"Don't expect to be treated kindly by me, lady. you're going to regret it, agreeing to work with me."
Looking at Linan, I realize one thing that Killian eyes at least show emotionally. He was looking at me as if he had judged me, but there was no contempt or doubt in his eyes. I thought that the Duchess introduced me to the people who only moved the most 'functionally' because she was considerate of me.
"There are two things I want from you, competence and fairness. As long as you keep that, I don't mind if you are swearing at me for being stupid."
"I'm glad to hear that."
"Well, I think that's enough for greeting, so shall we start to work?"
Linon nodded slightly and went back to his desk. I also started spreading out the receipts on a large desk and categorizing them by year. There was a window, but the sun was not directly shining, so the cool Linan's office was as quiet as if time had stopped. Aside from the rustle of me unfolding the receipts and the sound of Linon scribbling something with pen or flipping through documents, I didn't hear any distracting sounds.
'It's so calm.'
As I keep suffering from various things, I've never felt more comfortable with quiet time filled with simple labor. I was so focused on that until Linan called out from behind me.
"Lady."
"Yes! What is it?"
"Today's business hours are over. You can go back."
"Huh? It's already been that long?"
I didn't notice the passage of time because it was a place where the sun didn't go through it.
"I'll go back after wrap this up. Wait a minute."
Actually, I wanted to work a little more, but if I'm here! Linan, who is in charge of my surveillance, couldn't move either. I hurriedly put the receipts into the box, then checked again if there a receipt dropped around, and gave the box to Linan. He looked down at me for a moment and soon accepted it.
"Thank you for your hard work."
"Well done, Linan. Then i'll see you tomorrow."
When I came out after saying goodbye to Linan, the hallway was bright. Anna was waiting near Linan's office to take me to my room. I felt like I was dragged into reality.
'I don't remember reading about an extra named Linon Filch in the original. So I'm not going to get caught up in some weird episode.'
I went back to my room, feeling more relaxed than before. But the door was half open. Anna took one step ahead of me and checked the "invader" and nodded to me with a relieved face.
"You're here."
"Killian?"
It was the first time I'd seen Killian after three days passed since that night.
"What bring you here. . . . . In my room. . . . . "
"Can't i come here?"
"No, well, I'm not saying that. . . . . huh?"
I glanced at Killian as I walked into the room, saw him fiddling with it, and without realizing it, I hit it with my hand and cleaned it up. The two wooden dolls in newly made clothes fell into the floor with a bang. Killian's expression hardened subtly.
"Oh, haha! No, this is, like, just a hobby! Yes, a hobby, but it's a little embarrassing to show it to others. . . . . No. Why do you enter someone else's room without permission in the first place? Anna! Put that away. Hurry."
I even made them kissing a male doll dressed like Killian and a female doll dressed like me. I was so embarrassed that Killian saw it. So I felt like I wanted to die. While Anna was quietly cleaning up the dolls, I had no place to look, and i turned around.
"Well. . . . . How have you been?"
It was awkward for some reason. I think I would have snapped back more before, but now somehow, it's embarrassing to look him in the face, and it's hard to talk to him.
"You seem to be doing well."
"Thanks to your mother. I started helping your mother's aide, Linan Filch. Do you know him?"
"Of course. Because we grew up together since we were young."
"Is that so?"
"His father is Theo Filch, a butler who manages the duke's estate. Originally, he was managing this mansion, but my father entrusted all estate to him. Linan remained here as the person in charge of tax documents."
Oh. I see. I was nodding my head, and Killian's gaze was somehow sharp as if he were going to dissect me.
"What's the matter, Killian?"
"No. Are you still before the meal?"
"Yes."
"Then. . . . . "
He asked me to join him for dinner, and I was looking forward to it, but suddenly someone knocked on the door. When Anna opened the door, Lizzy was standing outside.
"Oh! Killian, you were here, too."
Lizzy, who smiled brightly, was still beautiful, but I felt uncomfortable seeing her for nothing. I'm so sad that she thought me as the culprit, and I feel bad that i took away her sub-male Killian's, "virgin".
"Lizzy? Why are you here. . . . . "
"Cliff asked me to call Killian and eat with him. I think he has something to say. Oh, Edith! Do you want to go with me too?"
Lizzy, who found me belatedly, hurriedly made a suggestion, but it was obvious that the words were polite.
"Does he mind if I just show up?"
"Cliff would probably say it's okay. Maybe. . . . ."
'If you're going to use the word "probably" twice, just don't say anything, Lizzy'
Well, she couldn't help but recommend it to me no matter what Cliff meant. I wanted to follow him, but now I didn't want to see Killian take care of Lizzy more than me.
"I think Cliff will be taken aback. It looks like he has something to say to the two of you. Of course if you invite me next time, I'll do it with you then."
"Will you? Let's eat together next time, Edith, then . . . . . So Killian."
Lizzy called Killian like, "Now let's go." Killian sighed loudly and followed Lizzy with a nod. Then he looked back at me for a moment before closing the door. When I made eye contact with him, I couldn't move on the spot for some reason. I wondered why he came to my room and what he wanted to tell me.
"Miss. I'll prepare you a meal soon."
"Ahhh, yeah. Okay, thank you."
If it wasn't for Anna, I would have stood there for a long time. I checked the wooden doll that Anna had put aside, and i was greatly relieved to see that nothing was broken. I was a little embarrassed when I realized that I checked the male doll first without realizing it.
***
For the past three days, Killian couldn't stop thinking about Edith. The urge to barge into Edith's room at any moment and covet her soared. I feel like I'm going crazy just wondering what she was doing right now. But he didn't because he needed time to process his feelings. At this rate, he'll be tempted and swayed by Edith.
'I thought physical relationships were too easy. i can't believe that I've lost my mind.'
All the years I'd spent without contact with anyone, thinking that Lizzy was the only woman for him, had been completely destroyed in a single night. It was with the woman he despised the most.....! But I don't feel regret about it, and what more crazy is i wanted to do it again. So today, I couldn't take it anymore and went to Edith's room. When I knocked and she didn't respond so I opened the door and walked in, and while I was still slightly intoxicated by her rose scent, I found a strange object on the table.
'What is it? A doll?'
A smoothly polished wooden doll stood, dressed in plausible clothing. At first I didn't think much of it, but then I realized that the male doll had black hair, a white shirt, and black pants, while the female doll had brown hair and was wearing an indoor dress. the girl doll seemed modeled after Edith herself because she even wore a red jeweled necklace.
'Then, what about the male doll. . . . ?'
Assuming that the female doll was Edith, it was too easy to estimate the identity of the male doll.
'. . . . . Me?'
And the two wooden dolls were facing each other and kissing. Unknowingly, the heat rose at the end of my ear, but at the same time, an unknown smile came out.
'You know how to do a cute thing.'
My chest is tickling. Edith, who returned to the room with Anna, if hadn't pushed the dolls violently away. Perhaps he might kiss Edith impulsively.
'What did she hate so much. Because he saw the dolls? Or because he entered her room without permission? Or perhaps because she hates me?'
On the night when Edith had seduced him, she seemed to like it, but it made me nervous to think if it wasn't. Edith was his first woman, and he didn't know all the psychological implications of her reactions.
'Was I being too clumsy? or did i make her hurt? what if she is just enduring that night with me? no, what the hell! what am I thinking now.....!'
As I couldn't organize my complicated head and was suffering from anguish, I remembered the story of the women who controlled the man by controlling him with their bodies. Then, are his symptoms now intended by Edith.
". . . . . Lian, Killian!"
"Oh! Did you call?"
"Yes . . . I've been calling you several times. . . . . Is there something going wrong?"
Lizzy was looking this way with a worried face. Cliff had a puzzled look on his face.
"It's nothing. What were you talking about?"
"You were completely out of your mind, weren't you? We were talking about that woman."
"That woman?"
"Was there anyone else we would call 'That woman' other than Edith Rigelhoff?"