Who Brought the Head Maid Back? - Chapter 19

“The previous Grand Dukes never even set foot in the main castle.”

“But the young Grand Duke completely repaired this old fortress and actually came here to live.”

Rita lowered her voice as she spoke. “Did you hear? I heard from the steward our wages are going to be reassessed.”

“No way. Are they lowering them?”

“I don’t think so.”

When Rita grinned, every face in the circle filled with moved emotion. Only those who know nothing would claim that servants are freer and more comfortable without a master. Who would ever truly want to be abandoned?

Without a master, it is difficult to voice grievances or obtain necessary supplies on time; things inevitably stagnate and rot. A household without a head eventually crumbles from within.

Having tasted the master’s attention for the first time, they were as dazed as insects fallen into a honey jar. Their favor toward him had already pierced the heavens before they even saw his face; now that they had encountered a pair as beautiful as if they had stepped out of a painting, how could they not be moved?

“I’m going to bury my bones here at the Grand Ducal Castle.”

Cecil, who usually spoke of quitting more often than she breathed, clenched her fists. People nodded solemnly, each adding a word.

“My grave will be right next to yours.”

“Let’s not do that. Let’s all just die together and be buried in a group.”

“With His Highness and the Head Maid too?”

As the conversation began to spiral out of control, Rita clapped her hands to clear the air.

“You guys are getting too carried away. Get a grip.”

“Is, is that so…”

Ignoring the sheepish murmurs of the others, Rita said seriously, “I think the foot of Mount Havel would be good for the graves since it faces south. Any objections?”

Mari whispered to Cecil in a low voice, “If you look closely, Rita is the weirdest one here.”

Amy and Joseph toured the village alongside Morton, the Captain of the Guard.

The main road and the square, which were said to be perpetually muddy, were now neatly paved with stone. The completed artisans’ houses featured shops on the first floor and living quarters from the second floor up. Depending on the trade, they also included warehouses or kilns, exactly as ordered.

As they walked through the village, people began to surround them. The news that the Grand Duke and his retainers had arrived spread instantly. The residents followed behind them with faces full of curiosity and goodwill.

Amy and Joseph finished the inspection feeling satisfied.

“You said you’re retiring immediately?”

Amy asked Morton on the way back to the castle. He bowed and confirmed.

“That is correct. This position was always beyond my station.”

It was true. Morton, who had become the Captain of the Guard of the Grand Ducal Castle simply because he had briefly served as a guard in another territory in his youth, said he could finally live with a peaceful mind. He was an honest man who knew his own limits.

“You’ve worked hard all this time. We will ensure your retirement pay is more than sufficient.”

When Amy turned to Joseph for confirmation, he nodded. Then, he leaned in and asked cautiously in a small voice.

“You’ve spent a vast amount of money renovating the castle… does His Highness still have funds remaining?”

As the aide, Joseph was to be in charge of accounting, so she had to share the situation with him eventually.

“Yes. I’ll let you know the exact figures when we return.”

Joseph spoke in admiration. “His Majesty the Emperor must truly cherish the Second Prince after all. To send him away with such an enormous sum of money…”

“Strictly speaking, His Highness earned it himself. You’ll see once we officially begin work, but the Emperor only gave him one hundred thousand gold.”

Amy shook her head, remembering the shock of confirming that measly amount, given as if it were a grand gesture. Like father, like son—the Emperor’s heart was as small as a grain of millet.

Joseph’s eyes widened. It was understandable, as one hundred thousand gold was barely enough for a round-trip journey to the North.

“I see…”

Joseph looked dejected and took off his glasses to wipe them. It seemed to be a habit of his when he was thinking deeply similar to Amy’s habit of touching her brooch when she was troubled. After walking in silence for a moment, Joseph leaned toward Amy again as the entrance to the castle came into view.

“A little while ago, when I was separated from you for a moment?”

“Yes.”

Amy nodded. While she had stepped into a workshop for women spinning wool, Joseph had waited outside and spoken with the village elders.

“According to what I heard then… it seems our Grand Duke has made an incredibly good impression on the people.”

“A good impression?”

Amy’s ears perked up. Joseph chattered excitedly.

“On the way here, didn’t His Highness say he wanted to perform acts of charity to commemorate his ascension? So, I advised him to repair the broken charcoal kilns and waive the usage fees.”

“You did.”

“On top of that, His Highness allowed each person to gather up to five bundles of firewood for heating, tax-free.”

Amy nodded with a satisfied smile. “He did. Heating is essential in the North.”

“Rumors of that have spread, and the public sentiment is very high. The village elders gave me the tip.”

Unlike his timid personality, Joseph was surprisingly sociable. Though he was shy, people tended to approach him first to talk. Amy had received no small amount of help from that trait during their journey. She glanced at Joseph, whose face was flushed with good spirits.

‘This is exactly why I decided to bring him in.’

In her past life, when a plague swept through the Empire, Joseph was an aide to Duke Esmain. Despite being looked down upon for having foreign blood, he cared for the people of the fief deeply.

However, because the medicine known to prevent the plague was expensive, Duke Esmain distributed fake medicine to the people. As a result, countless lives were lost.

Despairing, Joseph had petitioned the Emperor, claiming the fault was his as the aide. Because of this, Duke Esmain was publicly humiliated and subsequently had Joseph killed in a brutal manner.

After her regression, Amy had vowed to bring him to her side.

‘I wasn’t wrong about him.’

Joseph was a man of integrity and character. Amy said softly, “It’s thanks to his aide giving proper advice.”

“Oh, no, not at all…”

Joseph’s face turned bright red. From the moment Amy first sent him a letter giving him various instructions, he had viewed her as someone on a different level from himself. That belief had only solidified after witnessing the superhuman feats she performed on the way to the North.

“At any rate, His Highness will be able to settle in smoothly.”

“Y-yes. Since he didn’t just give a tiny bit of help to save face but waived fees entirely, the rumor is that people love his magnanimity.”

“Good. It’s a great start.”

The two entered the Grand Ducal Castle in high spirits. As they crossed the drawbridge over the moat and passed through the great gate, gazes converged on them from all sides. At that moment—

“Hahahaha!”

A boisterous laugh suddenly echoed from the guardhouse above the gate. Amy unconsciously grimaced. It was a sound she had heard many times before.

“What is Sir Dwayne doing up there…?”

As Amy muttered to herself, a maid who had been watching her with sparkling eyes stepped forward quickly.

“He is training the guards. Sir Vernon, the new Captain of the Guard, ordered it.”

“I see.”

If Vernon ordered it, then it was fine. Amy gave the maid a nod of thanks and parted ways with Joseph to head toward the inner castle.

‘There is one thing I need to do most urgently…’

There was a specific reason Amy had chosen the Northern Grand Duchy as the Second Prince’s new home. She was itching to confirm it.

Looking up at the sky, she saw the sun was already dipping toward the horizon. Soon, the sun would set and darkness would fall. Amy felt a pang of regret.

‘I suppose I’ll have to do it tomorrow.’

As she crossed the wide courtyard to enter the inner castle, Melbourne the steward approached her as if he had been waiting. Amy asked casually, “Where is His Highness?”

“He finished his tour of the castle and has gone to the training grounds.”

Amy’s feet paused. “The training grounds?”

What business would he have at the training grounds on his very first day? Amy tilted her head in confusion. Melbourne quickly led her there.

“The training grounds have been repaired, I hope?”

As she asked, worried that Noah might trip over a loose stone, Melbourne waved his hand dismissively.

“The ground has been paved smooth with bluestone, and we have a full stock of training dummies and wooden swords.”

“Once the blacksmith arrives, we’ll be able to do simple weapon and horseshoe repairs within the castle.”

As they chatted and rounded the corner of the warehouse, the wide training ground appeared. Seeing Noah standing tall in the center, Amy narrowed her eyes.

‘He even took off his cloak.’

It was early autumn, but the North felt like mid-winter. Amy’s pace quickened. And then, as she stepped onto the training ground, her eyes widened at the unexpected scene.

“This is impossible.”

One of the guards watching from the sidelines muttered. His colleagues silently agreed. Beside them, Ethan was clenching his fists, suppressed with emotion.

“…”

In the center of the training ground stood the new Grand Duke. The boy, who was at most in his late teens, was looking down with an expressionless face at a muscular man sprawling on the ground.

“Wow, is this for real?”

Dwayne sat up abruptly and laughed. But contrary to his bright smile, the look in his eyes was anything but cheerful. A moment ago, he had given Noah a perfunctory explanation of Southern martial arts and then coaxed him into a sparring match. He believed one learned more through physical contact than theory.

Noah had readily accepted the challenge. This was the result.

“One more round.”

Dwayne spoke through gritted teeth to the indifferent Noah. Noah let out a light snort.

“You’re tough on the outside, but you’re like pudding on the inside.”

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