Arde – Present
There had never been a time when Lukrov’s castle was filled with such anxiety.
Many of the servants were restlessly gathering in the hall, whispering to each other with worried expressions.
Some of it was mindless gossip, and some of it was concern about the whereabouts of Lukrov and the other knights who had gone to war.
Work was hardly done, as everyone looked absent-minded and restless.
Arde was one of them.
And that’s not all.
Unlike the other servants, Arde knew too much. She also carried a heavy responsibility in her heart for leaving Chizuru alone that afternoon.
The castle, without its master, was like a sad, empty box. It was quiet and gloomy.
“Mother, I wonder if Chizuru-sama will be back soon. We promised to play outside together when the weather clears up.”
Noah, her only daughter, asked Arde with pleading eyes. Even though she was very young, she seemed to have sensed impatience in the castle and was more considerate than usual.
“Yes …… they will be here soon. I’m sure that Lukrov-sama has gone to pick her up, and she’ll be back safely soon.”
As she hugged her daughter, Arde murmured softly, keeping her eyes down.
But Arde knew.
She knew some of it, if not all of it.
Fourteen years ago, Lukrov’s grief after Chizuru disappeared.
Four years ago, he had given up the search for Chizuru and had become an empty shell, completely drained of emotion.
A little over a month ago, after Chizuru returned to him, he slowly came back to life, gradually breaking through his stubborn shell and showing a happy smile.
Four days ago, when Lukrov found out that Chizuru had gone missing, his reaction was devastating.
He was furious like a demon and immediately marched to Count Kaftor’s mansion with his army, without listening to anyone’s advice.
Roan was forced to go along with him in a hurry while spitting curses.
They still haven’t returned since.
All Arde could do was to imagine…… And pray.
Both of the acts were suffocatingly frustrating.
The food hardly went down her throat. Still, Arde did not neglect to keep Chizuru’s room as clean and tidy as usual, hoping that Lukrov would retrieve her safely and return soon.
With the disappearance of Chizuru, along with the disappearance of Baru, the young knight that Roan had brought with him, some people had made insensitive speculations, but Lukrov ignored all of them. Even Arde knew that this was impossible.
***
As Arde swept the floor of Chizuru’s room, she looked up as she swallowed hard to keep the tears from forming in her eyes.
In the early days of the castle, there were times when Lukrov would stand in the middle of this room, staring quietly into space with unfocused eyes.
That didn’t happen once or twice…
She was reluctant to ask the question out loud, but Arde knew.
‘This room belongs to Chizuru-sama, doesn’t it?’
‘You are still dreaming of her coming back to you, aren’t you?’
Chizuru must have been the reason why Lukrov had continued to hire Arde in the first place and had given her such special treatment that was unusual for a mere maid.
Arde fell into silence and prayed to the heavens that they would not cause Lukrov any more suffering.
Later that night, the entrance to the castle suddenly became crowded and noisy.
As Arde was assisting with the clean up after dinner in the dining room, Nadal, breathless and flushed, came running up to her while dragging his feet.
Arde – Present
There had never been a time when Lukrov’s castle was filled with such anxiety.
Many of the servants were restlessly gathering in the hall, whispering to each other with worried expressions.
Some of it was mindless gossip, and some of it was concern about the whereabouts of Lukrov and the other knights who had gone to war.
Work was hardly done, as everyone looked absent-minded and restless.
Arde was one of them.
And that’s not all.
Unlike the other servants, Arde knew too much. She also carried a heavy responsibility in her heart for leaving Chizuru alone that afternoon.
The castle, without its master, was like a sad, empty box. It was quiet and gloomy.
“Mother, I wonder if Chizuru-sama will be back soon. We promised to play outside together when the weather clears up.”
Noah, her only daughter, asked Arde with pleading eyes. Even though she was very young, she seemed to have sensed impatience in the castle and was more considerate than usual.
“Yes …… they will be here soon. I’m sure that Lukrov-sama has gone to pick her up, and she’ll be back safely soon.”
As she hugged her daughter, Arde murmured softly, keeping her eyes down.
But Arde knew.
She knew some of it, if not all of it.
Fourteen years ago, Lukrov’s grief after Chizuru disappeared.
Four years ago, he had given up the search for Chizuru and had become an empty shell, completely drained of emotion.
A little over a month ago, after Chizuru returned to him, he slowly came back to life, gradually breaking through his stubborn shell and showing a happy smile.
Four days ago, when Lukrov found out that Chizuru had gone missing, his reaction was devastating.
He was furious like a demon and immediately marched to Count Kaftor’s mansion with his army, without listening to anyone’s advice.
Roan was forced to go along with him in a hurry while spitting curses.
They still haven’t returned since.
All Arde could do was to imagine…… And pray.
Both of the acts were suffocatingly frustrating.
The food hardly went down her throat. Still, Arde did not neglect to keep Chizuru’s room as clean and tidy as usual, hoping that Lukrov would retrieve her safely and return soon.
With the disappearance of Chizuru, along with the disappearance of Baru, the young knight that Roan had brought with him, some people had made insensitive speculations, but Lukrov ignored all of them. Even Arde knew that this was impossible.
***
As Arde swept the floor of Chizuru’s room, she looked up as she swallowed hard to keep the tears from forming in her eyes.
In the early days of the castle, there were times when Lukrov would stand in the middle of this room, staring quietly into space with unfocused eyes.
That didn’t happen once or twice…
She was reluctant to ask the question out loud, but Arde knew.
‘This room belongs to Chizuru-sama, doesn’t it?’
‘You are still dreaming of her coming back to you, aren’t you?’
Chizuru must have been the reason why Lukrov had continued to hire Arde in the first place and had given her such special treatment that was unusual for a mere maid.
Arde fell into silence and prayed to the heavens that they would not cause Lukrov any more suffering.
Later that night, the entrance to the castle suddenly became crowded and noisy.
As Arde was assisting with the clean up after dinner in the dining room, Nadal, breathless and flushed, came running up to her while dragging his feet.
