Chapter 24 : Reconciliation (1)

Is she competent, or is she just a human with many flaws?

To Ayla, Luna was a very strange presence.

She seemed to have some skill. Although Luna lost when she sparred with Ayla, a regular maid wouldn’t be able to fight off three strong men.

Ayla couldn’t know what her actual physique was like, though. By the time she heard the report, Luna had already been buried underground.

Could it be a lie? Ayla thought it was possible… but somehow, it didn’t seem like Luna was lying to Ayla.

Whether it was defeating the men or asking to wear an item enchanted with impossible magic around her neck, if it were that complicated a spell, it would surely have better uses than just limiting the actions of a maid.

Why was it?

“Ayla-nim?”

Perhaps sensing Ayla’s gaze, Luna looked at her.

For a brief moment, Ayla’s face flickered in Luna’s violet eyes, like something carved from amethyst. It wasn’t that close, though. In fact, the distance wasn’t enough for her face to be seen that clearly in Luna’s eyes.

Ayla thought it must be her imagination.

After all, Ayla knew those eyes well.

No, not those eyes, but the one that was very similar.

Despite the person being nothing like him except for the eye color, he was always smiling slyly, and whenever there was a chance, he would tease Ayla. He would even mock her when Ayla lost in sparring.

“Don’t worry too much.”

That teasing always started with that phrase.

“I’ll protect you, so it doesn’t matter if you’re weak.”

It was a way to prick her pride, but how could he say such things? Ayla, who had learned a little about noble manners from going to a dojo, wondered if that ignorant commoner boy even realized what he was saying.

But he wasn’t that dumb.

“Let’s run away, together.”

When she last saw him, he had said that.

“I’ll protect you.”

As always.

It wasn’t in a teasing tone, but with an unusually serious expression.

Ayla was a few years older than him.

And she knew very well that he couldn’t take on everyone chasing them alone.

She had rejected him.

That memory often resurfaced.

What if they had just run away together?

What if it had just ended like that? If it had ended freely, without any more complications.

No.

No, that’s not it.

They both lived, and that was enough. In the end, Ayla had found her freedom, and the man had lived.

A few years later, Ayla had a chance to visit the dojo again. It was about a year before she married the Count.

She wondered if she could meet him again, but he wasn’t there.

The people at the dojo didn’t know where he had gone. The elderly master seemed to know something, but Ayla didn’t get any answers.

“Ayla.”

Despite the difference in their statuses, he always called her by her name.

He balanced between a respectful tone and a light one, walking a fine line of minimal courtesy.

“Ayla-nim.”

It was rare for anyone to attach an honorific to her name like this.

Ayla blinked.

A maid, with an entirely different face from his, was looking at her.

“Ayla-nim, your face is red. Are you feeling unwell?”

“Ah, no.”

She almost answered suddenly, but stuttered. Ayla’s face flushed even more from an inexplicable sense of shame.

“Wait…

Wait, what should I say next? What words should come after? Should I say I was thinking of the past? No, that didn’t seem like a good idea.”

“Wait, I want to be alone.”

“Ayla-nim?”

“Yes, that’s right. I want to be alone.”

Gathering her thoughts, Ayla’s voice regained its strength. She looked Luna straight in the eye.

“Please leave me alone. It’s an order.”

Luna hesitated for a moment before lightly bowing her waist.

“Understood.”

With a brief salute, Luna stepped back and left the room.

In the end, Ayla still didn’t know if that choker was real or fake.

“Luna, Luna.”

As Ayla stepped out, a cautious whispering sound reached her from far down the hallway.

Turning her gaze, she saw a young lady half-hidden around a corner. She had tried to hide but hadn’t been very successful.

The young lady waved at her, so Ayla approached. Behind the corner was a witch. Still in the form of “Daisy,” not her true appearance, though.

“What did that person say?”

“That person?”

Ayla was mildly shocked by the young lady’s words, and the young lady’s face turned pale.

“I see! Luna must have been caught by that person! She definitely must have said something foolish like calling them by their name!”

Trouble… well, it’s unlikely that something serious would happen just because of an honorific. If Ayla had resisted forcefully, the magic wouldn’t be complex enough to cause trouble for every little thing.

When she glanced at the witch, the witch subtly nodded.

“Ah, what did that person say inside? Was it something strange?”

Something strange?

Ayla tried to follow the young lady’s thoughts. What kind of strange things would a young lady of her age imagine?

Seeing Ayla’s face subtly change, the young lady’s expression turned even more pale.

“It can’t be!”

What do you mean “it can’t be”?

Of course, if Ayla really asked me to do such a thing, I would gladly follow her, but generally, such matters would involve the honor of a noblewoman. If word got out that she did such things to a maid, it would become a major issue.

“Surely, the book you mentioned…”

“Lady Seila.”

“You can just call me Seila.”

“Seila-nim.”

I tried my best to maintain a polite expression and said,

“Could you tell me what kind of book you were reading?”

Lady Seila’s mouth closed.

Good.

It wasn’t a regular fairy tale book.

“Could it have been a book from the Count’s study?”

“How do you… Ugh!?”

At my question, Lady Seila exclaimed and quickly covered her mouth.

The Count was known for his refined hobbies. Of course, I mean that in an ironic sense.

It was fine to buy and collect books with refined tastes. I could respect those tastes—it was sincere. But the fact that the Count tried to impose his tastes on people made him the worst kind of person.

And one more problem.

Ayla had sent all the servants of the mansion away. Naturally, the person who should have been taking care of the Count’s library was also gone.

Books are expensive items, so someone must have stolen the valuable editions, but at the same time, because they were heavy, it didn’t all disappear. I made sure of that while inspecting the mansion on the first day.

“Seila-nim, do you like reading books?”

“I… I like them. Because when you read, you can learn about stories from far away places in this world.”

And children, even though they may not know yet, will read stories like these.

“I see.”

I closed my eyes and nodded politely before saying to Seila,

“Let’s go to your room.”

“W-Why!?”

Seila was startled, but I was already nodding at the witch, no, Daisy, with whom I made eye contact.

It seemed like we understood each other when it came to childcare.

I hadn’t even asked her to do so, but Seila had already knelt down on the bed.

On the table in the middle of the bedroom, there were several thick books made of parchment. Though paper was imported through the East, these books appeared to have been made before that.

After all, paper books were expensive just because they were made of paper, and they were lighter compared to parchment books, so they would be easier to steal.

I read the title of the book again.

The book titled [The Baron’s New Wife and Cinderella] briefly described how, after the Baron’s death, his stepdaughter Cinderella became a maid and was made to do various tasks.

Cinderella had some resemblance to the Baron, and the Baron’s new wife loved him.

[Snow White and the Seven Fairy Maids], [The Enchanting Witch and Hansel and Gretel]…

In these twisted fairy tale titles, there were also illustrations printed using woodcuts.

“This book is confiscated.”

“Why!?”

Lady Seila reflexively shouted and looked at me, but when our eyes met, she lowered her head again.

“Lady Seila, the content of the book and reality are quite different.”

“I-I know that.”

“Of course, my relationship with Ayla-nim is also different from a fairy tale.”

I wish it had been like a fairy tale.

It would have been nice if it were like the story where the prince saves the princess locked in a tower.

But reality doesn’t work that smoothly.

“Well, that choker, it’s definitely in the fairy tale book…”

It has pictures, but it’s not a book for children, so it can’t be considered a fairy tale.

Well, with titles like Snow White, Cinderella, and Hansel and Gretel, Lady Seila probably took it out to read. The book was at fault here.

“What book does this content come from?”

At my question, Daisy’s gaze suddenly turned to me. She had her mouth slightly open.

By the way, the carnivorous plant in the corner of Lady Seila’s room was also opening its mouth, staring at me. Why is it looking at me?

“Lady Seila.”

“It’s Seila.”

“Seila-nim. This is an important verification process.”

“A verification process?”

“Yes. I need to know how much you’ve read and remember so I can correct the mistakes in the book and inform you of them.”

“Well… in another version of Cinderella…”

“I see.”

I nodded.

“I’ll take note of that.”

I’ll make sure to properly inform you about the book’s content next time.

“Hey, Maid Director, wasn’t that something that just slipped out of your mouth?”

Daisy interrupted, but I decided to ignore her.