* * *

“Call Carlton to the glass greenhouse for me. And prepare some tea as well.”

“Yes, madam.”

Luna said to a passing maid and moved to the glass greenhouse. Naturally, Rosemary, Antes, and Royer followed behind her, but Luna turned back and told them she’d go alone.

“Wouldn’t having so many people just create a sense of intimidation?”

“I think I should be fine. After all, I was the owner of this mansion until recently. There might be something I missed.”

Seeing Luna’s concern, Rosemary offered to go with her, grabbing Luna’s hand. Antes and Royer also chimed in.

“I should accompany you in case you need a testimony.”

“I will join as well, in case you need legal advice.”

As everyone expressed their desire to accompany her, Luna, who had removed her hand from Rosemary’s grip, shook her head.

“It’s okay. I don’t want to trouble you with my mansion’s affairs.”

She felt she could handle it herself, and she also felt guilty for neglecting the mansion under the excuse of being busy.

“If you say so.”

Antes surprisingly complied, and Rosemary didn’t insist further. As Luna moved towards the glass garden, Rosemary and the others, as if drawn by a magnet, followed.

“What is it?”

Why are you all following? Shouldn’t we all go our separate ways?

Antes cheekily responded:

“I just wanted to visit the glass garden.”

“Me too. It’s good for reflection.”

“I was simply following lord Antes.”

“…”

Luna touched her forehead.

“Then please come after I finish my business. I really want to have a quiet conversation.”

Fortunately, they seemed to understand, and no members of the Marquis family followed her anymore.

Upon arriving at the glass greenhouse, after a brief wait, a maid with a tea set arrived, accompanied by the butler, Carlton.

“You called for me?”

“Yes, I did. Please sit.”

Carlton took a seat opposite Luna. Meanwhile, the maid poured tea for both of them.

‘Did I ask for tea for the butler too? Or is this just proper etiquette?’

Luna wondered, her mind occupied even by such a trivial detail. Soon, she broached the main topic.

“I heard the servant at the main gate clocked out today.”

“You must be talking about Whamel. Yes, he did.”

Carlton responded very calmly, prompting Luna, who took a sip of her tea to cool down, to ask:

“Since when did we have this clock-in, clock-out system? There was no such thing when I bought the mansion.”

“I allowed it. I thought it would be better since Whamel’s parents aren’t in good health.”

“Why did you change it without consulting me?”

Carlton then seemed to realize why Luna had called him and took a deep breath.

“Because it’s my responsibility to take care of the staff.”

Luna expected an apology at this point, but Carlton’s reaction seemed as if he was annoyed by her questions, making her feel cold inside.

“So, I am the one who pays for everything?”

“…”

“I’m the owner of this mansion, and I hired you. Why are there things I don’t know about?”

In any other situation, this would have been overlooked, but his ridiculous excuses made Luna snap back at him.

The butler, who had been staring at Luna for a moment without answering Luna’s question, made an excuse.

“I did it because you looked busy.”It seems like you don’t know a lot about the mansion, so I thought you might be tired if I report it to you separately.”

“Then you should at least report it in writing. So, do you usually do things like this? Act on your own when I look busy, skip reporting afterward, and assume I wouldn’t want to know about anything?”

Carlton tried to move on, but when he made a ridiculous excuse, sharp words came out.

As Luna scoffed, the butler frowned for a moment. But it happened so quickly that no one noticed.

“From now on, I will report everything to you.”

The conversation ended with Carlton promising to be more diligent in the future. Luna gave one last piece of advice.

“I understand. And make sure to tell Whamel not to leak any information about the owner. And don’t station him at the main gate anymore. I’ll only let this slide once.”

“…Understood.”

Carlton stood up and courteously bowed. As he was leaving the glass greenhouse, he tripped over someone’s foot and made a loud noise as he fell.

“Excuse me. My legs are long.”

It was Antes.

‘Still, you should have avoided him with those long legs of yours,’ Luna thought as she saw the fallen butler.

Antes nonchalantly entered the greenhouse.

“Carlton, be careful next time. People in our house have long legs, so this happens frequently.”

Even though she couldn’t reprimand Antes, Rosemary also came into the greenhouse and chided Carlton.

“…”

Carlton, unable to say anything because of their noble status, hurriedly got up and left the greenhouse.

Seeing this, Royer, who came last into the greenhouse, tsked.

“…What are all of you doing here? Don’t tell me you heard our conversation from the entrance?”

“No, it’s not a greenhouse there.”

“I was just waiting because the lady told me to come after the conversation. And I entered once it was over.”

Why are you eavesdropping and acting so bold?

Sure enough, as if worried that someone might not recognize them as siblings, Rosemary and Antes brazenly sat on either side of Luna.

At this, the maid hurriedly cleared the butler’s cup and prepared a new one. As she watched the water, Rosemary picked up her teacup and spoke:

“Wasn’t you sending him too graciously?”

“Carlton?”

“Yes. Mistakes are mistakes, but what’s with that attitude? Such behavior needs to be corrected severely.”

Speaking with a face flushed with life, Rosemary truly sounded like Antes’s sister.

“Do you intend to reassure him first and then push him down the stairs later? Lady Luna might prefer that.”

“No, I don’t!”

Who would think of me as a murderer? As Luna quickly retorted, Antes laughed mockingly.

However, it wasn’t his usual cheerful smile. It was a dark smile, as if he might push Carlton down the stairs at any moment.

Luna sighed and resumed the conversation.

“It’s the first time, so I tried to let it go. There was a lack of communication. He said he’d report from now on, so he should do well. After all, people grow through trial and error.”

Luna was also bothered by Carlton’s attitude, but since he said he’d fix it in the future, she decided to trust him this time. Of course, if such an incident happened again, she wouldn’t let it slide so easily.

“You have such a generous heart.”

“After enduring for a long time, one naturally becomes this way.”

If she hadn’t held back each time, the outcome might have been like Antes. Whether it was Luna or Antes, neither outcome was good, but if one were to compare, Luna was better.

“I’ll overlook it this time, but there won’t be a second chance. Thank you for being considerate anyway.”

“Since the lady says so, I can’t say anything further.”

As they were having this conversation, Emma, accompanied by Laura, entered with some late-night snacks.

“You made it already?”

“I happened to be in the kitchen. I tried my best.”

A delightful aroma filled the beautiful and mysterious glass greenhouse. They had filled their bellies a bit at the party, but couldn’t resist the delicious food in front of them.

Without even being told to eat, Antes and Rosemary started eating the food. Luna tasted the food, fearing the siblings might finish it all.

‘…Oh? It’s delicious.’

Whether Emma had finally become familiar with the kitchen, one could taste her cooking skills. Luna had secretly been dissatisfied before, so this was truly a relief.

Only Royer stood idly by, so Luna offered him some food.

“Please join us. If there isn’t enough, we can ask for more. Right, Emma?”

“Yes, please eat. I need to prepare more food.”

Emma, who looked slightly tired but was still smiling, headed back to the kitchen. Royer sat down and began to eat, clearly enjoying the return of Emma’s culinary skills.

Laura, who had been standing next to Emma until then, looked somewhat gloomy, prompting Luna to inquire.

“What’s the matter? Why is your face so dark?”

“Huh? No, it’s nothing…”

The answer wasn’t refreshing either. Because Laura was a person who expressed her feelings honestly, there was no doubt that something was going on.

“I’ll go help Emma!”

But as soon as she tried to probe further, anticipating Luna’s actions, she hurriedly disappeared from the greenhouse.

‘What’s going on?’

She couldn’t know without hearing it, but she felt that she shouldn’t just ignore it. She had been through such an unpleasant situation before because she hadn’t paid attention to her staff, always using the excuse of being busy.

‘I need to find an opportunity to figure it out.’

As she continued to ponder, Rosemary suddenly spoke up.

“But, I’ve always wondered, what exactly do you see in my brother that you’re dating him?”

Luna’s mind, which was full of worry, went blank.

“…Excuse me?”

“I get it. I understand why my brother likes young lady. There wouldn’t be a man who wouldn’t fall for someone as beautiful and wonderful as you. But why would Lady Luna date someone like my brother, a psychopath? What’s so good about him?”

If asked what’s good about him, Luna could answer that nothing was, but she remained silent, unable to speak the truth.

Suddenly feeling slighted, Antes put down his fork and responded nonchalantly.

“Young lady likes my face. Every once in a while, she would gaze blankly at it. She’s been like that since we first met.”

“Wait a minute.”

It’s true, but that’s more like the feeling one gets when looking at a beautiful painting or landscape. She didn’t date him because she liked his appearance.

“Do you dislike my face?”

“It’s not that, but it’s not right to think it’s purely because of looks.”

“At least you’re saying my face is likable.”

“That might be true, but if I confirm here that I like young lord’s face, then what does that make me?”

It makes me someone who only values looks! Not that being a fan of good looks was bad, but there was a limit.

A face-fanatic that didn’t consider the person’s essence at all, especially when that essence was that of a psychopath who hits others, was a no-go. She seriously considered how to deny it, but before she could open her mouth, Rosemary and Royer convinced Luna.

“So it was… the face.”

“I had suspected, but it was indeed the face. Well, apart from the face, Antes doesn’t really have any other good sides.”

“It’s not about the face when dating!”

As she quickly made an excuse, she unfortunately became someone who loved even Antes’s inner self.

“So you are saying you saw even the tiny, invisible heart of Antes and allowed the relationship!?”

“Oh my god… I knew Lady Luna had a big heart, but I didn’t know she loved even my brother’s nasty insides!”

No, that’s not it. Luna, whose situation had smoothly turned into a mess, covered her face with her hands, bowed her head, and Antes started to chuckle.