5: A True Friend
“Here you go, My Lady.”
Lost in thought, I snapped back to reality at the servant’s voice. Lily received the basket of sandwiches from the servant. Once I confirmed Lily was safely hugging the basket to her chest, I turned and walked toward the door.
Then, letting out a small “Ah,” I turned only my head and gave a beautiful eye-smile to the servants who were staring at me with bewildered eyes.
“You were curious about who I am, weren’t you? I’m the Lady who was just served cold bread and soup by you all. Look at my hair and eyes. Do you think there’s anyone else with this appearance?”
With that, I left the kitchen with Lily, leaving the servants dumbfounded.
“Ugh…”
Lily, walking behind me, made a strange noise. Thinking she might be hurt, I stopped for a moment and asked with a worried voice.
“Lily?”
“My Lady!”
“Uh, uh?”
When Lily met my eyes, she burst into a bright, cheerful smile. She then trembled slightly, clenching her fists tightly. Having no idea why she was acting this way, I just blinked in confusion and replied.
Lily held one clenched fist straight up. I flinched in surprise.
“I feel so relieved!”
“Huh?”
“Everyone looked so flustered! My Lady just put on makeup, and they were all nervous! I didn’t do anything, but just seeing how others treat you now makes me feel so happy!”
Seeing Lily so excited, I paused, then smiled faintly and stroked her hair.
“You feel great?”
“Yes!”
“Right, I see.”
“…My Lady?”
Lily looked at me with a questioning gaze. I let out a low sound and looked outside.
“I feel a little strange, you know? I feel great too. But I also wonder if it would have hurt them to treat me like this from the start?”
“Ah…”
“But for now, should we enjoy our victory and go for a walk? And eat our sandwiches!”
“That sounds wonderful!”
Lily’s eyebrows, which had briefly drooped, lifted energetically again. I left the mansion with Lily and headed out into the bright sunshine.
The weather was incredibly pleasant. A gentle breeze blew, and the warm sunshine filled the world without feeling sticky or humid. It was the kind of spring weather you get briefly in April. Weather like this always made me want to go on a picnic. But I was always heading to the shop. Not anymore!
I stretched thoroughly and walked along the path. Because this was the Count’s estate, there weren’t as many walking paths as I expected. I didn’t feel like I was going to get lost. The path was short enough that I could memorize it after a couple of walks.
As I walked, I found a large tree. It cast a big shadow, and I thought it would be the perfect spot to settle down. Conveniently, there was a bench under the tree! I stood in front of the tree and looked up.
“Lily, how about here? Should we eat our sandwiches here?”
Lily nodded at my question and looked around.
“It’s lovely! Just a moment, the table…”
“Table? Why a table?”
“Ah, because we shouldn’t spill! Also, if there’s no table, My Lady might have to bend down.”
“Uh, huh?”
I watched Lily search for a table, a question mark floating in my mind. Then I tilted my head.
“Why bother? We don’t really need one. Plus, we should find another seat. There’s nowhere for you to sit.”
“My Lady…!”
At my reply, Lily looked at me with a touched expression. I had no idea why she was so moved.
“To worry about a maid like me before yourself, My Lady! I don’t need to sit. In fact, I’d be scolded if I did.”
“No, I just feel uncomfortable if I’m the only one sitting. And people are allowed to sit for a while. This is a break time, right? Oh, wait, am I working if you’re with me? Do you want to go take a break somewhere?”
“What? No! It’s fine! I want to stay by My Lady’s side.”
“Really? I still wish you would sit down. Like a picnic… Ah, Lily.”
“Yes, My Lady.”
“Do we have a big cloth or something? Something we can spread out and sit on.”
“A big cloth? I think we might have one.”
“Really? Then could you go get one?”
“But why a cloth?”
I looked at Lily, then plumped down onto the ground, ignoring the bench.
“Aaaaah!”
“I just wanted to sit… she left.”
Lily screamed in alarm, as if I had sat on a bed of thorns, and ran back toward the mansion. Wondering why she was so shocked, I blinked and looked up at the sky. It was clear, blue, and a relief to look at.
Lost in thought, I remembered my former world. I didn’t particularly miss it, but there was one regret. If I had known this would happen, I would have bought so much stuff! Well, I probably couldn’t have bought a lot even if I knew this would happen. I didn’t know what the future held; maybe I would have had to keep living there. In that case, I’d have to navigate that tough society completely broke.
I let out a deep sigh and met the eyes of a man with orange hair who appeared in front of me.
“…”
“…”
“Hey! Who are you!”
“Who are you, My Lady!”
The man with curly orange hair and blue eyes was startled by my voice. He was squatting, then fell backward on his own. He looked about the same age as my brother, but who was he? The man narrowed his brows and stared at me. I broke out in a slight cold sweat.
“Lia?”
“Lia?”
“You, you’re not Celia?”
“How did you recognize me?”
“What, you’re really Celia?”
The man looked at me with a confused expression. Then, realizing I was indeed Celia, he jaw dropped, approached me, and started looking me over. What am I, a puppy? But seriously, how did he recognize me? Everyone else was fooled!
As I was feeling overwhelmed by the man’s words and actions, a familiar voice called out from far away.
“My Ladyyyyyyy!”
Lily! I jumped up and walked toward Lily. My savior! My lifeline!
When I approached, Lily saw the man behind me and blocked his path as if to guard me.
“Please leave, Young Count!”
“I just got here!”
“You startled My Lady!”
“No, I was just…”
“Please leave!”
“Do you know how stunned I was when you suddenly disappeared from the ball yesterday? Do you know how it felt to be left alone in the ballroom?”
“Uh, um, sorry?”
The man tightly clenched one fist and squeezed his eyes shut, making me feel sorry for him, so I apologized. Lily looked between me and the man. Still, she kept her eyes sharp and blocked the man’s path.
“Our My Lady has lost her memory, so this behavior is inconsiderate!”
“What? Lia, you don’t remember me?”
The man, as if finding it unbelievable, approached me despite Lily blocking him. He pointed his index finger at himself.
“How could you? You were always sticking to me! It’s me, Felix!”
“Felix?”
When I murmured the name in confusion, Lily quickly whispered.
“He is the Young Count of the Guardrid family. He has been friends with My Lady since they were young. He was your partner at the ball yesterday.”
Felix Guardrid? It sounds familiar, but maybe not. Was that name in the novel? Is he an extra, too?
When I tilted my head and stared at Felix, he looked at me with an expression that said, Don’t lie.
“You really don’t know? Truly, truly? Wait, now that I think about it, Lia wouldn’t answer so well. Who are you? Losing your memory wouldn’t change your personality!”
Felix, why are you so sharp? Don’t worry about that!
I parted my lips to speak. Then, I took a deep breath and looked at Lily.
“It’s true I lost my memory. It seems like we have a lot to talk about, so let’s sit and chat. Lily, could you spread that cloth on the ground here?”
Lily met my gaze, quickly nodded, and started unfolding the cloth she was holding. While she did that, I turned my attention to Felix.
“I won’t share my sandwich, so if you, Sir Felix, want to eat, please go get your own food. I can’t send Lily away because she needs to be with me.”
Felix looked stunned for a moment, then began to walk away.
He’s actually leaving. Did he come here to eat too?
That thought lasted only a moment, because as soon as Lily announced she was finished, I smiled and stroked her hair.
Felix returned surprisingly quickly. And he had a basket full of warm food of all kinds.
The sight made me feel a little indignant, but I didn’t say anything. After all, we had only asked for sandwiches. I sat on the cloth Lily had spread out, glanced at Felix, and then looked down at my basket. Felix didn’t seem to mind my presence; he trudged over to us. He sat down on the cloth next to Lily and started taking food out of his basket.
I ignored his implied boasting and took a sandwich out of the basket Lily was holding. The sandwich looked quite appetizing. Was this finally my emotional first meal?
I opened my mouth and took a bite of the sandwich. The crispness meant they used fresh vegetables. The meat I tasted occasionally didn’t seem spoiled either. It was such a simple thing, but I felt tears welling up. Perhaps because of all the emotions I had expended, this sandwich tasted better than any I’d ever had from a professional shop.
As I happily ate my sandwich, I met Felix’s eyes. Felix was chewing on a plain piece of bread and staring at me.
“What? Do you have something to say?”
“Ah, um. Yes. I do. A lot. But first, drop the formal language. It makes me feel like I have to use it too.”
“Understood.”
“Wow, you did it immediately. Okay, that’s less awkward now. Don’t just eat the sandwich; eat some of the stuff I brought, too. You probably ate something weird for lunch again, didn’t you?”
My eyes widened at Felix’s words. Eat? His food? Was Felix my second lifeline?
I hesitated, then took the spoon Felix offered and had a mouthful of the warm soup. It was truly delicious. Are these people really such good cooks?
My admiration was short-lived as Felix swallowed his bread and spoke.
“We need to answer each other’s questions. I’ll ask first, okay? Did something really happen to you?”
