Episode 129

The corridor leading to Leonel’s office was unusually quiet today. 

Levance stood in front of the office door, took a deep breath, and gathered his thoughts before knocking.

“Your Grace, it’s Levance.”

There was no response from inside, but Levance entered anyway. 

Leonel, without acknowledging Levance, tapped his desk corner with his index finger, indicating Levance to put something down and leave.

Levance, unknowingly, swallowed dryly. At the sound, Leonel looked up. Although no words were spoken, Levance felt a burning gaze. 

Eager to leave the office as soon as possible, Levance approached the desk with wide steps.

When he carefully placed the documents and turned around, Leonel called him.

“Levance.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“Assign someone to Nelly.”

In the past year, commands like monitoring or investigating someone were nothing unusual. However, for some reason, Levance hesitated to comply with the order.

Nelly Pepper was the first to notice the presence of spies. She was sensitive enough to detect Leonel’s discreet security and surveillance, even the secret investigation into herself.

Levance’s thoughts were slightly different from reality, but he believed in them nonetheless.

‘If I assign someone, she’ll definitely notice.’

Then she would be disappointed in Leonel. 

He wasn’t sure if he could handle the storm of her disappointment.

As he was about to advise Leonel to reconsider, Leonel sighed deeply, burying his face in his hands until the desk seemed to collapse.

“Alright. Let’s pretend you didn’t hear that one.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Levance breathed a sigh of relief. However, he realized how hasty his judgment of relief was within two minutes.

“The cost of paving the road seems to differ significantly from last month.”

“Well, that’s…”

“I should receive a direct report. Bring in the person in charge.”

Levance was familiar with this pattern. It was the pattern that led all the stewards before Nelly to flee.

If he brought in the current administrator, it would start with questioning why there was such a difference, whether there was an attempt at embezzlement, and proceed to demand a detailed account of everything.

If it stopped at that point, it would be somewhat fortunate. In severe cases, they would assign someone to monitor, ensuring that the statements of the responsible administrator matched the surveillance findings.

Of course, using this method, they had caught administrators who had attempted embezzlement.

But for an honest person, there was nothing more suffocating and unjust than this.

‘Are the administrators going to run away at this rate?’

That’s not possible. The enormous amount of work cannot be handled by just a few, including himself, Arette, and Lizzy. 

Besides, half of them were not in their right minds due to Nelly’s absence. Now that they can live a more humane life, they couldn’t be buried in work again.

Levance decided that even if he faced suspicion from Leonel, he had to oppose his actions.

Just then, someone knocked on the door from outside. Soon after, the door opened. 

The butler entered with a letter in hand.

“Your Grace, Nell…”

Leonel abruptly stood up from his seat and approached the butler with fierce momentum. The butler spoke calmly.

“…I’ve brought a letter sent by Baroness Nelly Pepper.”

Before the sentence could finish, Leonel was already reading Nelly’s letter.

Levance looked at the butler with eyes that seemed to have encountered a savior. The butler smiled kindly and nodded.

And then, while Leonel was distracted by the letter, he quietly led Levance out.

Unaware that anyone had left, Leonel read and re-read Nelly’s letter.

[Leonel! I arrived safely. Contrary to your concerns, there was no danger at all. Instead, everyone I met treated me so well that I don’t know how to repay their kindness!]

Her letter began by describing how wonderful her home was and how perfectly it suited her ideal, then continued to talk about how cute Guadang was.

Despite its lack of formality and organization, it was a lovely letter that was just like Nelly herself.

Surely, he was just following a combination of dots and lines with his eyes, but it felt like Nelly was leaning against him, seeking comfort.

Leonel moved to the sofa.

Perhaps due to reading the same content several times or feeling relieved because Nelly’s voice seemed to be heard, the drowsiness he had been postponing poured in.

Leonel lay down on the sofa for a long time, rereading Nelly’s letter.

[With love, Your Nelly.]

Though a formal closing, the meaning felt unusually significant.

Leonel traced his fingers over the words as if caressing Nelly’s cheek, then folded the letter and placed it in his embrace.

“Nelly.”

The vivid image of his lover was right before his eyes.

She was small and delicate. Her strength wasn’t remarkable, and there was nothing particularly sturdy about her build. However, in moments of crisis, she never crumbled. 

Despite crying, trembling, and facing difficulties, she always found a solution. She possessed a determination not to give up until she found one.

Yet, she never lost her affectionate nature. Even when a bit anxious, she was so far from being someone who would torment others, making her an exceptionally strong person.

‘That’s probably why she held onto the estate manager position for three years, even when others were running away.’

Yeah. If someone says a person like her is right, what reason is there not to believe it? How bad could things get?

Leonel comfortably lay down, closed his eyes, and succumbed to the sleep he had been putting off like an unwanted assignment since Nelly left.

Outside the room, where a tranquil stillness flowed, the cold wind still blew. However, the winter tree, despite the chilling breeze, started to bud with tender green shoots. 

Amid the icy wind, a gentle green color peeked out, signaling the return of a warm season to paint the land green once again.