“CAN I read anything I want?!”
While not as impressive as Drewett Manor’s, our library at home has a fair number of books. Master loves to study and doesn’t mind the servants using the library too. It is the Drewett way to be meritocratic and accept anyone who wishes to learn.
“I’ve read this one, and that one too! Oh, I’ve not seen this one before!” The lady skipped between the shelves, examining the spines, before picking out a beautifully bound book. “It’s shiny!”
The lady learns by collecting several books in a pile, then flipping through them quickly, glancing at each page and, most surprisingly, memorizing it word for word. She can fluently recite poetry and passages from tomes on national history, but her favorite book, which she reads again and again, is a colorfully illustrated encyclopedia of animals and plants.
The volume is so thick and heavy that she couldn’t even lift it on her own. Every afternoon she stared at the pages until nodding off, so one day, I offered to read it to her.
Her face remained blank for a moment, then she gasped. “My lord told me recently! About how Tabitha used to read to him when he was small!”
At that moment, I realized that my suggestion was rooted in nostalgia; I indeed remembered telling Master and Rodney bedtime stories. Hiding my slight embarrassment at being caught, I placed a chair next to her bed as she clambered under the covers, then opened the large encyclopedia in my lap… Now, how to go about reading an encyclopedia? I couldn’t disappoint those sparkling eyes, so I would do my best. I started by reading the captions that accompanied each image.
“Your voice is lovely, Tabitha, just like my lord’s,” the lady murmured just as she fell asleep, her lips turned up slightly. I’d reached the middle of page two.
✦ ✦ ✦
AFTER she gained more strength, we added weekly dance practices to her exercise routine, on top of our daily walks. Master had no plans to bring her to any social events just yet, but I felt dance could be a good hobby for her. She seems to really enjoy moving her body.
“You’re quite athletic,” commented Master during one such rehearsal.
“Yes!”
She was able to learn steps after a single demonstration, so he had an easy time leading her. Her sharp movements occasionally had Rodney doubling over with laughter, which merely indicated lessons in grace would have to follow. Dancing is unexpectedly physically demanding, so she needed to take it slow and steady…
Enjoying himself, Master lifted the lady in a spin. She blinked hard, then cried out in excitement, her eyes shining. “Ohh…!”
Rodney snorted next to me, so I gave his bottom a smack—out of the lady’s view, of course. The boy’s professionalism is truly nonexistent these days. How shameful!
But Master’s carefree smile reminded me of when he and Rodney chased each other around as children, and I found myself grinning too. They look like they’re having so much fun…
“My lord! Again! That spinning thing you just did! Again!”
“Haha! Really? Again?!”
How lovely…
“My lord! Once more! Once more!”
“Sure!”
How fun…?
“Amazing! You’re…so amazing, my lord…! One more time…”
“Of cou—”
“Stop! Master Gerry! Please wait! She’s dizzy! The lady is dizzy!” I shouted.
“Huh? Whoa! What’s wrong, Abigail?!”
What’s wrong?! She’s wildly overestimated her body’s limits, that’s what’s wrong!
I put the woozy lady to bed, then gave Master a firm lecture on not granting her everything she asks for.
✦ ✦ ✦
OUR lady is always adorable and as free-spirited as a child. Though her face is usually empty of emotion, she expresses joy and fun with her whole body. Her endearing nature is so cute that it melted Master’s stubborn and serious facade. And although some aspects of their relationship are a little excessive, there’s nothing better than a happy marriage.
She harbors no resentment for those who mistreated her, yet her talk of her life as the Monster King or her childhood at Longhurst pains me. In fact, her apathy makes us even more upset for her, though those are purely selfish feelings on our part. What’s important is that she is able to live a good life as herself.
But…
“I’m strong, and even if this body dies, I’ll do my best to be reborn as another human.”
“…Huh?”
“Then I’ll come look for you, my lord. So please make me your wife again.”
She always surprises us with the most unexpected declarations.
But this isn’t right. It isn’t right at all. Doesn’t she want to spend her life in happiness beside her beloved Tabitha?
Hasn’t she said she doesn’t want her family to hurt or die? Not her lord husband, or her father- or mother-in-law, or me or Ethan or Rodney?
Those in positions of authority tend to put their own needs last. Like how Lady Katrina chose not to evacuate when summoning blooms were burned during the harvest festival, instead prioritizing the safety of her people. The lady’s expression is the same as the one Lady Katrina wore then.
The lady always speaks of the wind and clouds, the creatures in the skies and forests, and the principles of nature in a calm, even voice as though gazing down at the world from somewhere far away. She may not understand humans, but she certainly has the aura of a king.
That’s why she is rarely upset or resentful, because she sees most things as insignificant. But her outlook makes me uneasy, and I fear that one day, she’ll go so far away that we can no longer reach her.
Master didn’t see how she extinguished the harvest festival’s raging bonfire in an instant. But he must have felt the same disquiet I did at her talk of death, for he pulled her into a tight embrace afterward.
And as she stands on the top branch of the mulberry tree, so high that I can’t touch her no matter how I try, that uneasiness comes rushing back.
She straightens her back in a dignified manner. Gazes into the distance, her golden eyes shifting between shades.
Her body is bathed in the pale light of the moon floating in the night sky. Her vibrant red hair streams in the wind.
How can I make her understand? That even if she can be reborn quickly, we don’t wish her to experience any pain? That all of us would give anything to have her as she is?
“Cut!”
My lady…just chanted a…!
✦ ✦ ✦
TWO weeks after we returned from Longhurst to our home in the capital, I sit with the lady in the garden. The wind is no longer chilly, and I am teaching her how to knit lace under a parasol that shields us from the early-summer sunshine.
The lady declared with enthusiasm that she would knit socks for Lady Stella’s baby. Although the baby isn’t due for a while, she wants to practice. I was momentarily confused that she’d chosen such an ordinary gift, but was sure not to let that show on my face. Ethan, on the other hand, couldn’t help but mutter his surprise under his breath. I just nod in acknowledgement.
Always a quick learner, the lady rapidly interlaces the needles with precise, rhythmic movements. I join her, threading a needle before starting to add frills to a baby’s bib.
Our calm and quiet work is interspersed with the light chirps of birds and the whisper of rustling leaves.
When a breathless Master dashed out of the Monster King’s forest, the lady stomped her feet in anger at being left behind. I could tell she was frustrated by her emotion and didn’t know how to express it. Only after he apologized profusely, kissing her over and over again, did the weight on my chest lift.
And since then, the memory of that scene makes me smile.
Dear Lady Katrina, I think, the beginnings of a letter in my head.
You worried that Gerald had inherited the marquis’s serious and stubborn personality, but he is now living his best life with his treasured jewel.
You worried that Abigail would be harmed one day due to her immaturity, but she is blooming like a soft and strong flower, her innocence still intact.
I’m sure they will continue to move forward together at a pace that suits them both. And the Kofi family will continue to support and watch over them, hoping that their path will be a bright one.
Yes, Lady Katrina, it was you who chose this path for me.
“Tabitha… It’s all around me…”
I look up at the sound of the lady’s helpless voice to see the white cotton lace tangled so tightly around her fists that they’re no longer visible. When did that happen? And however did she manage to get both hands stuck?
Lady Katrina, I’ll surely see you again this autumn in Drewett and will be able to tell you once more how much joy and happiness you’ve given me.
But for now, I need to figure out how to unravel this intricate lace without damaging it.