Chapter 59 : Empress (5)

“Well, alright.”

Ayla said that.

“I won’t tell you to wear these clothes all day. It wouldn’t be good for Seila’s education either.”

Since I had studied various things through books, I figured I already knew everything I needed to know. But I didn’t bother telling Ayla that.

Somehow, I felt that if I said something strange here, Ayla would start grabbing the hem of her skirt and moving around again.

“But it is a good outfit for correcting your behavior. As the head maid following me, it seems to help you move more elegantly. Let’s agree to wear it until dinner.”

“Elegantly, you say?”

“Yes, elegantly. Well, I never thought your movements were particularly clumsy before, though.”

Hmm.

Ayla tilted her head slightly, lost in thought for a moment.

She seemed to be pondering why she had even said that.

“Hmm?”

“Ayla, ma’am. Couldn’t we have guests coming?”

Before Ayla could think too deeply, I hurriedly inserted that thought into the conversation.

No matter how much I had adapted to this body, there could still be aspects that looked awkward to others.

For the first month, I had tried my best to make sure my posture didn’t seem unnatural while moving, but the problem was that no matter how much time I spent on it, I could never match the ease of someone who had lived in this body their whole life.

Maybe I had only been cautious at the beginning. If my vigilance had weakened over time, it wouldn’t be strange if awkwardness started showing in my actions.

In that case, it would be best if Ayla didn’t notice it. For my sake.

“Ah, you’re right. We might have guests.”

Ayla looked me up and down as she spoke.

“Well, if a guest were to see you, this appearance wouldn’t leave a very good impression. You’re… quite literally a ‘doll’ in many ways.”

I decided not to think about what she meant by “many ways.”

“Then let’s spend today like this.”

“Ayla, ma’am?”

“As long as you don’t leave the room, it doesn’t matter, does it?”

Ayla said with a bright smile.

“It’s not like you have anything to do outside anyway. The count’s territory is peaceful as always.”

Ironically, that was true.

The baron had suddenly found himself in the middle of political upheaval.

I didn’t know if he was being manipulated by someone, but for now, it was difficult for him to exert any influence over this count’s domain.

Besides, among the nobles, a ‘new medicine’ was starting to spread. A new drug that might reveal causes of death that had previously remained unknown.

The count’s corpse had been sealed back inside the tower. I figured it would start decomposing soon, but honestly, I didn’t care either way.

After all, the body would be placed in a thick coffin and buried in the family tomb.

The important thing was whether or not the magicians of the magic tower would determine the count’s death was murder.

With such political upheaval happening, pressuring the count’s territory would be difficult.

For now, their priority was handling their own chaos.

As a result, the count’s territory had secured another peaceful period.

If this was the outcome, then maybe it was a little regrettable.

No, more than that—

Had Ayla always seen me as such a satisfying existence?

If someone asked whether I was beautiful, I would have no choice but to say yes.

My body was, of course, quite well-proportioned.

But this wasn’t a body that could show any kind of sexual appeal to Ayla.

At least not this one.

If it were my previous life’s body, maybe.

Before, she used to nitpick at me about so many things—

Ah, I see.

Maybe she just enjoyed tormenting me.

After all, I had tricked her a few times before.

“Please sit in this chair.”

Ayla said that as she pulled out the chair beside the table.

“Ayla, ma’am…”

“It’s an order.”

Well, if it’s an order, then I have no choice.

As I sat down in the chair, Ayla gently ran her fingers through my hair.

Her cold fingertips brushed through my strands, then touched the nape of my neck, making me flinch slightly.

The back of my outfit was open below that area.

Since Ayla was standing behind me, I became more conscious of it.

Especially because, aside from the crisscrossing apron strings, that part of my back was practically bare.

No, it wasn’t that I was completely bare—

It just felt like my clothes were slightly opened up, revealing too much.

“I see. Your hair is quite soft.”

“If you’d like, I can grow it out.”

“…No, that won’t be necessary.”

Ayla answered quickly, as if she remembered what I had said yesterday about “doll-like hair.”

“I just meant that your hair feels nice.”

“Thank you, Ayla, ma’am.”

“It’s rather strange, isn’t it? Someone skilled enough to fight dragons must have spent most of their life swinging a sword. I, on the other hand, haven’t used a sword in a long time, so my calluses have softened. But you—shouldn’t that be different? You only reached that level recently, after all. It hasn’t been ‘decades,’ you’re still too young for that. Younger than me, even.”

I didn’t respond to Ayla’s interrogation.

She simply let out a small “Hmm.”

“Well, I won’t make it an order this time.”

“Thank you, Ayla, ma’am.”

Ayla’s hand left my hair.

I heard her footsteps turning away, followed by the sound of a drawer opening and her rummaging through its contents.

Soon, I felt a comb gently brushing through my hair.

“I had no choice but to distance myself from the sword, but what about you? Not just simple training—you’ve rolled around on the ground so many times, yet your hair remains undamaged? And how are your hands so soft? Your body doesn’t even have a single scar.”

I wasn’t like this before.

My body had been toughened through training.

I wasn’t enormous, but I was bigger than average, and my hands weren’t just covered in calluses—they were marked with scars.

Not just my hands.

Scars covered various parts of my body.

It wasn’t just training under the witch. I also carried out missions on her behalf.

Most of them were quite dangerous.

Honestly, I think the witch gave me those tasks assuming I would give up quickly, but—

Well, I managed to accomplish almost everything, except becoming a genius magician like the witch’s other apprentices.

One of those tasks included hunting dragons.

“Just looking at you now, it’s hard to believe any of it, but it seems the people around you don’t feel the same. Maybe they could dismiss the witch and the shadow as actors in your plan— But if even the Empress is getting involved, then it must be true.”

“And yet, for some reason, someone like that is here at my side, saying they’re willing to lay down their life for me. Don’t you think that’s rather strange?”

I had no words to reply with.

I couldn’t move recklessly now—who knows how this ridiculous maid outfit would shift?

It was completely impractical for actual work.

A maid’s job involved carrying things and using physical strength.

If all the maids in the manor had to wear something like this, their efficiency would drop drastically.

“You still have no intention of talking, I see.”

Ayla continued combing my hair.

“Well, that’s fine. I’ll figure it out eventually.”

And once it’s revealed—what will happen?

I just hope it happens after this territory has become strong enough to stand on its own, beyond the reach of others.

Even if I am forced to leave, I want to be able to return freely.

Not that I have any intention of leaving in the first place.

“Ayla, ma’am. The estate’s duties—”

“Helena is here, isn’t she? And Seila won’t have a breakdown just because you don’t check in for a single day. If you’re that worried, go see her in the evening.”

I wasn’t the only one working in this manor.

Ayla was right.

To be honest, a head maid’s job isn’t anything extraordinary.

A head maid is supposed to train and oversee the other maids, but in my case, the maids under me were already highly skilled.

They handled simple instructions instantly, and there was nothing more to teach them.

So, using work as an excuse to escape wasn’t really an option—

Knock. Knock.

Just as I was about to give up and resign myself to Ayla’s hands, someone knocked on the door.

“Sit still, like a doll.”

Ayla sounded amused as she said that and walked toward the door.

Standing on the other side was Helena.

“Lady Luna—oh.”

She had expected to see me at the door, so when she spotted me instead sitting stiffly in a chair, our eyes met.

Her eyes widened in shock, as if she was too startled to even tease me.

I pressed my knees together tightly, sitting in perfect posture.

Was there really something so shocking about this?

“My apologies for interrupting your fun, Lady Ayla.”

“No need to apologize. If it’s something important, I can’t ignore it. What is it?”

“A guest has arrived.”

“A guest?”

“Yes. Actually, ‘guests’ would be more accurate.”

“How many?”

“There aren’t too many, but each one seems to be highly skilled.”

Ayla turned to look at me.

She stared directly at me and asked,

“What did the guest say about their identity?”

“They said they had an old friend here.

They also mentioned that it would be better not to reveal their identity.

That if we found out, it wouldn’t benefit this land.”

“…Are they waiting at the front of the manor?”

“Yes. And they also said that they’d prefer not to wait too long—

For their old ‘friend.’”

“Of course.”

For the record, I had never been the Empress’s friend.

That was just her way of speaking.

Sometimes, she used it to exaggerate her relationship with someone who had done great deeds.

Other times, she used it mockingly.

But Ayla didn’t seem to take it that way.

Her eyes narrowed.

I closed my eyes and let out a quiet sigh.