Chapter 20. “Echoing from Behind”:
I rose from my seat and asked Jennifer about the location of the safe.
“I heard there’s something I need to retrieve from the safe here.”
“Ah, yes! This way, Your Grace.”
Jennifer straightened her posture and walked to one side of the office.
She stood in front of what seemed to be an ordinary bookshelf and began rearranging some books.
After several movements, she took a step back.
Slide, click.
Part of the bookshelf opened like a door, revealing a hidden safe behind it.
“This is it, Your Grace. The password is the same as the one your maid set earlier.”
“She says she’s not a lady-in-waiting but a handmaid.”
Betty muttered under her breath at Jennifer’s polite words.
But Jennifer just smiled as if it didn’t matter.
“Well then, I’ll leave you to it.”
She stepped aside without asking questions or probing further. Watching her leave, I thought I finally understood why Mother had appointed her as branch manager.
“She’s a decent person.”
“Branch Manager Jennifer? Of course. The Madam personally selected her before she passed.”
As soon as Jennifer left, Betty approached the safe and entered the password, nodding.
“I’m not sure if you remember, but one of the last things the Madam did before she passed was replacing all branch managers with trustworthy people.”
“Were the previous ones not trustworthy?”
“No, they were just all too old to lead the firm until Your Grace came of age.”
After a few clicks, the safe opened.
Betty carefully pulled out something wrapped in cloth and handed it to me.
“I heard it was quite a bold move at the time.”
“Really?”
“But no one could deny their skills. Everyone just waited quietly for you to grow up.”
I tucked the bundle safely into my arms.
Meanwhile, Betty reset the password and returned the safe to its original state.
The way the books had to be placed in specific order and position was rather fascinating.
“Who came up with this design? We don’t even have something like this in the main mansion.”
“The safe in the Marquess’s house is far more secure, Your Grace. I heard the safes used in both the mansion and the firm were designed by the Madam and Lady Hailey together.”
Both of them really weren’t ordinary people.
Betty shook her head in amazement.
Even before my regression, I remembered the safes being complicated. The mansion didn’t have hidden safes behind bookshelves like this one, but I remembered Father telling me they were protected with multiple layers of security.
He once proudly said even the Imperial Palace didn’t have security like that. And to think it was all the work of Mother and Hailey.
“Mother was truly amazing.”
“Absolutely! I doubt anyone in the entire continent was as smart and wise as the Madam.”
Betty said with pride in her voice.
For some reason, that pride stirred up envy in me.
It hurt to realize that the person speaking so fondly of my mother wasn’t me.
I should have been the one who knew her best, who was proudest of her.
But Betty, older than me, had clear memories of Mother from her childhood.
As for me—who had been a baby at the time—I only knew of the sweet, loving version of her from the few stories Father shared.
To Father, Mother was someone dear and missed, not necessarily someone to boast about like Betty did.
Feeling inexplicably melancholy, I turned away.
“Let’s hurry. His Highness will be arriving soon.”
“Yes, yes, Your Grace. If we move quickly, we might even arrive before him.”
Betty, having restored the safe to its original state, followed me out.
As we exited the office, Jennifer was waiting by the stairs and bowed politely. I gave a small wave.
“I’ll make an official visit next time.”
“Your visit today alone is an honor, Your Grace.”
I nodded lightly and was about to move on when—
“Oh, Your Grace,” Jennifer said, a little belatedly.
“If you’re willing, may our staff see you off?”
“See me off?”
“Yes. Many of them once served under the previous Madam and were eager to see you after hearing you were here. If it wouldn’t be a bother…”
She looked at me cautiously.
People from the firm who had worked with Mother…
I glanced at Betty to ask if we had time. She checked her watch and sighed softly.
“A short greeting should be fine. But it must be quick—just a greeting.”
“Alright.”
When I nodded to both Betty and Jennifer, Jennifer smiled brightly and bowed deeply.
“Thank you, Your Grace! It will be a memory they’ll cherish forever.”
“Well, I wouldn’t go that far.”
I thought she was exaggerating, but then suddenly—rumble—a group approached from behind.
We hadn’t even called for anyone yet—what was that sound?
Was someone chasing me?
Or had Leofric noticed something?
I turned my head, tense.
“It is an honor to meet you, My Lord!”
A thunderous voice rang out, and before I could react, a group of people—who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere—bowed deeply toward me.
They were lined up neatly at the bottom of the stairs, quite the impressive sight…
“Were they all waiting?”
“Ah, haha. They were eager for this meeting. I promised them that if Your Grace gave permission, they could come out.”
Jennifer descended the stairs, laughing awkwardly.
So they’d been waiting nearby, just hoping I’d allow it.
“It’s quite late. You all worked hard.”
“Not at all! Just seeing you is an honor!”
“A glory for our families! We’ll never forget this day!”
Most of them were large, even bigger than knights. Their loud voices practically rang in my ears, but since they had been with the firm since Mother’s time, I decided to understand.
Mother’s death must have come as a shock to the firm as well.
The position of the firm’s leader had suddenly been left vacant.
I couldn’t even begin to imagine the despair they must’ve felt—and the disappointment when I, newly appointed, never once visited Wains.
In my past life, I’d had no reason to come here.
I descended the stairs slowly, a faint smile on my lips.
“Raise your heads. This is a bit much for a simple greeting.”
“My Lord…”
At my words, everyone lifted their heads simultaneously.
Their expressions were filled with emotion—so much that I felt awkward witnessing them.
To show such devotion to someone who’s merely the daughter of the former head, and one they were meeting for the first time…
They must have been truly loyal to Mother.
Feeling more uncomfortable than before, I slowly walked past them.
Only after I’d moved beyond their gazes could I turn back to face them.
“I don’t have time to greet each of you personally, but thank you for welcoming me today. I’ll be sure to visit more often.”
“It’s an honor, My Lord!”
Their booming voices filled the building once again.
Before I could even react, Betty tugged on my sleeve, and I had no choice but to head toward the underground passage.
“Please travel safely, My Lord!”
“Please come again!”
“It was an honor to meet you!”
Their voices echoed behind me—voices that, strangely, struck deep in my chest.
Carrying a mind full of complicated thoughts, Leofric rode hard and arrived at the residence.
Despite hurrying, it was still quite late, so he kept his footsteps as quiet as possible upon entering.
“You’ve returned, Your Highness.”
“Yes. Any incidents?”
“None. Lady B didn’t leave her room either.”
He was immediately greeted by the knight stationed at the entrance and received a report.
He asked about any issues, whether Amelia had been safe, and if she had eaten.
“Her maid said she refused dinner. Seems she went to bed early—she’s been quiet all evening.”
“I see. Good work.”
Leofric patted the knight’s shoulder a couple of times and entered.
If Amelia had been so quiet, perhaps things were unfolding differently than his earlier suspicions.
That meant there was still hope—hope that she might not be hiding anything.
Clinging to that hope, he climbed the stairs slowly.
Another knight standing guard at Amelia’s door bowed when he saw him.
Leofric returned the nod and asked in a low voice.
“Is B inside?”
“She seemed to have fallen asleep for a bit, then woke up. She’s been with her maid since.”
“Is that so?”
Fell asleep and woke up, huh?
Quiet all day and then sudden movement?
He bit down on the inside of his cheek, unsure whether he should let go of that small hope.
Then he knocked gently.
“Amelia. Are you awake?”
“Ah, yes! Please come in, Your Highness.”
Her voice came from inside.
It sounded a little groggy—like she’d just woken up.
…Had she really been sleeping?
As he hesitated for a moment, the door opened.
“Lady B says you may enter, Your Highness.”
Her maid—Beatrice, if he recalled correctly.
Though Amelia called her “Betty.”
Leofric stepped inside, and Betty left, closing the door behind her.
“Did your trip go well?”
“Yes, I’ve returned.”
Amelia, who had been sitting on the bed, stood up.
Her hastily straightened appearance was kind of cute—like she’d really just woken up.
If he’d arrived a bit sooner, would he have seen her sleeping?
Just as he thought that and moved toward her—
Leofric noticed the window behind her was open.
“You slept with the window open?”
“Hmm? Oh, yes. The room was a bit warm…”
The night air was still cool. Warm?
His gaze alternated between her and the wide-open window.
He tilted his head slightly and slowly approached the windowsill.
