Chapter 205: Fiona (2)
“Miss, these days….”
“Don’t say it.” I cut off Carl as he approached me. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
“Yes?”
“I mean… weren’t you trying to talk about me and Sigren?”
Carl shook his head with wide eyes. “No, I was just about saying that you look busy these days.”
I breathed a sigh of relief after getting a bit nervous for a moment.
There was a reason for my overreaction. Since that day, Abel had given me an earful. Afterward, the mansion’s residents began looking at me with a mix of anticipation and concern. Though none of the knights spoke directly, the unspoken tension was burdensome.
Carl smiled wryly, seeming to grasp my situation. “It seems the Duke is keeping you occupied.”
“He’s not the problem, Sigren is.”
This wasn’t a topic I wanted to discuss with Carl for long. It was embarrassing for me, so I quickly changed the subject. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
“Anyway, Carl. I’m not very busy. Do you need something?”
The faint smile vanished from Carl’s face. “Has there been any progress regarding Marquis Erez?”
“Not yet. There are a few leads, but nothing conclusive.”
“I see.” Carl’s expression was mixed.
He had long sought to bring down the Erez family.
I could sense his anxiety.
“Carl, as someone who has attempted to dismantle a noble family, let me tell you something…”
Of course, it was my original family, the Green family.
“There’s no family tree that doesn’t have its share of dust. Especially the larger ones.”
Carl smiled crookedly hearing my awkward consolation.
Looking at him reminded me of Sigren for a moment, specifically my concern for Kane Erez. Sigren seemed reluctant to give his guard a hard time. Well, Kane Erez himself didn’t seem like a bad person either. In some ways, I could understand Sigren’s mixed feelings.
I wished for everyone to have a happy ending. However, I was too inadequate to play god. There was no ability to make everyone happy. All I could do was my best to protect those within my reach and compensate them as much as possible.
As our conversation ended, I could only bite my inner mouth nervously, smiling at Carl. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
***
I finally returned to the life of an ordinary noble lady after a very long time.
One of the activities typical of noble wives and ladies was involvement in charity projects. For the longest time, I had thought I would never participate in such activities, but an unexpected opportunity had finally come. If anyone else had invited me, I might have hesitated, but the person who invited me was none other than Eunice. Lately, I had learned she was deeply involved in a charity project, so I decided to go to see her in person.
“Lady Fiona!”
Eunice came out to meet me with sparkling eyes.
Hmm, she looked a bit like a puppy—not in a bad way of course. She was genuinely cute and lovely, unlike Sigren, who only acted like a puppy when he was at a disadvantage.
“Long time no see, Lady Eunice.”
“I’m glad to see you looking well!”
We were at an orphanage tucked away in a corner of the capital, which Eunice was directly managing. Such direct involvement was rare among noblewomen. There was a significant difference between providing short-term assistance and personally overseeing operations. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
I took a slow look around the orphanage. It was relatively clean, and the children seemed happy. Considering the absence of a proper welfare system in this era, this orphanage likely offered one of the best environments. Other noblewomen were reading to the children or handing out snacks.
I marveled at the scene for a moment before turning back to Eunice. Honestly, a question popped into my head.
“Are there any challenges in managing this place? Issues like the children’s education, facility regulations…” There must be a budget issue as well.
Eunice’s eyes widened at my question.
Was it such an unusual question?
“You’re the first person to ask about these specifics.”
“Yes?”
Eunice glanced around before shrugging. “The people who come to help are all kind, but… very few are interested in the details.”
That made sense. The concept of a welfare system itself was unfamiliar. It would indeed be unusual for someone to have my level of curiosity. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
Eunice lowered her voice and whispered, “As expected, Lady Fiona is exceptional.”
“Not at all.” I was simply leveraging knowledge from another world—that was my secret advantage, a cheat code.
However, she seemed to interpret my words as humble. Her face lit up with a smile. “Honestly, I felt like my head was going to explode trying to figure everything out on my own. There was no one I could share my concerns with. Would you consider helping me?”
“Of course, I’d be happy to.” I was glad my cheating code could be of use here. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
**
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