 

The one-month period was simply the time given for those who were dismissed to settle their affairs, not an indication that she would remain in the capital until then.

 

She had already found a proxy to handle things in her stead.

 

When she told Leroy that she wanted to dispose of the mansion, he had readily offered to lend her a legal advisor.

 

At this point, the only task left for Iona was to see off Nils and Yvonne.

 

“I’ll be leaving in four days.”

 

Iona answered nonchalantly. Naturally, Reni’s eyes widened in surprise.

 

***

 

Finally, it was decided that Nils and Yvonne would be sent to Modrov.

 

The day after Yvonne caused the hostage incident, the royal knights came to the mansion for an investigation.

 

Reni successfully aroused the knights’ indignation by vividly describing what she had endured, and upon returning to the palace, they stressed the severity of the situation to their superiors.

 

As a natural result, Iona’s request for Nils’s return was positively received.

 

Everyone empathized with Iona’s desire to send Nils and Yvonne out of the capital as soon as possible.

 

Two days later, Iona was able to promptly receive Nils from the palace.

 

The investigation was nearly complete, so taking him out suddenly wouldn’t cause any issues.

 

Although Iona could have retrieved Nils anytime she wanted, she had left him in the palace to avoid adding more trouble to the mansion, which already had enough with Yvonne.

 

‘Being in prison must have been much more miserable for Nils.’

 

Thus, instead of heading directly to Nils, who was eagerly waiting for her, Iona first visited the Crown Prince’s palace.

 

Richard’s influence had also played a part in the royal approval being granted so quickly, so it was only proper to express her gratitude as a subject.

 

‘And to say goodbye as well.’

 

It felt strange to think that today would be the last time she would play the loyal subject in front of him.

 

Feeling a bit unsettled, Iona stood still at the door for a long while, unable to bring herself to go in.

 

Louisa, who appeared out of nowhere, asked with a puzzled look.

 

“Dame Iona, aren’t you going in?”

 

After a moment’s pause, Iona replied,

 

“I suppose I should.”

 

“The Crown Prince, even though he didn’t show it, has been eagerly waiting for you. Please go in. By the way, some fine tea leaves arrived recently, so you should have a taste.”

 

Seeing Iona’s face for the first time in a while, Louisa cheerfully started a conversation and opened the door for her.

 

Fortunately, Richard’s room had an antechamber, so she wouldn’t have to face him unprepared.

 

Iona pretended to be interested in the tea leaves Louisa had mentioned and lingered by her side.

 

Louisa, not noticing anything amiss, headed to the kitchenette, continuing their conversation.

 

“The maids have been quite disappointed that you haven’t been coming in lately.”

 

“I’m not sure if I should be happy about that or not.”

 

“Be happy, they’re all eagerly counting down the days until your leave is over.”

 

Louisa teased affectionately.

 

In reality, Iona had resigned, but on paper, she was still listed as a member of the royal knights.

 

Thanks to Saskia’s excessively accommodating request to keep her resignation under wraps until she left, Iona even continued to receive her salary—Richard had granted her paid leave. This made Louisa confident that Iona would return to active duty once her family matters were settled.

 

“Louisa, actually...”

 

Iona smiled awkwardly as she was about to speak.

 

A call from the door interrupted her.

 

“Louisa, how long are you going to keep my guest waiting?”

 

Richard had appeared out of nowhere, leaning casually against the doorframe.

 

Apparently, their conversation in the antechamber had reached his ears, possibly due to Louisa’s loud voice.

 

Caught off guard by her master’s sudden appearance in a servant’s space, Louisa hurriedly turned off the faucet.

 

With her hands clasped together in front of her, Louisa apologized.

 

“I’m sorry, Your Highness. I was just so happy to see Dame Iona after such a long time…”

 

“And imagine how happy I must be.”

 

Richard replied, feigning annoyance.

 

Of course, it wasn’t a joke a servant could easily laugh at.

 

Once Louisa fell silent, Richard turned his gaze to Iona.

 

“Follow me, Iona.”

 

Without waiting for her response, he turned and walked away.

 

After exchanging a brief look with Louisa, Iona quickly followed him.

 

Richard seemed to still consider Iona as one of his trusted aides, given his rather casual attire.

 

Or rather, he was almost half-naked, with only thin pants and a robe on.

 

“I was thinking we should toast, so I was choosing what to drink.”

 

Returning to his usual spot, Richard picked up a bottle of alcohol from the table and spoke.

 

When Iona remained standing, Richard made a vague gesture for her to sit.

 

She hesitated before moving to the sofa on the right, her usual spot for conversations with him.

 

“My subordinate has become the head of a respectable family and successfully removed the obstacles in her way. Ordinary alcohol won’t suffice to commemorate this.”

 

Saying this, Richard approached Iona and sat down next to her naturally.

 

The distance between them was uncomfortably close.

 

Iona couldn’t help but be taken aback by Richard’s sudden approach.

 

This was the first time they had ever sat side by side like this.

 

Typically, no vassal would sit shoulder to shoulder with their lord unless they were outside where formality was hard to maintain.

 

‘This is... too blatant.’

 

Iona furrowed her brow slightly.

 

Perhaps Richard had decided to be more open about his feelings than before.

 

It was a decision she couldn’t understand.

 

The death of Hayden or the misfortunes of his children were no reasons for Richard to suddenly change his attitude.

--- End Of The Chapter ----

 

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