Chapter 82
“Finally, Edel’s housekeeper.”
The words that had been flowing so smoothly stopped there for a moment.
But everyone there understood why.
What Idell did could not be summarized in a single sentence.
Not only did she completely redesign the palace, but she also reorganized and replaced the servants, and everyone knew, including members of the imperial family.
Even at this party, from beginning to end, there wasn't a single part that Idell didn't touch. How can all of that be described in words?
Laszlo just looked at Edel silently, then finally spoke.
"I owe you a great deal."
But Idil shook her head quickly.
“I am the one who should thank the Count for his great favor. If I have offered you a little help, it is an honor for me.”
Laszlo tried to say something else but backed down.
It was strange that he would get into an argument about who owed whom more in front of the assembled servants.
“It seems that hearing the word ‘thank you’ makes him sensitive. Anyway, thanks to all of you, I was able to act like a gentleman today.”
The servants thought his words were a joke, so they laughed loudly.
Laszlo let things continue that way, but he felt genuine gratitude towards Edel and the other servants.
Had he held the party at the level he envisioned when he heard the proposal, he might have been ignored by aristocratic society from now on.
It would have been a party with hardly any food on the table.
'Perhaps even Edmund himself did not expect our house to host a party of this magnitude.'
Although Adele was the main heroine behind the success of the party, the servants who followed her instructions precisely also deserved praise.
Suddenly, Laszlo felt that the current scene, with laughter and discussions scattered around the table, was very beautiful.
'This place... is my home...'
Having a place to belong to, a place he felt he could rely on, was a strange feeling.
It wasn't like a sense of belonging or responsibility, but rather a sense of a place he could rely on.
'How can I rely on this place when I must protect it?'
As a man who spent his life protecting others, he did not easily realize that his weary heart was finding healing in this place.
He would simply listen to the servants' conversations and jokes, laugh with them, and nod his head in agreement, while drinking more wine.
It was a complex and warm feeling, like a soup simmering gently.
***
The day after the party, Laszlo woke up later than usual.
He lay on the bed gazing silently at the ceiling, then suddenly got up.
"I can't stop thinking about this."
Despite the success of the party and his feeling of satisfaction, one thing kept bothering him.
"What did Idel talk about with that man?"
The image of Edel talking for a long time with Edmund kept coming back to him, which worried him.
Feeling anxious in this way bothered him, and he decided to ask her directly.
'This may lead to new anxiety, but it's better than staying like this.'
He got out of the bathroom after quickly immersing himself in cold water.
He dried himself quickly, then put on clothes he had chosen at random.
He thought about pulling the bell cord to summon one of the servants as he usually did, but he remembered that he had asked them to get some rest last night.
He decided to go out himself this time.
As he headed towards Idyll's room, he thought for a moment, "Could she be asleep?" But he quickly smiled.
"She's probably done half of her tasks for the day by now. She doesn't seem to know the meaning of a long sleep."
As he predicted, he was right.
Although Idil seemed a little surprised, she greeted him as usual without any change.
"How can I help you, sir?"
“I felt embarrassed to ask anyone to come or go after I had asked them to rest.”
Edel smiled gently and gestured for him to sit down.
"The Count is always a nice person."
“Me? I think the servants are complaining about my negligence and rudeness.”
"Never. Everyone loves you and Mrs. Linnea. By the way, I always warn them against crossing the line."
Although her words were typical of an ideal maid, Laszlo felt a touch of sadness.
It was as if Idil was building a barrier between them.
'Well, that's to be expected. But… I don't know.'
He tried to get rid of the bitter feeling as he sipped the tea that she had given him.
But something bigger than the "emotional barrier" was on his mind now.
"I apologize for bothering you, but there is something on my mind."
"Is it about me?"
She opened her eyes in surprise, which made him raise his hand to reassure her.
“No, it’s not a big deal. Just…”
He intended to simply ask her, as he had planned in his mind, 'Do you know Sir Milton? I saw you two talking.'
But the idea of their conversation being personal suddenly stopped him.
It was always thought that Edmund was getting close to Edel for some ulterior motive, but perhaps they had known each other before.
Interfering in a private conversation between them could be rude, especially for Idil, who was raised as a noblewoman.
"My lord, the Count?"
Edel looked at him in surprise when he suddenly stopped talking.
He swallowed and licked his dry lips, then sighed and said:
“No, it seems that this is not my business. I apologize for disturbing you while you were resting.”
He finished his cup of tea and stood up to leave.
But this time, Edel gently grasped the edges of his robe.
“Actually… I was going to talk to you too.”
"to me?"
“Yes, there is something I need to tell you.”
Laszlo sat back down with a serious expression on his face.
Idil poured more tea into his cup before speaking after some thought.
“At the party yesterday, someone spoke to me. Sir Edmund Milton, I think you know him.”
When Edel mentioned the topic he wanted to ask about, Laszlo felt his heart pounding.
"I know him. What about him?"
He barely managed to restrain his angry words, trying to put on a smile.
But the way he sipped his tea quickly never suggested he was calm.
“I had never dealt with him before, but he suddenly approached me and spoke to me yesterday.”
"And what did he say?"
Laszlo felt relieved when Edel confirmed that there had been no prior dealings between them, but at the same time he felt anger rising inside him.
However, Edel did not notice his agitation, as she was absorbed in trying to remember Edmund's words.
“Apparently… he wanted…”
"To say that he likes you or something like that?"
“Excuse me? No, not exactly. Although his words might be interpreted that way, I felt something completely different.”
"What impression did you get?"
Edel remembered Edmund's feigned kindness.
She grew up with a quick-tempered father, which taught her from a young age how to read other people's intentions. She was able to easily detect suspicious situations.
Edmund was that kind of person. He may have thought he could take her for granted, but he didn't quite succeed in hiding his true intentions.
“He seemed to be trying to use me to uncover your weaknesses, Count.”
"What?! And what exactly did he say?"
Idil began to recount the details of their conversation, explaining his seemingly sympathetic tone, his indirect criticism of Laszlo, his seductive behavior, and even his secret suggestion to meet her outside the party in exchange for her “helping him.”
The more Idil continued to speak, the more Laszlo's anger seemed to increase, which was to her surprise.
'It's only natural that he would be angry. The captain of the guard, who should be cooperating with the Count, is trying to exploit the situation to expose his weaknesses.'
But it seems that Laszlo's anger stemmed from something else.
"So, that bastard dared to touch your body?"
“Excuse me? Touched my body? Oh, do you mean when he put his hand on my shoulder?”
"Is this normal among nobles? Do they touch the body of a woman who is not closely related to them?"
“Of course not. That’s just a guess, but I think he thought that this kind of physical contact might make him… more able to seduce me.”
"What kind of lunatic thinks like that?!"
Laszlo shouted angrily, uttering some curses which he tried in vain to restrain.
Edel considered reprimanding him for his behavior, but changed her mind because she felt that would only increase his tension.
Therefore, I decided to change the subject quickly.
“Sir Milton has become the deputy commander of the guard, hasn’t he? Then why is he trying to expose your weaknesses? Do you have any idea?”
“I have so many ideas that they only make the problem worse. He’s always wanted to overthrow me.”
"Overthrowing you?"
Laszlo gritted his teeth angrily.
In fact, no one but Laszlo knew how intensely jealous and hostile Edmund was towards him.
Every action Edmund took to harm Laszlo was covered up with seemingly logical excuses, making others see Laszlo as suffering from an inferiority complex because he was always questioning Edmund's actions.
Therefore, Laszlo could not tell anyone what he was going through.
But he wondered: Will Idel be able to understand that?