I swallowed hard, my mouth dry.
Of all places, I had to run into Ligrin here!
'Just one more step and I would have been clear.'
Regret washed over me, but I tried not to show it.
Ligrin was sensitive and would find even the slightest oddity suspicious.
"I would have asked. What about the young lady? And why are you here? Judging by your attire... it seems you were about to go out."
Ligrin sharply questioned me, noticing the long hooded robe I was wearing.
It was a familiar sight.
'It's like seeing the old Ligrin.'
The Ligrin before he became close to me during our lessons.
Realizing how much he had changed, I calmly replied.
"The young lady said she needed something, so I was on my way to get it."
"Something she needed? She could have asked me to get it for her."
I thought I could make up a plausible excuse, but Ligrin was being quite persistent.
'Is it because of Marin's past?'
He must still distrust Marin because of her past as a subordinate of Estio, when she almost killed me.
The more he digs, the more disadvantageous it will be for me.
'The magic only lasts for six hours, so I need to move as quickly as possible.'
How can I convince Ligrin right away?
As I pondered, my eyes met Ligrin's green eyes.
Over his cold face, I saw the gentle expression he had when looking at me.
...I think I know how.
"Actually, the young lady told me to keep it a secret."
With a secretive expression, I looked around and gestured for Ligrin to come closer.
"..."
Ligrin looked displeased, but he obediently approached me.
I told him to lower his head and whispered in his ear.
"The young lady said she wanted to get a gift for the head butler."
"...A gift for me?"
"Yes. She said she felt sorry for causing you so much worry and wanted to give you a gift. So she asked me to go without you knowing. It's a secret from the young lady that I told you this."
"Ahem, ahem! I never would have thought the young lady would think of such a thing..."
Ligrin, covering his mouth, took a step back.
But the slight glimpse of his profile...
'Is he smiling?'
And quite broadly.
It was an expression Ligrin would never make.
Just as I was thinking I must have been mistaken, Ligrin, with a cold expression again, said.
"As the young lady's teacher and servant, I can't ruin her plans. I'll pretend I didn't hear anything. Who is guarding the young lady's side right now?"
"The knights are guarding the front door, and the young lady finished her meal and took a nap. She said she wanted to sleep for a long time, so she'll probably sleep until dinner."
So don't bother going.
I implied subtly.
As if understanding the meaning, Ligrin nodded and said.
"How do you plan to travel?"
I recalled the route Marin had mentioned and replied.
"I was thinking of renting a stagecoach near the gate."
"Then it will take a long time to get there."
I heard it takes about an hour to walk there.
Ligrin stroked his chin and fell into thought.
After a while, he said.
"I'll have a carriage prepared for you. Take that and come back."
"Pardon?"
Suddenly?
Do they usually lend carriages to servants when they go out?
'I hadn't heard anything about that.'
"It's not for other business, but for the young lady's errand, and the young lady will be uncomfortable if you, her close maid, are away for too long."
Ligrin was more considerate of me than I thought.
It was an unexpected situation, but it was good for me.
I smiled brightly and nodded.
"Thank you."
"Then I'll have the carriage prepared right away. Wait here."
"Yes."
Ligrin turned around right away.
Just as he was about to move away.
"By the way."
He stopped abruptly.
In his eyes, slowly turning back to me, there was suspicion.
"You seem a little strange today."
"...Pardon? What..."
Could I have been found out?
Thump-thump. My heart beat anxiously.
Looking at me with sharp eyes, he muttered.
"Why do you look so much like the young lady today?"
"......!"
I flinched at the unexpected comment, but quickly hid my expression and replied.
"I guess I look that way because I've been with the young lady for so long."
"...Well, the young lady's loveliness spreads even to those around her."
Ugh, why is he like this!
Ligrin, making strange remarks with a serious face, made me uncomfortable.
I was uncomfortable, but if I were Marin in this situation...
"...That's right. The young lady is, lovely..."
Ugh!
I want to run away. I never thought the day would come when I would say these words with my own mouth.
Still, Ligrin, feeling that my efforts had paid off, completely erased the suspicious look and walked away with a satisfied face.
"Phew..."
My heart felt like it was shrinking rather than just pounding.
Still.
'I handled it well.'
I was secretly proud of myself for navigating this situation well.
I took a breath and stood in front of the entrance, waiting for the carriage.
Tap-tap.
Suddenly, I heard footsteps behind me.
Did Ligrin come back?
Without thinking, I turned around, and I stopped breathing.
'...The Duke.'
The owner of the footsteps was the Duke.
From a distance, he was walking, perhaps on his way somewhere.
Then, suddenly, he turned this way.
Our eyes met from a distance.
I blankly stared at him, then belatedly came to my senses and quickly lowered my head.
Thump-thump...
My heart beat with a different feeling than when I met Ligrin.
Much more anxious and a sense of crisis.
'...Surely he didn't recognize me?'
Ligrin didn't recognize me even when he was right in front of me.
There's no way the Duke would recognize me from that distance with just a brief eye contact.
But why, why am I so uneasy?
And...
'Why can't I hear footsteps?'
If he was moving away, I should be able to hear the sound of his footsteps getting fainter.
But from the moment our eyes met, everything became as quiet as a graveyard.
Then I realized.
'I mustn't look up.'
If our eyes meet again, then my identity will be exposed.
It was an instinctive realization.
How long did that silence, in which even the sound of breathing couldn't be heard, last?
Just as my heart was racing faster and faster, and even my breath was getting shallow.
"Are you the passenger the head butler mentioned?"
I abruptly raised my head at the voice suddenly heard from behind.
I stared blankly ahead.
The Duke...
'He's not here...'
The Duke was nowhere to be seen.
When did he disappear?
No, more than that.
'I guess I wasn't caught.'
If he had found out it was me, he wouldn't have just disappeared.
"Phew..."
I felt like my heart had sunk.
"Over here."
But there was no time to relax.
I immediately turned around and replied.
"Yes, that's me."
"Follow me."
Guided by the coachman, I got into the carriage.
The carriage was small and simple, enough for two or three people, but the quality was by no means inferior.
"We're departing."
With the coachman's announcement, the wheels of the carriage began to roll.
Looking at the scenery of the Duke's residence starting to move away, I could finally relax.
But that was only for a moment.
As the scenery of the bustling capital began to come into view, I tensed my shoulders.
The real start is from now on.
The Duke, walking through the hallway, suddenly stopped.
Turning around, he saw the back of a brown-haired maid getting into a carriage in the distance.
For some reason, the Duke couldn't take his eyes off that back.
That maid looked just like someone he knew.
Even though he knew it couldn't be.
"...Lord?"
His vassal, who was following him, called him with a puzzled face as he stood still.
Hearing that, the Duke walked back to his office.
At the same time, he thought.
'I need to check.'
"We have arrived."
The carriage, having entered the bustling street, stopped in front of the waiting area in the plaza.
It was a place where nobles had their carriages wait while they went out for outings or shopping.
"I'll be waiting here, so come when you're done with your business."
"Yes, thank you."
At first, I thought I was unlucky, but in the end, it was fortunate that I met Ligrin.
Thanks to him, the transportation became easier.
After saying goodbye to the coachman, I went to the center of the plaza.
Stopping for a moment and looking around, I couldn't help but exclaim.
Comments
Post a Comment