Now that she was free, she could wait for him in her shop. She could even impatiently wait for his visit and welcome him with a bright smile at the door when the chime rang. Or she could go to him if she wanted. The choice was hers.
So there was no need to mourn saying goodbye here.
“That reminds me, I haven’t finished the court uniform you ordered.”
“Oh, right! I forgot about that.”
“I’ll finish it before your next visit. So please be sure to stop by soon,” she instructed, emphasizing the soon part.
“I’ll be there very soon,” Ebel immediately responded. “I want to see you.”
He stroked her cheek with the back of his hand, as if he wanted to burn every contour of her face into his memory. Rock shyly laughed as his touch tickled her.
“To tell you the truth, I’m struggling a bit to leave you.”
“Just a bit? It’s a great big struggle for me to be apart from you.”
“No…it’s a big struggle for me too…”
“I want to be with you every day if possible. Like we were this morning.”
Ebel just had to go and mention what happened that morning, forcing her to glare at him to conceal the blush she felt creeping up on her cheeks.
“You startled me. I can’t believe you’d do that without asking—”
“Can I do it if I ask?” Ebel quickly interjected, his smile not leaving his lips. His golden eyes were dangerously serious as they captured Rock in their unwavering gaze.
“I-I didn’t mean it like that!”
“Very well. I’ll be sure to ask you the night before next time.”
“Ebel! Are you even listening to me?!”
Flustered by how calmly he turned her comment into something convenient for him, Rock grabbed his hands.
Before anything else could happen, the door next to them opened.
“What’s going on out here?” Nisha eyed them curiously as she stepped out of the guest room.
Rock promptly let go of Ebel and looked away. “N-Nothing… Are you done talking to Krister?”
“Yeah. I don’t want to get in the way of his recovery by staying too long.”
Nisha’s eyes were red and puffy, but her expression was sunny. It was easy to see that a weight had left her.
“We plan to take our time talking after he feels a little better.” Nisha smiled and bowed to Rock and Ebel. “Thank you so very much, Rock. You too, Mr. Count.”
“You should refer to him as Your Excellency or Count Mateus, Nisha,” Rock corrected.
“I don’t mind,” Ebel laughed.
Nisha didn’t seem to care either way as she sidled up to Rock like she was never interrupted.
“I feel especially indebted to Rock.”
She laced her soft fingers with Rock’s calloused ones. She leaned in extra close when Rock looked down at their hands.
“Say…how about I pay you back by spending the night with you? We can keep it our little secret,” she whispered seductively, pulling Rock’s hand into her soft bosom. “This is the only way I can thank you for everything… Interested?”
“…Huh?”
Ebel angrily pulled their hands apart while Rock was still too stunned to process what was going on.
“We don’t need you to pay us back for anything. I think you’re done here. I’ll call for the carriage.”
His frigid smile definitely didn’t reach his eyes. By the time Rock realized that fact, Nisha was doubled over laughing.
“I’m just kidding! Rock’s got herself a count! And she’s a girl.”
“What?!”
Rock instantly understood what she was saying this time.
But this was probably the first time someone realized she was a woman so quick. Even Ebel was initially skeptical, which was why he’d tried to sound her out for so long.
Rock’s whole body tensed as she timidly asked, “…When did you figure it out?”
“The first time I held your hand.”
That happened the first day they met at Justia’s bakery. Nisha wasn’t as panicked the initial week or two after she’d lost contact with Krister. Still, she wanted information badly enough to put the moves on Rock, and their hands definitely came in contact then.
“I often touch hands for my job.”
Nisha’s fingertips traced Rock’s hand.
While Rock had calloused hands, her knuckles were inconspicuous, and her fingers were slender with small, filed nails. The back of her hands were soft and curved and not as sinewy as a man’s.
“See? They’re completely different. I could tell that Rock Floria was a woman the moment I touched you.”
“Ugh…”
Rock lost her peace of mind knowing that.
There wasn’t anything to fear having that truth revealed here. Ebel long since knew the truth, and they just had to prevent Nisha from spreading the information.
But what if someone else saw through her the same way?
“Why didn’t you say anything?” Rock asked.
“I didn’t really have a reason to,” Nisha replied cheerfully. “There’s nothing to gain from exposing a girl who’s chosen to live as a man.”
“I always thought I pulled it off so well…”
“Don’t worry. I’ll continue to protect your secret.” Nisha squeezed her hand then pushed it toward Ebel. “Also, I really was joking just now! I mean, I have more than a few female clients, but I hate to make Mr. Count here jealous.”
“…Thank you for thinking of me,” Ebel said moodily, lacing his fingers with Rock’s.
Holding his hand made Rock’s heart skip a beat, rendering her speechless after that.
Later on, when she was alone, Rock stared at her hand.
No one had ever pointed out the difference to her before, and she didn’t notice it herself either. But Nisha was right—her hand was different from Ebel’s and Phoebe’s. She was surprised she didn’t realize that until today.
“Is it becoming harder to pose as a twenty-year-old man…?” Rock muttered to herself, then smiled bitterly.
Perhaps it was becoming time to close the curtain on the weak “trickster tailor.”
Although it was still vague at this point, she was starting to get that feeling.