Chapter 14: At the Faniaal House After the Exile
[space_man][space_man]It has been about three weeks since Eld was removed from his position as lord of the Faniaal House. Sandrea, who became the lord in his place, was busy every day.
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[space_man][space_man]On that day, as she was looking through petitions from the citizens in the lord’s office, she heard a knock on the door and her stepbrother, Jaylot, called out to her.
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[space_man][space_man]”Sandrea-neesama, this is the mail that arrived today.”
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[space_man][space_man]Saying that, Jaylot stacked the mail on the empty space on the desk. Then he glanced at the mountain of unprocessed documents.
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[space_man][space_man]”I don’t think Eld-niisama would have ever left unprocessed documents piled up like this.”
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[space_man][space_man]”It can’t be helped because things are hectic with the change of lords. I’ve looked through everything once, and the low-priority items are placed there. It’ll be fine in another month.”
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[space_man][space_man]Sandrea said this as she began sorting the mail.
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[space_man][space_man]What Jaylot said was true, but what Sandrea said was also true. Sandrea is by no means incompetent. Rather, she can handle this kind of work better than Eld.
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[space_man][space_man]However, she wasn’t able to work properly for one to two weeks due to the notification to the citizens about the change of lords and greetings to the surrounding lords. That’s why the unprocessed documents have piled up.
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[space_man][space_man]”Is that so? Then I’ll take my leave. As we discussed, Millenia-neesama and I will be leaving home for a few days starting tomorrow to visit other territories.”
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[space_man][space_man]”Yes, I understand. Be careful not to get hurt or anything.”
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[space_man][space_man]Sandrea said this without taking her eyes off the mail. Jaylot recalled that Eld would have stood up and seen him off while patting his head at a time like this, and he said this. Then, bowing to his sister who didn’t look up, Jaylot left the office.
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[space_man][space_man]Even after Jaylot left, Sandrea continued sorting the mail for a while. The mail had been sorted into personal mail for Sandrea and mail addressed to the lord, but the lord’s mail included a wide variety of items such as greetings, invitations to social gatherings, and petitions from the citizens, so it was troublesome to have to check the contents of each one.
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[space_man][space_man]”Phew…… My brother-in-law said he had Jaylot sort the mail for educational purposes, but he didn’t actually have him check the contents. I’ll have to teach him eventually.”
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[space_man][space_man]She sighed as she said this, but when Eld was the lord, Jaylot would check the contents and sort them in more detail. The reason he stopped doing this after Sandrea became the lord was likely Jaylot’s form of protest. And if asked why he wasn’t doing it when he had done it for Eld, Sandrea had thought about having him resume, but since that protest never came, Jaylot simply sorted the mail and handed it to Sandrea.
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[space_man][space_man]Around the time she finished sorting the mail and resumed the work she had been doing, there was another knock on the door.
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[space_man][space_man]”Excuse me. The list of employees who wish to resign is ready. It’s exactly the specified number of people, so please take a look and sign it.”
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[space_man][space_man]It was Tohlight and Mary who entered. Sandrea was a little irritated that the work she had just resumed was interrupted, but she accepted the documents from Tohlight, thinking that this should be the top priority.
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[space_man][space_man]Sandrea had originally felt that there were too many servants in this house. So, she had been soliciting those who wished to resign since there was one less person to take care of.
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[space_man][space_man]”……Surprisingly, even young people are resigning. I don’t mind since it’s their own wish, but……”
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[space_man][space_man]”Indeed. Most of those who wish to resign are those who were hired by Eld-sama. So, it’s inevitable that this would happen if Eld-sama is driven out.”
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[space_man][space_man]Mary replied a little…… no, quite sharply. Hearing those words, Sandrea turned her gaze to Mary. Mary stood there with a straight posture.
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[space_man][space_man]Sandrea didn’t like this maid. Eld had hired her at some point and made her his personal maid. Although there was no proof, Sandrea was convinced that he had also been sleeping with her.
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[space_man][space_man]And at the same time, she also disliked Tohlight. Tohlight was originally the butler who served Eld’s biological mother. He had come to the Faniaal House after her marriage.
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[space_man][space_man]When Sandrea’s parents remarried and she came to the Faniaal House, Tohlight had served as her tutor. He had trained her like a demon for about half a year so that Sandrea, who had grown up in an ordinary household despite being related to an upper-class family, would not have any problems as a member of an upper-class family. Because of this, Sandrea still felt uncomfortable around him.
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[space_man][space_man]Sandrea signed the documents and handed them to Tohlight.
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[space_man][space_man]”This is fine. Now, calculate the total amount of retirement allowances.”
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[space_man][space_man]”Certainly. Please excuse us.”
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[space_man][space_man]Tohlight and Mary bowed and left the room. When the two lowered their heads, Sandrea felt something was off about Mary’s hair.
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[space_man][space_man]Her hairstyle was the same as usual, neatly tied up in a bun at the back, but the roots seemed to have a slightly reddish tint.
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[space_man][space_man]However, she thought that Mary wouldn’t dye her hair, so she decided it was her imagination and went back to work.
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[space_man][space_man]When she finally finished the day’s work and stretched, her husband, Rufus, entered the office.
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[space_man][space_man]”Hey, are you done with work?”
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[space_man][space_man]”Yes, Rufus. I just finished.”
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[space_man][space_man]As Sandrea tried to stand up, Rufus hurriedly rushed over and put his hand on her shoulder, making her sit back down in the chair.
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[space_man][space_man]”Ah~, your shoulders are stiff~. I’ll give you a little massage.”
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[space_man][space_man]Saying that, Rufus began to massage her shoulders.
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[space_man][space_man]”Ah~. The pressure is just right. You’re really good at massages, Rufus.”
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[space_man][space_man]”Well~. I’ll do my best with the nighttime massage too~.”
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[space_man][space_man]He said, moving his hands to her chest.
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[space_man][space_man]”Oh my, not in the office. In the bedroom, okay?”
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[space_man][space_man]She said, putting Rufus’s hands back on her shoulders.
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[space_man][space_man]”How about your work, Rufus? You said you had a good deal the other day.”
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[space_man][space_man]”Oh, yeah, yeah. Actually, the deal is fine, but when I saw the actual product, the quality was better than I expected, so I’m thinking of doubling the order.”
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[space_man][space_man]”Oh~.”
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[space_man][space_man]”So~. I was wondering if you could help me out with some funds……”
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[space_man][space_man]Rufus said apologetically while massaging her shoulders.
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[space_man][space_man]”Rufus, you have a good business sense. Alright. I’ll lend it to you interest-free if you promise to pay it back.”
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[space_man][space_man]”Seriously! Thanks~. You’re the best Oku-sama~!”
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[space_man][space_man]Rufus nuzzled Sandrea’s cheek.
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[space_man][space_man]”Oh my, I told you not to do that here.”
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[space_man][space_man]Sandrea stroked Rufus’s head, savoring her happiness.