Chapter 47
When Edward had fallen to ruin for one reason or another in the story’s late half.
It was Rosendal who, on his orders, had driven out the longtime loyal vassals of House Thesseron and its capable servants.
Rather than scold her straying master and point out his ruin, she was the kind who took even a ruined master as her fate and followed.
‘If I get on the wrong side of someone like this, things will be hard from now on.’
Tensing for no good reason, Lucy ended up hopping right out of Edward’s arms.
Edward’s face soured, but he still kept his hold on the nape of her neck, so she wouldn’t fall.
Rosendal, who had watched this with narrowed eyes, came toward the two of them.
“Your Grace. I have been waiting.”
“Mm.”
“Sir Tepe and Sir Gorgo have also just arrived. They tore their scrolls moments ago, it seems.”
“I see.”
“Shall we start with a meal…”
Rosendal, who had been speaking, flinched at the sight of Edward’s armor.
Then, with a hawk’s eye, she swept her gaze over his body.
“…It seems you must wash first.”
“It does.”
Edward slowly looked down at himself.
After cutting down the demonic beasts at the gate, he had left without so much as a rinse. The foul blood of the beasts coated his armor through and through.
At any other time, it was the sort of filth he would have washed off first, no matter what.
If it had splashed this far, it was likely on his hair and face too.
‘Though he’d still be handsome with it on.’
Even as he thought the simple truth, a sudden self-awareness began to prick at him.
“…”
“Y-Your Grace? Why are you looking at me like that…”
The Lucy he looked down at was hardly in a clean state herself.
She was already in grimy, sack-like clothes.
And now, maybe because the beast blood on him had smeared onto her, her worn garments had gone black and sticky all over.
One could say she looked like a sewer rat dunked in mud and rolled about.
Belatedly seeing this, Lucy, too, felt a bit of shame.
‘Of all times.’
Before Rosendal and the other ducal servants she needed to make a good mark on, not only had she been seen carried in by her master, but now she was greeting them in such a state.
She caught sight of a few servants muttering uneasily as they looked at her.
“Why has His Grace brought a vagrant like that with him?”
“You don’t think he had a sudden turn of heart and chose to do some good deed…?”
“Did you swallow poison or something?”
Even those whispers made sense to her.
‘Even I think I look…’
Like some beggar the duke had chanced to pick up off the street.
In any case, it seemed she’d left a poor mark in every way.
She felt her spirits sink from the very start.
‘…I wanted to become someone decent, at least from here on.’
Not like back in the shelter. Walking on eggshells all the time, looking like a useless spare mouth.
Lucy was just feeling a little low whenâ
“Washing first, then.”
“I will have the scented oils brought.”
Having plainly set washing before eating, Edward answered simply.
‘Then I’ll…’
Rosendal would likely take charge of her and show her around.
Lucy was quietly stepping back from Edward whenâ
“…And you too.”
Edward looked down at Lucy with a strange look.
“You’ll have to wash, too.”
Lucy slowly shut her eyes and opened them.
‘Meal, bath, or me… no, you?’
The words were just flashing through her head, foolish, whenâ
“Yes. Understood.”
Rosendal turned her head toward Lucy.
As though sizing up just what sort of stray thing her master had picked up.
“Take her too, and see that she is washed clean…”
She had just finished her look and opened her mouth to the maids.
“No.”
A firm, smooth voice cut through.
“There is no need for that.”
‘What?’
But you just said I had to wash too?
She didn’t even have the gap to bristle.
“I will wash her myself.”
Because Edward had dropped a bomb.
A stunned silence, thick with shock, fell heavy over all around them.
