Chapter 1: The Berkshire Family Became Her Lifeline Part 14

With a bemused expression, he looked at Marien, who seemed pleased that they had grown a little closer. She offered him another raspberry.

He, caught off guard, bit into it again.

“You’re an accomplice now,”

Marien said, and Tamilan unintentionally bit her finger along with the raspberry she was still holding.

“Ugh…”

As she quickly withdrew her finger, it was stained red, likely from the squashed raspberry.

The touch of his teeth and more distinct sensation of his tongue made her cheeks flush.

In the sudden awkward silence, Marien glanced at Tamilan, who remained silent.

Feeling even more embarrassed as he said nothing, Marien stuffed a raspberry into her own mouth.

After filling her hunger a little, she set down the basket. From beside her, a soft, pleasant voice spoke.

“Why do you work so hard?”

It was an odd question to hear from someone who employed her at Berkshire, and Marien was slightly taken aback.”

 “Because I like Berkshire. The lady of the house who took me in, and everyone else… they’re all kind people.”

“Don’t just say what I want to hear.”

“It’s true. You’re a good person too, Young Master.”

Tamilan looked at her with an ambiguous expression.

“Why do you look at me like that?”

“You just say naive things.”

He chuckled lightly, resting his chin in his palm.

It was the first time Marien had seen Tamilan smile, and her cheeks flushed red.

Her heart raced uncontrollably at the thought that the master might be opening his heart to her, to the point that it hurt a little.

Mustered up her courage, Marien murmured softly, filled with wishful thinking.

“I bet you’d look really cool training in the drill yard. So, um…”

“Don’t come to the drill yard.”

“Why not?”

“It’s dangerous.”

Marien, who had been hiding her face behind her knees, looked up with a puzzled expression.

“But isn’t that the safest place in Berkshire?”

“Not necessarily.”

A faint crease appeared between Tamilan’s brows. The drill yard was full of burly knights, and now that rumors about Marien Reed had spread there, it was far from safe.

“I always think, with the master and you in Berkshire, I’ll be safe.”

Her words made Tamilan’s face harden.

“You think the lord will protect the servants?”

“Yes, I think both the master and you are reliable.”

At the resolute tone of her voice, Tamilan’s lips twisted slightly.

The lord she spoke of didn’t even care about the safety of his own family, let alone the servants.

Tamilan felt an urge to shatter her naive trust but suppressed his feelings with a dry wipe of his face.

“By the way, Master, is your arm fully healed? Could I take a look?”

Seeing Marien’s face, as if she were about to immediately check his arm, Tamilan shook his head.

“No. Absolutely not.”

He couldn’t understand why this maid was so obsessed with his injuries. He remembered her worrying about scars, so of course, he wouldn’t want to show her.

When Tamilan turned his head to avoid her gaze, Marien hesitated, then quietly lowered her eyes.

“I was being presumptuous just now. I’m sorry, Master.”

Though he had refused, seeing her look so dejected made Tamilan briefly consider showing her the scar.

“You’re asking me to take off my shirt, aren’t you? Do you really want to see that badly?”

At his words, Marien’s eyes blinked for a moment, then her face gradually turned red, and finally, she flushed completely.

“Ah… That’s… I didn’t think of it that way.”

She recalled that Tamilan had torn the sleeve of his shirt that day, allowing her to see only his arm.

Realizing this belatedly, Marien buried her face between her knees.

Tamilan leaned back lazily, resting his arms on his knees. No matter how much she hid her face, her flushed ears couldn’t be concealed.

As he quietly watched her, Tamilan was suddenly reminded of his original intention to keep his distance from her.

In hindsight, it was a meaningless effort.

No matter how much he tried to cut ties, she lingered in his thoughts.

Now, he wondered whether he should bring her into his circle.

It had been a long time since he had taken an interest in someone, so these feelings were unfamiliar. Strangely, this maid was particularly hard to ignore.

However, he knew that if his attention turned into affection and that affection lingered, he would end up bringing her inside his fence.

That was a rather troubling thought, as even now, it was hard enough to protect those already by his side.

For her to become one of his people would mean she would come under his responsibility. She might not understand, but he would bear that burden.

He had thought that it was just a matter of adding one more maid, and he shook his head. It felt cumbersome.

She wasn’t part of the knights, so what category should he place her in? What should he define her as?

Tamilan thought back to what kind of person she was.

Marien Reed always gave her all in everything she did.

Whether it was people or work, he remembered it was always that way.

When he saw her cleaning the stables, he had left, annoyed that Wil had dumped the work on her.

He had planned to scold Wil when he returned, but even in the afternoon, she was still diligently working in the stables.

Ironically, the stables were cleaner than when Wil was in charge. Perhaps that was why, when he entered the stables, his mood had softened considerably.

And the way she offered him an apple to coax him, though petty… it was kind of cute.

She had briefly taken care of the stables, washed the laundry alone with great effort, and even tended to his wounds with sincerity.

Who could dislike someone so pure and diligent?

His hesitation didn’t last long, and Tamilan ultimately abandoned the idea of keeping his distance. He decided to willingly keep her by his side.

“…….”

Having decided to bring her into his domain, there was something he needed to do first. He had to immediately put an end to those bothersome tasks like laundry and odd jobs.

“Marien.”

A gentle, baritone voice rang out above Marien’s head as she kept her head down to cool her face.

Marien. It was as if he had added a spoonful of sweet sugar to her name.

It was rare for Tamilan to call her by name, so Marien looked up with wide eyes.

“Yes, Master.”

“Do you know how to care for the sick?”

With a puzzled expression, Marien responded to his question.

“Yes. My mother passed away from an illness, so… I know how.”

“Good. That’s all I need.”

He replied indifferently and stood up. At some point, the rain had stopped.

“Let’s go back.”

Marien rose from her seat, her movements mirroring the deep, calm tone of his voice.

She was curious about the meaning behind his question, but he seemed to have already ended the conversation, leaving her no room to ask.

The forest after the rain smelled of fresh summer.

As they walked along the path back, only the sounds of squirrels darting through the rain-drenched branches, the chirping of insects, the whispers of their breath, and the refreshing scent of the forest from him filled the air.

His fingertips occasionally brushed against hers. Once, twice, the number of times their hands met grew.

Until they reached the castle, no one broke the silence.

***

“Young Master, please wait a moment. There’s something I need to give you.”

Before parting ways, Marien fetched the dagger she had kept in the annex where the maids’ quarters were located.

“You left it behind when I was treating your injury. I absolutely didn’t intend to keep it. I waited at the laundry area, thinking I’d see you soon, but you never came… It’s true, Young Master.”

Marien began to explain herself nervously, afraid that Tamilan might be angry.

She knew that he disliked others touching his belongings, so she looked up at him anxiously.

Tamilan silently gazed at the dagger she held out, then accepted it from her.

He didn’t like his cherished possessions being handled by others. Depending on who it was, it could be particularly displeasing.

He usually cautioned against touching them, and this dagger especially was a gift from Hainte when he first started learning swordsmanship.

It was an old companion, and he treasured it deeply for the years they had shared.

Yet, Tamilan didn’t think Marien had stolen it. He wasn’t upset that she had handled it.

When he hadn’t been able to find it, even after searching the training grounds and the stone bench, he figured the maid might have kept it.

It dawned on him that he had unknowingly entrusted a cherished possession to someone else’s hands for quite some time.

Tamilan fidgeted with the dagger, then turned his gaze to Marien.

The ruby-colored eyes looking at him with a troubled expression were pure and transparent, untainted by deceit or pretense, and so beautiful.

Am I trusting the woman before me?

This was a matter entirely separate from Tamilan’s decision to bring Marien Reed into his domain.

Even if he felt a sense of responsibility towards the knighthood, he wouldn’t entrust his belongings to a knight.

For instance, he would never entrust this dagger to Max Müller, a member of the knighthood.

Tamilan was seized by a strange feeling. It was neither joyful nor unpleasant. It stirred something peculiarly in his chest.

“Thanks for keeping it.”

After tucking the dagger into his inner pocket, he was about to part ways with Marien when he stopped and spoke to her.

“Promise me. Don’t go wandering alone.”

Hearing Tamilan’s earnest voice, Marien realized she couldn’t brush off the answer like before.

“I’m a maid, as you can see. Even if I want to keep your request, there are often times when I have to go alone, whether I want to or not, because of orders from the higher-ups.”

“Don’t worry about that. I’ll take care of it.”

Marien looked puzzled at Tamilan’s words, but he showed no intention of explaining and simply turned away, heading towards the main building.

***

After seeing Tamilan off, Marien returned to the annex and headed to the kitchen to return the basket.

Since she had to pass through the dining room, she opened the door absentmindedly and then hesitated. Inside the dining room, the maids had gathered, and the atmosphere was unusual.

Marien slowly opened the door and stepped inside the dining room, where she finally noticed the head maid glaring sternly at the maids with folded arms.

“Sorry I’m late, Head Maid.”

The head maid Adel’s expression softened upon seeing Marien’s return, and she beckoned her over.

“Marien, oh my! You’ve finally returned. We were waiting for you. Did you come with Master Tamilan?”

Marien, sensing the solemn atmosphere, cautiously stepped toward Adel.

“Yes. A wolf appeared, and Master Tamilan saved me. I… I’m sorry for collecting so little.”

Marien offered the basket, but the head maid waved it off as if it was fine.

“Did you really encounter a wolf?”

“Yes. There were five, no, six of them. I had no idea wolves could be that big. Fortunately, Master Tamilan arrived in time….”

As Marien recounted the events, Adel’s face gradually filled with anger, causing Marien to trail off.

“Sarah Becker! Step forward immediately!”

Sarah bit her lip and stepped in front of Adel.

Her gaze briefly flickered toward Marien, filled with resentment and frustration.

Looking around at the maids, Marien noticed that only Emma stood a bit apart. It was then that Marien understood the situation.

Emma must have told the head maid about today’s events.

When their eyes met, Emma mouthed something toward her. Marien couldn’t grasp the meaning and was about to focus on her lips again when—

Suddenly, a sharp slapping sound rang out, and Sarah’s head snapped to the side.

If the incident with the wolves had merely been a misunderstanding, Adel would likely have settled it with a warning.