Escape (6)
Every morning, I visited the village with Lineta.
Stopping by Lineta's house for lunch before returning had, before I knew it, beco a daily routine.
The ti we spent walking alone together in the forest increased.
"You must be the only servant who spends more ti at ho than at work."
I said, sitting on the bank of the stream with my feet dipped in the water.
Lineta, sitting beside , swung her feet in the water just like and replied.
"I'm the one entertaining a poor Young Master who has no friends.
In fact, I should be getting special pay for this."
Lineta started to say sothing more, but then, as if she had nothing further to add, simply laughed.
She rose from the stream and playfully blocked my path.
Her fingers, from which water droplets dripped, pointed to the bandage wrapped around her neck.
"By the way, didn't you wrap this a bit too loosely, Young Master?"
Lineta gently tugged at the neck bandage I had wrapped for her.
Below the white bandage, the delicate outline of her collarbone was revealed.
She smiled playfully.
Every morning, we changed each other's bandages.
At first, Lineta struggled alone, unable to change her own bandage, so I started doing it for her.
Then, before we knew it, it had beco a matter of course.
Lineta hooked the end of the bandage onto her index finger and looked up at with mischievous eyes.
Instead of answering, I lightly flicked her forehead.
"Ow! Why did you hit !"
"Because you're noisy."
"Hmph. By the way, the fish we had earlier, it was delicious, wasn't it?"
"It was."
"Of course! I caught it myself! You were just throwing stones on the side, Young Master."
"Still, I started the fire."
"And you only managed to start that with the kindling our mother brought!"
I shrugged.
Lineta let out a small laugh, then raised her head to look at the sky.
"By the way, the weather is especially nice today."
Lineta said, looking up at the sky.
It was a clear day, without a single cloud.
Such was the way back to the annex.
At the end of the forest path, the familiar rusty iron gate ca into view.
And in front of it, two carriages stood.
One was a black carriage bearing the crest of the Edelgard family.
And the other was a white carriage bearing the crest of the Beluze family.
Now that I thought about it, it was today.
The day Levina had spoken of, when Seraphina and Count Beluze would co to annul my engagent with Seraphina.
For a mont, it felt as if my breath had caught.
Lineta didn't fuss, make a scene, or worry excessively.
She simply saw , frozen for a mont upon seeing the carriages, and took my hand.
Looking near the carriages, Seraphina, in a white dress, was staring blankly in our direction.
Her eyes t mine, and then they trembled wildly.
We walked barefoot and covered in dirt towards them.
"I clearly told you next week. Can't you even keep track of dates?"
Levina, who had been standing beside the carriage, sighed when she saw us.
Behind , Lineta trembled, her eyes darting nervously.
She half-hid behind .
Seeing that, Levina was about to say sothing to Lineta, but stopped.
Then she softly conveyed her ssage and left.
"Change your clothes and co to the parlor. I'll be waiting."
Leaving those words, Levina walked into the annex first.
A portly middle-aged man followed behind her. It was Count Beluze.
Seraphina started to say sothing to , but her father, Count Beluze, called her.
"Seraphina, what are you doing? Co quickly."
She replied briefly and followed her father to the parlor.
Her gaze remained on until the very last mont.
When I returned to my room, the butler and Lineta clung to my side, dressing in my formal attire.
Lineta buttoned my shirt, whispering in a small voice.
"Are you alright?"
I nodded without answering.
After only a few days of dressing lightly, my reflection in the mirror felt unfamiliar.
At tis like these, I do wonder what it would have been like if I had been born in a suitably quiet countryside village.
As I entered the parlor, a suffocating atmosphere enveloped .
Levina and Count Beluze were seated on the sofa, and a dejected Seraphina sat beside Count Beluze.
She was only looking down at the teacup on the table.
Count Beluze's gaze rested on for a mont, then imdiately turned to Levina.
The discussion regarding the annulnt proceeded more simply than expected.
Based on the docunts prepared by Levina, the two parties reached an agreent without any particular disagreents.
Levina and Count Beluze finished signing, and the paper was passed to .
I picked up the pen.
Before signing, my eyes t Seraphina's.
She stared blankly at and shook her head very slightly.
Her lips were trembling faintly.
And I recalled Seraphina, who had hesitated until the very last mont to trust .
If only she had trusted after her hesitation.
If only she had listened to my words, not others'.
I wrote my na without hesitation.
And I passed the paper to Levina.
The docunt was passed to Seraphina.
Now only her signature remained.
Everyone's gaze was fixed on her.
Seraphina put down the pen.
"I don't want to do it."
Her voice was small, but it was clearly heard by everyone in the room.
"Seraphina."
Levina called her na.
Her voice contained a warning.
When Seraphina offered no particular reply, Levina looked at Count Beluze with a blank and composed expression and said softly.
"This is a matter that has already been agreed upon."
Count Beluze's face reddened.
He spoke to Levina as if making an excuse, flustered.
"Ah, well... this child has spent a very long ti with the Young Master, hasn't she.
Perhaps because she's so tender-hearted, she's been through a lot of emotional distress... it must just be a montary confusion."
He awkwardly smiled and placed a hand on Seraphina's shoulder.
"Seraphina. This is what you said you wanted, what you wished for.
But to co all this way and act so rudely? Sign it."
"No, Father, you wished for it.
Because it was a suitable opportunity. And the boy in front of isn't even an Edelgard anymore."
Seraphina looked at , then turned her head to look at her father.
Her voice was unusually calm.
"...Do you even realize what words you're spewing right now?"
"The engagent was decided by you, Father.
Since you made spend ti with Lavin since childhood, isn't it alright if I decide whether we break up or not on my own?"
Count Beluze tried to force the pen into Seraphina's hand.
But Seraphina, whose eyes t mine, abruptly threw down the pen she was holding.
The pen fell to the floor, leaving an ink stain.
"I told you. I don't want to."
"It's too late for this, Seraphina; nothing will change now."
Levina rested her chin on her hand, looking at Seraphina as if the situation were utterly absurd.
"I've lived my entire life listening to Father's words.
I've always moved according to Father's will.
You unilaterally decided my engagent with Lavin, and now you tell to end it?"
Seraphina said calmly.
Her eyes no longer wavered.
"When I said it was about ti to annul the engagent, you also said it wouldn't be bad, didn't you?"
"Because it was an atmosphere where I had to answer that way."
Count Beluze pressed his throbbing temples with his palm, then finally, as if giving up, let out a sigh.
At this gathering, the presence of Seraphina and Lavin was rely a formality.
All decisions had already been made between the Edelgard Young Mistress and Count Beluze.
He took the paper in front of Seraphina, then received the pen picked up by the butler, signed on her behalf where a signature was required, and handed the docunt to Levina.
Upon seeing that, Seraphina sprang to her feet and left the parlor.
The hem of her white dress disappeared through the doorway.
A heavy silence once again descended upon the room.
Count Beluze cleared his throat with an embarrassed expression.
He glanced at Levina, gauging her reaction, and began to offer excuses.
"I apologize for the spectacle presented before you.
Seraphina has been very emotionally unstable recently...
I will return and give her a stern warning."
"Understood."
Levina cut him off.
She handed the docunt to the butler and said.
"Send it to the office."
The butler received the docunt and quietly left the room.
Levina said to Count Beluze.
"Please stay comfortably, then return safely.
I have matters to attend to, so I shall take my leave first."
Levina approached , patted my shoulder, then left the annex without another word.
The sound of her carriage moving away could be heard.
Only I and Count Beluze, who was clutching his head and showed no sign of leaving, remained in the parlor.
I also rose from my seat to return to my room.
As I walked down the corridor, I saw Seraphina leaning against my room door, slumped on the floor.
Her white dress was stained with dust from the floor.
Her gaze turned to Lineta, who was following behind .
"The maid you're bringing around, she's cute... no."
Seraphina bit her lip mid-sentence.
And looking at , she said in a very small voice.
"I don't want to break up with you."
Her voice echoed softly in the corridor.
"Because if things stay like this, it feels like you'll disappear......."
I approached her silently and offered my hand.
Seraphina looked at my hand, hesitating for a mont, then took it and stood up.
Her hand was cold.
Since we were in front of the room, I thought about going inside to talk, but I had never had a good mory of talking alone with her in a room.
Always.
"Shall we talk outside?"
I asked.
Seraphina nodded.
I told Lineta to rest in the room, then walked out first.
I didn't bother to attend to Seraphina.
Lineta, looking regretful, started to follow , then spoke softly from behind.
"......I'll prepare so warm tea in the room."
Her voice was slightly subdued.
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