CH 80

According to the prophecy, ‘to avoid disaster,’ remember that there is only one elementalist heir.

Keira had always thought that the ‘disaster’ mentioned in the prophecy was a drought caused by the absence of an elementalist. Maybe the disaster the oracle foretold was worse than she imagined?

At Keira’s unusual look, Rose hurriedly shook her shoulder.

Rose: “Milady? Are you unwell?”

Keira: “Huh? Uh, hmm…”

Rose: “Should I call for a doctor?”

Keira: “No need. I guess I got a little too excited.”

She tried to calm her mind. All her guesses were just that–guesses. There was no guarantee that they were true. However, she couldn’t just disregard it just because it was baseless speculation.

She included the hypothesis she had just come up with in one of the numbers. It was around that time that she heard a knock on the door.

Knock, knock–.

Emily: “Milady, it’s Emily. Lira is here.”

Keira: “Lira? Come in.”

Advertisements

Soon after, Emily and Lira appeared through the crack in the door. Eyes wide and face pale, Lira entered the room looking frightened.

Lira: “W-wow. I thought I was going to die because I was so scared! The way she looked at me at the end was…”

Lira embraced herself as she trembled. There was a time when she thought Lady Keira was a terrifying person, but that was nothing compared to the Cosette she had seen today.

At least Lady Keira didn’t like she wanted to cut Lira and feed her to the dogs.

Lira: “Who called those eyes rosy? They’re not rosy; they’re bloody! Ugh, so creepy.”

Keira patted Lira’s head.

Keira: “Well done, Lira.”

Emily, who was staring at them, spoke.

Emily: “W-what happened? Did you ask Lira to do something?”

Lira answered on Keira’s behalf.

Lira: “Are you slow to catch on or are you stupid? I only stuck close to the impostor for today’s sake.”

As Lira poured Keira a cup of tea, she lamented how much she wanted to tell everything every time the other maids scolded and wrongly accused her.

Emily and Rosé, who had been blinking for a long time, opened their mouths at the same time.

“Then, you planned this with Her Ladyship?”

“Then it was all acting?”

Lira lifted her chin and nodded smugly.

Lira: “Well, it’s a long story but…”

A week ago.

Lira calmed her pounding heart and went up the stairs to the third floor, where Keira’s room was. 

Knock, knock–.

Lira: “Milady, it’s–”

Keira: “Come in.”

Keira let her in even before Lira could announce her name. It was a quick response as if she’d been waiting for Lira to come. Her Ladyship must have recognized her by her voice. 

Lira nervously pulled the doorknob, and when she entered the room, she saw Lady Keira sitting on the sofa, reading a newspaper. 

Lira: “I, um, I’m here to tell you something.” 

Keira: “Please sit, and let’s talk.” 

Lira cautiously settled on the sofa Her Ladyship directed her to. Then, with great excitement, she said. 

Lira: “It was as Your Ladyship said! I was looking at the boutique catalog in the garden when she approached me.” 

Advertisements

Keira: “I saw it, too. I could see the garden from my room.”

Lira: “Oh, that’s right. But how did you know? That if I browsed through the catalog there, she’d approach me?”

Fortunately–or unfortunately, it depended on who you asked–Keira knew Cosette’s behavior pattern thanks to her past experience. 

Cosette lured the housemaids with her friendly smile, kind demeanor, and sweet bait.

She secretly showed off that she, who was once a humble commoner, became an esteemed lady overnight and that if the maids followed her, they might become like her, too. 

Most maids who worked in noble houses had illusions about life in the nobility. That was natural.

Since they didn’t know anything about the world of the upper-class, they couldn’t help but admire it once they encountered it.  

And Cosette approached the seemed the most eager among the maids. 

So, it was easy to predict that she’d approach the maid sitting in the garden, rummaging through the boutique catalog. 

Keira: “Let’s just say I had a hunch. What did she say to you?” 

Lira: “She said she had to go to the boutique to get fitted and asked if I could come with her.”

Keira nodded her head slightly. 

Keira: “I knew it.” 

Lira: “Did you expect that?”

Keira: “To some extent. So what do you want to do?” 

Wiggling her fingers, Lira said. 

Lira: “Actually… I want to go to the boutique. It’s full of pretty dresses, so I wanted to see what it’s like.” 

Keira: “I won’t stop you if you want to go.”

Lira: “I-I’m not asking for permission! Of course, of course, I want to go there. But rather than that person… I’d rather go with Lady Keira…”

“…”

Lira’s expression after finishing her speech revealed her inner thoughts. ‘Was I too presumptuous?’

So, she had chosen a side.

‘The other one offered me various things, but I’m on your side, so please don’t misunderstand me.’

Truthfully, Lira wasn’t very smart. However, she was neither foolish nor bold enough to abandon Her Ladyship, whom she had been close to, and cling to someone she didn’t know. 

Advertisements

Soon, Keira smiled and continued.

Keira: “I understand what you’re saying. Can I ask for one more favor?” 

Lira: “Uh, whatever I can do with my abilities.” 

Keira: “Go with Cosette. Don’t say I ordered it.” 

“…?”

Lira was puzzled for a moment but soon understood her words. 

Lira: “So you mean I should pretend to be swayed by her offer and stay with her?”

Keira: “That’s right. You have to act well.”

Lira: “Yes, I’ll do my best!”

After Lira replied bravely, Keira got up from her seat and walked towards the drawer.

Inside the second drawer was a small jewelry box. Keira took out the bracelet she had prepared and went back to the sofa. Then she clasped it on Lira’s wrist. It was a bracelet with small jewels of various colors on a thin silver chain.

It was the first time Lira had seen such a precious thing on her wrist. Her eyes began to twinkle.

Keira: “It’s going to be frustrating for a while, so this is payment. It’s up to you whether you want to sell it to raise money or keep it.”

Lira: “T-thank you.”

Keira: “You should go. By the way, don’t tell your friends what happened here.”

Lira: “I understand.”

It was wise not to tell anyone what should be kept secret.

Lira bowed to Keira then left the room. The moment she stepped into the hallway, her eyes met Emily’s, who was walking from the other side. 

Emily: “Lira? What brings you here?”

Lira: “Oh? Hmm?”

Emily: “You’re in kitchen duty today. Did Her Ladyship ask you to do something?”

‘Don’t tell your friends what happened here.’

Lira remembered Her Ladyship’s request. Flustered, she waved her hands.

Lira: “Hmm, I had something to ask Her Ladyship.”

Emily: “What did you ask her? Did Lady Keira listen to it?”

Lira: “Yes.”

Emily: “Wow, when have you gotten so close? What did you ask for?”

Lira: “It’s nothing. It’s a work request, so that’s why she easily approved it.”

Emily: “So, what specifically?”

Lira: “That, I just asked if I could wait for Miss Cosette the day she goes to the boutique…”

Emily: “Hey, you…”

Emily’s gaze zeroed in on Lira’s wrist. Her eyes widened as if she recognized at a glance that it was an object one couldn’t buy with a maid’s salary.

The look of disappointment gave Lira a tingling pain in her chest. However, she knew it was impossible to tell the truth here. 

So, Lira decided to run away before her friend asked any more questions.

Lira: “There’s a lot of work in the kitchen, so I have to go. I’ll see you later.”

Emily: “H-hey! Wait a minute!”

Advertisements

A voice filled with anger and concern resounded from behind.

‘I’m sorry. I’ll explain everything later.’

Lira’s steps quickened.

Lira: “That’s how it happened.”

Emily: “Ah, then that bracelet…”

Lira: “Yes, it was from Lady Keira.”

They didn’t know how much Lira endured keeping things to herself. Lira, who had finally revealed all the circumstances, looked refreshed.

With a smirk, she said.

Lira: “By now, I’m sure she’s grinding her teeth.”

Rose: “Is it time to joke around? Her eyes were no joke…”

Lira: “What, is she going to kill me?”

If Cosette did, her reputation would go down even more.

Some of the maids in the mansion favored Cosette. Paula, for example.

It would be refreshing to see the eyes of those people stained with disappointment.

Pointing to the remaining bottle of wine, Keira grinned and said.

Keira: “Everyone did a great job. Share that wine with each other.”