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 47

Wh-why is my husband here…!?

A beautiful young man with shimmering silver hair, approaching through the flowers, a beauty beyond this world.

It’s a very picturesque scene, but the husband’s expression is stern.

“Huh? Lord Lloyd! It’s unusual to see you here.”

Noticing my gaze, Mr. Curtis turned around and called out to my husband. This is the grounds of the Harrington Duke’s residence, and my husband is the head of this place. It’s not unusual for him to be here. However, my husband rarely comes to this garden. The gardeners and servants who were working nearby all looked equally surprised and hurriedly greeted him.

“What are the two of you doing?”

The husband who came over to us said that right away. He didn’t have a particularly scary face, but he definitely didn’t look happy either. His eyes weren’t smiling.

“What do you mean? We were just talking. Um… wait, what were we talking about again? Oh, right. My day off…”

“Enough already!! I’m fine now!! Thank you very much, Curtis-san! It was very helpful!”

I hurriedly interrupted Mr. Curtis’s words. Why had my husband come all the way here? Thinking about it, I realized. The other day, my husband had sternly reprimanded Mr. Curtis for touching my hair. Don’t touch the hair of a young woman without permission, and acquire the dignity befitting your position.

Sigh… In other words, my husband probably doesn’t like the sight of us, two young people, exchanging words so intimately… Perhaps he thinks I’m trying to seduce Mr. Curtis and disrupt the decorum of the Harrington Duke’s residence…!

The moment I realized that, I broke out in a cold sweat. This is bad. If there’s a misunderstanding, I might lose the job as a maid at the duke’s residence that I just got officially hired for…!

“Hmm? Is it already done? Michelle?”

“Y-yes! That’s enough! It was just a little market research… So, I’ll be going now…”

“Michelle”

As I hurriedly tried to leave the place, my husband’s quiet voice was directed at me. I couldn’t help but let out a strange “Hii.”

“Y-yes…?”

When I cautiously looked up at his face, he slightly opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, and then closed it again.

I wonder what happened. Are they angry?

For all that, they still say nothing…

Then, at that moment, Mr. Curtis asked her husband in a carefree voice.

“Lord Lloyd, what brings you here? Taking a break?”

Then, my husband slowly averted his gaze from me and murmured, “…Ah.”

“That’s right. To clear my mind and… to check on the garden. I got a letter from my mother. She said she would be coming here soon.”

“Wow! The former duchess. That’s quite a situation. We need to make sure to take good care of the mansion and the garden.”

Thanks to that topic, there was no further probing from my husband, but now my mind is filled with the new information about the former Duchess’s visit. My husband’s mother… the former Duchess Harrington will be coming to this mansion soon.

When is “soon,” I wonder? I wonder what kind of person she is. …I’m so nervous. What if she’s an imposing lady like the Marquis Bracey’s daughter…?

After that, I successfully conveyed the content of the conversation with Mr. Curtis to Amanda, and we went shopping together to the bookstore in town during our next day off. In addition to historical novels, Amanda bought several new releases of horror and mystery novels that were not available in the Harrington Duke’s residence library.

When handing over the gift to Mr. Curtis, Amanda pleaded with me to be there for some reason.

“Wha… why!? It’s strange for me to be here!”

“That’s not true! I mean, being alone with Mr. Curtis makes me so nervous…! Please, Michelle. Okay? Just pretend you’re a statue or something.”

Reluctantly, I stood silently next to Amanda like a statue. Just like the other day, when Curtis was called out to the garden, Amanda lowered her face, stretched her arms forward, and presented the wrapped gift to Curtis.

“Huh? What? This?”

To the bewildered Mr. Curtis, Ms. Amanda, with her face downcast, spoke in a trembling voice.

“Um… today is Mr. Curtis’s birthday, so… congratulations… This is, um… a thank you for the usual…”

Curtis-san, who had been staring with his mouth agape for a while at the scene, then looked at Amanda-san, who was trembling all over with her ears turning bright red, and after a moment, he smiled gently as if he had understood something.

And.

“Thank you…”

Saying that, he lightly patted Amanda’s head and accepted the gift. Amanda was also stiff, but I, who was like a statue next to her, was surprised too. His gesture was surprisingly skillful, making him seem like a different person from the usual rough and rugged Curtis.

Hmm… I can’t underestimate you, Mr. Curtis…

After he left with a flourish, I was sitting next to Ms. Amanda, who had collapsed with a boiled expression on her face, and I couldn’t help but admire the situation.