‘Should I call this embarrassing, or absurd…?’

Aeli’s eyes trembled finely upon hearing the unexpected return schedule of Lutis.

When she had previously hinted and asked the child about it, she had received the same answer as these people.

That is, it would take several more years, so she couldn’t hear exactly when they would return right away.

The image of tilting her head saying she didn’t know well, then casually asking an unfamiliar servant and receiving a newspaper was still vivid in her eyes.

– …So who did what?

Cut off whose neck?

Like a farmer harvesting cherry tomatoes… just like that?

– …….

The servants passed by Aeli, who stood with her mouth open, at a loss for words, and left the annex. As they said, it was the master returning after several years, so the staff of the main house alone would not have been enough to hurriedly prepare.

It may have been different in the past, but that was the case now.

For some reason, even adding up the staff of the main house and the annex, the number didn’t even reach half of the servants Aeli had seen when she was alive.

So unless they were going to hire more, they would have had to gather everyone available.

– …So why?

Lutis’s sudden return. She could understand up to that point.

It’s not like wars proceed according to schedule, and it was often the case that predictions were off by several years.

It could also be that they were rushing home because they missed it, so that was fine too.

And leaving only enough staff to maintain the mansion?

Most servants are hired for the convenience of family members anyway, so if there are few members, there’s no need to keep many staff. So she could somehow understand that as well.

However….

“But is it okay for all of us to go like this?”

“Why?”

“The young master is in the annex. Shouldn’t at least a few people stay since he’s still young?”

“We’re just doing as we’re told from above. How is that our fault?”

“That’s right, he’s quiet anyway so it should be fine.”

However, there was clearly a child left in this mansion.

In a situation where the master and mistress were absent, the only person they had to serve was this one child.

“Well, I just saw that the security is still the same.”

“Then it’s fine.”

“Let’s hurry, we’ll really get scolded if we’re late.”

Does this even make sense?

A few more maids who came out of the annex moved in a group and disappeared from view.

What kind of servants in the world would abandon the master they should serve and all disappear?

Aeli couldn’t understand it at all.

As she lowered her head at the series of increasingly baffling events, a small flowerbed at her feet came into view.

…Come to think of it, I came out because of the promise with the child, right.

Aeli deliberately focused her eyes and examined the flowerbed. Of course there wouldn’t be any fairies, but she needed to think of something to say first-

‘……?’

Why is this here? Aeli, blinking her eyes quickly, lightly clicked her tongue.

– Did they redo the garden after I died?

Wildflowers that should only be found on roadsides were planted in neat rows.

Aeli’s eyes narrowed at the flowerbed that showed obvious signs of being managed, too blatant to have been mixed in by mistake.

‘If I remember correctly, there used to be rose vines here.’

It was then, as Aeli tilted her head in puzzlement.

Her gaze swept across the corner of the flowerbed, and her tilting head suddenly stopped.

The awkwardly empty corner that looked half-finished, and the pile of vines that seemed to have been moved nearby but not yet tidied up, looked just like-

– …This really does look unfinished.

It wasn’t just ‘looks like’, it was definitely unfinished.

Aeli let out a sigh at the pile of vines that gave off a bleak atmosphere, as if abandoned and left for quite some time.

Judging by the progress, it seemed to have been in the final stages.

‘If they had worked just one more day, it would have been more than enough to finish.’

The ambiguously unfinished state evoked an unpleasant feeling, like using the bathroom without wiping.

However, that was only for a moment, and the emotion that followed was, of course, anger.

Aeli’s hand, which had been hovering over the untouchable vine pile, curled into a fist.

That damned dereliction of duty was truly sickening. And since her body was a ghost, she couldn’t even chase them all out.

Aeli looked up at the main house garden faintly visible in the distance, then finally turned her back.

‘How annoying….’

Unlike this side, it was only gorgeous and beautiful.

“Ria!”

After forcibly calming her boiling insides.

As soon as she re-entered the attic, the child who had still been clinging to the window like a cicada suddenly raised his head and called her name.

– Mmm. Adi, were you okay?

Aeli, now quite accustomed to the child who had come right up to her nose, bent down to match his eye level and nodded.

As she pulled up the corners of her mouth to smile, a small dimple formed on one cheek of the child who was complaining that it had been more than 300 seconds.

“Did you see the fairy?”

– …….

“Did you see it?!”

– Ah, no? I think I went out too late and couldn’t see it. I guess they all went home today.

At Aeli’s answer, the white cheeks puffed up as if inflating a balloon.

Having stayed by the child’s side and observed for a time that was long if long and short if short, Aeli now knew what that reaction meant.

“No… fairy?”

– Mmhmm….

“…But there was one?”

– No, there just wasn’t any.

“……”

Ah, he’s sulking.

Aeli’s eyes rolled as the child let out a heavy sigh with an expression as if he had seen it all despite only living for a few years.

The sound of feet trudging back to the bed with slumped shoulders, showing clear disappointment, was adorable.

– Pfft…!

Because of that, laughter finally escaped through the gaps of Aeli’s lips, unable to hold it in.

The child’s eyes met Aeli’s as he turned around at the sound of her laughter.

– …….

“……”

A hellish silence flowed.

– …Ahem! Ah, is it because the weather hasn’t warmed up yet?

Don’t you think the room is a bit dry? The child’s sharp gaze pierced into Aeli as she clumsily tried to change the subject.

That just now was really a mistake. Feeling wronged, Aeli quietly averted her gaze.

Knock knock-

“Young master, I’m here. May I come in?”

It was then. Along with the sound of carefully knocking on the door, a familiar voice was heard.

The child reflexively turned his head towards the door and opened his mouth slightly.

“…Mari?”

“Yes. I’m sorry I’m late. I wanted to come quickly, but something came up…”

Aeli was surprised by the ensuing conversation. Mari, who she had been certain had returned to the Mason family after not being seen for over a month, was at the door.

Aeli, taken aback, looked back and forth between the child and the door with wide eyes. The flushed cheeks and sparkling eyes clearly showed that the child was quite happy right now.

What was unexpected was that the child, who had been stomping his feet as if about to rush to the door at any moment, suddenly shouted out loud?

“D-Don’t come in! I’m not going to open it, I’m angry! You didn’t even keep your promise…!”

– Oh my.

He was clearly sulking. Or in this case, should we say he was angry?

Mari seemed to know this as well, as an urgent voice continued from beyond the door.

“I saw it too! I said I’d come before the flowers bloomed, but on the way I saw that they had already all bloomed. You must have been waiting, young master. I’m really sorry I couldn’t keep my promise.”

“……”

“Actually, our departure was delayed more than expected, so I tried my best to take a shortcut by catching a carriage… but the road was rough and when it rained, the carriage wheels got stuck in a hole.”

“…You’re lying. It’s not raining outside right now?”

“Oh, really? It will probably rain here around dawn tomorrow too.”

“……”

“Still, I missed you so so much that I came straight here as soon as I arrived, without even changing my clothes. Are you really not going to open the door? I even brought dinner.”

The child’s eyes trembled finely at Mari’s words. He was clearly conflicted about whether to open the door after hearing all that.

Knowing that the very fact that he was conflicted meant his heart had already softened to some extent, Aeli decided to help a little.

She too missed Mari. And she knew that the glances constantly darting her way meant he wanted her to say the words he wanted to hear and encourage him.

Aeli turned her head towards the child and opened her mouth.

– Shall we open it?

The child pouted his lips and whined.

“…I’m not hungry right now.”

– But you still have to eat. Otherwise you’ll get skinny and won’t grow tall?

“……”

– If that happens, you’ll only be half my size even when you become an adult?

Or is it even smaller than that? As she tilted her head with an exaggeratedly inflected tone on purpose, the cheeks that had been diligently fed and plumped up over the past month twitched.

– Oh dear, what should we do, such a small baby can’t become a knight-

“A-After thinking about it again, I think I might be hungry.”

Aeli nodded slightly as she watched the back of his head, like a little black bean, dash towards the door.

The cramped room was only a few steps across for adults like Aeli and others, but it was different for the child.

When the child opened the door, Mari entered pulling a tray and began preparing the meal.

True to her earlier words, her shoulders were damp with moisture she hadn’t managed to shake off, as if it really had rained on the way and she had come straight without changing clothes.

“Wow! Young master, I think you’ve grown taller already? Your face has become even more handsome too. You’ve been eating well!”

“I’ve always been handsome.”

“Of course. As the son of our lady, you’re naturally very handsome. What I meant was that you were already handsome before, but now your face is glowing to the point where I can feel your holy power.”

Aeli chuckled at Mari, who was casually making statements that would surely make church officials roll their eyes.

Then her eyes widened at the glass jar placed in one corner of the tray.

Just then, Mari finished preparing the meal and placed the tray in front of the child, tapping the glass jar.

“I remembered the previous one had run out, so I bought some of the candy you like on my way back.”

“Huh? I, I can eat this?”

“As long as you keep eating your meals well like you have been. I’ll also tell you stories about the lady when you have candy.”

“Mmm… okay.”

The child nodded his head vigorously and gripped the spoon with a serious expression.

Judging by the familiar attitude of the two, this didn’t seem to be the first time this had happened.

Aeli, staring intently at the glass jar filled with colorful candies behind the child, thought to herself.

‘That’s… a specialty product of the Mason territory, isn’t it?’