The Black-haired Noblewoman, Who Disguised Herself, Seems To Have Been Doted On While Serving As The Caretaker For The Duke Who Dislikes Women - Episode 14

I was taken aback by the question. My mind raced as I thought. What should I do…? They’ve taken care of me this far, so maybe I should just tell them the truth…? But this is the Duke who kindly brought me back to the mansion. If he finds out that I was kicked out of the Everly family, he might think he’s doing the right thing by sending me back to the Earl’s family. And he might even ask the Earl about the situation… If that happens, the Everly family would surely be concerned about the Duke’s bad impression of them and

I can never go back there again.

Somehow, I’ve made it this far. Just a little more to the royal capital. I wanted to stake my future life on that.

“……Yes. That’s not right.”

I answered hesitantly. The guilt of deceiving the duke was overwhelming, and I quietly apologized in my heart.

“I see. No, I just thought your way of eating and your manners were quite beautiful.”

“I think so too! When you look at her like this, Michelle doesn’t have any of that commoner’s vibe at all. She doesn’t resemble the beggar from earlier at all. It’s amazing. Just by appearance, she looks way more aristocratic than those noble ladies around here.”

With a large piece of chicken stuffed in one cheek, Curtis said that to me.

It might indeed be true that my table manners are beautiful. I grew up watching the graceful manners of my parents, who came from a noble family, and they taught me various manners from a young age. Moreover, after being taken in by the Count Everly family, I often had to take care of their tea and meals, so I am quite accustomed to seeing nobles eat.

“Eat a little more politely, Curtis. Stuffing your face like that is unsightly… So, which territory do you belong to?”

Once again, Duke Harrington, who had admonished Mr. Curtis, turned to me and asked. My heart raced once more.

“Being in that forest means they are either from the southern Sumner Viscounty or the Everly Earldom. Surely, they can’t be from this Harrington Duchy.”

I thought again. I don’t even want to mention the name of the Everly estate, but if I say I came from a place I have no knowledge of, there might be inconsistencies in future conversations. I might end up in trouble if someone asks me a probing question and I can’t answer it…

“…I was at the Everly estate.”

Resolutely answering like that, the Duke of Harrington nodded slightly.

“I see… It seems that even in that territory, welfare has not yet reached the grassroots level. Since when have you been living like this? Do you have no family?”

“My father passed away in a work-related accident when I was six. My mother fell ill two years later… After that… yes, I was alone…”

“Didn’t you think about knocking on the door of the shelter?”

“I was still very young, and my mother’s death was so sudden…… I had no knowledge of such things at that time, you see. There were kind people who helped me out from time to time. They would share food with me or let me stay at their homes for a while. Eventually, they even helped me find work…… and that’s how I managed to get by.”

To the two people in front of me who seem completely convinced that I am a beggar, I tell them a desperate version of my background. I mention that I am the daughter of someone from a noble family and that I lived in a southern town. As the conversation progresses, I find myself having to hide more and more, and my chest aches with guilt.

Curtis, who had just gulped down the glass of water, interjected.

“I see. The Harrington Duchy has quite well-developed welfare facilities thanks to the policies of the previous generation and Lord Lloyd, but I’ve heard that some territories don’t put any effort into such projects at all. Especially the Avery Countship, which has a bad reputation because the current lord doesn’t seem to care much about the people’s lives. Right, Lord Lloyd?”

I see. I didn’t know…

Since being taken in by the Earl of Everly’s family, I had hardly ever been outside, so I didn’t even know that the Earl of Everly was particularly notorious compared to other lords.

Then, Curtis-sama, laughing brightly and merrily, continued to say this.

“But well, it’s good that Michelle is a commoner. Lord Lloyd dislikes noble ladies, you know. If he had encountered and carried some noble lady from the forest instead, he might have been more cautious. Haha.”

“……Huh?”