Episode 60
Lillian and Theo left the gambling den.
Although they hadn’t spent a long time there, when they left, the sun was already setting, so they had to hurry back.
The two quickly changed back into the clothes they had worn before and got on the rented carriage. As long as they could safely return home, no one would suspect that Lillian and Theo had secretly visited a gambling den.
Everything was perfect. Except for Theo.
“…Theo? Are you okay? Your face is flushed.”
“Huh, what?”
“Your face is really red. Did you drink too much?”
“Uh… maybe. Is it because I drank?”
Not only was Theo’s face flushed, but he was also sweating profusely. Moreover, he could hardly meet Lillian’s eyes. Was he feeling unwell?
“You’re not usually like this. You brag about your drinking prowess all the time.”
Lillian reached out with concern and touched Theo’s forehead. It was her attempt to check on Theo’s condition, but it had the opposite effect.
“Darn it, darn it! Why is my heart pounding so fast?”
Because, the reason for Theo’s unusual condition was none other than Lillian.
Seeing Lillian, who had been dressed as a boy just a while ago, now wearing a dress, she looked so beautiful. She had just seen her face without any particular thoughts, and even though they had come to the gambling den in the same attire, why did she suddenly feel so new?
Theo was beginning to feel a bit resentful towards Lillian.
“Why does she have to be so unnecessarily pretty?”
If he kept thinking like this, someone might think he liked her.
Theo pretended to tidy his hair and looked out the window. Looking at the scenery outside, his heart calmed down a bit. When he looked back at Lillian, fortunately, his heart didn’t race as it did a moment ago.
But it seemed like he was getting more drunk.
“Hey, Lillian.”
“Yeah?”
“What if I said I can’t date or get married?”
It was a frivolous thing to say, something he wouldn’t usually say.
Lillian widened her eyes, then narrowed them. It seemed like she was thinking the same thing as Theo.
“Don’t go around saying stuff about magic tricks. No, don’t go around drinking either.”
“I’m not drunk.”
“Sure.”
“So, what do you think?”
Lillian seemed skeptical that Theo wasn’t drunk, but at least she seemed to believe that he wasn’t joking with his question.
“Don’t want to date or marry? Why are you asking?”
“Oh, just curious.”
“Being a knight and a noble, you’d be popular as a marriage prospect. If you say you don’t want to… people will just think you don’t want to, I guess?”
As expected, Lillian seemed to have little thought about Theo’s marriage.
At the moment when Theo nodded with a somewhat disappointed expression at her plain answer, Lillian spoke up.
“But sometimes, I did have such thoughts.”
“What thoughts?”
“You were quite popular at the orphanage.”
“Me?”
“Yeah. The girls really liked you.”
Honestly, she didn’t quite understand back then, Lillian said with a laugh.
“Even among the maids at the Duke’s mansion, there were girls who liked you. Didn’t you know?”
“What? Really?”
“Yeah, really. Nisha and Sally had headaches because of all the girls coming to them for advice on unrequited crushes on you.”
Lillian chuckled at why that was so amusing.
In fact, it was quite common for servants to have mutual feelings. Among Theo’s seniors, there were quite a few who dated maids. In fact, there was a saying among the knights.
―There’s only one of two things for you, Theo. Date or be dated.
It was understandable, as the Duke’s mansion was a massive estate. Behind it was a forest that extended into a hunting ground, and ahead was a garden that took quite a while to reach even by carriage. Naturally, just the staff to maintain the garden alone could make up a family of four, not to mention the dozens of indoor servants. If you added the knights to the mix, it was more than enough for a decent-sized rural village.
So it was only natural for fit knights and young maids to find each other appealing.
Of course, it was a rather awkward story for Theo. Theo only had memories of training in the training ground all his life, but to be the object of the maids’ crushes. It was enough to leave him speechless.
“I, I didn’t know…”
“Didn’t Nora give you her lunchbox the other day?”
“Yeah, she was carrying two in her hands, so how could I pass by empty-handed?”
“And Isabel asked you to move her flowerpot.”
“Did you see how big that plant grew? It was bigger than me!”
“Why were you staring when Lucy was eating?”
“That maid eats her sandwich so neatly, not a single crumb falls. I secretly watched to learn her trick, how did you know?”
Theo awkwardly scratched the back of his head. These were reasons that were trivial to him, but for the girls at the time, each little gesture became a heart-fluttering event.
Lillian also understood that sentiment well. Why wouldn’t she, Lillian? She had Damian right next to her, who seemed ready to take her side on anything, and Theo, who would hold her until she fell asleep if she cried.
It’s easy to have a fluttering heart. Lillian was even more susceptible to such feelings because of her loneliness. Even if what this person said or did seemed insignificant, her heart would easily flutter.
So Lillian habitually locked herself away.
“I can’t settle here.”
Someday, I have to leave this life. This life isn’t mine, and I’m just temporarily living Swan’s life.
Thinking like that made her feel nothing. It was like wearing gloves named Swan and feeling the world around her.
That’s how Lillian was supposed to live.
So this was a rare sense of touch with bare hands.
“So, if you ever get a lover, I was thinking of not coming to you anymore.”
“…What?”
“You always hold me when I cry, Theo.”
Lillian had thought of stopping if Theo ever got a lover.
No matter how much it was just an action Theo did without any thought, if I didn’t lock myself away, I would eventually feel fluttery again.
“But if you don’t date or marry… Do I get to come to you for the rest of my life? That thought came to mind.”
Lillian, saying so, was faintly smiling. It was as if she were joking.
Her face, always steeped in cynicism and coldness, had a faint warmth, which was quite impressive. Theo couldn’t take his eyes off Lillian at that moment.
Of course, it was just a moment. Lillian’s words quickly passed, and the faint warmth disappeared soon after.
“…Hey, are you not getting married either?”
“Is that so? Isn’t a strategic marriage something to consider?”
“You say it so confidently like you’re going to have an affair?”
As Theo chuckled in disbelief, Lillian glanced away.
“I’m not really going to date you, so what affair?”
Although Theo wanted to retort as her words stung, the carriage came to a stop at that moment.
Was this lucky or unlucky?
Thinking it couldn’t be known, they got off the carriage, and there was Lillian standing in the garden.
“What are you doing? Come in.”
“There’s a carriage.”
“What carriage? Oh, a guest must have arrived. Why such a fuss over nothing?”
“That sentence…”
Lillian’s eyes narrowed.
“It’s from Keneth.”
* * *
As they entered the mansion, the atmosphere seemed somewhat chaotic.
Mary, who had belatedly noticed Lillian, approached and took Lillian’s coat.
“Did you enjoy your outing?”
“Yeah, Mary. But what’s going on? It feels like we have guests.”
“Oh, right. Miss. Odil Kenisa has arrived.”
Mary spoke without hiding anything. However, Lillian couldn’t shake the feeling that this wasn’t all.
If that was all, the mansion wouldn’t be this chaotic.
Then, Lillian noticed a servant carrying bedding.
Surely not. Lillian asked hesitantly.
“Mary, surely… Miss. Odil is staying overnight here?”
