Ch.72A Star for You (4)

A maid’s morning always begins a little earlier than sunrise. To complete all preparations before the person she serves wakes up, and… to take care of the one person her mistress particularly cares about.

Evan Fried. Just thinking of that name made her shoulders lift slightly with excitement. Come to think of it, he was just one person, yet how much the gloomy atmosphere of this duke’s mansion had changed because of him.

At first, he was just someone she occasionally heard about from Sir Chris. A person who always looked half-dead, swinging his sword with pale hands. Someone whose talent surpassed everyone else’s… someone who didn’t easily become friends with others.

Her mistress’s escort knights never lasted more than a month, so she thought this time would be no different. Even she had to admit that her mistress’s personality wasn’t something an ordinary person could endure. However, the impression she got when she first met him was nothing like what she had heard from Sir Chris.

“What’s your name? You know mine, right?”

She remembered the knight who had reached out to carry her luggage. The height difference wasn’t so great back then—why had he grown so tall?

As usual, she took a cookie from the bedside and hummed a tune while walking down the corridor. Her body moved automatically through this now-familiar routine.

She needed two towels and a basin of water. Since there was always someone in the garden at this hour, she headed there at a leisurely pace.

Whoosh- Swish-

Her steps lightened at the sound of a sword cutting through the air, now as familiar as a melody. Wouldn’t it feel strange if this sound were no longer there? As she had always thought, he was quite a diligent person. Sometimes to the point where he seemed desperate for something.

She waved her hand toward him as he practiced with his sword in one corner of the garden, and the knight soon noticed her and waved back. Or should she call him Sir Knight?

“You’re here again.”

“And you came here again.”

“It happens every day. You don’t even thank me anymore.”

“Thank you.”

She wasn’t actually looking for thanks. It was just that, well, this routine had become familiar now.

But when she actually heard his thanks, she felt somewhat shy and could only respond with her usual “Hehehe” laugh.

Watching him brush back his sweat-soaked hair, one thing made sense to her. Both Lize and her mistress—she had wondered why they liked him so much. But in truth, he was quite an impressive person in many ways. His personality wasn’t bad, and his abilities were… outstanding, to say the least.

Though she pretended not to know anything, the gossip among the maids conveyed quite a lot about the flow of the world.

She couldn’t help but learn a great deal about who Evan Fried was, both externally and internally. As she had felt when they first met, what he showed her was pure goodwill. She had met many people who showed such goodwill. Most were people who pretended to show kindness on the outside while harboring sinister intentions to use her.

Just two people.

Only two people had ever shown her such pure goodwill with a smiling face. Her mistress, well, to be honest, hadn’t treated her warmly. They had only become close over time; in the past, she had been treated no differently from any other maid. So excluding Sir Chris and this person named Evan, there was virtually no one who had shown her such kindness.

“Aren’t you tired?”

“Not particularly.”

When this sudden thought crossed her mind and she asked, he simply nodded as if it were nothing. It seemed odd that he would say he wasn’t tired while his entire body was drenched in sweat, but perhaps that was his own honest answer. This lifestyle had continued for four years already. Considering his training with Sir Chris before that, this routine must be so familiar to him that he would miss it if it were gone.

“The mistress should see you like this.”

Then she would blush and mutter to herself. Of course, that would be when the knight couldn’t see her. But perhaps he had the same thought, as he smiled slightly and turned his gaze toward her.

“You’ve noticed everything, haven’t you?”

“I’m not stupid. I just pretend not to know.”

There was a time when she lived as a vagrant. It was a time when she couldn’t have survived without being perceptive. Even though her body was now comfortable, those instincts were still very much alive.

She could easily tell what kind of current flowed between the two of them. As a maid, she heard such stories quite often.

How some young nobleman was in love with some young lady, or how some young lady was in love with some young nobleman. She had seen it firsthand and heard so many stories that her ears were worn out. How could someone like her not notice such things?

She simply hadn’t felt the need to show that she knew, so she had kept quiet. She was pleased with her mistress’s change, and she liked how much brighter she had become compared to before when she had exuded a lonely atmosphere. With that thought, she looked again at the person standing before her.

The changes that one person—just one person—had brought to this duke’s mansion were quite enormous. The ripples that had reached her were not small either, so she pouted her lips and spoke sarcastically to him.

“When are you going to confess? It’s frustrating just watching.”

“…I don’t know, I’m still not sure.”

Sure about what? If there was one thing she couldn’t understand, it was whatever he was always worrying about.

The future, always preparing for something. It didn’t seem like he hadn’t noticed their mutual feelings, so what was he so worried about? But there was no way to know, so she could only close her eyes quietly and sigh.

He was a good person. Not without flaws, but even taking those into account, Evan Fried could be called a good person.

Kind to those around him, with his own beliefs. Nor did he neglect his duties as an escort knight, and he didn’t try to wield his recently elevated status.

Though he was from a noble family, he didn’t often show a dignified appearance, but his unique friendliness drew people to him. How long had it taken for him to become friendly with the servants of the duke’s mansion after becoming an escort knight? Not even a full week. The memory made her smile, and she shook her head at his curious gaze.

And then, plop.

She frowned at the hand that naturally rested on her head. Wasn’t it about time he stopped treating her like a child? But she couldn’t help feeling strangely comforted by that touch, so all she could do was pout and glare at him.

“Don’t you like it?”

“…Who said I didn’t?”

She didn’t dislike his touch on her cheek or his rough palm rubbing her head. Though she wasn’t fond of being treated like a child, somehow when this person did it, she felt a sense of reassurance.

Perhaps if she had a brother, he would make her feel this way. He was an interesting person. People who gave such comfort were rare. While Sir Chris was like a grandfather figure, this person was like an older brother.

Did he have a younger sibling? Somehow, the way he handled her seemed quite familiar. She carefully removed his hand from her cheek and began to grumble.

Strangely, what she felt for him wasn’t romantic love. Rather, she found it quite odd that others would have romantic feelings for him. Perhaps it was because she had no interest in dating anyone.

Having already seen all the dark sides of this world, any childlike innocence needed for fairy-tale-like stories of love had long disappeared.

“I should go now. I need to wake up the mistress.”

“Alright, take good care of her.”

“She might already be awake by now.”

“Does she wake up that early?”

Well, today is the day of the seasonal festival, so it’s only natural. She must have stayed up all night. Thinking about why the mistress had seemed particularly excited lately, she immediately understood when she remembered the seasonal festival.

The map they had been looking at together must have been related to that festival. Though she desperately wanted to go, she thought it would be better to skip it this year and quietly stepped back.

“Good luck. Today’s an important day.”

“Thanks, I’ll do my best.”

Just as she was about to turn around, his voice stopped her in her tracks.

“You can look forward to today.”

“…What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“I’m thinking of… gathering some courage. In various ways.”

She couldn’t help but laugh at his embarrassed expression as he scratched his head. A boy in love must look quite amusing from an observer’s perspective.

Still, it was only right to cheer him on. Seeing him staring into space with a stiff expression, as if he had made some great resolution, she showed him her small clenched fist.

“Good luck?”

She could offer encouragement as much as he needed.

#

Knock knock-

“Come in.”

At the sound of knocking, a response naturally came from beyond the door. So she was already awake. With that thought and a smile, she entered to find her mistress holding up a corset, deeply contemplating something.

Her slightly damp hair indicated that she had woken up and bathed even earlier than expected. But when? Unable to determine the timing, she carefully addressed her mistress, who was staring at the corset.

“My lady? You’re already awake?”

“I couldn’t sleep. I’ve already bathed, so there’s no need for separate preparations.”

“Um… well, it’s better to get plenty of sleep. It’s good for your skin, and if you don’t sleep enough, your complexion might look darker than usual.”

At those words, her mistress’s gaze shifted from the corset to her. With a surprised look, she turned her head creakily to meet her gaze and then carefully moved her lips.

Was there something she had recalled? The serious expression made her tense involuntarily. But the voice that followed made her sigh despite herself.

“…Does my skin look dark? Really?”

She wasn’t usually like this, but whenever topics related to a certain person came up, she showed such foolish behavior.

This mistress of hers had become a source of worry lately. Of course, the knight was a good person, but how could she be so swayed? Though she had never been in love and had no intention of it… she couldn’t just stand by and watch her mistress like this.

“Your skin looks great, my lady. It looks perfect today.”

“That’s a relief.”

“But my lady, I heard something from a friend of mine.”

“What did you hear?”

“I previously heard that my friend had fallen for someone, and now she told me they’re dating.”

At that moment, she didn’t miss the spark that appeared in her mistress’s eyes. How could she not be interested?

Once, her mistress had dismissed all talk of romance as useless, but in the end, she was still a young woman in her prime. Especially as someone currently in love, she couldn’t help but be intrigued by this story.

Romance was all about push and pull. Of course, right now, her mistress was the one being pulled by the knight’s attraction without resistance…

But considering their future relationship, she couldn’t let things continue as they were. To her, Airin Yuris was a lifelong benefactor.

The person who had saved her from that cold street—even if she were told to go out and die, she would gladly do so.

After all, without her, she would have died sooner or later. But now her mistress was being swayed by a man like this. With the sole intention of helping her mistress, she slowly began to speak.

“The man is so smooth, and many women are attracted to him, but he says he only likes her. She said she was so anxious she couldn’t sleep.”

“That’s understandable.”

“But he doesn’t express himself well, and even when he does, it’s just holding hands or hugging at most. She said she was so frustrated she thought about breaking up.”

“That’s a bit… hmm.”

What if she sympathized with that? It left a bitter taste in her mouth. How did her mistress end up falling in love like this?

If it had been any man other than the knight, she would have been thoroughly used, that much was obvious. But she had to finish the story. With that in mind, she opened her mouth again, and her mistress’s attentive posture made the corner of her mouth twitch.

“So my friend was worried. She wondered if she lacked charm, because even though she was trying to appeal to him, things weren’t progressing.”

“Go on.”

“That’s when it hit her. She decided to just close her eyes and make the first move herself!”

Whatever her mistress imagined, her face turned red at those words. Like someone who had heard something she shouldn’t have, she touched her cheeks and then parted her lips with excited breath.

“…What exactly did she do?”

“I’ll leave that to your imagination, my lady. I’m… too embarrassed to say more.”

With this much advice, she might change her thinking a bit. With that thought, she turned her gaze to see her mistress’s face flushed red.

Not just a bit… it seemed she had interpreted it rather extremely. But surely she would handle it well enough on her own. After all, she was someone who handled everything decisively, so all that remained was to trust and wait.

“Now, let’s get you dressed. The festival starts in the evening, but we don’t have much time to prepare.”

As she energetically waved her hand and spoke, her mistress, who had been sitting in a daze, nodded. Unlike her seemingly stunned state just moments ago, she now had a resolute attitude that made her exhale softly.

Yes, her mistress would handle it well. Putting aside her slightly anxious feelings once more, she began to move toward the wardrobe.

The seasonal festival heralds the beginning of summer. It marks the end of the season when life blooms and the world is painted in natural colors, while simultaneously announcing the beginning of lush greenery.

If winter is the season that stimulates the human heart with something close to solitude, then summer might be the season when all connections properly face each other.

The season when leaves that fell in winter, that cold season, return to their places. The season when warm winds blow, unsuited to the cold north. The season when sprouts that endured winter and spring finally bear fruit.

The time approaches when the connection formed four years ago will bear fruit. One might call the inexplicable swelling of her heart excitement, but isn’t it the natural progression?

The scenery outside the window was gradually being painted with green. The wind blowing from beyond was pleasantly warm, so she simply closed her eyes and purely enjoyed the moment. After today, what would become of the relationship between those two?

Would they continue to repeat the same situation with no progress?

Or would they take a step in a new direction?

The answer would be known only to her future self tomorrow.

#

Phshooo-

Bang-!

In the night sky filled with brilliant stars, green fireworks began to color the void, outshining even the starlight. The festival fireworks announcing both the end and beginning of a season.

With that loud sound, the wheel of fate began to turn once more.