Chapter 7
By the time Keris reappeared, the room had been prepared to some degree.
He went ahead to check it and then told me.
“They seem to have prepared a pretty good room in this house. If you don’t like it, you can ask to change.”
There was no way I could ask them to switch a room that had already been put together.
“How could I say that?”
“It doesn’t matter. Besides me, only the servants live here, so there are plenty of rooms.”
Everyone of the Layton household—what could be called his family—had perished in a terrible accident long ago. That event had shaped Keris, but not because family was precious to him; I knew that much. I kept my mouth shut, and the steward approached.
“The room is ready. We haven’t finished placing all the furniture yet, but it should be done by tomorrow. Still, you should be able to sleep there tonight. Shall I show you?”
Keris nodded, and I followed him and the steward to the room.
What awaited me was a room so lavish I’d never seen anything like it back when I lived in Korea. Not even the fanciest hotel I’d stayed in compared. A thought took over my head before I knew it: Do I really deserve to live in a room like this?
“Is it all right for me to stay in a room like this?”
Maybe I’d reacted too strongly, I felt the steward looking at me strangely. It hit me then why: I was dressed in expensive clothes and had a noble, doll-like appearance; plus Keris had said I was an acquaintance. They must have assumed I was aristocracy, so my surprise at the luxury read oddly. What if someone assumed I was a commoner and made things difficult for Keris?
I cleared my throat and laughed a little, forcing an explanation.
“This is a level of luxury I’ve never seen even where I come from. The staff here must be of a high standard. Heh.”
“…..”
No one reacted, and I felt even more awkward.
“I’ll take my leave for now. Call me if you need anything.”
Without much comment the steward left. Keris seemed ready to go as well; turning his back, he said.
“I should get going. I have to be at the palace again tomorrow.”
“But—are you sure it’s alright for me to stay here?”
“You used to be my doll, and you originally belonged in this house, so feel at ease. In a way, I’m not so different from you.”
With that, Keris closed the door and left.
I stared at the door for a long while, then went to the wardrobe. The clothes I’d ordered hadn’t arrived yet, so that night I had to sleep in the maid’s outfit I’d borrowed. Honestly, ignorant as I was of this world’s fashions, I couldn’t tell the difference between expensive and cheap garments, maybe I could get along just fine. Still, worn out from the unfamiliar day, I changed as best I could and lay down on the bed.
Being tired felt like something new I’d experienced since coming to this world. Perhaps because it had been so long since I’d been human, my body ached; but oddly, sleep didn’t come right away. I forced my eyes shut and tried to rest. Slowly, sleepiness crept in and my consciousness drifted.
***
After bringing Sarina to her room, Keris returned to his own chamber. He removed his outerwear and prepared for bed.
“…..”
He turned and looked at the bed. The place where Sarina—the doll who should have been there, was meant to be lay empty. It was only a missing doll, and yet a hollow ache welled up inside him. He must have grown used to falling asleep each night speaking to the doll and hearing its replies.
Keris pushed the emptiness aside and lay down, but sleep would not come. It felt as though something that had to be done had gone undone, and the unease was hard to put into words. He knew he wouldn’t get a wink if he stayed like that.
Sighing, he sat up again. The thought of going to the palace bone-tired was disheartening, the work would be less efficient. For a moment he reached for the bedroom door as if to go looking for Sarina, then froze.
‘What am I doing?’
Even if he was wide awake, he ought not to seek her out at night. It wasn’t just about whether Sarina would find him odd, if word got out that he’d visited a woman’s room in the middle of the night, it would only feed the rumors about guests in the house and give people more gossip.
Keris withdrew his hand from the doorknob and tapped his fingers against his elbow. He tried lying down again and closing his eyes, but it was hopeless. If he couldn’t sleep anyway, perhaps doing something now would be better, exhaust himself until sleep came. He lit the lamp and sat at his desk, opening the estate ledgers.
He turned page after page. Rather than getting sleepy, his body felt tired while his mind grew sharper. Before he knew it, dawn had come.
“Lord, it’s time to rise… Oh, you’re already up.”
The steward, who came each morning to rouse him, stopped short, Keris opened the door fully dressed in his outward attire before the man could even knock.
Keris glanced at the startled steward. He was too drained to care whether the man was surprised. He rubbed his eyes and said.
“Then I’ll go to the palace.”
“Very well.”
The steward watched him with a puzzled frown. He had said he would be late yesterday, yet now he was leaving unusually early, and looking unusually tired. Furrowing his brow, the steward asked.
“Forgive my meddling, but did you not sleep last night?”
“……”
“Maintaining your health is part of a lord’s duty. I worry you might make a mistake at the palace; shouldn’t you take a day off?”
Keris turned and fixed the steward with a cool, low voice.
“I will manage my health myself. And matters at the palace are not for you to concern yourself with.”
“……”
The steward’s face twisted at that, but Keris left him and walked to Sarina’s door. He raised his hand as if to knock, then lowered it. Instead of knocking, he slid a small note beneath the door. After watching the door for a moment, he left the estate and headed for the palace.
At that time, Sarina slept on—still deeply asleep, not yet awake.
