"I'm sorry, Luther..." Eimme said with an expression of regret on her face.
"No, no. There's no need to apologize. After all, you allowed Emu and me to stay here in your house. Besides, what I just did was really a bit dangerous for that girl too. It's normal for you to be worried."
"Honey..." The woman in black sighed. "But are you really alright, Luther? There was blood coming from your mouth."
"I'm fine."
Emu helped Luther sit down in a nearby chair. Then, she picked up the hammer from the floor and placed it next to Luther. "It's in pieces... You loved this hammer."
"..."
"I don't want to interrupt this emotional moment, but... What will happen to her now? She's been sleeping for a while, when will she wake up?"
"At best, I'd say two days. But I think it will take a week for her to wake up. The curse on her must be tiring her out."
--8 days later--
Eimme, in her dragon form, was curled up like a cat, sleeping in her bedroom. Her form was truly magnificent. She should have had four wings, but one of her wings was clearly cut off. Her massive body radiated a high heat. The room was quite hot.
The massive, gold-inlaid door was knocked on twice.
"..." The only sound heard was the dragon's breathing as she slept.
The door slowly opened. The maid's amethyst purple eyes almost illuminated the room. The maid woman entered. "It's very hot and stuffy..."
She went around the dragon and reached the other side of the room. She placed the undergarments hanging on her arm on a chair by the edge. She pulled aside the curtains that were blocking the sunlight, allowing light to pass through the windows and enter. Then, she opened the massive windows outward. Clean, cool air began to enter the room.
The maid took a fresh breath of the clean, cool air coming from outside. Then, she turned around and walked up to the dragon's head. "My lady, it's time for you to wake up. Your guest has awakened and is waiting for you."
"..."
Receiving no response, the maid became annoyed.
"WAKE UP, MY LADY! YOU'VE BEEN SLEEPING FOR A WEEK! How much longer are you going to sleep?! The guest you were waiting for has woken up!" the maid shouted.
With the loud sound that suddenly filled the room, the dragon woke up. It was not a slow or graceful awakening. She woke up with a start, as if you had poked an energetic cat. The dragon's sudden movement caused the maid to lose her balance and fall backward. The whole room shook as if there had been an earthquake. The dragon, still not fully awake, looked around with surprised eyes. When she saw the maid on the floor, she realized what had happened and returned to her human form.
"Are you alright, Charlotte? I'm sorry," she said in a panic, helping the maid to her feet.
"Thank you... There's no need to worry, my lady. But please be more careful from now on!" the maid sighed.
The maid took the undergarment from the chair and handed it to her lady. "If you'll allow me... Please stand still." With a graceful movement, the maid put the undergarment on her.
"So, why did you wake me up, Char? Is it about your sister again?"
"No... She's doing very well now, thanks to you. You haven't left this room for a full seven days. The reason I woke you up is that your guest has finally awakened. The female slave you brought for treatment has woken up. She's waiting for you in Mr. Luther's infirmary right now."
"Good! Let's go there."
"No! You must bathe first! Besides, you can't go like this, I'll bring clothes for you." She sighed and then continued. "You really never learn your lesson. I've had this conversation with you dozens of times before."
"Whaaat? What's wrong with this? This is my house, after all—"
"When I say no, I mean no! You should learn some manners, like your sister."
"But..."
"No buts! Besides, are you sure you want to appear before your guest like this? I've already prepared the bath. I'll be waiting for you here."
"Alright..."
Eimme reluctantly agreed and went to a human-sized door, opening it and entering. After a while, Eimme left the room and her maid handed her a dress and helped her put it on.
The woman was dazzling. The black and ornate Gothic-style dress with burgundy embroidery made her look like a divine being. Which she was. She was aware of this. She headed towards the massive main door of the room, took the sheathed sword leaning against the wall, and attached it to her waist. She left the room and reached Luther's infirmary.
When Eimme saw her guest sitting slightly upright in bed, her eyes literally sparkled. She ran to her side. Just as she was about to hug her, she stopped herself at the last moment. Then, she noticed Charlotte, Luther, Emu, Charlotte's sister Luisa, and her guest, who were looking at her sudden movements with surprised eyes. She was embarrassed. Her face turned bright red.
Without saying anything, she slowly and tremblingly pulled a chair for herself and sat down.
"A-are you alright?" The redness on the woman's face, indicating her embarrassment, subsided.
Her guest was also quite surprised by this situation. The surprised expression on her face turned into a pure expression of joy. She nodded her head up and down many times, meaning "Yes."
She's so cute!! Eimme thought, her mind completely filled with this. Hmm, I wonder what I should call her? What's her name? Though even if I asked, I wouldn't get an answer, since she can't speak. Maybe she knows sign language! Yes! That's it! Wait... I don't know sign language!
"May I know your name?" she suddenly asked without thinking. The words came out of her mouth unconsciously.
Her guest's face fell slightly. She tilted her head to the side a little and replied. She was surprised and couldn't understand the situation. Who were these people? Where was this place? More importantly, what was this huge man?! How could a person be so big?! She wasn't afraid of the man, it was just pure surprise. After all, she had been a slave for almost her entire life. She hadn't had much opportunity to walk the streets. It couldn't be said that she was very familiar with people. This huge man was the largest person she had ever seen in her life.
"Hah- I'm sorry," Eimme said. I guess she doesn't have a name. Since she was a slave, her owners probably didn't need a name when addressing her.
"Then how about I give you a name? Would that be alright?"
Her guest's eyes lit up. She nodded her head up and down quickly. It was such a sudden and fast movement that Luther momentarily rose slightly from his chair to help the woman, worried. When he realized she was alright, he sat back down.
"Hmm..." A name, huh? What's wrong with that? I've never given anyone a name before after all. HMM...
"How about Calida? Do you like it?" she said with a silly expression on her face. This name had suddenly popped into her head. She didn't know its meaning or anything. But this name felt RIGHT. Somehow right.
In response, she nodded her head. She made a few signs with her hands. It was sign language. It meant, "Thank you. It's a very beautiful name." Although no one in the room understood this because they didn't know sign language.
"Okay, then it's our turn to introduce ourselves. I'm Eimme, the owner of this castle. The big man sitting in the chair behind you is Luther. He may look scary at first, but he's a very kind person. He's also a healer. He's the one who has been taking care of you for a week. The woman next to Luther is—"
The blonde woman interrupted Eimme. "I'm Emulie! You better not forget it! You will address me as Ms. Emulie."
"Hey! What are you doing, sis?"
"Huh? Isn't she going to be a maid here now? It's very normal for her to speak respectfully to me—"
"Aren't you a maid too?"
"That's a completely irrelevant and different matter. I'm only doing it for fun, it's part of my hobby."
"Ho? Is that so? I thought you were working here as a maid to pay off your debt to me."
The woman panicked. She started sweating profusely. "O-of course, that's the real reason..."
"Besides, she won't be a maid at all. She's my valued guest."
Eimme sighed and introduced Charlotte and Luisa. The maids gave a polite curtsy at the same time.
"Luther, when can Calida get up? How much longer should she stay here?"
"Hm? This young lady is completely fine now. She doesn't need any more treatment. She was just weakened because her body used too much energy. After sleeping for seven days, her energy has returned."
"Oh! That's good news. Isn't it, Calida?" she asked with a sweet smile on her face. "Hmm... I wonder if Glaz could make some kind of magical device so you can communicate with us more easily? I don't understand much about those kinds of things, but I'm sure he can make an item that could work! We should go to his shop and ask."
Calida shook her head slightly in embarrassment. Then, she took a deep breath and brought her arms closer to her chest. A serious expression appeared on her face. She gathered her courage. With a quick movement, she lunged towards Eimme. Her arms wrapped around her neck. She placed a kiss on her cheek. Then, she quickly and panicky let go of Eimme. She moved towards the bed. Her face was bright red. It was obvious that the meaning of this small gesture was "Thank you." Everyone in the room was shocked by this event. Except for Emu and Luther. They were clearly expecting something like this to happen. They had a knowing smile on their faces. Both of their cheeks were slightly flushed.
But the truly strange thing was Eimme's reaction. Or rather, her lack of reaction. Because she was completely frozen. Her face had turned bright red. It was almost burning. She wasn't moving. She was stuck in a fixed state of shock. She was frozen.