I hurried down to the first floor and took a bath to wash myself off. I decided I would look for a job the next day. Once I found employment, I could take my time searching for somewhere nearby to rent.
I ran back upstairs and saw that Nonna was still fast asleep.
“I think we’ll have a wonderful life together,” I said to her quietly. The corners of her mouth curved up slightly in her sleep. I wanted her to have sweet dreams, and I wanted her to have a happy childhood.
My younger sister, Emily, had just been a toddler when I left home. As I took care of Nonna, I found myself wondering if I would’ve taken care of my sister like this had I stayed with my family.
And if I’d stayed at home instead of leaving at eight years old, would my parents have taken care of me like this? Looking after Nonna almost made me feel like I was regaining the childhood I’d lost out on.
In just two days, I had gotten completely attached to Nonna.
“First thing’s first—I need to find a job.”
I had enough money to last me for a while without working, but I wanted an income. Ideally, I’d pick up some translation work I could do from home. It would be easier for people to trust me if I was an upstanding citizen who was diligent at my job. I slipped into bed beside Nonna and closed my eyes.
Jeffrey Asher enjoyed a drink as he basked in the afterglow of a wonderful evening. The spacious living room was clean and furnished entirely with antiques made by master craftsmen.
He was at his family’s capital residence, which was overseen by his brother, Earl Asher, the head of the household.
While his usual abode was the dormitory reserved for the captain of the knights, he visited his family once a week out of concern for his sickly mother’s well-being.
“Oh, you’re back?” said Edward, Jeffrey’s older brother.
“Yes. Are you still working?”
Edward had silver hair, just like him—both siblings had inherited it from their late father. Edward was forty, eight years Jeffrey’s senior, and prone to fussing over his younger brother, which annoyed Jeffrey to no end. No matter how many times Jeffrey told Edward that he was thirty-two years old and didn’t need to be taken care of, Edward just wouldn’t listen.
“I heard you went out on the town all dressed up,” Edward commented. “That’s pretty unusual. You were with a girl, weren’t you?”
“Did you come all the way in here just so you could ask me that?”
“Aw, don’t pout. I’m happy for you. How long has it been since you’ve been on a date anyway?”
Jeffrey sighed, wondering how many times he would have to repeat himself. “Brother, could you please stop treating me like I’m some kind of tragic victim?”
“All right, all right. I’ll drop it.” Edward held up both hands in surrender. “So? Was it fun?”
“It was. I had a wonderful dinner with a foreign woman who just came to the kingdom and the six-year-old girl she’s taken in.”
“……”
“You have an heir, you know. You should worry about him. Don’t worry about me. Anyway, I’m going to bed since I need to get up early tomorrow,” Jeffrey said, then headed up to his room.
Victoria Sellars was a commoner, but the way she spoke was intelligent, and her mannerisms were elegant. Plus, she was a woman of considerable courage.
Every woman in the capital, whether they knew he was the captain of the knights or not, looked at him flirtatiously the moment they spotted him. It’d been like that ever since he was a young man, so he’d gotten adept at rejecting them with a mere smile.
That was why everything about Victoria felt so refreshing; she didn’t insist on relying on him, she didn’t look at him like he was a piece of meat, and she’d taken in an abandoned girl on her own right after moving to a new country.
She’d only asked him to be her guarantor because she’d been in a predicament, but even then, she must have been quite reluctant to do so.
He couldn’t believe she’d tripped that pickpocket, either.
What if that young man had gotten up and attacked her? She was much too small to take on a grown man, let alone while carrying a sleeping child.
It had struck him as unbelievably reckless.
But when he saw her confidently take on the pickpocket running toward her with Nonna on her back, he realized he’d misjudged her and thought, Oh, she’s quite the fighter.
And although she was very slender, she had a healthy appetite, which he found far more appealing than the young ladies who put on airs and tried to impress him with their dainty eating habits.
The fact that she’d planned to look at apartments so late at night had also surprised him. When Nonna had let this slip, Victoria seemed perturbed. Although she didn’t show it on her face, years of experience working among the townsfolk had given him the ability to tell from her subtle eye movements that she’d been flustered.
He was fascinated by her.
Although it was refreshing to see a woman who was so independent, she also made him worry. He wanted to lend her a hand, at least until she got settled.
But surely, that would be a nuisance to her.
A bitter smile crossed his face as he thought he should abandon the idea of helping her. It was clear she didn’t want that. And judging by the hotel where she was staying, she wasn’t struggling financially. He resolved to only help her if she asked for it, as her guarantor. This would be the last time he offered his assistance; the situation was already bringing painful memories of the past back to the surface.
The next morning, when he came to the knight’s quarters, which were located on the premises of the Asher manor, Jeffrey noticed that everyone was looking at him with a glint in their eyes. What’s going on? he wondered as he went back to his room. He was greeted by his secretary, a woman in her forties who stared at him the same way her brother had the night before.
“What?”
“It’s nothing,” she said with a warm look in her eyes. It wasn’t until he went down to the cafeteria for lunch that he discovered what that look meant.
“Captain! We saw you! You really enjoyed yourself last night, didn’t you?” said Bob, one of the younger knights. Jeffrey wondered if he was the source of all this commotion as he beckoned Bob over.
“You must have a lot of free time on your hands if you’re out there gossiping. Come to the training grounds at one o’clock. It’s been a while since I gave you some thorough training.”
“Whaaat?”
Bob’s response was so pitiful that Jeffrey almost laughed, barely maintaining the stern expression on his face.
Three weeks had passed since Jeffrey’s dinner with Victoria and Nonna. He’d stuck to his decision and hadn’t offered them help, but today, he’d gone to her hotel as her guarantor.
“Is Ms. Victoria Sellars still staying here?” he asked. The woman at the front desk handed him a letter.
His name was written on the envelope in beautiful, feminine script. He quickly opened it.
Captain Jeffrey Asher of the Second Order of the Knights
It’s been a while.
Thank you so much for agreeing to be my guarantor so I could take in Nonna. The restaurant where you took us out to dinner was lovely.
I found myself quite lonely when I first moved here, but you gave me so much encouragement. I’m grateful for all you’ve done for me.
Nonna and I are both doing well. I was able to find a job and a place to rent. Please forgive my rudeness in not letting you know before I moved.
I’ve heard that in this kingdom, it’s required to report to your guarantor each month after taking in an orphan. I’ll continue sending you letters each month to the knights’ barracks.
Until then,
Victoria Sellars
The letter was written in such a businesslike tone that he had to laugh. But he was glad she was doing well. Victoria had never once seemed lonesome to him, but maybe she was just being polite. He was sure he’d run into her somewhere, and if not, he’d receive another letter from her in a month.
She’d also written her new address on the letter; it was in the eastern quarter of the capital, where the nobility lived. In fact, it wasn’t that far from his family’s manor. He wondered if she’d found work as live-in staff for an aristocrat.
“I should go check on them sometime,” he said, but he was so busy with other things that he just couldn’t find the time.
Anyone taking in a child shall report monthly to their guarantor, and their guarantor should then check on the child’s new residence to confirm whether the reports are true.
The deadline for that was coming up soon.