episode_0073

It was a weekday afternoon when afternoon lectures were in full swing at the academy.

A residential area for upper-class nobles located in a quiet and spacious area on the outskirts of the city.

Among them, the place with the largest estate is a large, luxurious mansion built on land owned by the noble Brouard family.

The servants there were busy with their daily lives, assisting the Broward family and managing the mansion.

It’s now been five months since Tyricia Brouard began serving her house arrest.

The once icy atmosphere in the house had slightly softened, and the servants were slowly regaining their energy and concentrating on their tasks.

“I was wondering what would happen at one point, but now the rumors seem to have died down a bit.”

“They say that even an incident that was originally socially noisy is forgotten by the public in about half a year.”

“If things continue like this, won’t the Lord release the young lady at the right time?”

“Even though she did something that the world would point fingers at, to those of us who have served her for a long time, she is still a kind and gentle lady… ”

“They say no one knows what’s in a person’s heart, but for those of us who have met him in person, it’s hard to erase the impression he usually gives us.”

“That’s right… I honestly still can’t believe how the young lady could do something like that.”

“That’s right.”

“Ahem.”

The maids who were chatting while wiping the window frames suddenly heard a cough behind them and were startled and shut their mouths.

“ji, butler… ”

“Excuse me… ”

As the maids straightened their posture and bowed their heads slightly, the neatly dressed old butler let out a faint sigh, turned around, and walked down the hallway.

Only after they saw that he had turned the corner and disappeared did the maids put their heads together again and talk quietly.

“Still, it’s better to be careful with your words… There are many eyes and ears watching inside and out.”

“Yes, they say the backlash in the aristocratic society is subsiding… but it’s still not something to be taken lightly.”

So the two continued their work with more subdued expressions than before.

*

“… Huh.”

The old butler, the general manager of the Broward Manor, walked down the hallway with another sigh.

The great social controversy caused by Tirisia Brouard is gradually being forgotten in the noble society as time goes by, and her parents, the head of the family, are also considering ending the indefinite house arrest punishment early.

The servants who managed the mansion were now working with much brighter expressions and a little less tension than when the incident happened, but the old butler still had a heavy look of worry on his face.

Because he was the one who had taken care of Tirissia Bruard since she was a child, and was the one who had watched over her the longest after her parents.

Because of the affection they had built up over so many years, to the old butler, Tirisia was a precious person whom he wanted to cherish and care for like a child, even though she was not related by blood.

When he heard the shocking story of her having an affair in front of her boyfriend, his heart sank, but even so, the butler’s feelings for Tirisia were overwhelmingly greater.

It’s now been five months since house arrest began.

The anger and criticism that had been boiling over in the outside world had now begun to cool down a bit, and the couple’s judgment seemed to be solidifying in the direction of allowing their only daughter some freedom within her personal sphere.

He held onto the hope that Tyrissia would soon be released from her punishment and that, like the other servants, she would be able to return to her former routine.

however,

dripping-

“… I’m sorry, Miss. I brought out the tea.”

For some time now, a new problem has arisen in him that is taking away the hope he once had.

―

When the old butler knocks on the door, there is no answer from inside.

“… ”

The old butler’s expression darkened even further.

The place he was standing was in front of Tirisia Bruard’s room where the seal barrier was spread out.

The barrier, which was made exactly like the one used to contain criminals, was not a very desirable object for the old butler, but he also deeply understood that it was inevitable.

It was also a device to show the outside world that Tirisia had been properly confined, and it was a measure taken because without that level of defense, there was no way to prevent Tirisia from escaping.

Of course, Tirisia, who had accepted her sins and made rational choices, had never shown any signs of trying to escape from her room in the past four months.

But recently, her condition began to worsen.

To be exact, it started when I came back from my last overnight stay.

From then on, Tirisia did not communicate with others at all, as if she had lost her soul.

Even now, the image of the morning when Tirisia returned home was vivid in the old butler’s mind.

Tirisia returned, barefoot and covered in dust as if she had been rained on, wearing a shabby man’s clothes.

The sight of her, who always greeted the servants when she came home, shutting herself in her room with a blank look in her eyes and without saying a word, was quite shocking to the old butler.

I don’t know the exact details, but it definitely felt like he had come back from a month-long trip that had been unpleasant.

“Excuse me for a moment, miss.”

Click.

Squeak-

The old butler slowly unlocked the door and opened it, then quietly entered the room, closed the door, and inspected the situation inside.

The barrier was a magic that could be used by great magicians, but it was a magic that had no effect on physical movement inside or outside, so even an ordinary human like him could pass through the door by simply unlocking the lock.

“… You’re awake, miss.”

The old butler tried hard to hide his expression of pity as he looked at the girl sitting with her back against the window chair in her negligee, her nightgown.

“… ”

Tirisia Bruard, sitting alone in the spacious room, stared out the window without looking at him.

The old butler, as if this was not the first time he had seen this sight, approached the tea table and put down the teapot and cup he had brought.

“The tea has brewed well. Would you like a cup?”

“… ”

Tirisia just stared blankly out the window like a doll that had lost its mind.

No one could tell whether it was a look of admiration for the scenery reflected in one’s own eyes or a gaze longing for someone outside the window.

She’s been like that ever since she came back from her last outing.

As if he had lost something most important to him as a human being, he just stares out the window all day long with a blank expression, except when he is eating or sleeping.

“… Hmm.”

The other employees didn’t seem to care much about her sudden silence, as they just had to complete their own tasks anyway.

In the first place, they don’t talk to Tirisia except for business-related conversations.

But the old butler was constantly concerned about her mechanical and indifferent attitude, as they had often exchanged private messages since childhood.

Maybe something has given me a huge shock in the heart.

It is impossible for such worrying doubts not to arise.

“… ”

But he is only a servant of this household.

A girl I consider like a daughter, but she was never my real daughter.

As an employer and employee, the butler never asked Tirisia the whole story.

All I can do is stay by her side until she opens her mouth first.

“I’ll bring the tea, Miss.”

The old butler smiled faintly and poured the steaming tea from the teapot into a cup.

Even though Tirissia didn’t drink the tea, which would quickly get cold if left alone, he repeated the same action every day.

An ordinary day where you can drink warm tea at a tea house.

The old butler wanted to convey to Tirisia that it was always there by her side, so she could come back whenever she wanted.

“… And one more thing, I found something while checking the garden earlier. Miss.”

“… ”

Although he tried to attract her attention with a fresh story, Tirisia still stared out the window, frozen as ice.

The old butler paid no attention and took out an item wrapped in a handkerchief from inside his jacket.

“I wonder if the seeds were blown in, but a variety I hadn’t grown before has sprouted in the corner of the flower bed.”

When he unfolded the handkerchief on the table, there was a small flower inside.

A unique type of flower with densely grown petals that shine silver and have a round shape like the moon.

“Silver Moon… Isn’t that the kind that your friend often gave you as a gift?”

“… ?”

At the old butler’s words calling out the names of flowers, Tirisia’s eyes, which had been still, slowly moved towards the table.

Her head turned stiffly―

“Ah… ”

A small sound escaped from her dry lips.

After checking the reaction, the old butler quietly turned around and headed towards the door.

“The tea smells good. I highly recommend you try it. Now, I’ll leave now.”

The old butler greeted them politely, then quietly went out and closed the door.

Click—

Crunch.

Silence fell on the large room with the sound of the lock closing.

“… ”

Tirisia, dressed in a negligee, slowly got up from her chair and walked slowly towards the tea table.

And she picked up the silver flower that was resting on the handkerchief.

It was a flower that the boy had always picked from somewhere and brought back whenever he met her, saying that it resembled him.

Tirisia held the flower in her arms and treasured it―

“Erto… ”

With a single tear, I called out the name of the boy I loved so much.