Chapter 5 (Part 1)

The first thing that came to mind was a refreshing and cool scent reminiscent of the night sea. Soon after, a warm sensation was felt beyond the nerves that were tense and on edge.

In this room right now, the only warmth and alluring scent reaching her was from Tenus.

“…….”

Sellakia pretended to be asleep with all her might, cursing inwardly.

This crazy guy. Did he actually have a perverted taste for touching sleeping people?

It was something unimaginable just by looking at his decent and intellectual face. Her mind, which had been complicated with various distractions, emptied as if plunged into cold seawater.

Sellakia resolved that she would not tolerate it the moment he crossed the line, sharpening her senses. Fortunately, her dagger, which had been thoroughly cleaned of blood, was placed on the nearby nightstand. If she quickly reached out and grasped the dagger, she had a chance.

Sellakia waited for the right moment.

“…….”

An immeasurable amount of time passed like an eternity. During that time, there was no contact whatsoever.

Tenus’s hand only hovered near her hem. His body heat was conveyed only through the fabric, never directly touching her skin even by accident.

His touch was extremely cautious. It seemed more like he was checking something rather than touching.

……What?

At that moment, Tenus let out a low sigh.

“Haah.”

It wasn’t a breath filled with illicit heat. Rather, it was calm and somewhat earnest.

It resembled the sigh of relief let out by someone who had finally reached land after being lost at sea.

“…….”

Soon after, there was the sound of the blanket rustling once. Tenus tidied Sellakia’s blanket and quietly left the room.

As soon as the sound of the door clicking shut was heard, Sellakia opened her tightly closed eyes.

“……What?”

Why is he doing that?

Instinctively, goosebumps rose on her arm that she had swept up.

Was the pain in my injured wrist so severe that I lost her mind?

Sellakia retraced her memory. She couldn’t know if Tenus had been doing that every night since she usually slept deeply.

She only vividly remembered the exhaustion that was always evident on his face whenever they met. It was definitely the face of someone who didn’t sleep well at night.

“Then, does he do that every day?”

Sellakia looked at the empty space beside her. His lingering scent tickled her nose.

* * *

Tenus did not return to the bedroom until the sun rose and pushed away the darkness of the night.

In the end, Sellakia stayed up the whole night. It was truly a sleepless night after a long time.

“Did you sleep well, Madam?”

Nancy, who came to the bedroom late in the morning, couldn’t even make eye contact with Sellakia. Normally, she would have recognized her haggard face and made a fuss. The formal greeting Nancy gave while combing her hair felt unfamiliar.

“Did you sleep well, Nancy?”

“What? Yes, yes…….”

Nancy lowered her head deeply. Her hunched shoulders and slightly trembling voice reminded Sellakia of the day she first met Nancy.

Sellakia quietly watched Nancy’s round crown reflected in the mirror. It seemed unlikely that Nancy, who was so timid, would speak first. It seemed better for Sellakia to bring up the matter of changing her personal maid herself.

When should I say it? 

While gauging the timing, she felt a sharp gaze from the side.

Roberta was looking at Sellakia with unusually bright eyes. As soon as their eyes met, Roberta eagerly began to speak.

“I heard about yesterday. They said you were amazing! When did you hide a dagger inside your dress? Drawing a sword in that situation, you are bolder than you seem. Are you interested in swords? How skilled are you in swordsmanship? Who is your swordsmanship teacher? Is he from the capital?”

Roberta approached with a fierce momentum, causing Sellakia, who was taken aback, to lean her upper body slightly back.

“S-Sir Belfona. Calm down.”

“What are you talking about? I am not different from usual. As a knight, I wouldn’t lose my composure. So, who is your swordsmanship teacher? Can I meet him?”

“He was my private tutor……. He’s now retired and living quietly in his estate. But more importantly, who did you hear about yesterday from?”

Roberta clicked her tongue as if regretting it and replied.

“Everyone in the mansion is talking about what happened at yesterday’s banquet. Even the rats in the basement probably know.”

Ugh, Sellakia rubbed her forehead.

Her goal was to leave without attracting anyone’s attention, but it was completely ruined. She was worried about the attention she would receive for the time being.

For a moment, she even considered the extreme idea of punishing Aldrich, but she quickly dismissed it. Executing a mere servant and putting a Duke’s proxy on trial were issues of entirely different dimensions.

Indeed, it was better to endure if she wanted to disappear quietly.

“Madam, have you ever sparred?”

Roberta seemed to have no resentment towards yesterday’s incident. Rather, her eyes, which were usually half-dead, were now shining with vitality and affection.

Although she didn’t understand why, Sellakia decided to sincerely answer the questions given to her.

“I couldn’t possibly. I’m not skilled enough to cross swords with someone. As I said yesterday, I can only manage to protect myself in an emergency.”

“That’s not enough. Who knows when another terrible situation like yesterday might occur! So, Madam, how about learning swordsmanship from me?”

Roberta’s eyes gleamed. It wasn’t a gaze filled with worry, but rather a fanatical look fixated on something.

While Sellakia was taken aback and speechless, Nancy, who was brushing her hair slowly out of habit, stopped.

“I want to learn!”

Suddenly, Nancy raised the hand holding the brush high.

“……Nancy?”

“Would it be difficult for you to teach me, Knight?”

Nancy looked at Roberta with her hands clasped together. Her face, full of earnestness, showed a clear passion for swordsmanship.

Realizing that this was the moment she had been waiting for, Sellakia instinctively knew it was her chance.

“Do you want to become a knight, Nancy? Then, you’ll have to stop being my personal maid…….”

“What are you saying, Madam?”

Nancy’s head, which had been turned towards Roberta, now faced Sellakia. Her large eyes, filled with shock, quickly welled up with tears.

“You’re trying to dismiss me, aren’t you? Please don’t. I’ll do better!”

Without giving a chance to stop her, Nancy knelt down and pleaded at Sellakia’s feet. Sellakia tried to lift Nancy by holding her arm, but Nancy stubbornly resisted.

“Nancy, what did you do wrong to make you act like this? Get up, hurry!”

“I should have protected you, but I couldn’t. I’m your only personal maid……. I was of no help because I was lacking.”

“Nancy.”

“I really didn’t know Sophie was like that. She taught me how to do hair and adjust clothes every day, so why……. She wasn’t that kind of person…….”

Nancy poured out her words in a tearful voice. Sellakia gently embraced Nancy’s trembling shoulders.

“You shared a room with Sophie. You must have been close……. Aren’t you angry at me? Because of me, Sophie, um, ended up like that.”

Nancy, who had thrown herself into Sellakia’s arms, shook her head vigorously.

“It doesn’t feel good, but Sophie was at fault. She falsely accused you, who did nothing wrong. I know you’re not like that, Madam.”

From her tearful mumbling voice to the strength of her arms around her waist, it was clear that Nancy had no intention of quitting her job as a personal maid.

Sellakia’s stiffly tense lips softened gently.

“Nancy, you have a strong sense of duty.”

“I can do better. So please don’t dismiss me, Madam. Okay?”

“I won’t dismiss you if you promise me one thing.”

Carefully, Sellakia separated Nancy from her embrace. Nancy seemed to resist by tightening her arms but eventually stepped back with a face full of reluctance.

“I appreciate your sentiments, but don’t step forward in situations like yesterday, Nancy.”

“That’s……!”

“Promise me. Promise that you won’t step into dangerous situations again. Even if something happens to me, you need to stay back.”

Sellakia firmly instructed, making eye contact with Nancy.

“If you don’t promise, I’ll have no choice but to change my personal maid. I don’t want a reckless person by my side.”

Nancy bit her lower lip tightly. After hesitating for a long time with a look of displeasure, Nancy reluctantly nodded as Sellakia intensified her gaze.

“Yes……. I promise, Madam.”

Nancy, who had been fidgeting with her fingers and glancing around, cautiously added.

“But I still want to learn swordsmanship……. Can’t I?”

There was no intention to stop Nancy from wanting to learn swordsmanship. However, learning swordsmanship depended on Roberta’s permission. No matter how much she cherished Nancy, she couldn’t hire an external swordsmanship teacher for a maid.

“Sir Belfona. Can you teach Nancy swordsmanship instead of me?”

“What? Nancy? Are you serious?”

“Please, Knight! I will work really hard. I’ll reduce my eating and sleeping time to learn. Can’t I?”

“……Calm down, Nancy. Even the rigorous military academy doesn’t train its cadets that harshly.”

“I’ll work harder than the cadets at the military academy!”

Roberta, who was staring intently into Nancy’s eager eyes, murmured.

“As expected, Nancy is up to Madam’s nostrils…….”

“Sir Belfona!”

“Ahem. Well, alright. Madam, do you allow it?”

Sellakia nodded, keeping her gaze firm, fearing Roberta might say something strange again.

“Very well. I was just bored, so if Madam allows, I’ll gladly do it.”

Roberta laughed joyfully. Her refreshing smile was somehow chilling.