The Little Black Room

“You will reflect on your actions in here.”

After the uproar I caused at the funeral, I was escorted by several knights to a small dark room under the Duke’s orders—ostensibly to reflect, but in reality, to await the decision on my fate.

…But it doesn’t matter either way.

If I leave here, I won’t be able to find work, and even if I’m not executed, my only end will be to starve to death…

Besides, I can’t even imagine doing any job now other than being the Young Miss’s exclusive maid.

I had expected to be thrown into a dungeon or something of the sort, so I was surprised it was just a small dark room.

I observed my surroundings; it was cramped and pitch-black.

Aside from a sliver of flickering firelight that filtered through the palm-sized grate on the door, there was no other light at all, truly living up to its name.

Being locked in a place where one can’t even tell the time must be torturous for both body and mind.

…But I didn’t feel much of anything.

My mind was completely occupied by the Young Miss.

This was the result of acting on impulse; I was surely hated by my dearest Young Miss now.

You really are a complete and utter fool.

In my past life, and in this one.

I felt a little like crying.

…At the very least, I wanted to hear the Young Miss’s voice one last time.

“Ailena, are you in there?”

But that’s just a vain hope, isn’t it?

After all, the Young Miss already hates me.

Who would go out of their way to visit an ill-mannered girl who caused a scene at her own mother’s funeral?

Even as a final act of compassion, it seems impossible.

“Ailena?

Answer me if you’re in there.”

Am I missing the Young Miss so much?

That I’m even hearing her voice in my head.

“Ailena!

Are you all right!

Are you hurt?

Or are you sick!”

I have to say… this illusion is quite realistic.

I thought this to myself as I leaned against the door.

“Knock, knock, knock!”

The urgent knocking… could someone really knock so loudly on such a heavy iron door?

No… now isn’t the time for such sarcastic thoughts.

Because my back was against the iron door, the vibrations from the knocking traveled through my body, making me clearly realize that this was no illusion.

“Ailena!!!”

The Young Miss called my name once more.

“…Young Miss?”

“Haaaah…”

A deep sigh came from the other side of the door.

“Thank goodness… I thought something had happened to you.”

“I’m fine… In fact, how could anything happen in a situation like this?”

“How could it not?

Like being beaten by the guards for a confession, or being tortured… I heard someone was tortured to death here before.”

“Is the ducal estate such a terrifying place?”

If that were true, I might have to change my opinion of this estate…

“Well… it doesn’t usually go to such extremes.

But besides interrogation under torture, there’s also the possibility that you could have fainted from hunger.”

“How long has it been…”

“What do you mean how long… It’s already been a day!”

…A whole day?

I hadn’t noticed the passage of time at all… Perhaps because my mind was so full of the possibility that the Young Miss hated me, my sense of time had dulled.

“That aside, Young Miss, why have you come to a place like this?”

“…Hmm?”

The voice behind the door clearly faltered.

“Why would you ask such a question?

Isn’t it obvious?”

As she spoke, the Young Miss’s voice grew a little louder.

“I came to see you, of course!”

“…I don’t understand.

Why would you come to see someone like me?”

“…What are you talking about?”

“After all… I ruined the Duchess’s funeral.

It would be perfectly normal for you to be angry enough to hold a grudge… or even to strike me.”

“Hey, I can’t just pretend I didn’t hear that.

How could I hold a grudge against you, Ailena?

Though… striking you in a different sense is a possibility.”

“…Hmm?”

“Ahem… While it’s true you caused a scene at the funeral… you did it for me, didn’t you?

That being the case, how could I be angry?”

“Even so, it is a fact that I disrupted a sacred funeral.

It would be normal to be angry.”

“Mm… Perhaps so.

Then maybe I am a little angry.”

Hearing this, my body felt as if it had been plunged into ice water, a chill seeping into my bones, my hands and feet turning cold.

“So, Ailena, you’ll have to make it up to me in the future, or I won’t stop being angry.

And of course!

You have to keep making me delicious food!”

“…?”

Why does she say that as if I’m going to continue serving her in the future?

Logically speaking, shouldn’t I be dismissed at the very least?

“It’s true that under normal circumstances, causing such a huge mess would definitely get you dismissed.”

As if reading my mind, the Young Miss added:

“But special cases are treated specially.

Father has already investigated the cause.

He dismissed the two maids who started it and burdened them with a huge debt… He also punished the other maids who joined in.

As for you, who got angry for my sake, Father decided to just put you in confinement for a few days.

He’ll figure out how to handle things with the guests.”

I’ve troubled His Grace the Duke again…

“But even if Father had really decided to dismiss you, Ailena, I would have spoken up for you.

And if he insisted on making you leave, I would, at worst, sever my ties with him and come after you.”

“You mustn’t do that… The Young Miss has no need to fall out with His Grace the Duke over a commoner like me.”

“Hey, Ailena, I don’t like hearing that.”

The Young Miss lowered her voice, indicating her anger.

“I believe I’ve told you before that you are one of the most important people to me.

You are completely worth it, and I forbid you from thinking so little of yourself.”

“…”

My heart clenched, and then, for some reason, my face grew hot.

A silence followed… Perhaps the Young Miss was feeling shy as well.

I could almost picture her bashful expression.

After a long moment, the Young Miss finally spoke again:

“Ailena, may I ask you something?”

“Please, go ahead.”

“Why did you get so angry for my sake back then?

Even though you knew it would likely put you in a disadvantageous, or even dangerous, position.”

“There’s no special reason… I just couldn’t bear to hear those people slander you with their vicious words.

They don’t know the first thing about you, yet they acted as if they understood you completely, all to give you a bad name… That is something I could never tolerate, no matter what.”

A laugh, as if of relief, came from behind the door.

“I knew it.

You really are a fool who never thinks about herself.”

There was a soft rustling sound.

Though I couldn’t see, I could sense that the Young Miss had rested her head against the door.

And so, I stood up and did the same.

“Thank you, for standing up and speaking for me.

Thank you, for getting angry on my behalf.”

“…I should be the one thanking you.”

‘Thank you for not being angry with me, and thank you for letting me stay by your side.’

“Anyway, the matter is resolved.

Those maids who spoke ill of me have been punished, and the two who used to bully you and had foul mouths will never appear before you again.”

“…?”

Something seemed off.

They had even found out that I had been bullied by them, but why was the most important part missing?

“Was there nothing about them… spreading rumors?”

Wasn’t that the root cause that instigated most of the maids to oppose her?

“Rumors…?

They didn’t do anything like that, did they?

At least, our investigation didn’t find anything.”

…What?

“It’s about time, so I’ll be going now… Ailena, you have to get out soon and keep making me hot meals, okay?

I really can’t stomach anyone else’s cooking.”

The sound of the Young Miss’s footsteps faded away, leaving only me, lost in thought.