Raymond opened the door. It creaked open slowly. He must have really reduced the staff here. Carynne nodded and entered the mansion.
“Huu.”
It had been so long since she last visited. Carynne looked up at the chandelier in the hallway, overcome with nostalgia. Was it entirely made of crystal?
“Hmm…”
Something was off.
There were no candles on the chandelier. Were they taken out because it’s too difficult to maintain the chandelier with less people now? But without the candles, it would be quite dark at night.
“Sir Raymond, over there.”
When she turned her head, it was even stranger.
Carynne saw a broken window above the front entrance.
What’s going on? The window above the front entrance had been broken, but why was it still like that?
Carynne turned to Raymond.
“Raymond, there’s a broken window up there.”
“Oh, there was a strong storm a few days ago. It seems the window got damaged. I’ll call in a repairman soon.”
“And the chandelier’s missing candles…”
“I had them removed because there’s no need to maintain them. I can put them back if you’d like.”
You’re going to do it yourself, are you?
No way.
Carynne fidgeted with her hands and looked at Raymond’s face. She had to ask. She really had to.
“Raymond, you mentioned that you reduced the number of maids and servants, right?”
“Yes.”
No way.
Really, no way, right?
Carynne tried to calm her racing heart and asked calmly.
“How many people are left in this mansion?”
Raymond blinked and casually replied.
“Two.”
No way, just two servants? Carynne felt that if what was standing in front of her was not this soldier but that worthless priest, she might have resorted to violence.
No. Really. It couldn’t be.
“Two servants?”
“Ah… I answered it wrong. There are none.”
“…Not a single one?”
Carynne felt like her hair was turning white. What exactly was this man saying now.
However, Raymond continued to smile, as if he couldn’t understand what Carynne was thinking.
“Yes. We are the only ones in the mansion. A carrier brings supplies once a week, so you don’t have to worry about that.”
Calm down. Stay calm.
Carynne steadied her trembling voice and asked again.
“For a mansion of this size, it’s typical to have around one hundred people living here permanently, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then, are you saying that we should maintain everything ourselves…? Preparing meals, managing the estate, the gardens, and everything that those one hundred or so people used to do— Just you and I, Sir Raymond?”
Raymond nodded.
“Yes. There’s plenty to do, so we won’t get bored. Fortunately, I’ve learned cooking and cleaning while I was serving in the military.”
“Cooking… Military cooking…”
At Carynne’s response, Raymond proudly nodded.
“My subordinates couldn’t stop praising my cooking. They devoured everything I made.”
“And cleaning… What exactly do you mean by that?”
“Carynne, you don’t have to worry too much. I can handle it all. I can clean a hundred sets of military uniforms in a day— O-Ow!”
It’s supposed to be a joke.
Carynne brought her index finger and thumb together, tightly. The corridor ahead was pitch black.
“…Ouch, why did you do that?”
Carynne pinched Raymond’s side hard, but Raymond just looked at her with a puzzled expression, as if he couldn’t understand.
“What a funny joke. Really, how entertaining.”
Tell me it’s just a joke. Please.
But Raymond continued to be bewildered.
“…If you need anything else, we can pay for it with money…”
That’s not the problem. Carynne bit her lip.
“Do you want to die?”
“Huh?”
“Sir Raymond. Wanna die?”
Carynne clenched her fists, her frustration evident, but Raymond tried to calm her and pleaded with her.
“I won’t lift a single finger.”
“Yes. I will take care of everything.”
Raymond replied without much discomfort. This only made Carynne more anxious. She had hoped Raymond would say he would hire more servants again, not that he would personally handle everything.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
In Carynne’s perspective, it was simply unrealistic. She stared at Raymond with narrowed eyes and asked again.
“You’re serious about this? You’re sure you want to handle everything yourself?”
Even if you’d die doing it?
“If you work and somehow die, wouldn’t that defeat the purpose? Just relax and stay comfortable,” Raymond soothed.
Could anyone really relax in this situation? Carynne had never been so uncertain while looking at Raymond’s confident face.
“Rest in your room. I’ll tidy up and go upstairs.”
Might as well give it a try. Carynne sighed and asked as she climbed the stairs,
“Which room should I use?”
There were far too many rooms in this mansion. Carynne pondered which one out of the one hundred and seventy rooms would be in the best condition. As Raymond headed towards the storage area, he replied.
“How about the one we used to share?”
“The one on the third floor? Did you clean it up?”
“It’s clean… Not by me, though.”
“Then, I find that more trustworthy.”
As Carynne said this, Raymond waved a hand.
“Carynne, I’m confident in this. I’ll wake you up when our meal is ready, so just rest.”
Whatever.
Grumbling under her breath, Carynne put up with his smirk and slapped away Raymond’s hand.
* * *
“I don’t know anymore… Relax, he said.”
She sighed and made her way to her room, leaving Raymond to bring out a ladder and arrange the candles on the chandelier one by one. Carynne knew he’d have to extinguish them all before going to sleep later, too. It was just so tedious.
“Do whatever you want.”
She muttered to herself as she settled into her room. She didn’t even feel like telling Raymond not to do it. It wasn’t an easy task, yet Raymond seemed determined.
With her experience of overseeing Isella’s chambers before, Carynne knew that managing a mansion of this scale was nearly impossible for just one person.
From opening all the doors and windows in the morning and closing them again at night, changing the broken windows and changing the beddings every day, there were so many tasks that needed one’s personal attention and labor.
Carynne’s family manor alone was just about a quarter of this mansion, but the Hare family at least had more than twenty maids. Other than them, there were attendants, coachmen and cooks. There were over fifty employees in total.
Raymond must not be aware of it because he’d been entrusting most of the internal affairs of the mansion to the butlers or housekeepers. Carynne shook her head. Men.
Carynne predicted that Raymond would likely raise the white flag within a month. Even if he was physically capable, this was a battlefield of a different kind. Carynne excelled in social circles and dancing, not household tasks. That’s the battlefield they’re facing now.
Even if Carynne had taken care of Isella’s chambers, it wasn’t something she had done entirely on her own. Her responsibilities were limited. Carynne knew that personally managing a mansion of this size, even for a brief period, was an impossible task.
Raymond’s unwavering confidence in himself astounded her.
Raymond opened the door. It creaked open slowly. He must have really reduced the staff here. Carynne nodded and entered the mansion.
“Huu.”
It had been so long since she last visited. Carynne looked up at the chandelier in the hallway, overcome with nostalgia. Was it entirely made of crystal?
“Hmm…”
Something was off.
There were no candles on the chandelier. Were they taken out because it’s too difficult to maintain the chandelier with less people now? But without the candles, it would be quite dark at night.
“Sir Raymond, over there.”
When she turned her head, it was even stranger.
Carynne saw a broken window above the front entrance.
What’s going on? The window above the front entrance had been broken, but why was it still like that?
Carynne turned to Raymond.
“Raymond, there’s a broken window up there.”
“Oh, there was a strong storm a few days ago. It seems the window got damaged. I’ll call in a repairman soon.”
“And the chandelier’s missing candles…”
“I had them removed because there’s no need to maintain them. I can put them back if you’d like.”
You’re going to do it yourself, are you?
No way.
Carynne fidgeted with her hands and looked at Raymond’s face. She had to ask. She really had to.
“Raymond, you mentioned that you reduced the number of maids and servants, right?”
“Yes.”
No way.
Really, no way, right?
Carynne tried to calm her racing heart and asked calmly.
“How many people are left in this mansion?”
Raymond blinked and casually replied.
“Two.”
No way, just two servants? Carynne felt that if what was standing in front of her was not this soldier but that worthless priest, she might have resorted to violence.
No. Really. It couldn’t be.
“Two servants?”
“Ah… I answered it wrong. There are none.”
“…Not a single one?”
Carynne felt like her hair was turning white. What exactly was this man saying now.
However, Raymond continued to smile, as if he couldn’t understand what Carynne was thinking.
“Yes. We are the only ones in the mansion. A carrier brings supplies once a week, so you don’t have to worry about that.”
Calm down. Stay calm.
Carynne steadied her trembling voice and asked again.
“For a mansion of this size, it’s typical to have around one hundred people living here permanently, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then, are you saying that we should maintain everything ourselves…? Preparing meals, managing the estate, the gardens, and everything that those one hundred or so people used to do— Just you and I, Sir Raymond?”
Raymond nodded.
“Yes. There’s plenty to do, so we won’t get bored. Fortunately, I’ve learned cooking and cleaning while I was serving in the military.”
“Cooking… Military cooking…”
At Carynne’s response, Raymond proudly nodded.
“My subordinates couldn’t stop praising my cooking. They devoured everything I made.”
“And cleaning… What exactly do you mean by that?”
“Carynne, you don’t have to worry too much. I can handle it all. I can clean a hundred sets of military uniforms in a day— O-Ow!”
It’s supposed to be a joke.
Carynne brought her index finger and thumb together, tightly. The corridor ahead was pitch black.
“…Ouch, why did you do that?”
Carynne pinched Raymond’s side hard, but Raymond just looked at her with a puzzled expression, as if he couldn’t understand.
“What a funny joke. Really, how entertaining.”
Tell me it’s just a joke. Please.
But Raymond continued to be bewildered.
“…If you need anything else, we can pay for it with money…”
That’s not the problem. Carynne bit her lip.
“Do you want to die?”
“Huh?”
“Sir Raymond. Wanna die?”
Carynne clenched her fists, her frustration evident, but Raymond tried to calm her and pleaded with her.
“I won’t lift a single finger.”
“Yes. I will take care of everything.”
Raymond replied without much discomfort. This only made Carynne more anxious. She had hoped Raymond would say he would hire more servants again, not that he would personally handle everything.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
In Carynne’s perspective, it was simply unrealistic. She stared at Raymond with narrowed eyes and asked again.
“You’re serious about this? You’re sure you want to handle everything yourself?”
Even if you’d die doing it?
“If you work and somehow die, wouldn’t that defeat the purpose? Just relax and stay comfortable,” Raymond soothed.
Could anyone really relax in this situation? Carynne had never been so uncertain while looking at Raymond’s confident face.
“Rest in your room. I’ll tidy up and go upstairs.”
Might as well give it a try. Carynne sighed and asked as she climbed the stairs,
“Which room should I use?”
There were far too many rooms in this mansion. Carynne pondered which one out of the one hundred and seventy rooms would be in the best condition. As Raymond headed towards the storage area, he replied.
“How about the one we used to share?”
“The one on the third floor? Did you clean it up?”
“It’s clean… Not by me, though.”
“Then, I find that more trustworthy.”
As Carynne said this, Raymond waved a hand.
“Carynne, I’m confident in this. I’ll wake you up when our meal is ready, so just rest.”
Whatever.
Grumbling under her breath, Carynne put up with his smirk and slapped away Raymond’s hand.
* * *
“I don’t know anymore… Relax, he said.”
She sighed and made her way to her room, leaving Raymond to bring out a ladder and arrange the candles on the chandelier one by one. Carynne knew he’d have to extinguish them all before going to sleep later, too. It was just so tedious.
“Do whatever you want.”
She muttered to herself as she settled into her room. She didn’t even feel like telling Raymond not to do it. It wasn’t an easy task, yet Raymond seemed determined.
With her experience of overseeing Isella’s chambers before, Carynne knew that managing a mansion of this scale was nearly impossible for just one person.
From opening all the doors and windows in the morning and closing them again at night, changing the broken windows and changing the beddings every day, there were so many tasks that needed one’s personal attention and labor.
Carynne’s family manor alone was just about a quarter of this mansion, but the Hare family at least had more than twenty maids. Other than them, there were attendants, coachmen and cooks. There were over fifty employees in total.
Raymond must not be aware of it because he’d been entrusting most of the internal affairs of the mansion to the butlers or housekeepers. Carynne shook her head. Men.
Carynne predicted that Raymond would likely raise the white flag within a month. Even if he was physically capable, this was a battlefield of a different kind. Carynne excelled in social circles and dancing, not household tasks. That’s the battlefield they’re facing now.
Even if Carynne had taken care of Isella’s chambers, it wasn’t something she had done entirely on her own. Her responsibilities were limited. Carynne knew that personally managing a mansion of this size, even for a brief period, was an impossible task.
Raymond’s unwavering confidence in himself astounded her.
