Estelle lifted her head at the sound of Pippin's scream-like cry.
"Who…?"
Seeing Pippin for the first time, Estelle wore a puzzled expression.
Startled and momentarily dazed, Pippin finally came to his senses and gave a proper bow.
"Forgive me. I am Pippin Randell, aide to Duke Winterlen."
From afar, it had been Estelle's odd behavior that shocked him, but up close, it was her beauty that left him overly stunned.
After taking a deep breath, Pippin asked again the question that mattered most at the moment.
"But… what exactly are you doing right now?"
"Digging."
"No, I mean, I can see that, but…"
Glance.
Pippin's eyes landed on the shovel in Estelle's hand.
In front of the annex, in the garden, she was crouched down, digging into the earth.
If not for her striking pink hair, one might have mistaken her for a maid doing chores—the way her hands moved was that skilled.
"I don't know why you, my lady, are digging with a shovel, but you mustn't go around digging up just any patch of ground like this."
"Because of the miasma?"
In the North, instead of water, there was a river of miasma—the Gehenna.
Perhaps because of that, it was all too common that if one dug carelessly, instead of groundwater, miasma would come spurting up.
"Madam, you shouldn't be doing this! Please, stand up at once."
Not wanting to see a corpse right before his eyes, Pippin scolded her.
Then, beside Estelle, he noticed a certain weed.
It seemed she had been digging in order to transplant it.
Why in the world would she do such a thing?
Thinking she was truly a strange person, Pippin watched as Estelle reluctantly rose to her feet and spoke.
"What business brings you here?"
"Ah! I came to get your signature on the revised contract."
"If it's about that, let's go inside to discuss it."
Even as he followed behind Estelle, Pippin found himself constantly glancing around.
Was this place always kept in such good order?
As children, the Winterlen siblings had used it as a kind of hideout, but now it was the only part of the castle left neglected.
It should have looked like a ruin—yet now, there wasn't a speck of dust to be found.
Could that be all?
The place was decorated so charmingly that Pippin's gaze kept being drawn to it.
"Since this is where I'll be living, I fixed it up to my taste. Should I have asked for permission first?"
"N-no, not at all. It was abandoned anyway, so His Grace wouldn't care…"
So distracted, he ended up answering far too honestly.
After years of subjugation campaigns and sleepless nights, perhaps his mind had grown dull.
Pippin stole a cautious glance at Estelle.
"Is that so? I'm glad to hear it."
But she wasn't offended in the slightest.
Feeling awkward, Pippin scratched the back of his head for no reason.
"Please have a seat for a moment, I'll bring some tea."
"Pardon? I only meant to see you sign the contract and be on my way…"
"I was planning to look over the contract again while enjoying a cup myself. Are you perhaps very busy?"
"I'm not busy… but tea really isn't necessary. I usually drink a lot of coffee."
"There's no need to feel burdened. The other staff often stop by to have some as well."
"…In that case, I'll help you."
"It's fine. If two people go into the kitchen, it'll only be inconvenient to move around. Just wait here for me."
Estelle replied kindly and went into the kitchen.
Since the annex was small, Pippin could clearly see her bustling figure as she moved about.
Feeling uncomfortable just sitting there, Pippin spoke up.
"Normally, these kinds of tasks should be left to the servants, shouldn't they? Tidying the annex too… surely you didn't do it all alone?"
"As you know, I grew up a commoner. I lived only with my stepmother, so I took on nearly all the chores myself."
"..."
"So perhaps that's why it feels easier for me to just do things myself."
Pippin suddenly felt he had asked something he shouldn't have. Cold sweat trickled inside as he sat there.
Knock, knock—
From outside came the sound of knocking, along with the voice of an unfamiliar man.
"Madam, madam! Are you in?"
"I'm here! Please wait a moment."
It was a middle-aged servant, clearly unaware that Pippin was present.
Because the room wasn't soundproof, their conversation came through plainly.
"What is it?"
"Since the day before yesterday, Alec has refused all food. It seems he's staging a protest, saying he wants to see you. If you have the time, could you please visit him?"
Gasp!
An affair? Surely not…
Even if it was only a contract marriage, wasn't this far too soon?
Pippin's eyes widened in shock.
"So he's wasting away as if lovesick? I suppose he does recognize a beauty when he sees one."
Unaware of Pippin's tangled thoughts, Estelle and the man chuckled together.
So brazenly flaunting an affair…!
"I'll bring some hay over later."
Huh? Hay?
"Sorry to trouble you with such a request. It's not much of a reward, but last time I noticed the guest chair creaked when I sat on it. I'd like to fix it for you."
"…"
"It seems Alec really must be His Grace's favorite steed—even their tastes are alike. Hahaha."
At last, Pippin realized—and his face burned with shame.
Alexander Hyper Kaiser Sose.
In other words, "Alec" was a pitch-black stallion without a single spot on him.
As Pippin tore at his own hair over the ridiculous misunderstanding, the stablehand took his leave.
But Estelle still couldn't return right away. One person after another kept coming to see her.
It seemed everyone, in big ways or small, had received help from Estelle.
And judging by how they all tried to repay her kindness, Pippin could finally understand how the annex had transformed so much in just a single week.
"Sorry, I kept you waiting, didn't I?"
"There seem to be many people seeking you, my lady."
"They're just warmhearted, that's all."
Though she must have been tired, Estelle smiled as she slowly poured tea from the pot she had just brought out.
Pippin, unable to refuse any further, lifted the teacup—and his eyes widened slightly.
"The fragrance is wonderful. What kind of leaves are these?"
"I don't know the name. I just brewed it with tea leaves that grow nearby."
So that digging earlier had been to gather these leaves? The thought still left him bewildered.
"I've been drinking it often myself lately, and there hasn't been any problem, so don't worry."
Perhaps thinking Pippin's hesitation was about whether the leaves were safe, Estelle reassured him gently.
It was hard to tell who was the true Winterlen native and who was the outsider.
"My lady, doesn't it trouble you to consume crops grown in soil where miasma flows?"
In the North, many refused to put even the wind in their mouths if it came from this land.
But Estelle answered firmly, without hesitation.
"Not at all."
"To me, it means they're full of vitality. They've managed to survive no matter what in such barren conditions, so I see no reason to shun them."
Pippin, who had grown up hearing nothing but negative things about the North, sat silently.
But hearing such words from a foreigner who had set foot in the North only a few days ago made Pippin's heart swell with complicated emotions.
I should be grateful, but… huh?
Feeling himself grow fond of Estelle, Pippin nearly slapped his own cheek.
Get a hold of yourself! That woman is suspected of having killed three husbands! A woman who deliberately chose only wealthy old men to marry—there's no way she could be purely kind!
Resolving to treat Estelle with nothing but professionalism, Pippin lifted his head.
But the moment he met her large, clear eyes, his resolve melted away like snow in the sun.
As if she could see straight through him, Estelle smiled gently.
"Did I say something wrong?"
"…N-not at all."
It was no wonder Alec had gone on a hunger strike. Even Pippin's own heart was turning soft and pliant.
At this rate, I'll end up disobeying His Grace's orders…
Hurriedly, Pippin changed the subject.
"Now then, if you could please review this contract."
While Estelle looked over the contract, Pippin finally took a sip of the tea.
Huh? This taste…
It was the same tea his grandmother used to brew when he was a child—nutty, with a faintly bitter aftertaste.
After he'd grown up and his grandmother had passed away, even when he longed to taste it again, he couldn't—because he never knew the name of the tea.
And yet, to think it had been growing right nearby all along.
My heart feels so at ease…
Before long, the sun had set, and the sky was bathed in golden light.
As he gazed at the view outside the window, not only his body but even his heart grew drowsy and relaxed.
Just like…
…returning to his childhood home.
"There are no objections. I'll need a pen to sign, though, do you perhaps—"
Thud!
A loud noise rang out.
Startled, Estelle lifted her head.
Then another loud thump followed.
Snore—
This time, it was Pippin's snoring.
He had collapsed forward onto the table, fast asleep as if he had fainted.
End of Chapter
***
Mm… the smell of Grandma's apple pie…
Catching the delicious scent, Pippin opened his eyes—and, seeing the darkened view outside the window, shot up from his seat.
D-did I really fall asleep just like that?!
On the table lay the contract.
Spotting Estelle's signature upon it, Pippin hurriedly snatched the document up.
"You're awake?"
"I-I'm sorry for showing such a disgraceful side of myself!"
This was the first time he had ever made such a blunder.
Cheeks burning hot, Pippin blurted out,
"If you're that tired, it's understandable. I just happened to be baking an apple pie—would you like to stay and have some?"
I want to.
Swallowing his drool, Pippin realized his mouth was already wet.
He had actually slept so soundly he'd even been drooling.
Snapping fully awake in embarrassment, Pippin shook his head quickly.
"It's late, so I should be returning!"
He couldn't allow himself to make a fool of himself any further.
Dashing out of the annex in a fluster, Pippin turned back with a dazed expression.
Living on coffee to plow through his endless workload, he had eventually developed insomnia.
Recently, he hadn't even been able to snatch proper naps, but after that deep sleep just now, his head felt clearer than it had in ages.
…Should I come back tomorrow?
For some reason, he couldn't shake the scent of the apple pie.
Perhaps because it carried the familiar fragrance of home.
But His Grace ordered me to keep watch over her! So this is all in obedience to the Duke's command!
Pippin—lifelong loyal retainer who had never once betrayed Lennox—was wavering before Estelle.
And it had taken her less than six hours to shake the heart of such a steadfast man.
End of Chapter
And a few days later…
"Jackpot!" Estelle cried out in delight.