Home/My Youngest Keeps Bringing Me Male Leads/ch 17

Chapter 17

"She's always worried about you, though."

"Nonsense. She only ever fusses over Amy. Has she ever thought of us as siblings?"

Elizabeth suddenly raised her voice.

Her fingertips, which had been combing her hair, were pale and bloodless.

"Just because I said a few things to a child who isn't even dead, she treated me like I didn't exist for a whole year. Do you think I miss her?"

"My lady..."

"Forget it. I wasn't expecting anything anyway. Since she has money now, I'm going out. Call Alfred for me later."

"Where are you going?"

"Sister went to Calben City, didn't she? There's no reason we can't go too."

Elizabeth gestured for them to leave, and Marta and Lilia withdrew together.

Once the door was fully closed, Lilia let out a thin breath.

Seeing that, Marta smiled wryly.

'They haven't spoken to each other for a whole year?'

When Lilia mouthed the question, Marta gave her a stern look.

"We don't concern ourselves with the affairs of our betters, Lilia. That's a maid's duty."

But even trying to ignore it, Lilia soon couldn't help but notice.

Elizabeth, with her prickly personality. Edmund, timid and gloomy.

And the Viscount of Laverose, rotting away like a corpse in the darkest corner of the mansion.

Marta entered the Viscount's room alone, but at least Lilia could peek from the doorway.

Even though it was morning, thick curtains were drawn, leaving the room pitch black.

From the bed came the sound of someone breathing, occasionally interrupted by harsh coughing.

The room reeked heavily of alcohol, mixed with a musty, unidentified smell.

Lilia went back downstairs with a heavy heart.

'The masters seem more difficult than I thought.'

Just then, she saw Marta spot Alfred and approach him.

"Lady Elizabeth is asking for you."

"Do you have any idea why?"

"She seemed to be preparing to go out."

"I see."

Alfred's face darkened as he muttered.

That was all Lilia could see. After that, she had to help Elena with the kitchen cleaning.

With hands short, Pavel and Ben helped out as well, and the two men laughed good-naturedly, lifting the mood.

"You said you were guards, but you're doing odd jobs?"

"We have strength to spare, so we might as well use it. Don't complain."

Watching the two bicker like old friends, Lilia smiled too.

Around noon.

Neigh—!

Suddenly, the sound of a horse's cry came from outside the mansion.

Lilia, who had been mopping the hallway, looked out the window.

A strikingly beautiful white horse had come into the garden.

The man riding it dismounted first, then helped the woman who had ridden with him get down. Even having seen them only once, they were unforgettable.

"The young lady and that elf beside her!"

The outside quickly became noisy. It seemed they would be busy again in a different way.

---

"Welcome back, my lady!"

"You seem more welcoming than usual."

"That can't be."

Exchanging light banter with Marta, Agnes looked around the garden.

The new employees she'd sent ahead just a day ago seemed to have been doing their jobs.

The overgrown bushes along the path to the mansion had already been cleared to some extent.

As she looked around with an admiring gaze, Marta explained with a faint smile.

"The new people are so hardworking! But Oliver says it'll take some time to restore the whole garden."

"I suppose so. There's so much to clean up. Did he say he needed more people?"

"For now, he wants to try it alone. Pavel and Ben are helping him too."

"How are those two? Doing alright?"

"Yes, they're diligent and don't shy away from hard work. More importantly, what about the horse? We don't have a stable hand yet..."

Royce, who had been drinking water nearby with a soft neigh, lifted his head as if to ask if they were calling him.

As he stroked Royce, Silmare answered on his behalf.

"He'll leave after he's had enough water."

"Then do I have to say goodbye to Royce now?"

Feeling a pang of regret, she asked, and Silmare shook his head.

Meeting the horse's eyes again, Silmare whispered in the elven language and relayed Royce's words.

"He says he'll be wandering around this area, so call him if you need him."

"Then can I say goodbye and tell him we'll meet again?"

"Of course."

"See you next time, Royce."

As she whispered, Royce nudged her with his nose.

Leaving Silmare to look after Royce a little more, Agnes entered the mansion with Marta.

"You didn't overdo it while I was away, did you?"

"Oh my, I have to move while I'm still able. I can't exactly leave it all to Elena, can I?"

"Don't push yourself. Let me help a little."

"Oh, we have people now—you don't need to do anything. We just need you to hire more hands since we're still short."

"We left the house neglected for so long, there's a lot of work. Are the others complaining?"

"Of course they don't! Their faces are all dark and weary, wondering if there's any place like this."

"I suppose so."

The two joked and laughed together.

"Would raising their pay help?"

"Wouldn't they like that?"

"Speaking of which, Marta. Brace yourself. I'm going to give you three years' worth of salary. Elena and Alfred too. For now, only you need to know, okay?"

"Pardon?"

"I can't have you running away because there's suddenly too much work. Right?"

"Three years' worth—how much is that... what are you planning to do?"

"It's okay. I can do it. I have more than enough to pay off the debts, but even if I didn't, I'd take care of that first."

"Well, even if I tried to talk you out of it, you'd do it anyway, wouldn't you?"

Marta chuckled softly.

Having raised Agnes since she was a baby, Marta knew that Agnes had been headstrong even as a child.

No matter how much she was dissuaded, once Agnes made up her mind, she would definitely follow through.

"It's amazing. How can things suddenly work out like this? I was so worried all this time. I wondered what would happen if things got worse and I ended up having to part ways with you."

Marta recalled the process of the Laverose estate's decline from its most glorious days.

At the same time, she remembered how Agnes had fought alone to protect the Laverose family.

'The Laverose household can no longer pay your wages. I'll write you a generous letter of recommendation. Thank you for everything. Please, I ask you to leave.'

'No, my lady! I'll stay until the end.'

'No. We truly have nothing to give you.'

'What does that matter? As long as I have a place to sleep and something to eat, it's fine.'

That was how Marta had stayed.

Marta had been a maid brought in by the late Viscountess Laverose.

Though she was called a nanny, she hadn't actually nursed anyone.

She had simply watched over the children by the Viscountess's side.

But when the Viscountess died, she couldn't leave the children behind on their own.

Because she could picture the young lady she had raised since childhood, left alone with no one to protect her, struggling on pitifully.

Marta dabbed the corners of her warm eyes with her sleeve, feeling foolish.

"I'll have to ask Amy all about what happened when she comes back."

"Indeed. It's such a relief that Lady Amy is alive."

This time, she also checked on her family's well-being—something she hadn't been able to properly ask about before due to the guests.

"Father is still the same, I see."

"Yes, well. At least he eats his meals on time. I wish he would stop drinking, though..."

As she looked around the mansion, Agnes noticed something odd and asked.

"By the way, where's Alfred?"

"Ah, well..."

Marta's face darkened.

"Why? What happened?"

"Actually, Lady Elizabeth..."

After hearing the full story from Marta, Agnes headed straight to the second floor.

Muffled voices came from Elizabeth's room.

It sounded like they were having an argument.

Agnes threw open the door, and there stood Elizabeth and Alfred.

"My lady!"

Alfred greeted Agnes with an awkward expression.

Agnes gave a small bow to Alfred, then faced Elizabeth.

It had been a full year.

Meeting after so long, her younger sister looked thinner and paler, and seemed very tense.

Seeing her like that, it felt as if someone was gripping her heart tightly.

"Wh-why are you here..."

Caught off guard, Elizabeth's blue eyes, so like their mother's, trembled violently.

Amy's eyes were blue too.

Looking at them, they were like beautiful glass marbles.

"Did you ask Alfred for money?"

Elizabeth's shoulders flinched.

"Y-yes!"

She raised her voice defensively, but it somehow sounded like a child trying not to lose.

Come to think of it, she was only sixteen—still just a child.

Why hadn't she seen that before?

'Why did you treat Amy so horribly?'

She wanted to demand an answer right now.

But after a year apart, this was not the right time for that.

As she tried to hold back, pressing her lips together—

Elizabeth cried out as if squeezing the words out.

"Sister went out too, didn't she! Why can't I? I'm going too! Do you have any idea how hard it's been for me, trapped in this house all this time? That's why I asked for money! Because I want to go outside! And you come to scold me after a whole year—isn't that too much?"

"Do you know where that money came from?"

"I-I know! From Amy...!"

How could she know and still say such brazen things?

Agnes barely managed to compose herself. Losing her temper here wouldn't help.

"...Fine. Okay. Go ahead."

"What?"

Caught off guard by the unexpected answer, Elizabeth's cheeks trembled.

"I said go ahead—outside. I'll give you what you need."

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