Chapter 111
Felice braided her hair and pinned it up neatly, then checked the dandelion flowers she’d spent the last four days drying.
“Thank goodness, they dried perfectly.”
She’d been busy with these flowers for days, so after making sure they were ready, she finally stepped out of her room.
Today, she planned to go outside for the first time in a while—for an afternoon tea party.
It would’ve been nice to bake cookies herself, but there simply wasn’t enough time. Instead, she decided to buy some from the most famous bakery in the central square.
As Felice left the mansion’s hall, she ran into a maid and greeted her.
“Good morning, Lisa.”
“O-oh… G-good morning, Miss Felice. Umm… are you going out today?”
The maid, caught in the middle of moving some things, looked startled at Felice’s announcement.
“Yes, just for a bit. I’ll be back soon.”
“Oh? Is there something you need to do outside?”
Lisa put down her things entirely, her face turning serious.
“Huh?”
Felice tilted her head, puzzled by the maid’s question.
“It’s just… um… well… someone mentioned needing to go out today.”
“Oh, really? If it’s nothing too difficult, I could take care of it for them while I’m out.”
“No! Oh, I mean! I just thought… maybe that person could run your errand instead. Um… who was it again…”
Lisa gestured vaguely, searching for a name.
“Oh—! The butler!”
At that moment, as if she’d found a savior, Lisa called out to the butler, Ben.
“Miss Felice needs to go out today! By the way, didn’t someone else need to go out today as well?”
Ben nodded as he walked over.
“I believe Tom mentioned it. Miss Felice, why not let Tom handle it for you?”
“Tom? Oh, that’s alright. I’ll take care of it myself. But if you need me to pick something up, just let me know—I won’t be long.”
Felice said, shaking her head.
Ben swallowed nervously.
For all his decades as a butler—serving the house of Baron Racliffe and keeping the secret of the prince’s true identity—today was, without doubt, the most stressful day of his career.
“The weather isn’t great today. You really shouldn’t go out on a day like this.”
“The weather? But it’s perfectly sunny.”
Felice replied, tilting her head.
“They’re predicting rain this afternoon. A storm, even.”
“Oh, really? I see… But I’ll be quick, so I’ll be fine.”
Felice smiled brightly and started to turn away, but Ben called out to her again.
“Miss Felice!”
“Yes…?”
“Would you do me a favor?”
“A favor? What is it?”
“Would you… visit Annie, just for a moment?”
“Annie? Is something wrong with her?”
Worry crept into Felice’s face. As she glanced toward the door, Ben quickly gestured at Lisa to go alert Annie.
“I’d better go move these things, then.”
The maid, exchanging hand signals with the butler, headed off on her new mission.
“Alright, I’ll visit Annie after I get back. She’s not sick, is she?”
“…She is.”
Ben finally said quietly.
Just as Felice was about to exit through the back door, Lisa, having overheard Ben, hurried to the kitchen.
“Lisa, that doesn’t belong in the kitchen, does it?”
The cook asked, startled by Lisa’s sudden dash. Lisa replied urgently.
“Miss Felice is going out!”
“…What?”
“What?!”
The kitchen erupted into chaos. Lisa rushed outside, and the head cook, now looking grim, ordered the youngest kitchen helper to run after Felice and block her path.
“Hurry, and don’t let her get far. She mustn’t leave the grounds.”
“Yes!”
The Racliffe household was in an uproar. From the start of the morning, everyone was scrambling to keep Felice from stepping outside.
* * *
“Annie!”
Lisa burst out of the kitchen and dashed toward Annie’s cottage. Thomas, who was outside the cottage, simply shrugged and continued his chores, unfazed by Lisa’s frantic pace and shouts.
“Annie!”
Lisa called again.
Annie, who had just woken up, looked at Lisa, still bleary-eyed from sleep.
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