Chapter 81: A House Full of Fools and Care
Jude’s eyes quickly searched for Shiao Yi—he was standing calmly, one fist lightly clenched, looking completely composed. His clothes were neat and unruffled.
Jude finally let out a long breath of relief.
When Elijah noticed them enter, he suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs, startling everyone.
"It hurts! It really hurts! I’m sure something’s broken! He attacked me—he was violent!"
"Aaah! He tried to kill us! He just snapped and started hitting us out of nowhere!"
Keith also began to cry out dramatically, pretending to be in pain.
"We didn’t do anything, and he suddenly punched us! He almost killed us! You can’t let a dangerous guy like this stay in the house—who knows what else he might do!"
"Throw him out right now, Jude! Look at what he did to us—we’re seriously injured!"
"He nearly beat us to death! Call the guards! Why aren’t you doing anything, Lambard? Arrest him! Hand him over to the guards!"
As the two foolish brothers screamed and made a scene, Jude and Lambard remained silent, simply staring at them. Then Shiao Yi, clearly fed up by their behavior, asked in a flat, annoyed voice, "Hey, can I seriously shut these guys up for good? They’re really starting to piss me off."
"I don’t see why not, Madam," Lambard replied coolly, casting a cold glance at the brothers.
When they heard that, Elijah and Keith turned pale.
"W-What? What are you saying?! We’re the victims here! Just look at us! We were the ones attacked! Why aren’t you arresting this violent maniac?!"
"What are you even trying to do?" Shiao Yi said, frowning. "Everything you were yelling earlier, and now this—it doesn’t add up at all."
Elijah and Keith didn’t seem to understand. If they caused a violent scandal inside the estate—and even called the guards—it would disgrace the name of the Beaumont family.
Did they not realize that if things escalated that far, even they would face serious punishment from Lord Gabrant himself?
It was clear to Jude that those two had come to the house hoping to use Shiao Yi’s presence as a way to gain favor with Lord Gabrant. They probably knew that Lord Gabrant wasn’t fond of Shiao Yi and had thought, in their shallow minds, that if they could get Shiao Yi thrown out, they would win Lord Gabrant’s approval. But after their plan failed completely, they resorted to a pathetic, staged act of being attacked. It was all so foolish that it didn’t even warrant a sigh.
Lambard grabbed both of them by the scruff of their necks and threw them out. Of course, they weren’t seriously injured—not even a single finger broken. Just a few bruises, at most. Honestly, Jude thought Lambard could have at least broken a leg or two and wouldn’t have blamed him for it.
"Madam, I deeply apologize for letting those fools into the house," Eline said while bowing her head low before Shiao Yi, who was now seated in the first-floor living room while she served him hot tea and some baked sweets with great care.
"I didn’t notice they’d snuck in either," she continued, clearly frustrated. "I’m sorry they upset you. If those two ever show their faces around here again, I’ll kick them out myself without hesitation!"
Eline’s face was still flushed with anger, and she waved her strong arms with determination. Shiao Yi, however, tried to calm her down gently.
"It’s okay. I’m not upset," he said with a small smile. "After all, they are Dominic’s brothers, so it’s not strange for them to come here."
"If you keep talking like that, they really will manage to get you thrown out," Eline replied bluntly. "And if something happened to you, can you imagine how devastated Lord Dominic would be? Honestly, I don’t think he’d let it go. Why can’t those two idiots understand that?"
Jude nodded in agreement and added with a respectful tone, "No apology could ever be enough for the discomfort Lord Dominic’s beloved Madam was made to endure. It was my own failure. But please know—this is your home. Feel free to be comfortable here in whatever way pleases you. It would bring us great joy to see you at ease."
"Th-Thank you," Shiao Yi said, a little flustered. "I’m not really used to being treated so kindly... or all this comfort and luxury. It kind of makes me nervous, honestly. I mean... I can take care of myself, really. So, if it’s okay... I’d prefer if I’m just left to manage on my own, you know... that would actually help me relax more... I guess..."
He smiled awkwardly as he spoke, clearly embarrassed. To Jude, Shiao Yi’s humble and gentle nature was utterly charming. It only made Jude more determined than ever to serve him with everything he had.
Eline who is standing beside him, clenched her fist and gave a firm nod, sharing Jude’s resolve. It was obvious she felt the same way. In fact, most of the household probably shared their feelings.
Shiao Yi’s happiness meant Lord Dominic’s happiness.
However, beyond that, the entire staff had already grown deeply fond of Shiao Yi—not just because of Lord Dominic, but because of who Shiao Yi was himself.
...
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
Heavy footsteps raced up the stairs, skipping two steps at a time, then thundered down the hallway.
Bang!
The bedroom door slammed open with a loud crash.
Shiao Yi was about to complain—"Be quiet in the hall! Close the door gently!"—when a large body crashed into him and crushed him in a tight embrace.
"Shiao! Are you okay?"
At that exact moment, Shiao Yi was not okay. He was pretty sure he had just taken his first step toward the afterlife.
"C...can’t... I can’t breathe..."
His desperate protest finally reached Dominic, who quickly loosened his grip.
"A-ah, I’m sorry. I just got carried away..."
If "getting carried away" ended in death by bear hug, then Dominic needed serious help. Why hadn’t he learned his lesson yet? His strength was insane.