AME 18

CH:18

“…You already gave it to him? Leo drank that?”

“Yes. He seemed quite moved—he stared at it for a long time and then took a sip. He said thank you and that he’d drink the rest slowly.”

Poor Leonidas. Kaon thought all his compassion had dried up, but apparently, there was still some left. He offered a silent prayer for his pitiful sister.

It must’ve been impossible for Leonidas to turn away from Madeleine, who had looked at him with such expectant eyes. That must be why he took even one sip of that drink.

“Oh no! I almost forgot! Young master, just wait a moment!”

“Uh, okay. Take your time. There’s really no need to rush.”

Kaon, who had been fully prepared to discard any shred of compassion to avoid drinking that infernal beverage, used Madeleine’s absence as an opportunity to dash up to his room. He placed the glass down somewhere—anywhere—and hurried back.

“When Miss Alessia returns later, please give this to her.”

Luckily, Madeleine, who didn’t have the best memory, had already become distracted and didn’t bring up the drink again. Instead, she held out a basket.

“Cookies? What’s with the cookies?”

The basket was filled with various kinds of cookies—from chocolate chip to richly fragrant butter cookies, even sugar-dusted biscuits.

“It’s nothing special. A few days ago, I was eating cookies with the kids when the young lady saw them and asked if she could have just one. It wasn’t a big deal, so I gave her one, and she was so delighted…”

“So you made all of these just for Alessia?”

“Oh no, it’s not like that. I just baked a bit more while I was at it.”

Madeleine waved her hands as if to say that wasn’t worth mentioning. She clearly didn’t want to make a big deal out of it.

But there’s no way she would’ve baked this many varieties of cookies just for the staff. And considering how generously she’d sprinkled sugar, it was obvious these were meant for Alessia from the start.

“She said she’d teach her a lesson…”

Only two months had passed since Madeleine had referred to Alessia as “that girl” and was determined to give her a piece of her mind.

So was this “lesson” just feeding her well? It was kind of funny—and yet, for Madeleine, it made sense. She had always been warmhearted.

“You didn’t give them to her directly.”

She’d like it even more if you did. Kaon almost said that but held back.

“I figured if I got caught, the baroness would scold me. They’re good even cold, so just leave them in her room. It’d be nice if you had some too, but you’re not fond of sweets…”

The Baroness of Robert. Just hearing that name made Kaon understand why Madeleine had asked him to deliver them instead.

She was the most openly hostile person toward Ingelos and, at the same time, prided herself on her aristocratic values. She believed there should always be a strict distance between masters and servants.

“How did you two get close? You used to dislike her.”

“Someone might hear you. Young master, honestly…”

Madeleine looked a little embarrassed, as if she remembered what she had said in the past. Then she lowered her voice and continued.

“Well… truthfully, I’m still not sure it’s proper, but once I met her, the young lady turned out to be so kind-hearted, and gentle too. She comes by early every morning just to chat. She doesn’t give you any reason to dislike her, really.”

Madeleine went on to complain—not really—that the young lady kept trying to help with chores.

Listening to it, Kaon thought the baroness would indeed scold both of them. Not just Madeleine, but Alessia too, for behaving improperly.

But her attempts at bonding were so innocent, they were actually endearing. And she had chosen just the right person—anyone else, like the baroness, would’ve started etiquette lessons on the spot.

“She really seems like a good person, Miss Alessia. Even the kids seem less scared of her these days.”

“Really?”

“Yes. At first, everyone was terrified. She’s from Ingelos, and she’s a mage on top of that. They couldn’t even make eye contact. It was chaos—people trying to pass off the job of serving her to someone else and getting scolded for it.”

Kaon was well aware they hadn’t just feared her—they had avoided her. He had seen and heard it firsthand.

Not everyone had warmed up to her yet, but if even a few had, that was a relief.

“Come to think of it, I think it’s also because she can’t see very well now.”

Kaon, who had been quietly pleased by the good news, paused.

“Her eyes?”

“Well, she wears that strange hat these days, right? At first, I thought, ‘What’s with that?’ Maybe it’s a trend in Ingelos… But it has an unexpected effect.”

No way. A terrible suspicion flashed through Kaon’s mind.

“Because the hat covers her eyes, I think it makes the kids feel more at ease.”

Kaon’s face hardened instantly.

Kaon hurried up the stairs. It was a comment he should have brushed off, but it kept circling in his mind.

Bang!

Kicking open the door, he hesitated, then drew back the curtains and stepped into Alessia’s room. He knew this wasn’t the right way to go about things, but he had to check something.

He went straight to the closet attached to the room and looked only at the shelves. All the hats on the shelf were ones they had bought together at the boutique.

Next, Kaon opened the jewelry box.

Calling it a “box” was an overstatement—there was nothing in it.

“…Ah.”

Kaon swallowed a groan.

If Alessia had genuinely liked hats, there should have been more of them. If she liked fancy things, that jewelry box should’ve been full. Even if she were poor, she wouldn’t have left it so empty if she truly loved them.

But aside from the hats they bought that day, there were none. And other than the ruby ring she always wore, there were no accessories at all.

When they had gone shopping together, the dresses she chose were all plain—completely ordinary. The farthest thing from flashy or distinctive.

If that were really her taste, she wouldn’t have bought only hats like that.

Slowly trudging back into his room, Kaon covered his face with one large hand and closed his eyes.

He had thought she liked ridiculous ornaments and flashy designs. But she didn’t. That bizarre hat wasn’t a fashion choice—it was armor.

It was nothing more than a shield she used to protect herself in Ferdinand. A desperate shield to survive among people who hated her.

“She must like things like that.”

“It’s just her taste.”

He’d thought stupid things like that. While she was trying so hard to blend into a place that despised her, Kaon had taken it lightly, said thoughtless things.

What she was doing couldn’t be explained away with something as simple as “cute.”

“…You idiot.”

Kaon loathed himself for being so blind.

‘What kind of nonsense is this at this hour?’

Joseph swallowed the irritation rising in him at the sudden order.

His master, the young lord of Ferdinand, had visited him unexpectedly while he was enjoying a peaceful evening and delivered a grave-faced, baffling command before vanishing. The command was as follows:

“Joseph, did we throw out the jewelry my mother used to wear?”

“I believe they’re still here. It’s not like we could throw away the madam’s keepsakes. I don’t think Lord Leonidas took them either.”

“Right, that makes sense. Great. Find them for me.”

“…The madam’s jewelry?”

“Yes. Oh, no need to bring all of it—just the red ones.”

And so, Joseph was now wandering through the castle at night searching for the late duchess’s belongings.

‘What the hell does he want with that stuff? Is he planning to give it to the princess?’

That seemed like the only possible reason, and Joseph clicked his tongue.

He couldn’t be sure, but what else could it be?

His master had always been obsessive once something caught his interest. After he got seriously into swordsmanship, it didn’t take many years before he became an elite knight.

This time, it wasn’t swords—but the fiancée from Ingelos. Since swords, there hadn’t been anything else that captivated him like this, so the obsession was bound to run deep.

‘He swore up and down there was no way that would ever happen…’

That’s life for you. Especially when it comes to relationships between men and women.

Still, the fact that the object of his affection happened to be a princess from Ingelos was a bit troubling. He had ignored all the ladies who blushed at him during court banquets, only to fall for someone who might someday have to be cast aside.

It felt like some cruel twist of fate, considering how the duchess had detested mages during her lifetime. But what could be done? He had been completely smitten from the moment they met.

‘Feelings never go the way you want them to…’

On that point, Joseph had no room to judge. He too had chosen a difficult path and was suffering for it.

He thought of someone—then forced the thought away, as if out of habit. He shrugged his shoulders.

‘Let’s just earn our keep.’

Sometimes the wisest thing you can do is stick to your job. Joseph picked up his pace.