The Peaceful Life Of A Maid Who Hides Her Power And Enjoys It - Chapter 148

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 148

His elegant face casually emptied the champagne glass.

Count Sereniye smiled with eyes that showed no hint of guilt, as if daring me to say something if I had anything to say. Swallowing a sigh, I became a third party and watched the first dance of the banquet hall.

Lu had certainly done something absurd.

Even so, I couldn’t scold him for why he had orchestrated such a thing on his own.

‘I probably would have done something similar.’

Detailed imagination was difficult… but at least I was certain I wouldn’t have just endured it.

Is love originally something that not only keeps pushing away those around you, but also makes you desperately want to monopolize even a single dance? Since Lu was the first person to make me feel this way, it was hard to judge whether this was normal or if there was something wrong with my head.

Count Sereniye didn’t dance.

That was natural. If he had conspicuously sent away my first dance partner, shouldn’t he at least stay by my side out of conscience?

Count Sereniye’s background, status, and appearance attracted many butterflies, and among them were those who blatantly proposed dances.

Each time, Count Sereniye would show his shoulder and excuse himself, and right after that, he would wink at me as if seeking my praise.

I spent most of my time with the Kalpenwieber Sisters.

Having no particular intention to dance was one of our few common points. We drank throughout, occasionally conversed with the sisters’ friends who approached us, and from time to time looked around to pick the best dancers.

Tara’s pick for the best dancer was Riwein. He was undoubtedly one of the most popular people at this banquet. As the Weatherwax Baroness had hoped, he got the opportunity to introduce himself to various ladies.

I didn’t see a single woman refuse Riwein’s dance proposal. So Riwein had to dance without rest. Every time I spotted him, he was dancing, which made me feel a bit sorry for him.

Count Sereniye stayed by my side, but he was generally very busy. I would prick up my ears wondering what he could be discussing so much with the older gentlemen, but quickly lost interest. It was boring, in other words.

Occasionally, someone would ask about his relationship with me, and each time Count Sereniye would answer like this:

“We haven’t achieved anything yet. It’s a relationship where I’m unilaterally courting her.”

Few people believed Count Sereniye’s statement at face value. That was understandable, since for a man who spoke of ‘courting,’ his attitude was strangely relaxed. Thanks to this, the topic of conversation quickly changed, sparing us from bothersome situations.

And so, 2 hours after the banquet began.

Raphael, who had disappeared, appeared again.

The hunting festival ball was just reaching its peak. The clock hand pointed to 12, and since they said the banquet usually continued until sunrise, it would go on for another 6 hours without rest.

After recognizing Raphael’s presence, when I looked at Count Sereniye, he was also gazing at me. After excusing myself to the Kalpenwieber Sisters, I whispered to him.

“I’ll go meet him briefly and come back. Please don’t interfere this time.”

Count Sereniye looked back with a reluctant smile. I calmly patted his shoulder and added.

“Raphael is a companion I’ve shared life and death with for 10 years. I want to have a quiet conversation alone with him.”

“Alone?”

“It’s a conversation that requires privacy. You already know that, don’t you?”

“Oh my. I’ve made a foolish mistake. If I had generously given up that first dance, our Miss Daisy wouldn’t have made such a demand.”

Count Sereniye, who had elegantly set down his glass, briefly stroked my chin and smiled.

“Go quickly before I secretly follow you, Daisy.”

Rather than approaching Raphael directly, I made a large circle inside the ballroom so he could spot me, then went outside and moved to the nearest terrace.

Since the opportunity to dance with him had already passed, I thought I should at least have a conversation in a quiet place.

Today, I would reveal my story to Raphael.

Honestly, I don’t think he’ll take it well. Raphael had already declared that he would accept me not as Andert Pager, but as ‘Daisy Weatherwax, sister of Andert Pager.’

I don’t know if that means ‘since you abandoned me, I’ll abandon you too’ or ‘I’ll respect your circumstances.’ Even so, I decided to reveal it because…

‘I don’t want to deceive him anymore.’

As expected, Raphael immediately followed me out.

“Over here.”

When I waved lightly, Raphael, who had been standing near the door, approached with quick, long strides.

From him came a refreshing outdoor scent that made me completely forget the somewhat stuffy air inside. It seemed he had just arrived at the banquet hall.

Raphael, standing before me, apologized politely with a sincere expression.

“I’m very late. I apologize.”

“It’s fine. Only about 2 hours have passed. It’ll be a memorable society debut.”

“This time, I have no excuse to offer.”

“Really? Honestly, I was glad you came late. I’m not very confident in dancing. I’m not used to these shoes yet, so I don’t have the courage to run around in them for long.”

Raphael looked at me with a gaze tinged with slight doubt.

“Did you really not dance with anyone?”

“How could I dance when the person I promised was absent? Should I have brought an imaginary Duke Raphael Jenail?”

“Weren’t Sir Riwein and Duke Zharkh there?”

“They were. But if I had danced my first dance with them, you would have grumbled later, ‘Did you dislike dancing with me that much?’ Am I wrong?”

Rather than refuting, Raphael burst into a hollow laugh.

He looked at me with amazed eyes, then soon changed to an expression that said it wasn’t surprising. Did his thoughts change from ‘What kind of woman is this?’ to ‘Well, it’s Andert, so that makes sense’? I wonder if I should find this offensive.

“What do you think, Raphael? Will Princess Natasha appear tonight?”

“…I wonder.”

With a stiff expression, he trailed off and turned his back to me.

“Please follow me for now. As promised, I’ll deliver Dian Ket’s legacy to you.”

It was a pure question, but it seemed to sound like urging him to hurry up and hand over the item to Raphael’s ears. I feel a bit sorry about this. But since I have to receive what I’m supposed to receive, I obediently followed.

The weather this dawn was cold enough to believe it was early winter.

“The temperature has dropped quite a bit.”

Saying this, Raphael took off his uniform jacket and handed it to me.

Is he giving this outfit to Andert or to Daisy?

‘…Unlike me, I keep weighing Raphael’s actions since the hunting festival.’

It couldn’t be helped. Raphael continued to treat me as Andert’s sister. With complicated feelings, I draped the uniform I had received over my shoulders.

The place Raphael guided me to was in front of a carriage standing alone beyond the canal bridge that crossed the rear garden. When he gave a signal, a servant who got out of the carriage took out a neat-looking box from inside and opened it. Then he carefully placed the item inside on the chair closest to the door.

‘This is…’

Dian Ket’s birdcage.

Since I remembered seeing it once at Jenail Castle, it wasn’t particularly surprising. However, the birdcage I examined up close was more worn and shabby than when I had glimpsed it vaguely.

For something supposedly a birdcage, the door was nowhere to be found, and a single leather cord tied to the iron bars was neatly placed on the inner floor.

“That cord is presumed to have been the bird’s tag.”

A tag is a bird’s nameplate. When I carefully turned over the leather cord, I could see black letters carved in the center.

『Ash』

Again.

This name.

“…Raphael. This item, it’s not fake, is it?”

The letters were clearly engraved despite the passage of many years. Judging by the mysterious aura that was hard to describe in words, it seemed to be preserved by magic.

Raphael asked back.

“Is there any circumstance that makes you suspect it’s fake?”

No.

That’s the problem – there isn’t any. Yes, at least there was no major issue with the name ‘Ash’ itself. But if that name ‘Ash’ was written in a very familiar handwriting…

‘And if that handwriting is mine.’

Wouldn’t that create problems from here on?

Ash.

Ash.

Ash…

…

No matter how much I think about it, it’s strange.

Why?

‘Why that name of all names?’

Why is that particular name scrawled in my handwriting of all things?

There is no connection between the being called Dian Ket and me other than the heart crystal. Even that was an item I accidentally swallowed thanks to the Weatherwax Baroness. This means there’s no basis for my traces to be carved on an item old enough to be called a legacy.

‘Or could it be that I met Dian Ket without knowing it?’

Like the old man who lived next door to me was actually Dian Ket. Hmm, he wasn’t that smart of an old man though. Even if the guess were correct, I couldn’t recall any memory of writing ‘Ash’ on such leather.

Well, maybe… it could be something from when I was about ten years old that I don’t remember.

It was a confusion with no clear answer.

‘I should discuss this part with Lu. He might know something.’

I demanded the other compensation I was supposed to receive after cooperating with Raphael.

“What about the other legacies of Dian Ket?”

The answer came quickly.

“As far as I know, he’s at the Berkleighton Family estate.”

Oh, damn it.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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