Chapter 4
In the meantime, Raymond extended his hand as if to help her up. After a moment’s hesitation, Alexa took his hand and rose from her seat. His hand was large and warm.
The lingering warmth vanished the instant Raymond let go first. Alexa hid her hand, still tingling with the unfamiliar sensation, beneath the blanket. Feeling embarrassed, she deliberately infused her explanation with a cheerful tone, as if the situation were lighthearted.
“I was looking for the kitchen. I wanted a glass of warm milk.”
“You could have just pulled the cord.”
“It’s late; everyone must be asleep. I didn’t want to inconvenience them. I can warm up some milk myself.”
He wore a puzzled expression for a moment, but when Alexa blinked at him as if to ask what the problem was, he let out a shallow sigh and spoke.
“To get to the kitchen quickly, it’s better to use the stairs on the right. That’s where the servants come and go in emergencies, so the lights are on.”
“I see. I must have forgotten the explanation I heard about that.”
She didn’t even know where the right-side stairs were, but Alexa nodded vigorously anyway. Raymond, having given her directions, started walking first. Alexa stood frozen in the light, watching him recede into the distance. Then, Raymond stopped in place, turned back, and said with a hint of irritation.
“Are you going to keep standing there?”
“Huh?”
“You said you wanted to go to the kitchen.”
“Oh!”
Letting out a small exclamation, Alexa quickly scurried after him, her steps hurried to catch up to his back.
He was personally showing her the way. Perhaps the duke’s heir was kinder than she thought. The boy’s broad back leading the way made the eerie, ghost-like hallway at night feel less frightening than before.
For a while, the two walked through the dimly lit corridor in silence. Soon, the lit stairs came into view. Having fulfilled his role as guide, Raymond nodded as if to say she could handle it from here.
“I don’t need to explain how to go down the stairs, do I?”
“Of course not. Thank you for showing me the way.”
After bowing politely and starting down the stairs, Alexa suddenly felt the urge to give something in return to Raymond for his help, so she climbed back up. Raymond was still standing at the top of the stairs. Seeing her reappear, he raised an eyebrow crookedly, as if questioning why she had returned.
“Do you need some warm milk too, by any chance? I could bring an extra glass when I get mine.”
“I don’t need anything like that. Just hold onto your blanket properly. I don’t want to hear about the duchess’s daughter tumbling down the stairs at night because she tripped on it.”
With those words, Raymond turned back into the darkened corridor. Alexa gazed for a long while at the boy’s retreating figure—cold, yet gentlemanly.
After that day, Alexa did her best to get closer to Raymond. She didn’t aim for the deep, affectionate bond like with her cousins, but she wanted to become family under the same roof, acknowledging each other.
As full summer arrived, Isabella began a major renovation of the manor, citing hygiene and convenience. Telephone lines were installed, the kitchen was remodeled, a parking lot was built in the open space, and modern heating systems were introduced.
Raymond took charge of the construction alongside Isabella, standing in for the busy duke. Still young, Alexa alternated following the two of them, taking on errands. Her shoes and stockings often got caked with dirt, but on days when Raymond used the cool, damp towel she’d brought to wipe his face, she felt elated enough to soar into the sky.
He was the epitome of a nobleman, beloved and trusted by the estate’s people. Moreover, he symbolized the bright future of the ducal house as a capable heir.
Raymond was the most brilliantly shining person Alexa had ever seen. Heads naturally turned when he appeared. Clearing her throat unnecessarily before greeting him had become a habit.
But as the summer heat ripened, Raymond’s attitude grew colder. At some point, he began taking his breakfast separately from the rest of the family, and when they crossed paths in the vast manor, he completely ignored Alexa’s greetings. The maids who witnessed this laughed at her loud enough for her to hear.
She doesn’t know her place, daring to…
It was humiliating. Yet, because she felt guilty about Raymond leaving the breakfast table, she wasn’t angry. Her grandfather had emphasized that family meant gathering around one table, so Alexa felt obligated to bring him back.
In the meantime, some people openly spread nonsense. That Isabella and her daughter would steal all the duke’s attention from the heir, and that the mother and daughter saw Raymond as a thorn in their side. Alexa only wanted to prove those rumors false.
It was one summer day when her efforts showed no real effect. After an unenjoyable tea time with noble girls her age, Alexa bolted from the manor as soon as they left.
The noble young ladies treated Alexa like a talking animal. Every time she spoke, they giggled as if praising a pony that ate the carrot they’d tossed. She couldn’t embarrass her mother, so she acted unfazed, but she couldn’t help feeling hurt inside.
At that moment, as Alexa swung her arms vigorously and headed toward the forest, the glass greenhouse caught her eye. Remembering her mother’s request to bring flowers for the study, she postponed her trip to the forest hideout and turned toward the greenhouse.
Pushing open the already ajar door of the greenhouse, Alexa took only a few steps before stopping. On the table, with a tin bucket full of flowers between them, the gardener and Raymond were in conversation.
Raymond stopped talking the moment he spotted her. The gardener also eyed Alexa warily before bowing respectfully only to the family heir.
“I’ll do as you instructed.”
With that, the gardener left the greenhouse. Breaking through the awkward silence, Alexa cautiously approached the harvested flowers. The closer she got to him, the stronger the scent of fresh blooms became. Raymond stared straight at her with an inscrutable expression.
“I didn’t expect you to be here.”
Alexa deliberately brightened her voice. The process of turning from strangers to family couldn’t be easy. Still, she couldn’t live forever like strangers with Raymond, so she had to muster the courage to approach. Alexa believed that the side of him guiding her through the dark corridor was his true nature.
“It’s true what they say about Blainefield having an excellent gardener. They’re all so beautiful.”
“Everyone who works at the manor is diligent and sincere. They’re people worthy of respect.”
At Raymond’s words, Alexa subtly lifted the corners of her mouth. As expected, he was someone who understood the value and reward of work.
“I asked the housekeeper because the flowers in the drawing room are always so lovely—who arranges and places them like that. I was so surprised to hear it was you, Raymond. Did you pick these yourself this time too?”
It was a question thrown out because she wanted to say how impressive Raymond’s talent was. However, Raymond, who had been looking down at a nearby flower stem in his hand, fixed Alexa with a gaze she’d never seen before as soon as the question ended.
“Are you doing this on purpose?”
His voice was sharp like shattered ice shards. Unprepared for the reaction, unease flickered in Alexa’s eyes.
“You find everything happening in this manor like some intriguing adventure, don’t you?”
“…What?”
“Wandering the halls at night in just your nightgown, learning table manners while sneaking glances at others’ hands, inconveniencing the servants with your ridiculous considerations.”
Alexa’s face drained of color.
“You think all of this is just fun, right?”
Raymond tilted his head arrogantly. In his clenched hand, a white, delicate flower stem was crushed.
“I just came to get the flowers Mother asked for.”
“You should’ve kept your mouth shut and just taken the flowers. Since the gardener’s not here, do I have to serve you?”
“I absolutely don’t think that. I heard you have a great interest in flowers and trees, so…”
“Are you trying to chase me out of the greenhouse too?”
“No!”
“Actually, I think I know what you and the duchess are after now.”
As Alexa’s blue eyes wavered, Raymond placed his fingers on the nearby tin bucket. Desperate to clear up the misunderstanding somehow, Alexa didn’t notice and stepped closer to the table.
“Quietly, secretly. You’re preparing a place for the new son who’s about to be born.”
“…Raymond, Mother said she could never replace your position with anything else. We respect you as the heir.”
“Be honest. To you, the principles and traditions of Belsmeyer are like an ancient book filled with indecipherable script. Only useful if torn up and used as kindling.”
“I wasn’t trying to disrespect noble life. It’s just still unfamiliar, so I’m adapting.”
“Unfamiliar is a good excuse.”
Her shoulders stiffened under the barrage of accusations. Raymond watched her reaction with unwavering eyes, then without hesitation pushed forward the bucket filled with flowers and cold water. Right toward where Alexa stood.
The metal bucket hit the floor with a thunderous clang. Water splashed everywhere, and the lush white petals of the lisianthus rolled pitifully across the ground. Alexa’s dress was soaked from the knees down as well.
“What are you doing!”
Crouching down in a panic, Alexa cried out while gathering the flowers, without even thinking to fix her skirt. The stems and petals, smeared with wet soil, were already too dirty to use. Stuffing them into her arms without wiping them off left her hands and clothes a complete mess.
Why on earth would he do this?
She was confused and wronged. This wasn’t like Raymond at all. He was a noble who didn’t speak harshly even to the youngest maid in the manor. This side was the hidden face he showed only to her. Overcome with anger, Alexa glared at Raymond, holding back tears.
“These are flowers the gardeners raised with such care.”
“They’re flowers the duchess chose. In a few years, you’ll be choosing them. Probably with your little brother.”
But Raymond’s next words sank her anger deep below the surface. What remained was the miserable acceptance of someone who had realized why he despised her. Alexa dropped her head weakly. Raymond’s black shoes cruelly crushed the flower stems she hadn’t managed to pick up as he passed by.
After he left, Alexa, now alone, gathered the flower stems with slow, deliberate movements. It was no wonder that from that day on, Blainefield House felt even further from being a home to her.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ✧: *. ꕥ .* :✧ﾟ. ───
