CBOM 29

chapter 29

From the start, Grace hadn’t expected much, so she just talked idly while thinking she would keep showing up every day.

“Anyway, I came to keep you company, so I’ll just chat a bit before I leave.”

“…Huh?”

Leto looked quite flustered, but he didn’t throw Grace out.

Grace didn’t act rashly.

She went to see Leto every day, but only for short periods.

She did care about Sophien, of course, but for now there was too much to handle—managing the villa and looking after Libanu.

Compared to the duke’s estate, it was a smaller place, but it was still a villa built for a great duke’s leisure, and it boasted the size of a lower noble’s castle.

With just the two of them, they had to be quick and efficient at everything.

But with capable Eshy and Grace—who was practically a max-level maid—the work, though plentiful, was finished quickly and smoothly.

As usual, after finishing her morning tasks and bringing Libanu his meal, Grace said,

“My lord, I think I need to step out for a bit today.”

“Where are you going?”

“My clothes are worn out.”

“Ah, clothes…”

Libanu’s shoulders drooped.

After the morning cleaning and lunch, that was normally his time to be with Grace. But now she was going out.

Still, since it was to buy clothes for herself, he couldn’t very well say no.

“Would you like to come with me?”

“…What?”

“Why are you so surprised? Your skin’s gotten so much better. Don’t you think it’s okay to go out now?”

“…No.”

Libanu shook his head quickly.

It had improved, yes, but not enough. His skin didn’t drip anymore, but it still sagged, and one eyelid drooped so much that it half-blocked his vision.

The stench was lighter than before, but it hadn’t gone away.

If he went along, he would only be a burden.

And suddenly, the thought hit him—what if he had to live like this forever, with such a grotesque face?

Grace might treat him the same as always, but when his long-lost self-respect eventually returned, it wouldn’t last.

Then he would still be afraid to step forward, while Grace… as she once said, would belong to the wider world.

The thought left him deeply depressed. He shook his head hard and bit his lip.

Grace seemed to take it differently.

“Are you still uncomfortable?”

“Yeah. Sorry…”

He felt like he needed to move forward if he didn’t want to drift apart from her, but he couldn’t muster the courage.

I’m sorry for lacking courage… The words spun in his chest but never left his lips. Instead, he said something completely different.

“…I’ll walk you to the entrance.”

Grace, who had quickly put on some clothes, smiled brightly.

“Iss.”

“Yes?”

“Come here for a moment.”

As she was about to leave, Libanu stopped her and rummaged carefully through the wardrobe.

Not knowing what he was doing, Grace blinked in confusion—then burst into laughter when he pulled something out.

It was a scarf and gloves.

“You said this is how you should go out. Why do you only wear a coat?”

“I don’t get cold easily.”

“Still, you mustn’t catch one.”

Libanu carefully wrapped the scarf around her neck and slipped the gloves onto her hands himself.

Grace looked a little startled, but she obediently let him do it.

“There. Done.”

This time the scarf was wrapped much more neatly than before. Pleased, he smiled.

“Thank you. Thanks to you, I feel warm.”

Grace beamed at him in return.

When Grace left for her errand, only Eshy and Libanu remained.

Eshy felt awkward around Libanu, and Libanu felt uncomfortable with Eshy, so silence filled the air.

Come to think of it, this was probably the first time the two had been left alone together.

Rolling her eyes nervously, Eshy finally spoke softly.

“Do you need anything, my lord?”

“No.”

Eshy kept glancing at him nervously, but Libanu walked on briskly, nothing like when he was with Grace.

Flustered, Eshy hurried after him.

“…Haa.”

In truth, Libanu had no reason to feel uncomfortable with Eshy.

She didn’t wrinkle her nose at his smell, nor did she avoid him. Compared to the other maids who had served him before, she was kind and gentle. He understood that much in his head.

But what he understood in his head didn’t match what he felt in his heart.

It had been his choice to allow her here, but once she arrived, he realized Eshy spent more time with Grace than he did.

They were together every morning, nearly inseparable in the afternoon, and even slept in the same room.

That feeling was called “jealousy,” but Libanu didn’t quite recognize it as such.

He didn’t realize he was jealous—he only felt that the maid was an eyesore.

Perhaps mistaking his blank stare for reproach, Eshy stiffened and approached him with rigid posture.

“Um, my lord.”

Libanu ignored her and just stared absentmindedly at the entrance where Grace had left.

It hadn’t been long since she went out, but he already missed her badly.

“It’s time for your walk… Would you like to take one?”

He usually walked with Grace.

During that time, Eshy would tidy up what he had eaten and let him rest. But today, with Grace gone, she had to fill her role.

“Wait.”

“Yes?”

“Now that I think of it, you could have gone instead.”

“I offered, but Grace insisted on picking out your clothes herself.”

“…Ah.”

At that, the corners of his lips wavered.

When it came to Grace, Libanu couldn’t hide his expressions. Eshy held back a smile and added,

“I think she even said she would make it herself.”

“Hm?”

“…Grace said she can sew.”

“Really?”

“Yes. She said she would buy fabric and tailor something to your taste. Making it herself would be cheaper, and it would fit better than ready-made clothes. Grace is really amazing. Honestly, I’ve never seen a maid as capable as her.”

As she spoke of Grace, Eshy relaxed and found herself saying more.

She often praised Grace directly—saying she was amazing and good at everything—but Grace always brushed it off, leaving Eshy feeling like she was fussing for nothing.

That always bothered her a little. But the moment she mentioned Grace, Libanu’s cold eyes softened instantly.

“I’ve never been told I’m bad at my job either, but Grace… she cooks well, cleans well, and she’s unbelievably strong. I was so shocked.”

“Ah. I know Iss is strong.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Once, I saw her lift and move a whole bed by herself.”

“Wow… Just recently, she was fixing up the garden and moved this huge stone all on her own…”

“A stone?”

“Yes, practically a boulder!”

The stiff atmosphere melted away, and soon Eshy was happily chatting, something she had rarely done with Libanu before.

“Over there—you can still see the boulder she moved. Want to take a look?”

“Yeah, let’s.”

He was curious how big a stone had to be for Eshy to make such a fuss.

Naturally, the walk turned into a conversation entirely about Grace, and the two of them spent quite a while talking nonstop about her.

Before going to choose fabrics, Grace stopped at the post office.

She wanted to contact Ahin.

She was glad she had gotten acquainted with him in the capital before leaving. She had sought him out because she thought it might be useful someday to know a person or place that would inevitably grow more prominent in the future. Out here, without connections and with little knowledge of the capital, that foresight had already proved valuable.

She had debated whether to reach out or not, but in the end decided she should.

She had managed to generate a core and gained some control over mana, but Libanu’s skin condition still seemed frustratingly slow to improve.

She couldn’t figure out why.

Along with her letter, she included something even more precious than the jewels she had sent as an advance payment last time.

Since this was such a remote and underdeveloped region, she was told both sending and receiving mail would take quite a while.

“Are you the new young lady in town?”

The postal clerk, an elderly woman, glanced curiously at Grace.

It was a small town, so an outsider like Grace stood out right away.

The woman looked at her with interest and asked,

“Yes. I’m staying at the villa.”

“I saw you once before—when you first came. That person all wrapped up in a black robe, who was that?”

“That’s the young master I serve.”

“Ah, so a nobleman then.”

The clerk was talkative, full of curiosity. Grace responded politely but briefly.

“Funny though, that villa looked abandoned for ages, but it’s being kept in fine order now.”

“Excuse me? Abandoned?”

“Hm? Someone’s living there?”

“Yes. The caretaker.”

“Oh, you mean Sophien!”