I Picked Up the Trash Others Threw Away - Chapter 34.1

Chapter 34.1

“When the young master was a child, I also lived at the Malekiah’s main house. It was the duty of the nanny to take good care of the children on behalf of the always-busy master and madam.”

The Trish that Mariella described from his childhood differed greatly from the man I knew now.

He liked to run around like other children, but when he was inside the house, he was shy and quite reserved.

“Theoretical lessons made him bored, but his swordsmanship was exceptional. I often saw him practice ever harder after receiving praise, but I don’t know what he’s like now.”

So he was good at swordsmanship. Was that why he seemed to be so close to the escort knights?

Mariella seemed to have a lot of memories from raising Trish, and she continued sharing them without me even asking.

Stories like how after a lesson about respecting one’s elders by his etiquette teacher, he picked flowers in the garden and gave them as gifts, or when she reasoned with him to apologize first after quarreling with a friend.

Listening to Mariella’s stories was more fun than I thought. I could hear about Trish’s childhood and an unexpected side that I didn’t know.

“Trish must have listened well to his nanny, judging from how fondly you remember him.”

“He’s a good person. Others may not know it, but this nanny is certain of that more than anyone.”

Mariella whispered to me in a thoughtful voice, delicately wiping my arm with a soft towel.

“When I first heard about the young master getting married, I felt both hopeful and anxious. I doubted whether he really had feelings for someone or whether he had chosen to marry out of impulse.”

“…”

“But when I saw how sincerely he looked at the Young Lady… I felt reassured. I thought it was okay to relax now.”

That was all just part of the act. But Mariella’s words, coming from someone who had known Trish for such a long time, didn’t sound like baseless assumptions.

Was Mariella completely fooled by Trish’s perfect performance? Really?

‘… I don’t know. But it’s not like I can do anything about it even if I do know.’

I didn’t really answer Mariella’s words; I just nodded in silence.

One thing was for sure, Trish seemed more relaxed and joyful here than when he was in the main house. It was probably because he was uncomfortable being face-to-face with his family at the main house, but seeing him so genuinely relaxed also eased some of the anxiety in my heart.

As long as nothing unexpected happened, it seemed that the family gathering at the villa would wrap up smoothly.

And thus passed another satisfying day at the villa.

***

After resting for three days, we returned to the capital, where the main house was.

After spending a few days in a place with fresh, clean air without thinking about anything, I felt that my mood as well as my health had improved.

Although I felt slightly desperate after realizing that the end of a break would soon be the beginning of a new wave of responsibilities.

“Young Lady, here are the invitations that arrived while you were away. Please review the most urgent ones first and send your replies.”

“But it hasn’t even been a month since the wedding…”

“Isn’t that precisely why there’s so much interest? It’s even more important to establish your presence at times like this.”

That was right. There were plenty of people curious about the new bride who had married one of society’s most talked-about men, and those interested in seeing the Malekiah family’s newest member sent party invitations one after another.

I had only stayed in the villa for three days, but there were more than ten letters piled up.

I frantically opened the elegantly closed letters and went through them one by one, checking who the hosts were, the venue, and how many days remained until each party was held.

Some of the invitations came from women I had met at the wedding, like Viscountess Geneford or other relatives of the Malekiah family.

I didn’t know where to start with my replies. Stefan, the butler, had been watching the scene and offered me a helpful suggestion.

“I think it would be better to start with the reply that you will attend Duchess Alish’s banquet. She’s known as the ‘godmother’ of society.”

“Ah, right. Then I should send a reply quickly… Ah, this party is in two days. It’s too late to give a positive answer, so can I send a rejection?”

“Of course. There’s not much time, so I’ll have an attendant deliver it in person.”