Chapter 11
After the commotion in the hallway had settled, Lucilea headed toward the Glass Garden with Mei.
The effect of the Glass Garden was truly remarkable.
A dome-shaped transparent glass ceiling, the sky beyond it covered in silvery-gray clouds.
Warmth that made it hard to believe they were in the north, and flowers of unknown, multicolored hues.
It felt as if they had stepped into another dimension entirely.
Lucilea set aside the complicated worries that had been occupying her mind and decided to simply enjoy the moment with Mei.
They chatted happily, sipped fragrant tea, and spent their time leisurely. Lucilea even felt a surge of energy throughout her body.
“Strangely, I’m not getting tired at all.”
On the contrary, the longer she stayed here, the more at ease she felt.
It seemed Cookie felt the same way.
Cookie flew freely around the vast interior of the Glass Garden, soaring all the way up to the high ceiling.
[Kyaaaahhhhooo!]
Showing off the beauty of his wings and the majesty of his glides, he repeatedly ascended and descended.
At times, he would perch on a branch to rest, or devour the fruits Mei handed him without a care.
Time passed quickly, approaching noon.
“Lunch will be with His Highness, the Duke.”
“Uh…?”
Lucilea coughed while drinking milk.
Mei wiped her mouth with a handkerchief and continued.
“There’s no need to worry. It’s just a simple meal.”
“Simple…?”
Lucilea already felt a bit queasy.
Seeing her tense expression, Mei quickly added:
“Don’t be too nervous. Anyone chosen by the elite corps goes through this.”
“So this is… some kind of procedure?”
Mei raised one eyebrow slightly and hummed softly.
“Calling it a procedure sounds too cold. Ah, yes! Think of it as the first step toward becoming acquainted.”
“……”
Becoming acquainted?
‘Uh… I have no intention of that.’
Anyway, having been chosen by the elite corps and brought into the Duke’s residence, it was clearly an unavoidable situation.
“Alright. After all, it’s thanks to His Highness that I can even enter the Duke’s residence, so I can’t refuse a meal invitation.”
Lucilea hoped to avoid meeting the Duke as much as possible, but she knew that expecting to enter the Duke’s residence without encountering him was selfish.
‘Apart from this meal, I probably won’t have to meet him very often.’
Even for a duke.
Usually, a duke’s desk would be buried under piles of paperwork.
Besides, Elbadin was supposed to travel the empire with the elite corps.
‘Soon, he’ll be off on another expedition with the elite corps, so we’re unlikely to meet.’
While Lucilea pondered this, Mei spoke.
“And Lucilea, you should speak to me casually. Already there are rumors about a maid who receives honorifics from someone chosen by the elite corps.”
“Ah…”
Perhaps it had been awkward for her to address someone with familiarity, and Mei might have felt slightly troubled.
“Okay, I understand.”
Lucilea smiled brightly and nodded.
Even after returning to her room, a tingling feeling lingered in her chest.
She had a feeling she would be using the Glass Garden often in the future.
[So… you’re leaving me behind, Lucy? Are you getting closer to that maid?! Do you like that maid more than me?!]
Beep! Beep, beep—!
Shortly after entering the Duke’s residence, Cookie had become the embodiment of jealousy.
[I told you! That maid is strange! She’s hiding something—! Huh?!]
At that moment, Mei approached the noisy Cookie.
“Now, Cookie, come on~ Time to go in~.”
[Huff, huff!]
Despite being suspicious of Mei, Cookie accepted the red fruit she offered without hesitation.
[Me?! Just because you gave me this?!]
Nom nom nom. Cookie turned red again. Lucilea even worried that his yellow beak might stay stained forever.
Cookie ignored Lucilea and Mei while eating the fruit, chattering through his flushed beak.
[Oh, it’s so sweet, so sweet!]
While Cookie was absorbed in the sweetness, Lucilea changed into a new dress.
“Shall we go?”
“Yes!”
Just then, flap-flap-flap—
[I want to go too!]
Cookie, still wiping the juice from his beak, flew over and perched on the top of Lucilea’s head.
Even though he must have been tired from flying around the Glass Garden, he insisted on following her.
After eagerly eating the fruit given by Mei, Cookie cast Mei a sharp look.
[I need to be beside Lucy! I won’t let her be alone with that maid!]
‘……’
Lucilea knew what Cookie was worried about.
She had also felt an inexplicable chill the first time she met Mei.
Mei tilted her head curiously and asked,
“Cookie wants to come along too, doesn’t he?”
Lucilea chuckled awkwardly.
“Yes, he’s very curious. Is it okay if he comes? I hope His Highness or Serdian won’t be uncomfortable.”
“Well, it’s fine.”
Mei smiled kindly and continued.
“If he causes any trouble, I’ll just bring him back to the room—”
Cookie flapped his wings vigorously.
[Did you hear that, Lucy? She said she’d bring me back! You heard that too, right?! She’s going to take me to the room, isn’t she?!]
Look at that! Suspicious! Bad human!
Shh, Cookie!
Lucilea tried to calm him down.
‘Relax. It’s just that sometimes the words he uses sound rough.’
Take me back! Bring me! This small, lovely, fragile parrot!!
Cookie’s voice echoed in her head, and Lucilea, unable to tolerate it, warned firmly:
‘Cookie, if you don’t calm down, I’ll leave you in the room.’
[Ha!]
Finally, Cookie closed his beak.
‘And if you continue making a fuss at the dining hall like now, you’ll be sent back to the room with Mei, so remember that.’
[N-No… I don’t want that… I’ll be quiet…]
Cookie spoke in a sullen voice. Though Lucilea felt slightly guilty, she had no choice.
She couldn’t let Cookie’s outburst ruin the meal with the Duke.
As Cookie suddenly quieted, Mei, watching with interest, said,
“It’s amazing how he seems to understand human speech.”
“Right? That’s why I always treat him like he really understands people. He’s that smart.”
Lucilea smiled brightly.
It was easier to let such sensitive and potentially dangerous matters pass with the innocence of a child.
Then Mei took Lucilea’s hand.
“Shall we go now, Lucilea?”
“Yes.”
Lucilea held Mei’s hand as they moved toward the main building.
Tap-tap, the sound of their not-so-high heels on the white marble floor echoed lightly.
“Ah~ So that’s how you became so knowledgeable about herbs?”
“Yes. I often accompanied my grandmother when she went to gather herbs.”
Lucilea nodded and looked up at Mei, her expression brightened by thoughts of Briola.
On their way to the dining hall, Lucilea shared stories of her time with Briola: gathering herbs, going to the village to shop, and which herbs Briola used when Lucilea had a fever.
Mei was impressed.
“My goodness, a mage who knows herbs? That’s rare!”
“Rare?”
“If a mage has knowledge of herbalism, they can also learn alchemy later on.”
Alchemy! A setting that often appeared in other novels.
But Lucilea had never read the fantasy-related parts carefully enough to know the details.
Lucilea asked,
“Can you make a lot of money from that?”
“Of course! Here’s how it works…”
Mei gave a short lecture on alchemy.
As they walked and talked, they eventually reached the corridor leading to the dining hall.
At that moment, Lucilea felt a sudden chill.
‘Huh?’
Sensing the strange atmosphere, she unconsciously stared toward the end of the corridor.
There, in front of the dining hall entrance, someone was standing.
Then Mei, walking beside her, said,
“Oh, it’s His Highness the Duke and the Young Prince?”
Huh?! Young Prince?
‘Serdian?!’
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