On the morning of the second day after returning from the royal capital, Serena changed into her usual maid uniform and carried the morning tea to Vain's room. As though her standing guard behind him in travel clothes until yesterday had all been a dream, being back at the mansion meant making the bed, opening the windows, and folding the coat that had been tossed onto a chair. In front of his desk, Vain sat before the mountain of paperwork that had accumulated during his absence, an openly sour expression on his face first thing in the morning.
"...This is the one Clarice told me yesterday had to be done by today, right?"
"The red string... Probably that one."
"Guess I'll knock it out first, then... If I put it off, she'll just come chasing after me with it again."
Grumbling all the while, Vain obediently pulled the bundle tied with red string toward himself. Serena set down the tea service and watched him for a moment as she squared up the papers threatening to slide off the edge of the desk. Clarice had never been one to hold back around him even before their trip to the royal capital, but lately, Vain had come to accept her nagging as second nature.
As Serena picked up the empty pitcher to leave the room, Vain looked up.
"I won't be stepping foot outside the mansion today, so you don't need to stand guard, all right? Mylene gave you work to do, didn't she?"
"...She did."
"Then go take care of that. I'll call for you if something comes up."
"Understood."
In the past, being told to stand down from guard duty might have made her wonder if she was no longer needed. There had been a time when she believed her only purpose in being here was to serve as a weapon, but now, if summoned, she guarded; if not, she tended to her duties as a maid. She knew by now that none of this changed her place here.
Stepping out into the hallway, she was called by a maid carrying fresh laundry at the bottom of the stairs. Serena set down the pitcher, took half the load, and fell into step beside her.
◇
Just before noon, while on her way to deliver the folded linens, Serena passed by the office and saw Vain, Clarice, and Lydia gathered around the desk inside.
"Vain, that goes on the right! I've been sorting all the highway reports over there for a while now, haven't I? If you just toss them down without looking, they're going to get mixed up again..."
"I am looking... There are just too many documents that look identical."
"Then at least check the seals... Here, let me have it."
Clarice plucked the paper from Vain's hands and slipped around to his side of the desk. Even when standing close enough for their shoulders to brush, neither of them seemed to pay it any mind. Lydia watched them for a moment before dropping her gaze back down to the report in her own hands.
"Lady Clarice... You truly understand Lord Vain's thoughts so well, don't you? I noticed it in the royal capital as well, but seeing you by his side so naturally here in the mansion surprised me a little."
"When you've worked together this long, you learn whether you want to or not... If you leave this man alone, he only creates more trouble for himself."
"Who's creating more trouble?! Who! I'm trying to cut down on it here!"
"And as a result, my workload increases!"
Watching the two banter in their usual rhythm, Lydia gave a faint smile, only to fall quiet a moment later. Without noticing, Vain picked up another report and turned toward her instead.
"Oh, right... Thanks for helping sort the troops yesterday. Raisa probably could've handled it on her own, but it's much more reassuring having you look over the fine details. I'll be leaving the army in your hands for a while."
"...Yes! Of course. I will proceed in close consultation with Raisa-dono."
Her answer came with a bright tone, but Lydia made no move to step any closer to Vain. In fact, she started to take a step forward only to catch herself, lowering her gaze back to the paper in her hands. She had grown strangely distant before they even left the royal capital, and it seemed that lingering reservation had followed her all the way back to the estate.
Just then, Serena noticed Clarice's fingers pause for a fleeting instant. Clarice immediately turned the page as if nothing had happened, but her eyes had not been on Lydia—she had been watching Vain as he spoke to her.
"Lydia, could you look over these ration tallies as well? I want to make sure the portions for all the soldiers who returned yesterday are accounted for."
"Yes. Right here, correct?"
The two returned to their work. Their voices and expressions were no different from usual. Even so, it was clear to Serena that Clarice was being subtly mindful of Lydia. Still unable to piece together why, Serena quietly slipped away.
◇
In the afternoon, on her way back from delivering water to the barracks, Serena passed the training grounds and spotted Lydia lingering just behind Raisa. Full-scale drills had not yet resumed, and the soldiers were occupied with polishing their gear or lightly stretching. Raisa was taking reports from several men, but Lydia would start to step forward only to hesitate, falling back whenever another soldier approached.
If it were a matter of military business, Lydia would never wear an expression like that. When discussing tactics, she never hesitated to speak her mind even to Raisa, yet today she was agonizing over approaching a single person.
"...Suspicious."
Her curiosity piqued, Serena abandoned her direct path back and slipped behind the storage shed beside the grounds. In the past, this was the kind of blind spot she would have used to take someone's life, but today, she was merely here to eavesdrop.
Before long, the last soldier departed, and Lydia braced herself, stepping up to Raisa.
"Raisa-dono. There is... something I would like to consult you on. May I have a moment of your time...?"
"What's with the stiff formality? If it's about the troops, I can hear it now. Did you notice something off since yesterday?"
"No, it is not about military affairs. Um... it is a much more personal matter. This is an extremely awkward question to ask, but... Raisa-dono, have you ever kissed a gentleman?"
A heavy pause fell between them, and Raisa's brows knit together.
"...Lady Lydia. Just what kind of consultation are you looking for here? Let me make one thing clear: I can teach you how to whip soldiers into shape, but don't go expecting me to be a romance advisor."
"I-Is it strange after all?! But I could think of no one else I could possibly discuss this with... Raisa-dono, you are older than I am, so I thought you might know at least a little about such things."
Perhaps because the question was posed with such painful earnestness, Raisa could not bring herself to turn her away, instead scratching her head in exasperation.
"So, did somebody order you to do it?"
"...My father gave me an outrageous command. At first, I thought it was completely impossible. But even after returning from the royal capital, I cannot get it out of my head... Even today, seeing how Lady Clarice stands by Lord Vain so naturally, I realized I become strangely self-conscious the moment he so much as speaks to me..."
As she spoke, Lydia's voice grew fainter and fainter. Having brought up Vain's name herself and gone so far as to compare herself to Clarice, she could no longer hide behind the excuse that she was merely troubled by her father's orders. Watching from the shadows, Serena finally made sense of the awkward behavior she had observed since noon.
Raisa seemed to arrive at the same conclusion, letting out a weary sigh.
"I see... In that case, all the more reason to put your old man's orders aside for a moment. Are you agonizing over this because you were told to kiss him, or do you yourself want to get closer to the master? You'll never find an answer if you keep those two things tangled together."
"I... want to get closer to Lord Vain...?"
Saying the words aloud seemed to strike her far harder than she had anticipated. Unable to offer a denial, Lydia fell into deep thought, her cheeks burning bright red.
"If you hate the idea, then just don't do it. But if you truly hated it, you wouldn't have been brooding over it with a face like that for days on end, right? Before asking me how to kiss someone, figure out what you actually want first. If you don't even know that, knowing the technique won't do you a lick of good."
"...You are... right. I was entirely consumed by what my father told me. But if that were all, there would have been no reason for me to look at Lady Clarice and feel that way."
Having admitted that much, Lydia flushed an even deeper shade of crimson. Raisa gave a soft chuckle and shrugged.
"See? You're finally starting to figure it out. There's no need to rush your answer. The master isn't going anywhere for a while, so just take your time and think it through until you're satisfied."
"Yes... Thank you, Raisa-dono. I never imagined I would come to you with something like this, but I feel as though my thoughts have cleared considerably."
"Don't mention it! Just keep it to military matters next time, if you don't mind... This sort of talk isn't my forte either, you know."
Lydia offered an embarrassed smile and nodded. The tension that had held her shoulders stiff was completely gone, and Serena slipped away from behind the shed without either of them ever noticing. She understood Lydia's dilemma now. And then there was Clarice, who had been watching Lydia so intently earlier today. Serena felt an urge to probe just a little further.
◇
That evening, as Serena was folding laundry in the corner of the dining hall, Clarice walked in carrying a thick stack of paperwork. Though she had been working since midday, she clearly still had matters to review; taking a seat opposite Serena, she immediately opened the first page.
Serena folded the linens in silence for a time, but recalling the scene in the office and the private conversation she had overheard from the shadows, she quietly looked up.
"Clarice."
"What is it? Did something happen?"
"Lately, you look at Master. A lot."
Clarice's fingers, poised to turn the page, froze. Serena expected an immediate retort, but after a subtle pause, Clarice merely lowered her eyes as if it were nothing.
"...I'm only watching him for work, you know. If you leave Vain alone, he stacks papers haphazardly, takes on tasks he doesn't need to do himself, and before you know it, he's dragged into some mess, isn't he? Having worked alongside him for this long, I just can't help but notice."
"Is that all?"
"That's all. What brought this on all of a sudden? I'm his aide, so making sure he's doing his job properly is only natural, isn't it? Besides, he recently became a duke, so he has far more on his plate than before. If even I don't keep an eye on him, who's going to rein him in? It doesn't mean anything weird."
Having made her declaration, Clarice picked up the next sheet of paper as if forcefully drawing the conversation to a close.
"Look, I still have work to do. Serena, you have chores left too, don't you? Stop letting your imagination run wild and let's just finish up quickly."
"...Understood."
Serena obediently reached for the next cloth and pressed the matter no further. However, when she glanced sideways a moment later, Clarice had not turned a single page past the one she had first opened. Lydia was finally beginning to realize her growing awareness of Vain, and Clarice was fixated on both Lydia and Vain while convincing herself it was purely professional. Meanwhile, the master himself remained completely oblivious to it all.
Smoothing down the edge of the folded cloth, Serena let the corners of her mouth curl into a tiny, hidden smile.
"This is... going to get interesting."