Chapter 37
At the worried call, the kitten in Sia’s arms let out a weak meow.
“Anna? Are you there?”
The place where they stood was much higher up than the valley. The person calling was on the opposite side of the valley, at a lower spot, so they couldn’t see Sia and Nox.
Seeing the kitten crying pitifully in the direction of the voice, Sia guessed that the caller was related to the kitten. Hugging the kitten, she moved to a rock where she would be visible from the other side.
“Excuse me, are you this kitten’s owner?”
The woman, startled at Sia’s sudden appearance, took a step back in surprise. By now, Sia was quite used to such reactions and simply added,
“You should’ve watched this little one more closely. It fell into the water—something terrible could’ve happened!”
“Ah, ah…”
Nox appeared behind Sia, who was shouting across the valley. When the woman on the opposite side saw Nox, she immediately fell to her knees.
“M-Milord…”
“Do you work at my estate?” Nox asked.
She bowed her head and replied,
“Yes… I’m a maid in charge of the laundry.”
“Then, is this child the one you brought?”
“I-I’m sorry! There was no one to watch her, so I only brought her just for today…”
The woman apologized, bowing her head so low she nearly touched the ground. Nox lightly waved his hand and answered,
“Rise. I do not mean to hold you accountable.”
“Th-thank you!”
“It may be warmer these days, but the valley water here is still like ice. You’d better take the child back right away.”
“Y-Yes…”
The woman prepared to jump into the water to cross to their side, but Nox stopped her.
“Stay where you are.”
He held out his hand to Sia. She placed the kitten in his large hand. Nox gently gripped the kitten’s body with one hand, then pushed off the rock and leapt.
With a single bound, he crossed the valley and handed the kitten to the woman.
“You didn’t come all this way to do laundry, did you? Why did you come over to this side?”
“…The head maid let me off early today because of my younger sibling. I was on my way home, but my sister is still young and doesn’t listen well… I didn’t realize she’d run off all the way here. I truly apologize, Milord.”
She took the kitten back and instinctively tried to put some distance between herself and Nox. She was grateful, but the habit of avoiding the black-haired master—said to be an ill omen—showed itself unconsciously.
Nox was no longer hurt by this. In fact, he didn’t even notice it anymore. After all, Sia was with him now.
“I’ll overlook it this once. But this is the private property of House Blois. Do not enter without permission.”
“Yes, of course, Milord. We’ll remember that.”
With that, Nox pushed off a rock and jumped back to Sia’s side.
Sia’s jaw dropped in amazement. She could barely imagine crossing the rocks at all, let alone with such ease, but Nox did it lightly.
A man that big, moving so nimbly like a cat?
“…Lord Nox, you’re amazing.”
“Hm, what do you mean?”
Nox didn’t realize what she was complimenting him for. He tilted his head, expressionless, which made Sia let out a small laugh.
The more she got to know him, the more impressive he seemed. The pressure she’d felt when she first met him felt like a lie.
The valley water was cold, but the sunlight was warm, so she wasn’t chilly. She squeezed the water from her skirt, then suddenly realized Nox’s hands were empty.
“Oh, if we’re both soaked, who’s going to carry the paper?”
“…Hm?”
Nox, who had been absentmindedly staring at her pale legs beneath her skirt, didn’t answer. With slightly dazed eyes, he continued to gaze at that spot, so Sia repeated her question.
“Should we dry off a little on that sunlit rock before going?”
“…What?”
“Both you and I are wet, so we can’t carry the paper right now. The weather’s nice, so our clothes should dry quickly.”
Instead of answering, Nox silently wrapped his arm around Sia’s waist.
“Ah!”
With a powerful leap, Nox jumped onto the tallest nearby rock and set Sia down. She glanced down at the valley flowing beneath the rock, then quickly stepped away from the edge.
Discussion
0 CommentsReactions
No comments yet.