IBMDF 21

Chapter 21

“I shouldn’t have to explain it in detail for everyone to know today’s schedule, right? You’ll be harvesting wild raspberries into the baskets you brought.”

Melissa gathered the maids and explained the day’s plans.

“And in the afternoon, there will be a picnic. The Duke personally arranged it to reward everyone for their hard work, so enjoy it with gratitude.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

“One last thing. For today only, by the master’s orders, you’re allowed to move around freely. However—!”

Melissa’s voice suddenly became much sterner.

“Just because I can’t watch each of you every moment doesn’t mean I’ll tolerate anyone forgetting a maid’s dignity and behaving recklessly. Keep that in mind. Now then—move out!”

The moment Melissa finished speaking, footsteps began moving all at once.

Judging by how the sounds clustered in one direction, there must have been many raspberry bushes over there.

“Lizzy, let’s go this way.”

Tilda grabbed me and spoke.

“There are too many people here. It’ll be hard for us to pick comfortably.”

“Okay, Tilda.”

Led by Tilda’s hand, I searched for a quieter spot.

“I think this place will do.”

With a rustling sound, Tilda stopped walking.

We quickly settled there and started picking raspberries.

Contrary to my worries, harvesting raspberries wasn’t particularly difficult.

The plump, ripe berries were easy to distinguish by touch alone.

Phew… I was worried I’d gather less than half of what the other maids collected, but this should be enough to save face.

Besides, picking raspberries was actually pretty fun.

Before I knew it, I was completely absorbed in the task.

“Ah!”

Then suddenly, a sharp sting shot through my fingertip, making me jerk my hand away from the bush.

“Lizzy, are you okay?”

Tilda came over and carefully examined my hand.

“You got pricked by a thorn! They told us to wear gloves because raspberry bushes have thorns. Why were you picking them barehanded?”

“If I wear gloves, it’s harder to tell the raspberries apart.”

“Honestly, you…”

After scolding me, Tilda stood up.

“The head maid should have spare gloves. I’ll bring some ointment too, so stay here and wait, okay?”

I obediently nodded.

Soon, Tilda’s footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

Holding the finger she’d wrapped with a handkerchief, I quietly waited for her to return.

Hiss… Did I bleed that much? It felt like a pretty big thorn.

I was sitting there with drooping brows when—

Something suddenly darted across the darkness filling my vision.

“…Huh?”

I blinked blankly.

A… tail?

And not just any tail—one that was fluffy and as white as snow.

“W-what?”

A wild dog? A fox?

Or… could it be a wolf?

…No way I’d see something like that.

I let out a small laugh and shook my head.

Did I work too hard picking raspberries? Now I’m hallucinating?

Once I gathered myself, nothing else appeared in my vision.

Guess I imagined it.

“This place feels kind of unsettling.”

I should tell Tilda we ought to move closer to where the other maids were.

Just as I groaned and tried to stand, lifting the basket of raspberries from the ground—

I suddenly heard footsteps approaching from somewhere.

The sound slowly came closer, then pushed through nearby bushes.

“Huff… huff… M-Miss Lizzy!”

For a brief moment, I was wary of the unidentified presence.

Then, hearing the familiar voice, my eyes widened.

“Huh? Mr. Brandon?”

As if he had run here without stopping, Brandon spoke between heavy breaths.

“Miss Lizzy… Young Master is… urgently looking for you…!”

Kalios?

I set the basket I’d been holding beside me and asked,

“Did something happen? Why is he suddenly looking for me?”

He had seemed perfectly calm this morning when I greeted him.

Had something happened in the meantime?

“Well… there’s been an accident…! You need to come see Young Master right away…!”

At the word accident, my heart started pounding.

What on earth happened?

Recently, Kalios had adapted almost perfectly to the darkness and rarely bumped into anything anymore.

Besides, he hardly ever left his designated area.

I stood using my cane and began firing questions at Brandon anxiously.

“What kind of accident? Was he hurt? Did you call a doctor?”

“Well… anyway… Young Master urgently asked for Miss Lizzy, so we need to move first…!”

No, why does this guy keep repeating the same thing instead of answering my questions?

“This way, Miss Lizzy! Follow the direction of my voice!”

Hearing the urgency in his tone made me anxious too.

Left with no choice, I followed his guidance and moved forward.

I had already forgotten all about the raspberries.

The problem was—

The farther we walked, the rougher the terrain became.

More rocks covered the ground, making it uneven, and my cane kept catching on tree roots.

The trees also grew denser, to the point where I nearly walked straight into trunks.

Wait… is this even a path?

Eventually, unable to endure it anymore, I shouted at Brandon.

“Hey, Mr. Brandon! Stop just giving directions and come over here to help me!”

“Huh? N-no… you can just follow my voice… Young Master is in a hurry, so quickly…”

“Oh, for goodness’ sake!”

I snapped and held out my hand toward him.

“If it’s urgent, then we should move faster! Hurry and help me!”

Unable to withstand my insistence, Brandon—who had only been urging me verbally—hesitantly approached.

Soon, I felt a hand grasp my arm.

Unlike his usual careful touch, the grip was rough and careless.

And…

Wait. What is that smell?

I sniffed at the barn-like odor reaching my nose.

Normally, Brandon wore a faint perfume fitting for the young master’s attendant, so I could easily recognize him nearby.

But the man holding my arm now smelled nothing like that.

“…Excuse me, Mr. Brandon.”

I spoke to the person tugging my arm along.

“Was Young Master badly hurt?”

“Yes, I told you so.”

“Was there blood?”

“O-of course. A lot of it!”

“But Young Master’s quarters are pitch black all the time. You wouldn’t be able to see anything. How did you confirm that?”

“Huh? We lit candles to check, obviously! What kind of question is that—”

The next moment, I yanked my arm free from his grip.

“…Who are you?”

“…I’m Brandon, Miss Lizzy! Young Master is urgently calling for you! Let’s hurry!”

Yeah, right!

Brandon would never light a candle in front of Kalios.

I tightened both hands around my cane and stepped backward.

Then I raised the cane toward the unidentified man.

“I asked who you are.”

“……”

The other person fell silent for a moment.

Then his voice abruptly changed.

“…Tch. This just got annoying.”

What?! So it really was an act?

I laughed in disbelief toward the unseen man.

Damn it! Are you some kind of voice impersonation genius? I really thought you were Brandon!

“Who are you? Why did you lure me here?”

I demanded, swinging my cane threateningly.

But the man only let out an incredulous laugh, as if I weren’t frightening at all.

Yeah.

Someone blind like me wouldn’t seem threatening.

To make matters worse, I heard his footsteps approaching me steadily.

This is bad. If it turns into a one-on-one fight, my chances of winning are practically zero.

We’d walked far from where the other maids were, so even if I screamed, no one would hear.

“Don’t come any closer.”

I lowered my voice as much as possible and warned him.

“I’m warning you! Don’t come closer!”

I swung my cane through the air again threateningly.

But—

Clack.

In an instant, my cane was caught firmly in the man’s hand.