“You said you would help.”
“Did I?”
He widened his eyes a little like he had heard it for the first time.
“You’re mistaken. I just said I would listen. I never promised to help.”
The man drew the line without any hesitation. Herietta’s face got distorted.
‘Then…….’
“You mean you won’t help?”
Even the slightest hope left behind by his cold words seemed to disappear without a trace.
Herietta looked as if she had rolled down a cliff. The man’s eyes softened slightly when he saw that.
“Yes, you need to heal your body a bit. However, since I can’t help you with that myself, I have no choice but to call the right person for the job. I’m usually quite insensitive to people’s appearance and looks, but even taking that into consideration, you really don’t look well.”
“…….”
“When everything is sorted out, then I’ll come back to hear about your situation.”
The man quietly delivered the word of promise. Even though it wasn’t a big deal after all, he acted as if he was showing great generosity.
Herietta looked at him with suspicious eyes. Will he really come back here? Herietta wasn’t 100 percent sure.
“Don’t worry. I will be back.”
The man, who was looking at Herietta, smiled.
“Even in a country where we grew up seeing all sorts of strange things, it’s not very common to run into a woman crawling on the floor trying to escape the castle.”
The man kept his promise. Shortly after he left the room, the maid who looked after Herietta came. Unlike when she left the room, she looked a little startled at Herietta. But maybe it’s because she’s a castle worker who always has to be careful with her words. She didn’t say anything.
The maid skillfully and quickly took care of Herietta. She carefully wiped Herietta’s body with a sponge moistened with lukewarm water, changing the blood-soaked bandages from her open wounds.
Clean clothes were given instead of her dirty ones, and her hair, which had been sparsely messed up, was combed and then braided long to one side. A white sheet and a new, dry duvet covered Herietta’s body. The new duvet smelled of soft, clean cotton.
“Sorry. I bothered you.”
Herietta paused and apologized as she watched the maid pick up the blanket that had fallen on the floor and put it in the basket. How shocked must she be when she heard about this situation from the man.
The maid cared for Herietta, who was half-dead, and while she opened her eyes for a moment, she crawled on the floor and tried to escape. Moreover, although it was not intentional, it was as if she had unintentionally doubled the maid’s work.
The maid raised her head and looked at Herietta. The maid shook her head as she smiled brightly.
“No. Rather, I should apologize.”
“Apologize?”
Herietta squinted her eyes.
“You’re still not well, yet I haven’t been paying attention.”
“…….”
“You must have been very thirsty because you hadn’t had a proper sip of water for several days. I should have expected that and left a glass of water next to you……. These are all my faults that I didn’t even think about until then.”
The maid said with a very sorry look.
“I will be more careful in the future.”
She then added, as if promising. Her gaze at Herietta seemed sincere.
‘You didn’t tell the truth.’
Then Herietta noticed that the man had not told the truth about what had happened to the maid.
‘Why?’
Even if he just told the truth, it had nothing to do with him. Rather, he should have done so. It wasn’t her intention to run away, but it must have been that her actions look suspicious in his eyes. In such a situation, did he dare to lie and defend someone he saw for the first time?
‘Wouldn’t that cause a problem?’
Herietta thought of the man who was arrogant. From the first meeting with him they have firmly pressed the wrong button on each other’s bond.
Whatever problem she faced, it had nothing to do with him. But still, if it was because of her, she would feel a little uneasy.
“Oh yes. I have something to ask you.”
Herietta, who suddenly remembered something more important in her mind, said to the maid.
“I have a message that I must convey to Brimdel, my hometown. It’s okay to send a letter through a carrier bird. If only I could deliver the message to the other person as quickly as possible.”
As she spoke her words, her mind once again became impatient. If possible, she wanted to take her horse to Philioche right now. Herietta continued to speak her words while suppressing her rushed heart.
“Can you …… do that?”
“I’m in trouble without a superior’s permission…….”
The maid, who had been listening to Herietta, frowned slightly and murmured. She didn’t say it out loud, but it was nothing short of a refusal. Angrily, Herietta leaned her body slightly towards the maid.
“It’s really urgent. If I don’t tell them sooner, it could be a disaster.”
“I’m sorry. But that’s something I can’t do.”
“Please. Please please, huh? I beg you so earnestly. What do you want? Money? Jewel? If that’s the case, just say it. Even if it’s impossible right now, when things get better later.”
“No matter how much you tell me, it’s no use. I have no authority whatsoever.”
The maid shook her head. It was polite, but there was a firmness in the voice as if her answer would never change.
Herietta stared at the maid. The mixture of frustration and impatience simmered, but just before she exploded, she held back.
Even if she didn’t like it, because she knew the maid wasn’t in the wrong. It was just a waste of time trying to convince the maid.
Herietta let out a heavy, long sigh.
“Then can you tell me? How can I meet that ‘superior’ person?”
“Yes? Do you want me to tell you?”
In response to Herietta’s question, the maid opened her eyes and asked again. She had such an expression as if she could not fully understand her question.
“You’ve already met.”
“Who?”
“My superior.”
A strange silence passed between the two of them. They looked at each other blankly. Both of them looked puzzled, as if they could not understand the other person’s words.
“He said he would come back a little later to see Miss Herietta……. Maybe I’m wrong?”
The maid asked cautiously. At that, someone flashed into Herietta’s mind.
The man who was bold and confident enough that it was unlikely that he was a soldier who came by chance while on patrol.
* * *
A knock was heard on the door. After a short polite wait, the door opened. A tall man came in through the crack in the open door and went across the room. It was a familiar figure.
The man saw Herietta sitting quietly on the bed. He was looking different from before. He raised the corners of his lips and smiled.
“Now you look a little more human.”
“I’ve been waiting for you, knight.”
Herietta greeted the man with a polite attitude. The man raised an eyebrow at him.
“Knight?”
Then he asked her the title by which she called him. With an expression that seems to be out of focus somewhere.
After a while, he grinned.
“Who said that? Am I a knight?”
The man asked.
“Did the maid say that earlier?”
“No. But she said you were in a high enough position to help me if you wanted to.”
She asked about the man’s identity, but there was only one answer that came back. ‘Don’t ask me, ask him directly.’ For whatever reason, the maid seemed reluctant to talk about the man.
Herietta worked her head eagerly.
Among the people who patrol and guard the castle, who is evaluated as sitting in a high position? The only thing that immediately came to mind was a knight that was praised as noble by most people.
Seeing that the maid was so proud of him, he couldn’t be just a knight. She does not know what kind of hierarchical organization exists in the Knights Order, but this man must have been sitting in a fairly high position among them.
The man approached Herietta and sat down on the chair next to the bed.
“How interesting. Well, that’s fine. Let’s say that’s it…… Why are you suddenly speaking respectfully again? You were openly speaking casually before?”
“You said you would help.”
“Did I?”
He widened his eyes a little like he had heard it for the first time.
“You’re mistaken. I just said I would listen. I never promised to help.”
The man drew the line without any hesitation. Herietta’s face got distorted.
‘Then…….’
“You mean you won’t help?”
Even the slightest hope left behind by his cold words seemed to disappear without a trace.
Herietta looked as if she had rolled down a cliff. The man’s eyes softened slightly when he saw that.
“Yes, you need to heal your body a bit. However, since I can’t help you with that myself, I have no choice but to call the right person for the job. I’m usually quite insensitive to people’s appearance and looks, but even taking that into consideration, you really don’t look well.”
“…….”
“When everything is sorted out, then I’ll come back to hear about your situation.”
The man quietly delivered the word of promise. Even though it wasn’t a big deal after all, he acted as if he was showing great generosity.
Herietta looked at him with suspicious eyes. Will he really come back here? Herietta wasn’t 100 percent sure.
“Don’t worry. I will be back.”
The man, who was looking at Herietta, smiled.
“Even in a country where we grew up seeing all sorts of strange things, it’s not very common to run into a woman crawling on the floor trying to escape the castle.”
The man kept his promise. Shortly after he left the room, the maid who looked after Herietta came. Unlike when she left the room, she looked a little startled at Herietta. But maybe it’s because she’s a castle worker who always has to be careful with her words. She didn’t say anything.
The maid skillfully and quickly took care of Herietta. She carefully wiped Herietta’s body with a sponge moistened with lukewarm water, changing the blood-soaked bandages from her open wounds.
Clean clothes were given instead of her dirty ones, and her hair, which had been sparsely messed up, was combed and then braided long to one side. A white sheet and a new, dry duvet covered Herietta’s body. The new duvet smelled of soft, clean cotton.
“Sorry. I bothered you.”
Herietta paused and apologized as she watched the maid pick up the blanket that had fallen on the floor and put it in the basket. How shocked must she be when she heard about this situation from the man.
The maid cared for Herietta, who was half-dead, and while she opened her eyes for a moment, she crawled on the floor and tried to escape. Moreover, although it was not intentional, it was as if she had unintentionally doubled the maid’s work.
The maid raised her head and looked at Herietta. The maid shook her head as she smiled brightly.
“No. Rather, I should apologize.”
“Apologize?”
Herietta squinted her eyes.
“You’re still not well, yet I haven’t been paying attention.”
“…….”
“You must have been very thirsty because you hadn’t had a proper sip of water for several days. I should have expected that and left a glass of water next to you……. These are all my faults that I didn’t even think about until then.”
The maid said with a very sorry look.
“I will be more careful in the future.”
She then added, as if promising. Her gaze at Herietta seemed sincere.
‘You didn’t tell the truth.’
Then Herietta noticed that the man had not told the truth about what had happened to the maid.
‘Why?’
Even if he just told the truth, it had nothing to do with him. Rather, he should have done so. It wasn’t her intention to run away, but it must have been that her actions look suspicious in his eyes. In such a situation, did he dare to lie and defend someone he saw for the first time?
‘Wouldn’t that cause a problem?’
Herietta thought of the man who was arrogant. From the first meeting with him they have firmly pressed the wrong button on each other’s bond.
Whatever problem she faced, it had nothing to do with him. But still, if it was because of her, she would feel a little uneasy.
“Oh yes. I have something to ask you.”
Herietta, who suddenly remembered something more important in her mind, said to the maid.
“I have a message that I must convey to Brimdel, my hometown. It’s okay to send a letter through a carrier bird. If only I could deliver the message to the other person as quickly as possible.”
As she spoke her words, her mind once again became impatient. If possible, she wanted to take her horse to Philioche right now. Herietta continued to speak her words while suppressing her rushed heart.
“Can you …… do that?”
“I’m in trouble without a superior’s permission…….”
The maid, who had been listening to Herietta, frowned slightly and murmured. She didn’t say it out loud, but it was nothing short of a refusal. Angrily, Herietta leaned her body slightly towards the maid.
“It’s really urgent. If I don’t tell them sooner, it could be a disaster.”
“I’m sorry. But that’s something I can’t do.”
“Please. Please please, huh? I beg you so earnestly. What do you want? Money? Jewel? If that’s the case, just say it. Even if it’s impossible right now, when things get better later.”
“No matter how much you tell me, it’s no use. I have no authority whatsoever.”
The maid shook her head. It was polite, but there was a firmness in the voice as if her answer would never change.
Herietta stared at the maid. The mixture of frustration and impatience simmered, but just before she exploded, she held back.
Even if she didn’t like it, because she knew the maid wasn’t in the wrong. It was just a waste of time trying to convince the maid.
Herietta let out a heavy, long sigh.
“Then can you tell me? How can I meet that ‘superior’ person?”
“Yes? Do you want me to tell you?”
In response to Herietta’s question, the maid opened her eyes and asked again. She had such an expression as if she could not fully understand her question.
“You’ve already met.”
“Who?”
“My superior.”
A strange silence passed between the two of them. They looked at each other blankly. Both of them looked puzzled, as if they could not understand the other person’s words.
“He said he would come back a little later to see Miss Herietta……. Maybe I’m wrong?”
The maid asked cautiously. At that, someone flashed into Herietta’s mind.
The man who was bold and confident enough that it was unlikely that he was a soldier who came by chance while on patrol.
* * *
A knock was heard on the door. After a short polite wait, the door opened. A tall man came in through the crack in the open door and went across the room. It was a familiar figure.
The man saw Herietta sitting quietly on the bed. He was looking different from before. He raised the corners of his lips and smiled.
“Now you look a little more human.”
“I’ve been waiting for you, knight.”
Herietta greeted the man with a polite attitude. The man raised an eyebrow at him.
“Knight?”
Then he asked her the title by which she called him. With an expression that seems to be out of focus somewhere.
After a while, he grinned.
“Who said that? Am I a knight?”
The man asked.
“Did the maid say that earlier?”
“No. But she said you were in a high enough position to help me if you wanted to.”
She asked about the man’s identity, but there was only one answer that came back. ‘Don’t ask me, ask him directly.’ For whatever reason, the maid seemed reluctant to talk about the man.
Herietta worked her head eagerly.
Among the people who patrol and guard the castle, who is evaluated as sitting in a high position? The only thing that immediately came to mind was a knight that was praised as noble by most people.
Seeing that the maid was so proud of him, he couldn’t be just a knight. She does not know what kind of hierarchical organization exists in the Knights Order, but this man must have been sitting in a fairly high position among them.
The man approached Herietta and sat down on the chair next to the bed.
“How interesting. Well, that’s fine. Let’s say that’s it…… Why are you suddenly speaking respectfully again? You were openly speaking casually before?”
