episode_0195

As I stood there in a daze, I blinked at the vague image of someone.

After looking at it for a while, I realized that it was the father of the Lady Carmel whom I saw during the day.

―Because of my shortcomings, my daughter committed excessive rudeness. I’m really sorry.

After the Lady Carmel ran away, Count Carmel came and personally apologized. He also said that he was still young, so please forgive him generously.

-are you okay. Instead, I hope we can dance one more time next time.

At first, I thought about bothering him a little more, but I thought it was really necessary, so I just accepted it. Anyway, it won’t make much of a difference whether I accept it or not.

Worst of all, she won’t be able to dance anymore.

* * *

“… … .”

I blinked and slowly got up and looked around.

It was already late at night, after the first day’s banquet had ended and all the guests at the mansion had gone to bed in their respective rooms.

“Did I doze off? … .”

After sitting blankly for a moment, I relaxed my neck, sorted out the documents underneath me, and stood up.

I was still looking at the pile of documents that remained, and then I closed them and got up and looked out the window.

What was visible from the office window was a procession of extravagant carriages. There must be Count Carmel’s carriage somewhere out there.

While I was watching the parade of carriages and looking for the carriage of Count Carmel, someone knocked on the door of the office.

smart–

[Duke. My name is Riev. Can I come in?]

After looking back for a moment, I looked out the window again and answered.

“Please come in.”

“Excuse me.”

Riev opened the door to the office and came in, but today there was no citrus scent that came every time she came.

She was standing in front of the door, looking in my direction. I didn’t turn around to check, but even though I heard the door open and close, I didn’t hear any footsteps, so maybe I was right.

“Duke, you must be very tired because of the banquet today, but aren’t you overdoing it? ”

“You don’t have to worry too much. Because I know my body best.”

That’s a marquis, that’s another count. I need to find the emblem with the deer on it, but I can’t see it well.

Even though I checked to the limit of what I could see from the office window, Count Carmel’s carriage was not visible.

I slowly felt my eyes getting hot, so I gently closed them and massaged my eyebrows.

“Duke, I have always loved animals.”

I stopped my hand at the sudden sound and looked towards Riev.

Perhaps because something had happened or because it was late at night, Riev’s face looked much more tired than usual.

“It’s a sudden topic.”

“Hehe. But thanks to that sudden topic, I was able to see the duke’s face.”

Seeing Liev’s faint smile, I burst out laughing, at a loss for words.

As expected, I didn’t age in vain. Sometimes, when I see him, he looks as sly as I do.

I shook my head and looked straight at Liev.

“So. What did you bring up that topic to talk about?”

Liev, who heard what I said, smiled and started talking.

“I have loved animals since I was young. So, I raised my own animals and also took care of wandering animals. Not long after becoming a maid, I was scolded by the head maid a lot because of that.”

Riev said with a chuckle, as if reminiscing about the past, he slowly blinked, looking a little further away than at me.

“The first thing I raised in my life was a small cat. When I think about it now, I wonder how I thought about raising a cat in the mansion… … . Well, still, he was a very good kid. I knew how to listen well and do light tricks.”

Liev spoke in a sighing tone, perhaps because he looked more tired than usual, like an old man reminiscing about the past in the last moments of his life.

And Riev’s words in that way tried to shake me, just like Hermel’s words that day.

“As time passed and the child grew older, at some point the child stopped eating food and water and became indifferent to everything. And when that child was at the end of his life. While I was out to work, the child went out looking for a place to die.”

stop.

“When I returned to my room, the child was no longer there. No matter how much I searched, I couldn’t find the child. The child could not be found anywhere in the mansion. It was really sad. Because I couldn’t even be there for that child’s last moments.”

I know what you’re trying to say. okay. I understand, so stop now.

“And, as is my habit, I opened the window and looked out the window. Only then did I see it. The child lying in a sunny spot in a corner of the garden we watched together every day, visible from the window of my room.”

… … .

“I was so startled that I ran to where the child was. And I saw it. The face of the child who was sleeping with a very comfortable face, as if he was okay. Back then… … . I had a feeling that I can’t put into words. I feel sorry, but also resentful… … .”

She blinked for a moment, then shook her head and said.

“No… … . That’s not what I wanted to say. I wanted to say this to that child. I said thank you. Thank you for being by my side until now, for being with me, and for giving you a peaceful end without suffering.”

Soon he looked at me with a small smile.

The moment I read the emotions contained in that smile, I felt my breath suffocating.

“It may be blasphemous, but I am thinking of that child when I look at the Duke. The child who was trying to find a place to die just before he died.”

Because her smile contained extreme sadness. Because just a smile contained so much emotion that it took my breath away.

Riev let out a long, shallow sigh, blinked for a moment, then looked at me and opened his mouth.

“It may be an arbitrary request, but if I am mistaken, it would be perfectly fine… … . I would like to ask you this favor.”

“… … What is it?”

Liev looked at me for a moment and cursed me very harshly.

“Please live. for a long long time. Longer than me. Please live a life where you can say you have no regrets in the end.”

I couldn’t say anything and could only look at Liev quietly.

“… … Hehehe. I guess the old man had a too long tongue. sorry. It was a presumptuous remark.”

Please live… … . You are asking a very difficult request. You’re trying to break my heart again.

Maybe it was because the work was slowly coming to an end, but it seemed quite urgent. This damn world too.

by the way. I told you this last time.

“I see. You’ve been looking a lot tired lately.”

It’s already too late.

“… … .”

Riev smiled bitterly at my random nonsense.

I firmly cut off Liev.

“I will give you a vacation, so please rest comfortably. I will also provide separate carriage and vacation expenses.”

“… … I will follow your orders.”

Riev accepted my words without any rebuttal, nodded, bowed, and gave me his final greeting.

I didn’t react at all to that greeting. I just looked at her quietly.

Liev raised his head again and smiled sweetly at me, and when I saw that smile, I knew that this would be the last time we would see each other like this.

“Then I will leave now.”

With those last words, she quietly left the office.

I looked at the spot Liev had left for a moment and then closed my eyes.

“With this, two people… … .”

There are already two people who changed their minds and saved their lives after saying they would seek revenge and follow the path of evil.

Oh, so selfish. Even in my opinion, it is a contradiction. But what can you do, that’s human.

I smiled bitterly and washed my face dry.

“Okay. From the beginning, I started this thinking that I would do whatever I wanted.”

After mumbling something I didn’t know who I was talking to, I sighed and left the office.

“Are you in bed?”

“No, I’m going out for a walk at night.”

“I will assist you.”

The escort who was waiting for me at the door said that and bowed his head.

“No, I will go alone. I have something to think about for a moment.”

“But――”

“I won’t tell you twice.”

I said that and walked down the hallway. I couldn’t hear any footsteps following me.

I came out and closed my eyes while listening to the sound of insects in the midsummer. It was noisy, but not that unpleasant.

――… … ――… … … …

I’ve already done enough to control my emotions. Now there is nothing to shake me. Just have to wait a few more days. From then on, no more… … .

I closed my eyes for a moment to clear my mind, and slowly opened my eyes as I felt the sound of insects subside.

“That was where the carriage was parked.”

I walked slowly toward the place where the carriage was parked outside the window.

Because it was late at night, there was no one walking around outside except me.

“――That’s right. Didn’t the duke give that cheap lady a blow?”

“Hey, if someone hears it, I’ll be in big trouble. And if you even get into the ears of nobles, you’ll be in real trouble!”

“What do you think? Even if you honestly heard it, you would just pretend you didn’t hear it, right? That cheap lady, does she have someone she likes?”

“Umm… … . That’s certainly true… … .”

Well, there are some soldiers guarding the carriage, but I don’t need to worry about them.

I passed them all and went to Count Carmel’s carriage, using awareness-blocking techniques.

“――. ――!”

“――――. ―――, ―――.”

After walking for a while, ignoring the voices of the soldiers coming from behind, I was finally able to find the carriage belonging to Count Carmel, which had a deer emblem on it.

I placed a curse on the wheels of the carriage. If you go down a steep road, the wheels that were in good condition will break and the carriage will overturn. After that, it’s none of my business.

Whether you can’t dance anymore or whether you die from being crushed by an overturned carriage is none of my business.

Now revenge is no longer important to me.

After finishing the work like a machine, I turned around and went back to the mansion.

It was a bright night with a slanting moon.