9 — What Mr. Fisalis Knew at That Time

A few days after the knightly invasion:

“I know it’s short notice, but I’ll be leaving tomorrow on a business trip,” Mr. Fisalis suddenly informed me upon his return home from work.

“Huh? A business trip?” I cocked my head.

This really is short notice.

“Yes. I’ll be gone for about two weeks, so please take care of things around here.”

His beautiful brown eyes—narrowed as if the mere thought of being away for so long was painful— gazed deeply into my own.

Sure, no problem! Just stop looking at me like that.

Whenever he’s had a business trip before, Rohtas was the one who informed me after he left—if I was informed at all. So why is he telling me himself now? Is he going to a new post? And then he tells me to look after the manor while he’s away.

That’s how it always went; that was our “business as usual.”

There was little else I could do at that point except be confused, but I replied, “Of course. It’s no problem! I have Rohtas, Dahlia, and Mimosa, so it’s not as though I’ll be lonely!” How could I be lonely when I have the servants here with me? Or should I say, I still haven’t completely adjusted to you being here at all, I mumbled to myself.

Mr. Fisalis only gave me a vague little smile in response to my cheerful, reassuring reply.

I am so jealous that he’s got the kind of bone structure that makes even the vaguest of smiles look great!

“...Right. I asked Rohtas and Dahlia, as well, so you don’t have to worry.”

“Understood!”

Let me just show you out... with a huge grin on my face!

In the Two Weeks that Followed:

I was living my servant life to the fullest, just as I had been doing back before Mr. Fisalis and Miss Calendula split.

Doing the cleaning and washing, decorating.

Pulling weeds and tending the flowers in the garden.

All three meals were like a global food festival and, of course, I ate them all happily with the servants in their dining hall!

I had gotten several invites to tea parties and the like, but Rohtas made for a great filter. He always told me, “I believe it would be in your interest not to go to these,” before replying to them all that Mr. Fisalis was busy and that we would be unable to attend. I was never terribly sociable, so turning them down was a relief.

I very much enjoyed those peaceful days, and in the blink of an eye it seemed my sad days were in the past.

And then, before I knew it, those two weeks had passed, as well.

“Good day, Madam!”

Rohtas had called me to the entryway, where a guest had just arrived. It was the dashing, blonde lady knight I had met earlier.

“Oh, hello!”

She looks as awe-inspiringly beautiful today as ever. I wonder if she’s on an errand.

The regal knight bowed to me with one hand on her breast as I stood admiring her beauty.

“I’ve come to deliver a message. The special division completed our mission without incident, so the troops are expected to return to the capital this evening,” she informed me.

She came all this way just to relay this message. I guess this means that Mr. Fisalis will come home after he finishes his report at the royal palace.

“So Mr. Fisalis will be going straight to the palace, then?”

We had dinner prep to consider, so I wanted to confirm my assumption with her.

“Affirmative. The commander will report immediately to the palace for debriefing. Following that, there will be a simple celebratory dinner, after which the commander will likely return home.”

“I understand. Thank you for coming all this way, even though I’m sure you’re exhausted.”

“That is all, then. I’ll take my leave now,” she excused herself before gallantly striding out of the entryway.

“She said they’re having a small banquet. If that’s the case, I wonder when Mr. Fisalis will actually be home,” I said to Dahlia as I picked up some fabric and a needle to work on another patchwork project.

“Probably in the wee hours of the morning, as usual,” she replied.

“Hmm, I don’t think I’ll be able to stay awake until then...”

After I had dinner with the servants, I waited in my room for Mr. Fisalis to come home. Even though I didn’t know when that would be, the thought of just going to sleep before he was back seemed rude.

Because I was busy every day, my internal clock had me getting up early and going to bed early. I wasn’t exactly proud of it, but I really wasn’t made for all-nighters.

“Why don’t you nap for a while? I’ll wake you if Master returns.”

“I dunno... If I let myself do that, I won’t be able to fall asleep later.”

As I was thinking over my options... knockknockknock! There came a hurried rapping on the door.

Without so much as waiting for a response, a voice called through, “It’s Mimosa. Madam! Master has arrived home!” At which point Dahlia opened the door and Mimosa came tumbling in.

“Whaaat!? It’s not that late, is it?

“No, it’s not.” Dahlia must have been surprised too, as this was the first time I’d ever seen her looking so dumbfounded.

“I mean, I only just ate dinner.”

“That’s right.”

Way to catch us off guard, Mr. Fisalis! ...ahem.

If he really is home, I’ve got to hurry if I’m going to greet him! At least my worries about staying up all night are on hold, for now.

“Shouldn’t he be at the palace banquet right about now, though?” I asked Mimosa as we scurried to the entryway.

“Apparently he didn’t go to it for some reason,” she replied, to my surprise.

“What!? They’d let him do that!?”

If it’s being held at the royal palace, that means the king or the military is hosting it—Mr. Fisalis’ superiors, in either case. Is he even allowed to skip out, then?

I couldn’t help but be shocked at his choice of actions.

“I don’t know...”

“Oh, sorry, I don’t know why I thought you would.”

There isn’t anything we could do about it, anyway, now that he’s home.

We rushed on to the entrance.

Mr. Fisalis was just as gorgeous as he was when I last saw him two weeks prior, but I could sense a certain weariness emanating from him. Maybe it was the way his usually silky brown hair was in slight disarray, or how he had sloppily unbuttoned his uniform, or maybe he was simply worn out.

Despite all that, he still looked great.

“Welcome home!” I called to him as I ran over to where he was talking with Rohtas.

No sooner did he say, “It’s so good to be back! Are you well, Viola?” than my vision suddenly went dark.

“Wha—What are you doing? Mr. Fisalis!?”

That’s right.

The cause of the darkness was Mr. Fisalis abruptly pulling me into a hug.

I can’t keep doing this, guys.

Maybe he’s just out of it from exhaustion?

Whatever the reason, his sudden embrace had me flustered.

“I made it back! Ahh, I missed your scent. So this is what coming home is supposed to feel like! I wanted to see you so badly that I finished my report as fast as I could and didn’t even go to the banquet!” he smiled as he gazed at me, loosening his grasp on me slightly.

Are you going to get in trouble for that, though?

“No, wa—wait a minute! You didn’t even make an appearance?”

“Oh, it’s fine! I was tired from the trip and not exactly in the best shape to go to a party.”

Liar.

‘Not in the best shape’ my butt! You seem full of energy to me.

“Not to mention, my subordinates were all utterly exhausted too, so the banquet was moved to a later date.”

Oh, so you all boycotted the party.

Still, I’m relieved to hear that he didn’t neglect a duty.

“I—I see... So you still haven’t eaten supper, then, have you?”

If the banquet was canceled, I mean.

“Er, yes. I couldn’t bear another second of not being able to—”

“I’ll have Cartham prepare something right away!”

I just had to stop him when it sounded like he was going to say something questionable. Trust me!

I didn’t bother trying to be ladylike as I unglued his arms from around my body.

“Wait here, please!” I ordered, shoving him into the salon. He hung his head as if dejected, but I wasn’t sure why.

On my way to the kitchen to find Cartham, just as I turned into the corridor outside of the salon where I had deposited Mr. Fisalis I quite literally ran into the man himself.

“Speak of the devil! Why aren’t you in the kitchen?”

“I had just gone to my room for something, but then Dahlia called for me, so I’m on my way now. She said that Master is back earlier than anticipated, no?” he replied with a wink.

Do you really have to wink every dang time you see me? Oh well, that’s just a Classic Cartham Move, so I can’t say it bothers me anymore.

“He is, so we need to get dinner ready for him—fast. Can you do that, even at this hour?”

No one (including me) had had a formal dinner that night, so I was concerned about whether Cartham could pull it off, but he answered in his typical fashion.

“Bien sûr, I have plenty of time! Just give me a few moments, if you please, Madame!” he said with a charming smile before quickly taking my hand and planting a little kiss on the back, suave as ever. I used to shriek and turn as red as a tomato when he did that, but at that point, I didn’t even bat an eye.

I guess I’m not so easily embarrassed anymore. Not that that’s something to be sad about.

“I’m sorry for dropping this on you so suddenly. I’m counting on y—” I said, leaving Mr. Fisalis’ dinner to him without so much as acknowledging his little greeting.

“Viola? Who’re you talk— Wha... Cartham! What do you think you’re doing!?” It was Mr. Fisalis, sticking his head out of the salon. I watched as his face morphed from its usual composed expression in the first half of his speech, to one of raw, unveiled emotion in the second half. What Mr. Fisalis had seen so vividly was the exact second that Cartham took my hand and kissed it! In mere milliseconds, Mr. Fisalis’ gaze turned into a sharp glare that promised certain, painful death.

“Ma... Master!”

The aura of danger pouring off of Mr. Fisalis did not diminish even when Cartham ran over and addressed him, flustered to the point of stuttering. Mr. Fisalis’ heavy glare settled squarely on the chef.

“Viola is my wife. That makes her your superior. How dare you put your hands on your superior like that!” he spat at Cartham in a voice so icy that it felt like everything around us froze.

This is a bit much for a simple misunderstanding, don’t you think!?

That’s what both Cartham and I were thinking, judging by our reaction to Mr. Fisalis’ outrage.

“Huh!? You can’t mean that!” we exclaimed in unintentional, yet perfect harmony with one another.

“Wha—? Why are you standing up for him!?” Mr. Fisalis’ dagger-like gaze was now pointed straight at me.

Don’t turn on me just for defending him! He’s the one you’re mad at, anyway! But then again, the fact that Cartham and I had the same response probably just added fuel to his fire.

A handsome person sure is impressive when angered, though, and I felt a chill run down my spine. Regardless, Mr. Fisalis had clearly misunderstood what was happening.

“I’m not defending Cartham! You’ve just got the wrong idea!” I said, staring back into Mr. Fisalis’ formidably glinting brown eyes.

“How can you say that so with such certainty?” he replied, even louder than before and very unhappy at the prospect that I was defending Cartham. I knew I wasn’t in the wrong, though, so I stood my ground!

“Because Cartham is married to Dahlia! He doesn’t see me that way!”

“...Huh?”

“‘Huh?’”

Wow, what a clever reply, Mr. Fisalis.

The tense atmosphere vanished as Mr. Fisalis stared blankly, mouth slightly ajar at my response and I did the same back to him.

What a pair of geniuses we are today... He couldn’t possibly, could he?

Thinking that he, in fact, possibly could, I gingerly asked in very simple terms, “...Did... Did you not know that Cartham and Dahlia are married?”

“...Really? ...No, I didn’t know.” Mr. Fisalis awkwardly shifted his gaze from me to Cartham.

“You were still small when Dahlia and I got married, Master,” Cartham said in what seemed like Mr. Fisalis’ defense, but I wasn’t done with Mr. Fisalis yet!

“That’s just how Cartham shows affection—it’s a simple greeting! Nothing more, nothing less! Sure, it flustered me the first time he did it, but none of the ladies here take it the wrong way.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, yes it is!” I replied, feeling almost proud, for some reason.

Once he was done staring at me, Mr. Fisalis’ gaze turned to Cartham once again.

“Alright. Oh, and Cartham...”

“Yes, Master?” the chef politely cast his eyes downward and bowed slightly. This seemed to please Mr. Fisalis, because he then said, flatly:

“No more ‘affection’ with Viola from now on.”

Cartham’s face lit up in relief and he immediately replied, “Yes, sir! Thank you, sir!”

I don’t really understand why Cartham was smiling when he replied, but what he left unsaid was still clear: I promise to keep my hands to myself.