Chapter 3

Louise awoke before even the morning star had risen. Turning her head to the side, she saw the pale light entering through the window dimly illuminating the objects around her. The sound of the wind between the dusty bedding and the bathroom window with a missing pane felt unfamiliar. Hugging the blanket tightly and drawing herself in, she looked around.

Ah, she had succeeded in entering last night.

She remembered scrubbing herself thoroughly with lukewarm water in the bath the night before. The room was far smaller and shabbier than the one she had been given at Reim’s house, yet it was satisfying beyond comparison. Louise rose from bed, stretching like a cat.

It was a one-week reprieve she had won with all her might. She needed to make this probation period a success.

Her goal was to win Cesare’s favor during that one week. In body or in heart. After that, her final goal was either to remain there and continue clinging on while being protected from Reim, or, around the time Cesare’s desire for her cooled, to receive his help in going to the capital. No matter how much his desire cooled, he did not seem like the sort of man who would refuse even a single space on a baggage wagon bound for the capital.

It was not that she had never dreamed of marrying for love, but becoming another man’s mistress was better than marrying her parents’ enemy.

After washing her face until it squeaked clean, Louise touched the clothes she had washed the day before. They were still damp. Since the laundry had only been finished at dawn, it would have been a miracle if they had dried. Worse still, the clothes had gone stiff and frozen from the cold wind. It was her own fault for having hung them in front of the window, thinking the wind would make them dry faster. She hesitated for a moment, then let go of the hem she had been holding. Then she went outside just as she was.

The hallway, covered in a dark gray carpet, seemed to place more emphasis on practicality than beauty.

‘It is so dark that even if someone spilled coffee, it would not show.’

The dark wainscoting lining the inside of the stone walls and the tapestry embroidered with the family crest were also dry and colorless to an extreme. Louise thought that this hallway suited that man very well.

Well, he was not as stiff as he looked.

Cesare had given her a room with an attached bath, and had even prepared warm water and soap. Of course, it might have been a pity brought on by how miserable she looked. Either way, it was fortunate that he did not seem to be a person without blood or tears. Though he did seem to be somewhat lacking in l*st.

As she walked down the corridor thinking of Cesare, a man came around the corner and nearly collided with her. Startled, he stepped back, then looked at her face and made a foolish expression. It was the reaction most men showed when they first saw Louise. She gave him a bright smile, enough to show her even teeth.

“Oh dear, I am sorry. This is my first time on this side, you see.”

“N-no, not at all! I should be the one apologizing.”

“I have come to work here starting today. My name is Louise.”

“I-is that so.”

“I need to gather the laundry right now. Would you happen to know where the Lord’s room is?”

“It is around that corridor, the second room from the end.”

The man nodded as though bewitched and answered her question. Louise gave him an even brighter smile in thanks.

“I see. Thank you for telling me.”

Louise greeted him and walked toward the place he had indicated. She could feel the man behind her watching her with lingering regret.

Yes, this was how it was supposed to be.

Her aunt had always said to her like a habit,

<If you truly set your mind to seducing someone, what man in the world could possibly reject you?>

Having grown up hearing that often enough, Louise had always overflowed with confidence in her appearance. Thanks to that, she had gone charging in last night even invoking the right of the first night, yet Cesare had not responded to her enough to leave even a crack in her pride.

Well, maybe yesterday it was because she had looked too filthy.

Louise stopped at the second room from the end and stared at the door. Today was different. She had used half a bar of soap to wash herself clean, and what she was wearing now was the most revealing thing she had ever worn in her life. Taking a deep breath, she knocked.

“Come in.”

The answer came at once, telling her to enter. Louise drew in the corners of her mouth, which were trying to rise, and turned the doorknob.

Cesare had finished preparing early in the morning and was getting ready to go out. Perhaps he had only just come from the bath, because the ends of his hair were damp. Louise naturally approached him and collected the laundry. Fastening his buttons, Cesare turned to look at her.

“Alon, about yesterday’s matter…….”

Cesare saw her and jumped in surprise, stepping back. His reaction was similar to yesterday’s, and Louise grew a little uneasy.

“……Why are you here?”

Like a hedgehog dropped into unfamiliar surroundings, the man raised his spines stiffly and glared at her. Louise boldly held up the laundry.

“I came to gather the laundry. And to clean as well.”

Cesare pressed a hand to his forehead with an expression that said he had a headache.

“Your working hours are from nine to six. And right now it is seven fifteen.”

“It is all right if you do not pay me separately. I am doing this because I want to.”

“You only need to do the work assigned to you properly. Now leave…… no, wait a moment. What are you wearing?”

For the first time, the man’s gaze turned to the clothes Louise was wearing. At the moment, she was dressed in a thin chemise. It was the nightgown she had worn while imprisoned in Reim’s house. Made of the finest silk to suit Reim’s tastes, the chemise was as thin and transparent as a butterfly’s wing. The skin showing faintly through it made it look even more improper than wearing nothing at all. Louise shrugged and said,

“I do not have any clothes. The ones I came in yesterday are still not dry.”

“Even so, how can you go around wearing that? This is driving me mad.”

Cesare was almost angry. Louise was a little stunned by his reaction.

Was it not…… pretty?

Was it not…… alluring?

Strange. Her aunt had always said there was no girl as pretty as she was. Could it be that the saying ‘even a hedgehog thinks its own young are lovely’ had been meant for her aunt?

As she was troubled by the wave of doubt crashing over her, Cesare suddenly snatched the laundry out of her hands. Startled, Louise looked back and forth between her now-empty hands and Cesare.

“Leave at once. No, wait a moment.”

That was more like it. Louise regained her confidence. Had he not told her to wait a moment? That man who had been like a block of wood! But after making her wait, what he brought back was clothing in a plain color like the corridor she had been walking through just a little while earlier.

“W-what is this?”

“Clothes. You said you did not have any. Wear this.”

Louise accepted the shirt and trousers Cesare handed her with mixed feelings.

“They are too…… long.”

“That cannot be. I wore that when I was fourteen…… it is long.”

Cesare looked at the state of her and let out a sigh. The shirt he had given her reached below her thighs. And the trousers came all the way up to her chest. It was certainly an outfit that looked capable of starting a new fashion trend.

“If I wear the trousers properly, it seems like there is no need to wear the shirt at all.”

“Nonsense.”

Dismissing her words as nonsense, Cesare went back inside once more. A long time after he had entered the dressing room, he returned carrying a faded green dress.

The velvet dress with its green hue showed the marks of time, but rather than looking old-fashioned, it gave off an antique elegance. With golden embroidery sewn over the deep green base, it was clear at a glance that it was a valuable garment. Louise looked at Cesare suspiciously.

Why in the world would there be such a pretty dress in a man’s room?

“Do not think irreverent thoughts.”

Apparently, she had been caught. Louise gave a start and scratched her cheek for no reason.

“I was not thinking anything like that.”

“It is all written on your face.”

“Hah, what kind of expression do you think I made?”

“You were likely judging whether I have a taste for wearing clothes like this. This dress is one of my mother’s keepsakes. At a glance, it does not match my size, does it? If you intend to doubt people, then cultivate your powers of observation first.”

At Cesare’s sharp rebuke, Louise quietly accepted the dress. In any case, if he was willing to give her one of his mother’s keepsakes, then perhaps his impression of her was not all that bad.

“Should I change here?”

“Do you think that would be proper? Go to your room and change. And be in the office at nine on time for work. How did you even find out which room was mine?”

Grumbling, Cesare pushed her outside. Louise gave an “oh, oh” as she was shoved out of the room holding the clothes.

Bang! The door shut, and click, the sound of it being locked followed. She had been chased out completely. Louise stared at the firmly locked door for quite some time with a hollow look.