“I doubt I need to tire my breath with explanations, as everyone knows today's schedule, right? Simply pick raspberries and place them in the baskets you brought.”
Melissa gathered the maids and explained the day's agenda.
“In the afternoon, there will be a picnic. The Duke arranged it himself as a reward for our hard work, so enjoy it with grateful hearts.”
“Yes!”
“Lastly, in accordance with the Master's wishes, I will grant you free movement today. However!”
Melissa's tone suddenly grew stricter and more imposing.
“Do not assume that my inability to monitor each of you means I will overlook anyone forgetting a maid's dignity and acting recklessly. Keep that firmly in mind. Now, move!”
The moment Melissa finished speaking, footsteps started shuffling all at once.
Judging by the crowd converging in one direction, that area seemed abundant with raspberry bushes.
“Lizzy, let's head over there.”
Tilda said, taking hold of me.
“It's crowded here, making it difficult to pick comfortably.”
“All right, Tilda.”
Tilda led me by the hand to a quieter spot.
“This looks like a good place.”
Tilda stopped with a soft rustle.
Soon, we settled in and began harvesting the raspberries.
Contrary to my fears, gathering the berries was not entirely difficult.
Plump, ripe fruit could be easily identified simply by the touch of my fingertips.
I breathed a sigh of relief.
I had worried about not collecting half as much as the other maids, but at this rate, I could at least save face.
In fact, gathering raspberries proved unexpectedly enjoyable.
Before I realized it, I was completely absorbed in the work.
“Ah!”
Suddenly, feeling a sharp prick at my fingertips, I flinched and quickly snatched my hand from the bush.
“Lizzy, are you alright?”
Tilda approached and carefully inspected my hand.
“You were pricked by a thorn! Didn't I warn you that raspberries have thorns, and that you must wear gloves? Why did you pick them barehanded?”
“With gloves on, it's hard for me to distinguish the berries.”
“Honestly, what am I going to do with you?”
After showering me with grumbling scolds, Tilda stood up.
“The Head Maid must have spare gloves. I will fetch some along with an ointment, so wait here for me, understood?”
I nodded obediently.
The sound of Tilda's footsteps slowly faded into the distance.
Holding the finger wrapped in the handkerchief she had tied for me, I sat waiting silently for her return.
Hiss… Did I bleed much?
It seemed a rather large thorn had pierced me.
While sitting on the ground with dropped brows and a still face, it happened.
Across my field of vision plunged in darkness, something flitted past in a flash.
“…Huh?”
I blinked in bewilderment.
…A tail?
Rather, a pure white tail, thick and furry.
“W-what was that?”
A stray dog?
A fox?
Or… could it possibly be a wolf?
…There is no way I could see it anyway.
I chuckled softly and shook my head.
Had I overdone the berry picking?
Was I hallucinating now?
When I composed myself, nothing appeared before my eyes anymore.
It seemed I was mistaken.
“This place is a bit unsettling.”
I would suggest to Tilda that we move toward where the other maids gathered.
Just as I let out a low groan, preparing to rise while picking up the berry basket on the ground, it occurred.
Suddenly, from somewhere, the sound of footsteps approached us.
The sound drew nearer, pushing through the nearby bushes.
“Hah… hah… Miss Li—Lizzy!”
While bracing myself for this mysterious presence, my eyes widened upon hearing a familiar voice.
“Oh? Mr. Brandon?”
Brandon spoke out of breath, as though he had run here without stopping.
“Miss Lizzy… the young master… is urgently looking for you…!”
Callius?
I set aside the basket I was clutching and asked.
“Did something happen? Why is he looking for me so suddenly?”
Even this morning when I bid him farewell, he was quite calm.
Could something have occurred in the meantime?
“The matter… an accident occurred…! You must go to the young master at once…!”
At the mention of the word 'accident,' my heart thudded violently.
What on earth happened?
Lately, Callius had adapted almost entirely to the darkness, rarely bumping into anything.
Moreover, he normally never stepped outside his defined quarters.
I stood up leaning on my cane, bombarding Brandon with eager questions.
“What sort of accident? Was he hurt? Did you call a doctor?”
“That… in any case… the young master seeks you urgently, so let us move first…!”
What was the matter with this man?
Why did he avoid answering my questions, merely repeating the same words?
“This way, Miss Lizzy…! Follow the sound of my voice!”
His urgent tone made me even more anxious.
Left with no alternative, I followed his guidance, stepping forward.
Raspberries were wiped entirely from my thoughts.
The issue, however, was that the ground grew rougher the further we advanced.
Stones multiplied beneath my feet, making the path uneven, and roots increasingly caught my cane.
The trees thickened as well, so much that I nearly collided with a trunk several times.
No… is this really a path?
Unable to bear it any longer, I shouted at Brandon.
“Wait, Mr. Brandon! Don't just guide me with your voice from afar—come hold my arm!”
“Huh? No… it is enough to follow my voice… The young master is looking for you urgently, so hurry…”
“Oh, for heaven's sake!”
I yelled impatiently, extending my hand toward him.
“If we are truly in a rush, we must make haste! Hold onto me this instant!”
Realizing he could not refuse my insistence, he stepped forward hesitatingly after having merely rushed me with words.
Soon, I felt a hand grasp my arm.
Yet unlike his usual careful, gentle touch, this grip was somewhat coarse and careless.
Then…
What was that smell?
I sniffed the air as a pungent stable odor reached my nose.
As the young master's servant, Brandon always wore a faint cologne, making him identifiable as soon as he drew near.
Yet the man currently gripping my arm carried no such scent.
“…Excuse me, Mr. Brandon.”
I parted my lips, pulling my arm away from the grasp before me.
“Was the young master severely injured?”
“Yes, I told you so.”
“Did he bleed?”
“Of course, he bled profusely!”
“Yet the young master's chambers are completely pitch-black, where nothing can be seen. How did you confirm that?”
“What? We lit candles and checked, obviously! What kind of question is that?”
The next moment, I wrenched my arm violently out of his grasp.
“…Who are you?”
“…I am Brandon, Miss Lizzy! The young master is urgently looking for you! Let us go!”
Absurd!
Brandon would never light a candle in front of Callius.
I took a step back, gripping my cane tightly with both hands before raising it toward the unknown man.
“I asked, who are you?”
"…"
Silence fell for a moment.
Then his voice shifted abruptly, speaking in an entirely different tone.
“…Tsk, what a nuisance.”
What was this?
Was it truly an act?
I let out an astonished laugh at an unseen adversary.
Damn it!
Are you that skilled at mimicking voices?
I nearly believed you were really Brandon!
“Who are you? And why have you lured me here?”
I asked, waving my cane threateningly.
Yet the man, entirely devoid of fear, let out a mocking laugh.
Right, of course.
How could I pose a threat when I could see nothing before me?
To make matters worse, I heard his footsteps steadily approaching me.
Good heavens.
If I engaged in a direct clash with him, my chances of winning were virtually nonexistent.
We had moved quite a distance away from the other maids, so even if I screamed, no one would hear me.
“Do not come any closer.”
I told him, trying to keep my voice as low as possible.
“I warned you. Do not come closer!”
I waved my cane in the air once more in warning.
However…
With a short, sharp snap, my cane was snatched in an instant by my opponent's hand.
