Episode 46

Could it be… Is Isis here?

If so, is she much better now?

But wait, isn’t the relationship between the Seville family and the Akaruth family strained?

“Chase?”

It was only a moment, but countless questions flashed through my mind all at once.

Amy called me gently.

“…Is something wrong?”

But just for a moment, I pushed aside all the questions, and the only emotion left in my mind was ‘joy.’

I felt like the corners of my mouth would move any second, but I couldn’t show it.

I bit my cheek hard enough to hurt.

“…I’m sorry, Miss. I’ve been tired lately, so I must have been lost in thought for a moment.”

I carefully placed the teapot on the table and moved on to deliver flowers to another lady sitting next to her.

But my mind was still entirely focused on the window.

I wondered if Isis had really come. If she had, I wanted to see her face, at least once.

However, I scolded myself to focus on my work, fearing I might make a mistake.

“Who could have arrived?”

“I heard Miss Isis was very ill… I think only the Marquis and the young master would attend.”

After delivering the last flower, my heart started pounding again, more vigorously than before.

Leaving the Clover Room would allow me to see who the guest from the Seville family was. The anticipation made my heart swell.

“Then, I’ll take my leave now.”

As I bowed to leave, one of the young ladies called out to me.

“Hey!”

One of the young ladies, who seemed quite close to Amy during the hunting event, motioned for me to come over.

It was Catherine Wintna, the second daughter of Count Wintna.

As I quickly approached the lady who had called me, she grabbed my wrist and led me out of the Clover Room.

As if she had something secretive to say.

Catherine led me to a place quite far from the Clover Room, then quickly looked around.

Once she confirmed that no one was around, Catherine let out a small sigh. Then she called out to me.

“Hey.”

“Yes, Miss. Do you have something for me to do?”

She then pulled out a note from her bag and placed it in my hand.

She then whispered in a voice only I could hear.

“Give this to Theodore.”

“…”

The excitement I had felt just moments ago plummeted to the ground in an instant.

“Can you do that for me?”

The note in my hand had a red lipstick mark on the outside. I didn’t need to guess who it belonged to.

I hesitated for a moment before speaking carefully to her.

“Miss, I can deliver the note to the young master, but he doesn’t like me very much… I’m worried it might cause trouble for you.”

Catherine widened her eyes at my words.

“Amy said Theodore is fond of you? And that you’re very discreet.”

…Since when did Theodore like me? And being discreet is a basic quality for all servants and maids.

Amy surely knew that Theodore disliked me. He once held a dagger to my throat and threw my hat into the lake, telling me to retrieve it.

I was at a loss for words.

But unfortunately, my reaction seemed to increase Catherine’s trust in Amy.

Ignoring my desperate plea, Catherine smiled brightly. She then whispered quietly.

“And you probably know, but… make sure no one else sees this. Understand? Just slip it to him without saying a word.”

It was maddening, but as a servant, I couldn’t refuse Catherine’s request.

Forcing a smile, I replied.

“…Yes.”

Satisfied with my answer, Catherine blew me a small kiss as a gesture of thanks before returning to the Clover Room.

How could a single light note feel so heavy in my hand?

* * *

“Senior!”

When I returned to the ballroom, the exhausted servants were sprawled everywhere.

Among them, Abel stood out as he continued to work diligently without taking a break.

“Hey, take a break.”

Peter tried to dissuade him, but Abel pretended not to hear and kept working.

I watched Abel silently moving the vases and made a tired face. I then looked around for Roel, but he was nowhere to be seen in the ballroom.

I approached Peter, who was lying on the floor resting, and asked.

“Hyung, have you seen Senior?”

“No idea,” Peter replied, shaking his head from side to side while lying down. I glanced at Abel, who was working hard, and then whispered quietly to Peter.

“Last time, you said the Seville family wouldn’t attend the banquet, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“But I overheard the ladies talking in the Clover Room…”

Sensing something was off, Peter, who had been ignoring me, turned to look at me.

“…They said a new guest has arrived.”

“What?!”

Peter jumped up from the floor, drawing everyone’s attention.

Realizing he had made a loud noise, Peter quickly covered his mouth with his hand. He then put his arm around my shoulders and quickly led me out of the ballroom.

“Who came?”

“…I don’t know the details. But they said they saw a car with ‘Seville’ on it entering the estate.”

Peter started pacing around and muttering to himself.

“Is there any guest room available?”

“…”

“Damn it, if that’s true, shouldn’t we inform the dining staff first?”

He then approached me with a horrified look, grabbed my shoulders, and began shaking me.

“Then we shouldn’t be standing around like this!”

“…It’s not certain.”

Peter’s reaction was so over-the-top that it made me doubt the Seville family was actually here.

…Yeah, how could Isis come here when she’s sick?

Feeling calmer than before, I let out a small sigh.

The excitement had faded.

“Maybe the ladies were mistaken…”

“I sure hope so!”

But there was still hope. I cautiously suggested.

“…Should I go check the guest rooms? I need to go there anyway.”

Peter hesitated for a moment, then started pacing again, making circles.

“If you check, Henry might send me there instead. And why would we confirm this dreadful situation ourselves? Right? You agree, don’t you, Chase?”

Peter, who had been rambling, grabbed my shoulders again, shaking me side to side.

He really hated the idea of a new guest.

Thinking about it, if someone from the Marquisate had come, Henry or the butler would have informed the other servants.

I sighed internally and spoke to the overly excited Peter.

“By the way, I thought you liked working around guests… Was I wrong?”

I distinctly remember him saying he preferred serving guests over physical labor. He’d often expressed envy towards Abel.

Peter frowned and shook his head.

“I only like serving the ladies. What Abel is doing now.”

Oh.

“Ha…”

Peter let out a long sigh and spoke with difficulty.

“Anyway, just check briefly. And if there really is a new guest… then…”

“…”

“I’ll run away.”

His face was too serious for it to be a joke. Feeling the seriousness, I whispered quietly.

“If there is someone, I won’t tell you. You can leave the estate.”

Peter nodded firmly at my words. With a determined expression, I nodded back.

…But can I even make it out alive today?

I had promised Theodore I’d stay out of sight.

I lamented the dreadful situation and closed my eyes tightly.

* * *

I hoped there would be someone else in Theodore’s room. If there were, he wouldn’t be able to torment me as severely as before.

It would be embarrassing if he yelled at me in front of others, but it would be better than dying.

I could already envision how furious he would be.

He would probably scream, asking why I showed up after promising to stay out of sight…

I stopped in front of Theodore’s guest room. Taking a deep breath, I cautiously knocked on the large door.

“…Young Master, are you inside?”

“…”

There was no response. I had heard he would be here…

‘Is he sleeping?’

Thinking that, I stopped knocking. It was better to face it now, but if I knocked again, I might face more than just a scolding.

I decided to look elsewhere. Just as I turned to leave, the firmly closed door suddenly opened, and a hot hand grabbed my wrist.

“…!”

The hand was as hot as a fireplace. Startled, I turned around and found myself face-to-face with Theodore, who was breathing heavily.

He looked oddly urgent.

His hair was wet, as if he had just taken a bath.

Water droplets from his hair soaked the shirt he had thrown on carelessly.

His eyes still held disdain as he looked at me.

When I looked at him with wide eyes, shocked, Theodore pulled me into his room.