Chapter 26
The maids of the Ducal residence all looked down on me, but even so, Emma was an exception. Her attitude towards me went beyond just ‘ignoring.’
‘It’s bordering on hate… almost like jealousy?’
Either way, it was nothing that would do me any good.
“Your hand hasn’t gotten better yet?” Amoide said.
“…Yes.”
To prove my point, I showed him how weak my hand still was.
“It still hurts even if I move it slightly.”
It’s true. Of course, it’s gotten better in the long run, but the pain hasn’t completely disappeared.
“I think something passed by just now,” he said suddenly, squinting at something behind me.
“Just now?”
“Looks like a pile of dust.”
“What?” I turned around to look at the pile of dust in question. There was a fluffy ball of black fur that could be seen rolling around in a corner of the garden, or rather, running around freely.
“Oh, that’s Noir,” I said and explained further. “If you look closely, it has legs, see? It’s a cat.”
As I explained slowly, the energetic ball of fur continued to run around everywhere. It flitted around so quickly that we couldn’t actually see its legs.
“It’s fast.”
“That’s because Noir is very agile for its size.”
“You’re quite proud of it, aren’t you?”
“Of course. After all, Noir is smart enough to hide itself in a huge mansion like this…”
Realizing what I’d just said, I covered my lips with my hands. Amoide stared at me and asked, “Hide?”
“Um, well, it’s like that, Amoide.”
[ Do cats really pose a danger to Amoide’s health? ]
[ There’s no way to be sure about this, but it’s best to be wary of everything. ]
This was what Raymond said when I asked him about cats. They weren’t directly harmful to his health. ‘But at the same time, Noir wouldn’t be helpful either.’
Even so, I couldn’t find it in me to kick it out.
Amoide’s health was always on the back of my mind whenever I secretly took care of Noir’s meals, so I tried to raise it in a secluded place that no one would find.
Sneaking a glance, I tried to gauge his reaction, but it seemed that he sensed my gaze, and his eyes met with mine.
“What?”
“I really didn’t know. I’ll find someone to adopt Noir, but until then, don’t throw it out. Please?”
Despite my earnest request, he didn’t answer me right away. I looked nervously at him, then asked, “…Are you going to kick Noir out?”
“If I tell you to, will you do that?”
“Pardon?”
I couldn’t understand his question. While mulling over what he meant, he repeated it again.
“I asked if you’d throw it out if I told you to?”
His bright, cold eyes were fixed onto mine. Somehow, I couldn’t look away.
“If you…told me to…”
“Would it be easy for you to give it up?”
“…”
With that, I couldn’t say anything in return.
“You said you’d comfort me whenever I’d have a hard time. But, that didn’t mean anything much to you, it seems,” Amoide said. “If you’re going to go back on your words so easily, then just don’t say anything in the first place.”
Thud.
An invisible knife stabbed through my chest. With that pointed tongue of his, Amoide had a knack for using his words to hit where it hurt the most.
“No!” I screamed with an embarrassingly shrill voice. “I mean, I’ll take responsibility for Noir.”
Meooow.
As if reacting to what I said, the black cat flounced over to my feet and rubbed his face against my dress. The white lace lining my clothes quickly got smudged.
“Noir, if you do that, my clothes will get dirty,” I said as I tried to avoid the cat. “It’ll trouble the people who wash my clothes.”
“Why are you worried about that?”
Though I was only mumbling to myself, I was surprised to hear Amoide’s reply.
“Well…”
I’d been in charge of laundry before, so I knew how troublesome it was.
Back then, I had to put all the dirty clothes in a large basin, step on them repeatedly and scrub them with my bare hands until the grime would come off. And so, I knew very well how hard it was to deal with white, frilly clothes.
That’s why I worried about it subconsciously.
“They’re paid to do it anyway. Why are you so worried about getting your clothes stained?”
He repeated his question with a look that said he really couldn’t understand me.
‘It’s a maid’s way of thinking, that’s why.’
I personally didn’t experience it here, but Rona would complain about my clothes from time to time even though she wasn’t directly in charge of my laundry.
Still, it’s unfair. My clothes were nothing compared to Camilla’s. Her dresses were all heavily adorned with countless laces, frills, and even jewelry. They were also made with thin and delicate fabrics, so they were definitely tricky to wash.
“What do you mean worry,” I answered in a roundabout manner.
‘Why would he ask me that in the first place?’
Wanting to avoid Amoide’s inquisitive stare, I turned to Noir instead. But then, after rubbing its face on my dress for so long, Noir changed targets and brushed himself against Amoide’s leg.
“Noir, no!” I cried out in panic, scrambling to take the cat away from him. “Kitty, you’re not allowed to come near him.”
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