Treason?
I felt a chill run down my spine, as if I had heard a word I shouldn’t have.
Strength involuntarily entered my fingertips.
I should have stayed quietly in the bedroom and not gone to the study.
Regret washed over me like a tide, but the milk was already spilled.
“Our family’s stance is too obvious, isn’t it?”
Then, my father’s voice, calm and composed, reached my ears.
“……!”
At those words, I ran to my bedroom as fast as I could.
The thought of hearing more and creating a crack in my otherwise peaceful life was terrifying.
Breathless, I arrived in my bedroom and dropped all the books I was holding to the floor. Then, my legs gave way, and I slumped down.
Only after entering my familiar little world did I feel at ease.
“Huff, ah….”
I slowly caught my ragged breath and pushed the story I had overheard in my father’s office to the back of my mind.
It’s okay, Selena. Nothing is going to happen.
It’s okay. It’s okay. While covering eyes and ears with comforting words.
***
But enlightenment is always irreversible, and this time was no exception.
No matter how hard I tried afterward, I couldn’t erase the word “rebellion” from my mind.
I was deeply engrossed in thought, enjoying the warm sunshine in a garden full of various blooming flowers.
My father said that if a rebellion occurs, our family, being loyalists to the emperor, would naturally side with the emperor… But what if the side that initiates the rebellion wins, what would become of the Obelton family? Even though we are one of the four major ducal families, they wouldn’t just exterminate us, right?
Looking through the history books, most of the rebellions that had occurred so far had failed, but there were a few that had succeeded. If a rebellion were to succeed, even if it was a slim chance, all the families that stood with the emperor were purged.
The more I thought about it, the more tangled my thoughts seemed to get.
“Sigh… This is difficult.”
Pressing my temple with the back of my hand while looking at the sky, suddenly, a long shadow was cast over my head.
“Young miss.”
Removing my hand from my forehead at the familiar gentle voice.
Who is it?
Unintentionally furrowing my brows, I leaned forward to gaze at the figure looking down at me.
The dazzling sunlight casting shadows made it hard to see the other person’s face.
After spending some time like that, slowly, red hair that was closer to brown and silver eyes carrying a warm hue began to appear.
There was only one person in the mansion with such an unusual combination, so I immediately recognized who it was.
“Tommy?” As soon as I realized that the person standing behind me was Tommy, I jumped up from my chair.
The corners of my mouth lifted in joy.
“What brings you here?”
“The butler said there was a shortage of hands in the kitchen, so I went to help. Now, I’m on my way back from the laundry room. What were you doing here, miss?”
“Oh, just sitting.”
I couldn’t bring myself to confess that I was actually thinking about rebellion, so I gave a vague response.
Seeing Tommy’s eyes, beautifully curved, made me feel guilty for lying to him again, but I managed to hide my expression.
“Well. It might be summer soon, the weather was nice today.”
Thankfully, the laundry will probably dry well today.
Tommy glanced briefly at the cloudless clear sky and added softly, “Aren’t you going to take a break on such a nice day?”
When I found it odd that he only thought about working even on such a nice day, he burst into a hearty laugh.
“Right. I also want to take a break, but I don’t have the time.”
“You could take a vacation.”
The servants working in the mansion were given 30 days of vacation annually in exchange for their lodging and food within the duke’s residence.
But thinking about it, I’ve never once seen Tommy use his vacation.
“If you don’t use your vacation days by the end of the year, you get a bonus. I don’t really have family to visit during my time off, so I’d rather just take the money.”
“Ah.”
Hearing Tommy’s response, I let out a small sigh mixed with regret.
Asking Tommy, an orphan, why he doesn’t take vacations. That was a mistake.
“Sorry.”
As I mumbled an apology, looking down, Tommy brushed it off.
“It’s fine. It’s not something I mind much.”
“Well, that’s a relief.”
Seeing him deliberately speak in a bright tone, I felt it was necessary to change the subject before the atmosphere got even more awkward.
After a moment of thought, I remembered something I wanted to ask Tommy about and clapped my hands.
“Right, indeed. Tommy, I wanted to ask you for a favor.”
“What is it?”
“Could you possibly lend me just one set of your plain clothes? I only need a top for now.”
Ruth’s clothes were ruined, and he needed new ones, but in the mansion, Tommy seemed to be the only one with a similar build to Ruth. So, regretfully, he had no choice but to make this request to Tommy.
A top was the most urgent necessity…
While picturing Ruth’s top, which was torn to shreds, he grimaced at the thought of Ruth’s pants, dirtied with mud and blood.
It would be nice to bring him new pants as well.
That’s what I thought and added,
“I’d appreciate if you could also lend me a pair of bottoms, if possible.”
Looking puzzled, as if he couldn’t grasp my intention, he cautiously asked,
“Why do you suddenly need my clothes?”
“Because they’re needed.”
Tommy looked at me with a curious expression, concealing the precise reason, and then eventually smiled faintly.
“Can you wait here? I’ll bring them right away.”
I nodded in response to his request and sat back down in the chair, watching him walk away before gently closing my eyes.
Could it be because my mind, noisy for a while, has finally quieted down after a long time? Along with the spring breeze brushing against my cheeks, old memories quietly surfaced on the water.
***
Six years ago, in winter.
Perhaps because of the heavy snowfall the day before, that day was exceptionally cold.
Not wanting to only admire the snow, shining like pearls, from inside the mansion, I went out with my nanny. After nearly an hour, I realized that I had accidentally let go of my nanny’s hand.
“Nanny…”
With a voice trembling from the fear of being alone for the first time, I called for my nanny and looked around.
But the garden was vast, and the snow from yesterday was still lightly falling from the sky.
Consequently, finding my nanny in a space surrounded by snowfields was not an easy task.
The thought that I should hurry back to the mansion before it got dark crossed my mind, but at the same time, I didn’t want to return without finding my nanny.
Eventually, as late afternoon turned to dusk, I found myself sitting on a tree stump, hugging my legs tightly.
It was too cold. I was scared, hungry, my legs hurt, and my fingertips were frostbitten.
Moreover, my ears and nose had long lost sensation.
It was the worst.
I buried my forehead in my arm, trying to hide my teary face.
(TL/N: I can almost imagine a chibi Selena crying like aqua after losing from Kazuma)
But a tear that dangled at the corner of my eye eventually trailed down my dry cheek.
As a single tear streamed down, drawing a thin line, an uncontrollable amount of tears burst forth all at once.
I was heartbroken. The situation I was in felt unbearably sorrowful.
It was then, amidst my tears, that I heard a voice for the first time.
“Young miss!”
It came from a boy nearby. At his call, I slowly lifted my head to see a red-haired boy running towards me.
I didn’t know there were servants my age, so I couldn’t hide my curiosity. As I watched him with my mouth slightly open, the boy caught his breath and stopped in front of me.
“I’ve come to fetch you. I’m sorry I’m late.”
“Who are you?” Unable to contain my curiosity, I asked.
He replied calmly, “I’m a new servant at the mansion.”
“What’s your name?”
“…Tommy. My name is Tommy.”
“Tommy?”
“Yes, Tommy.”
Tommy gently wiped the tear stains from my cheeks with his thumb and smiled warmly.
“If you have no more questions, would you like to return to the mansion with me?”
“What about the nanny?”
“Lady Katarina is at the mansion. She looked quite exhausted as if she had a hard time looking for the young miss.”
I was waiting for the nanny…
I felt a bit disappointed and got down from the tree stump.
As I was about to take a step towards the mansion, I felt something was missing and fiddled with my fingers.
“Shall I hold your hand?”
Tommy, who noticed me, stretched out his hand.
After a moment of hesitation, I took his hand.
“Yes.”
That day, Tommy’s hand was incredibly warm. So much so that I kept holding onto it even after we returned to the mansion.
***
“Young miss.”
“Uhm…”
As someone woke me up, my eyelids, heavy with sleep, slowly opened.
As my vision cleared, Tommy appeared in front of me, holding some clothes.
“Are you already here?”
“Yes. I waited a bit since you were sleeping, but it’s time to hang the laundry.”
“That’s okay. Is that the clothes you’re lending me?”
I nodded in affirmation and then pointed with my chin towards the clothes he was holding.
“Yes. I brought the most neutral clothes for now, but if you don’t like them, I can bring others.”
“No need to go that far.”
It didn’t seem like Ruth would appreciate it that much either. I swallowed the words I didn’t voice and took the clothes.
“I’m really thankful for just this. If I can, I’ll return them later.”
“You don’t need to return them. Just use them until you need to and then throw them away.”
“Is that really okay?”
“Yes. I have plenty of clothes, well, I can always buy more.”
Tommy, with his clear face, didn’t seem to be lying at all, so I nodded my head, putting my mixed feelings aside.
“Okay, I’ll do that.”
“Um, and Miss, please take this.”
He hesitated for a moment, then extended a single white rose he had been hiding behind his back.
“I met Mr. Tom the gardener on my way here, and he gave me this flower, saying he had cut it by mistake. I thought it would suit you well, but it’s okay if you don’t like it and choose to throw it away.”
(TL/N: Looks like someone is falling hard)
Tommy, his face reddened like a tomato, finished speaking in a shy voice.
“Thank you. I’ll dry it nicely and keep it.”
As I effortlessly took the stemless rose, a wave seemed to pass through his pupils.
“Then, I’ll go hang the laundry now.”
I watched Tommy hastily leave as if fleeing and then smelled the flower.
“Hmm?” My head involuntarily tilted.
Something was off. Was I mistaken? I murmured to myself, looking down at the white rose.
If my sense of smell is not mistaken, the flower that should give off a sweet scent had no fragrance at all. It was as if it had completely dried up and withered.
(TL/N: You got scammed lol)
***
When I returned to the mansion with clothes and flowers, for some reason, a line of servants was standing at the entrance.
Was someone coming? I glanced quickly at the servants and moved to go into my bedroom before the guest arrived.
Creak. It was when I had reached the stairs that I heard the sound of a door opening behind me.
Without thinking, I turned around, and there stood my father and a boy of small stature.
was it a rose made from mana?