Chapter 26

“Aisha. See you at dinner. Don’t forget—six thirty!”

Having gotten my permission, Lucas left the still-chaotic infirmary with a bright grin.

And then, for a moment—silence.

“Looks like you’ve already become a family with Lucas.”

The mister broke the uncomfortable silence with a crooked smile.

That mister is sulking!

I could tell.

He was pretending otherwise, but his eyebrows were raised about ten degrees higher than usual.

Emergency. Emergency!

I stared blankly into the air as I assessed the situation, then suddenly had a brilliant idea and smacked my fist into my palm.

“Th-this is the harm of rote education!”

“What?”

“I kept hearing ‘older brother, older brother’ from Lucas all day, so it just slipped out without me realizing!”

“Is that so?”

The mister took a piece of chocolate out of his pocket, slowly unwrapped it, and placed it in my mouth as he muttered,

“...Then I wonder if the word ‘father’ might be possible too.”

“Huh?”

Unfortunately, I missed what he said because I was too busy savoring the sweetness of chocolate for the first time in a while.

“It’s nothing.”

Calypse let out a small laugh, shook his head as if it were nothing, and wiped the corner of my mouth with a handkerchief.

...Wow. That’s strange.

His expression was clearly indifferent. Yet the way he looked at me felt affectionate.

Munch, munch—

Maybe that was why the chocolate tasted even sweeter. Feeling good, I absentmindedly wiggled my toes.

“Aisha.”

“Yes?”

The mister, who had been watching me quietly, spoke carefully.

“There’s something else you didn’t tell me, besides the way you address people.”

“Hm?”

“Lucas being kidnapped by the circus. Why didn’t you tell me?”

Tap.

My dancing toes stopped.

It was a simple question without elaboration, but with that one sentence, the pressure and loneliness I had felt right before going to the circus came crashing back like a wave.

My body stiffened.

Perhaps he noticed.

“I’m not scolding you.”

His low voice was firm. Then he leaned forward and began unwrapping another piece of chocolate.

“I’m worried. So can you answer me?”

He brought the chocolate to my lips again.

I opened my mouth out of reflex, but I could not think of what to say.

Because I was afraid of losing his trust?

When he was looking at me with such obvious affection?

Saying something like that would probably hurt him.

Then... because I thought if I failed once, he wouldn’t trust me a second time?

If I said that, I would have to bring up our contract again—and I did not want to make him think of the missing young lady of the main line again.

Hmm.

As my hesitation dragged on, a short sigh slipped out from across from me.

“Little one. You’re scheming again, aren’t you.”

Flinch.

Just as I, now even more troubled, was about to open my mouth—

“I believe I can answer that.”

“?”

“......?”

A familiar voice echoed from somewhere.

Startled, both Calypse and I looked around.

Pop—!

The flowerpot in the corner of the room suddenly rose upward.

No—more precisely—

“My apologies, young lady.”

A man wearing a plant headband rose up from the soil.

“Would you grant me time to apologize?”

It was Knox, the aide of the Kreutz family.

***

At that same time, in the quarters of the head maid.

“My eyes are getting tired trying to knit at this age.”

Mai gently massaged her weary eyes with her fingers and unfolded the finished scarf.

Compared to the items in city salons, it was an ordinary scarf, but the careful stitching and the small wolf embroidery in the center gave it quite a refined feel.

She was wrapping the scarf in a blue box that matched its color when—

Knock, knock.

“Head maid. Knox is calling for you.”

The servant nodded as if everything was ready.

So the time has finally come.

“I see. I’ll go now.”

With a pounding heart, Mai picked up the box and stepped into the corridor.

The place she arrived at was the infirmary—where Lady Aisha was staying.

“......”

Standing before the closed door, Mai let out a slow breath and made up her mind before knocking.

Knock, knock.

“This is Mai. I will come in.”

Inside the infirmary, it was crowded with people welcoming the young lady who had come back to life.

***

And so, now.

Knox and Mai were kneeling sincerely in front of me as I sat on the bed.

This is so uncomfortable I could die. What kind of situation is this?!

My eyes spun around, not knowing where to look.

At first, startled, I flailed and tried to stop the two adults.

“Why are you kneeling! Please get up! Especially you, head maid Mai—you’re at the age where your joints will get worse!”

But the mister, who had noticed something odd, grabbed both my flailing hands.

“Leave them. They said they have something to say to you, the young lady.”

People beneath me. People beneath me?!

Strictly speaking, it was correct—but the mister had never treated Mai and Knox that way before.

And so, I sat there with my eyes lifted, trying as hard as possible not to look down at the two kneeling adults.

“So.”

“......”

“What is it you want to explain?”

Calypse spoke first.

At his slightly sharp low tone, Mai’s shoulders flinched, while Knox slowly raised his gaze.

His teal eyes were fixed not on the mister, but on me.

“Even when we could not find the young lady, I maintained the disgraceful suspicion that Lady Aisha had deliberately approached the ducal estate.”

I already knew that. Knox had been especially blatant in disliking me.

“However, through this incident with the young lord, I realized how careless I had been.”

“......”

“If I had trusted and believed in the young lady, then the young lady would have told me about Young Lord Lucas. At that time, His Grace was away on monster subjugation.”

Knox paused briefly, then asked carefully.

“Young lady. That strange report you were writing in the bedroom—did you write it on purpose so that I would go to the circus?”

At that question, the duke mister’s gaze also shifted to me. It was something Calypse had been curious about as well.

Why am I getting nervous over this?

I fidgeted with my round fingers and nodded.

“...Yes.”

Then—

“I thought as much.”

“Haa.”

“......”

Knox nodded, Calypse frowned slightly as if annoyed, and Mai lowered her head like a sinner.

“Because of my mistaken judgment, the young lady was gravely injured. I will accept any punishment you give.”

It was a calm apology, but sincere.

“By the way, young lady?”

“Yes?”

“Since you found Young Lord Lucas, do you also know where the eldest young lord is?”

It seemed Knox now believed my words. The fact that he was even asking such a question proved it.

At Knox’s question, all eyes turned toward me.

“Um... that...”

I fidgeted with my fingers.

“You won’t be able to find the eldest young lord.”

“Why not?”

“...I don’t really know either. Hehe.”

I brushed it off like that, but I did know where the eldest young lord was.

But—

“Young lady.”

At that moment, Mai, who had been glancing nervously, spoke.

“I, too, will accept any punishment.”

“Why would you—”

Calypse looked puzzled, but Mai continued firmly.

“Before, the young lady asked me something. Whether His Grace might find the young lady untrustworthy.”

“What? Who finds whom untrust—”

“Mister.”

Calypse’s eyes widened. But I tugged at his sleeve, cutting him off.

“I remember the answer I gave to the young lady.”

“......”

“His Grace may have adopted you out of pity, but he likely does not trust you. Because you were the one who lied first.”

“What? Mai, what on earth did you say to this tiny—”

“Misterrr.”

I tugged at his sleeve again.

“...Ha, honestly.”

Calypse glanced between me and Mai, then let out a hollow laugh and slowly ran a hand down his face.

Mai’s hands, folded on her knees, were gradually turning pale.

“It was something I said in anger, but I regretted those words again and again. Especially when I heard that the young lady died trying to save Young Lord Lucas...”

Mai paused, swallowing hard.

“My heart sank.”

With Mai’s confession, the atmosphere in the infirmary grew heavy.

The two of them remained kneeling, waiting for my answer.

More precisely, they were waiting for the punishment I would give.

At that moment—

“I’ll take the child for a moment.”

The mister, who had been hiding his complicated expression, quietly lifted me into his arms.

Huh? Knox and Mai are kneeling like that, and we’re leaving?

“Why?”

“Let’s step out for a moment and talk.”

When I whispered into his ear with wide eyes, a firm answer came back.