TM 07

Chapter 07…

 You Can Tell a Good Person Right Away

“Why do you keep sighing, my lady?”

“I don’t know.”

Lorelia answered gloomily and turned away. With the sea behind her, she stepped into the maze-like hedge garden. The hedges towered above her head and were trimmed as straight as if with a razor. As she slowly walked through the shade created by the tall greenery, Lorelia recalled the scene from the breakfast room.

Freezing up the moment their eyes met. Her hands trembling uncontrollably. Blurting out a foolish question that made him laugh. The more she reflected on her behavior, the more awkward and ridiculous she felt.

Why had she been so nervous? She should have acted like an adult. She should have spoken with more dignity. He had seemed so mature. What if he thought of her as just a child?

Theobold was twenty-five. But she would soon be twenty herself. Her mother had been about five years younger than her father too… Realizing where her thoughts were headed, Lorelia suddenly flinched.

What on earth am I thinking?

“Did you make some kind of mistake at breakfast?”

“Huh? No, no.”

“Then why do you suddenly look so down…?”

Before Alicia could finish, a deep dong rang out. Both girls turned their heads almost simultaneously toward the sound. To the left of the manor, the round clock face on the tall bell tower showed that it was 3 o’clock in the afternoon.

The bell tolled twice more. Its lingering echo hung in the air as if resonating from the heavens.

“There certainly are a lot of clocks in this manor. There were even several in the corridors.”

“Well, the clockmakers’ guild is in Isen.”

“Even so. Do you know how expensive clocks are?”

Precision clocks required advanced craftsmanship and were not something just anyone could make. They were so costly that commoners wouldn’t dare to purchase one and instead relied on the clock towers at village temples. Even in royal palaces or noble estates, clocks were placed only where necessary—not scattered everywhere for decoration as in this manor.

“Well, this is the kind of place where they even gild the toilets,” Alicia muttered, making Lorelia giggle.

“You saw the little clock on the bedroom desk, right? I’ve never seen such a tiny clock before. How do they make them so small?”

“Right? You could tuck it in your pocket and no one would notice.”

“That’s exactly what I was thinking. The lord here must not worry about anyone stealing.”

“Who would take something from the manor?”

“Oh, come on. How can you be so sure? Do you know how many servants and maids come and go?”

“But they didn’t seem like that kind of people.”

Oh, please. Alicia thumped her own chest in exasperation at the naïve young lady.

“My lady, my mother always says you can never judge a person by their appearance.”

“Your mother seems to know a lot.”

“It’s the wisdom of life’s hardships. She became wealthy despite not being a noble because she was good at managing my father. And just look at her cleverness, sending me to serve you as your maid. You’d be smart to heed her advice.”

“You don’t dislike being my maid, do you?”

“Of course not. It’s the best thing my mother’s ever done for me. Anyway, my lady, you shouldn’t trust strangers so easily. You only truly know people after spending time with them.”

“I knew you were a good person from the start.”

Lorelia smiled sweetly at her maid. She looked so lovely when she smiled that Alicia was momentarily at a loss for words.

“You can tell a good person right away. You can feel their kind energy. A person’s true nature is like a scent—they simply can’t hide it.”

“Did Father Holtmann say that?”

“Mm-hmm. He said everyone is born good. People become cruel because they’re wounded. They hurt others because they’re in pain—but in truth, they’re the ones suffering the most.”

Alicia swallowed a sigh as she listened. Father Holtmann was indeed a virtuous man, but he’d spent his whole life praying safely within temple walls. Embracing wrongdoers was a virtue for saints, not an expectation for everyone.

“But just because you’re hurting doesn’t mean you can make others hurt too.”

“That’s why we should help each other.”

“……”

“If we help one another heal, then no one has to suffer, right?”

Lorelia smiled gently as she said this. Her green eyes glowed beautifully under the sunlight. Alicia thought that perhaps the lord had made the right decision choosing Holtmann as Lorelia’s tutor—after all, noble ladies and priests alike would live their lives within safe walls, praying.

“Well, I can’t say I agree, but I can’t really argue with that either.”

So Alicia smiled back. If everyone helped each other so no one would have to suffer… what a wonderful world that would be. Perhaps such a world was possible for a great noble’s daughter.

“So, what happened after you saw that angelic lord? You said you couldn’t breathe and your hands were shaking—what happened next?”

Alicia teased with a mischievous grin, making Lorelia flustered. Alicia too had heard that the lord of Trisen was young and unmarried. And if he was as handsome as their own young master—well, no one would blame an innocent young lady for falling head over heels. Lancelot’s only son and heir, Lederhart, was already married with a daughter, but for the retainers of House Hayes—including Alicia—he was still “our young master,” the most dashing man on the continent.

“Well, you know… it just happened.”

“It just happened?”

“Yeah. We greeted each other, sat down, and had breakfast together…”

Lorelia mumbled evasively and turned her gaze away, clearing her throat as she walked ahead. Alicia stifled her laughter as she followed. The back of Lorelia’s pale neck had turned pink.

Yup, totally smitten. Alicia almost burst out laughing but quickly composed her face with the practiced poise of a maid.

The hedge garden was maze-like but not particularly complicated. The tall hedges limited visibility, but the pathways weren’t twisted enough to get lost. Lorelia easily retraced her steps and found the way out.

Just then, something suddenly popped out from behind a hedge. Lorelia gasped and froze. A small, speckled-fur creature—oh, a rabbit. She exhaled in relief, hand over her chest.

But on closer look, it wasn’t a rabbit.

“Alicia, look at this. It’s a puppy!”

She called over her shoulder and crouched down. “Come here,” she whispered, reaching out. The little puppy wagged its stubby tail and ran toward her. Oh my, it’s so cute! Lorelia gently petted the puppy as it nuzzled its nose against her skirt. Its fur felt incredibly soft against her palm.

“Lady Hayes.”

Lorelia froze mid-pat. It took her only a split second to realize who was standing in front of her. Thump-thump-thump. Her heart suddenly pounded as she lifted her head.

“There you are.”

He was standing under the shade of the tall hedge. His platinum-blond hair gleamed brilliantly. His deep blue eyes were smiling at her.

“My lord.”

Lorelia straightened her knees and stood. Even upright, she had to tilt her chin upward to meet his gaze. He was taller than her father—if she were to fall into his arms, her head wouldn’t even reach his chin.

Fall into his arms? Why am I imagining that? Lorelia panicked at her own thoughts. Her face flushed hot, and she desperately tried to imagine herself hugging her father instead.

Her father wrapping one arm around her, pressing a gentle kiss to her crown… For some reason, she couldn’t picture it clearly. The imagined father kept turning into a man with platinum hair.

“It seems my puppy disturbed your walk,” he said.

Lorelia suddenly noticed his scent.

“I apologize if it startled you.”

“Oh, no. I wasn’t startled.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

He nodded, then bent down to the puppy. With practiced ease, he scooped the dog into his arms. Lorelia noticed how natural his movements were, and the puppy looked completely at ease.

“Is that your puppy, my lord?”

“Yes. He was born in my kennel.”

“I heard you love animals.”

He looked at her, as if wondering where she’d heard that. Lorelia quickly explained.

“Sir Cedric Glenn is my godfather. He told me that you’re very fond of animals.”

“Sir Cedric… I see.”

He nodded in understanding, then asked,

“Do you like dogs, Lady Hayes?”

The dogs kept at noble estates were usually guard dogs or hunting hounds. Her father and brother always brought several dogs with them on hunts. Lorelia disliked those dogs—their long snouts stained with blood when they returned, their large, intimidating bodies. She avoided the kennels entirely.

This puppy would grow into one of those someday too. But if she admitted she didn’t like dogs, the conversation would end, so—

“I like puppies,” she replied a little evasively.

As she expected, he looked pleased.

“Would you like to visit my kennel?”

“May I?”

“Of course. It’s just nearby. I was letting the newborn puppies out to exercise, but one wandered off, so I was searching for it.”

Once the topic turned to the kennel, he became more talkative. Lorelia found it amusing that the head of a grand noble house was chasing after a puppy. She’d never once seen her father or brother near the kennels—those were the kennel master’s domain.

How kind he must be. So down-to-earth and warm.

“It would be our pleasure if you would show us the way, my lord,” Lorelia said eagerly. He briefly glanced at Alicia behind her, then said,

“This way.”

And with the puppy in his arms, he began to lead them forward.