“I got scolded by the butler, so I’m in a really bad mood right now. You’d better stay quiet.”
“T-Todd!”
“What? You’re the perfect punching bag for venting my anger, aren’t you? You piece of trash!”
Thud, thud. The sounds of punches and kicks followed.
‘What’s going on?’
I quietly approached the source of the commotion and hid behind a tree to observe.
A freckled man was kicking a brown-haired boy over and over, while beside them, a piece of bread rolled across the dirt.
It wasn’t an ordinary fight—it was a one-sided beating.
I frowned.
A servant daring to behave like this inside the mansion? Such a thing could never have happened when my parents were here.
‘…Wait, that boy?’
Then I realized that the brown-haired boy being beaten was familiar.
He was the one who had reached out a hand to me when I was lying on the lawn yesterday.
If I didn’t know him, maybe I could’ve ignored it—but now that I did, I couldn’t just walk away.
‘The freckled man’s name was Todd, right?’
Deliberately making my footsteps loud, I walked out toward them.
“Hey, Todd? I think the butler was looking for you just now.”
“What?”
It was a lie, but apparently an effective one. The man flinched and immediately stepped back from the brown-haired boy.
“The butler never leaves me alone. Trash, consider yourself lucky. And you!”
Todd stomped toward me, huffing, then raised his palm threateningly.
“A mere Nelia dares to speak to me first?”
How ridiculous. His cowardice, picking only on those weaker than himself, was almost laughable.
But I didn’t want to waste time arguing with such a man, so I deliberately pretended to cower.
“You’d better watch yourself.”
Todd shoved my shoulder roughly and stomped off toward the main mansion.
I clicked my tongue as I watched his retreating back in disgust.
“…But are you okay?”
I turned my head to check on the boy, who must have gotten hurt.
The brown-haired boy had already gotten to his feet and was picking up the piece of bread that had fallen to the ground.
Judging by how indifferent he seemed despite being beaten, this clearly wasn’t the first time something like this had happened.
“I-I’m fine. Thank you.”
Before I knew it, the boy had brushed the dirt off the bread and was bringing it to his mouth. I hurriedly stopped him.
“Wait! You’re not really going to eat that, are you?”
“Yes…”
“It fell on the ground!”
“I can still eat it.”
Why bother? He could just go back to the servants’ dining hall and get a fresh piece.
That was what I thought for a moment, but soon I realized why he hadn’t done so.
If he went back, he might run into Todd again and get beaten.
Picking up the dropped bread was, for him, the safer choice.
Feeling pity, I tore my own bread in half.
“Here. Throw that away and eat this instead.”
“B-but…”
When I offered him the half I hadn’t bitten from, the boy hesitated, then took it.
“…Thank you.”
“It’s nothing. But your name isn’t really ‘Trash’ is it?”
I frowned again. How could anyone call a person by such a degrading name?
The boy didn’t answer.
But as he stood there silently, head lowered, I couldn’t bring myself to just leave.
‘Maybe I’ll stay a bit longer.’
It wasn’t like I had to meet Dave right this moment anyway.
So I decided to sit down beside the boy.
“Let’s eat together.”
Under the thick shade of the trees, the quiet was filled only with the sound of two people chewing bread.
As I swallowed the tasteless crumbs, I glanced sideways at the boy.
My gaze lingered on his golden eyes. Where had I seen them before?
Had there been a servant like him in my world’s mansion too? That thought crossed my mind, and after a long silence, the boy finally spoke.
“They call me Trash… Everyone does.”
“So that means you have a real name, then.”
“…”
“I’m Nelia. Can I ask what your name is?”
But the boy only chewed in silence again, giving no reply this time either.
Had I asked something inappropriate? I didn’t press him further.
After a while—not a short one—I brushed the crumbs off my clothes and stood up.
“All done. Thanks for eating with me. It gets lonely eating alone.”
“I-I’m grateful too…!”
I waved to him and started walking away.
If I stayed here long enough, I’d probably run into him again a few more times.
I didn’t look back, but I could still feel the boy’s gaze on my back until I completely left the garden.
***
Dave Chester and I had been bound by a betrothal arranged before birth.
It was a political engagement meant to strengthen the friendly relationship between House Valentis and House Chester, but I personally had no objections to it.
Dave was courteous and kind to everyone.
He was also the sort of person who, alongside my father, Count Valentis, took part in charitable relief work for impoverished commoners.
It would have been harder not to like someone like him.
Though our relationship couldn’t continue because of my illness, if we had ever married, I was certain we would have made good partners.
“Don’t ever bring up breaking the engagement again. Let me stay by your side as your fiancé until the end.”
When I had been confined to bed, unable to move my arms or legs, Dave had said those words to me.
I had felt so guilty, so grateful, and deeply moved.
The thought of being able to see his face again made me honestly happy.
In this world, Nelia bore the stigma of being an illegitimate child, so it was only natural that the two of them had broken off their engagement.
But when we were eight, Dave and I had already been the closest of friends.
If he still remembered our past bond, I was sure he would listen to me and offer his help. Dave was that kind of good person.
With that conviction, I kept walking—and before I knew it, I had arrived before House Chester’s mansion.
I lifted my head and gazed at the blue-brick estate beyond the walls.
In my own world, I had visited this place countless times for over a decade.
Seeing such a familiar place again filled me with a rush of nostalgia.
‘But if I stand here too long, the guard might think I’m suspicious.’
Sure enough, the gatekeeper was already glancing my way with wary eyes.
‘Once, this was a place that would open its gates wide just at the sight of my face.’
But now, I was no longer the Young Lady of House Valentis. Today, the Chester mansion’s gate looked particularly unyielding.
Pretending to simply pass by, I walked casually on and slipped behind a corner of the estate, out of the gatekeeper’s line of sight.
As a commoner maid, there was no legitimate way for me to enter a noble’s estate.
If I tried asking to be let in, I would surely be seized and thrown out by Chester’s knights or guards.
So, I decided to wait for Dave to come through the gate.
Rather than going through a servant or a knight, I would approach him directly.
The problem was that I had no idea when he would appear.
No matter how boring it got, I would just have to wait indefinitely.
Still, there was no other option, so I accepted it without complaint.
I stood there, crouched down now and then, idly passing the time.
Then, I heard the sound of a carriage stopping beyond the corner. I peeked my face toward the gate.
“Young Master Dave, you’ve returned!”
From the carriage emerged a young nobleman.
His neat, dignified bearing was unmistakable—the very same man I had seen hundreds of times before.
‘Dave is finally here!’
I didn’t even have time to feel joy. I had to stop him before he went inside the mansion.
I quickly moved and ran toward him.
“Dave!”
With a desperate heart, I called his name louder than ever before.
He stopped walking and turned his head. With that movement, Dave’s green hair swayed slightly.
And then, our eyes met—those familiar eyes I had seen for so many years.
“…Nelia?”
After a brief silence, my name came out of Dave’s mouth.
Of course—there was no way Dave wouldn’t remember me!
I wanted to cheer out loud from happiness, but I held it in and showed a faint smile instead.
“Sorry for showing up so suddenly.”
The gatekeeper and guards at the mansion hardened their expressions, wary of me.
They looked as if they wanted to throw out the uninvited guest in a maid’s uniform at any moment.
But since the heir of the House, Dave himself, had acknowledged me, they couldn’t act rashly.
As expected, coming directly to Dave was the right choice. Satisfied with my decision, I slowly walked toward him.
“Thanks for recognizing me even after all this time.”
“…There aren’t many people with pink eyes.”
“Still, thank you. Have you been well?”
He only nodded silently, his expression not one of happiness but of mild surprise.
An awkward silence lingered between us.
I gave an uneasy smile.
I hadn’t expected him to welcome me with open arms, but I thought he’d at least be a little glad to see me.
Then again, from his perspective, a former fiancée he hadn’t seen or spoken to in years had suddenly appeared—no wonder he found it strange.
‘Is there some way to lighten the mood?’
I couldn’t just blurt out a request right away in this kind of atmosphere.
Turning my head, searching for a natural way to start a conversation, my eyes caught on the small sapphire brooch pinned to Dave’s shirt collar.
‘That is…!’
That was the gemstone passed down to each successor of House Chester!
A small, triumphant smile crossed my lips. Perfect—this was something I could use.
Bringing up shared memories to ease tension and restore a sense of closeness was always a good strategy.
“I’m glad to hear you’ve been well! And that sapphire brooch—it’s been a long time since I last saw it.”
“Brooch?”
“The one on your collar. You remember it, right? When we were little, we used to play with it like a toy and almost lost it once.”
“Right, that did happen…”
Apparently, mentioning our childhood memory had worked. A faint smile appeared on Dave’s lips.
And seeing that, I couldn’t help but smile brightly too.
“I remember it too. But what brings you here?”
“There’s something I need to ask of you.”
