MDCHC 08

Chapter :〈008〉

Lord Winchester lifted his head and looked at me without saying a word.
Even though I had called him suddenly, there was no sign of surprise or curiosity on his face.

It was like looking at an expressionless mannequin. Also, he was the kind of man who was so handsome, he didn’t quite seem human.

“Before I go… could I meet Miss Danielle?”

“…Why do you want to see Danielle?”

My words must have been quite unexpected, because for the first time, Lord Winchester hesitated before responding. He even looked at me as if sizing me up, his gaze piercing through me like that night.

“I’d like to greet her in advance. If one day her father suddenly gets married and someone who isn’t her mother starts calling herself ‘mother,’ she’s bound to be confused.”

“That’s possible. Very well, please go ahead.”

At my explanation, Lord Winchester gave a small nod, granting permission.

“Would Miss Danielle be in her room on the second floor?”

“Probably.”

“Alright, thank you.”

This time, I left Lord Winchester’s study.

“Danielle?”

When I knocked on the door, the bustling sounds from inside suddenly stopped.
I waited for a moment, unsure whether the silence was permission or refusal, when suddenly the door swung open.

“Who are you?”

Do employees start to resemble their employers?
The one who appeared wasn’t Danielle, but a maid, her sharp voice and suspicious eyes scanning me from head to toe.

I had a fleeting thought—when I become the mistress of this house, will everyone’s presence vanish so much that the Camellia estate ends up being called a ghost mansion?

“I came to see Danielle, but I guess she’s not here?”

“And who are you to be looking for the young lady?”

Questions, but no answers.
I hadn’t visited other people’s homes much since coming here, but I had at least seen the maids at my home or at Sophia’s house. Compared to them, this maid was rude.

“I’m Naeri from the Pomots barony. I came to see Danielle.”

“…The young lady isn’t in her room right now.”

Only when I revealed my identity did the thorns in her voice lessen—though not disappear entirely. It felt like the sharp thorns of a rose had merely turned into the annoying prickles of a vine.

“Then where is she?”

“She goes out to the garden while I’m cleaning.”

“Isn’t that backwards? It’s not that the young lady should leave while you’re cleaning—it’s that you should clean after she leaves.”

“Isn’t that the same thing?”

Her reply came with a mocking little laugh, as if to say, What a stupid thing to point out.

For a moment, I felt my temper rise, but I held it in.
I may look ordinary, but I’m still the daughter of a baron. And she, while working for a grand earl’s family, is still a maid.
The words were on the tip of my tongue, but I swallowed them.

“What’s your name?”

“Why?”

“I asked, what’s your name?”

“Why do you want to know?”

Apparently, this maid was skilled only in asking questions, not answering them.
It was like playing a game of ping-pong where only questions were volleyed back and forth—exhausting.
Better to just go find Danielle than waste time like this.

“Never mind.”

When I shook my head and ended the conversation, a flicker of smug satisfaction crossed her face—proud at having “won” against a noble lady.

Alright then. Let’s see if you can still look that smug next month.

I memorized her face and turned away.

The Camellia estate’s garden was spacious, but finding Danielle wasn’t hard.

Ah! So bright! She’s glowing over there!

Under an apple tree sat a bundle of sunshine so dazzling I nearly had to close my eyes.
Alright—deep breath in, out, in, out.
If I breathed too heavily in front of Danielle, I’d look like a creep, so one more time, slowly—inhale~ exhale~.

“Hello, Danielle?”

“Oh…! Hello!”

Sitting under the tree, head bowed and fiddling with something, Danielle looked up at my greeting.
The moment she saw my face, she sprang to her feet, showing me the cutest little back-of-the-head bow I’d ever seen.

So. Darn. Cute!

“What were you doing?”

“I saw a flower ring in a book, so I was trying to make one… but it’s not working.”

When I looked down, I saw several clovers scattered before her. Some were already crumpled, others had their blossoms snapped off.

Just imagining her tiny little hands fussing with them made my heart pound from the sheer cuteness.

“Want me to help?”

I sat down beside her, and she quickly plopped down next to me.
Only then did I notice she was wearing that same shabby, outdated dress from last time.

“Let’s see~”

I picked the two prettiest, fullest clovers from the bunch.
On one, I pressed my fingernail just beneath the blossom, leaving a neat little dent. Then, carefully, I widened the space until a small hole appeared.

“Wow!”

Danielle craned her neck to watch me work, her eyes and mouth round with wonder. Adorable.

“It’s not that hard—just press the middle with your nail and—”

But when I glanced at her nails, I fell silent.

She didn’t have nails—at least, not properly.
It wasn’t that they had fallen off—rather, she’d bitten them down so much that they were ragged, leaving not even a bit of white. They were so short it hurt just to look at them.

With nails like that, of course she couldn’t make a dent in a clover stem.

“Ah…”

Realizing I was staring, Danielle quickly curled her small hands into fists and peeked at me nervously.
Then, as if expecting me to scold her, her clear eyes began to fill with tears.

That wasn’t what I meant at all…

“Let me see your hand?”

I turned away for a moment, threading another clover into the hole I’d just made.

“Danielle, do you know the meaning of clovers?”

Changing the subject quickly—I knew that if she started thinking about something else, the tears would fade.

“What does it mean?”

Her damp little voice asked—she seemed genuinely curious.

“Every flower has its own meaning. That’s called the language of flowers.”

Danielle gazed at me with wide, curious eyes, as if hearing such a thing for the first time.

Smiling, I looked down at her hand. Her fingers were too short for a flower ring—it would just slip off—so I decided on another idea.

“The meaning of clover is ‘happiness.’”

Gently wrapping the clovers around her chubby wrist, I tied them just right.
A lovely little flower bracelet was born.

“All done! Now this bracelet will bring you happiness.”

“Wow!”

A bright smile replaced the tears on her face as she admired the bracelet on her wrist.

“How did you do that?”

“I’ll teach you next time—when your nails have grown back nicely.”

At that, Danielle quickly closed her hands again. Even her round little fists looked cute to me.

“I’m sorry. They said biting nails is bad manners…”

“Well… it’s not very hygienic. There are lots of bad germs under your nails. If you put your fingers in your mouth, those germs get swallowed, and you could get a stomachache or a headache. That would be sad, right?”

“Who would be sad?”

“…Huh?”

“If I get sick, who would be sad?”

“There’s no one who would be, right?”

She asked it so innocently.

“I would be.”

I plucked a leaf from her hair and answered.

“Because I’m going to be your mother.”

“Mother…?”

She mouthed the word carefully, as if it were completely unfamiliar.

“Mm-hmm. If calling me ‘mother’ feels awkward, you can call me whatever you’re comfortable with.”

Even though the leaf was gone, I kept stroking her shining hair.

“I look forward to being with you, Danielle.”

And to my daughter, I gave a warm smile.