Preparing to go out, you and me.
A piece of bread and half a cup of soup.
When I finished my usual lunch, Jasmine puffed her cheeks.
“Shir~ley~”
To me who stood up with the empty dish, she called me in a strange and soft voice. When I turned around while tilting my head, a large chunk filled my mouth.
Inside the mouth I accidentally closed, the sweet chunk melted away. A deep sweetness filled my mouth.
“…………Peach?”
“……I’m surprised you managed to get it in this season.”
“It’s near the festival, so there were many things coming in, and the chef said that this would be good for a young lady.”
When I turned my head towards the chef, the ever stoic, frowning man quickly disappeared into the shade of a deep pot. The senescent man had always given me the amount I asked for, but I learned for the first time today that it wasn’t that he didn’t care.
While returning the dishes, I bowed my head slightly. I saw the white hat that could not hide shake.
“It’s been a month since you started working for master, but Shirley, you’re still eating here. I heard the food over there’s nice too.”
“She’s here today because she has work!”
In response to Jasmine who drew closer to him with great momentum, Samua took two steps back and whispered to the boy next to him.
“……Did I say something wrong again?”
“I think obstinately being around her might have been a bad idea.”
Their conversation could be heard from over here.
The boy is a butler-in-training hired three months before I became. With eyes like the ear of rice, he is called Tim.
“E-Erm, Shirley-san, if you’re in plain clothes, does that mean you’re going out somewhere?”
I learned during this one month, but it seems like Samua speaks a word too much, or isn’t very good with choosing words. Before Samua could anger Jasmine more, Tim quickly told the story.
From the usual maid uniform I’ve been wearing just before, I had changed into plain clothes. A grey one-piece dress. It’s one of the few property I have.
“Master said that he will be going down to the town, so he requested that she change into plain clothes.”
Since going out as a lord causes problems and takes time to prepare, he sometimes goes out secretly. So his attendant is also in plain clothes. According to Carron, he’s been busy recently so she thought it would be soon.
Having got closer to Samua, Jasmine pounded the table with a fist with a face full of trouble.
“I-I wanted to her lend her my clothes……! To wear at the festival, I bought this cute pink dress. I wanted to lend her that, but the size…..!”
“The clothes slip from her shoulders!”
“…………Ah, w-wait a bit, Shirley! I’ll be back soon!”
“Ow!”
Turning at a sharp angle while having Samua seized by the collar, she threw Samua and started running.
If she’ll be back soon I don’t need to sit. I leaned against the wall and gathered my hands together in front my body.
In the dining hall, there’s a little less people than at noon. There’s a big festival once a year in Laius, so it’s busy getting ready to receive guests from other fiefdoms. So there’s not as many people as usual during meal times. Once we actually start receiving guests, it will get even busier compared to before.
Not leaning against the wall and standing tall, Tim approached me with a wry smile.
“Those clothes look composed so it’s nice.”
“Thank you.”
Though Tim is a young person like me, he volunteers for errands with a smiling face and is very sociable. He is still very boyish, so his sweet and kind expression is probably another reason for him getting loved. He’s also good with women, being able to compliment people refreshingly like just before.
Standing next to me, with similar height to me, Tim tilted his head slightly and stared at me.
“Shirley-san, everyone’s saying that your complexion has got better.”
“Thanks to somebody.”
When I said that, Tim chuckled. He managed to see through the person I obfuscated. Then what he said next was about that person.
“Do you know what master’s recent orders about the snacks were?”
“He asked for things that could eaten in single bite.”
That was the first time I heard it.
Next time, it might better if I cover my mouth when speaking. I made a wry smile as I pressed my lips with my finger, while Tim put his hands behind his head as he went, “A—ah.” A gap appeared between his sleeve and his glove. There was a mole on his wrist, which for some reason I stared at.
“Master’s snacks must be nice. I want to try some too.”
I silently stared at him as he felt disappointed that it might have been his turn. I thought so too.
Maybe he’s holding a grudge against me, who was barely here for ten days while he was here for three months. But, that doesn’t mean a thing.
“It’s unfortunate that it wasn’t me, but if it’s Shirley-san.”
To Tim who winked and smiled mischievously, I let out a sigh. Seeing that, Tim made a bitter smile, but not wanting to change the subject he placed his lips near my ear and lowered his voice.
“Everyone says that you two look good together.”
“You are the one he takes most interest in though.”
“……Master’s marriage is the wish of all the servants.”
Tim covered his face to hide tears. It’s me who feels like crying.
“He’s soon turning thirty, but he’s refusing all marriage offers and there are no rumours either. The head butler’s hair is growing greyer by the day!”
I wonder about a fifteen-year-old butler-in-training lamenting about that.
I sighed again. Hearing that sigh, Tim dropped his shoulders sadly.
“It’s a good story for Shirley-san too, right? You don’t dislike master, right? You’ll be marrying into riches! We servants are your allies! Truth be told, I think the head maid is at the centre of it, but fortunately she seems to like Shirley-san!”
“Master is a very charming man, so if he feels like he will soon find a partner. Stir him up. He’ll surely find a lady of proper status. Then the peace of Laius will be protected better, and there’s nothing to be disappointed for me.”
I took a step away and bowed with my hands together.
“Oi, Tim.”
Then, Samua who had been rubbing his bruise opened his mouth.
“Stirring things up is fine, but pressuring is not.”
Tim dejectedly dropped his shoulders and shut his mouth. The way he knows when to stop must also be a reason why is likeable. But please know that stirring things up is not good either.
Tim apologised and laughed bitterly.
“So you like Laius.”
“But then, will you not be here when you turn sixteen? This is the best place to work for Laius though.”
“…………I’ll do my best during the short time here.
To be honest, I am a bit thankful to the orphanage director.
There’s no way I can’t make up for everything in the short period of a year and then I’ll be spending the rest of life in prayer for the future of Laius. However, that’s still not enough. What has already been destroyed cannot come back.
Lands, stores, people, Laius, they all fell to ruin. Those who were rich in that period have more work than one death can solve.
How will I use this second life? How should I use it to atone for the sins of my family against Laius too.
As I sighed, I heard pitter-patter sounds of footsteps. When I turned around, there was Jasmine panting with her face slightly red.
“Shirley, look at this!!”
What she showed me was a necklace with a blue decoration. When I closely examined what was shown to me, there was a small flower.
“Hyacinth?”
“I,”
“I do think I am being nosy, but for a maiden my age to not have any luxuries… Fufu, Shirley, you always tie your hair up, so it’s easy to put on a necklace.”
After saying that, she quickly put her hands behind my neck and then backed away. Then, a blue ornament was hung on me. Jasmine, who put the blue colour on me, looked at me up and down.
“I did have a white one, but I accidentally snapped it some time ago……”
Come to think of it, there was a white flower on a necklace whose chain snapped. I picked up as Jasmine was screaming, so I remember it well.
Jasmine grabbed that hand with both her hands.
“Then, maybe for living together, or for getting closer, whatever reason’s good, so it would be nice if I got anything from Shirley…… To be honest, I thought that it was the same colour as Shirley’s eyes, so I ended up buying it immediately. Sorry, I bought it without knowing what your favourite colour is. This time, I want to go to the village together with you. So, tell me what your favourite colour is or what you like the most!”
“You always say you like Jasmine…… Shirley, your skin is cute. Eh? Master’s snack? Is it because of the snacks!? Can you ask him what’s in those!?”
I blinked hard as her face got closer to me than her hands gripping my hand and the topic changed quickly. I stepped back a bit and desperately jogged my memory. If there’s something, there’s only one thing.
“…………I think it might be the tea.”
“No, not a mix.”
“No, not solid but liquid……”
Liquid. Tea is fundamentally had in liquid state. I noticed that it got unnecessarily complicated from trying to explain it and thought a little. Easy explanation, easy.
“It’s just normal tea. So it has such an effect? Then we won’t have to worry about the profits. I think I should investigate a bit……”
From the voice that came from behind, everyone flinched and turned around.
“Master!”
To Kaid who was waving from outside the window for some reason, Samua hurried over.
Kaid’s hair, which was brown like Helt’s, glistened in the sun. He put a hand on Samua who was panicking.
“If you had called, I would have headed there, sir!”
“Eh…… a bothersome person, sir?”
“He will probably come here looking for me, but please act as though you don’t know where I am. Shirley, shall we go?”
I was called, so I detached my hand from Jasmine’s. Actually, my hand was gripped. Well, doesn’t matter either way.
From that action, the blue flower on my chest swayed. Each other’s gazes overlapped on that. Feeling the glance, I thought a little.
“…………Thank you.”
“Y, eah…… Yeah! Thank you!”
She took my hand again. With that hand as the axis, Jasmine hopped about. My field of vision was suddenly turned around and I was pushed on the back.
“Enjoy yourselves!”
Seeing Jasmine who looked more excited than me who was going to the town, Kaid who was leaning against the windowsill with his elbow smiled wryly.
“It is still work though?”
“Mn, true.”
I was pushed again and stumbled. Grabbing my hand that almost crashed into the window, Kaid smiled wryly again……
Would it be rude to ask the lord to face the other way? But at this rate, it will be rude in another sense.
While I was pondering what to do, Kaid leant over using his tall height.
“Did you have lunch?”
“Did you have a lot?”
“……I had the usual.”
Kaid smiled wryly.
He makes this expression often. Not just him, others too. It’s probably because of my attitude.
“Well, you don’t lie.”
His hand that was extended along with the wry smile took the place behind my knees. I clung on to Kaid’s head in surprise as he leant over. His dishevelled hair was stiff compared to the past. It did not compare to a fourteen-year-old’s hair, but it feels very familiar to my fingers for some reason. The warmth I felt in the past did not change for some reason, so the emotion that started moving again brought pain.
I hugged Kaid’s head as he lifted me up through the window and muttered something next to his ear.
“……I told enough lies already.”
Kaid stopped mid-movement as he was crouching over to let me down. I laid my hands on those shoulders which were supporting me awkwardly and got off on my own.
I stood up, took my hands off his shoulders and mumbled.
Noticing the strain, I curled my lips. It wasn’t just that my facial muscles which were out of use for a long time was frozen. There were many things mixed in.
I grabbed my index finger and middle finger and silently bowed.
“Thank you.”
“For helping me out the window.”
To Kaid who was absentmindedly staring at my distorted face, I held my palm out to his left. The stable was to that direction.
“Let’s go, sir. Shall we get going to the town?”
Master.
When I called him that, he looked at me with a very strange expression.
So I furthered the distortion.
I smiled.
As we walked without conversing about anything special, we arrived at the stable. Kaid stopped. I was looking down at my feet, so soon I bumped into him. When I hurried to the side, I could see what was ahead.
There was a young man leaning against the entrance of the stable. He had his golden hair tied up and had on the casual clothes of a minor noble, rumpled on purpose. The man that I remember seeing somewhere, winked his beauty spot next to his eye and smiled.
“It’s been a while, but you’re being rather cold to me, Kaid.”
“I’m seeing hallucinations. Looks like that tea does not work for hallucinations.”
Completely ignoring that young man, Kaid had his body turned towards me. Ignored even though he was on our path, the young man raised an eyebrow and approached us with quick steps.
“Is that any proper attitude for the next lord of another fiefdom that came from far away for Laius Liberation Festival?”
“Well, it should be empty inside.”
“Dammit.”
After shaking off the arms behind him, Kaid faced that young man.
“Why can’t you just come normally.”
“The lord of Darich is Joplin.”
“From there?”
“Right. The carriage floor fell out I heard.”
In my memory, the lord of Darich was twice as wider than my barrel-like father. If he got even fatter, the floor would fall out, I absentmindedly thought.
And then I understood why I felt like I saw him somewhere. Though, all I remember was how he was a lovely doll-like ten-year-old boy. I hadn’t met him often.
“Now, won’t you introduce that lady to me? Lord of Laius, Kaid Falua.”
“That’s true.”
The young man, as his thin cape fluttered, laid a hand on his chest and bowed gently.
“Heir-apparent of the House of Gimii, Isador Navarro. Pleased to make your acquaintance, lady.”
“Master’s maid, Shirley Hince, at your service, sir.”
I neatly gathered my hands and bowed deeply without bending my back.
“……Nice, her posture’s fine and there’s nothing unnatural to her accent either. Has it really been just a month since you hired her?”
“I’m not stupid enough to fool around with women in Laius where the scary wolf lord resides. Just what did you do when the guest from the fiefdom Wyfar tried to hit a maid at the mansion? The lord of Wyfar still hasn’t come to Laius. According to rumours, he faints from just the mention of the name of Laius.”
“Not someone suspicious. You could at least have said that I am your bosom-friend.”
“Let’s go, Shirley.”
When I raised my head, Isador who was ignored in the flow slightly puffed his cheek. Then he shrugged at me and looked at Kaid who went to prepare the horse. He’s definitely coming along. Kaid looked displeased but just sighed at his stubbornness.
“You, if you follow you’ll have to help me.”
“Then, you can carry most things.”
“…………You’ll get stabbed if you say that.”
Glancing at me, Kaid shook the saddle a few time, lost in thought.
“Shirley’s heavier than a saddle. That’s a relief.”
“If she’s light as a feather, that means she’s about to starve to death. Then I’d hurry and send aid and a medical team.”
“……You know there’s something called figurative speech, right?”
There were the two men who are shouldering Laius and the future Gimii.
I fixed my posture and looked at them talking to each other.
No matter how many times I blinked, I could only see the brown hair that once existed on this land and the blond young boy that once visited this land, playing together.