TYWANH 12

Chapter 12: Even Misunderstandings Can Be Useful

By now, the lake had grown cold, and the season had come when thrushes noisily sang from the dry branches.

Timothy had been working almost overnight at the newspaper office, preparing for the upcoming Prime Ministerial hearing, while Lili had buried herself in the tasks that came with her growing familiarity with the hotel.

For Lili, the happiest moment of her day was reading letters from the nun who had come from East Longfell.

To my dear Lili,
I can still hear the sound of your laughter in my ears, yet you are not here. While unpacking the last of the moving boxes, I came across Sister Bridget’s letter.
I wondered whether I should open it, but I thought it might contain something related to the convent, so I did.
There was a passage that said, “We cannot confirm whether the child you are looking for is one of ours, but it is true that someone left a child in front of the convent.”
I may be absent-minded, but forgetting such an important detail is impossible. There must have been a reason Bridget hid it from me. Or perhaps she meant to adopt Rosie herself? That doesn’t seem likely either, as it was a diplomat couple who intended to adopt her.

Lili clenched the locket in her pocket.

From that passage alone, I couldn’t understand what it meant. I wanted to help you.
My eyes are tired, so I’ll stop here. I will send you any updates as soon as I have them.
—Bolina, East Longfell

Lili’s hands trembled as she finished reading the letter. The thought that someone was looking for her stirred her deeply.

She habitually opened the locket around her neck. Inside was a necklace engraved with the initial “E” and a faint floral pattern.

Elizabeth.

Holding the letter to her chest, Lili could almost hear the gentle voice of the thoughtful nun calling her kindly.

But her reverie was short-lived. Someone called her in a strict, clipped tone.

“E—li—za—beth.”

Startled, Lili turned around. A maid with an expressionless face pointed to the service bell.

“Room 301 is calling.”

The mysterious guest remained in that room even after the hotel review was over.

Lili couldn’t know what business he had in the city, but the certainty that he was still in the room became obvious as soon as the door opened.

“Excuse me, may I come in?”

The room smelled of ink, pressed cigars, and faint alcohol—a distinctly adult scent. To Lili, it suggested a mature, cold, and untouchable authority.

He didn’t look at her. Sitting at the desk, he focused solely on the documents before him. Bathed in soft sunlight, he resembled a male deity from ancient Greek sculpture.

Noticing her gaze, he finally looked up from his papers and met her eyes. Lili picked up the coat that seemed to drag along the floor.

“I’ll have this coat washed and put in the wardrobe, then.”

It was unnecessary to say, but she just wanted to break the awkward silence and divert his attention. Seeing the coat near the laundry pile, she took a clip from her pocket and fastened it to the sleeve.

“No, leave it in the wardrobe.”

“Ah, understood.”

“….”

“Anything else you need?”

Christopher recalled the woman’s disheveled hair he had glimpsed at the hat shop. Now it was tucked neatly under her bonnet, without a strand out of place.

He slammed the papers shut and tugged gently at his tightly knotted tie. The top button of his shirt popped off, bouncing to the floor near Lili’s feet.

“The button…”

They stared at each other silently. Lili bent down to pick it up—it was a luxurious button carved from ivory.

“I’ll have the laundry put it back on for you.”

“That’s inconvenient. I need to wear it today.”

After a moment of hesitation, Lili pulled out a small pouch from her apron containing a needle and thread. Though she wasn’t in charge of repairs, she could sew on a single button.

“Then I’ll do it for you. Please take off your shirt.”

Christopher almost laughed at her directness. The woman spoke with innocent frankness.

“That’s also a problem. I don’t want any misunderstandings with you seeing me undress.”

Lili froze, realizing how her words might have sounded. Yet he softened the situation with a gentle stipulation.

“As long as you don’t poke me with the needle.”

She nodded and held onto the collar of his shirt while sitting beside him.

“Don’t worry. I’m good at sewing.”

“I mean, you dislike me, don’t you?”

Lili didn’t answer, only let her hands work swiftly.

Throughout the task, Christopher observed Elizabeth closely. She avoided looking at him until she wished to provoke a reaction, at which point he gladly met her gaze. Her eyes were candid, fresh, and beautiful.

“There’s no one I dislike more than Lord Belmore.”

The white thread passed through the buttonhole and was pulled taut. Near his face, Lili’s chest rose and fell with each careful movement.

“Then why the frown?”

He tilted his head slightly and asked.

She tied the knot and trimmed the excess thread with small scissors.

“I’m afraid I might poke you.”

“Thank you for not stabbing the man who knows your secret.”

“I’m just doing my job.”

They were still very close. Christopher studied the face of the blonde maid in the sunlight.

He had never analyzed a subject outside business or numbers. Beauty had always been an abstract notion. Yet this woman’s skin, nose, firm lips, and slightly visible white teeth…

Christopher found himself captivated by the intricate beauty. But the moment was brief; when she lowered her gaze, their connection broke.

“It’s almost Christmas.”

Lili, unsure what he meant, realized by looking at the blouse with puffed sleeves draped over the desk. He seemed to expect her to notice.

“There’s a play every year around this time.”

“Do nobles do that?”

“Some wait for it. Not me, though.”

She couldn’t help laughing at the thought of this impeccably handsome man wearing such clothes and a wig.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Do you wear a wig too?”

“Because I’m the lead.”

“What role?”

“A man who loses the woman he loves. Classic.”

“A tragedy at Christmas?”

“That depends on the director.”

He shrugged.

“Could you tell me the title? I read everything I can, from plays to advertisements.”

His confession disarmed her for a moment. A stray thread fell onto his shirt.

“You can read?”

He handed her a thick stack of papers from the desk.

“Now?”

After hesitation, Lili took the script. He had allowed her to stay in the hotel after winning a prize—she could repay the favor by reading.

“That secret, the ice-hearted will never know.”

“That’s my line.”

She hurriedly pointed to the next sentence as he corrected her.

Christopher cleared his throat and read aloud in a deep, resonant voice:

“Those who saw me on the battlefield never saw the sun again. I cannot wield a sword against the witch who neither serves nor fears me. What irony! Lord, who taught me war by my hand, I have failed. Punish me, the captive of temptation, for I love her.”

He reached as if to touch Lili’s cheek.

“Wrong. Don’t touch me. It says ‘I have failed.’ The witch stands proudly, and Ascelad kneels on the ground, throwing down his sword.”

“Excellent correction. Shall we do it again?”

Lili was too embarrassed to repeat the line, flushed from his serious gaze.

“Oh, no. It’s practice… I understand.”

“The coward’s weapon is a kiss.”

Despite his cynical remark, Christopher was earnest, and Lili found herself murmuring her lines.

After reading Act One about three times, lunch was nearly over.

“You have an extraordinary memory. You barely miss a line after just three readings.”

Blushing, Lili tucked a stray hair behind her ear.

“No, I glanced back several times. And we only practiced the first part.”

A lie—she had only been pretending to read while avoiding eye contact out of embarrassment.