The Trash Lady Who Stole the Duke's First Night
Chapter 24
Chapter 24
Elio twitched her fingers and avoided Carlos's gaze.
“Hmm… swindler.”
“I-It’s not a scam. Potions really do have a purifying function.”
“How much?”
“…….”
Carlos held out his large hand.
“Try purifying me. Right now.”
“…….”
Fidgeting, Elio reached out her hands, radiating a white light. Then, almost as if shoving it onto him, she handed Carlos something.
“Ha?”
Carlos burst into laughter, crisper and clearer than the sound of the falling rain. He had always looked like a cold beast of prey, so this was the first time she had ever seen him laugh so heartily.
With her face burning as though on fire, Elio glared at the laughing man.
He stopped laughing, suddenly pulling the corners of his mouth into a smirk as he leaned down close to her.
“My lady, you really have no conscience, do you?”
In his hand was a single sprig of white lilac that Elio had handed him. It was a flower snapped by the torrential downpour, which she had just purified.
Elio hung her head low and began counting the pebbles on the ground.
“…I told you my mana is tiny. It’s not enough to purify a person. But it’s still true that the potion has purifying properties.”
Well, if it contained even 0.00000001%, didn't that still count as containing it?
“Hmm… What on earth does one gain from purifying a flower?”
His low, snickering chuckle dug into her ears. Even without looking in a mirror, she could feel the heat spreading across her face.
“Because flowers catch plagues too. If I purify them, they won't die.”
Elio kept her eyes stubbornly turned away as she continued. The more she spoke, the hotter she felt. Even she thought what she was saying was ridiculous.
What good was saving flowers from a plague? Good grief.
“I-I could heal or purify people too if I really had to, but…”
She swallowed, crushing and tearing at leaves until green juice seeped out.
“And?”
“I could do it, but…”
“I’m glad you’re healthier than I expected.”
The memory of the man’s voice laughing happily flashed through Elio’s mind. She struggled over whether she should tell him that her heart kept stopping whenever she used mana on people, or keep it hidden.
“…I collapse, you see.”
His fingers, which had been twirling the white flower, stilled. Elio rolled her eyes rapidly.
“Just briefly, sometimes.”
“…….”
“I-It’s just because I’m not used to handling mana yet. That’s how it is for all beginners, right? But I’m practicing, so next time I’ll be able to do it without collapsing. As you know, Sir Carlos, I have great stamina, so I can practice dozens of times a day.”
Carlos smiled gently at her excuse-like words.
He had not expected anything in the first place. This woman’s mother, Valentin, had also lacked the slightest interest in magic. Even though her father was the Magic Tower Master, Valentin had been a woman who found happiness solely in a single sword.
Perhaps taking after such a mother, Elio showed no particular talent for magic either. One only needed to look at her pool of mana, which was lesser than that of a low-ranking apprentice.
Carlos stroked the lilac petals, his smile stiffening slightly.
…Come to think of it, did that old man from the Magic Tower still not know his granddaughter was alive?
Would a stubborn old man who cut ties with his daughter and shut himself away from the world even care about his granddaughter?
“Sir…? Um.”
“Just having mana at all is impressive. Well done.”
Elio bit the tip of her tongue for a moment, then pressed her lips together.
Watching the white petals Carlos was caressing, she pulled back her burning fingertips. Fortunately, he seemed to brush off her mention of collapsing as nothing more than an inexperienced mistake in mana control.
“I’m really good at tending gardens. I can tend to hundreds of blossoms. When I care for them, not a single one dies, really.”
Pitter, patter. Raindrops fell into the puddles like music.
The corner of Carlos’s mouth curled up.
“There is no flower garden in the Duke's Castle. I suppose we’ll have to plant one if I want to see your purification.”
“There’s no garden?”
“Because no one cares for flowers. Everyone lives crazed over swords.”
“Even so, to not have a single garden? What about the Duchess…?”
“Mother prefers building training grounds instead.”
Elio’s mouth fell open. Even for the continent's greatest swordsmen and a family of Dragon Slayers, she hadn't expected them to be this obsessed with swords. No wonder the inside of the castle felt so desolate.
So this was what a thousand-year-old family of master swordsmen who knew nothing but the blade looked like.
“…The Duchess is very strong too, isn’t she?”
“She was.”
At Carlos's use of the past tense, Elio blinked, pausing.
“Though she is ill now.”
“Where? Is she very sick?”
At her startled voice, Carlos merely smiled without answering.
Unable to pry further at his silence that seemed to draw a line, Elio picked at her fingernails.
……Was the sick family member his mother?
Her heart grew heavy at the thought that this might be why he carried his mother’s pendant with him.
“Come here.”
Carlos, having stood up at some point, called out to her from a few steps away.
While waving the white lilac flower.
…That man really thinks I’m a puppy.
Elio pouted, dusted the weeds off her hands, and got to her feet.
She raised her voice, deliberately cheerful.
“When are you going to find me a house? Starting tonight, I’m really going to sleep at an inn.”
“…….”
“You’re really going to find one for me, right? I’m going down to the village right now. I need to buy new books on healing and purification magic, and I have a lot of things to do.”
“Rock at your feet. Water ahead.”
Checking the puddles, Elio took hopping steps and ran toward the man waving the flower. A breeze carrying the scent of wet grass blew past.
“Even a single room is fine! Though I won’t be able to host a housewarming party for you, Sir Carlos!”
Splashing water hit her flushed cheeks, and his low laughter drifted through the humid air.
❖ ❖ ❖
“Here. Drink up.”
Toby wiped away his sweat and plopped down beside Elio. The rainy season in the North was more bearable than in the South, but even when the rain briefly stopped, it was just as humid.
“Thank you.”
Elio took a sip of the cold grape juice Toby handed her. In the quiet morning, only the sound of the stream rushing violently with swollen waters could be heard.
Having brought her down to the village in place of Carlos, who was busy from early morning after finishing dawn sparring, Toby kept scowling as if displeased about something.
“You really didn’t have to escort me…”
“That mountain peak over there is the ducal family’s vineyard.”
Mumbling, Elio reflexively raised her head and looked toward the mountain towering high enough to pierce the sky.
“The wine made from those grapes is the finest in Lübeck! Schuppenhardt wine is the very drink said to have been most beloved by the Archangel! You can drink it like water in the Duke's Castle! The Cyprus royal family buys it up all at once, so you can’t even get it in the village!”
At the sudden declaration, Elio blinked blankly.
“I don’t like alcohol, though…?”
“…Damn it. What do you mean you don't like it?”
Looking at Toby’s gruff expression, Elio smiled softly.
“I’m not running away. If you ever need me for work, call me, and I’ll visit the Duke's Castle anytime.”
“Who said you were running away? How is a noble lady supposed to live in a village without even a maid? Tsk.”
…A noble lady.
When she gave a bitter smile and did not reply, the atmosphere sank into a heavier silence. Elio pulled the corners of her mouth up.
“Come on, we’re going our separate ways in two months anyway.”
Toby stared at Elio, blinking.
“You said you all knew. Sir Toby and Leon-nim, that is. I have to leave the Duke's Castle and live on my own anyway, so I need to get used to it quickly. Even without a maid, I’m good at cleaning.”
She puffed out her chest, raising her voice brightly. Then, she tilted her head all the way back.
“I need to figure out which estate I’ll live in later and how to earn money in advance. I have a lot to do, and I'm very busy.”
The Duke's Castle sat nestled between the mountain slopes like a fortress. Grand and imposing as if it were the gatekeeper of the Dragon Mountains, looking up at the Duke's Castle made her feel like a weed blooming on the roadside.
As she blankly measured the height of the Duke's Castle, she suddenly chewed on the word 'gatekeeper.' Once upon a time… had the ducal family protected the dragons as close friends bound by camaraderie? Had they tried to turn the corrupted Black Dragon back?
Finding such thoughts ridiculous for a family renowned as Dragon Slayers, she let out a small laugh.
“…I’m truly more comfortable in a village.”
A faint smile seeped into Elio’s voice.
“You saw it yourself, Sir Toby. Aside from being large, our house wasn't really any better than a commoner’s home. And now, I really am a commoner.”
After giggling brightly, Elio leaned slightly toward Toby, who looked even more subdued than her, and shook her juice.
“Besides, I’ve always preferred this kind of sweet, cheap taste over top-quality things anyway!”
“Cheap? I bought that from the most famous shop in the village! It cost 900 shillings!”
Elio burst into a bright laugh.
“Whoa. That’s really expensive! Please buy it for me again next time!”
Toby looked at Elio in utter disbelief.
“What a bizarre lack of fear, really… What’s so hard about staying in the Duke's Castle? His Grace the Duke isn't even at the castle.”
Toby muttered loudly, deliberately letting her hear, then furrowed his brows at Elio, who gave no response.
“What about the sword? What are you going to do about the sword? You asked for help practicing swordsmanship! I can only help if you come to the training ground like today!”
“Ah, the sword…”
“Show up at the Duke's Castle training ground every other day by six in the morning. Rest all you want this week.”
❖ ❖ ❖
…Will I really not run into His Grace the Duke?
Elio blinked, recalling the conversation she had shared casually with Toby that morning.
Though he said His Grace the Duke was staying at the villa, her heart still thudded with anxiety.
Still, it would be good to learn more self-defense…
Elio put down the dagger she had been polishing and looked around the room.
The large inn room, spacious enough for a group, lacked nothing. Just looking at the gold-leaf craftsmanship adorning every piece of furniture, it seemed to be the most luxurious inn in the village.
…He really did take responsibility for me.
With a faint smile, Elio lay back. After wandering around all day exploring the territory by herself, her exhausted legs throbbed with aches; she let out a groan and rolled over onto the blanket.
Befitting a high-end inn, the bed was plush, and the duvet was soft and crisp.
The humid night breeze drifting through the gap in the window.
The chiffon curtains rustling gently.
The lively chatter and boisterous laughter echoing from beyond the window.
Everything was simply so peaceful that she stopped tossing and turning, slowly blinking her eyes.
…I really left Aquitaine.
Outside the window, the moon shone brightly. Just like that day by the lakeside.
That man had been so mean back then. But he’s much sweeter than I thought…
Rustle. Resting her head on her arm, she rolled over onto her side.
