Judging by its location, it was an inn that did business with merchants traveling the roads, coachmen looking for a place to rest their eyes for a while, or transient outsiders.
She knew well how noisy and dangerous such a place could be, so it was not the kind of lodging she usually preferred, but now was not the time to be choosy.
“I’ll get off in front of that inn!”
In any case, visiting Langfield Manor in this state was out of the question.
She would rent a room for a night, rest, dry her soaked body and clothes, and go in the morning after the rain stopped, clean and neat.
Although she would arrive a day later than the promised date, if she explained that she had been caught in heavy rain on the way, they would understand.
At last, the carriage stopped in front of the inn.
Ayesha hurriedly climbed down from the carriage.
“Excuse me, hello?”
Ayesha, who had run all the way to the inn in one breath, pounded on the door.
“Please open the door!”
But no matter how loudly she called, no answer came from inside.
There was no sign of anyone stirring beyond the windows or the cracks of the door.
“Is no one here?”
It seemed to be an empty building that had stopped doing business.
Looking closely, the handle was covered in red rust.
It looked as though no one had set foot here in a long time.
“I thought so.
I wondered why there wasn’t a single light on……”
She had made the wrong choice.
What should she do now?
She needed to hurry and find another inn, but the fierce downpour made her reluctant to even set foot outside.
It was bleak.
It was her first time being dropped off alone in a place with nothing around.
She wished she could move somewhere else even now, but it was too late to expect a new shared carriage.
Judging by the circumstances, there was a strong chance that the carriage she had ridden was the last shared carriage of the day.
There was no other way.
A sigh escaped her.
Should she just spend the night here?
“But can I last until tomorrow morning?”
The eaves were barely large enough to shelter a single head.
If she did not want to get wet, she would have to stand all night.
Having endured a journey in which even moving and sleeping were utterly uncomfortable while carrying heavy luggage, tremendous fatigue had accumulated over the past days.
Her eyes were already swimming.
Her arms and legs felt heavy.
Ayesha leaned her back against the door and dropped her head.
It was then.
Miraculously, the sound of horse hooves came to her ears.
Along with it, the sensation of wheels rolling over the wet ground with a splashing sound.
She snapped to attention.
Ayesha pushed back the hair that had fallen over her forehead, leaned her upper body outward, and looked all around.
Before long, the faint outline of a carriage appeared beyond the muffled darkness.
She could not have been more glad.
What a relief.
It seemed there was still a shared carriage left.
Ayesha gripped a suitcase in each hand and dashed out into the rain.
She intended to ask to be taken at least to the nearest village.
But when she actually saw the carriage approaching, its appearance was unusual.
Because it was a night without a moon and her vision was dark, she had not realized until now—there were no fewer than four horses pulling the carriage.
A four-horse carriage.
That was absolutely not an ordinary shared carriage.
Somehow, it felt as though it must be carrying someone tremendous whom she should not carelessly disturb.
This would not do.
She had been glad that a carriage had finally appeared, but if it was someone she could not even approach, let alone ride with…… Ah, what should she do?
Unable to go forward or back, Ayesha stood blankly in place, staring dazedly at the approaching carriage.
Then she made up her mind.
It was cold and hard and sorrowful and regrettable, but in times like this, it was right to be careful of her body.
So just as she was quietly about to step backward—
The carriage that had crossed the rainy road stopped in front of Ayesha.
Because it was night and dark, and the streaks of rain blurred her vision, she had not noticed until now, but seen up close, the emblem drawn on the carriage curtain was familiar.
It was a shape like four water droplets, each trailing a tail, spread out in all directions.
It was the symbol of House Eseldor that she had seen countless times while preparing for this assignment.
……Huh?
But why was a carriage of House Eseldor in front of me……?
It was the moment that question bloomed.
The carriage door opened smoothly.
The light of the yellow lamp illuminating the carriage interior suddenly poured out dazzlingly.
Because she had no hands left to cover her face, Ayesha had to face the light that stung her eyes head-on.
For a moment, her vision went distant.
Her eyes closed on their own.
Ayesha waited until the stinging in her eyelids faded, then lifted her lids.
Even so, the afterimage of the light remained, and her vision was blurry.
Ayesha kept blinking.
“Lady Ayesha.”
An unfamiliar man’s voice called to her.
Somehow, a strange feeling came over her, and Ayesha faltered for an instant.
What is it?
What is strange?
After thinking for a moment, Ayesha realized the identity of the incongruity that had just brushed past her.
It was not a question of ‘Lady Ayesha?’
The other party was certain of her identity and addressed her by name precisely.
“Who are you……?”
Only now did her vision become somewhat clearer.
Perhaps noticing that the yellow lamplight was too stimulating for her, standing in the middle of the dark night’s shadow, the other party also moved the lamp farther away.
Thanks to that, Ayesha could raise her head and look up at the man who had called out to her.
And she froze completely, unable to make a single sound.
Was this what it felt like to be captivated at first sight?
There was a man there who looked as though a god had carefully sculpted him stitch by stitch with exquisite craftsmanship.
Was this perhaps a trick of the night obscuring her vision?
Doubting her own eyes, Ayesha stared intently at the man.
He was truly a person who made her tilt her head and wonder, ‘Who on earth is this man?’—and even before that, made her puzzled, ‘How does such a man know me?’
On the other hand, that made it all the more bewildering.
A man who looked impossible to forget once seen was calling her name familiarly, yet she could not remember who he was at all.
At last, the man opened his mouth.
“It is a pleasure to meet you.
I am Kirix Eseldor.”
This time, it was truly her turn to be appalled.
Her heart began to race like mad.
Her breathing grew ragged.
Ayesha barely swallowed the scream that nearly burst from her mouth.
Kirix Eseldor.
This man was the new head of House Eseldor, whom she had only heard of through rumors.
The coachman took Ayesha’s suitcases for her and loaded them into the luggage compartment.
At once, her arms felt lighter.
Her heart, by contrast, grew heavier.
Even if she had made a neat first impression, it would not have been enough, and here she was looking like a drowned mouse.
In this state, she should not be claiming she had come to catch ghosts—anyone would believe it if she said she was a ghost herself.
Yet even after seeing her appearance, with water dripping from her very hair, Kirix showed not a trace of displeasure and held out his hand to escort her into the carriage.
“Have a seat.”
“Ah…… my clothes are all wet.”
She had climbed in before she knew it, but facing the magnificently decorated interior of the carriage, she felt intimidated.
The seats, padded and made plush, were all covered in soft velvet, and the carpet spread on the floor was a work of art, intricately and carefully woven by hand with patterns.
Ayesha glanced sidelong at the toe of her shoe.
The thought of the soles of her shoes, blackened with rainwater and mud, stepping on that splendid and expensive carpet made her back tingle.
“Now that I think of it, the weather is quite chilly.
I was in such a hurry to come out that I could not even prepare a blanket.
For now, cover yourself with this at least.
I will instruct the coachman to increase the speed.
We will arrive at the manor shortly.”
Yet he drew the hesitating Ayesha over and seated her, and even took off his frock coat and wrapped it around her shoulders.
“Wait, wait a moment.”
Ayesha hurriedly pushed the frock coat away.
Just by touching it, the texture was soft and supple against her fingertips, and its warmth, warming her shoulders, was exceptional.
Needless to say, it could not be anything but expensive fabric.
If such clothes were soaked through with rainwater, they would surely be ruined.
“Cover yourself.
Your lips are blue.”
But instead of taking the coat back, Kirix buttoned it up tightly.
Wrapped in the plush hem of the coat, Ayesha’s eyes went round.
What is this?
They had only just met for the first time, and he was even a person of high status—why was he so kind?
“But…… how did you recognize me?”
Above all, this was what she was most curious about.
Had they met somewhere before?
Otherwise, there was no way he could call her name out of the blue like that.
“Your description was written in the letter.
Whatever else may be true, blue-violet eyes are not common.”
Aha.
Only then did Ayesha understand.
Indeed, blue-violet eyes were extremely rare.
Even among her family, she alone had that color.
Perhaps it was a relic passed down from one of her ancestors.
Once the question was resolved, her heart felt much lighter.
Ayesha expressed her thanks with a light smile.
“Thank you for giving me a ride.
It seems you were on your way back from inspecting the estate even at this late hour.
Thanks to you, I was fortunate.”
“Lady Ayesha.”
