In the Doghouse - Chapter 210
He responded promptly and reassuringly. Had he already picked up on something? It wouldn’t be unusual—he often read her intentions effortlessly, without her needing to say a word.
Feeling at ease, Courtney stepped into the main house. Madam Berricker led her through the small castle, showing her around every corner and detailing how her prior instructions had been carried out. The kitchen was their first stop, being the most critical.
“As per your request, the meals have been prepared to be as simple as possible.”
Courtney surveyed the empty kitchen. Though compact, it was impeccably clean, and all the ingredients were neatly organized. Most had already been prepped, requiring little more than cooking. Even the bread, wrapped in individual packages, seemed plentiful enough to serve as meals on their own.
Satisfied, Courtney gave a small nod, while Madam Berricker looked on with a worried expression.
“I’ve also placed spare bedding in the empty room across from the master bedroom.”
“Well done.”
Courtney began to turn away but stopped when she caught the unease in Madam Berricker’s expression.
It was clear there was something the lady-in-waiting wanted to say but was holding back. Courtney, known for her leniency toward her staff, turned back and asked directly.
“What is it?”
“Are you truly certain, Your Majesty? I noticed there’s a maid here who cannot speak or read. Perhaps she could instead be the one to assist you during your stay…”
Courtney’s plans for this very special vacation revolved around spending it entirely with Richard. Preparing meals for the two of them wasn’t particularly daunting, and a little inconvenience was a small price to pay for the privacy to indulge in all manner of intimate activities without worrying about prying eyes.
Still, Madam Berricker’s concerns weren’t unfounded. This wasn’t the palace—it was an old, remote villa in the northernmost regions. While security was ensured by regular patrols outside the castle walls, the outdated and uncomfortable facilities did raise some doubts about leaving the Emperor and Empress alone here.
But Courtney wasn’t a pampered flower who had grown up in a greenhouse. Her response was firm.
“We’ll be fine.”
As someone who rarely changed her decisions once made, Courtney left no room for debate. Madam Berricker bowed silently in acknowledgment. She and the other staff were set to leave shortly and stay in a nearby village until the day of the couple’s departure.
Just as Courtney began to walk away again, she suddenly paused.
“Oh.”
“Do you require anything else, Your Majesty?”
“You mentioned there’s a maid who can’t speak?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. She’s an orphan. Her mother, who worked here, passed away a few years ago. Instead of sending her away, the staff have had her doing odd jobs around the villa.”
Madam Berricker quickly added, as if anticipating Courtney’s thoughts, that the girl, being mute and illiterate, posed no risk of revealing any imperial secrets. After all, even if she could, no one would likely believe her.
But Courtney’s response was unexpected.
“Then why don’t you teach her to read and write while you’re in the village?”
“Pardon?”
For once, Madam Berricker, normally composed, looked utterly bewildered. Palace maids were all required to be literate, but this girl wasn’t even a proper maid, merely a helper in an abandoned villa. What good would it do to teach her to read? Courtney, however, continued nonchalantly.
“If she can’t speak and doesn’t know how to write, it’ll make things even harder for her. Teach her—it’s not as though you’ll have much else to do there.”
Courtney didn’t seem particularly sympathetic toward the girl. While she acknowledged the hardships of being an orphan, she didn’t see the girl as deserving of excessive pity. She simply figured it wouldn’t hurt for the girl to pick up a useful skill while the opportunity presented itself.
To Madam Berricker, this was the attitude a ruler should have: not pitying the less fortunate as if they were stray animals, nor being so callous as to disregard their existence.
The current Empress, in her eyes, had the right balance of pragmatism and compassion.
Bowing deeply, she answered respectfully.
“As you wish, Your Majesty.”
Courtney, who had given the command without much thought, didn’t dwell on it. Had Madam Berricker expressed her admiration verbally, Courtney likely would’ve dismissed it as flattery. Most in the palace, after all, tended to overpraise her—perhaps because their point of comparison was always close by.
Madam Berricker then led Courtney to the bedroom where their belongings had been arranged. The villa’s main building was small, and it didn’t take long to familiarize themselves with its layout.
Before the sun fully rose, all the staff had cleared out, leaving the castle as empty as the tide leaves the shore.
Courtney and Richard—finally, their special time together was just about to begin.
