Chapter 39

The third annex was relatively close to the back garden. It was a building consisting of the medical officer’s office dedicated to Marianne, with another one taking care of the inhabitants of the mansion and medical supplies room. Those familiar with the mansion called the 3rd Annex a medical building.

“Then take Eve to that building through that road,” she told Iric.

Eve’s eyes got round like beads. She now stopped begging with her hands. She even raised her head and looked up at Marianne without permission.

“Lady… ”

“I wish I took you inside the main building, but you could be noticed by people there. Just tell them you missed your step. If you make that excuse,they won’t look at you with suspicion and the chief maid won’t punish you.”

Marian grinned brightly instead of pointing out Eve’s rudeness.

“But lady, this maid…”

“Dangerous? I know. Maybe you are. That’s why I ask Iric. Am I too bad, Iric?”

“What do you mean? It is my calling and honor to remove the threats imposed on you.”

“Please do me a favor then.”

It was a plain, lovely command, just like someone asking passersby to buy a bouquet of flowers on the street stands.

Irick barely swallowed a sigh, but he already had an answer.

“Okay, I will follow your order.”

“Thanks.”

Only then did Marianne let go of his arm as if she felt relieved.

Iric stared at his empty wrist and hurriedly hid it behind his back.

“Your first punishment is to get the right treatment.”

Marianne looked back at Eve.

“Let me give you the second punishment after that.”

Eve was aghast, looking at her blankly. Her green eyes looked nicer and sweeter than anyone she had ever met.

“Are you forgiving me?”

“Well, no. Not yet.”

“But why are you giving me this undeserved mercy?”

“You know, Eve. To be honest, I can’t believe everything you say. I’m suspicious about you.”

Marianne folded her arms. The lace ornaments on her shoulders fluttered as she shrugged.

“But even if you’re bad, Iric and Cordelli have already seen your face. They know your name, too. The security of this mansion is so tight that they even strictly control the entry and exit of the staff here. Since this happened, Iric will pay much more attention to protecting me. You can’t run away or hurt me.”

“…”

“And I sincerely hope you are not a bad person.”

“…”

Eve didn’t reply. She crumpled her white apron at Marianne’s strange explanation.

She looked up at Marianne with wet eyes, cheeks and nose.

“I guess you take her to the medical office as soon as possible. It looks like the tree she fell from is pretty high.”

With a worried expression, Marianne looked at the treetop where Eve fell from.

Bright spring sunlight was shining brightly through its abundant branches.

Iric reaffirmed that there were no particular dangers around her. With great concern, he looked at her who wouldn’t return to the mansion. She also rejected Iric’s request that he would call other knights for help.

After he had handed the call whistle to Cordelli, he finally disappeared with Eve who was limping along.

“Gosh, you’re too good-hearted, Lady. If the emperor or Duke Kling had known about this, they would have fired me right away.”

Cordelli grumbled, picking up the books strewn all over on the ground.

“What are you talking about? There are few maids like you who can pretend not to know this kind of thing when you have seen it. Besides, you protected me. You must have been surprised a lot. Thanks.”

“Oh, you’re welcome. I’m your chief maid, right? That’s my job.”

Elated by her encouraging words, Cordelli smiled and piled the books one by one.

Marianne moved closer to the grass to pick up the fan that fell there. The fan was thrown on the same spot on the grass. And beside it was a piece of folded paper which looked like a gift.

‘What is this? Did the maid drop it?’

Marianne bent over to pick up the fan and the note.

When she opened the folded note, she noticed a few lines in soft handwriting.

“Lady, you might have your finger cut by the sharp blades of grass. Wait, what is it?” Cordelli asked, with her eyes opening wide.

“Well, looks like a secret letter.”

“Ah, a secret letter… What? Secret letter? That girl must have dropped it!”

“Cordelli.”

Shush! Marianne put her hand to Cordelli’s mouth and whispered in a low voice.

small. While Corelli was looking around with a confused look, she hid the folded note inside the hand holding the fan.

* * *

“I think you are safe now.”

The 3rd Annex stood with long shadows at the end of the dense forest path.

Its white pillars reflected the sunlight as if they indicated the building was a medical building.

“Thank you so much.”

Eve moved back a couple of steps from Iric helping her and bowed to him.

“My master felt sorry for you and thus let me save your life,” Iric said coldly.

When he grasped the sword on his waist with a dissatisfied look, the sword made a squeaking noise, creating a gloomy atmosphere.

“Don’t expect you will get this kind of mercy again.”

Eve nodded violently, curling up her shoulders.

His look now was quite different from when he was worried about Marianne in the garden.

The large blade scar on his face looked as depressed as the messenger from hell.

She even felt he might threaten her with words like, “Let me take out your intestines right away if you don’t behave well!”

Iric warned sharply, “If you put my master in trouble once more…”

Slurring the end of his sentence, he looked down at Eve quietly. Eve was overwhelmed by his cold look.

“I’ll never, sir. I can promise you!”

“Okay, you can go now!”

“Yes. Let me go now!”

Eve walked with her head down again. While limping to the medical building, she could not look back. She was highly conscious of Iric’s sharp eyes.

Iric stood at the edge of the forest until Eve disappeared into the building and returned.

“You severely sprained her ankle. Fortunately, the bones look fine. How did you get injured?”

“Well, I accidentally rolled down the stairs…” Eve responded to the doctor’s question as Marianne instructed her, and then put her hands in the apron pocket habitually.

But she couldn’t catch anything there.

Turning pale with embarrassment, she searched her pocket again and again.

Now she overturned the apron entirely. Shaking it upside down, she didn’t get anything but dust. She couldn’t find that note she placed deep inside the pocket. She checked the lapel and sleeves too, but she didn’t find it.

“What’s wrong with you? Did you lose anything?”

“No, not really. I thought I put my hairpin here, but I think I left it home.”

“Then, sit down properly. You just strained your injured foot. Don’t do it.”

“I’m sorry.”

Eve sat back on the bed, struggling to stay calm. She looked out the window aghast.

The afternoon sun was warm and calm, and the road over the forest was quiet as if nothing had happened. ‘I’m totally ruined.’

Eve lamented deep inside and gazed at the garden blankly.

* * *

“Now, good night. If you feel a bit suspicious at all, ring the bell. I’ll be running to you right away.”

“Yeah, Cordelli. Have a good night. Do not worry.”

“I can’t help but feel worried, though. If I can have my way, I want to sleep next to your bed, not the room next door.”

Cordelli seemed to be bothered by what happened to her during the day.

Though Cordelli stood side by side with Iric and promised to keep it secret, Marianne still seemed nervous.

Cordelli stayed to the end and checked her bedding, candlesticks, and curtains over and over again. She even volunteered to keep a night watch, but was almost kicked out.

Marianne pulled the fluffy blanket over her chin and blinked her eyes.

It was just dark in the room, and she couldn’t see anything. As she grew more and more accustomed to the darkness, however, she now began to see the shape of the tapestry on the bedside. It was very quiet outside. Squinting her eyes, she checked outside the door, and finally put away the blanket after she got up.

She put her hand through the curtains and opened the window a little bit. The wind was cold. She thought she had better put on something, so she wore a thick shawl hanging nearby.

Next, she fumbled around the drawer of the dressing table with her fingertips. She caught a note with her fingertips. She put it in her pocket and finally squatted down in front of the bed.

She found gentle shoe-shaped leather slippers when she lifted the bedspread. She took off the rabbit fur slippers she was wearing and changed into the new shoes. Hard touch and cool cold wrapped her bare feet.

‘Good. Let me go out now. I hope she can come out as expected.’

Marianne quietly opened the door very slowly. The doorknob was half-turned and locked again with a light click.