Chapter 7
“Should I put these in the storage room?”
The man was diligent.
That was the problem.
“Y-Yes, if you could… th-thank you.”
Several days had passed since Ruben had begun staying at the Werner estate at Ritzhaian’s request, but Tilda was still afraid of him.
No matter how striking his appearance was, she couldn’t shake the feeling that he might suddenly change his attitude, pull out a gun again, and threaten someone’s life.
Yet contrary to her expectations, the problem was that he helped her too well.
“What are you looking for?”
“Ah, um… I had stacked some dry towels somewhere…”
In truth, Tilda had fully intended to manage the estate on her own without asking Ruben for anything.
“Those? I already organized them. I wasn’t sure where they belonged, so I left them on the table in the drawing room. If you tell me, I’ll remember for next time.”
“Ah… yes… the small square towels go in the drawer beneath the side table… and the larger ones go on the shelf over there…”
“Understood.”
But as if he understood her reluctance, he would quietly take care of whatever needed doing and then appear to ask questions like this.
Though she never wanted to admit it, after working alongside Ruben for several days, Tilda had been forced to acknowledge one thing.
He was so conveniently competent as a servant that it was impossible to dislike him or treat him coldly.
“R-Ruben… could I ask you a favor?”
And so she ended up breaking her vow not to rely on the frightening man.
“What is it?”
“There’s a tree in the yard… Whenever the wind blows, its branches keep scraping against the young lady’s study window on the second floor. Since the rain has stopped for a bit, I was hoping to trim it… if you don’t mind helping…”
Naturally, the request didn’t come easily. The farther she went, the more she stumbled over her words.
I shouldn’t have brought it up at all.
Just as regret began creeping in, Ruben answered in his usual flat tone.
“Can I use the saw in the storage room?”
“Huh? Y-Yes. I’ll go get it.”
“No. I’ll handle it. You should rest. I’ll call you when it’s done.”
Tilda was still afraid of him.
But perhaps…
Perhaps he was actually a decent person.
Just a little.
She decided to leave a tiny bit of room in her heart for that possibility.
* * *
“My lady, I brought some refreshments.”
The study at the far end of the second floor served as Ritzhaian’s office.
When Tilda carefully opened the door, she found Ritzhaian buried beneath mountains of paperwork. More precisely, all she could see was a cascade of golden hair sprawled across the desk.
Apparently, she had become exhausted while working and had collapsed forward for a brief rest.
Watching her master with concern, Tilda quietly placed tea and several madeleines at the edge of the desk.
“Thank you, Tilda. But what brings you here at this hour?”
Drawn by the sweet aroma of tea, Ritzhaian lifted her head from the desk.
“Ruben’s been helping with the work, so I finally had a little free time. Honestly, I was surprised. He even folds towels well.”
“Really? He must be working hard. It’s difficult to imagine someone like him folding towels.”
“I still can’t quite believe it myself. He’s still scary, though.”
Back then, Tilda had been so terrified that Ritzhaian had worried about her. Yet after several days of cleaning and maintaining the estate together, the two seemed to be getting along surprisingly well.
Tilda wasn’t openly fond of him yet, but anyone could see she had become much more comfortable around him.
To think he actually meant it when he said he’d serve as a servant…
Ritzhaian desperately wanted to see Ruben tending the estate herself.
Unfortunately, she didn’t have the luxury.
“Right now, I’d be grateful if even a ghost came to help me.”
Recently, she had been so busy that she often had to eat her meals in the study.
“Well… this is your busiest season, after all.”
“Exactly. And then it started raining. That only makes the condition of the fields worse.”
As the head of House Werner, it was natural for Ritzhaian to oversee everything related to the lives of her people—security, commerce, public facilities, and more.
Among all those responsibilities, however, agriculture was the most important.
Most of Bern consisted of wheat fields, and the people of the territory survived by leasing Werner land.
And early summer—the wheat harvest season—was the most critical time of year.
Just like now.
“Of all times, I never expected the Guild to contact me during this season. I want to leave immediately, but…”
The letter stored in her desk drawer felt like a constant source of pressure.
No matter how hard she tried to focus on work, thoughts of the Guild’s letter kept distracting her.
Her heart was already racing toward the Guild.
But she couldn’t simply abandon her people.
“You should at least rest a little. You haven’t been sleeping properly lately.”
“I’ll try. By the way, the merchant company said they’d send additional documents soon. Still no word?”
“No, my lady. I’ll let you know the moment they arrive.”
She was anxious, but anxiety wouldn’t change anything.
To catch her breath, Ritzhaian dropped three sugar cubes into her tea and took a long sip.
Then she picked up a madeleine.
“Sweet things really do help.”
“See?”
The sugary taste lingering on her tongue eased the headache caused by lack of sleep.
The work wasn’t going anywhere.
If she couldn’t finish it immediately, perhaps it was better to stop worrying.
And now she even had someone capable of protecting her.
Looking at it that way, things weren’t so bad.
THUD!
“AAAAAH!”
A strange impact echoed from outside, followed by a scream.
“What was that? Is someone out there?”
Startled, Ritzhaian nearly dropped her teacup.
Tilda immediately thought of only one person.
“Ruben should be trimming the tree in the yard.”
“Trimming branches? So he’s the one outside? Then that scream… don’t tell me…”
A terrible feeling settled over Ritzhaian.
Since neither Tilda nor Ruben had mentioned any problems recently, she’d thought his condition might be improving.
Had he suddenly collapsed again?
Or had a tree fallen on him?
All kinds of horrible possibilities flashed through her mind.
Tilda appeared to be thinking the same thing.
The two women rushed outside toward the yard.
“Ruben! Are you alright? Where are you?”
“Mr. Ruben!”
Yet the only thing standing before them was the same tree as ever, its branches still scraping against the second-floor study window.
Nothing had been cut.
Pale-faced, they looked around frantically.
“Ah, I was just about to call for you. Good timing.”
Ruben’s voice came from the complete opposite direction.
When they turned around, they saw him walking calmly toward them.
Perfectly unharmed.
A vicious-looking saw rested in one hand.
And in the other…
“Ruben…?”
He was dragging a man by the back of the neck.
“L-Let me go! What is wrong with you?! What did I do?!”
“Stay still. Unless you’d like to experience something unpleasant.”
Even though he was being held with one hand, the captive man couldn’t move at all.
His face was pale as he shouted desperately.
That didn’t last long.
The moment Ruben casually displayed the saw in his other hand, the man’s resistance evaporated.
“H-Hic… Wh-What is happening…?”
“Ruben… what exactly is going on?”
The captive’s body had gone completely limp.
He couldn’t even lift his head from the ground.
Meanwhile, Ruben looked down at him as if he were an annoying insect.
Ritzhaian and Tilda could only stare blankly between the two men.
“I caught him because he was suspiciously wandering around the estate. People loitering around a residence without reason rarely have good intentions.”
Ruben explained his actions calmly.
But no matter how suspicious someone looked…
Who captured people like that before asking questions?
And wasn’t it ridiculous for the most suspicious-looking person here to be judging someone else’s appearance?
For some reason, the supposedly suspicious man was starting to look pitiful.
“Ruben, w-wait a moment. Could that man possibly…?”
Something about the captive’s back looked familiar.
The flat cap.
The leather vest.
Most of all, his short, stocky build.
A dreadful feeling rose within her.
Then a desperate plea escaped the captive’s lips.
“Th-That voice… Lady Ritzhaian? Please save me, Lady Ritzhaian! Th-This man is trying to kill me!”
Ritzhaian’s eyes widened.
“H-Harrison?”
That voice was unmistakable.
Far from a suspicious stranger—
It belonged to someone she knew very well.
