Chapter 53
The next morning.
“Ugh….”
When I woke up, my eyes were swollen from crying so much the night before.
At the same time, everything that had happened yesterday came vividly back to me….
“Argh!”
What on earth had I done?
“Aaaah… Alice, you crazy bitch….”
Even after lying back down and kicking the blankets several times, my embarrassment refused to subside.
After thrashing around on the bed for a long while, I got up and headed toward the window, thinking I might as well get some fresh air.
“Agh….”
The North’s cold wind cooled my burning eyelids and head.
“I really do need to apologize, don’t I?”
I murmured as I stared at the desolate scenery outside the window.
Thinking about it now, Heter had probably been kind to Cecile to prevent her from harboring ill will and harming the territory after he had treated her coldly for no reason.
Besides, Heter’s attitude hadn’t actually been all that kind in the first place.
Grrrrowl.
“Seriously….”
Even at a time this serious, I was hungry.
But that wasn’t strange.
The night before, I had cried until I was exhausted and slept until now without even eating dinner.
‘Let’s go get something to eat.’
It was a little early, but there would surely be something to eat if I went to the dining room.
So I went downstairs and turned the corner.
“Huh?”
I collided with someone standing there.
Who was standing around blankly in a corner like this? Just as I was about to take a look at their face—
‘…Huh?’
A familiar scent tickled my nose.
‘This sharp herbal scent mixed with flowers….’
Unlike in the old days, when only Sir Gold and Ruby were around, there had been many more people in the mansion lately. But only one person gave off a scent like this.
“Heter?”
“My lady.”
Had he come to the dining room to eat as well?
‘If that’s the case, why isn’t he going into the dining room and instead standing here… Huh?’
When I looked up at Heter, something seemed strange.
‘Why is he still wearing the clothes he wore yesterday?’
When I had first met him, Heter had been so dirty that I had mistaken him for a homeless man. But once he came to the mansion, he had unexpectedly placed great importance on cleanliness.
He was so particular that Ruby would get annoyed because he took off his clothes every day and left them in the laundry basket, just like me.
But the clothes Heter was wearing now….
If my memory was correct, they were the same clothes he had worn yesterday.
They must have gotten dirty as well after he fought the orcs.
Soon, I noticed something else that was strange besides his clothes.
There was the stubble on his chin, slight though it was, the dark circles beneath his eyes, and the way he stood blankly in the corner as if he had been waiting for me.
“Heter, don’t tell me….”
I grabbed Heter’s arm and looked at his face.
“Have you been here all night?”
….”
Heter nodded without meeting my eyes.
“No, why would you do something like that?!”
Seeing Heter’s bloodshot eyes suddenly made my anger rise again.
‘What an idiot!’
Why had he been waiting here like an abandoned puppy just because I had gotten a little angry?
“Did you think this would make me stop being angry?”
“No.”
“Then what?! Are you doing this to make me pity you?!”
I snapped at Heter, but inwardly, I immediately regretted it.
I had intended to apologize when I met him. I hadn’t meant to get angry like this.
“Ugh…. Never mind.”
I took my hand off his arm.
“If you’re doing this because of that prank you pulled yesterday, I’ll forgive you. So go back to your room and get some sleep….”
Grab.
“?!”
Just as I passed Heter to go to the dining room, he suddenly embraced me from behind.
“W-What are you doing right now? This is a breach of contract….”
“I’m sorry, Alice.”
“!”
With his face buried in the nape of my neck, Heter mumbled in a quiet voice.
At the same time, the corners of my eyes, which I had thought had calmed down after hearing his apology, began to grow hot again.
“I’m really sorry for making you sad.”
“I know, so stop….”
“It’s too late now, but last night, I went and clearly rejected Cecile.”
“…What?!”
The tears that had been about to spill immediately disappeared when I heard Heter’s words.
Was this guy insane?
I had worked so hard to hold back my urge to get angry at Cecile.
“What were you thinking, doing that? What if Cecile takes it badly and does something malicious?”
I tried to escape Heter’s embrace and talk to him face-to-face, but I couldn’t break free with my own strength.
“If that happens….”
Heter tightened his arms around me and spoke in a strained voice.
“I’ll stop her.”
“What?”
“Whatever you’re worried about, I’ll stop it all.”
….”
“So….”
Then I realized.
The dampness I felt at the back of my neck.
“Please don’t be sad because of me….”
“…What is this idiot talking about?”
Heter really was an idiot.
Yesterday, I hadn’t been angry because he had done anything wrong. It had all been because of me.
I placed my hand over the back of his hand.
“I told you earlier. I forgive you for what happened yesterday.”
….”
“So don’t cry.”
I genuinely didn’t want Heter to be sad.
Seeing him sad made me feel gloomy as well.
I carefully removed Heter’s arms from around me, then reached toward his bowed face.
“Ah.”
His face was flushed, and his jade-colored eyes rippled with tears.
The moment I saw him like that, I realized why Heter was acting this way.
Even I, who had only just realized that I liked him, felt this much pain at the sight of Heter shedding tears. How difficult must it have been for Heter to see me crying?
I wiped away his tears with my hand.
“It’s an order from your master. Won’t you obey?”
“…Isn’t an order not to cry a little unfair?”
“Oh? Looks like you’re feeling a little better now?”
“Haha….”
“Hehe.”
When Heter smiled at me, I smiled back.
“Did you know, Heter? I also had something I really wanted to tell you today.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah.”
Because of the difference in our heights, I rose onto my tiptoes and narrowed the distance between us as much as possible before speaking.
“I’m sorry for getting angry yesterday, too.”
There was something else I truly wanted to say to Heter, but I deliberately left it unsaid.
It was something I wanted to tell him when we were both smiling brightly, not after we had both shed tears like this.
***
After finishing our meal, I headed back to the study in an excellent mood.
Not only had Heter and I made up, but Cecile wouldn’t be making advances toward him anymore.
…Was that a little underhanded of me?
Still, what could I do?
It had already happened, after all.
Eventually, I reached the second floor while humming to myself.
“Huh?”
I suddenly froze in place.
Because….
“…Good morning, my lady.”
“Y-Yes. Good morning, Cecile.”
For some reason, I had run into Cecile in the hallway on the second floor.
The moment I saw her, a cold sweat broke out.
Now that she knew Heter had rejected her because of me, she must have harbored negative feelings toward me.
‘Um… what should I do about this?’
“Heh.”
While I hesitated, unsure how I should treat her, Cecile, who had been staring intently at me, suddenly began to laugh.
“Hahahahaha!”
‘W-What?’
Had getting rejected by Heter driven her out of her mind?
“Haa….”
While I wondered whether I should call Heter or Ruby right away, Cecile finally managed to stop laughing, wiped away her tears, and smiled serenely.
“If you’re moving like a wind-up doll because of me, you don’t need to worry.”
“Huh?”
“When I first came to the mansion, the knight told me, ‘I like my lady.’”
“That’s true, but… are you really okay?”
Even so, it hadn’t even been a full day since Cecile had been rejected.
‘Even if she understands it logically, she won’t be able to control her emotions that easily….’
“Thinking about it, I don’t think I liked the knight romantically.”
“?!”
I was startled by Cecile’s sudden confession.
“What do you mean?”
“After thinking about it carefully, I realized that I don’t think I loved the knight. I think I admired him.”
“Ah!”
The word ‘admiration’ made Cecile’s behavior up until now completely understandable.
If Cecile was a fan of Heter, then both bringing him offerings and waiting around for a chance to see him in person made perfect sense.
“So that’s what it was.”
I maintained my composure outwardly while feeling genuinely relieved inside.
Fortunately, it didn’t seem that Cecile would harbor any malicious thoughts because Heter had rejected her.
“If I caused you a lot of worry, I apologize.”
“Not at all. Still, if you’re ever having a difficult time, be sure to tell me.”
“I understand.”
With all my worries resolved, I was able to return to the study feeling refreshed.
***
“This is how it’s done, right?”
After Alice entered the study, Cecile was left alone in the hallway and murmured while gazing into empty air.
“An excellent performance? Of course.”
Cecile smiled as she conversed with someone invisible.
A strange longing flickered in her eyes.
“If I can have the knight, something like this is very easy.”