Tilia looked indifferently at the dishes filling the large dining table.
- Is this a banquet or something?
“We haven’t had guests for a long time, so the chef overdid it.” Just choose and eat what you like.
At this absurd statement, Tilia smiled slightly and took the cutlery. The luxurious silverware gleamed as if it were brand new, incomparable to what was in the Ambrose household, and was brought out only on the rarest and most important occasions.
She could understand why the founder of the Royal Academy, who preached equality, introduced a unified system. Small differences that seemed insignificant when everyone was wearing the same clothes became obvious as soon as they took them off.
Huge extension. Ridiculously expensive clothes that the wearer wears casually. High quality ingredients generously served to a minor guest.
In the morning, the moss-like shadow in her heart that bothered her seemed to become wider and wider.
The inferiority complex that flourished within Tilia squirmed and writhed within her whenever she became acutely aware of the gulf between herself and Ilex. Every time she realized that she was not able to even scratch him.
The more often this happened, the more she noticed how she herself became more and more ugly, being the mistress of such base feelings.
Sighing to herself, Tilia, without saying a word, reached for the nearest plate.
As soon as Tilia began to eat, Ilex, who had been silently watching her, also took his utensils.
In the dining room, where the atmosphere of emphatic antiquity reigned, only the clink of cutlery on dishes could be heard.
- You can leave the asparagus aside. You don't have to eat everything.
The man spoke as she reached for the roasted asparagus in front of her.
- Why?
Although the table was full of her favorite dishes, for some reason she had no appetite. Tilia, who had been picking at her plate, raised her head.
- If I want to eat it, why do you care?
Her tone itself was harsh. Tilia looked straight into Ilex Davenport's calm face and deliberately put the asparagus in her mouth.
Ilex, who had been staring at her despite her provocative behavior, asked casually:
- Do you like asparagus?
After a moment's thought, she answered in a low voice:
- No.
She wanted to say yes, just to annoy him, but the meaningless lie was not easy.
Tilia hated asparagus. When it was served in the school cafeteria, she carefully moved it to the side and pretended not to notice.
- I don't love her.
As she swallowed the vegetable, feeling strangely defeated, Ilex asked again:
- Then why do you eat it?
- I can eat it if it's grilled.
- A.
As if recognizing something minor, Ilex nodded slightly and returned his attention to his food.
Watching him eat with such elegant manners as if they were straight out of an etiquette textbook, Tilia frowned slightly.
- By the way.
Tilia broke the long silence. She tried to appear indifferent, stirring the soup with meatballs without much enthusiasm.
- Do you always call the priestess?
- …No.
His answer came late, as did hers. Ilex, who had raised his head the moment she spoke, lowered his gaze again as he put down his cutlery.
- I usually don’t call. Yesterday I invited him because I thought there might be some consequences.
- A.
This time Tilia nodded, as if she had learned something trivial.
Well, it made sense considering what they were doing. And apparently this was not normal. If it was always like this, the bottom could wear out.
With this mundane thought, Tilia lowered her head again and continued eating.
After that she did not raise her eyes or speak again.
At the same time, Ilex, sitting opposite her in his uncomfortable formal suit, periodically looked up to check what and how much his only guest was eating.
However, during all this time, cautious Ilex never allowed the girl sitting opposite him to catch his eye.
***
Tilia stubbornly refused Davenport's carriage and eventually left in a hackney carriage that Ilex had called for her.
What's the point of pretending we're not connected? A gift with the unmistakable Davenport logo will soon arrive at her home.
- When should he arrive?
“He will be prepared and delivered as soon as possible, so he should arrive at the Ambrose residence before this evening.”
- Tell them to deliver it earlier.
Ilex gave the command before Benjamin Rogers, the old butler, had finished speaking.
- Tell it to be delivered before Tilia gets home, if possible. No later than 13.00 hours.
- This may be difficult, given the volume that needs to be prepared... I see.
The butler, who was about to say that this was impossible, looked at his young master's face, sighed slightly, and bowed his head.
“I will definitely tell them to deliver it before Lady Tilia returns home, no later than one o’clock in the afternoon.”
- And call all the servants. Every single one of them, without exception.
Now that Tilia had left, it was time to deal with what he had been putting off before she left.
With a stern expression on his face, Ilex turned to the only familiar face among the servants and added coldly.
“Especially don’t forget to bring the maids who served the guest this morning.”
***
Nancy, who received a job as head maid after twenty years of service, lived quite well.
She was appointed head maid at the Essentine mansion, a magnificent outbuilding in the capital that belonged to the famous Duke of Davenport, which allowed her to take even greater pride in her position.
(P.P. *Essentine / Essentine translated from Latin - essentially, essentially)
That was until yesterday, when the second son of the Davenport family brought a fierce woman.
The mansion where the late Duke of Davenport spent his final years was said to be the property of his second son. The late Duke, who was especially fond of his second grandson, gave him several villas and valuable estates, one of which was this stately mansion.
However, it was said, or rather implied, that the Essentine mansion belonged only nominally to the second son; the present owner was the present Duke of Davenport.
In the end, it was Duke Davenport who fired the former head maid and many of the previous servants, with the exception of the butler, and hired Nancy.
“Take care of Ilex. It worries me a lot, so if you notice anything unusual, report it to me immediately.”
The Duke, who has a strikingly beautiful face, said this when he hired Nancy as his new head maid.
“Everyone except the butler is a recent hire, so you'll have a tough time. But I believe that you can handle it.”
His words were accompanied by warm encouragement. It was only natural that Nancy would eventually swear allegiance to the magnanimous Duke.
Therefore, the ordeal she was going through now was even more unpleasant. Lined up like the rest of the servants, as if punished, and coming face to face with Ilex Davenport, who acted as if he had just learned of her existence...
The Duke's second son, even more handsome than in the portraits she had seen, looked coldly at the assembled servants.
His gaze was so icy that even the usually playful junior maid froze.
After observing the staff for a while, Ilex let out a short, mocking laugh.
- Is this the Duke or the heir to the dukedom?
Nancy blinked in confusion at his cryptic words, watching as her young master stepped forward and stood directly in front of her.
- Who fired the previous staff and hired new ones, the Duke or the heir?
- I was hired by His Grace the Duke.
Finally understanding his question, Nancy bowed her head and answered.
“I was appointed head maid here two weeks ago.” I hope I can be useful...
“So everything that happened today will reach my father’s ears, right?”
Ilex interrupted her with a chuckle.
- Because you are my father's new ears.
-...I am simply loyal to House Davenport...
- I don’t know when the meaning of the word “devotion” changed.
It seemed that her young master had heard Tilia's sarcastic words from earlier that morning through the door.
Looking down at her, he muttered coldly:
- It appears that loyalty now includes actions that are contrary to the host's intention to treat the guest with care.
Nancy's face hardened when she discovered that the young master was telling her off in front of all the other servants.
As the image of the young man, drunk and disorientated, stumbling into the house the previous evening came to mind, a feeling of humiliation flared through her.
He didn't even recognize her as the new head maid, seemingly only focused on getting this girl to his room, completely consumed by his desire for her.