Chapter 42
It was still early dawn, and Dave and Carter were having a serious conversation in front of the annex’s entrance.
“Eh? But if we leave like this…”
“The Duke said it’s fine. He also mentioned that it would be better to leave quickly while it’s still daylight.”
“Yes…”
What should I do…? Dave let out a heavy sigh, looking troubled.
Things weren’t going as planned. Originally, they were supposed to prepare calmly in the morning, pay their respects and thanks to the Duke of Erayton, and then depart.
But the knights from Lubantie who came to pick them up had arrived even before sunrise.
According to them, the black aura in the northern border region was getting stronger, and they needed to leave quickly before it became too dangerous.
If what they said was true, they had to hurry to Lubantie. At night, the black aura intensified, and the number of monsters emerging increased.
Still… there was one thing weighing heavily on Dave’s mind.
‘The young lady must think we’re leaving in the afternoon…’
He could clearly picture the red-haired girl in the annex, who would surely pout as soon as she realized no one was around.
“Sir Dave, is all the luggage to be loaded outside?”
While Dave was conflicted, a knight entered the manor and asked.
“Yes, just in case, check the house again. I’ll go to the young master.”
“Understood.”
The knight bowed shortly and went outside. But there was something about his back that caught Dave’s eye:
Bloodstains on the tip of his sword sheath. He must have dealt with monsters along the way here.
Seeing that, Dave stopped hesitating.
He told Carter he was grateful for everything and immediately ran to Casio’s room.
When he hastily opened the door, Casio was inside, looking out the window in the dim room.
“Young master.”
“Dave… do we have to leave now?”
Casio’s voice was hoarse, as if he had just woken up. Dave cautiously stepped inside.
“Yes, it seems the monsters’ movements are abnormal. We need to return to Lubantie before sunset while it’s still safe.”
Even with Dave’s explanation, Casio didn’t turn around.
From his back, he seemed to radiate disappointment, and Dave gently called him once more.
“Young master?”
“Alright, I’ll get ready.”
Despite his mood, Casio’s tone was calm and measured.
“Yes, then I’ll wait downstairs.”
After saying that, Dave left the room.
Not long after, Casio came outside, holding something in his hand.
“Sir… what’s that?”
“Dave, give me some paper and a pen.”
Dave tilted his head at the strange request, thinking he must have misheard and asked again.
“Eh?”
“Paper and a pen.”
But Casio repeated his request firmly.
Preparations to leave progressed quickly. The knights were already mounted on their horses, ready to depart at any moment.
Casio also prepared without hesitation and came outside.
But instead of getting into the carriage, he turned and quietly gazed at the manor.
“Young master, you really need to go now.”
“….”
Even after Dave called him, Casio didn’t move.
Dave let out a small sigh and approached him slowly.
“Are you upset? That you couldn’t see the young lady before leaving?”
“Not really.”
Despite saying “not really,” Casio looked at him with unexpectedly moist eyes.
Seeing that, Dave smirked slightly.
No matter how mature he acted, he was still a child.
After spending the past month together, it seemed he had grown attached to the Duke’s daughter.
‘He’s surprisingly weak when someone comes on to him, huh?’
Dave thought to himself as he looked down at his little master.
Interestingly, Casio resembled not his biological father, the previous Duke, but the current Duke, Cesar Lubantie—not just in appearance, but in presence as well.
‘Luckily, his personality is completely different.’
Unlike the Duke, Casio sometimes showed human-like emotions.
Dave placed his hand gently on Casio’s shoulder, which was still staring at the manor.
“Young master, you really must leave now. You’ll be able to see the young lady again soon. You left a gift in the house earlier, didn’t you? And a note as well.”
“It wasn’t a letter, it was a note.”
“It’s basically the same thing. Isn’t this the first time you’ve ever written a note for someone else?”
Dave teased, and Casio lightly tapped his side with a small fist before turning around.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes, young master.”
The carriage carrying Casio and Dave slowly departed from the manor shortly after.
“Hey, come with me!”
“Hurry! We don’t have time today!”
I was running as fast as my eyebrows could fly, holding the lemon tart I had carefully made yesterday, even burning my fingers slightly while doing so.
The lingering heat from the syrup on my fingers was still there, but the thought of Casio liking this made my steps light.
“Huff, huff… do I really have to run? Can’t I just walk quickly? Or pick me up!”
“Ah, really!”
I snapped at Pepe, who kept talking nonstop while following me.
“Why are you suddenly coming along? I told you it’s fine not to come today.”
“You two can’t finish that huge thing on your own. I need to help.”
Of course, I expected that. No wonder he was excited from the moment he woke up, asking if we were going to the annex.
I glared at Pepe with dead eyes and kept running.
“Hah… huh… eh…?”
Finally, I arrived at the annex, only to find it completely quiet. Just like the empty mansion earlier.
I looked around in confusion.
“Why… is no one here?”
Shouldn’t it be a bit busy before leaving? Packing, saying goodbye to the remaining people… Usually, you’d see that kind of moving-day scene, but the mansion was eerily quiet.
A sense of unease crept over me.
“Oh, young lady?”
I turned and saw a familiar maid from the annex, carrying a laundry basket.
I ran straight to her.
“C-Casio? Where’s Casio?”
“Oh my, haven’t you heard from the butler?”
“Huh…?”
Haven’t heard… what? Could it be…
“The young master left at dawn today. The people who came to pick him up arrived in a hurry.”
“….”
What the…? He said he would leave in the afternoon. Did Dave lie to me?
Did he deliberately leave without telling me?
A mix of shock, disappointment, and resentment washed over me like a tidal wave.
My eyes began to burn. I had thought I had made some progress in getting closer to Casio.
Was it all just my imagination?
I pressed my lips tightly together. My shoulders slumped, and my fingers felt weak.
“Ah, young lady…”
“I’m so annoyed, Dave… lying to me.”
“Young lady?”
“If you were going to leave early, you could have just told me. Why lie…”
“Young lady!”
Repeated calls lifted my head from its slumped position.
The maid gave an awkward smile and pointed toward the inside of the mansion.
“The young master left a gift for you. He said to be sure to tell you when you come to collect it.”
