“Celli is at the butter-making place now. Should I ask the head maid to call her?”

“No, I’ll go there myself.”

“Why go? Just have her called.”

Odin interrupted as he watched me answer Medlin.

While Medlin arranged flowers on the table, I whispered to Odin.

“I still don’t know much about the castle, so it would be good to see one more place while I have the chance. You stay here.”

I didn’t even properly know how the servants lived.

Medlin led me along a side path by the sprawling garden into what looked like a well-maintained forest.

After passing through a path lined with trees as tall as the laundry area, we emerged into an open meadow.

Livestock I had never seen before grazed leisurely across the field.

Next to a sturdily built barn that resembled a forest cottage stood a small stone building.

“Is that where they make butter?”

“Yes, Madam. When they get fresh milk from the barn, they take it to the butter factory next door. The temperature must be kept constant for good butter, so it requires extra careful management.”

Medlin explained as she guided me inside.

The butter factory, with a gentle breeze flowing through half-open windows, was filled with warm, nutty aromas.

“Celli.”

Celli, too focused on making butter to notice our entrance, looked up at us in surprise.

“Madam…?”

She seemed to be in the middle of scraping butter from a churner and placing it into containers with a colleague.

After hurriedly adjusting her bonnet and clothes, Celli glanced at her colleague as if asking her to take over, then rushed over to us.

“Did I fail to hear someone calling for me? To think I made you come all this way…”

She spoke apologetically, as if my presence here was an extraordinary event.

“I chose to come myself. There’s something I wanted to ask you.”

“Me?”

“Yes. It will only take a moment.”

When I nodded, Celli glanced nervously at Medlin.

Medlin smiled and comforted her, seemingly trying to reassure her.

I thought our relationship had improved a bit, but it seems I’m still an intimidating figure to Celli…

Well, how could she suddenly trust someone she had distrusted for so long after just one proper conversation?

“Celli, what I want to ask about is a person named Caleb.”

“What?”

“I happened to overhear something recently. It sounded like a conversation about December. At the laundry area.”

Celli jumped in alarm and covered her face.

“You heard? I’m sorry, Madam. I wasn’t criticizing him…”

“I’m not asking with bad intentions. I just want to know exactly what it means that you need to give money to Caleb to enter December.”

“……”

“I know the Caleb family is temporarily managing December. But it seems I didn’t really know the actual situation. If you tell me, it would greatly help me understand the facts.”

“……”

“Celli?”

Looking at me with a confused face, Celli suddenly spoke.

“…The Caleb family are designated managers of December. Some of them also sit as interviewers. When lower-class people like us submit applications, they conduct interviews. But…”

“……”

“Originally, when we submitted applications to December, entry would be permitted if the reason was appropriate. Now we have to pay money first. The amount is too much for us to afford. It’s three years’ worth of wages.”

“Ha, three years…?”

“I’m sorry, Madam. I’m not expressing dissatisfaction! Really, I’m not…!”

“I didn’t come to interrogate you, Celli. I just wanted to know what was wrong.”

After explaining to Celli, who looked like she might cry any moment, and calming her down, I left the butter factory with Medlin.

I was thinking of going straight to the library, but since we were already out, I planned to cross the wooden bridge over a shallow stream and walk around the meadow.

“Did you know about this too, Medlin?”

I looked down at the stream flowing beneath the bridge while holding the railing.

“No. I had no reason to go to December, so I didn’t know such things were happen—”

When Medlin’s answer suddenly cut off, I was about to look at her to see what was wrong when a large silhouette appeared on the water’s surface.

“What are you doing.”

Startled by the unexpected figure reflected in the water, I stepped back from the railing, causing my body to wobble.

Unfortunately, my heel had gotten caught between the wooden planks of the floor.

At the same time, Carlo effortlessly pulled me toward him.

“This isn’t where I told you to stay, is it?”

He spoke with a rather annoyed expression, holding me in his arms without exerting any effort.

Conscious of his arm around my waist, I slipped away from him as if trying to free my heel.

“I had something to look into. I think I need to visit December.”

As I pulled out my heel and straightened up, his gaze suddenly darkened for some reason.

“It’s almost night.”

“Oh, then tomorrow.”

“You seem to have forgotten someone tried to kill you. Don’t wander around alone unless I’m with you.”

“But…”

“But what?”

“…You’re always busy.”

Carlo slightly frowned as he looked at me.

Norbert, standing nearby, agreed with a bitter smile.

“You’re scheduled to be even busier starting tomorrow. It would be difficult for you to go together.”

Whether he heard Norbert’s words or not, Carlo sighed as he stared at me.

“Joseph. Go with her tomorrow.”

“Really?”

“Me?”

Both Joseph and I exclaimed simultaneously.

Huh? I was surprised that he would readily assign the commander of the royal guards to me, but Joseph seemed even more surprised than I was.

“…Is it okay to have the commander of the royal guards accompany me like this?”

“Just for tomorrow.”

“But that doesn’t seem right…”

“It isn’t.”

Seeing Joseph immediately deny it, I understood.

He wasn’t surprised—he simply didn’t like Carlo’s order.

“I’d be fine going with someone else!”

“No one else will do. If you can’t accept that, don’t go out.”

Carlo calmly replied and wrapped his arm around my waist.

I glanced up at his face as he indifferently led me away while I trembled with bewilderment.

This man is always composed.

I was the one who asked him to pretend we were close, yet I seemed to be the only one unable to get used to these small gestures, leaving me feeling unsettled.

“Oh? The bed?”

After greeting Odin and finishing my bath, I found the bedroom scenery had changed.

There was an additional bed.

Happily rushing over, I noticed a tall figure.

Carlo was also standing by the newly placed bed, apparently just discovering it like me.

Finally, my own bed!

I had been on pins and needles ever since the owner of this room started sleeping on the sofa.

“Huh?”

I was running across the spacious room when my thoughts froze upon noticing something.

My pace slowed down accordingly. As I approached, I could clearly see the position of the two beds.

“The beds are pushed together…?”

“I didn’t order them to be like this, did I?”

Carlo looked at me with narrowed eyes, suspicious.

Ha! Why would I do such a thing?

Of course, between the two of us, anyone would assume I was the one who asked for the beds to be pushed together, but it truly wasn’t me.

“Ah… come to think of it…”

Come to think of it, Medlin had said something earlier.

“Madam. I’ve prepared something for you. I do hope you’ll receive it gladly.”

I never imagined that she, who always seemed so gentle, would prepare something like this…

“Medlin did this.”

When I shrugged and explained, Carlo let out a hollow laugh.

“Don’t make excuses.”

“It really wasn’t me. If you dislike it that much, you can have it moved tomorrow.”

“It’s fine.”

“Why?”

“I’m not the type to trouble the servants unnecessarily.”

I was about to snort in disbelief when I suddenly wondered if the suspicious one wasn’t me but this man.

I narrowed my eyes slightly and looked up at him.

“…You don’t want to be close to me, do you?”

“Should I have the bed removed?”

“What?”

“Would you prefer to sleep on the floor?”

At his cold retort, I slowly shook my head.

How could I give up a bed I had just obtained?

I hesitantly moved toward my bed and sat down.

“Good night.”

I greeted him while avoiding his gaze and quickly wrapped myself in the blanket.

The fluffy new blanket was incredibly light and soft.

“You have terrible sleeping habits.”

“Me?”

“Was repeatedly falling off the sofa just an act then?”

“…I fell off?”

“You managed to climb back up well enough.”

So that’s it! I did feel extremely uncomfortable sleeping on the sofa.

I must have been desperately trying to climb back onto the sofa even while asleep.

“Oh? Is that why you switched beds with me?”

“Go to sleep.”

This person never answers questions that hit the mark.

Yet somehow he makes it feel like he’s given an answer, which is quite a talent.

I laid my head on the pillow, looked straight ahead, then turned away from him.

For some reason, looking at that man from the bed felt too embarrassing. Though I suppose that’s just me…

“Good night.”

I greeted him while staring blankly with open eyes.

A worry crossed my mind about how to fall asleep in beds that were side by side, if not the same bed.

It seemed unlikely that I would fall asleep easily tonight.