“...”
Bendia stared blankly at the perfectly repaired wall in the second-floor hallway.
Contrary to what she had expected, Ron was actually a sensible person.
She had been planning to hound him until he fixed it, but the moment the sun rose, he brought in workers and had it repaired flawlessly.
Only the section of wall he had damaged.
The repair was so perfect that she honestly couldn't even tell where the crack had been.
The group of intruders that had been piled up like a mountain the night before had also vanished without a trace.
Bendia knew who they were.
Even though their faces had been swollen from the beating, they were still ugly enough for her to recognize them as the same group she had seen outside the café.
She had expected Chris to deal with them, but what a surprise.
Ron—the man who had done nothing but get beaten during the day—had taken down all those thugs by himself.
She hadn't been able to see it herself, but apparently Chris had been right. Ron really had been deliberately avoiding vital spots when he was getting hit.
So it wasn't Chris who had been hiding his strength—it was Ron?
He's definitely suspicious.
Naturally, Bendia didn't ask how he had dealt with them. Learning things like that would only drag her into trouble.
“Ah, I thought I'd finally get a chance to throw my weight around as a landlord for once...”
“I can hear you.”
Bendia nearly jumped out of her skin.
When she turned around, Ron was leaning against his doorway with his arms crossed, having emerged from his room without making a sound.
“Oh my. It really does look spotless.”
Without missing a beat, she raised her voice an octave and gave him a thumbs-up.
“I knew you'd be like this. No wonder I felt the urge to get it repaired immediately.”
He tilted his chin up arrogantly and smirked.
It was incredibly irritating.
“Try talking about bones turning to dust and flesh returning to earth one more time. Now get lost.”
He waved his hand dismissively.
Shooing her away.
Grumbling internally, Bendia reluctantly got up.
She almost wished more intruders would come.
A lot more.
“Maybe they could smash the exterior walls too.”
“Keep dreaming.”
“Tch.”
“Yaaawn...”
Opening her mouth wide like a beast, Bendia stretched luxuriously and walked toward the window.
Fwoosh!
The moment she pulled back the curtains, sunlight flooded into the room all at once.
Forcing her squinting eyes open, she leisurely enjoyed the morning.
It had been nearly two weeks since she moved south.
By now, Bendia had completely adapted to life in the mansion.
A new tenant would soon move into the third floor, and the fence replacement project was progressing steadily, albeit slowly.
Her life wasn't lavish, but everything was going smoothly.
Things with Chris were also uneventful.
The intruders hadn't returned since that night, but she remained convinced that sooner or later something would happen that revealed Chris's true nature.
“It's peaceful.”
The chaotic days of divorcing her husband and escaping her family felt like a distant memory.
So distant that she sometimes wondered if it had even happened at all.
With a thoroughly relaxed expression, she picked up the newspaper resting on the bedside table.
Remembering her joke about wanting to read financial papers, Shasha had thoughtfully begun bringing her a newspaper every day.
There was only one reason Bendia checked it daily.
To keep an eye on any news involving the Rose Count's family.
It was better to know things ahead of time in case problems arose later.
Settling onto the sofa, she unfolded the paper.
[The House of Duke Calvermer Announces Its Official Intervention in the Shadow Phenomenon]
Yesterday at 5 PM in the Imperial Great Hall, Duke Denros Calvermer announced that he would take the lead in uncovering the truth behind the Shadow Phenomenon, which first appeared on Saint Island in the North two years ago and has since been occurring exclusively in provincial territories.
The Shadow Phenomenon...
...
...
Meanwhile, women continue to pursue Duke Calvermer, who recently appeared at his first official event following his divorce.
Attention is focused on whether the duke will remarry.
Smack!
Bendia folded the newspaper with a scowl.
“What is this?”
Describe your feelings upon seeing your ex-husband on the front page of the morning paper.
Was that some kind of test?
Seriously, what a ridiculously accomplished man.
Making the front-page headline of the Empire's newspaper.
How had she even ended up marrying someone like him?
Their marriage had been based on mutual interests rather than love, but Denros was still considered the most eligible man in the Empire after the Crown Prince.
Even without Bendia, he could have found another woman whose family would benefit the Calvermer Duchy.
“Whatever. We're divorced.”
He was no longer her concern.
Besides, this wasn't some regret-and-reconciliation story.
She had already met the male lead—Chris.
Even so, Bendia unfolded the newspaper again.
Her blue eyes settled on the photograph beneath the article.
It had been a while since she'd seen his face.
As always, his expression was emotionless.
“He really isn't photogenic.”
The picture captured less than half of how handsome he actually was.
“Hmph. Not my problem.”
Still grumbling, she finally set the paper aside and stood.
“Well then, time to start the day.”
Shaking off the lingering thoughts, Bendia left her room while cheerfully whistling.
“Don't touch it!”
“I-I'm only trying to make up for the shortage of materials! Y-you're the one who's interfering, so go inside!”
“Interfering? Interfering?! You're the one trying to cut down an innocent tree! Dia specifically said not to touch this tree!”
Shasha's face twisted with outrage as she raised her voice.
“T-this is interference! Stop b-bothering me from the side!”
Even Chris, normally polite and shy, snapped back without backing down.
“...Is this really happening?”
Watching the two of them, Bendia muttered blankly.
Shasha and Chris were barking and snapping at each other like a dog and a cat.
Lately, the two of them growled at each other whenever they got the chance.
They were complete opposites.
Shasha was blunt, but she wasn't the kind of person who disliked others for no reason.
Chris wasn't someone who raised his voice at people either.
Yet whenever they were together, it always ended like this.
Maybe their personalities were just fundamentally incompatible.
"Dia, how's today's meal?"
"M-Master, if y-you like it, would you like more of what I made?"
"Eat mine! Not leftovers from someone else!"
"H-how dare you offer something you've already put your saliva on to Master!"
"What did you just say? Do you think anything becomes true just because you say it?"
Even yesterday she had barely managed to stop them from bickering at the dining table by grabbing both of them by the backs of their necks.
Normally they acted as if the other didn't exist.
But once they started clashing, they wouldn't stop until someone intervened.
And strangely enough, every argument revolved around Bendia.
Am I their mother or something...?
Instead of having a male lead, it felt like she was raising two children.
“Both of you, stop.”
Sensing another round about to begin, Bendia stepped in before things escalated.
“And Chris. Leave that tree alone.”
“Hmph! See? Dia said not to touch it!”
Shasha immediately became smug and glued herself to Bendia's side.
“B-but, Master. If we use this tree, I think we could replace a-all of the fencing in the yard.”
Annoyed by Shasha's victory, Chris looked at Bendia with pitiful eyes.
“You're right. But we're not touching this tree. Thanks for thinking about it.”
He wasn't wrong.
If they cut down the tree and used the wood, they'd save both money and time.
They were already replacing the fence with the bare minimum amount of materials because they lacked funds.
But she couldn't cut down the pagoda tree.
Even if it took longer, buying proper materials was the right choice.
“I'm sorry... I-I shouldn't have spoken out of turn. I'll leave it alone.”
His suggestion rejected, Chris visibly wilted.
His voice became as quiet as a crawling insect.
He looked like a puppy with drooping ears and tail.
Feeling sorry for him, Bendia was about to comfort him when—
“Dia! You'll get sunburned standing out here! Let's go over there.”
Shasha dragged her away before she could.
“Shasha, why do you dislike Chris so much? Didn't you think he was handsome at first?”
“No? I never said he was handsome, and I never liked him.”
Did she not?
Now that she thought about it, maybe that was true.
“Anyway, stop fighting. We're all going to keep living together.”
“...”
Shasha deliberately looked away.
Apparently saying okay was too much for her.
Since she couldn't force them to get along, Bendia simply sighed.
“I like it here. I'm glad I followed you, Dia.”
“Me too.”
Bendia understood that Shasha was changing the subject away from Chris.
But she agreed.
This place was where she had escaped to after leaving behind a cold husband, endless oppression, and a family that saw her as nothing more than a tool.
None of those people were here anymore.
A new life.
Her building.
Her home.
Her place.
Little by little, Bendia was growing attached to the mansion.
“But I think someone's been watching this place for a while now.”
“Who?”
Bendia had been slowly taking in the mansion with a completely different mindset than before.
At Shasha's words, she began turning her head—
“Ugh...!”
A pained groan suddenly drew her attention.
Startled, she looked toward Chris.
He was clutching a finger that was bleeding profusely.