Chapter 55
“Your meal portions have increased since last week—that’s a relief, Your Ladyship.”
After clearing the plate of leftover food, Luirene wiped the old woman’s mouth. The former Marchioness smiled faintly.
“Oh, I have a scheduled holiday this weekend, so I’ll be away. Another caretaker will assist Your Ladyship in my place that day.”
“Hol…iday?”
“Yes. A friend is curious about the bookstore, so I’m going to show it to her. If things go smoothly, she’ll become the employee who manages the bookstore in my stead going forward.”
“I see. It’s a… good place….”
As Luirene cleared the plates and brewed the tea, the old woman stared vacantly out the window. It was one of those moments where she seemed to be searching for memories that had been eaten away again during sleep, like insects had devoured them.
Luirene placed the tea down quietly, not disrupting her contemplation.
“Hita…”
“Yes?”
“How old is… Hita… now?”
“The young master reached adulthood some time ago.”
The former Marchioness nodded deeply, then stopped mid-motion again. Luirene brought the teacup to her lips—it had cooled enough that no steam rose from it. The scent of Darjeeling, the old woman’s favorite, filled the space around them.
“Yes. That’s… right. It was….”
After savoring the tea, she listened to Luirene read aloud. Perhaps because Luirene had chosen one of her favorite books, a faint smile lingered on her lips the whole time. Then her hand trembled, and she dropped the teacup. Luirene quickly closed the book, stood, and pulled out a handkerchief.
“Are you all right? Thank goodness the tea had cooled—”
“This.”
“Pardon?”
“This… watch…”
In the former Marchioness’s hand was the golden pocket watch Hitaon had given her. It must have slipped out when she’d reached for the handkerchief.
“Hita… Hita’s… watch… isn’t it?”
“Your Ladyship.”
“I gave it to him… on his birthday… had it made for him… a gift. It’s Hita’s….”
Her heart lurched. This pocket watch—had it been a gift the former Marchioness had given her grandson? Then it must have been terribly expensive. What on earth had he been thinking when he’d handed such a precious thing over to her so casually? Surely he hadn’t felt the slightest hint of regret.
“Your Ladyship. That’s…”
There were plenty of ways to dodge this. She could say it was her own, or that she’d found it lying in the hallway. But in whatever form, she didn’t want to lie to the former Marchioness.
If Hitaon was the person she trusted most in the Marquisate, then old Lady Glair was the next.
It was because this woman had cherished her and looked after her that she’d been able to come here—and that she’d been able to meet Hitaon. Every thread of connection had begun with her kindness. That was exactly why she feared disappointing her.
“The watch does belong to the young master. He gave it to me as a gift not long ago.”
“Hita… did?”
“Yes.”
Thanks to a mind that still turned steadily, however slowly, the former Marchioness seemed to grasp the calm confession and the meaning it implied. Surprise spread across her wrinkled face. Luirene worried she might be shocked. But the pupils that had trembled with surprise steadied surprisingly easily.
“Hita… you… with you…”
“…No one knows about our relationship yet. The Marchioness nearly found out once, but we managed to get past it. But I didn’t want to hide it from Your Ladyship. To me, you are as precious as Hopper was.”
“……”
“Will Your Ladyship… punish me as well?”
Her vision swam, just for an instant, at the thought that this time everything might truly collapse. It would always be like this. Every time she spoke aloud of her love for him, Luirene would unfailingly become a sinner. Like someone blinded by desire who’d done something wrong.
In books, love that crossed the barrier of station was hailed as a triumph won by overcoming adversity. In reality, it was nothing more than a scale perpetually, unfairly tilted to one side. No matter how much weight you added, it would never even out.
“Luirene…”
“Yes, Your Ladyship.”
“I… I am…”
As if her heart were brimming with things to say, she took a long time choosing her words. Luirene listened in silence. But what the former Marchioness finally spoke was not what she’d expected.
“There’s a book… I want to read.”
“Which book would that be?”
“My personal bookshelf… the second row… the fifth… shelf…”
“Shall I fetch it?”
“Yes…”
The book the former Marchioness chose was 『 Letters from Forgotten Time』 . It was a favorite of hers—an epistolary novel, its entire contents composed of letters. She listened intently until she drifted off to sleep, and in the end, she never said a single word about Hitaon’s relationship with Luirene.
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