Chapter 105
Volumes 1 - 3 of DOTBATVB are available uncensored on ko-fi!
XIII.
“Oh my…”
Marie’s mouth, forgetting all propriety, opened wide as a basin before quickly snapping shut.
“Forgive me. It’s just that meeting His Highness the Grand Duke so suddenly… I greet you for the first time. I am Marie, Milady’s maid.”
Though she seemed somewhat flustered, her reaction was remarkably composed considering she was facing the Beast Grand Duke, known only by rumor. Fiona offered Marie a slight smile, conveying her approval.
“You will have much need of Marie’s help going forward, Caligo. I certainly did. Without Marie, I might have struggled considerably to live in this place.”
Marie, startled by these touching words—words Fiona had never spoken directly to her before—covered her mouth with her hand. Fiona, perhaps embarrassed, avoided her gaze and rather unnecessarily urged Caligo to greet her.
“So I hope you will treat Marie well.”
“Marie.”
Caligo followed Fiona’s lead and spoke the maid’s name. But soon, apparently unsure what to say, he turned his eyes back to her.
“When meeting someone for the first time like this, you can answer ‘Pleased to meet you’ or ‘I look forward to working with you.'”
“Pleased to meet you. I look forward to working with you.”
His parrot-like repetition of her words amused her, and as she laughed softly, his gaze immediately fixed upon her face.
It was only a beginning, but if he could meet people one by one like this—learning to socialize and acquiring daily life skills—might he not quickly approach the “sound state” Jayden had mentioned?
Fiona hoped he would learn that not everyone in the world was hostile like Jayden and his soldiers.
“Marie, from today Caligo will be living with me upstairs. Nothing special—just go about your usual routine.”
Though her tone was calm, Marie caught the faint expectation within it and smiled, nodding her head.
Whatever the circumstances, she could perceive that the Grand Duke’s condition was not ordinary. In any case, the fact that a couple who had lived apart since their wedding would now share a room was a welcome change even for a maid.
“Speaking of which, I thought we might prepare a separate room for you, so I came to look around. What do you think? I don’t know much, but I’ve heard that for nobles, one’s own space is quite important.”
At Fiona’s suggestion, Caligo took a step forward as if to examine the room. While his attention was elsewhere, Marie drew close to Fiona’s side.
“Milady mentioned he was large, but I truly didn’t expect this extent.”
At the maid’s whisper, meant for her ears only, Fiona laughed softly.
When she had left the room yesterday morning, she could never have imagined introducing Caligo to Marie and bringing him upstairs—yet in a single day, circumstances had changed so drastically.
After concluding negotiations with Jayden regarding Caligo’s status and returning to her room, Fiona had fallen asleep instantly, without time for further thought. And this morning, only when she met eyes directly with Caligo—who had been silently watching her, awake heaven knows when—did she recall reality once more.
From today, Fiona intended to let him experience a life as normal as possible.
To that end, she thought it best to quickly prepare not only Caligo’s own space but also clothing and other necessities. The task was quite daunting alone, so she had first sought Marie’s help.
“It’s just like when you’ve brought home a stray cat.”
Having heard all of her plans, Marie inadvertently murmured this, then quickly covered her mouth with her hand. This time, Fiona could not suppress her laughter, and as she laughed aloud, Caligo looked at the two with a puzzled expression.
Meeting his gaze, Fiona and Marie arrived at the same conclusion almost simultaneously.
“First, let’s do something about those clothes.”
“A most wise statement.”
Currently, Caligo wore the same attire as when they had encountered him at the military camp yesterday. Which is to say, a bare upper body covered only by tattered trousers.
Yet compared to this seemingly simple objective, the two faced a considerable obstacle from the very start.
“But where might we obtain clothes suitable for His Highness the Grand Duke to wear…?”
As Marie said, there was simply no way to immediately find clothes that would fit Caligo’s body.
However, the solution to this problem was unexpectedly close at hand.
“Milady, look here!”
Discussion
0 CommentsNo comments yet.