“No, it wasn’t like that. I am a maid who knows how to maintain at least some basic dignity.”
“Haha.”
Callius let out a scoffing breath and fell silent again, absorbed in his book.
Bored, I tried striking up a conversation once more.
“My Lord, what kind of book are you reading with such relish? Is it… one of those scandalous ones?”
The book snapped shut with a sudden clap.
“Do you think I don’t notice you?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“The books you mentioned before were all utterly bizarre.”
Recalling what had happened in the library last time, Callius spoke with open disdain.
“What was the title? Was it ‘The Duke Who Locked Me Up in Secret’?”
What? I never said a title like that!
…Though it actually sounded quite entertaining.
Then he asked out of the blue,
“When was the last time you went outside?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Because I don’t think I’ve seen you leave since you arrived here.”
“It’s my job, so it’s only natural for me to stay. I don’t think I’ve left the estate since I came.”
“Never? You’ve been inside the mansion for two whole months?”
“There was never any reason to go out…” I answered, surprised.
The other maids were usually the ones sent on errands to the village; they wouldn’t send a blind person on tasks like that.
And since my aunt’s home was far from the estate, I had never had a chance to step outside.
“Why do you ask, though?”
“…Because I’m bored to death. Don’t maids get days off?”
“We do, but they’re rare.”
“I’ll grant you some leave so you can go down to the village. You have a maid to keep you company, don’t you?”
“Tilda? Tilda is busy, and even on her days off, she only goes to see her family.”
What Tilda had mentioned a few days ago suddenly came back to me.
‘Oh, right, Lizzy, you haven’t heard what the Head Maid said. In a month, we’re all going to gather wild berries. Would you like to come along? You’ve never been out.’
Right! I had meant to ask and completely forgotten.
I quickly asked before it slipped my mind again.
“I heard the maids are going berry picking the afternoon after tomorrow. May I go as well?”
Every berry season, the maids headed into the Duchy Forest to harvest before the hunting season, occasionally having a small picnic together to unwind.
It was a fine chance for me to mingle with the maids who gave me the cold shoulder.
“Berry picking? That’s not a break, that’s work.”
Callius, however, looked dissatisfied.
“Isn’t there another maid you can go out with? How are you getting along with everyone else?”
“I get along fine! There’s Tilda, and Brandon… Ah, Brandon! Then may I go with him?”
“Go pick berries.”
“What?”
“Go pick berries.”
With that, he returned to reading his book without another word.
Seriously, if you’re going to decide everything on your own, why even ask for my opinion?
“Then I really may go? Do I have the young master’s permission?”
He answered coolly, as though wishing to cut the conversation short.
“Just don’t get into any accidents in the woods.”
On the day of the berry picking, about thirty maids set out alongside Head Maid Melissa.
They were in high spirits, chattering about how many berries they could gather while secretly looking forward to the picnic afterward.
Before long, we reached a quiet forest path.
‘Ah, the fragrant scent of the trees!’
Looping the basket over my arm, I drew in a deep breath, savoring the fragrance of nature after so long.
It was equally delightful eavesdropping on the maids’ conversations well out of Melissa’s earshot.
They lowered their voices so Melissa wouldn’t hear, laughing freely.
“Every time the Hunting Competition comes around, our eyes are in for a treat—all the renowned knights gather in the capital!”
“Will Sir Howard be there this year?”
“And Sir Beaumont, too… the most handsome of them all!”
“Ah, we heard so many maids lost their hearts to him!”
They whispered and giggled under their breath, wary of Melissa overhearing.
I whispered to Tilda beside me.
“Well, faced with all those handsome men, how could any maid keep her composure?”
I shared a soft laugh with her.
The conversation soon shifted to the ruling family.
“Last year, Lord Callius accompanied His Grace to the Hunting Competition.”
“Yes, and he helped bring down a massive stag.”
“His Grace was so very proud of him.”
“He won’t take part this year, though, will he?”
“Of course not, he hasn’t stepped out of his room in ages.”
“He must be ill. I can’t see any other explanation.”
“Shh!”
One of the maids noticed Melissa, and their voices dropped low.
Then someone whispered,
“Did you hear? Lord Amarcus is visiting His Grace soon.”
“Whatever for?”
“They say His Grace invited him personally.”
Amarcus? Hearing that name made me stumble to a halt.
“What is it, Lizzy?”
“Nothing, just lost in thought.”
Yet my heart was pounding furiously.
Amarcus Rivannion—the Duke’s nephew and Callius’s childhood companion.
He had been the very first person the Duke considered when searching for an alternate heir to replace Callius.
Originally, he hadn’t played much of a role, surfacing only in Callius’s memories of the past.
‘My dear cousin, you haven’t left your chambers for months now. Did something happen? I heard of a strange illness afflicting you… I pray it isn’t true.’
Whether sent out of concern or mockery, that letter had galled Callius, stirring his wrath after years of seclusion.
And now, at a time like this, he was coming here at the Duke’s invitation?
Thoughts raced and tangled in my head.
Was my hope that they wouldn’t seek another heir merely wishful thinking?
“Lizzy, are you alright? You’ve gone pale all of a sudden.”
Tilda whispered in concern.
“I’m fine.”
Yet a heavy weight clung to my chest, and my breath caught as we ventured deeper into the woods.
After walking for a while, we arrived at a clearing bursting with wild berries.
Their fragrance drifted everywhere, and the maids paused their chatter for a moment, marveling at the sight before them.
