Chapter 50
A strange atmosphere lingered in the air when Roy came dragging a new tray behind him.
“Good morning, everyone—huh? What’s wrong, Master? Your face looks weird.”
“……”
For some reason, to Khalid, Roy barging in so cluelessly looked just like a thoughtless brat.
He gestured toward his servant and stretched out his arm. As Roy came bouncing over, Khalid grabbed him by the back of the neck, tucked him under his arm, and buried his fingers deep into the boy’s messy hair, roughly tousling it.
“Ugh—ah!”
Roy straightened his back and squirmed for a bit, but soon went still, seeming to enjoy the attention.
While Khalid ruffled Roy’s hair, Dalia, who had just broken the seal on a letter from Aaron, looked back and asked with amusement,
“Are you bullying him?”
Roy and Khalid quickly shook their heads in unison.
Dalia chuckled at the sight of them looking like affectionate brothers and turned her attention back to the letter. As she read through Aaron’s long report from the capital, a smile slowly spread across her face.
“Looks like you’re reading something amusing.”
Khalid, who had been playing around with Roy, finally let him go and leaned over Dalia’s shoulder. She pointed at the section she was reading.
“It’s Aaron’s report. Though honestly, there’s so much small talk mixed in that it’s hard to tell whether this is a report or a diary.”
“Hmm. Is it good news?”
“Yes, for me at least. It might not mean much to you.”
Khalid smiled faintly at her expression, but murmured,
“I doubt Aaron has anything particularly good to report.”
“That’s what I thought too. But this is about someone I’m very happy to hear about.”
Beaming, Dalia handed him the letter. It was about Merie—someone she had read the lines about again and again in disbelief.
“Aaron says he’s decided to hire someone from my hometown!”
Khalid skimmed the letter but couldn’t tell which part of it was supposed to be good news. Especially since Elzenon, who had also come from her hometown, hadn’t left a very pleasant impression.
“You’ll have to explain why that’s good news.”
“The person Aaron’s hiring—this ‘Merie’—”
“Yeah?”
“She used to serve me before I came here.”
“Ah. So he’s hiring her.”
“What? You’ve heard of Merie before?”
Khalid shook his head.
“Not personally. But I did receive a report that Aaron was planning to recruit her.”
When Khalid explained what Aaron had told him about Merie, Dalia’s face brightened instantly.
“That’s right! Merie was one of the only people I could really open up to back in my hometown. Actually, when you once asked me who I’d prefer to serve under me, I thought of Merie.”
“Did you?”
“Yes. I said it’d be great if someone like her could come. But the candidate turned out to be some count’s daughter… and then Roy ended up being sent in her place.”
“Me?”
Roy, who normally didn’t care much about human talk, perked his ears up the moment his name came up.
“At the time, I didn’t understand why Aaron stopped me from choosing her. But after hearing your story yesterday, I get it now—he said the count’s daughter was of higher status than me.”
“Hmm…”
“Thinking about it, Aaron probably did the right thing. Who knows what would’ve happened otherwise.”
Khalid looked a little sheepish, but Dalia comforted him with a laugh.
“Anyway, I can’t imagine what it’ll be like when Roy and Merie meet.”
Two people who are both bundles of energy in the same space…
Would it get even noisier—or would they clash?
“Merie? Who’s that?”
“When we go to the capital, you’ll meet her. Aaron’s hired her. And…”
As Dalia explained about Merie, she smiled softly.
They’ll get along fine. They’re both good people, after all.
She realized soon enough, however, that Roy and Merie getting along wasn’t the problem.
“Miss!”
“Merie!”
Dalia ran down the spiral staircase and threw her arms around the familiar face.
It had only been a few months, but after everything they’d been through, it felt like they’d been apart for ages.
“Why did you come all the way here? I was going to visit you soon.”
“Oh, please. Once I heard the news, how could I just sit still? How have you been?”
Holding Dalia’s hands, Merie looked her up and down, spinning her lightly before declaring brightly,
“You look so much better than you did in the Bourvon estate! Escaping was totally worth it!”
Dalia burst out laughing at her friend’s confident, satisfied tone.
“And this place looks way better than that gloomy old castle! I don’t think I need to worry about you anymore, Miss!”
“Merie, you haven’t changed a bit.”
Dalia laughed aloud. Some might have called Merie rude, but Dalia had always loved her friend’s bold and unfiltered way of speaking—it was so disarming and refreshing.
“Yes, I’m doing well.”
Dalia mimicked Merie’s tone with a smile, and Merie grinned ear to ear in return.
From a distance, Khalid and Roy stood with arms crossed, watching the joyful reunion with stern faces.
An ordinary person wouldn’t have been able to hear their conversation from that far away, but with their sharp hearing, they caught every word.
Is she someone I can afford to let my guard down around?
Merie’s first impression was certainly better than that scruffy beggar Elzenon who’d come before. And more importantly, Dalia looked genuinely happy.
Aaron had apparently called Merie early under the pretext of helping with the estate’s work—likely to assess whether she was truly someone trustworthy before they went to the capital.
So not all humans from Bourvon are impolite and strange, Khalid thought.
Roy, however, still seemed wary. He didn’t like that this girl had once been Dalia’s personal maid before he’d ever met her.
But as far as Khalid was concerned, as long as the human didn’t harm Dalia and made her happy, she was welcome here.
Just as he relaxed and stepped forward to greet her, Merie suddenly blurted something that froze him in his tracks.
“I can’t believe it! Back then I was telling Miss she should hurry up and marry Lord Sirei! Not that he was such a bad match either—he’s still hung up on you, taking care of the viscount and all… Oh? And this gentleman is…?”
Merie stopped mid-sentence as she met the gaze of a dark-haired man glaring at her with a chilling expression.
“I heard from Aaron that you’re competent.”
“Huh? Oh! Yes, sir! You must be the master of the house!”
She greeted him energetically—and that was the final blow.
She had no idea she’d just stepped right on Khalid’s sore spot by casually mentioning that she once pushed Dalia to marry another man.
“I doubt I look old enough for you to be calling me ‘sir’… No, forget it. Just don’t call me that.”
“Then what should I call you? Lord Aaron told me not to ask anything until the master himself speaks. But since you’re the employer—and, um, Miss Dalia’s… partner, apparently—you’re quite the mystery.”
Merie tilted her head, eyes full of innocent curiosity, lips twitching with more questions.
“……”
Dalia grew anxious. The small girl looked so tiny compared to Khalid’s imposing figure that she feared he might swallow her whole in one bite.
“Alright, Merie! You can finish introductions later. Let me show you around first.”
“But, Miss—”
Merie tried to protest, but Dalia stopped her.
Even though Aaron had surely explained the general situation, the fact that Merie had so carelessly brought up Sirei meant there was no telling what else she might blurt out.
Merie doesn’t mean any harm, but she’s a little too cheerful for her own good.
Smiling awkwardly, Dalia grabbed her friend’s hand and led her toward the kitchen. Then she looked back at Khalid and mouthed silently, We’ll talk later.
Khalid, who had been about to speak, fell silent and nodded. Dalia smiled in relief and turned back to Merie.
“This way, Merie. Aren’t you hungry?”
“Ah, now that you mention it—I am, Miss!”
“Good. We just got fresh ingredients this morning. Let’s go see what we can make.”
Dalia did her best to ignore the heavy stare burning into her back as she led Merie away.
“What’s with that girl, acting so chummy with Lady Dalia? Don’t you think so, Master Khalid?”
Roy appeared at Khalid’s side, pouting with discontent.
He understood the situation—more or less—but he didn’t like how close Dalia and Merie obviously were.
It’s not fair. She knew Dalia long before I did.
Roy’s jealousy was starting to take a strange turn.
But Aaron, who would’ve defused the situation in an instant, was away in the capital—and Khalid, still irritated by what had just happened, had no patience to soothe Roy.
“How long is she staying?”
“……”
“Master?”
When Khalid didn’t answer, Roy’s expression filled with anxiety.
“I don’t know.”
No way…!
Roy’s face fell—and oddly enough, Khalid shared the same uneasy feeling.
“Let’s talk. Tonight.”
Dalia flinched at the sound of Khalid’s voice—so vivid it was as if he were right beside her.
Startled, she looked around the kitchen, but only she and Merie were there.
“…Just how far does your ability reach?” she muttered under her breath.
“Huh? What was that, Miss?”
His voice lingered like a whispering breeze against her ear, but Merie didn’t seem to hear a thing.
“Nothing,” Dalia said with a smile.
It was Khalid’s magic.
And truthfully—it was exactly what she wanted.
