In response to Nadia’s question, the door silently opened.
It was the Baroness Hess’s personal maid, recently hired.
“Is something wrong with Mother…?”
Behind the maid, the Baroness Hess entered with the sound of clicking heels.
“I came because I have something to say to you.”
“Mother?”
Surprised, Nadia quickly stood up.
She immediately went over to the Baroness and helped her.
The Baroness smiled sweetly, as if she found Nadia adorable.
“You’re always so dramatic.”
“You shouldn’t be up yet. You could’ve just called for me.”
“What are you talking about? I’m the most idle one in this house, and you’re the busiest. Of course I should come to you.”
“Mother…”
“Don’t look at me like that. Thanks to the medicine you brought, I’ve been sleeping well, and I feel healthier than ever.”
It wasn’t an exaggeration.
Although she still needed medication, it was the first time she’d ever been treated so well in her life.
It was only natural that the Baroness looked more lively.
She gently took Nadia’s hand and led her to sit on the office sofa.
Then she dismissed the two maids from the room.
Nadia looked puzzled, and the Baroness blushed slightly.
“It’s not a secret or anything… but I’m still not used to having maids see and hear everything. You seem to have adapted so well, it’s embarrassing.”
“Don’t say that. I hired them for your comfort, Mother.”
The Baroness smiled brightly.
Having endured many hardships, it wasn’t obvious, but she was a charming noblewoman who looked younger than her age.
She softly wrapped Nadia’s hand in hers and began to speak.
“I saw the money you allocated for me. You called it a ‘dignity allowance,’ didn’t you?”
This kind woman hadn’t come to say she didn’t need the money.
Nadia narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
“Don’t tell me you’re going to refuse it like Father?”
“No. On the contrary, I came to use it.”
That she would use it right away was unexpected, but Nadia was pleased.
If she could bring her mother comfort with money, there was no greater reward.
However, people don’t change easily—and the Baroness Hess was a prime example.
“I want to use the funds you gave me to prepare for your debutante ball.”
Nadia’s eyes widened, then she smiled and shook her head.
“It’s not the right time yet. There’s still so much to do for the estate. Money won’t always be this abundant—I don’t want to miss this opportunity.”
“Most ladies debut at seventeen, and at the latest, nineteen. You’re already twenty.”
“That doesn’t matter. Even if I debut at twenty-two, it’s fine.”
The Baroness held Nadia’s hand tighter.
“No, it’s not.”
“Mother…”
“You’re right—our estate might never be this prosperous again. That’s exactly why you must not miss this opportunity. I had my debut at twenty-one, and girls just two or three years younger treated me like a grandmother.”
Her eyebrows furrowed in regret as she pleaded.
“I’ve never once been ashamed of being poor. But that day… that humiliation… I felt so alone. I don’t want you to go through the same. So please, listen to your mother.”
Nadia was used to people’s judgment.
They were always interested in the Count of Priscilla who abandoned his wife and the daughter who became an outcast.
When that daughter married a boy eight years younger—who was even a duke—the criticism she received made being called an old lady seem trivial.
But Nadia was helplessly weak when it came to the Baroness Hess.
She couldn’t brush off her mother’s painful memories.
The baroness wisely seized the opportunity and met Nadia’s eyes tenderly.
“If I prepare my daughter’s debutante ball properly, then my dignity is maintained too, don’t you think?”
In other words, the ‘dignity allowance’ would be used as intended.
When did Mother get so good at persuasion?
In the end, Nadia could only laugh and nod.
The Baroness left excitedly, saying she had to pick out dresses.
After waving her off, Nadia tilted her head toward the bottom of the sofa the moment Vivian re-entered the room.
“Conrad, you can come out now.”
At Nadia’s call, a large hand peeked out from under the sofa.
That hand creaked forward like a zombie, followed by an arm and ash-gray hair.
Nadia covered her mouth to hold back laughter.
“Do you have a cramp?”
“…”
It must’ve been a struggle for the tall, long-limbed man to hide under such a small sofa.
Conrad didn’t respond but instead crawled out entirely.
“Oh dear. That handsome face looks terrible. Want me to massage it for you?”
“No, no. Just give me a moment. I’ll—ow—I’ll be fine.”
He waved her off, but as another sharp sensation hit, he clenched his eyes shut.
Seeing this usually skilled man, who excelled in everything from swordsmanship to hand-to-hand combat, unable to even walk properly made her feel sorry for him.
“Sorry. I didn’t think the conversation would take so long, or I’d have told you to hide somewhere else.”
“It’s fine. Besides, I think going to the capital for your debutante ball is a wise decision.”
Vivian, who had been secretly listening nearby, widened her eyes.
“A debutante ball? You’re really having one, my lady? Truly?”
At the same time, Conrad frowned slightly.
He didn’t seem to like Vivian butting into the conversation.
“Vivian. You don’t always act so rudely to Lady Nadia, do you?”
Vivian batted her lashes adorably at Nadia, seeking help, but Nadia only chuckled and didn’t intervene.
She found Vivian’s cheerful nature endearing and wasn’t bothered by her behavior.
Still, it was amusing to see how much influence Conrad had already gained, scolding others on her behalf.
“Okay, boss.”
Vivian pouted and took a step back.
Conrad shot her a disapproving look but continued, deeming it unimportant.
“As I mentioned before, Count Crimson is currently residing in the capital. His daughter is also debuting this year.”
“She’s eighteen, right? Debuting early would be better—why now?”
“Publicly, they say she was ill, but she’s perfectly healthy. It doesn’t seem like the doctor exaggerated, either. It appears they didn’t want her reputation damaged while pushing her into the Baldwin duchy.”
“But after repeated rejections, they now want her to gain some social experience.”
“Yes. And rumors spread fastest in the social circles.”
“They’re certainly getting their mileage out of that daughter.”
Nadia sat up straight on the sofa. She fell into thought, not blinking for several minutes.
Conrad and Vivian waited silently for her next command.
Eventually, Nadia let out a deep breath and smiled faintly as if a fun idea had struck her.
“Girls get giddy and act weird during debutante season. I suppose I should mimic that.”
Vivian, watching her curiously, asked, “You talk like you know all about it?”
Since Vivian believed Nadia was truly twenty, the question was understandable.
“Vivian.”
Conrad shot her another warning glance, and Vivian took another step back—almost into the corner.
Nadia beckoned Vivian closer.
Vivian eagerly rushed to the sofa.
Conrad said nothing since it was at Nadia’s request.
Vivian whispered excitedly, “You’ll need a pretty dress, right?”
“I’m going to choose one with Mother.”
“Take me with you!”
“You’re my maid, of course you’ll come. But first, we have something to do.”
“What is it?”
“Find out everything about Count Crimson’s daughter. What she likes, hates, when she gets angry, what scares her—everything.”
To uncover the Count’s intentions, Nadia had to meet him.
As a twenty-year-old baron’s daughter, she wouldn’t get a private audience.
But with the Crimson heiress, it was a different story.
Both would debut in society this year, so there were countless opportunities to meet.
“If we’re going to the capital anyway, let’s not waste time. First, I need to become her trusted friend.”
Nadia may have been just a baron’s daughter, but that made it easier to lower the girl’s guard.
Nadia smiled at Conrad and Vivian in turn.
Why is that?
This was simply for her mother—and to investigate the Crimson heiress.
And yet… her heart fluttered, just a little.
Like a real twenty-year-old girl about to debut in society.
