‘Should I say this is embarrassing? Or ridiculous?’
Ellie’s eyes trembled as she heard about Rutus’s unexpected return schedule.
Even when she casually asked the child about it the other day, she got the same answer.
In other words, he hadn’t heard anything about when he would return, as it would probably take a few more years.
The image of him shaking his head in confusion, asking a servant he didn’t know very well for a newspaper, was still vivid in her mind.
-…But who does what now anyway?
Should I hang them?
Like a farmer harvesting cherry tomatoes, so methodically?
-…….
Having lost her words, Aerlie, who stood there with her mouth slightly agape, saw the servants leave the annex. Of course, since the master was returning after a few years, it would have been impossible for the main house staff alone to quickly prepare the house.
In the past, it might have been different, but it wasn’t the case now.
For some reason, the combined number of staff in the main house and the annex was less than half the number of servants Ellie had seen during her lifetime.
So, unless he were going to hire more people, they had to gather everyone, whether they were available or not.q
-…So why?
Rutus’s sudden return. She could understand that much.
The war is not progressing according to schedule, and it is not uncommon for predictions to be off by several years.
It was also possible that the teleportation was just his way of hurrying home because he was missing home, so that was understandable too.
But leaving only enough staff to maintain the mansion?
Since most of the servants are hired for the convenience of the family members, there is no need to have a lot of staff if there are not many family members. So, that was also somehow understandable.
However….
“But is it okay for all of us to go like this?”
“Why?”
“There’s the young master in the annex. He’s still young, so shouldn’t a few of us stay?”
“We’re just doing what we’re told to do. It’s not our fault, is it?”
“That’s right, he’s quiet anyway, so it should be fine.”
However, there was a child left in this mansion.
In the absence of the master and mistress, the only person they should be taking care of was the child.
“Well, I just saw that the guards are still there.”
“So it’s okay.”
“Let’s go quickly, we’ll get in real trouble if we’re late.”
Is this even a sane situation?
A few more maids who had just left the annex scurried out of sight.
What kind of servant would abandon their master and leave them all alone?
Ellie couldn’t understand it at all.
The more Ellie looked around, the more speechless she became. She bowed her head. Her eyes fell on the small flowerbed at the foot of the stairs.
…Oh, right. I came out because I had a promise with Adi.
Ellie narrowed her eyes and examined the flowerbed. Of course, there wouldn’t be any fairies, but first she had to think of something to say-
‘…?’
Why is this here? Ellie blinked rapidly and clicked her tongue.
-Did I die and they turned the garden upside down?
Wildflowers that would have bloomed by the roadside were planted in rows, crowded together.
Ellie’s eyes narrowed as she noticed the obvious signs of intentional management in the flowerbed, making it clear that these weren’t accidentally mixed in.
‘As far as I remember, this was where the rose vines used to be.’
It was then, as Ellie tilted her head in confusion, that her head, which had been tilting, stopped abruptly.
There was an awkwardly empty corner, and not far from it, a pile of vines that seemed to have been moved but not yet tidied up—
-…This seems like something that was being made.
It wasn’t just ‘seems like’, it was.
Ellie sighed as she looked at the vines pile, emitting an atmosphere of neglect and age as if it had been abandoned for quite some time.
Judging by the progress, it seemed to be in the final stages.
‘If only I had one more day, I could have finished it.’
The vaguely unfinished look made her feel uncomfortable, as if she had left work undone.
But that was only for a moment, and the next emotion that came over her was, naturally, anger.
Ellie’s hand, which had been hovering over the untouched pile of vines, clenched into a fist.
That bastard’s negligence was really getting on her nerves. She couldn’t just kick him out because she was a ghost.
Ellie, who looked up at the main mansion garden in the distance, which was vaguely visible, eventually turned her back.
‘…I’m so pissed…’
Unlike here, it was vibrant and beautiful over there.
* * *
“Lia!”
After barely calming her boiling heart, the child, who had been clinging to the window like a cicada until now, suddenly raised his head and called out her name as she entered the attic.
-Mmm. Adi, have you been good?
Ellie, who was now quite used to the child approaching her face, nodded her head, bending her waist to meet his eye level.
When she pulled the corners of her mouth into a smile, a small dimple appeared on one cheek of the child who had been whining that it hadn’t been even 300 seconds.
“Did you see the fairies?”
-…
“Did you see them?!”
-Oh, no? I guess I went out too late and I couldn’t see them. I guess everyone went home today.
At Ellie’s answer, her white cheeks puffed up like a balloon.
Ellie, who had watched over the child’s side for a while, whether it was long or short, now knew what that reaction was.
“Fairies… aren’t there?”
-Nope…
“…But they should be there?”
-No, they just weren’t there.
“…”
Oh, he’s sulking.
Ellie’s eyes rolled around as the child, with an expression that seemed to say he had lived all the years of the world, let out a heavy sigh.
The sound of his footsteps trudging back to bed with his shoulders slumped down in disappointment was cute.
-Pfft!
Because of that, Ellie couldn’t help but let out a chuckle from between her lips.
Her eyes met the child’s who was looking back at her at the sound of Ellie’s laughter.
“…”
-…
An infernal silence flowed.
-Ahem! Oh, is it because the day isn’t fully light yet?
Don’t you think the room is a bit dry? Ellie clumsily tried to change the subject, but the child’s gaze was sharp.
It was really a mistake just now. Ellie, who felt wronged, quietly averted her gaze.
Knock-knock-
“Young Master, I’m here. May I come in?”
That’s when it happened. A familiar voice was heard along with the sound of someone cautiously knocking on the door.
The child reflexively turned his head towards the door and opened his mouth slightly.
“…Marie?”
“Yes. I’m sorry I’m late. I wanted to come quickly, but something came up…”
Ellie couldn’t help but be surprised by the ensuing conversation. She had been sure that Marie, who had been out of sight for over a month, had returned to the Mason family home.
Flustered, Ellie opened her eyes wide and looked back and forth between the child and the door. The child’s rosy cheeks, which were flushed with excitement, and his sparkling eyes clearly showed that he was feeling very good right now.
The only thing that was unexpected was that the child, who seemed like he was about to run to the door at any moment, suddenly let out a cry.
“Oh, don’t come! I’m not going to let you in, I’m mad! You didn’t keep your promise…”
-…Oh.
The pouty expression was clear. No, in this case, it should be said that he was angry.
As if Marie also knew this, an urgent voice came from the other side of the door.
“I saw it too! I said I would come before the flowers bloomed, but when I came on the way, I saw that they had already bloomed. I’m so sorry for not keeping my promise because I’m sure the Young Master was waiting for me.”
“…….”
“Actually, the departure was delayed more than I thought, so I tried my best to catch a carriage on a shortcut. The road was rough, and when it rained, the carriage wheels got stuck in a pothole.”
“…Lies. It’s not raining now, is it?”
“Oh, really? It will probably rain here by tomorrow morning.”
“…….”
“Even so, I missed the Young Master so much that I came here as soon as I arrived without even changing my clothes. Are you really not going to open the door? I even brought dinner.”
At Marie’s words, the child’s eyes fluttered. He seemed to be struggling with the conflict of whether to open the door or not, even though she was saying all this.
Ellie, who knew that the fact that he was struggling meant that his heart was already somewhat open, decided to indulge him a little.
She also missed Marie, and she couldn’t help but know that the constant glances he was throwing her way were meant to encourage her to say what he wanted.
Ellie turned to the child and opened her mouth.
-Shall we open it?
The child pouted and whined.
“…I’m not hungry now.”
-But you have to eat. Otherwise, you’ll get so thin you won’t grow taller, will you?
“…….”
-If that happens, you’ll only be half my size even when you grow up, won’t you?
Or maybe even smaller?
As he tilted his head with an exaggeratedly pitiful expression, the cheeks that had been plumped up from a month of diligent eating looked deflated.
-What can we do, such a small baby can’t be a knight-”
“…Well, come to think of it, I’m getting hungry.”
Watching the small, bean-shaped back of the head as it ran towards the door, Ellie nodded slightly.
The cramped room was only big enough for a few adults like Ellie to walk across, but it was different for the child.
As the child opened the door, Marie, who had entered with a tray, began preparing dinner.
As she had mentioned earlier, it was true that it had rained on her way here and that she had come straight away without changing her clothes, as evidenced by the moisture that had not yet been shaken off her shoulders.
“Wow! Young Master, you seem to have grown taller since we last met? And your face has gotten even more handsome! Have you been eating well?”
“I’ve always been handsome.”
“Of course you have. You’re our young lady’s son, so it’s only natural that you’re incredibly handsome. I mean, you were already handsome, but now you’re so radiant that I can feel your vitality in your face.”
Ellie chuckled at Marie’s remark, which would undoubtedly be bewildering to anyone in a formal setting.
Then her eyes widened at the glass bottle placed in the corner of the tray.
Just then, Marie, who had finished preparing the meal, placed the tray in front of the child and tapped the glass bottle with her fingers.
“I thought I ran out of everything, so I went out and bought some candy that you like, Young Master.”
“Oh. C,Can I eat this?”
“Of course, as long as you keep eating well like you have been. I’ll tell you about the young lady while eating your candy.”
“Okay… Sounds good.”
The child nodded his head vigorously and picked up his spoon with a solemn expression.
Judging by the familiar attitude of the two, it seemed that this wasn’t the first time this had happened.
Ellie, who was watching the child from behind, eyed the glass bottle filled with colorful candies and thought.
‘Those… are special products from the Mason Territory, aren’t they?’
* * * *
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