When Ariadeline opened her eyes, she was still in Carlothian’s arms.
She was sure she slept with her back turned away, but upon waking, she found herself snuggled up against him.
“Wow, it’s warm! I slept well!”
Ariadeline laughed exaggeratedly and sprang up from the bed. Carlothian’s brow furrowed slightly but relaxed again as soon as her fingers touched him.
She slowly slipped out of bed. Looking at the sunlight coming in, it seemed to be just early morning.
When she opened the terrace door, a refreshing breeze poured in, and Ariadeline inhaled it deeply.
“Is anyone around?”
She leaned against the terrace railing and scanned the surroundings. Fortunately, there were no servants in sight.
The only one there was Carlothian, still asleep in bed.
She giggled and slowly parted her lips.
Then she began to sing the hymn she had learned from Dorothea yesterday.
Unlike the previous day, she sang with a strong, steady breath, and her voice was clear and pure like the morning air.
The birds startled and flew away at her voice, and the high notes resonated powerfully, filling the crisp morning breeze.
Her expression while singing was incredibly soft.
Her voice moved as she wished. It trembled, broke, and flowed just as she desired.
As she spread her arms, the wind blew, causing her blonde hair to flutter. The breeze felt a bit chilly.
However, a slight sheen of sweat appeared on her forehead as she sang to the end. Then came the gentle descent, a song flowing as if caressing someone.
If Dorothea sang as a saint, comforting and soothing others, Ariadeline sang like a woman embracing children who were in the same situation as her, wearing tattered clothes.
Her song continued for quite a while.
And it was around that time that Carlothian woke up. As he slowly woke up, he heard the sound of singing in his ear.
Somehow feeling light, Carlothian got up from the bed and looked toward the terrace where the sound was coming from.
Ariadeline was singing. With her arms wide open and all her might, as if this were her greatest joy.
Her voice was gentle, almost pitiful, and it delivered the lyrics more clearly than anyone else’s. Carlothian recognized that song.
It was a hymn from the temple, a song about the messengers of God who brought sharp spears like rain to judge humans tainted by sin, and about taking care of the children who survived.
Carlothian stood quietly by the terrace, listening to her song. He remained still, watching her back until she took her last breath.
When she finished singing and turned around, her eyes widened in surprise, as if she hadn’t realized Carlothian had come because she had been focused on her song.
Then she broke into a bright smile. As Carlothian saw that radiant smile illuminated by the light, he felt a subtle ache in his chest.
What is this feeling?
He asked himself, but the answer didn’t come immediately. Just then, Ariadeline approached and took his hand.
“Let’s go have breakfast. I’m hungry!”
“You’ve been making so much noise since morning; no wonder you’re hungry.”
“What? I’m not that loud!”
“Really?”
“Even Princess Dorothea praised me for singing well!”
“Dorothea is kind, indeed.”
“Oh, really!”
The two of them held hands and went down to the dining room for breakfast.
The servants let out a sigh of relief as they watched the two emerge from the same room.
Last night, when they heard that the two would be sleeping in separate rooms, their hearts dropped.
But seeing the chattering Ariadeline and Carlothian quietly looking down at her, they felt that there was no need to worry anymore.
Phew.
The two of them were completely unaware of the servants’ worries.
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
Ah, this is nice.
I sat on the terrace bathed in warm light, sipping hot tea and exhaling deeply.
It had been a few weeks since I returned from Anrize. The madness had faded as if it had never existed, and I could sing as much as I wanted.
I was completely satisfied with the current situation. Hmm, hmm. A little tune escaped my lips.
“You seem to be in a good mood.”
“Since you returned from Anrize, you’ve been especially cheerful.”
“Oh? Can you tell?”
As I smiled, the maids burst into giggles. They seemed a bit excited too, and there was a reason for that.
“I can’t bear to wear the shoes Lady Ariadeline bought for me.”
“Come on, I bought them for you to wear. Just wear them! If they wear out, I’ll get you new ones.”
“Oh! It’s fine. I’ll take good care of them!”
“Oh, and I haven’t even had the chance to wear the necklace Lady Ariadeline bought. It’s so sparkly!”
“What about the dress? I’ve never seen such nice fabric for a dress before.”
“I’m glad everyone likes the gifts I brought back from Anrize.”
Hehe, I do have a good sense for gifts. While I smiled, savoring my tea, the maids subtly inquired.
“So, when are you going to give the gift you bought for the Duke?”
“Oh, um…”
As I hesitated and avoided their gaze, the maids crowded around me even more.
“Come on, don’t do that. You still haven’t given it to him, right?”
“What did you buy? We’re curious!”
“Ahaha, well, you see…”
I scratched my cheek. I had prepared it, but the souvenirs sold at tourist spots are all pretty much the same, so it’s not exactly something special.
“Hmm, should I give it to him tonight?”
“Tonight?”
“Tonight?”
“Tonight?!”
The three maids instantly blushed. What on earth are they thinking!
“W-well, Carlothian will be back around that time! So that’s why I’m giving it then!”
“Oh ho ho, I see.”
“We won’t even come near your room.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
I really didn’t know how to resolve this situation, so I rubbed my temples. It seemed like they were completely misunderstanding the relationship between Carlothian and me.
We’re really not anything! If anything, we’re just sleep buddies?
Wow, that’s such a strange term.
In the end, I silently gulped down my tea, but I noticed someone walking down the hallway in the distance.
“Ah, Rodi!”
I called out to Rodi. I had a gift for her too. I hadn’t seen her lately, so I hadn’t been able to give it to her.
But then the child saw me and immediately ran away! I widened my eyes and froze for a moment.
What’s going on? Did I do something wrong?
“Should I go catch her?”
One of the maids rolled up her sleeves. I quickly pointed to where the child had run off and commanded,
“Go catch her.”
“Yeah!”
If I did something wrong, I should apologize and move on. Why would Rodi suddenly run away from me?
I put down my teacup and looked at the other maids. They shook their heads, seemingly just as confused.
“Rodi said she was taking the day off to go back home, right?”
“Why is she back so soon?”
“But why did she run away when she saw me?”
“We’re not sure either.”
Just then, the maid who went to catch Rodi returned with a strange expression, bringing her along.
I was about to greet her warmly but quickly stiffened. Because—
“Rodi! What happened to your face?!”
I stood up immediately and knelt down on one knee, looking Rodi straight in the eye. Her cheek was red and swollen.
It was clear that she had been hit by someone, not just fallen or bumped into something.
“Ah, I-I bumped into something because I wasn’t looking…”
“Don’t lie, Rodi.”
I said with a stern face. I’ve been hit in the face many times before, so I can tell the difference.
I carefully examined the child’s face. The handprint was definitely from an adult. And judging by the size, it was a man’s hand, not a woman’s.
I furrowed my brows as hard as I could.
“Let’s go see the healer first.”
“Oh, no! I’ll be fine with some ointment!”
“Not a chance, now that I’ve seen it. Come on, let’s go.”
I grabbed Rodi’s hand and pulled her along. I felt her hesitate for a moment before following me.
The maids trailed behind us, starting to worry about Rodi.
“Who did this to you?”
“Did you run into some kind of thug?”
“Ow, that must hurt. Poor thing.”
Rodi’s eyes welled up with tears as she felt the warmth of my hand and the concern of the maids. I was taken aback and stopped for a moment.
“Does it hurt a lot, Rodi?”
“N-no…”
Yet the child couldn’t stop crying. I hurried toward the healer.
“Fortunately, it’s not a serious injury, so we can treat it right away.”
“Thank you.”
“It’s nothing.”
The healer at the Denaves mansion was as kind as ever, treating the child’s wound.
Even then, Rodi couldn’t stop the tears. I sat her on the bed and crouched down to meet her gaze.
“Rodi, is there something you want to tell us but can’t?”
Rodi shook her head tightly, keeping her mouth shut.
“Can you tell me what it is?”
“T-that…”
