Free Web NovelChapter 2000: Chapter 2000: Loyal Maid
In the warm yellowish ambiguous glow, the two stared at each other for a few seconds, the Head Maid maintaining her gaze on Shard’s eyes without moving, but her hands slightly lifted the hem of her dress, allowing Shard to see the pair of black small leather shoes underneath, with lightweight black fabric above them. The shoes balanced practicality and formality, while the fabric was Miss Sylvia’s product, and it was of high-end quality.
Before Shard’s pounding heart could continue observing, she maintained her leg position and bent down, click-click, her fair hands unfastened the magnetic buckle of the low-heeled small leather shoes, then straigtened her waist. Her arms hung in front of her, in a very elegant maid’s standing posture. The legs under her dress lifted alternately, letting the wrapped feet escape the shoes in sequence, and then she took a step forward.
The toes first touched the red carpet beneath the sofa set, and Shard almost felt he heard the sound of fabric rubbing against the wool carpet. Thus, she stood on the carpet obliquely in front of the shoes, while the pair of black low-heeled small leather shoes remained on the floor outside the carpet.
Under the gas lamp’s light, both the feet and the pair of shoes maintained an elegant closed posture, every elegant action and detail-oriented posture showcasing the cultivation and etiquette level of Miss Galina’s maids.
She turned around, bent down again, lifted the pair of black small leather shoes, placing them by the side of the sofa where Shard couldn’t see them. Then she faced Shard and bowed slightly, raising her hands to untie the white lace hairband, letting the black long hair, which had been coiled up for convenience, drape down her back. Then, while watching Shard, she placed her hands behind her, simply tying her falling hair back with the hairband.
After finishing these actions, she lightly bit her lip, walked forward a few steps, but before reaching Shard, she kneeled down on the carpet, then looked up at him. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
These movements were done in one smooth go. Under the lamp, the maid’s face had gentle curves, her nose prominent and symmetrical. Her eyes were large and rounded, the contours clear, and her dark brown pupils emitted a warmth and tenderness. Her long eyelashes were curved yet trembled softly, the emotion in her eyes was evident without needing to speak, allowing Shard to understand.
Her lips, coated with lipstick, were full and tender, slightly upturned, forming a charming smile. Her eyes were positioned slightly lower than Shard’s, so when she looked up at him, her expression even seemed somewhat delicate.
"The carpet’s cold, get up quickly."
Shard didn’t know why he said such words, but indeed he reached out, pulling the kneeling Miss Maid up, letting her sit beside him.
"Knight, the Duchess is temporarily out, and will only return in an hour."
She softly reminded him, her hands pinching the front of her maid uniform, creasing the front slightly, but gazing at her charming face, Shard had no time to look at her dress.
"Yes, I know."
"Then...."
The Maid’s hand, placed on Shard’s leg, playfully tapped twice.
Her smile grew more tender:
"The Duchess has neglected you this time, truly sorry. Knight, please don’t blame my master; she too has her difficulties."
Her face showed a hint of guilt, seemingly from the heart:
"I hope you won’t speak of the Duchess’s negligence outside, or it will damage her reputation. Please allow me to take the liberty to apologize for the Duchess, and find you some shallow enjoyment in this dull night."
"Enjoyment..."
"Yes, all of this is for the Duchess. Knight, you can..."
Her large eyes gazed at Shard, although he wasn’t the same Outlander from a year ago, he still felt that in this atmosphere and this dialogue, his heart was about to leap out from his throat.
"Do what you wish, perhaps be a bit rough...I am willing to make this silent sacrifice for the Duchess, even if she remains unaware. Just hope when facing the Duchess, you say nothing, and forgive her negligence."
Her teeth lightly bit her lip:
"Is it alright?"
She was not actually asking Shard’s opinion, as she had already extended both arms to hug Shard’s neck, pressing his head forward and down.
"Meow~"
The cat used as a paperweight on the table, stirred awake by the strange sound. Drowsy-eyed, the cat sniffed around, confirmed Shard didn’t sneak any snacks, then closed its eyes to continue sleeping.
As for the story behind the sofa where the petite cat lay, of a Maid making amends to a Knight for her Duchess, it was merely one of the mundane daily tales in this manor, of loyal maids repaying their owner.
The Maid Misses outside the door listened with flushed faces to the sounds inside, while the starry sky outside the manor had already spread out under the night; it truly was a lovely evening.
Miss Galina, although said to return by nine o’clock, in fact, when she alighted from the carriage and entered the manor hall, it was already nine-thirty on this Saturday evening.
The maids helped the mistress remove her coat, bringing indoor shoes. And when the Red-Haired Duchess entered the second-floor study, saw Shard holding a cat, sitting on the sofa reading a book, she truly sighed with relief:
"Really sorry to have come back late. A minor conflict erupted again in the southern Kingdom and Carsonrick, but fortunately, it’s under control. Since there are some drafts and sanction measures to be reported first thing tomorrow, I had to be involved tonight."
Seeing Shard stand up, she apologetically hugged him once. Then she sniffed, ambiguously smiling as she looked at him:
"Have you already taken a bath? Oh, didn’t you take one before you came? Are you in such a hurry?"
"Hmm..."
Shard decided not to explain and was relieved that she didn’t notice at all. Although the wool handmade knit sofa cover with flower and spire patterns was the same as the original one, it actually had been replaced.
"It’s snowing again outside, did you know?"
The Witch asked as she gently sniffed at Shard’s neck:
"All the busy work has ended, Knight, let’s go rest. When we were at Green Lake, you rarely came to find me."
"Do you need a rest first? Meetings must have been tiring, right?"
The "rest" the two referred to did not have the same meaning, but luckily they didn’t need to explain to each other.
"Resting with you is the best kind of rest."
She said this and then laughed, extending an invitation:
"But I need to wash first, would you like to join me?"
She took Shard’s arm without explanation and headed towards the study door. Mia was left on the sofa by Shard, as it didn’t like wet environments. When they passed the door, Tifa and the other maids bowed together, but Miss Galina did not see it; Shard and Tifa’s eyes briefly met, and they both understood the expression in each other’s gaze. freёweɓnovel.com
"Do you know what makes me happiest?"
Miss Galina continued speaking.
"What is it?"
"Today is Saturday, and it’s evening. This should have been Lecia’s time, yet she’s still at Yordle Palace dealing with documents, while I get to be with you. Isn’t that something worth being happy about?"
(Mia running...)
The pleasant night quickly passed, and as the morning sunshine spilled over Galina Manor, the reluctant-to-rise Witch clung to Shard’s hand and lazily insisted on sleeping a bit longer but was still brought to get up by Shard.
After having breakfast at the manor, she didn’t let Shard toss Crystal Shoes home but joined him in a carriage to the city; she planned to spend the whole day in town.
The carriage dropped Shard at No. 6, Saint Delan Square. The Witch kissed Shard goodbye before allowing him to leave. Now, she no longer cared about her badge-bearing carriage frequently appearing at Shard’s house, as the relationship between Shard and her was known even to Tobesk’s blind and deaf.
People are even speculating when Rejed’s Hamilton will become the Duchess’s husband.
Shard also had things to do today. After returning home and briefly tidying up, he headed to the Green Lake Hotel. As for Mia, probably because it had been away from home for so many days, it refused to follow Shard out. Thus, the cat was left to guard the house, which it liked as Shard would eventually return.
The main task today was to manage the whereabouts of the Edwards Family members. Shard had arranged with Megan and Audrey to visit Edwards’ Old House. However, after first visiting Dr. Schneider, who was still recovering, and moving from the downtown hotel’s basement to the Green Island hotel’s basement, a young Witch follower maintaining the daily ritual circle told Shard the Grand Witches were awaiting his arrival.
"Have they already scheduled the time for me to use the ’Poetry Cards’ in the Council?"
He wondered, but upon seeing Miss Aphrola and Miss Benanis on the first floor, he discovered something else was at hand.
"The gift from the Church or rather, for the God Summoner, has arrived."
Three identically-sized black leather suitcases were placed on the table. Though the suitcases were not large, they were thick. The exterior looked new, the wooden handle shone with lustre, and the leather exterior was clearly high-end. Shard immediately appreciated the appearance of these suitcases and intended to keep them after checking if there were no issues, even if he couldn’t freely use them, they would serve as great containers at home.
"We haven’t opened them, as they belong to you. They’ve been here since they arrived this morning; you should check them, the Church’s sealing rune is still intact."
Miss Aphrola pointed out, and seeing the two Witches were curious, Shard invited them to join in checking together.
Initially, Shard requested the Heart of the Undying and Philosopher’s Stone, but these were additional items he wanted; the Church of the Five Gods had prepared other "gifts," though Shard was uncertain of what they were.
"Open it."
He casually picked one suitcase, read aloud the meaning of the golden rune at the suitcase’s magnetic clasp, and with a click, it unlocked, and cold air immediately rushed out from the slit. But this wasn’t a change in temperature caused by elements; rather, ice was stored inside.
The suitcase was large, but more than half of its volume was ice, with a central space carved out to hold a glass bottle. As for the glass bottle, it contained a lifelike heart. The heart floated in the center of the bottle, beating at an extremely slow rate.
The structure of the heart appeared entirely consistent with a normal heart Shard knew, except its color was a moldy green, and one could see traces of fish scales on it.
