65 - Pieces of the Broken Glass Slipper
Shattered Glass Slipper Shards Episode 65
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Sir Ayres's eyes sparkled as if he expected an answer. The cold, composed demeanor he had shown at first had vanished, and he was now acting like a rosy-cheeked boy whose cheeks were just beginning to flush.
Instead of answering, I gave an awkward smile as I looked at the maid standing next to me. The poor woman was very surprised by Sir Ayres's unexpected behavior, but she soon seemed to remember her duty and looked at us with a rather anxious face.
Perhaps her master's personality was unusual, for 'fear' was deeply embedded in his trembling eyes.
"Excuse me, Sir Ayres. I think today's meeting should be considered a fleeting coincidence."
Sir Ayres seemed to have noticed the imperial palace maid next to me only then. As soon as he checked her face, he looked at me with eyes full of interest.
It seemed that Madame de Châteauroux's maid was very famous even within the palace, as he recognized her immediately.
"So you are the protagonist of the rumors, Bischwartz Young Lady."
"If you're talking about the story that has pleased people's ears, then yes."
"Oh, please don't blame me. Such gossip is bound to attract everyone's interest."
"Did it attract yours too, Sir?"
"No. But if I had known that Bischwartz Young Lady was the protagonist of the rumors, I would have looked into it with more interest."
"I see. You only found out that I was a Bischwartz at the Dibenzel mansion, Sir."
"Unfortunately."
If he was acting like this after cleanly forgetting what happened at the Dibenzel mansion, he could truly be called a courageous man.
Even after hearing the word 'Dibenzel,' Sir Ayres did not show any emotional expressions that could unsettle the other person, such as blushing or showing displeasure. He simply maintained a nonchalant attitude as if nothing had happened.
"Well, then, you won't consider it rude if I hurry on my way?"
"Of course not. Nor that you need an escort, Young Lady."
I almost burst out laughing at his attitude of reaching out his hand as if to show off. Sir Ayres was acting very shrewdly, not missing a moment's opportunity.
He drew a soft smile all over his face as if he didn't think I would refuse to take his hand. He was clearly aware that I couldn't ignore the gazes of the people around us.
"Wouldn't it be a nuisance to you, Sir? There's already someone who came to guide me."
"Please consider it a request filled with earnestness rather than a nuisance. You wouldn't know the feeling of impatience I'm experiencing, Young Lady."
"Of course not. It's not a feeling I have to endure. But I dare say, you are truly cunning, Sir. You're not leaving me any choice. So I can't refuse. But my hand is colder than ice and stiffer than a wooden block."
"Even so, if my heart is overflowing, would you look at me with contempt?"
"Surely not, how could I dare."
I put on a prim expression and held out my hand to him. Although I felt very bad, it was better to end the conversation in a calm and concise tone for my own sake.
Because everyone's eyes were on us, especially me. It was piercing, persistent, and tenacious. When my fingertips touched Sir Ayres's palm, I even felt a sharp, stabbing gaze.
Michael Ayres was certainly a wonderful knight whom everyone envied and a celebrity in society, so having a close relationship with him was not a bad choice.
But the excessive kindness, affection, and adoration he continued to show were dispelling these thoughts.
How much courage and thick skin would it take to continue showing a soft smile and affectionate behavior to someone who had rejected him?
In emotional situations that often occur between men and women, who wouldn't be hurt, but he truly seemed unaffected. Surprisingly so.
Throughout the long corridor, I tried not to talk to Sir Ayres as much as possible. At the same time, I earnestly hoped that he wouldn't make things difficult for me.
However, unlike the rumors, this man was very talkative and acted awkwardly like a child who couldn't control his emotions. It was an attitude that didn't match his cold appearance at all.
"Actually, I didn't expect to be able to see you so soon."
"I think so too, so I'm very surprised by the current situation."
"If it's not rude, may I ask how you've been?"
I tried not to lose my smile and answered quickly.
"That's a mischievous question. How should I answer to satisfy your question, Sir? Even putting aside my embarrassment."
"Just tell me a few simple things. You can get some precious words from such trivial questions."
"Clues? I don't understand what you're talking about at all."
"For example, these things."
Michael Ayres's eyes sparkled as he continued.
"I always have personal training sessions in the training grounds behind the lodgings after finishing my duties. Until sunset. After that, I shower in the lodgings, process a few documents, and then go to bed."
"Simple but very rewarding, yet quite strenuous days you're spending."
"Yes. But what you should pay attention to here is not the strenuous time of training, but the fact that I'm in the training grounds at the same time every day. It means that unless something special happens, you can only meet me there after my duties are over."
"So what you're saying, Sir, is that you're going to find out if I spend the same time every day, or if I like something through accidentally repeated activities?"
"Exactly."
"Oh, Sir Ayres."
I let out a sigh-like sound and called him.
"If I were you, Sir, I wouldn't have asked the same question as just now. More than anything, I don't know why I have to answer this question."
"Because I'm blinded by longing."
He suddenly grabs my hand tightly. I stared blankly at him, not even thinking of closing my open mouth.
The feeling of his long fingers slipping through the opened gaps and strongly interlocking was so stimulating that it made me stop walking. The feeling of our palms facing each other and sharing warmth was also the same.
Usually, the hand held for escorting only involves the fingertips slightly touching each other. Even couples who are publicly recognized as lovers do not touch each other this deeply.
But he was committing surprisingly rude behavior as if trying to destroy all this common sense. With an indifferent face, nonchalantly. As if this skinship was natural, like that.
Afraid that the maid following behind would see this, I hurriedly tried to pull my hand away, but Sir Ayres was unyielding. Rather, he held on even tighter as if telling me not to let go.
Thinking that we would be exposed even faster if we continued to struggle like this, I let out a small sigh and whispered to him.
"You keep making me embarrassed, Sir. You don't ask for my opinion. Are you always this aggressive?"
"I always thought of myself as a calm and composed person. But whenever I meet you, Young Lady, this thought shatters like glass."
"I don't want to be stabbed by those glass shards. So please, allow me to protect my honor."
The man's eyes fluttered. I shook the hand he was holding slightly and pulled it out. The strength of the grip that had been released in an instant was less than that of an old man.
It was only a brief moment of contact, but my palm was already covered in sweat. It must be the same for Sir Ayres.
I took out a handkerchief, thinking that I had sighed several times in front of him, and gently handed it to him.
It was a work made by embroidering small flower stamens on white silk, with the initials of my name small embroidered on the edge of the fabric.
It was a handkerchief that I could make because a woman from a noble family should be able to do embroidery.
Sir Ayres's gaze alternated between my hand and face. Perhaps because the blow just now was so great, his brilliant mind had not yet functioned properly.
I said in a small voice, as if urging him.
"Are you going to make my hand ashamed?"
Then, as if he couldn't help it, Sir Ayres reached out and grabbed the handkerchief. However, there was no action such as wiping his hand right away. He just looked at me with a complicated expression - it also looked very subtle.
"Sir Ayres, it would be better to hurry on our way. Or is your escort only up to here?"
"No, I will escort you to the end."
He said to me in a slightly gloomy voice. And he reached out his hand again, and seeing his fingers fluttering in the air, I thought that he would never be able to do the same bold act as before.
At the same time, I wanted to ask him to return the handkerchief he had wiped his hand with, but because he was silent with his lips tightly closed as if he was depressed, I couldn't bring myself to open my mouth.
Since it was the place where the emperor's beloved concubine lived, the closer we got to her residence, the more luxurious the objects such as sculptures and knight statues that were erected in the corridor became.
Even before we had reached the room, the strong floral scent that seemed to symbolize Madame de Châteauroux stimulated my nose intensely.
The maids walking in the corridor were wearing dresses with more exposed chests than the woman who had come to greet me, as if they only worked exclusively for this palace.
Looking at the young women, all around twenty years old, with their elaborate makeup and ostentatious designs, I was reminded of a vulgar prostitute rather than a young lady from a local noble family.
Come to think of it, I had heard rumors that Madame de Châteauroux had orgies with the emperor, using the maids she had in her service.
According to social gossip, Chatoul had falsely accused all the maids who had been working diligently and kicked them out. In order to bring prostitutes into the palace as her maids.
Saying that she couldn't be satisfied with dealing with one person, so she had to bring these people in.
In fact, when you look at the origins of the women working in the imperial palace, there were many cases of fallen noble families, local nobles without power, or daughters of concubines.
Although they had not officially debuted in society, most of them had some education and etiquette, and the knowledge to read and write. Perhaps that's why. They often held their heads high, considering themselves members of a noble family.
It was impossible for Chatoul, who had a free and dissolute nature, to welcome those who were full of pride.
So she fully demonstrated the emperor's favor and replaced everyone working in her palace with people of the same level as herself. What was in front of my eyes now was the result.
