Chapter 24
The reason that we had visited the Margrave’s branch family was that we had received a report of a suspicious person. This was thanks to the increased security measures that had been set in place on the Margrave’s lands.
As this person had already been apprehended, we were to examine and then take the man back with us to the castle.
Madame Beatrice would be accompanied by Alan, who was now helping with matters pertaining to the territory, Sir Wentworth, I and the other handmaidens, two knights and five soldiers who would act as our guards.
To be very honest, I was the only one in the whole group who could not fight.
So why then, had I been asked to come? It was entirely due to Madame Beatrice.
“Thank you, Kiara. You are very skilled with this.”
It was during one morning after a light breakfast.
Madame Beatrice smiled and thanked me after I had finished arranging her hair.
As Madame Beatrice would be making this visit as the Margravine, she had to keep her hair properly made. This was also a matter of status. There would be a necessity for her to wear something that was a rank above whatever the madame of the branch family would wear.
It would be my job to consult the ladies or daughters of the branch family and make plans for the day’s attire, in order to dress Madame Beatrice beautifully.
There would not have been a problem if this job had been done by Maia or the others, as their sensibilities were no worse than mine. But since our hosts were n.o.bles, it would be proper for the handmaiden to be at the very least, related to n.o.bles. It would avoid any possible trouble that could arise from them being of common origin.
And so it became my task.
I would ask gently, yet push with some force, just like one of high birth. After all, I had been raised as a Count’s daughter, so speaking as a n.o.ble was not difficult for me. The handmaidens of the branch family were all of extended families or daughters from other branch families, and seemed a little put off by this ‘child of n.o.ble birth who had come!’
But I am sorry. This was little more than a high and mighty disguise.
If someone thought to poke me, I would likely topple over and my cover would be blown.
And yet, while I walked in the branch family’s mansion, even Alan would ask ‘Are you really Kiara?’
That was rude. I
had socialized with the daughters of viscounts and marquis in Sunday school.
When I reminded him of this, he said, ‘That is right. You escaped from that school didn’t you…’ as if he had really forgotten that all of that happened.
But what was the most annoying, was that even Sir Wentworth, who was with Alan, looked at me suspiciously.
In any case, I was quite happy to be given this role in maintaining Madame Beatrice’s reputation.
And one of my responsibilities as her handmaid was to dress her hair.
As makeup was hardly used in this world, the face is beautified by just a light covering of something similar to foundation, dressing the hair up and adding jewelry.
I braided her silvery hair before joining them together and fixing it with a hairpin. Madame Beatrice was very fond of the way I did her hair. There were no elastic bands in this world, so braiding the hair and setting it was quite…difficult. But doing this resulted in a hairstyle not seen anywhere else, which is why I had thought she would like it.
She was turning her head to the side to try and see the back in the mirror as she smiled.
“But your hair seems much more manageable. I wish I could have something similar.”
“Surely my hair would not be appropriate for a Margravine of your dignity…”
My brown hair had been simply braided and hung over my neck with green ribbon. The rest of my hair flowed down my back. It was a hairstyle somewhere between childish and adult, but it was also neatly kept and rarely got in the way.
At Everal castle, Madame Beatrice would usually have a simple bun for when she went riding, or she would leave it completely untied. So, while a more intricate hairstyle was pretty, she still did envy my simplicity.
“I’m sure it will be fine to have this kind of hair once we return.”
“That is true. But Kiara, are you not almost seventeen years old? I think that next time we are in such a place, we should have matching hair. You are an adult now, after all.”
I was fourteen when I had first come to Everal castle. And I turned fifteen during the winter that immediately followed. And a year had pa.s.sed since then, so I was already sixteen. Thankfully, everyone had celebrated with me.
Back then, Madame Beatrice had said, ‘You know, handmaidens are closer to comrades rather than servants to their employers. That is why they are often chosen
chosen from good families. Is it not normal for us to celebrate your birthday then? It will only be with a close few, but I think it would be good for you to have some fun.’ Just a close few… I had thought, but it turned out to have a broad definition to her. It wasn’t just Alan and the Margraves, but everyone employed at the castle. It was much too many to consider a close few. The whole castle did enjoy the banquet, though.
By the way, Alan had his sixteenth birthday quite earlier than me. It was a very extravagant affair, which was only natural since he was the heir.
Citizens who lived in the nearby town were all invited, drinks and food were served as if a festival was being held.
During this event, I had heard there were not enough hands in the kitchen, so I had offered my help by peeling potatoes in the corner. Alan was most surprised when he later came to find me.
After that, he seemed to be excessively sympathetic that I was capable of peeling potatoes.
But actually, it was just something that I had learned through helping my mother cook in my past life.
But in any case, I cannot be leisurely talking on like this.
Today was the day that we were to take the prisoner back to the castle. Even if the tied up criminal was to be put in the wagon, the trip would still take the entire day, so it was necessary to leave early.
I, Maia and the others followed Madame Beatrice as she went to the entrance of the mansion.
The whole branch family had come to see us off as we entered the carriage.
It was I, Maia and the others, and Madame Beatrice who would ride inside.
Alan and the knights would ride horseback, while the soldiers would either ride the covered wagon with the criminals or the driver’s seat of our carriage. The remaining three would ride their own horses.
I felt a sense of relief as soon as the carriage began to move. It had been a very long time since had I last stayed a night at in a different location.
As for the reason that Madame Beatrice came all the way out here. It was because the person that the guards had apprehended had seemed to be in a strange state.
At first glance, the man seemed like he might have been a hunter who had accidentally crossed the border.
His hair was disheveled, he was
he was covered in animal skins to possibly disguise his human scent, he was even carrying a blowdart and a bow when he was discovered. Exactly what you would expect from a hunter.
However, when the border guards had approached him, the man had pulled out his hunting knife and attacked them. And so he was captured.
They soon realized that there were strangely a number of dead wolves around where the man was. The wolves looked to have vomited a liquid that was too thin to be blood.
And this man had several empty bottles, that when inspected, showed the remains of thin red liquid stuck to the bottom.
The branch house had considered him quite suspicious for ‘bringing this poison’ into the land and had contacted the Margrave. They had also related the color of this poison when they contacted him, and so he had remembered.
About the failed magicians.
However, the Margrave had already been scheduled to pay a visit to a different n.o.ble’s house. And so Madame Beatrice and Alan had gone instead.
Both Madame Beatrice and Alan were cautious of this possibility of the man being a failed magician, but nothing of note had happened.
The apprehended man was quiet… Or perhaps he was stunned. While we could not get a word from him, he did not become violent either. Though, we were still sure to have him bound tightly.
We also received the bottles that we had heard of, as there would be a need to inspect them carefully once we returned.
The job was mostly complete now.
As I sat in the swaying carriage, my mind started to wander towards the tasks I would do once we arrived at the castle, which ones were the most important and–
“Woah.”
“…What happened!?”
The carriage had come to a sudden halt, resulting in my head bashing against the wall of the carriage. It hurt.
“Oh, Madame Beatrice!”
While I was moaning and holding my head, Madame Beatrice had rushed out of the carriage.
“Maia, you protect Kiara! Clara, it’s wind wolves! It should end quickly with our help, if there are no more than five!”
“As you say, Madame.”
“What!?”
As I said in shock, even Clara had jumped out of the carriage.
If anything, it seemed incredibly wrong for the Margravine to be considered part of the combat personnel. Was it not much more important to protect her instead of me?
Though, I suppose it was because she had always been patrolling or hunting monsters like a knight, her partic.i.p.ation in battle had become the norm, not just in her ownin her own mind but for the others as well.
“But, why are there wind wolves here?”
We were on the main road, which wind wolves tended to avoid due to the scent of humans regularly pa.s.sing through. They would usually only attack people who had encroached on their territory.
The wind rushed through every time the wolves would run, which would make it difficult to fight them with all the wind and dust hindering your vision.
I had encountered them often as a sort of obstacle in the game, so I knew their characteristics.
The only way to deal with the wind wolves was to slash at their feet so they could not run.
“But, this wind seems much too strong!?”
The carriage was shaking loudly as if it was being hit by an incredible wind.
“Indeed, this is…”
Maia was holding her sword ready, but her eyebrows narrowed.
The wind during the wind wolves’ attack was supposed to be little more than a smokescreen. If the hit was effective, your character would go blind for three turns. And so you would usually use a hit-and-run tactic, quickly bringing back any characters who could not see.
Or at least, that was the strategy to use in the game.
Now the carriage was starting to rock, almost like a small boat rocking in the sea.
“Hhhhhheee!”
I wanted to know what was happening outside, but I had no opening to even look out of the window. It was all I could do to hold onto my seat.
On top of that, I was certain that some creature had just jumped and crashed into the carriage.
“Aaahhh!”
“Kiara!”
The carriage had nearly turned on its side.
I frantically leaned all of my weight on the opposite side and hit the door.
It was a narrow escape. I was able to return the carriage to its proper position and avoid having it fall on its side.
However, I had thrown myself a little too hard and ended up rolling right out of the carriage myself.
“Ouch.”
At least the doors opened from the outside. And while I had committed such a blunder as to fall and roll out in front of other people, now was not the time to feel embarra.s.sed. I made sure that my skirt hadn’t turned up and decided to fall back as to not get in anyone’s way.
I thought this as I was pulling myself up— but then I saw it.
“Madame Beatrice!”
A short distance away from the carriage, Madame Beatrice’s leg was being bitten by a wind wolf as she fell to the ground.