“There’s no such thing. I’ll stay with you, until the day we find him, or until he returns on his own.”
How much time has passed since then?
Back then, Meliya didn’t understand why Vera would hold her hand so tightly, comforting her like that.
In her memory, this girl, whom she had only met a handful of times, was always cold and sharp to everyone, as if cut off from the world.
—In any case, that woman’s personality is terrifying! If I had to spend my whole life with her, I’m sure I couldn’t stand it!
“Lian always wrote in his letters that you had a terrible personality, but never once did he mention why he didn’t break off the engagement with you… I really should have figured it out sooner. I almost let him fool me.”
In the thousands of days and nights that followed Lian En’s absence, Vera stayed by her side just as she had once promised.
So when Sephy told her that Vera was suffering from a deadly illness, Meliya nearly broke down.
“You tried everything to comfort me, you got angry on my behalf, you came to save me in my time of crisis…”
She felt awful. She felt as though she might break down and cry as easily as she used to when she was just a simple village girl—but in the end, she managed to hold it in.
“And… you gave up on Lian for me, pretended to hate him for my sake—I really do like you best. You’re a part of me… my dearest friend, my teacher, my sister. Please… get well soon…”
She held her friend’s hand tightly, praying again and again for her recovery.
…
……
………
“What? Madam isn’t coming? Did something happen?”
Laite the Housekeeper quietly repeated the message to the servant reporting beside him, trying to make sure he had heard correctly.
Yet he seemed completely unaware that, even “quietly,” everyone in the hall could hear every word.
“Huh? I thought I’d finally get to see Madam today… sob.”
This building was the venue for the Crown Festival’s Invention Expo in the city.
The people from Xīlong Pavilion were gathered in its reception hall, constructed of steel framework and a glass dome.
Among the lineup of servants in the hall, Tilly’s disappointment was written all over her face.
She was just about to complain to Lian, standing beside her, when she noticed that Lian, too, looked utterly dejected, with two thick dark circles under her eyes that even makeup couldn’t hide.
This child… don’t tell me she was so excited she didn’t sleep all night?
“Don’t be discouraged, Lian.” The complaint turned into comfort. She gently patted Lian’s shoulder. “Anyway, when the Flower Crown Parade comes on the third day, Madam will surely appear on the float with the Young Miss. We’ll definitely see her then…”
“Thank you, Senior Tilly.”
Lian smiled at her, signaling she was all right. But in truth, she was terribly disappointed—because ever since that night they drank tea together in the pavilion, she hadn’t had a single chance to see Meliya again.
She had wanted to learn about Meliya as before, through Feiyin, but the elusive Head Maid hadn’t come to find her at all these past days.
And as a newcomer, if she kept asking her coworkers and the maids at the dormitory about the lady of the house, she was sure to arouse suspicion.
Just as she was worrying about how she might see Meliya again, good news came from Xīlong Pavilion, her assigned post: on the first afternoon of the Crown Festival, Meliya would be attending the opening ceremony of the Invention Expo, and the Xīlong Pavilion group would be in charge of venue setup and staff arrangements.
In fact, she had been so excited the night before the festival started that she couldn’t sleep at all, lying awake the whole night thinking about what she’d say to Meliya the next day… without considering at all that, for such a formal event, there might not be any opportunity for a lowly maid like her to actually speak to Meliya.
In the end, she didn’t get to see her. Looks like I should consider writing a letter… just like I did back when I traveled.
As Lian quietly resolved herself, Laite the Housekeeper spoke up with a weary face: “The opening ceremony has been postponed a day… today’s reception schedule is canceled. Reception group, you may leave. Cleaning and maintenance groups, stay behind to continue inspecting the venue…”
“The Housekeeper says the reception group can leave? So we’re free to go?”
Tilly’s mood instantly brightened, and she high-fived another maid beside her.
After chatting a bit with that maid, she turned to invite Lian:
“Since we have the afternoon off, Lian, why not join us at the festival? The food street in the West Market District is sure to be doing tastings right now—we could eat until we’re stuffed…”
“The West Market District, huh… I don’t think I can.”
Lian thought for a moment, then said apologetically,
“I have something to do… I was planning to go to the North Market District after work. But since we’re free now, I might as well go there and prepare first.”
“Oh…” Seeing Lian’s troubled look, Tilly didn’t insist. “If it’s something important, there’s no helping it! Go ahead. But you can’t refuse next time, all right?”
“Definitely. I’m really sorry, though. It’s rare for seniors to invite me…”
Hearing her say “senior,” the maid next to Tilly looked delighted, blushed bright red, and whispered something to Tilly.
Tilly nodded with a smug “I understand, I understand,” look, then took her by the hand and said goodbye to Lian.
“Ah, speaking of the North Market District… isn’t the Martial Tournament the liveliest thing there right now? Don’t tell me you’re going to compete?”
“How—how could that be? I’m just a maid~ haha~”
Dodging Tilly’s joke, Lian averted her gaze, sweating nervously.
…
……
………
“Ugh…”
A short while later, Lian, now dressed in casual clothes, got into a carriage heading for the North Market District.
She sighed in exhaustion as she gazed out at the unfamiliar city from the window.
Seles City’s streets had completely given in to the festival spirit.
Lian could hardly imagine how many people it took to clog all the city’s broad main avenues like this.
Even with her coachman shouting hoarsely at the carriages and pedestrians ahead, they could only inch forward, squeezed among the sea of people and vehicles.
The city teemed with faces from every corner of the continent—local farmers and merchants bringing their wares to market, nobles and magnates dressed in finery, pointing out every item they saw while surrounded by servants.
But the largest crowd by far was made up of foreign and non-human tourists, marked by the travel straw hats they wore.
“So many demi-humans, elves… even some of the demonfolk.”
The ancient Holy Capital Selantu, the imperial capital of the White Sea, Yilansiya—she had visited nearly every major city on the continent during her travels, but none could compare with present-day Seles City… No, it would be laughable even to try.
This city, rising amid steel and steam, magic and technology, had surpassed everything she once imagined of Aitixila’s era.
It was just like the scenes she’d read about in the textbooks of her old world… except with magic added.
By her reckoning, Aitixila’s era should have been at least three hundred years away from a scene like this.
Could Sephy really have achieved this all by herself? Even with Meliya Ashus, the Duchess, assisting her… it still seems far-fetched.
“Looks like I need to visit the library and see what’s happened in the past decade or so.”