Chapter: 11
Ricardo embarrassed Mary without a shred of consideration. Seeing this, Lianne’s brow furrowed.
Just as Lianne was about to scold him for his rudeness—
“I really can’t stand watching this. I’m confiscating it.”
Ricardo pulled Mary’s plate over to himself. Then, as if it were nothing, he slid his own plate—where the meat had already been cut into pieces—toward her.
“Y-Young Master?”
While Mary blinked in surprise, Ricardo calmly began cutting up the mess of meat on the plate in front of him.
“Y-Young Master! Please give it back!”
“No. I want this, so you eat that.”
“But… it’s all shredded now…”
To Mary, who looked on the verge of tears, Ricardo replied nonchalantly.
“It doesn’t matter. Once it goes into your mouth, it all tastes the same anyway.”
“I mean… that’s true, but…”
“I said I want to eat this. Do you have a problem with that?”
“…No.”
“Then eat quietly.”
“Y-Yes… Thank you, Young Master.”
In the end, Mary speared the meat that had originally been Ricardo’s with her fork.
“Don’t just eat the steak. Eat the other dishes too. Here—this one. And this as well.”
Ricardo naturally picked up the food on the table and piled it onto Mary’s plate.
“You won’t be leaving this table until you finish everything.”
Lianne couldn’t take her eyes off Ricardo as he scolded Mary while carefully stacking food onto her plate so she wouldn’t feel embarrassed.
Her son’s awkward kindness and clumsy consideration made Lianne smile.
Thanks to the Young Master, I managed to finish the meal safely.
I told you—he really is kind.
“Ricky.”
Lianne, who had been silent throughout the meal, finally spoke in a gentle voice.
“Yes, Mother.”
“Was the meal all right?”
“Yes, it was. However…”
The Young Master’s green eyes flicked briefly toward me.
“If we have a gathering like this again, I’d prefer the meat to be served already cut. Otherwise, I don’t think the plates will survive.”
…I take back what I said about him being kind.
Sure, I did scrape the expensive plate with my knife—but still! I really was grateful that he’d switched plates when I couldn’t cut the meat properly! But did he really have to say it again out loud?
My face grew hot with embarrassment.
I should ask him to teach me how to use a knife properly later.
“I didn’t know you had such a considerate side, Ricky. I’ll be more mindful next time.”
“…I was only worried that the plates might break.”
“Really? To me, it looked like you were worried about something else.”
“……”
The Young Master’s face gradually turned red.
Lianne chuckled softly, clearly amused by her young son’s embarrassment.
“Ricky, isn’t it lonely living alone in the annex?”
At the sudden question, his eyes wavered slightly.
“…Why do you ask that all of a sudden?”
“Mary said that if she were in your position, she’d feel terribly lonely.”
Ah—why did she have to say that…!
The Young Master shot me a sharp glare.
With his eyes narrowed, he looked angry—or maybe just flustered.
Before I could guess how he felt, Lianne continued.
“I had you live here alone because I was afraid you’d be hurt by others’ gazes. But only now do I realize that I never once asked how you felt about it.”
“I…”
His lips parted as if he were about to speak, then pressed tightly together.
After a moment, they opened again.
“It’s fine. I know you made that decision out of concern for me, Mother, so you don’t need to worry.”
“…I see. If you’re all right with it, then that’s a relief.”
No, it’s not! It’s not a relief at all!
Watching the two of them, my chest felt tight.
He acts like a normal child in front of me—so why does he pretend to be so composed in front of Lady Lianne?
This wasn’t going anywhere, so in the end, I stepped in.
“I want to see you more often, my lady…!”
At my sudden outburst, Lianne looked startled. The Young Master looked downright incredulous.
“Are you crazy? What nonsense are you spouting all of a sudden?”
“How is it nonsense? I’m just being honest about how I feel.”
“Mother is busy. You expect her to come all the way to the annex just to see a single maid—”
“It’s not to see just one maid. There’s something here that my lady cherishes more than anything else.”
“And what could possibly be in this run-down building?”
“You, Young Master.”
“……”
The green eyes facing me trembled.
“Didn’t you enjoy having meals together with your mother?”
He didn’t answer.
But I already knew the answer.
He had been smiling throughout the entire meal.
Lady Lianne had been the same.
The faint smile visible beyond her veil, and the way her gaze never left her son—it was unmistakably the look of a mother who loved her child.
If you care for each other this much, why don’t you say it out loud?
Maybe this, too, was part of aristocratic decorum. Nobles valued dignity and etiquette above all.
To the Young Master and Lady Lianne, this might be perfectly normal.
But I wasn’t a noble.
I had no dignity to protect. So I could speak honestly.
“I had a wonderful time today. And both you and my lady were smiling the whole time.”
“When did I ever smile?”
“I saw you grinning when you glanced at my lady while she was eating.”
The Young Master flinched, then asked with a crooked expression,
“That never happened. More importantly—were you staring at my face the entire time we were eating?”
“Yes.”
“…What?”
“I’m your maid, Young Master.”
Lady Lisa had said this:
A good servant must always pay attention to their master’s mood.
I was following her teachings perfectly.
I heard Lady Lianne laugh softly, followed by her gentle voice.
“Yes, Mary. I also had a delightful time today. So I’ll make sure to visit more often from now on.”
Yes!
I cheered silently inside. The Young Master must be happy too, right?
Thinking that, I turned to look at him—but his expression seemed strangely complicated.
“M-Mother. You don’t have to do this just because of me…”
“Ricky, it’s not because of you. It’s because I want to. I enjoy spending time with my beloved son—and with the kind child who treasures my son.”
Lady Lianne didn’t call me a maid, but a kind child.
Just that small choice of words made me happy—I could feel how much she cared for me.
“Ricky, what about you?”
“…I…”
After hesitating briefly, the Young Master answered in a small voice.
“If you’re all right with it, Mother… then I’d like that.”
“Thank you.”
“N-No—rather, thank you.”
His voice wavered at the end, slightly hoarse. Though his tone was calm, the joy he couldn’t quite hide was clear on his face, as if he were desperately holding back his emotions.
He could stand to be a little happier.
Honestly—what an untruthful Young Master.
After Lady Lianne left, the Young Master called me aside.
“Watch what you say in front of my mother from now on.”
“Yes, Young Master. I’m sorry for assuming your feelings and speaking to my lady without your permission.”
I apologized readily.
Even if I meant well, guessing someone’s feelings without their consent was wrong.
But that wasn’t what he was getting at.
“That’s not it… Well, that was wrong too, but—”
“Then… did I do something else wrong?”
“Yes.”
I racked my brain.
What did I do wrong this time?
No matter how much I thought, nothing came to mind. When I looked at him for an answer, he let out a sigh.
“You said you wanted to see my mother more often.”
“Yes, I did.”
“Do you think you’re someone special now?”
“What? No, of course not—”
“Do you think you’re in a position where you can make demands like that? Anyone listening would think you were a noble yourself.”
His sharp words stabbed straight into my heart.
“You’re a maid. Don’t overstep your bounds. My mother is generous, so she let it slide—but in another household, you’d have been beaten and thrown out on the spot.”
Every word was true.
I was just a maid. I’d been treated so kindly by Lady Lianne and the Young Master that I’d forgotten my place…
I need to be more careful from now on.
My throat felt tight, as if it were filling with water, and no words came out. I clenched the hem of my skirt with trembling fingers.
“So—”
As soon as he began to speak again, my voice finally came out.
“I’m sorry. I’ll be more careful from now on.”
I said it with my usual smile—but his face looked strange.
“…Why are you making that face?”
“Huh? What’s wrong with my face?”
The strange one here was him.
His flustered, distorted expression looked oddly blurred.
When I blinked, something wet rolled down my cheek.
Only then did I realize—I was crying.
