Chapter 43
“Just need to water the flowers, then I’ll be out, my lady.”
Early in the morning, Mary tiptoed into my room and tilted the watering can. Water trickled down with a soft sound.
If not for her voice, I probably could’ve kept sleeping.
I gave a sleepy “Mm,” and was about to roll over when—
“My lady… did you know the young lady has been staying at the training yard all day yesterday and today?”
At that, my eyes shot open.
So that’s why I hadn’t seen her—she’d been there the whole time?
Ever since Aaron came to live at the Cloud estate, Erica hadn’t come looking for me first anymore.
I guess it made sense… but still, why did I feel this way?
When I thought of the sweet Erica who used to follow me everywhere, I couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of defeat.
Did Aaron… steal her from me?
Yes, I had found her chatter exhausting at times, but she was still my adorable sister-in-law.
I sat up and rubbed my forehead. Sleep was gone.
“Oh, are you getting up already?” Mary asked.
“Yeah. I’m wide awake now.”
Because someone woke me up, I grumbled inwardly.
Mary helped me dress quickly—I needed to go see for myself. Erica being at the training yard so early in the morning was shocking enough.
I need to see this with my own eyes.
I hurried there, and sure enough, among the training knights, I saw Erica poking her head out.
And of course, her gaze was fixed on Aaron.
Hopeless.
She couldn’t even hide her expression.
Even when I crept up, she didn’t notice me—she was too focused on Aaron. Each time he shouted during training, she swallowed nervously.
I couldn’t stand it anymore.
“Young lady, don’t you have your own schedule to attend to?”
“Eek!”
Startled by my sudden voice, Erica fell backward onto her bottom.
Embarrassed at her own reaction, she scratched her head, then pouted and said gloomily:
“But… I can’t help it. I’m curious.”
I hadn’t meant to frighten her, but as her sister-in-law, I couldn’t help feeling hurt.
She used to trail after me everywhere—how could she change so suddenly, just like that?
Still, I had to think rationally.
Coming here every morning could actually be distracting for Aaron.
And not just Aaron—the other knights too. They clearly looked uneasy under Erica’s constant watching.
But if I scolded her too harshly, she’d probably resist.
I need to persuade her instead.
I softened my face and asked gently:
“Did you come yesterday too?”
“Yes! It’s surprisingly fun just to watch.”
She spoke excitedly. I put my arm around her shoulders, and she finally looked at me with those bright red eyes, blinking innocently.
“Coming every day isn’t good for Aaron either. Why don’t you look around elsewhere instead?”
Erica turned her head. Sure enough, the knights looked nervous under her gaze. She probably had even been cheering loudly at times, making them lose focus.
And of course, Aaron must have been uncomfortable too. After all, she was really here for him.
Some of the knights gestured subtly to Aaron, and soon Aaron scratched his head awkwardly and walked toward us.
“Wouldn’t it be better for everyone to focus on their own work?” I asked.
Erica stayed silent at first, lips pressed tight.
But when Aaron came closer, she straightened up, eyes sharp, and asked:
“Aaron, what do you think? About me coming here. Am I bothering you?”
She clearly wanted to hear him say no.
“I want to focus only on training during training time.”
Good. Aaron had sense.
He smiled easily as he answered, showing the same dignity I’d noticed before.
He added, after taking the water flask from her:
“Actually… when you’re watching me, I get distracted.”
Exactly.
I nodded in relief. He had said what I’d wanted to say myself. Surely Erica would understand now.
Aaron gave a short bow and walked away.
Now only Erica and I remained. She looked dazed, but I knew I had to settle this.
“What do you really want to do, young lady? I’d rather you spend time on something that truly matters to you.”
I meant it. She was young, but time passed quickly, and her future depended on what she chose now.
Erica couldn’t answer easily. Maybe because Aaron had just agreed with me.
“Young lady…?”
I nudged her, and her cheeks suddenly flared bright red.
“He really said that, right? That he can’t focus because of me?”
“…Well, yes.”
But why blush at that?
“I want some time alone to think, Sister-in-law.”
Why was it that my bad premonitions never turned out wrong?
Erica smiled boldly, then turned away.
She had clearly interpreted Aaron’s words in her own way.
At least she said she’d think about it… maybe that was something.
She went straight to her room to be alone, and I decided to find something useful to do.
I couldn’t just waste time while Martin was away. As the lady of the house, I should show some responsibility.
As I walked toward the kitchen, I noticed a small servant girl.
Have I seen her before?
Her short orange hair caught my attention.
With her tiny hands, she scrubbed the dishes hard, her face scrunched as if struggling with the grease.
But when her supervisor walked away, she suddenly stopped working and dropped the dish aside.
What’s this?
Maybe she was just tired… but now she was openly slacking off.
If someone caught her, she’d surely be punished.
I had to find out what was going on.
I gently tapped her shoulder.
“Child.”
“Yes?”
“What’s your name?”
She turned pale and stepped back nervously, aware of what she had just done.
The other servants were watching now.
I smiled warmly and asked a senior servant:
“May I borrow her for a bit?”
“Of course, my lady.”
The girl followed me with her hands stuffed into her pockets.
Once we were alone, I asked again:
“Now then, your name?”
“…Colin.”
“All right, Colin. Do you know why I called you?”
“….”
She couldn’t answer, but I pressed gently.
“I saw everything.”
“S-sorry! Please, punish me!”
“I’m not here to scold you.”
“But still…”
She shook her bright orange head, full of guilt.
“I just want to hear your story. There must be a reason.”
Surely she wasn’t a bad worker. Otherwise, she never would have been hired into the Cloud estate.
Colin hesitated, unsure if it was safe to tell me.
So I started with an easier question.
“How long have you worked here?”
“…Three years.”
Three years. Ah, yes. The saying goes—after three, six, or nine years, people often feel the slump of routine.
I’d worked jobs before—I knew the feeling.
If no one recognized your effort, it was hard to keep going.
Maybe Colin was in that exact stage now.
I held her small hands. They trembled, but eventually relaxed in my warmth.
She deserved comfort after all her effort. But I also knew there had to be another reason.
“My lady… I wasn’t always like this. Please believe me.”
“Go on, speak freely.”
She still couldn’t meet my eyes, but her expression softened as she began.
“For the first two years, I worked really hard. Even if it was the same tasks every day, I found joy in it. But then… I found out. A servant who started after me gets paid more than me.”
“….”
“Every time I thought about it, it felt so unfair. I work harder than she does.”
So that was it.
Colin must’ve been skilled, so she was called on for extra work all the time. But despite working harder, she was paid less.
Wasn’t it only fair that the hardest-working earned more?
I realized I’d never thought much about the servants’ wages before. It hadn’t been my role to manage.
Martin, always busy, likely hadn’t considered it either.
And Babel, though in charge, probably hadn’t been able to adjust the system easily.
“Come here, Colin.”
She shuffled closer, bowing her head, clearly ashamed for being so honest.
“I’m sorry I didn’t notice sooner.”
“…What?”
She looked up slowly, her innocent eyes trembling. She hadn’t expected that answer.
“Anyone would feel the same in your place. Even me.”
“….”
“But being able to admit it out loud—that’s rare and brave.”
I smiled gently and patted her short hair.
“I promise. I’ll make sure no one here feels that way again.”
And suddenly, I realized how strongly I felt Martin’s absence that day.
