Chapter 52
Dahlia, having come to the kitchen, first made sure that Mary—who had traveled such a long way—ate something nourishing to regain her strength. Once Mary’s spirits seemed to lift, Dahlia rose from her seat.
“Well then, we can talk about the rest slowly later. Let me introduce you to the other person living here. Since I arrived, the one you saw earlier has been helping me…”
“Oh, that kid?”
“Kid? That’s quite a word to use for someone that tall.”
When Dahlia tilted her head in confusion, Mary quickly retorted.
“He’s just big for his age. Still a kid inside, right?”
“Hm? How did you know?”
To Dahlia, Mary still looked small and adorable. But Mary had toughened up, rolling through her duties as a maid. Dahlia gave her a look full of pride, and Mary puffed up her chest.
“You can just tell! He’s practically oozing that awkward teenage energy.”
“Wow… sharp eyes.”
She’d only seen him for a moment, and yet—Dahlia remembered her first impression of Roy, how she had even mistaken his back for Khalid’s at first glance.
“He’s really tall, but we had a few boys like that back in our territory too.”
“Yes, we did.”
“I’ll get along with him so you won’t have to worry, my lady.”
Seeing Mary’s lively, confident smile return, Dahlia nodded in relief.
“Good. He’s someone who’s so capable that I barely notice any inconvenience at all. And since you’re both very dear to me, it would make me happy if you got along well.”
At those words, Mary—who had just brushed the crumbs from her lap and was about to stand—paused for a moment.
‘What was that just now?’
But before Dahlia could notice, Mary raised her head and smiled brightly.
“Of course, my lady. You can count on Mary.”
“Is this where I’ll be staying?”
“Yes. If there’s anything uncomfortable, just tell me anytime. If I’m not around, talk to Roy.”
“It’s so spacious… and so nice.”
Mary looked around in a daze. When she asked Dahlia to let her stay somewhere close by, Dahlia hadn’t hesitated at all before personally leading her here.
The room wasn’t one of those cramped single quarters the servants usually used—it was a cozy, well-furnished bedroom with everything she could need.
Mary hesitated, wondering if she really deserved such luxury.
“Do you not like it?”
“No, no! It’s just that… I feel like you gave me this nice room because I asked to be near you. Thinking about it, I wouldn’t mind staying somewhere a bit farther, my lady.”
Her voice shrank. It was a far cry from the bold, cheerful tone she’d had moments ago.
After all, back in the Bourbon territory, she had shared a tiny, bed-crammed room with five other maids.
When she’d heard that she would be the only maid in this mansion, she had been thrilled at the idea of having a room to herself—but she had expected something much smaller than this.
Understanding her hesitation, Dahlia smiled gently.
“If that’s what you’re worried about, then don’t be. There’s plenty of space here. As long as managing it doesn’t become too hard, you can use it as long as you like. I’ll make sure you get a similar room even when we move to the capital.”
“Yes, my lady!”
Mary’s eyes sparkled as she nodded vigorously. She would work herself to the bone to earn this room if that’s what it took.
And honestly, she especially liked that Dahlia had arranged for her quarters to be so close to her own—just as she’d asked.
‘That Roy or whatever he is—no matter how clever he acts, the lady’s favorite spot will always be mine.’
They decided to leave talk of the estate’s current affairs and other matters for later, so Mary could rest and get used to her new surroundings after her long journey.
Overjoyed, Mary inspected every corner of her new room. Then she politely declined Dahlia’s offer to escort her to Roy, instead asking for brief directions around the mansion before marching off with brisk confidence.
“…She’ll be fine, right?”
Dahlia watched Mary’s back as she disappeared down the hall.
‘Hmm… she’s always been good at taking care of herself. I shouldn’t worry.’
Remembering old memories with Mary, warmth filled her heart.
When she’d left the Bourbon territory, Dahlia hadn’t known if or when they would ever meet again.
And now, seeing her again and being able to live together—it was a small miracle. Dahlia stood there for a moment, quietly savoring that happiness.
A while later, she headed for the library. She wanted to review the routes and transportation to the temple again.
As she walked between the maze-like shelves, she found the atlas she’d once used and opened it to the page marked with her ribbon.
Then—rustle.
Something moved behind the shelves.
‘What was that?’
At first, she thought she had misheard because of the silence in the room, but then the sound came again.
“…!”
A jolt of panic shot through her. The memory of being kidnapped from Zephyros Tailor’s shop came flooding back in a confused blur.
Her body trembled instinctively.
‘Someone’s definitely here.’
Even if her body had recovered, the shock hadn’t.
She had been acting calm for everyone’s sake, pretending to be fine—but she wasn’t.
The kidnapping by Hanson had been the first time since her rebirth that her life was truly threatened again.
“Who’s there?”
Her voice shook as she called out.
No response.
A dry gulp caught in her throat.
She had been reborn carrying the memory of having once given up on life. Since then, she had struggled to live differently—to heal, to smile again with Khalid and the beastkin who had shown her kindness.
But this kidnapping had reopened every wound. The man who’d restrained her was someone she knew; the mastermind was Siray—the same name from the past. Everything about it had mirrored her former life’s pain.
Her fragile calm had been shattered all over again.
‘It’s nothing… it’s probably nothing.’
She swallowed and turned toward the sound.
But the moment she did—someone was right there.
Startled, Dahlia dropped the book she was holding and squeezed her eyes shut.
But instead of hearing the book hit the floor, a low voice reached her ears.
“It’s me.”
“Khalid?”
Khalid had caught the book midair. He folded it neatly and held it out to her.
“Here.”
“Why would you suddenly—?”
Seeing him, all the tension left her body. Her vision blurred with tears.
“Don’t scare me like that…”
“I’m sorry.”
Flustered by her tears, Khalid gently pulled her into his arms.
“I really am. I won’t appear suddenly again.”
“You didn’t even answer when I called…”
Relief and frustration mingled as she pressed her face into his chest, her tears soaking his shirt.
He held her close, quietly soothing her before confessing the reason for his visit.
When Khalid first met Mary, something besides her behavior had caught his attention.
‘That maid definitely said the name Siray. The same name the kidnapper mentioned as their middleman.’
He hadn’t forgotten a single word from that man’s confession.
‘There can’t be two different people with that name connected to her house. It must be the same person.’
Dahlia didn’t realize it, but she was still haunted by her trauma.
She acted composed around him, but Khalid had seen her tossing and turning at night, groaning through nightmares.
And every time, he had felt utterly powerless. There was no spell that could make a person sleep soundly without harming them.
‘I can’t allow even the slightest harm to her mind.’
So he’d searched for herbs that promoted restful sleep and spent nights gently patting her back until she finally drifted off. That was all he could do.
And now, he was here to tell her what he’d discovered—even if it might shock her.
After she calmed down, Dahlia stepped back from his arms, her eyes still misty with lingering emotion.
“What’s that book? I’ve never seen that cover before.”
“This? Ah… it’s about, um… relationships.”
Caught off guard, Khalid stammered awkwardly. He looked embarrassed, but when she held out her hand expectantly, he handed it over.
She looked at the cover and flipped through the pages—only to find it was a book on conversation etiquette.
‘It’s like one of those etiquette guides Roy reads sometimes. But why is he reading this now, when he’s so busy?’
As she skimmed, her expression turned peculiar.
The book was filled with instructions for how a gentleman should charm a lady through conversation—most of which were outdated and ridiculously flowery.
‘…This is so embarrassing.’
She closed the book with a sigh and handed it back, lips twitching.
‘So that’s where Roy picked up his weird reading habits—from him!’
“You don’t need to read things like this, you know.”
Khalid had once worn out books about family and longing, but ever since growing closer to her, he hadn’t read those anymore.
‘It’s sweet that his interests have shifted, but still… this is kind of funny.’
Sensing her suppressed laughter, Khalid looked away and muttered,
“Well… turns out it didn’t have anything actually useful.”
‘Ah, so that’s why he didn’t answer right away. He was embarrassed.’
Finding his flustered reaction adorable, Dahlia couldn’t hold back a laugh.
“You weren’t reading this to flirt with anyone, I hope. But if it’s etiquette you want to learn, I can teach you.”
“You?”
“Yes. Let’s set aside some time every day. If you’re going to live in the capital, it’ll help you.”
In the capital, noble children were taught directly by family or tutors—not by reading books. These etiquette manuals were mostly written for bourgeois newcomers hoping to integrate into high society, so their content often came off clumsy and naïve to actual nobles.
Khalid hadn’t picked the book for that reason, but seeing her already planning to teach him, he nodded obediently.
“Then I suppose I’ll have to start calling you teacher.”
He lifted her hand and kissed the back of it.
Dahlia blinked in surprise, then teased,
“Oh my, was that line from the book too?”
“No, it wasn’t!”
Her laughter rang out—bright, unrestrained.
And seeing her finally smiling again, Khalid couldn’t help but smile with her.
