DDFF | Chapter 07

Chapter 07

A little later…

Elisha was standing face-to-face with a group of maids, including Garnet, Ruby, and Spinel.

The place where all these women had gathered was the ducal house’s training grounds.

After hearing the news, the Duke and Duchess had actually allowed them to use this area.

“Alright! Everyone, let’s learn the Little Madam’s martial skills!”

“Ooooooh!”

At Garnet’s powerful shout, the other maids raised their fists and cheered all at once.

Just by how it looked, it was exactly like knight training.

‘Ah… how did things end up like this…?’

Elisha awkwardly raised her arm too, but inside she was crying.

Each maid was holding a flowerpot under one arm.

Just like the one Elisha had brought yesterday, the pots were packed tightly with weed-like grass.

At the front, Garnet, Ruby, and Spinel nodded with serious expressions.

“Little Madam! We are ready! Now please show us the ultimate secret technique—‘Flowerpot Throwing’!”

“Even if we can’t compare to the tip of your toes, we’ll do our best for the ducal house!”

“Certain victory!”

I told you, it was just an accident…

But she couldn’t bring herself to tell the truth in front of their hopeful eyes.

With a miserable expression, Elisha stood in front of the target.

‘I-I don’t know anymore!’

Elisha shut her eyes tight and threw the pot with all her strength.

Thud! A sound rang out as it hit the target, and Elisha bit her lip.

Now that everyone saw how terrible she actually was, they’d definitely be disappointed—

“Waaaaah!”

At that moment, the maids let out a loud roar of cheers.

Elisha opened her eyes carefully, and the first people she saw cheering were the Jewel Sisters.

“Little Madam! It hit the exact center!”

“As expected! You’re amazing! Little Madam is the best! How did you do it?!”

“Respect!”

Elisha looked around with a blank face.

A dirt mark right in the middle of the target, and the broken pot lying beneath it.

And the maids gathered around her, celebrating together.

‘…It actually worked?’

And like that, Elisha’s “Special Lecture on Dealing with Assassins” continued for quite a while.

“Little Madam! How did you deal with the second assassin?”

“Umm… I think I just bent down like this…”

When Elisha bent her body into an L-shape, the maids immediately clapped loudly.

“Ooh! Amazing as expected!”

“To stay so calm in a real situation!”

“Genius.”

“A-Ahaha…”

No matter what Elisha said, the maids shined with admiration and praised her.

Elisha felt like the whole world was tricking her, and she wanted to hide in a mouse hole.

But at the same time, her heart felt strangely warm and fluffy.

‘Still… it’s fun.’

Everyone was paying attention to her, and no matter what she did, they liked it.

Feeling warmth like this for the first time in her life, Elisha finally smiled a little.

And so she spent a happy time laughing and talking with everyone.

If she could spend another day like this, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.

***

“Elisha, I’m coming in.”

After lunchtime, Blaine came to the guest room.

He carefully opened the door, then stopped in his tracks.

“Mmm…”

Elisha was curled up like a ball on the bed, sleeping deeply.

Blaine changed his mind about waking her up and walked over to sit beside the bed.

‘So she woke up early at dawn… she must be exhausted.’

Blaine slowly reached out and stroked Elisha’s cheek.

His eyes were endlessly gentle.

Elisha didn’t open her eyes at all, just breathing softly.

Looking at her innocent face, Blaine suddenly remembered the past.

‘…Has it really been fifteen years already?’

Tall trees and thick bushes.

And a sunset that dyed everything around them red.

It happened when he was around five or six, but to Blaine, it felt as clear as yesterday.

Back then, the ducal family had gone on vacation to a villa in the Velloar region near the capital.

Little Blaine had been excited, singing inside the carriage.

Without knowing what tragedy was coming.

‘W-Where are you going without me?! Take me too! Don’t leave me behind, please!’

‘You stupid brat! I entered this house from the start just to kill you! Just obediently become food for beasts!’

Blaine had followed the gamekeeper he especially liked into the forest—

only to be abandoned there.

The man he trusted like an uncle had actually been someone hired by the Grand Temple.

The Grand Temple had tried to remove Blaine in advance, because they saw signs he might become a Sword Master.

Young Blaine, knowing nothing, wandered endlessly through the woods, crying in fear.

‘Help! Is anyone there?!’

But in the deep, thick forest, there was no helping hand anywhere.

To make things worse, he slipped and rolled down a cliff, and the impact broke his leg.

‘Aaaah! It hurts!’

Blaine screamed in pain.

But what was even more terrifying was the reality that no one would save him.

The sky got darker and darker, and the sounds of wild beasts came closer.

‘Am I really going to die like this?’

It was when he was crushed by despair and fear, and didn’t even have the strength to cry anymore…

‘Huh? Are you okay?’

A voice came from somewhere, at the moment he was about to give up.

And a little girl appeared from beyond the trees.

Blaine could never forget it for as long as he lived.

The girl who came closer looked him over with big blue eyes.

“You’re hurt! I’ll make it stop hurting right away!”

When her small, soft hand touched his leg, the pain vanished like it was a lie.

It was an unforgettable warm, comforting feeling.

When Blaine’s eyes widened, the girl gave him a bright smile.

“How is it? You’re okay now, right? If you do this, it doesn’t hurt at all!”

That girl—Elisha Lowell.

If it weren’t for her, Blaine would have definitely disappeared from this world that day.

Elisha was his salvation.

But for some reason, it felt like only Blaine held that memory.

‘How could you forget it so completely?’

As Blaine stroked Elisha’s hair, his hand slowly curled into a fist.

He let out a long breath, closing his eyes briefly before opening them again.

Even now, he felt dizzy thinking about how close he came to letting her fall into another man’s hands.

‘It’s okay. She’s in my hands now.’

Blaine quietly wrapped his hand around Elisha’s.

She probably still believed his feelings were only because of the potion.

But he didn’t care.

Even if the reason Elisha stayed here wasn’t love, but guilt.

If he could keep her by his side that way, it was enough.

“Mmm…”

Just then, Elisha’s eyelids fluttered.

Soon, her clear blue eyes appeared.

After looking around with a dazed expression, Elisha’s eyes widened when she saw Blaine next to her.

“Y-Young Grand Duke…? …Huh?!”

Realizing late that he was holding her hand, Elisha hurriedly sat up.

Seeing her hair messed up like cotton candy blown by the wind, Blaine chuckled softly.

And without letting go of her hand, he gently pulled her closer.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Ah… yes…”

When Blaine leaned his face closer, Elisha’s cheeks turned red.

He looked neat and perfect, as always.

But compared to him, she was…

a complete mess from napping.

‘Elisha, you idiot! You idiot!’

You should’ve always stayed on guard!

Embarrassed, Elisha scolded herself inside.

She wanted to wash her face, but Blaine’s gaze wouldn’t leave her.

“C-Could you not come so close? I just woke up, so I’m a little embarrassed…”

“Why? I like it. You’re cute.”

“C-Cute… there’s no way…”

At the first compliment she had ever heard in her life, even Elisha’s ears burned bright red.

“I mean it, Elisha.”

There wasn’t even a speck of lie in Blaine’s eyes as he looked at her lovingly.

Elisha carefully looked up at him.

‘The reason the Young Grand Duke is being this kind to someone like me… it’s all because of the potion, right?’

Her chest tightened painfully.

She realized again how huge of a mistake she had made.

She was scared of punishment, but what hurt the most was the fact that she was deceiving Blaine.

‘I’m sorry… I’m sorry, Young Grand Duke. I’m trash… Please wake up, even now…!’

Her heart felt like it was being stabbed again and again. She felt like she couldn’t live like this anymore.

Without realizing it, Elisha grabbed Blaine’s hand tightly.

‘Potion effect, please disappear! Disappear! Right now!’

Disappear already!

She hadn’t expected anything to happen when she thought it—

but Elisha cried out desperately inside, more sincerely than ever.

At that moment, she felt a ticklish sensation, like something was draining away.

And at the same time—

BOOM!

A loud sound rang out, like something had burst.

“Kyaaak!”

Startled, Elisha fell backward with a thump.

Thankfully, it was the bed so it didn’t hurt, but Elisha’s face turned pale at what she saw in front of her.

“H-How did this… happen…?”

Blaine’s solid upper body was fully exposed.

The shirt he had been wearing just moments ago had vanished without a trace.

As if he had never been wearing it in the first place.

Elisha’s eyes widened as she finally understood the situation.

“Aaaah! Young Grand Duke!!”