CHAPTER 74……………………………………..
“Uh… yes.”
Irenes nodded, seemingly overwhelmed by the employee’s energy.
Then she glanced at Laseil, perhaps checking if she had upset him.
“It’s okay.”
“Then… I’ll have the Lovers’ Set…”
Only after the difficult order was completed did they finally have a moment to talk.
‘Should I ask right away?’
Laseil hesitated briefly but decided not to overthink it and asked directly.
“I have something I want to ask.”
“Huh? Sure, go ahead.”
Irenes replied, slightly flustered. Laseil carefully formed the question in her mind before finally speaking.
“Do you like me?”
“Me? Uh… do you mean… in a romantic sense?”
Irenes blinked. From that reaction alone, Laseil could already guess the answer.
It was the kind of expression that said she had never been asked such a misunderstanding before.
“She’s a good friend, but I’ve never thought of her that way.”
“…….”
Strangely, hearing that was a relief. At the same time, it gave her the courage to ask further.
“…Then, perhaps, is there someone you like…”
“What I like is…”
“The food you ordered is ready!”
Just as the conversation was about to continue, the employee called out cheerfully.
Plates were set down, each with fragrant tea and beautifully arranged desserts.
“Enjoy your meal!”
“Thank you…”
The conversation paused. Laseil could only take a sip of tea before finding another opportunity to ask.
“Um, do you have someone you like…”
“Yes, so…”
Bang!
One of the nearby chairs fell over with a loud crash. Once again, the conversation was cut off before she could hear the answer.
“Sorry! I’ll clean it up right away!”
The employee rushed over and set the chair upright. Laseil began to doubt whether they could continue the conversation properly.
“Uh, Iren. I mean…”
“What I like is…”
Clang!
The sound of a plate breaking came from the kitchen. Again, Laseil didn’t get to hear Irenes’ answer.
‘…Maybe I shouldn’t ask.’
Laseil thought. Saying anything more might just result in breaking more things in the shop.
‘I’ll have another chance to ask later anyway.’
At least for now, it didn’t seem like the right time to ask. Irenes seemed to feel the same way by her expression.
“…Would you like some sugar?”
Irenes asked awkwardly. Laseil nodded, also unable to hide her own awkwardness. Yet another question formed in her mind.
‘Would it be okay to ask why she called me here today?’
Irenes rarely made the first move in setting up meetings. Usually, they either ran into each other by chance, sent a partner request, or she’d treat someone to a meal as thanks.
“Is something going on?”
This time, nothing was broken around them. It seemed safe to ask.
“Huh?”
“Since you don’t usually request meetings first… I was curious.”
“…Yeah, that’s true.”
Irenes shook her head quickly, as if regretting something.
“Nothing happened. I just… wanted to spend time with Ella. That’s all.”
“…….”
Laseil briefly doubted her ears. She almost misinterpreted the sentence as having another meaning.
‘Lady Sieren always… says things that could be easily misunderstood.’
It must have caused misunderstandings for quite a few people.
“…Anyway, thank you for the gift. It wrote really smoothly.”
Feeling embarrassed, Laseil quickly changed the subject. She wanted to escape this awkward atmosphere as fast as possible.
“It’s the first time I’ve used such a good pen.”
It wasn’t flattery—it was true. The pen glided over the paper perfectly. She even filled an entire page of her diary.
“Really? That’s good to hear!”
Irenes smiled brightly.
“If Ella writes well with it, nothing could be better.”
‘Ah, again…’
The atmosphere grew strange again. Laseil wondered if it was intentional. Before she could overthink, Irenes spoke.
“But Ella.”
“Huh?”
“Why don’t you use my nickname much?”
“Nickname?”
It wasn’t intentional, but thinking about it, she realized it was true. Saying it out loud just felt… strange. In her head, she still thought of using “Lady Sieren.”
“Huh? I’m calling you Ella.”
Irenes looked a little hurt. Her violet eyes glistened slightly. Seeing that, it was almost impossible to hold back.
“…Iren.”
Laseil spoke with effort. Saying it out loud felt much more awkward than thinking it. Even though she had said it once before.
“Yes, I’m here!”
Irenes smiled brightly and continued.
“Could you call me that one more time?”
“Yes, Iren.”
“One more time!”
“How many times should I call it?”
“Until it feels natural?”
After repeating it a few times, the name “Iren” finally felt natural. Writing it in a letter had been easy, but saying it aloud was surprisingly difficult.
Finally satisfied, Irenes murmured,
“I feel a little closer now.”
Seeing her like that sparked a playful thought.
“Were we not close until now?”
“No! Of course we were, but… a little more…”
Watching Irenes babble, Laseil chuckled softly. Irenes realized it was a joke and laughed as well.
‘Feels like my mind’s cleared for the first time in a while.’
Laseil thought as she finally stopped laughing. She had been caught up in various incidents recently and even attended social events that didn’t suit her. This made her truly feel like she had returned to a place where she could rest.
[November 5]
It’s been almost half a year since arriving at the estate.
In another half year, it will likely return to the duke.
I’m not sure if the lady’s work skills have improved.
Her ability to handle ghost-related matters has definitely improved, though.
These days, making strange rules seems to be in fashion in the estate.
After the jeweler and the restaurant, now it’s the pawnshop.
I don’t know how long the rules regarding handling items are.
It must be exhausting to make all of these rules.
Anyway, it seems everyone’s doing well, so that’s a relief.
Asking Elrut, he said he never made such rules.
He mentioned that the strange incidents at the pawnshop seemed to be the cause.
It seems things will get busy again for a while.
Laseil entered the pawnshop, looking around.
It didn’t seem much different from before.
“Oh, you came quickly?”
Elrut didn’t seem anxious, despite the paranormal occurrences.
“Ah, don’t touch that. It’s cursed.”
As soon as Laseil tried to inspect the item, he said this.
“Cursed?”
Well, it did look like something that could be cursed.
A necklace and earring set made of black gemstones.
Accessories one might wear only to a funeral.
“What happens?”
“Nothing serious. Just some nightmares.”
That seemed manageable. Strange items like this often came to the pawnshop.
Still, Elrut must have had a reason for calling Laseil.
“What about the other items?”
“Why are you so perceptive? …It’s the content of the nightmares that’s the problem.”
Elrut sighed deeply before explaining.
“She had a dream summoning a demon.”
He spoke as if recounting someone else’s experience.
“Who had this dream?”
“Risena. She wanted to test what would happen.”
“Why would you give that to Risena!”
He probably put the necklace on her without any explanation.
Risena must have been confused, then immediately had a nightmare.
There was no keeping up with these sisters’ ways of thinking.
