[There’s a lot of eyes that can see around. Didn’t you want to make the fire in the mansion by accident?]
[Yes, but. ……]
I looked around at the children who were slowly crying.
The children were dressed in shabby clothes made of thin cloth.
Emma’s determination came in to my mind. Without warm fire, the children would not be able to stand the cold weather of the night.1
[If I haven’t seen it like this but since I’ve seen it, I can’t help it. I’m a human being too.]
To be honest, I wasn’t a person who deliberately stepped up to do good deeds.
‘Service activities or donations? Why would I do that? I’ve been eating and living by my own self.’2
But when a person is in such a difficult situation appeared before my eyes, I can not even turn a blind eye from it.
‘Maybe many people was.’
I was one of those ordinary people.
[So Harry, I need a fire.]
[Well, This is what my contractor wants.]
Harry answered in a humorous voice and at the same time, the fire flared up in the fireplace.
“Wow!”
The soaring flames made Lionel fell with a scream, and Emma, who was crying, was startled and began to hiccup.
Before I knew it, the cries of the children died down.
The burning blackwood began to warm up the air inside.
“…sister, are you a wizard?”
The boy, who was staring blankly at the burning fireplace, asked carefully.
I smiled instead of answering and looked at Emma.
“Emma, remember? The promise you made at the mansion.”
Emma nodded her head in hiccups. I asked her to check.
“What have you seen and heard today?”
“I have to forget everything. “
That was the right answer.
I got up with a contented smile.
“I think I’ll go back to the mansion now. When Emma calms the children down a bit you can come back. “
Emma stood up from her seat in amazement at what I said.
“No, I’ll go back with you.”
“Emma, the mouths of the kids, not you. “
I meant that the children should be kept track. Fortunately Emma noticed my intentions quickly.
“I didn’t think much. I’m going to make sure it will be controlled.”
I nodded to Emma and then gestured to Lionel, who was still surprised.
“You go back with me.”
“Yes, miss!”
Lionel scrambled to his feet and came over to me.
With his sword dropped where he had sat.
‘Is he all right as a knight?’
Harry sighed as soon as I thought so.
[Contractor, can we just leave him behind? I’m going to burst just by looking at that. ]
***
On our way back to the mansion, Lionel was still flustered.
His flustered face have been twice as much as it had been before heading to the guesthouse.
He must have been shocked to see that I burned the blackwood.
The children’s mouth was left to Emma, so it was up to me for him.
“Sir Lionel.”
“Yes, miss.”
“What you saw and heard today…”
Lionel’s shoulders stiffened as I gently blurred the end of my words.
He spoke with great reserve.
“I won’t tell anyone what I saw and heard today.”
“Yes, sir. If I hear it today from somewhere, I will think—“
“Think…”
“I’m going to take your finger.”
It was a ridiculous threat, but I thought it would be quite effective for a weak extra.
And the prediction was right.
“Hik!”
Lionel was so nervous that he swallowed his breath. It was obvious that he was thinking ‘the rumor was true!’
“I will never tell anyone! I swear!”
“Okay, I’ll trust you.”
I looked at Lionel, who was shaking his head, and I pointed at his back.
“But didn’t you see the sword back there? It seems familiar.”
It was Lionel’s sword.
Lionel turned his eyes to where my hand was pointed and said with surprise.
“Yes, it’s very similar to my sword. It’s not a black one that’s so common that it rolls around the street. Is that my sword?”
As Lionel began to fumble around his waist, Harry smiled and sighed deeply.
[Contractor, it’s not too late. Let’s throw him away now. ]6
***
Emma was lost in thought as she looked at the blazing fireplace.
Yvesria Oberon.
It was the name that came up in Emma’s mind.
Erell is part of the Duke of Oberon, so rumours about in the main house have been widely spread among in the residents.
Among them, rumours about Yvesria were the most common. It was because the rumors about her were the most stimulating.
Isn’t whispering stimulating rumours can be the the best way to endure hard work?
They said it was like that.
The day went by as soon as they was whispering about the end of what they are talking about.
There was a lot of talk about rumours of Yvesria. Most of them were negative.
The witch who turned the capital upside down. The House of Oberon downfall. The Duke had given up his ambition.
They said she was violent, unruly, and arrogant.
So when the Baron asked her to become a direct servant girl of Yvesria, she was devastated.
How can she handle such a wicked lady when she cut off her maid’s tongue for making a slip of tongue?
If the Baron had not offered to double her hourly wage, she might have just quit her maid job.
But Yvesria was a totally different person from the rumor.
‘I tried to steal the precious fire.’
Instead of punishing Emma, she came out of the mansion herself and shared the fire.
Emma reached for the fire Yvesria had ignited.
The warm heat seemed to melt away her frozen body.
“Sister.”
A girl approached beside Emma who’s lost in thought. It was the child who touched the lamp when she fell.
“Who is she?”
Emma laughed at the cautious question.
“It’s my miss. She’s been very kind to you today.”
“Is she a good person then?”
Emma was momentarily lost in thought at the girl’s question.
Yvesria in the rumor was far from a good person.
The same was true of what people said about her past.
But Emma saw Yvesria different.
“Yes. She’s a good person. Don’t you think so?”
“Well… …I think she’s a good person because she kept us warm.”
“Isn’t it?”
“Yes. And I’m very sorry.”
The girl raised her voice with a slightly flushed face.
“I’ve never seen such a pretty person before. She looks a little scary, but she’s really pretty.”
“That’s right. My lady is so pretty although she looks a little scary.”
Emma smiled and said back. Before she knew it, she was calling Yvesria ‘My miss.’
Chapter 2. An Unwelcome guest.
People have become friendly.
Originally, the Northern people were blunt and did not open their hearts easily, making it difficult to get close to each other.
Even in the Erell at the north, who lived on the edge of the country were all gentle to me.
Not only Emma, who protects me the closest, but also the butler and the maids who didn’t look out for me.
Everyone smiled and lowered their heads whenever they saw me.
It was all thanks to Harry’s flame.
The baron, who found out that I had distributed the fire myself to the poor, lifted the ban shortly afterwards and distributed it all over the village.
However, they kept a close watch on the fire so that they could not take it outside the territory.
The scope of surveillance had increased from mansion to an entire territory. Thanks to this, the number of knights guarding the outskirts of the territory has doubled.
“I don’t know why they’re guarding it so much.’
I only guessed that the fire burning the blackwood was a strategically important property and only intended to be used within Erell..
The fire spread through the territory and I was receiving all the unintended kindness.
When I recalled the conversation with the butler which had never made progress, my head was splitting in headache.
– I don’t know how long it’s been since the smoke rises in the chimney. It is all the virtue of the miss who took all the cold of Erell away.
-Butler, I didn’t make the fire for Erell. I was just cold.
-Yes. I’ve heard it many times already. Don’t worry too much. I know all of your heart.
– …no. You don’t know at all.2
-What do you mean by that! I know well. What kind of normal fire that burns the black wood? It’s a fire that you can never obtained without a determined mind to warm up others.
-No. I’m condescending. All I care about is my one body. I’m telling you!
-My God. How humble you are to the end. Because you are such a person, you could made such a great fire. Indeed, you are truly gracious.
The butler smiled enormously when he said that.2
– No— No, it’s not like that, so don’t smile so much…
Several similar conversations continued, but it was not easy to change the mindset of the butler who already had a firm belief.
After many attempts, I raised my hands, and as a result, through the mouth of the butler, the “Miss’ Deep Love of Erell” was spread all over the place.
‘Thanks to everyone’s kindness, it has made my life a lot easier than the first time.’
I got a strange misunderstanding, but what about it?
It was a misunderstanding that would naturally disappear from me.
I couldn’t have the energy to correct this misunderstanding for it was too much a burden to explain my notoriety that spread in social circles.
‘I’ve done my part by saying no to the butler several times.’
Later, when the misunderstanding was revealed and if I shake my neck to ask why I didn’t tell you the way I did then, I might be able to tell you confidently.
I told you I said no back then.
‘So let’s eat something delicious right now. ‘
In fact, the northern part of the country was not a very developed area on food culture.
They sought practical and simple things.
What’s important about the balance, the texture and the color of the food?
Ordinary northerners believed that food is enough to satisfy their stomachs.
‘When I first came to Erell, I was so frustrated to see the rough dishes on the table.’
I thought it would taste better than it looked, but it tasted worse than it did.
I was so hungry that I forced it into my mouth, but I ate it in small portions enough not to die because it was tasteless.
As the amount of food decreased, I lost weight. The dress I brought to Erell was a bit flabby.
Knowing this situation, the chef did not pay much attention.
The troublesome miss from the royal capital was entrusted to their estate like a burden. Anyone wouldn’t want to work with her affairs.
But the chef, who had been extremely kind ever since I distributed the fire, tried to cater to the taste of a miss from a well-known royal capital, where gourment was developed.
The result was the table in front of me.
I was thrilled and looked at the tea table.
A good smell came from the dishes filled with insufficient space.
A glossy turkey roast, a salad made from fresh vegetables, and a warm mushroom soup.
It was the same food that I had eaten in the royal capital.
But before I even touched it, the dish was already showing on the floor.
It was due to Harry, who was clearly possessed by a dead ghost after eating.1
“Harry, can’t you wait until I lift the spoon?”
“It’s because you’re just staring blankly. Do you know how much energy it takes to keep turning into a dog? Transformation is hard because it’s not my area of expertise.”
Harry grumbled as he ate the roast turkey.
He only chewed it a couple of times, but before I knew it, only turkey bones were left.
The wonderful scenery made my mouth wide open. Harry ate the amounts of food in a different speed.
“You don’t eat the feed the maids gave you to eat.”
“Why would I like to eat a dog food? Can’t you think of the dignity of the demon?”
“I understand that, but you eat too much anyway!”
I don’t know how much an average adult male eats, but I knew for sure that Harry was different.
If eating that much was normal, the food in the world would have dried up.
I couldn’t be satisfied that such a glutton would steal my meal.
Whenever Harry was hungry, he sneaked into the kitchen to eat.
Thanks to this, rumors about ghosts eating food are spreading in kitchens these days.
‘No, why are you so hungry and covets for my meal ?’
I couldn’t even have a maid attend during my meal because Harry was eating my food.
If they saw a dog turned into a man and cut a steak, everyone would faint, so I was having a meal on my own with all the maids out.
Besides, there was a ridiculous misunderstanding that I was a glutton.
I can’t forget the expressions of the maids, who were surprised when they looked at the clean dishes and said, ‘It must have been five servings.’
‘It was definetely the eyes of looking at a monster.’
“Isn’t there’s an option to let me eat first?”
“You’re leaving some of it anyway. I’m not throwing away the food. “
“Then eat when I’m done eating. “
“It would be lonely to eat alone.”
“That’s an excuse to pretend it’s for me. Harry just wants to eat.”
“Ket, it didn’t work.”
Harry grumbled and put down the tableware.
He took my napkin and like what I did, he wiped his hands, then he put his hands on my shoulders.
“It’s all about discontent. Since I can’t relieve my desires, I’m just trying to figure it out by filling my appetite.”
Harry poked out his mouth, fiddling with my long hair under my shoulder.
“Do you want me to express my desire as much as I want?”