IBMDF 20

Chapter 20

“No, I didn’t. I’m a maid who at least knows how to maintain basic dignity.”

“As if.”

Kallios snorted dismissively, then went quiet again, seemingly absorbed in his book.

Getting bored, I tried talking to him once more.

“Young master, what kind of book is so interesting that you’re reading it like that? Could it be… that kind of book?”

Snap.

I heard the sound of a book closing.

“You think I’m you?”

“What did I do?”

“The book titles you mentioned last time were all weird.”

Kallios said in a dumbfounded voice, apparently recalling what happened in the library before.

“What was one of them again? Secretly With the Duke Who Imprisoned Me, was it?”

What? I never mentioned a title like that!

…Though, that book actually sounds kind of interesting.

“By the way, when was the last time you went out?”

Kallios suddenly asked.

“Why are you asking that?”

“Since you came here, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you leave my side.”

“Well, that’s my job, so of course. I don’t think I’ve gone outside even once since coming to this mansion.”

“Not once? Then you’ve been stuck inside for two whole months?”

Kallios asked in surprise.

“Well… I haven’t had any reason to go out.”

Usually, errands to the village were handled by other maids. No one would ask a blind person to run errands.

And since my aunt’s house was quite far from the duke’s estate, I’d unintentionally never had a chance to leave.

“But why do you ask?”

“…Because you keep complaining about being bored. Don’t maids get days off?”

“We do, but not very many.”

“I’ll give you leave, so go out to the village or something. You said there’s a maid who’s always with you, right? Go with her.”

“Tilda? Tilda’s busy. And she goes home to see her parents on her days off too.”

As I answered gloomily, something Tilda had said recently suddenly came to mind.

“Oh right, Liz. You probably didn’t hear what the head maid said earlier. In about a month, all of us are going to the nearby forest to pick wild raspberries. Want to come too? You haven’t had a proper outing at all.”

That’s right! I kept meaning to ask and completely forgot.

Before I forgot again, I quickly asked:

“Come to think of it, I heard the maids are all going to pick wild raspberries the day after tomorrow at noon? Can I go too?”

Every year during raspberry season, the maids went to the forest within the duke’s territory to harvest wild raspberries.

When hunting season began, no one except the duke’s family was allowed to enter the forest freely, so everything had to be gathered beforehand.

And while they were at it, they’d enjoy picnics in the forest and use it as a chance for the servants to bond.

Which meant, in my opinion, this was a perfect opportunity to get along with the other maids who had been cold toward me.

“Picking raspberries? That’s not a vacation. That’s work.”

Yet Kallios somehow sounded dissatisfied.

“Isn’t there another maid you can go out with? Seriously, how do you even get along with people?”

“I-I get along fine! There’s Tilda, and Mr. Brandon too… Ah! Right, Mr. Brandon! Then can I go out with Mr. Brandon?”

“Go pick raspberries.”

“…What?”

“I said, go pick raspberries.”

After saying that, Kallios reopened his book.

No matter how much I tried talking afterward, he gave no response.

Seriously… if you’re going to decide everything yourself, why even ask for my opinion?

“Then am I really going? You’re giving permission?”

As if annoyed by my repeated questions, Kallios ended the conversation with one calm remark:

“Just don’t cause trouble in the forest.”

* * *

And so, raspberry-harvesting day arrived.

Led by Head Maid Melissa, around thirty maids left the mansion together.

Everyone sounded excited, chatting noisily about how many raspberries they might gather.

Though honestly, they seemed more excited about the picnic afterward.

Before long, we entered a quiet forest path.

Mm, the smell of fresh trees!

I swung the basket hanging from my arm and inhaled deeply.

It was the scent of nature—something I hadn’t smelled in a long time.

And listening in on the secret conversations exchanged among the maids outside was surprisingly entertaining too.

Far enough away that Melissa wouldn’t hear, they chattered excitedly.

“Every hunting tournament is such a treat for the eyes. All the kingdom’s famous knights gather in the capital!”

“I wonder if Sir Howard will come again this year?”

“I hope Lord Vermont comes too… He’s the most handsome among the knights.”

“Oh, stop it. They say more than one maid has gotten involved with him!”

The maids giggled while secretly sharing stories that would definitely earn scolding if Melissa heard.

“It almost seems like the maids look forward to the hunting tournament more than the knights do.”

I whispered to Tilda, who was guiding me as we walked.

“Of course. Imagine handsome men suddenly appearing in front of maids who do nothing but work every day. Do you think those sly girls could stay calm?”

I quietly laughed at Tilda’s playful response.

Soon, the topic shifted to the duke’s family.

“Young Master Kallios joined the hunting tournament with the master last year too.”

“Right, he did.”

The maids’ voices gradually turned wistful as they remembered.

Oh? So Kallios participated last year too?

“I think he helped the master catch a huge stag.”

“That’s right. The master was so proud of him back then.”

“But he won’t be able to participate this year, will he?”

“Of course not. Forget the hunting tournament—he doesn’t even leave his room.”

“No matter how I think about it, he must be sick. There’s no other explanation.”

“Shh!”

One maid quickly warned the others, conscious of the head maid nearby.

After checking their surroundings, they lowered their voices and resumed whispering.

“Oh, speaking of that—did you hear? Young Master Amarcus is supposedly visiting the duke’s estate soon.”

“What? Why would he come?”

“Rumor says the master invited him personally.”

Amarcus?

Hearing that familiar name, I nearly stopped walking.

“What’s wrong, Liz?”

“Ah… it’s nothing.”

I barely managed to keep moving.

But my heart was pounding violently.

Amarcus Revanion.

He was Duke Revanion’s nephew and Kallios’s cousin of the same age.

And in the original story, when the duke searched for another heir to replace Kallios, Amarcus was the first person he considered.

He didn’t have much importance, appearing mostly in Kallios’s recollections of the past.

“Dear cousin, I heard it’s already been months since you left your room. Did something happen?

I’ve heard rumors that you’ve caught some strange illness… I sincerely hope it isn’t true.”

He would send letters that sounded somewhere between concern and mockery, upsetting Kallios.

And later—

“Did you hear, Kallios? The duke officially selected me as his heir.

I hope you’re not too upset. Considering how you locked yourself away in your room all this time, Uncle probably didn’t have many choices.

Even if that choice meant giving up on you…”

Those words reignited Kallios’s anger after years of isolation and eventually contributed to him overthrowing the father who had betrayed him.

You could say that because of that bastard, Kallios—who had finally stepped outside again—ended up shutting his heart tightly once more.

And that guy was coming here now, invited by the duke himself?

My thoughts became tangled instantly.

Had my hope that the duke might not seek another heir… simply been wishful thinking?

“Liz, are you okay? Your complexion suddenly got worse.”

Tilda spoke worriedly.

“I’m fine.”

But unlike my answer, my heart felt heavy.

Forcing down my anxious expression, I walked deeper and deeper into the forest.

* * *

How long had we walked?

Before we knew it, we had arrived at a place overflowing with wild raspberries.

The sweet fragrance drifted from every direction.

The maids, who had been chatting in small groups as they walked, finally came to a stop.