Chapter 043. Do you know that reason?
‘Why……?’
The first thought that came to mind while staring blankly at that face, which shouldn’t be here, was that.
Right now, why, how, are you here?
Of course, it’s true that we’ve just slightly escaped from the busiest time, but even so, it wasn’t a time when the family head could afford to be away.
Moreover, wasn’t this a place where the person who would become his fiancée was present?
No, more than that, how did you get here? I deliberately chose a place where no one would come and went deep inside……
At that moment when my head was full of all sorts of confusing questions, the other person, who had been standing still without moving, suddenly stepped forward into the inner area.
The cat, which had been hanging under Deborah’s hand, let out a “kyaak” sound at the approaching presence stepping on the grass and quickly hid itself between the bushes.
The man’s footsteps, which had been closing the distance, finally stopped one step in front of her.
“What are you doing here?”
A low voice falling from above her head.
The moment that languidly laid voice cut through the cool night air, Deborah finally snapped out of it in surprise and stood up.
“Ah, I, just for a moment…… the wind—”
She was just taking a breather because it was stuffy, but her lips, which had straightforwardly answered, soon closed again before long.
Although Mrs. Charlotte is the person who manages and supervises the female servants of Elpengreen, that doesn’t make her the final decision-maker in the mansion.
That’s just the extent of the delegated authority, because the actual owner of Elpengreen is the Cheister Duke right in front of her eyes.
She couldn’t possibly say in front of such a person that she, a lowly maid, was leisurely taking a rest.
Especially in a situation like now, where the hands in the mansion are busily turning.
At that moment when her mind went blank, wondering what on earth to add, the Duke suddenly turned his body and walked somewhere.
Is it just going to pass like this……?
Deborah, who slightly raised her head, carefully followed the man’s back with her gaze.
The Duke’s footsteps stopped at a small wooden bench a few steps away.
Even though it’s in the inner area where people’s footsteps are rare, so it must be covered in moss and such on top, the man casually plopped down on it as if it were nothing.
“…….”
What to do now…… After pondering for a moment, Deborah finally decided to return to the servants’ hall.
She had only intended to stay for a short while anyway, not planning to linger long.
Thinking that it would be best to just greet him at this timing and withdraw, Deborah, though reluctant, slowly stepped toward the bench.
She thought he was just sitting there, but as she approached closer, her view caught the man with his head thrown back and eyes closed.
“…….”
She had planned to quickly greet and withdraw, so she ended up flustered for a moment.
‘What should I do? Should I just quietly turn around like this……?’
Her mind was complicated by the unexpected situation, but amid that, such a thought suddenly occurred to her.
Perhaps, just like she had done, he too had come looking for a quiet place to rest alone.
Then, isn’t this current action of hers rather disturbing him?
After pondering deeply for a long time, Deborah ultimately chose to quietly disappear.
Now that she had made up her mind, she raised her head, thinking she just needed to quietly slip out of here—
“…….”
“…….”
In that instant, she ended up locking eyes exactly with the blue eyes looking up from below.
They say that when a person is too startled, even a scream doesn’t come out.
Deborah froze in place and blinked her widely opened round eyes open and closed.
Like they were having a staring contest, after staring at each other like that for a while, at some point, that silence was broken when the man tilted his head.
“Sit down?”
“…….”
It was a remark pointing to the seat beside him.
Perhaps because she had only ever seen him in his always sharply edged demeanor, she hadn’t anticipated such words coming from him at all.
So she just hesitated for a moment.
For some reason, she couldn’t tell what he had misinterpreted that as, but this time, a voice laced with even more irritation flew at her.
“My head hurts, are you going to keep standing there like that?”
“…….”
No matter how much her heart sank at that irritable remark, she should have just greeted him there and turned away……
Unknowingly, as if bewitched, she ended up sitting in the seat next to him.
Since they were sitting side by side on a narrow bench that could barely fit three people squeezed together, Deborah felt even more so.
She should have just said she was returning to the servants’ hall……
Of course, she couldn’t outright refuse his words, but it surely wasn’t a remark hoping for her to sit in the seat next to him.
It was probably just saying not to loiter in front of his eyes since it was annoying to look up, and to move aside and sit.
Should she say right now that she’s going back?
How many times today has she been having such dilemmas? She found herself so ridiculous that a laugh automatically escaped her.
Suddenly, a gentle breeze began to blow toward the center of the garden.
The pleasant wind brushing against her skin made it seem as if the fully tense atmosphere was all carried away on that breeze, far, far into the distance.
Perhaps because of that, she even started thinking thoughts she wouldn’t normally dare to.
Since it’s come to this, just a little…… very little, maybe stay sitting for a bit.
After this moment passes, they’ll go back to their usual selves again, so isn’t it okay to enjoy such a moment just for a very short while?
How much time passed while they sat there without speaking to each other.
Amid the man’s breathing carried on the wind, a faint smell of alcohol wafted over.
‘Did he drink a lot…….’
Now that she thought about it, she finally started to feel that his unusually behaving actions were somehow strange.
His presence was suspiciously quiet, to the extent that even his breathing couldn’t be heard.
It was just that he seemed so fine that she hadn’t noticed, but perhaps he was actually quite drunk right now, and she started to worry suddenly.
So, without realizing it, she turned her head to the left.
Without even dreaming of which direction the man’s gaze had been fixed all along.
“…….”
“…….”
She couldn’t tell exactly from when, but the man’s body was slightly turned toward the side where Deborah was.
It was a night where all directions were covered in darkness, but under the bright moonlight, she could guess where the man’s gaze was directed right now.
Thump thump.
A suffocating silence as if time had stopped.
A moment later, breaking that silence, words quietly flowed from the man’s mouth.
“Has the wound healed now?”
“…….”
At the completely unexpected words, she couldn’t immediately comprehend what he meant.
She realized what wound the man was referring to when a dreadful memory from sometime passed through her complicatedly tangled mind.
Deborah slightly nodded her head.
“……Yes, it’s all healed now.”
“You must have resented me quite a bit for that day’s incident.”
“…….”
She didn’t need to specify who the resentment was toward; it was obvious.
Then, she should answer that no, it’s not like that…… but as if her mouth was glued shut, no words came out.
She didn’t know if the expression “resentment” truly fit, but to the extent that a similar emotion had arisen, it was certain.
Pfft.
At her attitude like that, fortunately, the man responded with a light laugh.
Whether because of the alcohol or some other reason making him in a good mood, the man was showing an unusually generous attitude today.
Perhaps that’s why.
The words that she would absolutely never say under normal circumstances slipped out of her mouth.
“……There’s one thing I want to ask.”
A voice where her extreme tension was evidently revealed.
The Duke, who had been silent for a moment, soon lightly tilted his head as if giving permission.
“Three times, you said you would fire me…… it was three times.”
The first time was the mistake at the banquet where she ruined a noble lady’s dress.
The second time was the incident where she damaged the master’s dignity in front of a guest visiting Elpengreen due to her unkempt appearance.
And the final third time was…… when he found out that she had somnambulism.
In each of those three moments, the man had grasped ample justification to dismiss her whenever he wanted.
Moreover, he had even threatened her as if he really would do it.
But Deborah was still greeting each morning in Elpengreen, falling asleep, and spending her days like that.
So, though she couldn’t remember exactly from when, such a question began to arise.
‘Why is he leaving me be like this.’
She thought the opportunity to resolve that question would never come eternally, but unexpectedly, that opportunity suddenly arrived today, now, in this moment.
Deborah calmly resumed the words she had paused for a moment.
“But, why have you just been watching over me until now…… that has kept making me curious.”
Now, all the questions she wanted to ask were finished, and the next turn was for the one who heard the question to answer.
The Duke, who had maintained silence throughout, finally opened his mouth only after a long while.
“Why, I wonder.”
“…….”
That low, resonating sound was not an answer to the question Deborah had asked.
“Why can’t I fire you every time.”
“…….”
And it wasn’t words directed at Deborah either.
It was like he was questioning himself.
As if lost in thought, the man fell silent for a moment, and soon after, he conversely threw a question.
“By any chance, do you know that reason?”
☆▪︎▪︎▪︎☆▪︎▪︎▪︎☆▪︎▪︎▪︎☆
By Anna 💓
