✦✦✦Idle Asides, No. 3: A Performance Review? — from Cercis’ Perspective✦✦✦

I was struck with the idea to replace the broken vase that had once stood in the entryway with a plant from the greenhouse, transplanted into a fancy pot, so I got one ready while Viola was at her parents’ house. Bellis had remembered an old pot that wasn’t being used and suggested that one, which turned out to be a success. I asked for Viola’s opinion when we were done, just in case, and she was even happier than I’d anticipated.

I headed back to my room to get ready for work with Viola’s smile, itself like a blossoming flower, in the back of my mind, but when I opened the door Rohtas was there waiting for me, with a dark smile on his face.

...What’s with his creepy aura? And here I was in a great mood after I managed to make Viola happy. Am I not allowed to smile? Is that it? Are you going to be pissy and ask, “Are you certain that smiling like a fop is truly becoming of a man in your position?” or something? I can’t help it if I smile. Viola’s just that cute.

“What are you doing here, Rohtas?” I asked, shooting him a quizzical look.

“Did Madam like her present?” he replied.

“Yes, of course. Good thing you told me she likes pretty flowers.”

“I see. So our information was useful to you, then?”

“Yeah. So what are you doing in my room?” I asked again, trying to get to the heart of the matter. You couldn’t have been waiting here for me just to ask me that.

Rohtas’ smile remained in place as he started to speak again.

“This is merely something I heard from Dahlia and Mimosa, but...”

I’m getting a bad feeling about this.

“They said you let yourself into Madam’s room this morning.”

Grrr. So you heard.

“I can understand wanting to show off your present, but do you perhaps think it might’ve been a better idea to, shall we say, wait it out until you came home from work?” he asked coolly.

“But I wanted to show it to her earlier!” I sulked.

“Be that as it may, did you see no issue in barging into a lady’s room like that?”

“Bu—But she’s my wife!”

“On paper, she is.”

“Oof.” Rohtas’ words were like a bullet to the chest.

I want to cry.

“And I’m trying my hardest to change that!” I fired back, not letting him see how what he said hurt me.

“May I humbly suggest a more... wholesome approach, Master,” he replied, casually dodging and firing back one of his own.

Mayday, mayday, mayday.

“...I just wanted to see what she looked like asleep,” I sulked, now in a bad mood.

Rohtas said nothing, just stared back at me dumbfounded.

“We slept in the same room when my parents were here, but I wasn’t really interested in her back then, and didn’t see what she looked like. Looking back on it, I couldn’t help but feel like I missed a perfect opportunity.”

“...Master?”

“...Yes?”

“Common sense is an invaluable trait.”

“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind from now on.”