26 — Suspicion

I had gone back to my room, but the maids’ pretend playback of my showdown with Miss Calendula left me feeling positively drained and dejected. I approached my bed, shuffling my feet and slumped in exhaustion like some sort of zombie and performed my slowest cannonball to date. I hoped its silky, fluffy embrace would recharge my battery.

First things first: relaaax. Better not get too comfortable, though, or else I’ll never get out.

Just as I was really feeling the magic healing powers of my thousand thread count sheets and down pillows, I heard Dahlia call out to me somewhat anxiously.

“Don’t be discouraged, Madam. Rohtas is looking into it as we speak.”

I wasn’t sure if I felt discouraged so much as...

I just want to be left alone for a little while longer. I suddenly have a lot on my mind, is all. I can’t relax out there knowing all the maids and servants are scrutinizing me.

I wanted a place where I could be alone, and for a split second I even considered running away. A lightbulb went off in my head.

Wait a second... I do have a place like that! The cottage! It’s been updated specifically to suit my tastes, and Mr. Fisalis said I could use it however I liked. Even Mother Fisalis said that it’s okay to hide away sometimes.

It’s perfect for someone like me who needs an escape but has nowhere to go. There’s a bed there that’s just as comfy as this one, and if I get sick of thinking, I’ve even got a bunch of books nearby! Allons-y!

Once I had made up my mind to do that, everything else sort of just fell into place.

I squirmed out of bed and told Dahlia (who was waiting nearby), “I’m going to the cottage for a little bit. I’d like to be left alone for a while.”

Dahlia did not try to stop me, only raising her eyebrows ever so slightly and quickly replying, “Very well. I’ll go with you to prepare some tea and sweets.”

And so I set out for the cottage with Dahlia after I changed out of my uniform and into a casual dress.

The cottage was well-kept by the maids with not a speck of dust to be found and ready to be used at any time. Wow, the servants don’t miss a thing! There I was, applauding, all by myself in the cottage.

The tradesman’s arrival this morning had been like a bomb detonating in the manor, but I’ve only just eaten lunch, so it’s still a bit early for tea. My afternoons are usually spent wandering around the manor or pulling weeds in the garden, but I just don’t have the motivation to do either today.

Bad days happen even to the best of us, I thought to myself. I’ll just suck it up and stay inside.

Dahlia seemed worried while she was there, but briskly prepared the tea without a peep nonetheless.

“It’s good to get away and relax by yourself sometimes. I can bring you your dinner here, if you’d like, just ask,” she said before quietly taking her leave.

It’s been a long time since I felt truly alone. Ever since I came to this manor, someone’s always been nearby, and not just Dahlia or Mimosa. This is how I like it best, I thought, relieved.

I plopped down—I mean, carefully sat down on the sofa and took a deep breath, trying to take advantage of the solitude.

I know I said it’s still too early for tea, but Dahlia took the time to make it for me, and I really just want to relax.

Deciding I’d like a drink, I spotted the tea set Dahlia had prepared for me and saw that she had brought several kinds of black, herbal, and medicinal teas. I wasn’t sure why she brought medicinal teas, but the fact that she’d carefully considered my preferences when selecting the others made me feel warm inside. It felt like a motherly thing to do, and I hadn’t felt that feeling in a long time. No, my real mom was never this considerate. At best she’d just laugh if off and tell me to go to bed if I was so stressed.

I chose a chamomile and boiled some water.

There, I can think things over while I drink it. Oh, I know! A siesta! (Like mother, like daughter, I guess.)

I began to make my tea.

So he bought a little villa and has a young mistress there? I thought older women were his type, but one can always broaden their horizons.

If the rumor turns out to be true, Mr. Fisalis has been very diligent. He’d have to have been stopping to meet this mistress in secret on the way home from work.

“...But when has he had the time to do that?”

Since breaking up with Miss Calendula, he comes straight home nearly every day and on the few days off he’s had, he’s been at the manor or out on a da— Ahem, taking me shopping. We haven’t gone to any evening parties lately, either (besides those two a while back, thank goodness). Could he be like one of those fathers who say, “I’ll be back in a while, I’m going out hunting,” but he’s really going to meet a clandestine lover? ....Hmm, no. He’s never had an excuse like that, has he? He has gone on business trips, but the fact that he’s gone with the other knights makes for an airtight alibi.

The more I thought, the less I understood. In fact, the more I thought about it, the more it felt like he was somewhere nearby. That’s weird.

In any case, if he somehow has the time to be courting some mistress, then he’d have to be doing it during work hours! The audacity that would take! The only other option is that he’s doing all this while on the job. I’d be awfully worried if my commander was doing that! Oh, I don’t know if commanders patrol the city. That’s right, Mr. Fisalis said he’s in the army division.

...Oh dear, look at me, I nearly convinced myself that Mr. Fisalis is a bad guy. Ah ho ho ho✰ Given the circumstantial evidence, there’s no doubt that he’s anything but.

“Hmmm. I still don’t know what to think of it...”

Oh, bother. I might as well be asleep, that’s how far I’ve gotten.

I had a feeling that if I kept trying to think about it, I’d only make things worse.

I’ll just wait for Rohtas’ findings. They say good things come to those who wait, so wait I shall. I’ll take a little nap here.

Unclear whether I’d actually come to any sort of conclusion, I put the tea tray back in order and flopped onto the bed. It was my first time lying in it, but it was no less fluffy or comforting than the one in my room, and I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep in the blink of an eye.

Some time must have passed when I felt myself being shaken. Rather vigorously, I might add.

“Wha-huh? What’s this, an earthquake? What are my parents gonna do if their house falls down?” I blurted out, still half asleep as I sat up unsteadily.

“What? There’s no earthquake. Viola, wake up!” said a voice, even though I was certain I was the only one in the cottage. Some man’s voice.

Some man? No, this is—

It was hard to focus at first having just been woken from a deep sleep, but as I woke up little by little, the person’s silhouette came into focus.

“Hiiieeeh! Mr. Fisalis!” In my shock, I let out a very unladylike screech.

The scene was a suspiciously familiar one: I awoke to Mr. Fisalis’ chiseled cheekbones and sparkling eyes mere inches from my own face. I really, really would have liked him to never do that again lest I suffer further cardiac damage... ahem, I mean, speak of the devil, the most talked-about man around the manor was right in front of me.

Mr. Fisalis didn’t seem to mind the noise I let out, though, in fact, he suddenly picked me up and carried me out of the room. I hastily wrapped my arms around his neck, startled at the sensation of suddenly being up in the air.

“I heard what happened from Rohtas, so let’s just go now!” he said, quickening his step, eyes focused forward. There was no sign of his usual smile, his jaw tight and expression grim. I didn’t feel like I could refuse.

“What? Right now? Where?”

It was already dark outside the cottage; I had been asleep for quite a long time. Where could we be going at this hour?

“To the place in question!”

“The place in? Ohhh...” There? We’re going there?

“It’s not easily accessible by carriage, so we’ll go on horseback. Hold on to me—don’t let go,” he replied in a somewhat irritated tone and, sure enough, it was the carriage porch by the door to the manor where we ended up. Waiting there for us was Mr. Fisalis’ favorite and beautiful black horse, Rohtas holding its lead.

He tossed me up on the horse so quickly I nearly fainted, before getting on behind me and taking off at such a breakneck speed mere seconds later that I barely had time to wrap my arms around him and hang on for dear life.

I assumed we had arrived at our destination when he finally halted the horse.

This isn’t how I pictured my first time riding a horse. This is going to leave mental scars, I’m sure of it! It wasn’t the horse’s fault, though, I’m fine with horses; it was just the insanely rough ride.

He helped me down, but when I tried to stand, my legs were shaking so hard that I couldn’t! There was no need to go that fast! When he saw how I staggered, he just went back to carrying me. I can’t say that I minded, considering I could barely stand, and once I had my wits about me I had the presence of mind to wonder where we were as I looked around. Under the heavy veil of night, however, it was impossible to tell.

I could make out a small house before me in the light spilling from the windows of other nearby houses.

Is this ‘the outskirts of the capital’ that the tradesman was talking about?

“Er, is this the... the house they say you’ve been sneaking away to?” I asked Mr. Fisalis nervously.

He answered, “Yes. And it’s vital that its existence remains a secret from now on. That means you’ll need to keep it a secret, too.”

He still has that super serious look on his face. And there are a lot of ways I could interpret that ‘vital that its existence remains a secret.’ Just what I need—some new surprise to weigh on my mind!

“Are you really sure I should have come, then?”

“You’re the only person I’d consider bringing. You’d never go and carelessly disclose a secret as big as this to a stranger.”

“That’s true... I guess...?”

His expression finally softened just a bit at this. The tense feeling in the air abated as well, and I felt like I could breathe again.

I still think he’s giving me way too much credit. How could I disclose a secret to a stranger when I barely have any contact with outsiders to start with? He’s got nothing to worry about, though, considering that’s not even how this rumor started. But now that he’s told me like this, I definitely can’t tell anyone else! Well played, Mr. Fisalis, well played.

“Let’s go, then,” he said, starting to walk towards the house after glancing around for a moment.

Upon closer inspection, although the house was definitely well-kept, it wasn’t particularly ostentatious. It was actually rather dreary. It sure doesn’t look like somewhere you’d expect to find a young woman.

“We’re coming in now.” My anxiety returned full force when he said this.

Am I going to have to confront a new mistress? I wondered, steeling myself even as he held me in his arms.

The door opened from the inside at the sound of his voice, and beyond it lay a tidy living room, just as bland as the outside of the house. There weren’t even any decorations, not even so much as flowers. There were, however, six or seven people already inside. I was startled, as I hadn’t been able to see them from the outside.

There were men dressed as servants standing along the wall, as well as a woman who appeared to be a maid. Seated on the sofa was a young woman wearing exactly the kind of fancy dress that didn’t appeal to me. She was exceptionally beautiful and I found myself unable to tear my eyes away from her.

Even just her loose, silvery hair cascading down her back gave the impression that she was wearing a radiant tiara. Her blue eyes were fixed on me, crinkled in what looked like delight, but they also hinted at some cleverness hidden in their depths.

You like perceptive types then, Mr. Fisalis?

At any rate, she was absolutely flawless from head to toe.

I realized then that everyone’s eyes had converged on me. I, meanwhile, was still nestled in Mr. Fisalis’s arms like a new bride.

Ohhh yeahhh. I’m the center of attention.

...Pffft, as if I’d ever think that.

Their stares were not harsh, and instead I got the sense that they were welcoming. By all appearances, she’s a young lady of status confined to a villa for some reason! Oh, looks like I’ve confirmed that Mr. Fisalis does, in fact, have a mistress.

Guess I’m going to be relieved of my duties soon!