24
On the day Leopold’s first note arrived, Eliza asked Nancy to throw away the blue quill. Seeing those feathers would only remind her of Leopold contacting her.
She also specifically asked her to burn it herself at the incinerator so that no one would happen to see it.
But a few days later, Nancy came rushing to her in horror.
“Miss, Miss! That bird came back! What if it gets caught again?”
“What? You mean that bluebird?”
“Yes! I heard something tapping, so when I looked, it was peeking through my room’s window.”
Eliza’s heart sank at the thought that Leopold had contacted her again. Eliza glanced uneasily out the window and asked.
“Did it happen to bring something?”
“It had something in its beak, but it just left. Is it all right if I leave it as it is?”
Eliza rubbed her dry face for a moment. Now even a single bird had become a nuisance tormenting her.
‘It isn’t an ordinary bird. It carries Hagen’s magic, so I can’t simply ignore it…….’
As she struggled to erase Leopold’s face from her mind, a question suddenly occurred to her.
‘Wait. It went to Nancy, not my room?’
Come to think of it, the bird did not seem to have gone to Helreos’s room, where it had originally been. The fact that it had not been caught by him again made that clear.
‘Why did it go to Nancy this time? Does it simply go anywhere in the estate? Or…….’
Eliza raised her head and looked at Nancy before asking.
“Did you throw away the quill?”
“Ah, n-no. The incinerator opened today, so I haven’t yet.”
“That’s good. I think I’d rather have it back.”
Having come up with one hypothesis, Eliza took the quill back from Nancy.
Then, the next day, the bird came to Eliza again.
「Why aren’t you coming? Where did you go?
Again, in two days. At the inn.」
Judging by the date written at the bottom, it was a note that had been rewritten after the bird that met Nancy had returned.
Judging by his tone, Leopold seemed certain that she was the one receiving it.
‘It seems he really did come looking for the quill.’
Eliza narrowed her eyes and examined the bird.
Just in case, she brought the bird into the room and closed the window, but the bird merely tilted its head and sat quietly in place.
Watching the motionless bird, Eliza sighed. There was no sign that any feathers would fall from the still bird.
“Fly a little……. I need one of your feathers.”
It was merely a lament that escaped her naturally out of frustration, but suddenly the bird shook its body with a flutter.
Then it flapped its wings and dropped a feather. Eliza picked it up and looked at the bird in surprise.
‘Does it understand what I’m saying?’
Its black, round eyes reflected Eliza. After hesitating, she carefully stroked the bird’s head with her index finger.
“……Thank you.”
The bird, seemingly pleased, pushed its head toward her and made a small chirping sound.
Eliza opened the window again and let the bird fly away. Then she looked closely at the vivid blue feather left behind.
After that, Eliza conducted several experiments through Nancy. Through them, she was able to become certain.
The bird goes to where its feather is. And it can distinguish the recipient of a letter.
She could tell because it delivered a letter to her, while it did not leave the letter in front of Nancy.
「So you’re not going to see me like this?
This is the last time. The inn, in four days.
If you don’t come this time either, I don’t know how I’ll get out, Eli.」
Eliza’s hand tightened, and the small sheet of paper crinkled.
It might have been nothing more than a trivial habit, but the fact that he still called her Eli tightened her heart with an indescribable emotion.
But she still could not find the courage to meet him, so Eliza carefully folded this note as well and answered only in her heart.
‘I’m sorry. Leopold.’
Eliza opened the bottom drawer, took out a jewelry box, and placed the note inside.
There were only a few crude sheets of paper inside the jewelry box. Eliza put the locked jewelry box into the drawer and carefully locked it before leaning over the desk.
‘This time, even if you come, I won’t be here.’
At last, she had finished preparing to run away. She would soon leave the capital.
***
“Please. Don’t send me to the Hagen family. I’ll take very good care of Miss, I promise, all right?”
When Eliza was ill, Leopold had once tried to take Nancy to his estate after discovering that Nancy had been stealing and eating the food meant for Eliza.
That day, Nancy came to Eliza, knelt before her, and begged. It had been so absurd that she refused to leave no matter how many times Eliza told her to go.
“Don’t you work?”
“I won’t take a single step out of this room until Miss withdraws her order. I still have a young brother at home! My parents are in poor health, so I have to take care of him. So I have to stay in the capital……”
“How old is your younger brother?”
“He’s only eight. He’ll turn nine next month.”
“I’m eleven now.”
“What? Ah…… Y-yes, you are.”
It was back when Eliza’s face still looked young.
Her face, strangely lacking in chubby cheeks for a child, looked composed, and even her subdued purple eyes held a mature gaze for her age.
In the end, the apology came from Nancy’s sincere realization of Eliza’s age.
“I-I was wrong. Miss. I’m sorry.”
Suddenly, tears welled up in Nancy’s eyes.
Eliza, who had no intention of scolding her and did not harbor any particular feelings toward her, was flustered.
“I’m sorry. I did it because I was hungry. Because my family is struggling financially. I even saved all the bread we received in the rations and took it home……”
“So you took my meal?”
“I-I’m sorry. I’m really sorry……”
Nancy could barely continue speaking through her sobs. Eliza let out a deep sigh.
Her feelings were incredibly complicated and strange. But it was true that the first apology she had ever heard softened something inside her.
If the Marquis of Hagen had been the first adult to treat young Eliza warmly, Nancy was the first adult to apologize to her.
“I was hungry, too.”
“You were. How could I have done such a thing……. Wrong, sob, I’m sor……”
“I mean, I understand what it feels like to be hungry.”
After looking at Nancy’s tear-streaked face, Eliza awkwardly handed her a handkerchief.
Seeing the crude handkerchief without any pattern, Nancy sobbed even harder, and Eliza, flustered, patted her shoulder.
“Sniff, hhh… thank, no, sorry…… Thank you, Miss. Sob, thank you……”
“If you don’t leave, keep your promise to treat me well.”
From that day, when Nancy nodded vigorously, she truly kept her promise.
Even without Eliza specifically ordering her to, she sincerely followed her and provided her with countless forms of help.
Therefore, Eliza thought Nancy deserved to receive something in return.
“Take it.”
“What is this, Miss?”
“It’s for your younger siblings.”
Eliza handed Nancy a small pouch. Nancy opened it in confusion and then froze like a stone in place.
Inside were heavy gold coins.
“W-Why, why are you giving this to me……”
“Stay at the estate.”
“What do you mean by that……?”
Nancy looked bewildered, unable to understand what Eliza meant.
Eliza revealed the secret to her alone without hesitation.
“I’m leaving the estate.”
“You’re going on a trip? But the Count said you couldn’t……”
“No.”
Nancy rolled her eyes around, trying to understand Eliza.
Meanwhile, Eliza moved one thing at a time, slung several small bags she had hidden over her shoulders, and took out a crude robe.
Nancy watched the scene in confusion and finally came to a conclusion.
“Don’t tell me……. You’re really leaving?”
“Yes.”
“No, Miss! You’re weak, too. Something terrible will happen to you!”
“I have to go.”
Nancy stamped her feet at her young lady’s resolute attitude. She knew her young lady was stubborn, but she truly had no idea how to stop her this time.
Eliza ignored Nancy’s attempts to dissuade her and placed the pouch back into her hand.
Nancy could not bring herself to push her young lady’s hand away and merely shook her head vigorously.
“I don’t want it. You’ll leave immediately if I take it.”
“You know me well.”
“How many years have I known Miss? So please, I’m begging you. Don’t go, all right?”
So there was at least one person who would try to stop her. Strangely enough, that alone gave Eliza the strength to move.
“I’m sorry. I have to go, but I think I can survive if I do.”
No matter how much she thought about it, the conclusion was the same. She was afraid of Leopold’s reaction, and he would soon be leaving for the battlefield anyway, while the capital, where she did not even have a single friend left, had become unbearable.
‘Leopold probably doesn’t even think of me as a friend anymore.’
