93 – Handmaid and Bocchan (7)

“Looks like there are too few strawberries on top of the whipped cream….More please!”

“In that case, why don’t we just take some strawberries and eat them?”

Hans sighed when he saw Hayley constantly asking for additional strawberry toppings and put the strawberries in a separate bowl, but even so, Hailey’s toppings did not end.

Hailey was usually trembling all over the place, but today the frequency was even worse.

Hayley’s constant movement in the kitchen made Hans feel dizzy, but the reason why he didn’t put any sanctions on Haley’s behavior and just went over it was because he could see that Hayley was confused right now.

Of course, in the end, even a good-hearted Hans had a limit to his patience. Hans, who couldn’t stand Haley’s constant noise pollution, had no choice but to stop Hayley.

“These strawberries don’t look very pretty! Dropped out!

“Are you doubting my sense of taste right now? All of them look equally pretty, but something ugly happens! Stop rushing and take this and go back to your room!”

“But there are still strawberries…”

“What kind of strawberry! No, why do you hate going back to your room like that?! Have you done anything wrong to the lady?!”

Haley kept her mouth shut at Hans’ words.

As Hans said, Haley didn’t do anything wrong, but Elena was right for why she was reluctant to go back to her room. It was Hailey, who hadn’t been to Elena since leaving the room, concerned about the conversation she had with her this morning.

I had to go back to my room for the dessert time that was coming soon, so I was increasing my time in front of Hans by catching all kinds of snacks, but now that had reached its limit.

Tick-tock-

The ticking of the kitchen clock’s second hand continues to haunt my ears.

No matter how much you hold on to a strawberry, it cannot stop time. Time continued to flow and there was no way to avoid it. Contrary to my nervousness, I turned my eyes away from the clock as the dessert time approached, but I couldn’t free myself from the sound I heard in my ears.

Hans sighed at Hayley’s silent expression, then opened his mouth by handing him the strawberry shake he just made.

“I don’t know what it is, but go ahead and go. This kind of thing should be resolved quickly so there is no left behind.”

“If you don’t know what…”

“At your age, you know it’s worse if you procrastinate on anything. So get out of the kitchen.”

There was still time left, but Haley had no choice but to go outside in the end because of Hans’ continued banquet.

I put the desserts Hans gave me on a tray and head to Isilia Pavilion. Normally, I didn’t like this long street that hurt my legs, but now I was happy with the corridor that stretched far.

“Why did you give it as a shake…”

Even if I wanted to walk slowly on purpose, I couldn’t do it. Considering the ice on the strawberry shake on the tray, I couldn’t even slow down my steps.

No matter how much I think about it, the intention of handing it over was a lot, but considering Hans’ good intentions, I can’t say anything.

Haley rolled the tray, remembering the morning’s events.

Today, my mind was more restless, but I was confident in managing my expression, so I didn’t worry too much. After checking in the mirror several times, I came out. Hailey’s reflection in the mirror had a lively smile as usual, and it was the face of an immature girl who had no worries at all.

So, to be honest, the fact that Elena found out after checking it out so carefully was quite shocking, even for Haley.

Given Elena’s personality, if she had known that Hailey had a problem, it would have been obvious from the first day that she would have asked the same question as today to solve it. Clearly, nothing has changed since I cheated on the first day, but when my confusion reaches its peak, I feel sad and aware of it, so I feel happy and mysterious.

Of course, now he is blaming his past self for reacting coldly to Elena’s words that he never thought of.

“Coming to think of it, it wasn’t something I would react to that much.”

Since Hailey was well aware of how fragile Elena was, she was even more concerned about what she had done. I feel that a lot has changed since I came to Yeongju Castle, but that doesn’t mean people haven’t completely changed in that short period of time.

As time passed, water droplets formed on the cup containing the strawberry shake and began to wet the tray.

As soon as she noticed the ice on her shake melting, Haley gave up her slack and ran down the aisle at a slightly faster pace than usual.

As Hans said, if you wait too long, the relationship between him and Elena might turn into a melted strawberry shake. At this point, I think it would be a good choice to openly tell them all about their concerns.

Having made up her mind, Haley stood at the door of Elena’s room, feeling a little more at ease.

Since it was a relationship between Hailey and Elena, who had never kept their distance, Hailey was curious about what kind of face she would be wearing behind the door, but at the same time worried. But since I’ve already made a decision, I’m really just going straight ahead.

Haley opened the door and called Elena.

“Lady! It’s dessert time!!”

The voice is deliberately loud, and the facial expressions are perfectly managed.

It was Hailey’s plan to start with dessert and slowly talk about her concerns. I was confident in leading the horse, and if the atmosphere was awkward, I was willing to let it go. However, Haley’s thoughts were shattered the moment she stepped into Elena’s room.

The first thing Haley did upon entering the room was to examine Elena’s expression. I wondered what kind of condition she was in, but I had to know this first so that I could decide how to continue the conversation.

However, it was Elena’s darkened room with a blackout curtain that greeted Hailey when she entered the room. The only light in the room was Elena’s purple eyes as she sat in a chair looking at Hailey.

Elena’s face, which she wanted to check, couldn’t be seen because it was hidden in the darkness, and her purple eyes were staring at her in the dark.

“Welcome, Haley.”

I heard a soft voice that didn’t match the atmosphere of the room at all, but it didn’t feel relieved. As Elena finishes speaking, the sound of the door closing with a bang arouses fear.

“Um…lady? Are you mad right now?”

“Angry? No way. Why would I be mad at Hailey?”

“Then, what is this now?! I…I suddenly can’t move! Elena, be honest! Are you angry now that I didn’t tell you about your worries in the morning? Is that so?”

“Because it’s not!”

But that was for a while, and as time passed, the eyes that had adapted to the darkness captured Elena’s face.

Elena, who has a pouty expression on her face that anyone can tell that she is upset, is facing Haley. Thanks to her appearance, which even a woman like her would instantly think was cute, the tension that had been in her body until just a moment ago disappeared in an instant, but it was still the same embarrassing situation.

I don’t think it was this much in the morning, but why did I suddenly become so angry?

In any case, Hailey immediately tried to open her mouth because she realized that the current situation was not the time to argue, but even that was out of order by Elena.

“I was an idiot. Had I thought about it a little more, I could have noticed it, but how could I not have noticed it for such a long time?”

“Suddenly, what is that talking about… yup?!”

I said something to Elena, who was suddenly blaming herself, but maybe it was the same reason that my body didn’t move right now, Elena glanced at me and the sound disappeared.

“Sorry Haley. I’m going to be doing some pretty important work from now on, so it’s better to be as quiet as possible. Could you bring me the medicines Damian mentioned?”

“Ah yes.”

Damian from one side of the room, who had been watching for some time, came out this way at Elena’s words.

Even though he knew that they were not on the same side, he inadvertently sent a helping eye to the appearance of a new character, but, as expected, Damian looked at Hailey with a pitiful face and shook his head.

In Damian’s hands were two vials of medicine that looked precious even at first glance. At first, I thought it was the color of the bottle that contained the medicine, but when I saw it sparkling inside, I knew that it was the unique color of the medicine itself.

At Elena’s gesture, the vial opened and two elixirs of opposite colors flew into the air. The two medicines, which had turned into a thin line, began to twist into a single line as if weaving a thread. At the same time, drawing an indescribable bizarre pattern gave off a very dreamy atmosphere.

I knew she was trying to cast magic, but as Hailey, who only had a cursory knowledge of magic, there was no way to know what kind of spell Elena was using. However, the collection of bizarre patterns embroidered in the air showed how difficult the technique was.

The two drugs, which had been in a liquid state for a while, changed like a single ring. Elena showed this to Haley and continued.

“If you eat this, you’ll be a little sleepy. Sorry Haley. I didn’t notice you earlier.”

What are you sorry about!!

Hailey was full of desire to ask Elena that question right away, but even when she kept moving her mouth, nothing came out except for a smile.

As soon as the medicine entered her mouth, a feeling of languor, which was to relax her body as Elena had said, covered her whole body. Was this the reason why you fell asleep? The refreshing energy slowly spreading from inside the body continued to flip the switch in consciousness.

The eyelids are already fully closed. Because of this, he couldn’t see, but at the same time as the power that restrained his body was released, he could clearly recognize that Elena was being touched by the scent of lavender smelling nearby.

“Sorry…I’m so sorry. Haley…”

Elena’s apology is heard in a very small voice that can only be heard by Hayley, who is nearby.

I wanted to say something to that figure, but my body was already dominated by a pleasant languor and did not move. The only thing I can move is my neck. Barely turning her head to get close to Elena was the last resistance she could offer.

So what?!

Until the last moment when I lost my mind, I still had doubts about this unknown situation.

***

“Was the solution going well?”

dawn when the sun has set.

Alphonse got out of bed as usual and prepared to go out. I had already told Damian that I had been secretly training in the early morning, but I had no intention of skipping the early morning training.

It’s been a long time since it’s already been a routine to start the day, so I moved my body around and woke up little by little.

After telling Damian about Haley, Alphonse couldn’t see Haley anywhere that day. She was always by Elena’s side, so if you wanted to find her, you could easily find her location, but on that day, no trace of Hailey could be found anywhere in the castle.

According to the servants, being in the inn immediately relieved their anxiety, but that wasn’t Alphonse’s concern right now.

“Did I act too selfish…”

When Hailey explained her constitution to Alphonse, she casually told Alphonse, but it was definitely like a secret to Hailey that she couldn’t tell others.

Alphonse was worried that Hayley might be offended by telling Damian on the impulse of simply wanting to help.

It’s a matter of constitution. If you think of Damian’s expression at the time, there seems to be a way, so I didn’t worry too much. What if Hailey hates her because of this? That’s the problem.

Of course, that didn’t mean that Alphonse regretted his actions. Alphonse’s first priority was to improve Hailey’s constitution. The situation he was worried about was something he had already considered several times before telling Damian the secret.

After getting ready to leave, I headed outside.

I didn’t expect Haley to be at the gym.

It seems that he moved on the same day that Damian revealed his secret, so perhaps the reason he didn’t see it today was because of a problem related to his constitution.

With the wind in my hair, I looked up at the sky inadvertently, and the clouds cleared and the brightly shining moon caught my eye.

The moonlight was exceptionally bright today, so it didn’t seem like there was any need to increase my eyesight. I walked along the path, following the moonlight that lit up the road moderately. The problem wasn’t completely resolved, but it seemed that my complicated head was clearing up a little, perhaps thanks to the quiet atmosphere around me.

In the gymnasium that came into view, the lights of the lamps like before are not visible.

“Also…”

Even though I knew there would be nothing strange about people’s hearts, it’s a pity that I can’t see them. Even though it was only yesterday that we spent time talking together, it seems like Hailey was always there on the days when we came out early in the morning.

Leaving behind regret, we continue our steps towards the darkened gymnasium.

The clouds again took away the moonlight, so I had to strengthen my eyesight to see ahead.

“uh?”

Something caught Alphonse’s eyes in the gymnasium, where the moonlight had completely disappeared and only darkness should remain.

Was it hidden from view by the moonlight?

A very faint line of light was being drawn over the gymnasium. It didn’t take long for Alphonse to realize that the identity of that light was an aura on the sword. Alphonse hurriedly ran towards the gymnasium with a familiar sword drawn by an aura resembling moonlight.

Hailey, as always, was standing in the center of the gymnasium, which emitted a halo of light leaving a faint afterimage.

There was no reason or need to hide it like before, so Alphonse didn’t try to hide his existence at all.

Hayley, who was doing sword dance, turned her eyes towards Alphonse, as if she had heard the sound of strong footsteps. Alphonse felt his heart swell at the sight of Hailey making eye contact with him precisely in the darkness, where he would not be able to see without an aura.

“Alphonse!!”

I could confirm that the heat in my head was rising at the sight of Haley smiling brightly and calling her name, but it was only for a very short time. Since Alphonse was a very fast-paced person, the question of why he was calling him by his first name rather than his usual title filled his head.

“You’ve blown it!!”

“aaa!!”

Hailey, who is close to a certain distance, immediately stretches Alphonse’s cheeks.

Shouldn’t there be only one reason? It was, of course, a punishment for breaking the secret.

Alphonse looked up into Hayley’s face as he held his cheek.

Even though I could feel the mischief in his voice, I felt like I had to check his face this time to put my mind at ease. When he looked up to see Hailey’s face, Alphonse stopped screaming and stared blankly into her face.

Against the background of the moonlight shining through the clouds, Haley’s face was clearly smiling brightly.

Alphonse could feel the corners of his mouth rising naturally, forgetting the pain he felt on both cheeks at that pure smile, not pretentious or decorated.

“Are you laughing at this?!”

“Oh ahhhhh!

The pain I felt afterwards was something else, but the feeling of happiness that filled my heart was still indelible.