27 — He’s Still Here

What did he just say? ...He’s really thrown me for a loop.

I wondered if I finally hit the hallucination stage of physical exhaustion. But when I looked around, Rohtas, Dahlia, and Mimosa were standing in shocked silence, too.

Ah, my old friend, Mr. Shock-and-Bewilderment.

“ ...Very well.” Rohtas recovered before the others.

There in the entrance, I heard a voice in my head yell, “Cercis Shift, Emergency Deployment! To your battlestations!”

The servants were waiting for a signal at the entrance even at this hour! Good job, everyone! This is a different routine than usual, though, so will they be able to pull it off?

“Are you going to turn in already?” Mr. Fisalis asked, turning his gaze from Rohtas to me. I had been absentmindedly listening to the two of them talk when, out of nowhere, I was met with a pair of dark brown eyes... and then I awoke from my apparent daydream.

“Er, yes. I am quite tired.”

Let me go, alread— Ahem.

Er, I mean, I thought we completed that side quest already.

I cocked my head in doubt, wondering what he could possibly come out of his mouth next.

“I see. I was going to have some tea made for us, is all. Ah, well, it is rather late. We’ll leave that for later, then. Have a good night.” Mr. Fisalis smiled gently. Then he turned to Rohtas and told him, “Rohtas, prepare the tea just for me, then.”

I wanted to speak to Dahlia, so I inched over to where she was waiting. “Will you be alright on Cercis Shift?” I whispered in her ear while Mr. Fisalis’ attention was elsewhere.

“I dare say we will. I spotted several servants heading upstairs out of the corner of my eye,” she answered, hushed.

“I’m so relieved that you waited for us as usual.”

Our servants never fail to impress me. They do excellent work.

“Think nothing of it.”

“Is something the matter?”

I realized Mr. Fisalis was staring at us with a look of suspicion.

“Oh, uh, nothing! I was just asking Dahlia if she could prepare a hot bath for me! Ah ha ha ha.” I laughed awkwardly. Use Secret Technique: Forced Laughter!

“Very well, then. Have a good night.”

“Good night to you, too.”

I wasn’t about to turn down the offer to go straight to bed, considering how utterly wiped out I was, so I headed up to my room with Dahlia and Mimosa.

“What a shock that was. We had to assemble the troops all over again because he made another impulsive decision!”

I took off my combat gear—I mean, my formal wear—took a hot bath, and once I was changed into my nightclothes and completely refreshed, dove into my bed with a soft fwump. That bed got a ten out of ten for softness. I was well aware that it was bad manners, but neither Dahlia nor Mimosa bothered chiding me about it anymore. Sometimes you just have to give in to immaturity, right? Both the sofa and the bed in here feel so good that I’ve gotten into the bad habit of rolling around and messily sprawling out on them.

More like writhing in mental anguish, most of the time, really, but that’s a different story.

“You’re telling me. My mind went totally blank for a split second.”

“Same here,” Dahlia and Mimosa scoffed.

“I can’t even begin to understand why, but he’s been acting so out of the ordinary lately, hasn’t he?” I asked the two of them as I made myself comfortable in bed.

“More like ‘crazy,’” Mimosa added.

“And it’s been ongoing, too, his unexpected behavior.” Dahlia agreed. Their replies suggested that they, too, were trying to make sense of his intentions.

“Could the fighting with his girlfriend be making the situation worse?”

Based on what I’ve heard from his personal maids, Miss Calendula has a terrible temper. He could at least try to patch things up with her by eating dinner with her every day...but he’s shown no sign that he even wants to, and is in fact spending more and more time at the main house.

“We have never had an issue like this until now...” Dahlia said.

“We had no involvement with what went on in the cottage,” added Mimosa.

“Do you think Mr. Fisalis is even interested in reconciling with his girlfriend? It sure seems like being here so frequently is only going to complicate things even more.”

“It does seem that way,” Mimosa agreed.

“It’s possible, however, that he has some plan in mind. I couldn’t say for sure, though, without seeing more.”

“Right. I agree, Dahlia,” I said, with a yawn. “It sure has been a long day. I hope I’ll be able to get out of bed tomorrow morning. Wait... is Mr. Fisalis going to eat breakfast with me?”

It would make sense to assume that he’d eat breakfast here if he’s staying the night.

“Most likely,” Dahlia nodded. “Did you have something else in mind, Madam?”

“ ...it would give a bad impression if I didn’t.”

I could always ‘oversleep’ by accident. I looked to Dahlia with upturned eyes.

“Well, I suppose there is no point in forcing yourself...” Dahlia said with a sour smile.

I knew it.

“ ...okay, I’ll eat with him... That means I won’t get my precious breakfast with all of you though! Wehhh! And at a time when I can’t eat dinner with you, either! In that case, Dahlia, will you tell Cartham that I’ll be waiting for my usual servants’ lunch, then? Pretty please?”

I have so much fun hurrying to breakfast in the morning, wondering what far-off region our food will hail from that day! It’s so tragic that I’m losing my special time to sit down and eat with everyone!

“Certainly, Madam.”

I sighed. “It’s so late already. I’ll see you in the morning.”

It’s way past my bedtime. I already feel bad for making all the servants, not just Dahlia and Mimosa, work overtime.

“Sleep well, Madam.”

“Good night.”

They both bowed and left the room.

I’ll have to wear my wife clothes tomorrow, so I better make sure I don’t forget and put on my uniform!

Is everything going alright with Miss Calendula? I haven’t the slightest clue what goes on at the cottage, but I’d at least like to ask her to not bring their problems over here.

I’m all worn out for today though. Both my physical and mental stamina have been worn paper thin after all that socializing. The party tonight might as well have been my second formal debut.

I was basically a wallflower at the few social events I was able to attend back when I was poor, since I was so out of the loop. There wasn’t a lot of talking or dancing at those parties, anyway, which made them a people-watching paradise. But now that my circumstances—or heck, my whole fate—have changed and I’m part of the inner circle, parties leave me exhausted!

It’s so nice to be in bed... zzzzzz.

I fell into such a deep sleep that I didn’t even dream, and awoke to a fresh, new morning and the sound of birds chirping as they flew by.

I was impressed that I was able to wake up at almost the same time I normally did.

Dahlia and Mimosa hadn’t come to wake me up yet, so I pulled the covers over my head and let myself go back to sleep. Some time later, there was a light knock on my door and the two of them entered.

“Good morning, Madam,” they said in unison.

“Morning.”

While Dahlia draped a stole over my shoulders, Mimosa disappeared gleefully into my dressing room. It was clear she was excited because I wouldn’t be wearing my uniform today.

“What are Mr. Fisalis’ plans for today?” I asked Dahlia, figuring I had better check ahead of time.

“He will be eating breakfast here and then leaving for work.”

I could tell by her unhurried, measured answer that the Cercis Shift was already well underway.

Just my luck.

Of course, it was too much to ask for her to tell me he’d left in the wee hours of the morning for an early shift.

“Alright. I’ll be down to the dining room when I’m done getting ready,” I answered back to Dahlia’s reflection in the mirror as I took a seat in front of my vanity.

When I was finished, I went to the dining room. Just as I was taking my seat at the table, Mr. Fisalis came in.

“Good morning.”

“Good morning.”

He was already wearing his knight uniform. I guess he had an extra one ready here for him.

His crisp uniform only amplified his already dashing appearance. Having only seen him at night, for the most part, he looked quite different in the bright sunlight.

“Is something the matter?” he inquired, having taken his seat without me noticing.

Danger, danger!

I must’ve been staring at him for way too long. I’m a total weirdo.

I’ve gotta master his talent for checking someone out without looking like a creep!

“I was just thinking that while you do look wonderful in your formal clothes, you look even better in your casual attire.”

He gave me an astonished look that I took to mean ‘what did she just say?’ the moment I let those unfiltered words spill out of my mouth. But once the words sunk in, I guess, his expression shifted to one of easy astonishment.

It was then that our breakfasts were brought in.

Yes, plural. Breakfasts.

I had completely forgotten about it ever since I had done away with the old breakfast menu, but Mr. Fisalis’ breakfast (and mine today as well, apparently) was basically a buffet!

...I can’t get out of eating this, can I?