That night, Brigitte was in agony. She lay tossing and turning on her enormous bed, periodically groaning and gripping her pillow.
She was thinking of Yuri Aurealis and his blue-black hair.
Just the memory of him was enough to make her heart pound.
By all appearances, she was in love.
He’s so rude and cold and offensive…even I have to wonder why I like him.
But she knew that although everyone else kept their distance, he was actually a kind person. Everyone hated her, too, but he hadn’t judged her based on the bad rumors. He’d listened to her. When she was hurt, he got mad at the person responsible. She always breathed easily when she was with him.
I think I…
“Miss Brigitte?”
“Eeek!”
She leaped up at the sound of the familiar voice. Throwing down her pillow and looking up, her eyes met Sienna’s.
“Sienna, please tell me if you’re in my room!”
“I did knock.”
Sienna, dressed in her usual uniform, sounded unruffled. But Brigitte was startled to see that her eyes were sparkling.
“…Miss?”
“Wh-what?”
“…Nothing, it’s just that you’ve been making so many strange noises since you got home I thought you might be ill.”
Brigitte flushed. Sienna was right—she had been making strange noises. She’d also been wriggling her legs around, so Sienna and the other servants downstairs had probably heard her. No doubt Sienna had come as their representative to check on her. Suddenly remembering to be embarrassed, Brigitte looked away.
“…I’m fine. It’s just that…”
“Just that what?”
“…Nothing.”
This is far too humiliating to tell her…!
She hadn’t even told her she and Yuri were friends. How could she suddenly tell her she had feelings for him? She didn’t think Sienna would laugh at her, but there were still certain things she couldn’t say.
When Brigitte didn’t say anything else, Sienna suggested gently, “In that case…why don’t you go out tomorrow to cheer yourself up?”
“Um…”
“Just seeing the sights might help your mood, or you could go shopping downtown.”
“…”
Brigitte considered this. She didn’t usually leave the cottage other than to go to school. The reason was simple. Her parents didn’t like it when she went out, so she tried to keep a low profile on the weekends. Since she could ask the servants to buy books or presents for her spirit any time, it hadn’t been much of a problem. But the truth was, it was suffocating.
Maybe I will go out. It’s been ages…
She gazed up at Sienna.
“Would you come with me?”
“…Me? Don’t you have anyone else to invite?”
“I don’t have friends.”
She was sad to admit it, but she really didn’t. Thanks to the incident in spiritology class, she’d grown a little closer to her classmates…but she still had a hard time talking to them. Of course there was Nival, who talked to her every day, but he didn’t really count.
“I’m not saying that’s the reason, but I’d like to go with you… You’re my closest friend, or family member, or…”
“Miss Brigitte…”
Sienna’s eyes grew moist. The truth was, she suspected her darling mistress had gotten tangled up with some unsavory man, and she had been hoping that if Brigitte invited him along, she could do some sleuthing—but she could hardly turn down such a sweet invitation. She nodded pertly.
“Of course. I would love to.”
“I’m so glad.”
“In exchange…will you let me choose your makeup and clothes tomorrow?”
“What?!”
Brigitte was taken aback. Although she’d made up her mind to change after Joseph broke up with her, she still was wearing the same heavy makeup. Sienna was suggesting that tomorrow could be her first step toward something different.
“And why not leave your fan at home, too? You have a habit of covering your face with it any time you don’t know what to say or want to hide your feelings.”
“…But I’m not sure I’d feel comfortable without it…”
“Using your accessories in that way isn’t necessarily bad, but I’d like to see you show more facets of yourself to other people.”
Brigitte realized she might have a point. She knew Sienna wasn’t just talking to hear her own voice. She truly wanted what was best for Brigitte.
If I become a spiritologist, I’ll have to talk to my clients and collaborate with other scholars… I guess I’d better work on my communication skills!
“…All right. I’m looking forward to it, Sienna!”
“Leave it to me, Miss Brigitte.”
She wasn’t sure, but the diminutive Sienna seemed to be puffing out her chest. The gesture was so adorable, Brigitte suddenly felt much more relaxed.
Argh, I just can’t calm down…!
Brigitte stepped anxiously from the carriage after Sienna. They were going out together, as promised. But she couldn’t help feeling nervous about wearing clothes and makeup so different from her usual look.
Her long, wavy red hair was hanging in two braids. The hem of her white dress was gracefully wide, making a fresh, sophisticated silhouette. Her makeup was minimal—a little foundation, some bright lipstick, and a touch of pink eye shadow. The look, masterminded by Sienna, perfectly evoked a young lady of gentle birth out on the town incognito.
I suppose I can’t relax because I’m so used to wearing gaudy pink clothes all the time…
Thanks to Joseph’s tastes, her closet had until recently been stuffed with painful amounts of pink. The weekend he ended their engagement, the servants burned it all. Because many of them were related to the Meidells, many were contracted with fire spirits.
I feel like people are staring at me…
Beneath Sienna’s parasol, Brigitte walked nervously along, her long arms and legs swinging. The people they passed—especially the young men—kept glancing at her. She was fairly sure it wasn’t her imagination. But while she sensed curiosity, she did not detect malice.
Surprisingly—or maybe not—the people on the streets of the capital did not seem to realize they were looking at the infamous Brigitte Meidell.
“Miss Brigitte? If it’s bothering you, let’s start a fire.”
Just what does she plan to burn…?!
Brigitte was curious, but she decided she would rather not know the answer.
“I’m f-fine. Anyway, is there anywhere you want to go?”
“…Wherever you want to go is where I want to go,” Sienna answered. Instead of her usual uniform, she was dressed in a somewhat short light-green dress that suited her extremely well. Brigitte could feel the heat in the glances of men passing by.
“For your sake, I hope I learn fire magic myself soon,” she muttered.
“…? I’m not sure I understand, but there’s no need for you to burn garbage.”
After continuing this muddled conversation a bit longer, they walked by a bookstore and decided to go in.
Afterward, they continued to stroll around the capital. Wherever Brigitte looked, she saw workers using magic. Those with the protection of an earth spirit did construction or public works, while those contracted with a water spirit excelled at plumbing and cleaning. Occasionally, she spotted someone chatting with a spirit that had manifested of its own free will. Simply watching them felt to Brigitte like a good use of time.
What could be better than observing spirits for free?!
She couldn’t assume this pastime was as exciting for her companion, however.
“Are you sure about this? You’re not bored?” Brigitte asked worriedly.
“Not at all—I’m having fun,” Sienna answered. Her expression was as cool as ever, but Brigitte detected a faint smile around her mouth.
Apparently, she didn’t mind. Brigitte was relieved, but the summer sun was hot, and she wanted to find somewhere to cool down. Luckily, when she looked across the street, she saw the sign for a magic-stone shop where she often sent the servants.
“How about we go to that shop next?” she asked Sienna, who agreed.
The bell jangled pleasantly as they entered. As she had hoped, it was very cool inside, thanks to the magic ice stones placed in each corner.
Several customers were browsing the merchandise. Because the shop specialized in high-quality magic stones for the upper houses and magic-stone accessories, most were ladies of the nobility.
Brigitte dabbed her slightly sweaty forehead with a handkerchief. As she sighed, she suddenly noticed someone just to the right of her, in front of a display case. As she stepped to the left to get some space, she happened to glance over—and grimaced.
“Yu…”
Yuri?!
She managed to silence herself before blurting out the rest of his name. With both hands pressed to her mouth, she silently scooted to the left. Sienna raised her eyebrows suspiciously, glancing back and forth between the two of them. But Yuri just kept staring down at the polished glass case.
Curse this red hair! Could he really not notice me when I’m right next to him…?
She held her breath, mulling over the situation. Many children in the Meidell family were born with red hair in various shades. Among the cottage servants, Sienna had orange hair and Carson, the assistant cook and pâtissier, was strawberry blond.
But Yuri just muttered to himself, his serious gaze fixed on the shelf.
“Clifford, I’d like…let’s see, fifty of the best magic water and ice stones. And ten each of all the others.”
“Yes, sir.”