Oh my God, the Duke of Escliffe was having fun with this. It was unknown, strange and incredible.
"I'm surprised. I didn't expect you to enjoy this," I told him.
"It's more fun because I'm with you."
"Is that so?" I said, approaching him, when his eyes landed on me.
Hand.
"How is the wound?" He asked, his forehead trembling with concern.
"As you can see," die, waving my fingers in front of him. "It has been treated.
It was easier thanks to his "first aid."
"I'm happy to be able to serve." He smiled at the end of the sentence and then added some strange words.
"Don't hurt again."
"I will be careful."
"But if you hurt yourself again, I will do it again for you."
How... this?
"You sound like you're always by my side when I get hurt," I joked.
"Even if it's not a time like this, I'll certainly be by your side"
I lifted the corners of my mouth and laughed, and so did Claude. We refocused our attention on making the fruit cheong, when through the corner of my eye I saw that Claude's expression once again looked serious. I didn't know if it was because he was concentrating or if he was really interested in doing this.
"Then," I said, skillfully turning the lid of the glass jar to close it,
"Leave it for three days before consuming it. Beat it as quickly as possible to prevent it from spoiling after that, and store it at a cool temperature."
"Yes, Lady Maristella," she replied obediently. He looked at the fruit cheong we made with a warm expression, and his appearance was so sweet that I smiled a little.
"You must like it. I've never seen you so happy."
"This is just my heart." His voice came down to almost a whisper. "This is the first thing you gave me, isn't it? It's very significant."
"Because you are a very good friend," he said with a smile. "I think I'm very lucky to have a relationship with a man like you"
Claude looked at me with an illegible expression for a moment, then suddenly he took my left hand. His lips touched the back of my hand before I could say a word of shame. I stared at Claude with surprise and amazement.
"Lady Maristella," she said, and nodded meticulously.
"Yes. His Grace."
"…I am honored that you think that."
Claude's smile was so beautiful that I forgot all the strangeness I had felt before.
***
After finishing all the tasks, I served Claude cherry and lemon tea with the cheong he had previously made. I was a little worried because Claude had made the gift he was supposed to give him.
He insisted that he had fun, but I still regret it a little. Yes, a
Claude really liked cheong fruit so much, so he swore to surprise him with it later.
"Are the preparations for the opening of the store going well?" He asked
Conversationally.
"Oh." I responded with a small smile.
"I'm already busy with these
Days"
"Oh God. Did I interrupt in a busy moment?"
"Not at all, His Grace. I didn't want to say it that way." I shook my head. "You must be even busier than I am."
"Hm?" He said curiously.
"I heard that you have recently bought a new property."
"Oh." He nodded his head as a sign of understanding. "In fact, I have been busy with that these days. But I can afford to take the time to visit it."
"This is the first time we have seen each other since the party at the mansion
Escliffe
"Oh my dear." A sad smile appeared on his face. "Are you upset?"
"No, I'm not," I said, shaking my head. "How can I be, knowing how busy you are?"
"He is allowed to be."
I paused at Claude's words, but after a moment he responds casually.
"Thank you for your consideration, Your Grace"
"I am always the one who receives your consideration, instead of the other way around"
"Is that so?" I said with a little laugh, and Claude nodded in the affirmative.
"It is rare for someone to be as kind and considerate as you are."
"Lady Odeletta is too."
"It's a way to get to know each other"
"His Grace…" I hesitated for a moment, then I decided to throw all the precautions into the wind. "Are you close to the Crown Prince because it was similar to each other?"
"Um..." Claude seemed bewildered by the sudden question. I was worried that my question was too intrusive, but his subsequent reaction told me that he was willing to answer.
"I think so. But, eh.
If the crown prince would agree with that... well, I don't know"
"Perhaps His Highness feels the same way"
"Are you suddenly interested in the relationship between His Highness and me?"
Claude asked with a small smile. "As far as I remember, you rarely ask me about this directly."
"I was just curious, but now that I think about it, it was a little neglected of me to ask. I'm sorry if I bothered you."
"No, I wasn't uncomfortable." He added a slight smile.
"It's okay. Either way, you are showing interest in me…"
"It's natural to be interested in friends"
"Because attention is the beginning of all relationships." He gave me a meaningful look.
"So I'm happy every time you ask me a little one"
"So... what if I ask you a difficult question?" I said.
"A difficult question?" He repeated. He looked at me with interest. "Like what, why? Example?"
"Um…" I was nervous because I had only asked it as a hypothesis, but I never thought specifically about what to ask. Claude stared at me, then spoke as if he were trying to help me.
"For example... What is the most embarrassing thing I've ever done in my life?"
I nodded as I said the words I would never say. That, or maybe what color of underwear were you wearing at the same time?
"Well, anyways" i said , clearing my throat. "You may not want to answer the question once you hear it"
"I've thought about it, but there are no questions from you that make me feel that way."
"... Really?" is it?
"I think I can tell you anything," he said sincerely.
'Everything', then. You have too much confidence."
What if I really asked you about the color of your underwear, Duke?
"I'm serious," Claude said with a smile.
"If you are asking this, you must have something in mind"
"It's not that there are no things that cause me curiosity," I confessed, but then I hesitated.
"It's still too early to ask"
I was curious about the past between him and Xaiver. However, since Xavier seemed worried about it the other day, I was careful to mention it.
Directly.
Unlike Xavier, Claude was much more relaxed and cheerful, but if he had such an impact on Xavier, wouldn't it be the same for Claude? I already imagined it. So I decided to be careful.
"You can ask me whenever you want. Whenever you want," Claude said to
Reassure him.
"... I don't think it's right now."
"Then I can make a promise for next time. I'm always open to you."
"I will remember you, Your Excellency."
Claude sketched a small smile and changed the conversation.
"Oh. Now that I think about it, I forgot to wonder how things went with Lady Cornohen."
I hadn't heard that name at a long time. The smile on my lips became deeper and after a moment I chose my words.
"Well, you may have heard it in social circles, but I cut it completely. I have completely cleaned up that relationship."
My relationship with Dorothea had been completely broken, either as a friend or as a maid. She no longer bothered me to hang out with her, nor did her family show no intention of meeting our family.
It was a natural distancing. It's not that there was a natural friendship between our families anyway, but I decided to be satisfied with the
Result.
"It must feel different," Claude said.
"I'm so happy that she doesn't dominate my life again."
Technically speaking, it was Maristella's life, not mine. When I read the book, I sometimes wondered if Maristella was an expendable person created solely to highlight Dorothea, which was not so strange at a time when most of the supporting roles in a novel were created for the main character. But now the roles had changed.