Chapter 24
Lewis’ prediction was accurate.
The horses had recovered their health as if they had never been poisoned at all.
This was entirely thanks to the tireless efforts of Grandmother Bianu and the pharmacists.
Within two days of the incident, news that they would be departing had spread throughout the castle.
Although there were concerned voices saying they should take more time to recover, those worries completely vanished at the sight of Victor, standing gallantly at the front.
“Be careful, Kkamang.”
I spoke in a voice too quiet for the distance, and without thinking.
But the black ears perked up.
*Purrr*, he snorted too.
It seemed he heard me well. That was a relief.
This expedition had to end in victory, no matter what. If we were to avoid being trampled by monsters.
However, watching Ash Canis’s back as he gave orders to his subordinates, I found myself worrying about the safety of the monsters instead.
At that moment, some problem seemed to arise, and Ash Canis dismounted from Victor’s back.
As the distance closed, tension spread among the maids who had come to see them off.
Quickly following their lead as they bowed, I also bent my waist.
I wish he would just pass by quickly.
At that moment, sturdy military boots entered my field of vision.
“My back of the head is burning, so I can’t possibly depart now.”
The voice fell from above my head.
“If you have something to say, why don’t you say it now?”
Was he talking to me?
Carefully raising my head, my eyes met Ash Canis’s.
I don’t have anything particular to say.
If I had to force something out, it would just be something like ‘come back soon’?
Preferably, in one piece.
So there’s no hindrance to going to Euphorian in the fall.
“How about coming along?”
“……Pardon?”
“You had an expression that looked like you didn’t want to be apart.”
“Pardon?”
I unconsciously raised my hand to touch my face.
But how would he know that?
What on earth is an ‘expression that looks like you don’t want to be apart’?
I wish I had a mirror, but among Lacey’s belongings, there wasn’t a single luxury item.
It was as if every penny she earned working as a maid went straight to paying off her father’s debts.
Anyway, I had to clear up the misunderstanding now.
Because of the piercing glares from the other maids, I felt like holes were about to be burned into my face!
“Th-that’s a misunderstanding……”
“With Victor.”
Huh?
My eyeballs rolled on their own. It took a full 5 seconds for my gaze to land on Kkamang and then return to Ash.
As if to fill the brief silence, Ash Canis snorted, *pssht*, and smiled.
“You said the reason you kept sneaking into the stables with that injured ankle was because of Victor.”
It’s not.
My target was you, Sir.
Well, I did spend most of my time glued to Victor.
But I couldn’t answer honestly.
“Uh…… Yes. I wanted to play with him one more time before the expedition……”
A maid who purely loves horses is less suspicious than a maid with ulterior motives toward the family head, right?
Perhaps because of that interpretation, there had been no particular measures since the room search.
Even though it was quite a commotion, the process of finding the culprit was also neglected.
There’s no way someone like the master of Canis would let a matter threatening the family’s security be swept under the rug.
He must have caught the culprit without making it public. That was purely my guess.
But if that wasn’t the case, it felt unnatural for the incident to be concluded so quietly.
On the other hand, it was also a typical method of royalty and nobility.
Either not making a grand example, or having a reason they couldn’t. Which side did this incident fall on?
“You must do your best to endure until the expedition is over, no matter how much you miss Victor.”
Ash Canis spoke as if consoling me, then bent down.
His face, suddenly much closer, passed by so close it almost brushed my cheek.
The sound of his lips parting filled my ears.
“Wouldn’t it be a big problem if you went outside the castle like during the Blake Tower incident and got hurt?”
What?
I instinctively leaned back. As if responding, Ash Canis straightened his posture and crookedly lifted the corner of his mouth.
Goosebumps prickled on my arms.
How did he know?
I was always careful with my gaze when sneaking out of the castle.
As if mocking my efforts, his eyes, holding crimson pupils, drew an arc.
“Then, take care of yourself.”
With those final words, Ash Canis turned his back.
As the family head mounted his horse, a soldier blew a horn, and with a vibration that shook my entire body, the castle gates opened.
No one straightened their posture until the expedition party was out of sight, except for me.
* * *
That was clearly a warning.
Eyes of surveillance are everywhere, so don’t even dream of acting out.
It also meant that until now, I had been left alone because I hadn’t crossed the line he had set.
Thinking about the past days when I had racked my brains, unaware that I was being played in the palm of his hand, I couldn’t bear the rising sense of humiliation.
“Ugh……”
I quickly wiped the corners of my eyes with my sleeve before anyone saw.
But it was already after being witnessed by the kitchen maid standing next to me.
This is exactly why I hate crying in a confined space.
“……Yes?”
“You see……”
She hesitated for a moment, then spoke.
“Do you want to handle the late-night snack delivery to the stables when the expedition returns?”
“……”
“I’ll put carrots for Victor in the basket too.”
These people……
Their tone wasn’t sarcastic or teasing.
If anything, it was a look of pity.
As if they were sorry for having suspected me as the culprit of the poisoning incident all this time.
It would be a good excuse to go to the stables.
But I had no intention of taking on other people’s work.
“Thank you for your concern. But I have my duties in the Ritual Room, so I plan to stay quiet.”
“Ah, I see……”
The search for the culprit who broke Euph’s statue had also stopped.
This matter or that, there had been no official announcements, leaving only frustration.
There must be a separate reason for wanting to quietly bury the matter.
Still, I wanted to confirm directly with the Head Maid.
Why did you try to frame me for treason?
But today, I finally got to see the Head Maid’s face.
“What’s with this sudden gathering after being quiet for a while?”
The Maid Department was said to hold gatherings every quarter to maintain discipline and solidarity.
For me, the timing didn’t match, so this was my first time.
“I don’t know. I guess she suddenly got attention-seeking syndrome.”
The atmosphere suggested no one was happy about the gathering.
No wonder, since before I came to the castle, they said the gatherings were annoyingly frequent.
Moreover, today, the work start time was already pushed back because of seeing off the expedition, and now with this gathering, it was going to be delayed even further.
It was natural for morale to drop as quitting time got later.
Except for one person.
Sonya.
“Sonya. You, your face is beaming.”
“Huh? Was I?”
‘Was I,’ she says.
Right now, the corners of her mouth look like they’ll pierce the ceiling.
Actually, it wasn’t just today.
Ever since Euph’s statue was broken, she had been beaming all the time.
Only pausing briefly during the room search.
I heard that a select few experienced maids were put in charge of cleaning the Ritual Room.
For Sonya, who had a decent amount of seniority, it was a kind of demotion.
Be that as it may, Sonya’s face looked like she was about to fly with happiness.
“Sonya, I’ve been hesitating to bring this up for a while.”
“Huh? What is there to hesitate about? Tell me. Tell me.”
Well then, I won’t hold back.
“By any chance, were you bitten by a wolf in the past?”
“Huh, huh?”
Her complexion rapidly turned pale.
Did I hit a nerve?
Maids rarely got the chance to bathe. Since they had to clean off dirt with wet cloths, they often asked others to wash hard-to-reach areas like their backs.
But Sonya had never once asked me.
As if she wanted to hide something.
“Ra-, Lacey, aren’t you the one who got bitten by an animal?”
Trying to change the subject, are we?
But I had no rebuttal.
Lacey’s body had many scars.
Just rolling up a sleeve revealed numerous small scars.
Her stomach and legs were even worse.
However, these weren’t marks from animal bites or scratches.
“If I had to guess, wouldn’t it be from something like swords or daggers?”
What kind of hardship causes a woman’s body to become like this?
Was this also the influence of her father, who was said to be a gambler?
“Hey, if you talk about it like it’s someone else’s business, what does that make me……”
Well, it *is* someone else’s business.
“Actually, you see……”
Finally, Sonya opened her mouth with a tone of surrender.
It seemed she felt sorry for having brought up the scars.
“When I was young, the village I lived in was on a route wolves passed through, so it was dangerous.”
“That must have been scary.”
“Yeah. So I was really grateful to you for accepting my request. And sorry too.”
Sonya laughed, as if she felt refreshed after saying it.
Just then, the murmuring died down.
“It looks like the Head Maid has arrived.”
At someone’s whisper, I tactfully closed my mouth.
Canis people were generally tall, so even on tiptoe, I couldn’t see the Head Maid.
Soon, two people ascended the platform.
One was the Assistant Head Maid, beaming with a bright smile like Sonya had been moments ago.
The other was…
“Huh?”
Why is that person up there?
Not just me, but others also gasped. Or covered their mouths.
The woman with an expression of being bothered by everything chewed her lower lip, then took a step forward.
“My name is Lewis. I will be taking over the Head Maid position from today. I look forward to working with you.”
