Maid’s Night - Chapter 25

Evely got a few days off. It wasn’t that long, but it was enough to have a break. She spent two days coming to the village where she lived before, so she thought it would be just the right time to take care of where her mother was buried and hurry back. When leaving the mansion, the head maid gave her money separately, telling her to have a safe trip. It was a larger sum of money than she thought and Evely refused several times, but she sneaked money into her luggage. She seemed to be not interested in anyone at all, so one side of her heart ached for nothing.

“So you can go visit your mother.”

Then Evely, who thought of her master, smiled vaguely.

“Unexpectedly, he has a kind side.”

He had always been a cool-headed man, a bit far-fetched to call him generous. It might not be appropriate to say that he was unfriendly, even with his image as the ruthless and cruel man who had slashed numerous enemies on the battlefield.

“…my house has disappeared too.”

Evely first visited her home.However, there was no sign of her house, and instead there was a store selling miscellaneous items. She thought it’d already be sold, but seeing this with her own eyes was another feeling. Evely, who was standing in front of the store, turned forlornly. She was going to stay in an inn for the night and visit her mother tomorrow. The sixteen years she spent here passed by like a flashlight. Memories seemed to press on one side of her heart. It was when she was looking around where her house would be, her heart wavered, making her want to cry.

“Evely, is that you?”

Evely’s head whipped around on hearing someone call her.

“Uh… Madam. Julia?”Evely’s eyes grew wide.

No matter how much time passed, she still looked familiar. She was a friend of her mother’s who Evely knew since her childhood. Whenever she baked cookies or bread, she always handed them out, and if her mother was very sick, she took care of Evely.

“Madam!” Evely ran forward, swallowing back her tears. Julia grabbed Evely’s hand. Her hand’s warmth was so comforting.

* * *

It had already been a few days since Evely went on vacation. As usual, it was quiet in the house. He was the master. Just because a bird chirped on a peaceful morning doesn’t mean it was a silent day. So the absence of a single maid would not change anything. Alec picked up the letter on the desk. It was sent by Rose, who left for recuperation. The letter was written in elegant handwriting. She thought the writing, which was as fluid as water, was just like Rose. Suddenly he remembered the first time he saw her. The hand that reached out to him in the middle of the market.

“Rose and Dior, my name is Rose Dior.”

He remembered her clumsy disguise. He was writing back with a grin on his face, when he heard a knock outside the door.

“Master, I’ve brought tea.”

A silver tray was placed on the left side of the desk. On top of it were chewy light green grapes and neatly cut peaches. Peaches as white as a woman’s skin and as red as a girl’s cheeks. Next to it were tea and simple cookies. And white, slender fingers clenched the tray.

“Thanks to your vacation, I had a good time. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.” the fingers stuck out something neatly wrapped.

“And this is?…” He raised his eyebrow.

Evely faltered and began unpacking. What was in it was a bookmark. Underneath several layers of thin leather were colorful feathers bound together, and small patterns were drawn on them.

She continued in a voice with no confidence. “It’s a bookmark, and the little patterns here bring you as much luck as you need at the moment of desperation. Master often goes to war, so I wondered if he had something like this……”

She glanced at him and began to add as if she was making an excuse. “I went to the village I used to live in, and my house turned into a store. I bought one while looking around there. The owner made it himself, and he painted the pattern on himself. It’s not as cool and amazing as the ones sold in the capital……”

His response was lukewarm as he watched Evely babble away.

“Not so good, huh? I ended up buying something unnecessary. How high-end your master’s taste is.. …”

He was looking at her, laughing inside. Bookmarks weren’t originally very expensive, but ones like these weren’t easy to get. She would have spent quite an amount of her salary to buy something like this. You seem to have appreciated it.

“Leave it.”

Really?

It was said in a monotonous tone, but Evely quickly smiled brightly as if she had heard something great and she watched with pride as he picked up the bookmark, flipping it around.  The bookmark looked smaller with a large, rugged hand holding it. At that moment, she remembered her father who was taking care of a puppy with his big hands. Their appearances overlapped and laughter burst out of her mouth.

‘I’m glad.’

He looked the same as usual, but felt a little different. He took her present, didn’t say thank you, but he was still showing interest.

Maybe he had really softened up.

Evely, who was cleaning the stairs as usual, burst into a small laugh without realizing it. This was because she remembered him inserting the bookmark in books. Then, she heard an unwelcome voice from behind.

“Evely, bring this to the master.” Her eyes fell on Charlotte looking down at her.

“It’s a letter from Marquis Carlos, but I think he’s in a bit of a hurry. You tell him.”

“Now?” Evely looked rather troubled. It was time for him to train. And it was none other than Charlotte who warned her not to disturb him during this time, because he was the most sensitive. She might get cut with the knife he wields.

A light of protest appeared in Evely’s eyes, but Charlotte’s stern face forced her to accept the letter. The training ground was on the other side of the mansion. Arriving across the large garden for a long time, she heard the sharp clanging of iron. She followed the sound a little further inside. Soon she could see him not too far away. He was aiming a knife at a man. A man as physically fit as Alec ran at him with all his might, but he managed to stop him.

Alec was more relaxed than the man with blue veins on his face. Neither his expression nor actions were disturbed. Clearly, he was leading the fight.

As soon as Alec put a little strength, the man was pushed back at once. His opponent barely missed the knife, and it stopped a bit in front of the man’s neck. His sword flashed in the blazing sun, and Alec, soaked in sweat, smiled with satisfaction.

Evely couldn’t take his eyes off that figure.

… Cool.

She could see why he was so elegant. His moves against his opponent weren’t slow or urgent, yet strong and beautiful. When she first heard the rumor about him, she thought of a cruel monster covered in blood and killing people, but he was different with a knife. Maybe much more than she thought…

As if she were in the fight, a part of her chest started pounding.

“I know you’re going easy on me, but I can’t beat you.”

The man raised his hand as if he couldn’t do it anymore. Only then did Evely, who came to her senses, clenched the letter and approached him in hesitation.

“But you’ve improved.” Alec praised in an indifferent tone. The man, who smiled at the words, saw Evely and strode toward her.

“What is it?” His voice was soft, and he was quite good-looking as well.

“Marquis Carlos told me to give this to the Master urgently…”

“I’ll give it to him.”

Evely, who glanced at her master looking at him with insensitive eyes, gave out the letter like a blushing girl who just confessed.

“Good job.”

The way she bowed her head was the same as usual, but her heart kept pounding. As she left the training ground and passed through the garden again, the image of him brandishing a knife kept popping into her head. But as soon as she entered the mansion, the image was wiped out. Because Charlotte opened her eyes coyly and called her.

“Why are you coming so late?”

Evely bowed her head to a voice that brought her back to reality.

“I thought you went to write the letter yourself.”

Evely sighed inwardly at the sarcastic remark.

“Do you know how hard it was for me during your vacation?”

“Master sent me on it.”

“I told you not to go, but you didn’t listen, ah, really.” Charlotte clicked her tongue as if she didn’t like it. She ordered in a crooked voice. “Clean the second floor warehouse.”

“Me alone?”

“Don’t you think you should work as much as you rested?”

Clean the large warehouse full of junk by myself?

Evely said yes, but she couldn’t help but feel dizzy already.