HLM 10

Chapter 10

Dieter stopped at a few different dessert shops along the way, purchasing an assortment of treats.

Every time, the moment the shop clerks spotted him, they immediately begged the pardon of the customers already in line and rushed to prepare his order, handing over the beautifully packaged desserts with remarkable speed.

Arms entirely laden with boxes and bags, Dieter escorted me all the way to the carriage bearing the Rietberg Marquisate’s crest.

“Please, step inside, Lady Lindsay.”

He certainly hadn’t lied about escorting me. He offered me his arm for the entire walk and smoothly pulled open the carriage door himself.

Bill looked entirely bewildered by the situation but chose to remain silent, cautiously observing the strange man. Dieter offered Bill a brief, polite nod before handing me the mountain of desserts and the newly purchased fountain pen.

“I apologize if my interruption prevented you from properly purchasing desserts. You are heading to Martin’s estate, correct?”

“Um… How did you know that…?”

“I simply had a feeling. These are all Martin’s favorites. I assure you, he will be absolutely thrilled if you give them to him. Though, he will undoubtedly be far more thrilled to see you than the desserts.”

Dieter offered a soft, knowing smile. He bowed deeply, his green eyes meeting mine one last time.

“Please, do not tell Martin that we met today. I plan to tell him myself when the time is right.”

“…I still don’t know who you are or what exactly you do. When will I be allowed to know?”

Dieter let out a hearty laugh.

“Haha! Today’s encounter with you was truly unforgettable, Lady Lindsay. I genuinely hope the three of us can meet together in the near future. Now, you should be off. You will be late at this rate.”

He managed to smoothly evade my question until the very end. Gently closing the carriage door, he tapped his hand twice against the roof and waved goodbye.

The moment the door clicked shut, Bill, still looking thoroughly perplexed, started the carriage.

As the deep rumble of the engine filled the cabin, we slowly pulled away. I turned to look out the rear window, watching Dieter. He stood perfectly still in that exact spot, watching us leave, until he finally disappeared from sight.

After driving in silence for a while, Bill, who had been constantly stealing anxious glances at me through the rearview mirror, finally let out an awkward cough.

“Ahem. My Lady, how exactly are you acquainted with that gentleman? I am not trying to interrogate you… and I apologize if my question oversteps my bounds.”

“Oh, you don’t need to apologize. He said he was a friend of Martin’s. I simply bumped into him by coincidence while picking out Martin’s gift. That’s all.”

Was my answer too brief? Bill chewed on his lip, looking as though he desperately wanted to add something, before eventually turning his eyes back to the road. After a long period of silence, he spoke up cautiously.

“I see. Even so, I sincerely hope you exercise caution around unfamiliar gentlemen. My Lady, you are… an incredibly precious existence to the staff here. Setting aside our duty to serve you, you are simply… deeply cherished.”

Through his careful, hesitant words, I could feel his genuine affection and deep-seated worry.

It made sense. A young lady who had lost her mother at a tender age and was living far away from her overprotective father for the first time—of course the staff couldn’t help but worry about her.

Fully understanding the heartfelt sentiment behind his warning, I offered a warm smile and nodded.

“You’re right. I didn’t consider the situation thoroughly enough. I’ll be much more careful from now on.”

“I did not intend to scold you, My Lady. If my words felt like a reprimand…”

“I didn’t feel that way at all. I’m just thankful you care enough to worry about me.”

I turned my head to look at the seat beside me.

The boxes and paper bags swayed gently with the motion of the carriage. The Meister fountain pen and ink I had bought for Martin, alongside the carrot cake and oatmeal cookies I had received from Dieter. And nestled beside them was a glass bottle brimming with fresh fruit juice.

As the late afternoon sunlight spilled through the window, it caught the edges of the packages, making them seem to glow with vibrant colors.

‘…This is nice.’

It had been so long since I had felt this kind of warmth. Before I transmigrated, I had never had the luxury to simply enjoy a moment like this.

Living without parents, without a single safety net to protect you, was an incredibly harsh reality for a teenager. The state subsidies were technically supposed to help, but they were barely enough to cover basic living expenses. Having stubbornly pushed to attend a regular high school, my mind had been a constant, exhausting battlefield between studying and working endless part-time jobs.

‘Compared to that, this is heaven.’

The exact heaven I had always desperately wished for.

A sturdy fence to protect me. A warm bath waiting for me every single day. Delicious, hot meals, and an environment where I could focus entirely on my studies without constantly agonizing over money. If this wasn’t heaven, what was?

‘All I have to do is work hard. In this world… that’s enough.’

Because I had been granted this miracle, I was determined not to crumble. I would give everything my absolute best—my studies, my future career, and my friendships.

I was staring blankly out the window, lost in thought, when the streets began to look familiar.

“I can see the Young Master’s estate just ahead, My Lady. We are almost there, so please prepare to disembark.”

“Yes, I will.”

I smoothed out the wrinkles in my uniform skirt and gathered the items I needed to carry.

Even though I was only looking at the distant edge of the estate, my heart began to flutter wildly, exactly as it did whenever I spotted Martin at the end of the academy hallway.

I took a deep breath to calm my racing heart and carefully gathered the packages into my arms.

‘I’ll have Bill carry the snacks. I’ll just hold the fountain pen and the envelope. I should probably be the one to hand these to him directly, anyway.’

Before I knew it, a set of grand, imposing iron gates came into view. The guard stationed at the entrance raised his hand, signaling the approaching carriage to a halt.

Bill smoothly rolled down his window and offered the guard a polite nod.

“We are from the Rietberg Marquisate. We are not here on official family business… The young lady of our house is a close friend of the Young Master. She has come to deliver some academy materials to him.”

“We haven’t received any word of visitors, but if she is a friend of the Young Master… please, come in.”

The guard inspected the small family crest subtly painted on the carriage exterior, then glanced into the back seat to confirm my presence. Nodding, he swiftly unlocked and swung the heavy gates open.

Bill drove smoothly through the entrance. We passed a meticulously manicured garden featuring a small, bubbling fountain before the carriage glided to a stop at the base of a short flight of pale gray stone steps. At the top stood grand double doors made of polished mahogany.

Bill put the carriage in park, then hurried around to open my door, offering a deep bow.

“Please step down, My Lady. I shall handle the rest of the items.”

“Thank you.”

Gathering everything, we slowly ascended the stone steps and pressed the brass bell beside the door.

After ringing it perhaps twice, the heavy door slowly creaked open, and a man stepped out to greet us.

“Good afternoon. Excuse me, but may I inquire as to the purpose of your visit? We were not informed of any guests today…”

“Ah, I’m Martin’s friend from the academy. Our homeroom teacher asked me to drop something off for him, so I’m paying a brief visit.”

“Ah, I see. My apologies for the interrogation. Please, come inside.”

The man—likely the estate’s butler, given his immaculate attire and gold-rimmed glasses—stepped aside, gesturing for Bill and me to enter the foyer.

The exterior of the estate had been undeniably elegant, but the interior that unfolded before my eyes was so breathtakingly opulent that I couldn’t stop myself from whipping my head around to stare.

‘Ah, so this is the true dignity of the nobility… The true dignity…’

I had been strictly taught that staring wide-eyed at another family’s home was considered incredibly uncouth. But I honestly couldn’t help it; the massive crystal chandelier hanging from the vaulted ceiling was even larger and far more extravagant than the one in the Rietberg estate.

Suddenly realizing that Martin was from a much wealthier family than I had originally assumed, I instinctively straightened my spine and tilted my chin up slightly.

A silent declaration to myself: My family is incredibly rich too! Do not be intimidated!

Observing my subtle shift in posture, the butler tilted his head slightly before stepping forward with a polite smile.

“I apologize for the inconvenience, but would you mind waiting here for just a moment? I will inform the Young Master of your arrival. If I may ask the young lady’s name…?”

“Lindsay. Lindsay Rietberg.”

“Lindsay… Are you Lady Rietberg?”

For a split second, the butler’s brow twitched violently. But, likely deeming it wildly inappropriate to show shock, he hastily plastered his professional smile back on.

“My word, we are in the presence of esteemed company. I shall immediately inform the Young Master that the lady of the Rietberg Marquisate has arrived.”

Even as he hurried up the grand staircase to the second floor, he kept tilting his head in sheer bewilderment.

It must have seemed incredibly suspicious to him. The young lady of a completely unrelated Marquisate had suddenly appeared at their doorstep, arms laden with gifts and academy papers.

Bill and I were standing quietly in the center of the grand foyer, waiting patiently, when a loud, frantic clatter echoed from the floor above, and someone suddenly appeared at the top of the stairs.