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 21

For about two days, I spent my time leisurely at the Harrington Duke’s residence. While the Duke was in the mansion, I paid special attention to observe the situation, but as the Duke had previously mentioned, it didn’t seem like there were many people in the mansion who acted as his “hands and feet.” Most of the people here were Deena’s servants, and aside from them, the steward, guards, and coachmen, there was only Mr. Curtis. Despite his position as a Duke, it didn’t

Finally, on the morning of the third day, I steeled myself and visited the duke’s office. The duke was still struggling with his left hand, and Mr. Curtis was assisting him nearby.

As if pushed forward by that scene, I took a step forward.

“What’s wrong? Is there something inconvenient?”

“No, it’s the opposite, Your Grace.”

As I stepped forward upon entering the room, the Duke of Harrington asked me with a puzzled expression. Having long since recovered, I declared boldly.

“Thanks to you, I was able to take a few days of complete rest at this mansion. I’m in perfect health now, with no issues at all.”

“…I see. That’s good to hear. However, could you give me a little more time regarding your future? I’m swamped with work. As you can see, with this body, I can’t move as I would like. Right now, I’m doing my best to take care of urgent matters. It might be boring, but please rest in the mansion for a while longer…”

“Ah! N-no, that’s not what I meant! I wasn’t saying I wanted you to find me a job or a place to live quickly… um, I was wondering if you could perhaps give me some work around the mansion or let me assist you, Your Grace!”

Thinking that the Duke of Harrington was urging me to leave quickly, I hurriedly denied his words and conveyed my own request.

“Even though I am healthy both physically and mentally, it feels awkward to keep relying on you like this. I don’t mind what it is. Whether it’s helping with the work around the mansion or running errands for the Duke… As a way to repay all the kindness you’ve shown me, could I at least return the favor with some labor…?”

And besides, I also ended up causing you an injury.

Anyway, the guilt is overwhelming. The guilt of having made the lord of this vast Harrington Duchy, such a wonderful person, take a bullet for me and get injured…!

I want to work…!!

Staring into the duke’s eyes with a desperate expression, the duke silently stared back at me for a while. Then, Curtis, who had been unusually quiet, interjected.

“Isn’t it a good idea, Lord Lloyd? Since Michelle is saying this too, why not have them help out with something? It must be uncomfortable just being taken care of. Let them do some work around the mansion with Amanda and the others.”

A-as expected of Mr. Curtis. You really understand well…!

“If Michelle takes care of Lord Lloyd’s surroundings, I can move around more freely. With Michelle, I can trust her with a certain level of tasks. She’s not some spy or a woman stalking Lord Lloyd for his attention.”

Curtis presses the seemingly contemplative duke, who remains silent.

“If Michelle helps out, I can also run errands far away as Lord Lloyd’s proxy. I think I could handle more work than now.”

“To begin with, it’s Lord Lloyd’s fault. For situations like this, we should have increased the number of people working by Lord Lloyd’s side. Right? No matter how you look at it, it’s just too few.”

You really speak so bluntly to the duke… I wonder if it’s okay, I was anxiously watching the situation unfold with Mr. Curtis.

Then the duke let out a small sigh.

“Alright. If you’re willing to go that far, let’s start with a little bit of the mansion work as a trial.”

“Ah, thank you very much…!”

I breathed a sigh of relief and thanked the duke for his reluctant words. He continued speaking with a serious expression.

“For the time being, it’s a trial period, but if you’re willing to work, we’ll properly exchange documents and pay you. Once my body is able to move again, we can discuss the next steps.”

“Y-yes…”

“Eh? Wouldn’t it be better to just keep working here as a servant? It would be easier for Michelle too, rather than going through the trouble of finding a new home and job from scratch in an unfamiliar territory, right?”

With a nonchalant expression, Mr. Curtis looked at me and said such a thing, causing the Duke of Harrington to frown even more.

“Don’t try to decide everything so easily. You haven’t even started working yet. There might be things that don’t match between you two. Her feelings might change too.”

The duke must still be wary of me. That’s only natural. After all, I am just an orphan whose identity is still unclear, having only met him in the forest a few days ago…

I don’t know how long I’ll be allowed to stay here for now. But as long as I can stay, I’ll at least work as hard as I can.

“Thank you in advance…!”

Thus, I ended up working as a maid for the time being at the Harrington Duke’s residence.