Chapter 32
But he didn’t have a moment to be mesmerized. The man of the hour was in front of him.
“Speaking of which, what are you two doing here?”
Maud whirled around, glanced Mei and Lian up and down, and clicked her tongue in recognition.
“Oh, that’s…”
“It’s…, now go back to work.”
It was my first. Such a mild reaction, especially from someone who turned around and gave me a look of sympathy!
Maybe the sun will rise in the west tomorrow?
Mei and Lian were almost breathless, their mouths agape.
As they stared off into the distance at Moda’s increasingly distant back, they began to drum their fingers together in anticipation.
“If I caught you talking back, you’d be kicked out of the kitchen, right? I’m already getting busted for tardiness…”
“I don’t know, Chef Sue can be a bit temperamental, but as long as it doesn’t directly damage the kitchen, she usually just yells at you. But if she does, she’s always going to get caught, which makes it hard to work.”
“I mean. I’m giddy just thinking about it… If Princess hadn’t interrupted me…”
“If Princess hadn’t said something nice…”
Mei and Lian’s embarrassed eyes met.
“… Don’t you think Princess helped us?”
“You too? Hey, I also…”
“It would’ve been the end of the world if we got caught, but apparently Princess knew Chef Sue was coming, so she came to our aid on purpose. Wow… Precedent, that’s so cool. What did you think of that?”
“Well, the Highness is different, and I don’t think it’s a good thing that everyone called her an innocent fox trying to get close to His Majesty.”
“That’s true, and if you listen to the maids in the chamber, the Emperor is even more in love with her. They even say that she’s on bad terms with Emperor.”
Mei and Lian stared at Alicia’s departure in disbelief, but gradually, as if persuaded by Alicia words, they began to take Alicia’s side.
I’d said that people were simpler than I thought, and I’d just saved them from getting in trouble, but their eyes were already glazed over.
“I knew it,” said Alicia, “you’ve got a bad reputation, but in reality you’re being treated like a guest of honor, and the Emperor says he’s cutting people a lot less than he used to…”
Their faces, which had been heating up as if they’d been working together, cooled in an unexpected push. They were embarrassed by their own behavior, as they realized they were talking in white noise to avoid reality.
It wasn’t a long silence, though, as they both looked thoughtful and spoke in unison.
“We should apologize, right?”
They both averted their eyes, a tacit agreement that didn’t need to be confirmed.
“… Let’s get it over with.”
“Yeah, it’ll be hard to talk to you when it’s time to get dinner ready.”
“… I feel like crying already.”
“… Me too.”
***
I returned to my room with a strange feeling.
After changing into comfortable clothes, I sat by the window and stared out at the sunny garden, but nothing in particular caught my eye.
I was too busy thinking about the mods I hadn’t seen in a long time.
‘Come to think of it, this is the first time I’ve seen her up close. Your face hasn’t really changed from when you were younger, unlike Thierry’s…’
Alicia smiled bitterly and remembered what had happened earlier.
‘My original concept was to keep a straight face and let it slide, but when it came to Maud, I couldn’t help myself.’
I knew it was likely to be dismissed by the maids as the rumblings of a full stomach, or the nagging of a braggart.
But I felt too sorry for my old friend to keep quiet. Maud had become a dear friend, a benefactor, a new family member, and a source of strength for Lari, who was trying to forget her past life.
It had been six years. To some, that might be a short time, but to us, it was a long time, and because of our time together, I knew better than anyone how lonely he was behind that cheerful face.
I couldn’t believe he looked so unfamiliar.
‘How much has changed…’
Although I was happy to meet Maud, I felt a little bit of a pang of regret that she had changed.
She used to be a child who could only complain in a cute way, but if you listen to the maids, she seems to have become quite angry.
‘It’s natural to get angry in the workplace, but her mood has changed.
She used to be a child who was full of positive aura, but now she seemed to have a thorn in her side.
There were some things that were the same, so I didn’t feel too much of a discrepancy, but I felt bad that both Thierry and Maud had grown up as if they had gone through a hard time.
‘I think I made a good impression today, so maybe we can get closer next time we meet.’
Her lips curled into a smile as she remembered Mode giving her a favorable glance.
‘Maybe you’ll take the opportunity to tell the truth.’
Besides, the way she’d said it earlier, it was clear she was still remembering me. I’ve been told I’m unbiased, and I’m the one who often says it.
Maud was one of the few people who helped Lari, who had a bad reputation among the maids, because she didn’t let rumors or prejudice get in the way of her judgment and just saw things as she saw them.
‘By the way, even if I do reveal my identity, I’ll need help again. Even if I use my information to get you money, you’ll still need to pay me back.’
It was a shameless plan, even for me. But I couldn’t afford to be embarrassed, and modding was my only hope.
So I had no choice. I knew it was self-rationalization, but I kept repeating it to myself.
‘At least Thierry is better than me. He may have had a bad upbringing, but at least he’s gracious.’
While rise to the position of sous chef was certainly due to her own abilities, the Emperor’s influence must have had an impact.
After all, this is a society where men are expected to sit in high places, and only the Emperor, with his supreme power, can break that old-fashioned perception.
“… Would you like to join us for dinner tonight?”
I hadn’t seen him since yesterday’s awkward parting in the greenhouse, and I was feeling a little nervous.
I have a problem too. I’m uncomfortable when I see him, and frustrated when I don’t.
But Thierry’s silence strangely made me feel more anxious. I don’t know if I’d feel better if he just threw a tantrum in front of me.
I don’t know what the hell he’s thinking, since he’s been doing all kinds of crazy things.
“… I don’t know what I’m thinking either.”
I don’t know what I’m thinking, I’m just comfortable in my own skin. I muttered under my breath and leaned the side of my head against the window. The sky was still bright as the sun had grown longer.
“Princess.”
A knock on the door brought me out of my reverie. Turning, I saw Marie open the door and enter.
“His Majesty has informed me that he will not be able to dine with you tonight.”
“Oh, today?”
“Yes, he must be very busy, but he always comes at least once a day, and seeing as he can’t come at all…”
I looked at Marie, who looked at me strangely and made excuses on Thierry’s behalf.
“I know.”
Oh well, I’m comfortable eating alone, how uncomfortable I was every time I ate.
I pouted my lips surreptitiously and got up from the window.
“I’ll eat in the dining room today.”
“Okay, I’ll tell them to get ready.”
“Do you mind if I go ahead of you?”
“Sure, why don’t you come down with me?”
Marie, who had noticed that I was uncomfortable walking down the stairs alone, naturally offered to accompany me. I gave her a grateful wink and moved on, grateful for her thoughtfulness at every turn.
I never expected to run into her.
As I was about to descend the stairs, I saw Thierry coming up to the third floor. He was halfway up the stairs, talking to Bakken next to him, when he noticed me.
“Ah…”
Thierry suddenly drooled and stopped in his tracks.
‘What the…? What’s wrong with him?’
I was embarrassed, because I hadn’t expected him to make such a puzzled face.
Is he avoiding me on purpose, that Thierry?
I thought, but it didn’t make sense. If he’s uncomfortable, I’m more uncomfortable, and I don’t have the slightest clue what he’s doing, so I suspect he has something else up his sleeve.
Thierry had told me I didn’t have to be polite, but I should at least say hello.
Wordlessly, I bent my knees slightly and looked up to see Thierry’s brow furrowed in disapproval.
“… I said dry.”
“What?”
I think he mumbled something, but I can’t quite make it out. He was standing in the middle of the stairs, so there was some distance between us, and I wondered for a moment if I should go down and stand next to him.
But it didn’t matter because he came storming up the stairs.
“No.”
He brushed past me with a short answer. I glanced back at him and saw that he had stopped in his tracks and was still glaring at the stairs, his brow furrowed.
He glanced back and forth between the stairs and me, then pursed his lips like he had something to say. I tilted my head in puzzlement, and he sighed heavily and turned away, closing his eyes tightly.
