Chapter 14

I couldn’t control the overwhelming emotions rising within me and buried my face in my knees.

Perhaps sensing that something was off, Maid Ai approached and gently shook my body.

I barely managed to ignore it.

There’s no way I could face the person responsible for these feelings right now.

“…Um, miss. Are you okay? Should I call the school nurse if you’re feeling unwell?”

She must be getting worried.

It wasn’t until she started speaking that I finally lifted my head. If I left it like this, she might actually call someone else.

“…No, I’m fine. It’s not because I’m sick.”

My flushed face had finally calmed down.

I got up and asked her, “The other students will be back soon, right? Is my room the last one to clean?”

“Yes! I was planning to finish your room and then go rest.”

“I see… Well, sorry for dirtying the bed earlier. It’s not much of a repayment, but how about I make you some tea before you go?”

“Ah, is that really okay?”

If I received something, I had to return the favor. It was one of the many obsessions of a noblewoman.

Normally, I wouldn’t need to repay a maid, but now that I’ve fallen from my noble status, I’m even lower than her. So, I should repay her.

“Yeah, it’s fine.”

I answered with a smile and walked further into the room.

After a few steps, the blood dripping down my forehead kept bothering me, obstructing my vision. I irritably pressed on the wound with my hand.

The pain of the wound tearing open shot through me. Surprisingly, the pressure seemed to stop the bleeding for a moment.

Now, the momentary pain doesn’t bother me much. At first, I hated the pain, but maybe I’m getting numb to it. Instead, Maid Ai flinched more than I did when I messed with the wound. Well, it’s not a pleasant sight, I guess.

While I rummaged through the shelves to find something to serve her, she kept glancing at me from the table. She probably wondered how I got hurt.

Unlike before, this wasn’t something I needed to hide, so I spoke up.

“I fell down the stairs. That’s how I got hurt.”

“…Ah, did it bother you?”

“If you stare that obviously, of course it’ll bother me.”

“Sorry…”

“It’s fine. It’s natural to be curious.”

Seeing that I wasn’t upset, she cautiously asked another question. Thinking about it, it was a natural question to ask in this situation.

“Um… So, all the things you’ve been spilling on the bed until now…?”

But it was the question I least wanted to hear.

Hearing that, I paused for a moment while rummaging through the shelves. I started moving again shortly after, but the awkward silence was noticeable enough for anyone to notice.

I tried to answer as naturally as possible.

“…Yeah.”

After hearing my answer, she seemed to want to say something but tightly closed her mouth.

…Guess I gave it away. Maybe lying is still too much for me in this noble body.

In the awkward silence, only the sound of my hands moving occasionally could be heard.

I could feel the air getting heavier. Seeing her hunch her shoulders and fidget with her fingers, she seemed really uncomfortable.

I needed to change the subject. Luckily, I had something to talk about.

I turned to her and said, “…Sorry. There’s nothing to serve you.”

This time, it was true.

I had thought of preparing something after Sena’s last visit, but I was so busy that I hadn’t gone to the store yet. As if to prove it, my hands, which had been rummaging through the shelves until just now, only found air and dust.

And yet, I had the nerve to say I’d serve her something, completely forgetting my own situation.

The continuous embarrassment made my head spin. Maybe my memory’s failing too. Ugh.

Maid Ai stood up abruptly upon hearing my words.

“Ah, then I’ll bring something from the servants’ quarters! Please wait a moment!”

“There’s no need…”

Before I could finish, she ran off. Now it feels like I’m the one being served, not the other way around.

I helplessly stared at the empty space where she had been, then curled up in self-loathing and helplessness.

Nothing’s going right. I at least wanted to appear normal to others. Well, maybe showing them my bleeding was already a mistake.

As I hugged my knees and buried my head, she returned and spoke up.

“…Um. I brought something…”

“Ah.”

She came back really quickly.

When I looked up, I saw her holding a bundle. She must have run at full speed, as she was out of breath and sweating.

She awkwardly handed me a bundle of tea leaves, which somehow felt comforting.

Though pity still stung as usual, I appreciated her subtle consideration to not make it obvious. I took the bundle and stood up.

“Sit and wait, I’ll make the tea.”

“Okay!”

There were basic teacups available. I filled the teapot with…

She poured the brewed tea into two cups and placed them on the table.

There were no snacks to accompany it, but for a teatime with the maid, this was more than enough.

It was also the first thing I’d consumed in four days that wasn’t water.

Sure, it’s still a liquid, but hey, it’s fancy liquid.

We silently raised our teacups and took the first sip.

The hot liquid slid down my throat, warming my insides.

Drinking something so hot on an empty stomach made my upper abdomen tingle slightly, but it wasn’t painful enough to complain about.

The child seemed to like the tea.

A voice filled with admiration escaped her.

“…It’s delicious. You brew tea really well.”

“I’ve had a lot of practice.

It’s also a kind of refinement.”

For a young lady of her standing, mastering various forms of refinement for supporting others was essential.

Despite her sharp demeanor, she had worked hard to present herself with dignity.

Thanks to that, I’m now quite helped by her skills.

Perhaps this is the most useful thing the young lady has left behind.

Even to my awkward explanation, the child responded with pure laughter and praise.

“Still, you’re amazing.”

That compliment.

That smile.

That innocence.

Somehow, it all felt new to me.

Maybe it’s because I haven’t seen someone like this in years.

She doesn’t show overt pity toward me.

Whether it’s because of the difference in our positions as student and servant, or simply her personality, I’m not sure.

But it was clear she was careful not to touch on deeper issues.

Her attitude was one of pure maintenance—nothing resolved, nothing changed.

Ironically, it was the attitude I most wished others would have toward me.

If everyone were like this child, the rest of my life would be so much easier.

No deeply entangled relationships, no hostility, no pity.

Just dry, indifferent conversations focused on the immediate reality, maintaining a relationship that simply continues.

Not bad.

No pain, no sorrow.

Even if it’s not happiness, at least life isn’t painful.

Where else could you find a more ideal life?

As I stared blankly, lost in these thoughts, the child spoke up first.

“You’ve had quite a variety of experiences.

I almost pointed at a noble. And now I’m being served tea.”

“I’m not really in a position to be treated as a noble anymore.

Is it okay if we drop the formalities?”

Honestly, the only thing better about my situation than hers was the room I lived in.

With no money or freedom, my position wasn’t much different from a servant’s.

I had no intention of being treated as a noble now, so I didn’t mind if she dropped formalities or acted rudely.

I’m used to being treated roughly by commoners, so why be strict with just this child?

“…No. Even so, that wouldn’t be right.”

Despite my thoughts, the child shook her head with an awkward expression.

Then, she finished the remaining tea in her cup and placed a white cloth she had been holding in her left hand on the table.

When I looked at her with a questioning gaze, she smiled politely and replied.

“It’s a clean, sterilized cloth. Use it to cover your wound.

Um… if blood gets on the bed, it’s really hard to clean, you know?

Please be more careful from now on! Hehe.”

“……”

Rather than doing something for me directly, she provided a means for me to handle it myself, adding that it wasn’t out of pity but practicality.

She was skilled.

At handling someone like me.

I didn’t feel like overreacting, as I had with Sena.

Though it might just be my own delusion, craving kindness.

I nodded slightly.

“…Okay. I’ll be careful.”

“Great!”

After that, the child gave a light bow and left my room.

I told her she could rest a bit longer, but she shook her head, saying she had work to do back in the servant’s quarters.

Even though she said she’d rest after finishing cleaning my room.

What a transparent excuse.

Still, I didn’t feel bad about it.

I looked around the room, which had become noticeably cleaner thanks to her.

I didn’t ask her name or tell her to come back.

But she stayed in my memory.

“…It’s kind of itchy.”

For no reason, my head felt ticklish.

It was as if the space where my brain met my skull had floated away.

I scratched at the wound on my forehead again.

A sinister *crunch* sound followed, and a sharper pain than before arrived.

Blood trickled down my eyelid, making it look like I was crying tears of blood.

But at least it wasn’t itchy anymore.

That’s a relief.

I’d rather it hurt.

I took a sip of the tea, now tinged red with blood.

It tasted metallic.