* * *
Early in the morning, the butler and I were riding in a carriage and heading to the church without saying a word.
"Hey!"
The groom of the stables pulled the reins hard, and the horses galloped forward, trotting powerfully.
"Did you sleep well last night?"
"yes yes!"
Thinking about the aroma candle the butler had lit yesterday, I thought that he secretly wanted to show off to me. A person who likes to brag about what he has done. I opened my mouth, thinking that the butler was one of those people.
"Thanks to you, I was able to sleep well even though I was sick."
"...okay."
The butler looked at him with a look of incomprehension, but he thought that he seemed like the type of person who awkwardly accepted compliments.
"Please get off."
After quite some time, I felt the coachman slowing down the horses. The friction noise of the wheels turning became more frequent, and when it completely disappeared, I quickly grabbed the handle of the carriage door and opened the door. I just thought it was not right for a butler, who was above me, to open the door.
"You don't have to go that far when your arms aren't even healthy."
"Oh, no. Of course I..."
"You are like the young lady's private property. I am just a servant to the count. If the young lady's private property with an injured arm is overworked and the injury gets worse, it is only my responsibility. When you are a patient, it is better to receive help from those around you like a patient."
The butler's words were soft, but the first thing he said, "private property," lingered in my ears. That word sounded more like "servant" than...something else.
"Ah, the manager of the Deckard Count has arrived."
A welcoming church with open arms. A woman in a sister's outfit who looked a bit older, and the deaconess was politely holding her hands behind her back and chatting with each other.
"What are we doing today..."
"There's a sick person in the family."
"Oh my... no way..."
The butler looked at me for a moment, then smiled quietly.
"Come in. The Church of St. Triana welcomes you."
"thank you."
I also nodded quickly and went inside.
"You can receive treatment over there."
Even though it wasn't the weekend, I saw quite a few people coming in to pray. It was strange to see people who seemed to be ordinary believers quietly bowing their heads and praying for themselves, even though no one was giving instructions.
"Okay, patient, please follow me."
Most churches also serve as healing centers, and ordinary sisters who cannot handle the power of God run healing centers or orphanages, and it is said that believers who have accomplished great things over a long period of time receive the power of God and have the power to heal others.
"This way."
This is not an ordinary treatment center where many people are injured, but rather a place where you can receive the power of miracles performed by priests who use the power of God, which only high-ranking people can use. As I entered the place where the wooden sign that said "Relief" was hanging, one sister looked at me with surprised eyes.
"Huh? Are you sick?"
"Yes... that's right, but..."
"Please sit over here, my lord."
I think he was surprised that a person dressed as a servant would never enter this sanitarium. Usually, nobles, high-ranking officials, or knights dressed in expensive clothes would come there to receive treatment, but they would not pay a lot of money to receive treatment for an ordinary fracture like mine.
"What is your name?"
"yes?"
"I need to fill out the guestbook."
"Ah... my name is Tir. I don't have a last name."
From the beginning, he lived as an orphan and had no last name. Even though he was given an unfamiliar job, he returned with a kind face like a veteran and wrote down his name.
"Are you from the Deckard family?"
"Yes, yes... how about that."
"Ah! That...isn't it."
How did he know I was Count Decker? I was just wearing a plain black servant's uniform with no special features.
"Then, can you show me the injured area?"
Slowly remove the bandage and reveal your swollen wrist.
"Hmm...yes. Fortunately, it seems like there are no broken bones."
A white light poured out from her hand, and she ran her hand around my wrist a few times before opening her mouth. Could this be the power given by God that I had only heard of?
"It's just that the muscles and ligaments were shocked, and the bones were cleanly misaligned... It's okay to leave it alone."
How can I get the bones to come out cleanly?
"Is that so..."
"Your wrist here."
She slowly took my wrist in her hand. I felt the white light coming from her hand slowly envelop my wrist and enter it.
'Chaeng-grang!!!!'
At that moment, a breaking sound came from outside. It wasn't the sound of an ordinary glass breaking, but the sound of something huge falling and shattering.
"What...is going on?"
A shivering sister comes in and whispers to the sister who was treating the patient in front of her.
"ah..."
Her face turned into a thoughtful look.
"I'm sorry. For now, we'll just give you this much treatment and then find another priest."
"yes yes?"
For now, I nodded my head in agreement. After that, a male priest came in in a hurry and said, "You said the injured area was your wrist, right?" and grabbed her wrist and started treating it.
"It's done."
With the bride's last words, I was able to leave the caregiver's room.
"What happened?"
I asked the butler as he approached. The butler smiled as if nothing had happened and told me to be reassured.
"It's nothing. It's just a problem that arose because we didn't discuss it properly."
"...yes?"
"You won't have any problems this time."
Those words suddenly reminded me of Noel, and I got goosebumps.
'no way...'
The butler greets the older sister who is running towards him more urgently than before.
"Then let's go, Sister."
"Oh, this won't happen again. I swear."
"Yes, please."
They hurried out of the church and boarded the carriage.
"..."
"Your face doesn't look very good?"
How could it be good? The words and actions of the butler, and the reactions of the sisters. And even the sound of something breaking loudly.
"I said that because something seemed strange."
"Well, don't worry. What happened today wasn't our fault."
I wanted to ask what was wrong, but I had no choice but to lower my head as his mouth was tightly shut, as if telling me not to ask any more questions. After that, the two of them returned to the Count's house without saying a word.
"It's breakfast time for you, miss... but I went to get my wound treated, so it won't be a problem if I'm late. I'll tell you that I changed the breakfast menu to brunch, so you'll understand."
The butler offered me a tray. I thought it would be better to tell the other servants to bring the breakfast menu, but I accepted the tray, expecting the butler to say something obvious like, "It's the duty of a dedicated servant."
'No way, because of the hand the sister held at church...'
How could that be? The conversation with the maids yesterday was something that anyone in this household could have figured out with a little investigation. However, I thought that there would be no problem with the treatment with Sister at the church as long as the deacon kept quiet. The deacon had been standing in front of me since I got off the carriage, so Noel would not know about it.
'Knock! Knock!'
The fist that knocks on the door feels unusually heavy.
"Come in."
Slowly go inside with the tray.
"Noel... I brought you brunch. I'm sorry I couldn't give you breakfast... I was at church."
"I know, so it's okay."
The smiling girl. She was wearing a white see-through slip just like yesterday.
'Should I tell you that you're embarrassed...?'
You might think that the exclusive servant is trying to please her master. Carefully, as if he were a machine, he places a tray on her table to please her.
"..."
In front of my eyes was a black silk blue jean dress that I hadn't seen yesterday. From the knowledge I had gathered while picking the pockets of girls who often go out, it was definitely... a dress that could be considered a girls' activity uniform. Why was it hanging on the chair next to the table where the tray was placed?
'wrinkles...'
Having been a thief for a long time, I could tell that the dress had been used. Until yesterday, all she had worn was a white lace dress and the light blue see-through slip she was wearing now... She had never worn a black blue jean dress.
"Do you want to eat together this time too?"
"...yes."
I couldn't refuse. The tray contained milk, coffee, which was imported from a foreign country known to be expensive, bacon, egg tarts, and some fruit.
"Is your wrist better?"
"Yes, yes! I'm done!"
"It looks like the church treated you well."
She smiles and looks at her left wrist.
"Sit down."
She offered me the chair next to her. I quickly sat down and watched her expression.
"For future treatment, if you contact the church, a priest will come out."
"yes?"
"There's no need to go to church."
I wondered if she was upset that I had given her a late brunch instead of breakfast. Her expression was too blank and expressionless to suggest otherwise.
"yes..."
"Are you relieved?"
"yes?"
"How were the sisters?"
My heart pounded and fell. Yesterday, I felt deep in my bones what would happen if I met a woman even a little bit. It wasn't a joke or a metaphor, it was a real bone-chilling sensation. The bones in my left hand ached at every word I said.
"..."
"Don't worry, it's no count this time."
She knew. And the black blue jean dress draped in front of her eyes. Was she following her? I don't know why, but what if she had done it herself?
'Oh, no. I'm sure it was just a guess.'
She may have worn the blue jean dress she had prepared in advance several times, leaving traces of use. She may have hung it on a chair in front of me to test me.
'How should I answer?'
I feel like I've been caught in a high-level psychological warfare. I'm reminded of the speech given by the old man who became a total loser and was drunk, who said that a poker face is important when gambling.
'Calm down. Calm down...'
Look at her expression. And the word "no count" could mean forgiveness, but... if you believe it as it is, you don't know what the result will be...
"I... received treatment from a priest at church."
"huh?"
"Nothing happened with the sisters."
"lie."
Her eyes are looking at me. Those creepy eyes I saw yesterday. Those eyes are like a giant black snake that is about to swallow me, strangling me. Those purple jewel-like eyes make me stiffen, and her silky hair seems to be squeezing me like Arachne's web.
"That, that..."
"I'm okay with other people lying."
Slowly she grabs my left arm.
"But, I can't forgive the lies you tell me..."
It's broken, it's broken. I thought the pain would come. I closed my eyes tightly in regret.
"sorry!!!"
When I opened my eyes again, her hand was still on my wrist, but nothing had happened.
"Do you like bacon?"
The fork in her hand held bacon. A peaceful late morning. She was holding my wrist with one hand, and I was tasting the bacon as she slid the fork... It was just a sunny and peaceful brunch. I finished my meal and returned the tray.
"Hmm, the young lady is going out today, so I would like you to follow her as her attendant."
The butler's words ring in my ears.
"...yes."
"That's fortunate."
What a blessing. The butler stared blankly at my wrist and then got up.
.
"let's go."
Noel smiles and holds out her hand to me. She asks me to escort her. I lower my head as if embarrassed, while numerous servants and knights watch.
"No, Noel. Others are watching too."
"What does it matter if my exclusive servant escorts me that day?"
"...yes."
He takes her raised hand and guides her to the carriage. She is wearing a white, arched tiara dress, not the black-and-blue dress that shows signs of having been worn before.
'She looks like a bride.'
She looked like she was wearing a bridal dress that a noble lady would wear at a wedding.
"Why are you looking so intently?"
"Ah, no. Young-ae... no, Noel-sama."
The coachman who had been squealing loudly earlier was now just talking as if he wasn't even breathing. He had even locked the door connecting the coachman's seat and the inside of the carriage, giving the impression that he didn't care about the inside. I thought that the status difference between the butler, the chief steward, and Noel might be different, so they might be treated differently.
"Is there a place you want to go?"
"Oh, no."
"Where did you live before?"
"yes?"
"Shouldn't we stop by the slum village on the hill where we used to live?"
At that moment, I felt goosebumps all over my body. I couldn't explain it... I felt like a bird caught in a trap.
"How... do that..."
She smiles. Beautifully, like a goddess, or like a jewel.
"Why is that?"
The sight of her giggling and laughing as if she was teasing a mischievous child was another work of art that was enough to drive me into a state of fear.
* * *