TSIMG 08

Chapter 08

Having come to stay temporarily at the Roart mansion, Rodia had truly enjoyed herself for just over a week.

She tinkered on the piano, which she remembered playing as a child, and read romance novels, which she had never read before, on her friends’ recommendations.

The ten or so days she spent at the Roart mansion were like a symbol of deviation for Rodia.

And today, she stepped into the ivory-walled building at 26-7 Grandel Street.

The thirteen-year-old building, newly renovated, had such a beautiful exterior that it made passersby pause for a moment.

Rodia found it all too, too overwhelming that such a building was her home.

“You’re telling me this is my house? This mansion?”

As she spoke with her mouth wide open, Hystein slightly furrowed his golden-brown brows.

“Where do you see a mansion? It’s not even half the size of the Roart mansion.”

“Why on earth would a house for a woman living alone need to be this big!”

At her horrified exclamation, Hystein dismissed it as nonsense. In a resolute voice, he showered her with a lecture.

“It’s because you’ll be living alone that it needs to be bigger. And with servants and a butler, this size is necessary for them to function properly, isn’t it? Were you planning to have them sleep outside and commute?”

“Servants?”

Rodia, who had planned to live alone once the house was completed, was startled by Hystein’s words.

“Why would I ever need a butler……!”

“That’s something you can’t know. I never thought I’d become the president of a company myself. More importantly, aren’t you curious about the inside?”

He urged her. Of course she was curious. There was no reason not to be. With an excited expression, Rodia opened the front door.

“……It’s pretty.”

The garden was modest.

There were still only bare, thin branches, and the flower seeds waiting for the warm spring lay buried in the soil.

But Rodia could easily imagine this garden in spring. Her steps quickened, her cheeks flushed.

The three-story mansion was mostly decorated in designs and colors that a woman in her early twenties would typically prefer. Stepping into the first-floor lobby, Rodia involuntarily let out a low gasp.

Having lived in dormitories ever since her family’s fortunes declined, she found such a beautiful mansion utterly unfamiliar.

“Oh my……!”

Her unfinished words scattered into the air. The wallpaper in the first-floor lobby was white, featuring an elegant wainscoting design.

She raced up the stairs to the second floor, her face flushed with excitement. Rodia’s bedroom and study fit her tastes perfectly.

“This is unbelievable! How is this possible?”

“Do you like it?”

Rodia nodded vigorously in response to Hystein’s question, who had followed her up.

The pale gray wallpaper was bordered with a toned-down pink stripe, and the thick winter curtains were a deep purple, similar to the color of Rodia’s hair.

More than half of one wall consisted of windows, and her bedroom faced the garden. Next to the bedroom, the study held a large mahogany desk and several tall bookshelves.

It was spacious enough that even if she filled it with all the books she loved, she probably wouldn’t be able to fill them all. A long, plush-looking settle beside the bookshelf took up one side of the wall, as if the place she had loved most in the Roart mansion had been brought here intact.

“This…… this is too much!”

Hystein spoke as if it wasn’t excessive at all.

“That can’t be.”

He denied her words. Brushing back his falling hair with his hand, he continued.

“Clause two of the agreement.”

“…….”

At those words, Rodia pressed her lips tightly shut. Like a seashell at the bottom of the ocean, with no intention of opening again.

“Do you remember? The clause that says, ‘Rodia Proxhate shall not object to a residence secured by Hystein Roart, provided there are no major issues (e.g., safety concerns).'”

“……That’s cheap.”

Rodia muttered very quietly. Of course, he heard it.

But he naturally ignored her muttering and began to say what he wanted to say.

“One butler, one cook in charge of meals, and two female servants. Ah, and I’ve contracted the same security company I use.”

“A security company? Is that really necessary……?”

“Clause four of the agreement.”

Hystein grinned. It was the most mischievous smile Rodia had ever seen on his face.

“For the reasons stated in Clause 3, Rodia Proxhate shall not refuse, without specific cause, items recommended by Hystein Roart that pertain to safety and health reasons. Likewise, Hystein Roart shall bear appropriate responsibility for requests made by Rodia Proxhate for safety and health reasons.”

“…….”

On the night that very agreement was drafted, Rodia had been present. She had even signed it herself.

Unable to retort to Hystein, who had memorized all that lengthy text, Rodia could only fume.

Seeing Rodia like that, Hystein felt as if a nagging tooth had been pulled.

It felt exhilarating to have gotten one over on Rodia, who had once glared at him and told him not to speak informally.

*So this is the fun of teasing a younger sibling that Richard used to talk about?*

That couldn’t be it, but Hystein thought that anyway, then looked up at the sound of Rodia calling him.

“……Even if it’s not excessive, it’s too expensive.”

“What do you mean?”

“Because everything seems like expensive items that couldn’t have been bought with the money I gave you. I don’t have the ability to pay all this back.”

Rodia said, running her hand along the back of a small settee-style sofa in the bedroom.

Having witnessed her father’s later years, Rodia had vowed never to go into debt.

But by her own standards, this mansion and its furniture were far too extravagant. And since Hystein was the one who had arranged it, she assumed the shortfall must have come out of his pocket.

Hystein hesitated at her words, then deliberately feigned ignorance.

“What’s that supposed to mean? A dog meowing?”

“Excuse me?”

“Surely Miss Proxhate didn’t think all this was paid for with my money?”

At that, Rodia tilted her head.

“Isn’t it? If not Mr. Roart, then whose money?”

At that, Hystein pointed a finger at Rodia.

“……?”

Hystein let out a sigh of exasperation at her clueless expression.

“The money you sent me after hearing the price of the mansion. Don’t you remember? And on the day we drafted the agreement, I said I would use it to look for a house, and you agreed.”

“……Ah!”

As he said, Richard had come by with the contract and estimate. Rodia had seen it and transferred the money from the bank to Hystein, and that was precisely the money he was talking about.

“You mean all of this was prepared with that money? Is that even possible?”

“Isn’t that obvious? You saw the contract.”

“No, you did all this without a single consultation, so why are you being so high and mighty?”

Rodia said, incredulous. Then Hystein once again flashed that mischievous smile.

“The agreement. And I think the cost of securing a residence should also include furnishing it, don’t you?”

*That damn agreement.*

Rodia cursed her past self for signing that absurd piece of paper called an agreement.

The large sum of money in her bank account was what Damian had prepared for his younger sister.

Of course, even if it was only a portion of the whole, she had never expected it to be used like this, without detailed consultation regarding the expenditures. Hystein, watching her expression, quietly let out a sigh she couldn’t hear, shrugged his shoulders, and then spoke.

“I’m joking. Surely you don’t think I’d squander every last bit of what Damian gave you, even if it was just a portion? Richard will take care of the remainder later.”

“……Is that true?”

“Of course. This mansion is very old, and far from the current trendy designs, so the purchase price was reasonable. I also had the interior design handled by the department in charge of hotel interiors, keeping the cost manageable, so you don’t need to worry.”

Only after Hystein had said that much did Rodia let out a sigh of relief. Honestly, she had thought that since Hystein was one of the wealthiest businessmen in Haint, that level of spending might not be unusual for him.

*Well, that makes sense.*

Rodia nodded. No matter how much he was her legal guardian, there was no way he would spend his own money so lavishly like water.

She recalled a passage from one of the romance novels she had diligently read over the past ten days.

**”People spare neither money nor time for those they like.”**

“…….”

Rodia’s face contorted. She felt embarrassed, imagining how taken aback Hystein must have been by her words.

While she was fanning her flushed face with her palm, Richard came in carrying a bundle of papers.

“One of the items you ordered hasn’t arrived yet. Besides that, there are some things you need to confirm, here…….”

The two men began discussing something. Waiting for their conversation to end, Rodia started looking around the house with her hands clasped behind her back.

The second floor contained her bedroom, study, dressing room, and two or three guest rooms. And at the end of the corridor, a room facing hers. Rodia opened the door and stepped inside.

“Really…….”

She involuntarily covered her mouth with her hand.

This is Damian Proxhate’s room.

No one had told her, but Rodia knew instantly.

Hystein hadn’t simply made this mansion into ‘Rodia Proxhate’s house.’ He had made it into the ‘Proxhate family mansion,’ a place where the two siblings would live together if Damian returned.

Rodia felt her nose tingle. Even without her saying anything, Hystein had diligently prepared a place for Damian.

It might be because Damian was a truly precious and close friend to Hystein. There’s no such thing in this world as something a friend is obligated to do.

His tone was always gruff.

Apart from when he was joking, he was always expressionless.

People who don’t know him well might say he’s perpetually unfriendly. But that’s not Hystein’s true nature.

He, busier than anyone else, had helped with another person’s funeral, saying they were a friend’s family, and he had personally taken care of Rodia’s graduation ceremony.

He arranged a safe place for her to live, and despite his busy schedule, he found people to help her. And now, even without being asked, he had prepared a home for his friend to return to.

Rodia finally realized what kind of person Hystein Roart was.

He is a person of deep affection, more considerate than he appears. Especially towards those close to him.

“……That’s cheap.”

Rodia muttered softly.

He, who had suddenly barged into her life without warning one day, had spoken informally from their first meeting and was a rigid man who wouldn’t bend his will even if the other party objected.

But now, she understood.

Rodia’s fingers were smoothing the deep green winter curtains in Damian’s room. This man, who could find and arrange things that others like—their favorite colors, their favorite things—is simply ‘Hystein Roart.’ Not her brother’s friend, not a celebrity of Haint, but Hystein Roart.

Rodia felt a strange tickle in her chest. Pressing her palm against her chest, a man full of gold seemed to engrave himself into a corner of Rodia’s heart.