CH 49

There is Always One Thing to Wish for

“Huh? Really?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

Those were Reynaldo’s first words when I told him I would return to being a maid of the Knights’ Corps from tomorrow.

After I agreed to his request, Eva-sama, who quickly completed the necessary procedures, came to my house and explained the details to me.

He confirmed that, as long as he had the permission of the Knight Commander, hiring a maid for the Knights’ Corps was not a problem. Moreover, he quickly obtained permission for me to start working from tomorrow. 

As I had no specific plans for tomorrow, I told him it wasn’t an issue, and he smiled happily with a bright expression.

Upon bidding farewell while saying, “I look forward to working with you from tomorrow!” Eva-sama hurriedly returned home, and I watched him leave with a feeling of relief, as if a storm had passed.

Shortly after that, Reynaldo came to visit, and that’s how the current situation came to be.

“Hmm… Is that so?”

I pass the warmed soup to Reynaldo, who seems lost in thought.

Today’s dinner consists of vegetable soup, herb-roasted chicken, and homemade bread. 

“Did something happen with Alberto?”

I dropped the bread I was holding in my hand. 

I hurriedly picked it up. Then, I wiped off the slight dirt and set it aside for myself.

Ah, my face is getting hot.

“Why do you think something happened?”

Although I managed to pretend to be calm, Reynaldo is probably smart enough to see through my futile attempts.

Reynaldo looks at me with a teasing glance.

“That’s right… For example, did he confess his feelings for you?”

“… No, that didn’t happen.”

That’s right. It didn’t.

While he did propose, he didn’t confess his feelings to me.

It’s Alberto we’re talking about. He may have tried to do that out of kindness to me, who was worried that my marriage might be delayed. That’s the conclusion I came to after I calmed down.

Otherwise, there’s no way he would have proposed out of the blue like that in that situation.

“I see…”

“Why do you think there’s something going on?”

I pour the wine we had the other day and hand the glass to Reynaldo, then proceed to prepare my own meal.

It’s a bit of a relief that Alberto, who seems to be working late today, is absent.

Reynaldo holds the wine glass handed to him and swirls the liquid inside.

“Eva, the Knight Commander’s assistant, suddenly taking action like this…  It makes me think that Alberto must have made some advances toward you and failed. Then, his subordinates pitied him and decided to help him… That’s probably the case. He certainly has good subordinates. Unfortunately, it led to me losing you to the Knights’ Corps.”

Reynaldo’s expression was somewhat dull, yet there was a slight hint of amusement. I found myself blushing at his words.

“Since you’ve made your decision, I won’t object to it.”

“… Thank you.”

Even though he holds the position of chancellor and could easily deal with a mere maid, Reynaldo’s respect for my wishes made me happy, so I genuinely thanked him.

“Speaking of which, how is the search going for Princess Tia’s whereabouts?”

“Her whereabouts remain completely elusive. It’s unnerving how we can’t pinpoint her location at all. I’ve been tracking her thoroughly, but her extravagant social life has made it difficult. I just want to finish it quickly.”

Though faint, a shadow of vengeance lingers in Reynaldo’s eyes. Despite Rosemary’s efforts to quench the flames of revenge in Alberto and Reynaldo, I can painfully understand their desire to settle past grudges.

I also want Princess Tia to properly make amends for her past actions properly. I wish for her to apologize like King Gray and reveal the truth.

That alone is not enough, as Reynaldo would repeatedly say sourly, so I don’t bring up the topic too often.

Regarding King Gray, I don’t hear much about him anymore. All I have is what happened during that time in the audience chamber, and that’s it.

However, with Princess Tia, nothing has been concluded yet. I wonder if meeting her in person, like I did with King Gray, would make any difference.

In Rosemary’s memories, Princess Tia always had a faint, enigmatic smile directed at Rosemary while remaining in the shadow of King Gray. Thinking about that smile, it’s somewhat unsettling.

“Marie.”

Reynaldo held my hand as I was lost in thought.

I lifted my head and looked at Reynaldo. The image of the young Reynaldo from Rosemary’s memories overlapped in my mind.

His sincere eyes, transparent like jade, reflected my figure.

He slowly lifted the hand he was holding.

He firmly grasped my hand with both of his hands, intertwined his fingers with mine, and held our hands tightly together.

“My sister’s wish is my happiness, and my wish is for my sister to be happy.”

He pressed a kiss to the back of our joined hands, as if offering a prayer.

“Even now that you’ve been reborn as Marie, my wish remains the same. Your happiness is my happiness.”

“… It’s the same for me now.”

Even though we may not be blood-related now, Reynaldo is still a precious family to me. The affection I have for him, as Rosemary did for her brother, knows no bounds.

“Marie. My sister. Please do what you think is the happiest for you. Follow your heart sincerely.”

“Sincerely…?”

“Yes. Never again should you have to endure like my sister did before. Even if an invincible wall stands in front of you, I will break it down for you. If someone troubles your heart, I will do everything in my power to remove them.”

Though it was a dangerous statement coming from someone who meant it, Reynaldo’s appearance as he spoke was godly and angelic, making it all the more frightening.

“So, please. From now on, act according to your heart’s desires. Unlike in the past, there shouldn’t be anything to hold you back now.”

I felt a little concerned about his somewhat forlorn smile and extended my free hand toward Reynaldo. His golden hair, which was slightly longer, brushed against my hand. I then nodded at his prayer-like request.

In Rosemary’s memories, she always followed her father’s commands. She became engaged as her father ordered, and diligently learned proper etiquette and academics as those around her instructed. She was raised to become a good queen. In truth, she had rarely acted according to her own heart.

Throughout it all, Reynaldo had always watched over his sister, worried about her, and loved her deeply.

It was clear that his heart was the only pillar of support for Rosemary.

“Thank you.”

Emotions welled up inside me, almost making me want to cry. Overflowing with joy and affection, my feelings swayed.

I thanked God again for allowing me to be connected to him, even after being reborn.

As they were wordlessly touching each other, they heard the sound of the door opening as a visitor entered the room.

Reynaldo and I both turned our gaze toward the door at the same time.

There stood Alberto with an indescribable expression on his face.