Chapter 05
Clank.
At last, the long-awaited door opened. Ignoring the marquis still cowering in the corner, I stepped forward and walked straight to the butler standing at the entrance.
“Haah.. Oh dear…”
The butler, noticing the blood seeping from the side of my face where I held my cheek, let out a weary sigh and slowly rubbed his temple.
He hesitated for a long moment, glancing between me and my wound, then finally, as if making a careful decision, gently closed the open door and guided me outside.
“First… follow me.”
“Yes.”
I responded nonchalantly, watching as the butler led me somewhere with an expression that suggested he was struggling with his conscience. I found his concern a little absurd but obediently followed behind him.
Was he planning to treat me? That thought crossed my mind, but instead, he simply led me outside to the carriage I had arrived in, making no effort to address my wound.
…What?
“Did the marquis hit you?”
“…..”
I deliberately remained silent, glancing briefly at the butler. Though it was just a scratch from a cat, somehow it felt like mentioning that here would make me appear tactless.
‘He must have seen plenty of cases where someone deliberately inflicted wounds to draw blood… Why is he reacting like this?’
Watching the butler’s face stiffen slightly with guilt, I decided to stay quiet and simply climbed into the carriage.
“No… what is this…”
Inside, the same caretaker who had brought me here was waiting. His eyes widened in shock at the dried blood on my cheek, and then his expression darkened with anger. He immediately stepped down from the carriage and began speaking with the butler.
“How could you damage the goods again! And on the face, no less…! This is a clear breach of contract.”
“I sincerely apologize for that. We will pay twice the original price for the child. Please, let this go just this once.”
“Didn’t you dismiss it the same way last time? If this continues, it will be truly problematic for us.”
Listening to their conversation, I quickly grasped the situation and quietly waited for the caretaker to return.
“Haahh… This will truly be the last time. Given our position, I would sincerely appreciate your cooperation.”
“Thank you.”
Once the negotiations were settled, the caretaker returned to the carriage. He briefly glanced at me but said nothing as he ordered the coachman to start moving.
In the silent carriage, I carefully clutched the cookies in my pocket, making sure they wouldn’t crumble. I was eager to return to the slave shop where Lizzie and Cecil were waiting.
“Wait, hold on. After you change, make sure you receive treatment before returning.”
The caretaker, who had accompanied me to ensure I changed clothes properly, roughly wiped my wounded cheek with a damp cloth, applied medicine, and stuck a large gauze patch over it.
As I awkwardly touched the oversized gauze that covered half my face, one of the overseers handed me a small medicine bottle.
“Apply this regularly so it doesn’t scar.”
After that short instruction, he dragged me into a room and shoved me inside.
Thud—
The forceful push made me lose my balance and stumble, but the overseers paid no mind, shutting the door behind me with a loud bang.
“Mary…!”
“A-are you okay? Mary…?”
Hearing me fall, Lizzie and Cecil rushed over in alarm and helped me up, their voices filled with worry.
I smiled to reassure them, slowly lifting my head.
“M-Mary… your f-face…”
“Why, w-who did this… Who could have done such a thing…?”
Their tearful eyes fixated on the gauze covering my cheek, making me feel a little awkward.
It was just a scratch from a cat—nothing serious at all. But seeing them react so dramatically to such a small wound left me feeling somewhat embarrassed.
“Ah… it’s nothing…! Haha… Ah, right! More importantly, look at this!”
Trying to shift the conversation, I suddenly remembered the cookies I had hidden. Quickly pulling them from my pocket, I unwrapped the paper and spread them out in my hands.
“I secretly took some snacks from there. This one has strawberry jam, and this one has apple jam. They were so delicious…! Lizzie, Cecil, you should try them too! There’s plenty, so we can all share—”
As I excitedly described each cookie, something wet suddenly dropped onto the back of my hand.
Huh? Is it raining somewhere?
Confused, I looked up—only to find Lizzie and Cecil in tears, droplets falling from their eyes like raindrops.
…Why are they crying? Were the cookies that touching?
Panicked, I quickly set the cookies aside and used my sleeve to wipe the tears from Lizzie’s face.
“Lizzie, don’t cry. Cecil, you too. Why are you both crying?”
“M-Mary… your face… sob… your face… b-blood… hic…”
Lizzie carefully reached out and gently touched my injured cheek.
Blood?
Puzzled, I tilted my head. Then, feeling a sting from the wound, I instinctively let out a short gasp.
“D-does it hurt? I-I’m sorry… Mary… I-I touched it… hic…”
“Ah… no. It doesn’t hurt.”
Lizzie quickly pulled her hand back, revealing faint traces of blood on her fingertips.
‘Huh? Did the bleeding not stop completely? It wasn’t even that deep of a scratch… Oh, could it be because the caretaker wiped the wound too roughly with a wet cloth earlier?’
At first, I thought they were overreacting, but now that I saw the blood-stained gauze, their concern made sense.
Feeling a little awkward, I reached up and touched my cheek. Then, trying to ease their worries, I forced a lighthearted smile.
“This is… well, actually… um… I just got scratched by a cat~ There’s nothing to worry about. It doesn’t even hurt~”
“Hic… sob...”
Embarrassed to tell the truth, I hesitated for a moment before forcing a casual smile. Beside me, Cecil opened her mouth as if about to say something in anger but then firmly pressed her lips together, as though holding herself back.
“…..?”
Unsure of how to respond to their reactions, I hesitated briefly before hurriedly picking up some cookies and placing them firmly in Lizzie and Cecil’s hands.
“If Lizzie and Cecil eat these deliciously, I think everything will get better~ Can you do that for me?”
“R-Really? …Hicc…”
“Of course~”
As I wiped the tears streaming down her chubby cheeks again, Lizzie cautiously took a bite of the cookie, her face still filled with doubt.
Crunch.
Hearing the crisp sound of the cookie breaking, I turned to Cecil, who was merely holding the cookie in her hand, and urged her as well.
“Cecil, you’ll eat too, right?”
“…I… A-alright…”
Watching Cecil rub her reddened eyes before finally taking a bite, I felt relieved. I divided the rest of the cookies evenly between Lizzie and Cecil, leaving only a few pieces for myself.
Since I planned to save mine for later, I carefully wrapped them in paper and tucked them away. Then, noticing the lingering tear stains on Lizzie’s cheeks as she quietly nibbled on her cookie, I gently wiped them away.
“Is it delicious?”
“…Yeah. ….It’s the most delicious thing ever.”
“Really? I’m glad. Next time, I’ll bring even more.”
“N-next time… you have to go again…?”
Cecil, who had been eating her cookie, flinched in surprise and looked at me with trembling eyes.
I hadn’t really thought about what I said, but seeing how uneasy she was, I quickly placed another cookie in her hand, trying to divert the situation.
“Who knows? More importantly, try this cookie with strawberry jam. It’s really delicious.”
“…..”
Cecil still looked anxious, but when I handed her the cookie, she reluctantly took a bite.
Feeling pleased as I watched Lizzie and Cecil eat, I suddenly sensed a peculiar gaze from behind. Whipping my head around, I locked eyes with Abel, who had been watching us.
“…!”
As soon as our eyes met, Abel flinched in surprise and immediately whipped his head in the opposite direction.
Then, after a while, he slowly turned his head back, and when our eyes met again, he averted his gaze, desperately pretending not to have seen me. I couldn’t help but smile at his behavior.
‘This kid… acting all cute.’
He must want some cookies too. How adorable.
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Thank you for reading! ♡
