Chapter 22
“Beautiful.”
The man wiped the girl’s face down with emotion. Then the girl’s body trembled.
It is the feeling of disgust that creeps out of the expressionless face.
Yuria took a deep breath to hide her expression and clenched her fist.
“… Don’t be too fond of me for complimenting you. Women are prettier than you are all over the world. You are very lucky that you were chosen by me on the subject of commoners.”
Yuria almost burst out laughing at those words. Because she thought it was bad lucky.
The man took the girl’s hand and gently kissed her. He got up from the bed and pulled the cord near him as if he had thought of something.
After a while, the servants came in with gift boxes. He leaves them around Yuria and the Count, and then goes away as if my job is over.
“Are you acting because you got hit last night? I just went out and bought some presents for you, so stop getting angry. Don’t hesitate, open it right away.”
Yuria looked down at the box being held to her without any emotion. The man bit his lip as if impatiently, when Yuria couldn’t see the usual words of thanks, or even an expression drenched in emotion.
He took the box from the girl, untied the ribbon and showed the contents inside. It was an accessory that radiated a brilliant light. It was the same color as her eyes.
“How is it? great? Women like this, don’t they?”
Yuria was still expressionless.
The Count hastily unpacked the gift boxes on the floor. The contents varied from headbands and white nightgowns with delicate lace stitching to dresses. However, there was nothing that Yuria liked.
Since the sender of the gift is not pleased with the receiver, both their beauty and their outstanding value are useless.
“Why aren’t you smiling? I even bought a present for you like this! So, don’t make that face and smile! Smile now!”
Yuria looked into the Count’s face without saying a word. How can he tell herself to smile? How shameful he would be, if he had no guilt… If there is no such thing as the human heart, I can say so.
If I was in that place, I didn’t want to smile even if I died. However, Yuria vividly recalled the face of the person in her head and forced a smile. Then the Count smiled like a satisfied man.
The Count grabbed Yuria’s hand.
Yuria carefully opened her mouth as she looked at the countess like that.
“… Count… My sister is doing well, right…?”
“Yeah.”
“Is she eating well?”
“Yeah…”
“Is she sleeping well?”
“… Did I tell you to stop talking about your sister? Every day, sister, sister, sister! I’m tired, I’m tired. She’s fine, stop worrying.”
Lie.
That was a lie. After that, what the Count did to Layla, and the day she found out what she was doing, Yuria hurt herself.
“How could you lie to me like that?! You said that if I do well, you will let my sister go!”
The vase broke and the carpet was wet,
“Why… Why is it me?”
blood dripping,
“Why me and Layla…?”
Shouts, screams, and pleading sobs are mixed together, making it hard to tell what is what.
“… I’m pretty …I, I…Is it because I am pretty?”
So you do this? So, isn’t it pretty when you do this? will you let me go now? One day,scratches were made on Yuria’s face. Then, as if miraculously, the arrogant and selfish man fell to his knees with tears in his eyes.
Even in the blurry vision, there was a hand approaching me clearly. There were begging hands. It’s the Count’s hand. It is the hand of a man who deceived and insulted himself. As Yuria hurriedly hit it, a short moan of a woman could be heard.
Yuria came to her senses and jumped up from her seat. The Count’s room turns into a clerk’s foyer, and the one in front of her turns into Bianca, a friend of her man with her stout stature.
Everything that came vividly was a dream.
Yuria couldn’t sleep because she was thinking about Layla last night. She was so tired, and Bianca led Yuria to the living room. Taking a short break seems to have made her sleepy. Bianca stuttered her words while fiddling with her beaten hand.
“It’s okay, Yuria, I feel like you’re having a nightmare…”
“Did I hit you…? sorry. I, I’m a little crazy when having a very strange dream….”
“Why are you apologizing for something like this? You’re sweating is no joke. What kind of dream did you have? I think you need to clean up a bit?”
Bianca reached out to wipe the sweat. Now I don’t feel like touching anyone. So Yuria refused the hand and ran her sleeve over her damp forehead.
At this moment, Yuria desperately wanted to see Layla. As a child, she used to feel at ease whenever she saw her trusty, mature face.
It was still the same today.
On the other hand, I didn’t want to see my sister’s face no matter what. Because she lied and hid such an important thing for her own sake. Plus she didn’t seem like she wanted to see herself, even if she was Layla. Yuria clenched her fists, remembering her sister who didn’t come to dining room even at lunchtime.
****
“…ugh…”
I rubbed my sleeve under my nose and rubbed my eyes with my hand. I cried so much that the corners of my eyes were tingling.
After I calmed down, the actions I had taken passed by like a lantern, so I couldn’t stand it without banging my head.
Why did I cry ? Fighting with my sister was just a trivial matter! What makes it even cry?! and…. Why, after all, were you crying in front of Isley and not anyone else? Next time we meet, please don’t tease me about it.
Also, how surprised were the people I met in the hallway when they saw me running away while crying? You shouldn’t cry, you shouldn’t be weak. Yeah, I couldn’t protect my sister.
Then there was a rustling sound and something broke into the bushes.
“Orange…?”
It was a small cat with orange fur.
“… Why are you here? Were you roaming the garden again? If you get caught by Master Osses, you might be kicked out…”
“Meow.”
Orange, who was staring at me, cried once and then started rubbing his face against my leg.
Hey! What? aegyo all of a sudden? You didn’t act like this before? You’re a naughty cat that definitely ignores or scratches at me when I try to touch you. But it didn’t feel bad.
I felt more at ease because this cat seemed to comfort me when I was crying. Then again there was a rustling sound, and sunlight poured in from above.
“Orange, why are you suddenly going this way….”
It was Arthur, he made eye contact with me, opened his eyes and looked down at me. Why is he here? I didn’t want to see anyone, but we met again.
To meet Arthur after Isley, how unlucky am I? I barely swallowed a sigh that was about to come out. I jumped out of my seat and came out of the bush. And greeted in a formal way.
“… Hello, young master. Good morning.”
“I think that was the wrong greeting. It is afternoon.”
“Yes? It’s afternoon…?”
Arthur took a pocket watch from his pocket and showed it to me. The hour had already passed one hour. When I feell hungry, it is lunch time? Did I cry that long? Oh my gosh…
“Yes, but why is the master here…?”
“…Because of this cat. He was taking a walk in the garden proudly, not knowing his own plight.”
Arthur reached out and picked up the orange. He gently grabbed the orange in his hand and looked at me blankly.
“What were you doing in the bush?”
“Uh, me?”
“Then, who else is here besides you?”
“Haha… That’s right… Uh, there are times when people just want to hide in the bushes, right?”
“… Seriously, where is such a person? I thought before, but you’re really good at nonsense. by the way… why are your eyes like that it’s like….”
Arthur, with a strange expression on his face, reached out toward me.
“Like a lucky person.”
Uh? While I was doing it, his hand touched me, and he gently wiped my eyes. It was such an unpleasantly gentle and careful act. I was startled and stepped back. Then I stumbled and fell, hitting my buttocks.
It was so confusing that I couldn’t feel the pain properly. Hey, why is he like this? Wasn’t he a character who didn’t like being touched? But why are you touching me? for what? I remembered the last time you hid because I touched your hair casually. I felt bad.
“… I’ll just go and have a job. goodbye.”
I felt like I would push Arthur away if I stayed here any longer, so I hurriedly greeted him and got up and ran away. “Wait!” came from behind me, but I pretended not to hear it.
It was only when I reached the mansion that I was able to breathe with peace of mind.
Calm down, Layla. Did Arthur touch me? That’s nothing. Guess my head is spinning for a second. So it’s clear that I forgot the settings. There was still a warm feeling around my eyes, which gave me goosebumps.
I wiped my eyes with my sleeve and bit my lip. Then, I remembered the promise I had made with the head maid.
After all, we were supposed to meet after lunch. It was not the time for her to be like this. I had to go to the head maid office.
Because today was the day I had to get a letter of recommendation and say that I was going to leave the duke’s house.
I washed my face with cold water in the bathroom to soothe my swollen eyes. It was because I didn’t want to be found out that I was crying, and it seemed too embarrassing to hear that I cried like Arthur did.
As soon as I thought that my eyes had subsided a little, I headed straight to the office. I knocked and a voice called to come in.
When I opened the door and entered, the maid was scribbling something with a quill.
“Come on, Layla. You little late, I can’t even see you in the dining room.”
“I’m sorry. I have some work to do….”
“For now, sit on the sofa over there.”
I sat on the sofa. The head maid immediately got up and sat down in front of me, and came from somewhere with a kettle and two teacups, pouring steaming tea into the teacup. The teacups were placed one by one in front of me and the maid.
“Did I say I have something to say?”
“… Yes.”
“Layla, I have very good news for you.”
After she smiled softly, she sipped the tea.
“Did you hear that Master Isley’s exclusive servant took maternity leave? And said that his wife gave birth to a pretty girl.”
“Yes, I heard.”
It was a story that had been circulating for a long time among the employees. It was a story that spread while preparing for the duke’s birthday party, so we couldn’t congratulate her, but it ended with a small applause or a thank you saying that it went well.
“But why is this story all of a sudden…?”
“So, I need to find the next Master, Isley’s exclusive servant… That’s what you became.”
“…Yes…?”
For a moment, I felt like my heart was sinking. How big was the impact? I even raised my hand and fiddled with the area around my heart to see if my heart had truly fallen. What the hell is this?
I didn’t understand any of her words. No, it might be more accurate to say that she didn’t want to.
“Why are you so bewildered? You’re acting like someone didn’t expect that. Wasn’t it great? I recommended you, and the master said he would like you too. you who are no one else Layla, you seem to be very cute to the master too, don’t you?”
“… Are you kidding me?”
“Why would I joke about this?”
The head maid smiled brightly, but I couldn’t help but smile.