Chapter 23

No guests would arrive unannounced unless invited by the host or having notified them in advance. The Lloyds had already prepared an excuse, claiming they had received an invitation from friends in the capital. But no one would believe that, especially with Freya Lloyd, the young lady who had just been embroiled in scandal, now practically a freshly minted harlot. No respectable person in the capital would associate with them—were they so eager to become laughingstocks? Of course not.

So, the viscount wrote a letter to the baron, roughly saying: “Dear nephew, our residence in the capital has fallen into disrepair from long disuse and is currently being renovated. Would you mind temporarily hosting a few poor relatives?” Faced with such unfortunate aunts and cousins, what gentleman could say no? Especially when they’re family.

In the end, Austin had no choice but to receive them with grand hospitality, uttering pleasantries like, “Please stay as long as you wish.” During this time, I almost forgot the viscount family’s vile nature.

Viscount Lloyd, along with his wife and daughters, brazenly settled into Miles Manor. At this moment, my anger was indescribable, as I couldn’t stop recalling how, in my past life, they had swaggered around the manor like victors after killing Austin.

In the castle’s grand hall, Freya flitted about like a dancing butterfly. The beautiful sculptures, murals, and expensive furniture and decorations delighted her. She even exclaimed dramatically, “This place is absolutely stunning! I never imagined Miles Manor could be so enchanting—it’s simply irresistible. If only we could live here forever.”

They might have known Austin was wealthy, but they never imagined him to be this rich. Their envy gradually turned to greed, and like shrewd merchants, they smiled as they sized up everything around them, as if calculating its worth.

The ladies” gazes were all fixed on the baron. Lauren said softly, “Thank you so much, Baron. Your generosity in providing us temporary lodging has been a great convenience.”

The baron replied, “You’re too kind, Cousin Lauren. I’m honored you like it here. I hope you’ll find your stay pleasant.”

Viscount Lloyd laughed heartily, “Of course, of course! We’re family, after all—we should’ve visited more often.”

When I served tea to the viscount’s family, Lauren gave me a gentle smile and said, “Toker, it’s been so long. How have you been under the baron’s care? Your sister Jasmine often mentions you and says she and the family miss you dearly. She came along this time—you can see her later.”

“Thank you, Miss Lauren Lloyd. I miss my family very much too,” I said with my head lowered.

“Ha, so the new maid by your side is Toker’s sister…” Freya suddenly sneered.

Lauren smiled faintly, seemingly unfazed by her sister’s sarcastic teasing, and calmly said, “Jasmine is a good girl, both diligent and kind. I like her very much.”

“Is that so? A wild girl brought all the way from the countryside. It seems your taste isn’t that refined either.” Freya didn’t back down.

“Oh! We’ve had a tiring journey and should rest now. Please excuse our rudeness.” The viscountess stepped in, interrupting the sisters’ quarrel.

After seeing the ladies upstairs, I quietly left the drawing room and went to the servants” lounge. Viscount Lloyd had brought almost half the manor”s staff with him—he never shied away from trouble to flaunt his grandeur. Though, if it weren”t for the borrowed money he used to show off, this grandeur would indeed be commendable.

Rhodes embraced me cheerfully: “My dear friend, you’ve truly made it. Now you’re the baron’s personal valet.”

“You’re not doing bad either.” I patted his chest—this lad was already a senior footman.

I took the chance during our chat to inquire about Baker Manor. Rhodes whispered, “The viscount dismissed many servants, even Lizbeth was driven away. Rumor has it he borrowed a huge sum, and the bank often comes to collect debts.” He asked me, “Since you serve the baron, do you know his thoughts? Will he marry a lady? If so, perhaps he could help the viscount. Otherwise, Baker Manor might go bankrupt.”

I pretended to shake my head: “You know the baron is always silent. Hardly anyone knows what he’s thinking.”

Rhodes grinned slyly and said, “You lucky dog, Zerah sends her regards…”

Zerah… she still remembers me after all…

During dinner, the second and third young ladies sat on either side of the baron. Compared to a year ago, Freya’s attitude toward the baron was like night and day. She kept steering the conversation, telling amusing stories to catch his interest.

“That old woman was like a miser straight out of a Balzac novel. Guess what? She wore the same dress for twenty years but locked away precious fabrics in her closet. When she finally opened it again, the fabrics were full of moth holes… Oh…” Freya dramatically fanned herself, “The most shocking part? She actually took those moth-eaten fabrics and made new dresses for her daughters, letting them wear those to parties.”

“Oh, unbelievable…” The viscountess covered her mouth with her fan, swaying slightly, then casually gestured toward the baron.

Only then did Freya notice the baron hadn’t spoken at all and wasn’t captivated by her lively topic. Her expression faltered slightly, and she abruptly stopped her eloquent performance.

Lauren curled her lips slightly and softly said to the baron, “The food tonight is excellent. Your chef is wonderful.”

The baron smiled and nodded to her: “I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

“Speaking of which, my lord grew up in Kent, so you must love the local specialty—Vilante sausages,” Lauren said.

“Indeed.” The baron took a sip of wine and leisurely replied, “I do like them very much.”

“I love them too, but it’s summer now. If it were autumn, we could indulge in that delicacy. I recall a poet from Gran County even wrote a poem about it, called ‘Ode to the Island,’ telling the story of a homeless man drifting…”

The baron clearly preferred homely topics. Lauren had found the right approach, while Freya sulked on the side.

After dinner, I went to the guest rooms on the second floor. My sister Jasmine stayed there, as did Lauren.

As a noble lady, Lauren had four personal maids who attended to her day and night. But today was unusual—all four maids were stationed outside her room.

Jasmine saw me arrive, ran over excitedly, hugged my neck, gave me a kiss, and then playfully winked.

At that moment, a fierce argument erupted from Lauren’s room. “Don’t think I don’t know what you did—I won’t let you get away with this!” Freya screamed hysterically.

“How many times do I have to explain? I had nothing to do with the sash incident,” Lauren responded calmly.

“You vile wretch, you ruined my reputation! If I can’t have him, neither will you!”

I didn’t linger to eavesdrop at the door but instead took Jasmine to my bedroom.

“This is really nice,” Jasmine said, looking around. “I heard a valet holds a high position—seems true.”

“Is Lauren good to you?” I asked.

Jasmine shrugged indifferently. “Lauren treats me well. Seems she really wants to pry information about the baron from me. Brother Toker, do you think the baron will marry her?”

“I don’t know the baron’s thoughts. Do you want him to marry her?” I asked.

“Not at all,” Jasmine scoffed. “Whether Lauren marries the baron or not, you’ll still be the future viscount’s valet—maybe even the steward of Baker Manor. Then getting me a spot as the viscountess’s personal maid would be a breeze. Why bother helping that bitch Lauren?”

“Didn’t you just say Lauren treats you well? Why call her a bitch now?” I asked.

Jasmine widened her eyes and said mercilessly, “Of course she’s a bitch. She acts nice to my face but lets her maids bully me behind my back, only to swoop in and ‘save’ me so I’ll be grateful. Does she really think I’m some dumb country bumpkin?”

I couldn’t help but laugh. Jasmine went on, “Before coming here, Lauren even gave me a pair of silver earrings, hinting that I should pry information from you. As if a pair of earrings could make me help her become the future viscountess—ridiculous!”

Our family grew up struggling with our alcoholic mother, so we’re used to dealing with all kinds of people. Jasmine is especially sharp—by age nine, she could haggle with liquor vendors for cheap swill and sweet-talk our mother into giving her and our sister food. Lauren’s tricks with maids don’t work on Jasmine.

“So how will you handle her?” I asked curiously.

“I’ll play the dumb country girl, so clumsy I’d even break a water jug. How could the noble Miss Lauren Lloyd trust me with work? She’ll just send me to chat with you more.” Jasmine smirked. “Speaking of which, Lauren and Freya both want to marry that baron, and they’ve been fighting fiercely lately. Freya’s convinced Lauren schemed to make her lose Viscount Garrett—no idea why.”

I nodded. “Figures.” Jasmine twirled in her dress, showing off a pair of pretty new shoes. She grinned. “Well? Pretty, right? I said I bought them myself, but Freya actually gave them to me—even she’s trying to butter me up. Brother, serving Baron Lloyd is really paying off. I can’t wait for Viscount Lloyd to die so the baron can inherit his title and manor. You’ll be the viscount’s valet, and I’ll be the viscountess’s maid. Our family’s good days are coming—no more suffering.”

I wrapped an arm around Jasmine’s shoulders and gave her a gentle pat. Both of us have endured hardship—ever since our father left, poverty made life even harder.

“Before I came to the capital, Mother asked me to inquire about Father’s whereabouts. She’s so foolish…” Jasmine snorted coldly and complained, “She even took all my wages to buy alcohol. If this continues, I won’t plan to go back in the future.”

“Don’t worry,” I comforted her, “I’ll give her money.”

“Why is Brother so kind to her? She never cares whether we live or die, only about drinking,” Jasmine said discontentedly.

“That’s not true. It’s precisely because she’s here that we’ve managed to survive. If she had left like Father and never returned, where would we siblings be now?” I sighed. “I didn’t understand this before, until…”

I didn’t lecture Jasmine. She’s just a fifteen-year-old girl. Even in my past life, hadn’t I only cared about myself, completely ignoring Mother and my sisters?

I hugged Jasmine and whispered, “I’m sorry, Brother didn’t take good care of you.”

“That’s not true at all,” Jasmine muttered. “All the food at home was bought by Brother. Without you, we would have starved long ago.”