"G-greetings, y-young master… I am Charlotte Evans. It is nice to meet you… Please take care of me!"
"?"
A young maid had knocked on the door before being given the permission by Kei to enter. She was a different maid from the ones he had seen accompanying the Lestia family into his room before. She was younger, and looked around the age of Celena. She had reddish brown hair pulled back with a headband with frills in her maid uniform.
"U-umm… d-dinner is ready… Please follow me…"
When the maid introduced herself, she seemed quite timid as if it was her first day on the job. Kei was quite confused as to why she was introducing herself in that way but paid no mind to it. When he followed Charlotte out the room, he walked down a long hallway, passing several rooms and what seemed to be the kitchen before going down a flight of stairs. He was then led down another corridor before he eventually reached the dining hall. When the doors opened, Kei's eyes widened in shock to see a huge dining hall being opened in front of him.
When he entered the room, there was a long dining table stretched across the room as if it was large enough for 30 people to dine. On the dining table, it seemed as if a small feast was prepared for the Lestia household's guests. At the end of the table, stood Eric and his wife and daughter beside him.
"Welcome, dear guest, please follow me to your seat." A butler proceeded to guide Kei to his seat which was beside Celena.
"Please enjoy your meal."
When the four of them sat down on their seats. All the servants exited the dining room to give them privacy except Miriam and Maria, the two personal maids of the Lestia household, the butler, and Charlotte.
"Please accept this meal as a token of gratitude and also an apology for the recent events."
"Thank you very much."
"This is Miriam and Maria, the two maids who took care of your health when you were unconscious, the butler, Will, and I'm sure you've met Charlotte."
"Yes, thank you all very much for taking care of me while I was unconscious. I appreciate it."
"Charlotte is still very new to her job, so I hope you will bear with her."
"…?" Kei could only give a blank but confused face to what Eric said.
"Ah, I guess she forgot to mention it. Lucia assigned Charlotte to be your personal maid. Anything you need or any questions you have, please ask Charlotte. She may be clumsy, but I assure you she is highly capable with her work."
"You didn't need to go through so much trouble."
"Please, this is our way of showing our hospitality to our guests. Please bear it no mind."
"I will graciously accept, then. I will be in your care, Lady Charlotte."
"I-I umm… Likewise, I will be in your care, young master."
When Kei said that, he gave Charlotte a small smile. When Charlotte saw that smile, she was surprised and her face was suddenly flushed. Celena who was sitting beside Kei on the other hand, started pouting slightly while looking at Kei who was puzzled as to why she looked angry. The four of them proceeded to eat the food before they got cold after the introductions were over.
"Now then, now that we've had our fill."
Eric had given a gesture to Maria, who nodded and exited the room. In a short while, she had returned with the guard Keith, and his squad who had arrested Kei in the prior events. Looking at this, Kei couldn't help but blink in confusion.
"As I am sure you know, these are the guards who had captured you previously." Eric gestured towards the guards.
"I was made aware of the circumstances of how you wound up here in such a horrible condition. In our country, everyone is innocent until they are proven without a doubt that they are guilty. However, you were not given a chance to prove that you were innocent, and were treated with such shame and cruelty. I sincerely apologise for that." Eric continued.
"It's fine. What's done is done." Kei said nonchalantly.
"In our country, if we have wronged anyone in such a situation, the wronged will be allowed to pass down judgement upon the perpetrator. Hence, we need you to do so."
Looking at the guard, Keith, Kei noticed that he was no longer wearing his normal guard attire. It seemed as though he had been temporarily relieved of his duties until the entire matter had been resolved completely.
"Umm… To be honest… I don't have a punishment in mind…"
"Would you like us to hand down judgement instead?" Eric asked.
"No, you misunderstand me. I don't intend to punish the guards."
What Kei said had sent the whole room into a confused silence. Even Keith, who was already expecting to have severe punishment bestowed upon him, was completely shocked. Before Eric could speak up, Keith couldn't handle it anymore and spoke up first instead.
"W-why would you say that?! I attacked you, beat you up, berated you, starved, and even dragged you around the town in shackles like some kind of lowly bandit! Despite all that, you don't want to do anything? What is wrong with you?!"
"But you did all that for your lady, didn't you?"
"Yes, but—"
"I wouldn't say that I agreed with how you handled the situation so poorly. But you did all that to me in the name of protecting your lady, so I respect it. Well, you could've at least asked me or listened to Miss Celena in the few days I was in captivity though…"
"Still—"
"That is enough, Keith, his judgement is final. Honestly, it's like you want to be punished or something. All's well that ends well I suppose, Keith." Eric intervened before Keith said something he may regret.
After he interjected Keith midway, Eric looked at his wife, Lucia, as if he was seeking her approval. Lucia noticed, and gave him a nod of approval as if she instantly understood what his gaze meant. Celena on the other hand looked relieved. As if he had silently received the approval of his wife, Eric turned back to face Keith once again.
"As such, you are hereby reinstated as the head of the guard unit of the Lestia household with immediate effect. However, your whole group will need to undergo training once more to ensure nothing of this sort happens again in the future. You are dismissed."
When Keith and the maids left the room, the maids shut the door behind them as if to give them privacy.
"Now then, onto a more important matter." Eric said as he turned towards Kei.
"Kei, I am very sorry for the trouble my family has caused you, and… Thank you for saving my daughter! If it weren't for you, I would've lost my daughter! Please accept our apologies and our gratitude!"
When Eric said that, he and Lucia bowed down to show their gratitude to Kei who was quite lost as to how to respond. Celena on the other hand, was too ashamed to look at Kei due to the guilt of her being the source of his recent suffering.
"Please raise your heads. Again, I hold no grudge nor do I deserve any thanks for doing what others would have done."
"Please, if you have any desires, we will try our best to grant it!"
"Really, I have nothing to ask for. Helping me clear my name and giving me treatment has been enough for me."
"Surely there is at least something we could do for you. Anything at all—"
Before Eric could continue any further, Lucia stepped in and interjected him.
"Now, now, dear. At least give him some time to think about it. In the meantime, could we at least offer you our place to stay while you are in the city at least? You could think about it then."
"O-okay… then… Also, Lady Celena, please do not feel any guilt. I do not hate you. Please forgive yourself."
"…Eh?"
When Kei said that, Celena opened her eyes and lifted her head. Her face lit up as if a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Eric and Lucia on the other hand, smiled in relief. In truth, for the past few days when Kei was still unconscious, Celena had felt tremendous guilt and kept blaming herself for what had happened to Kei. So much so that she had joined the maids in taking care of him when he was unconscious. It seemed hearing Kei say that he did not trust them one bit proved to be quite a blow to Celena.
"Well, we'll leave it at that for now. Please take a rest for now." Eric said, as he signalled the end of the evening's dinner."
When he returned to his room, he had allowed his personal maid, Charlotte, to be dismissed so that he could be left alone. When he looked out the window, he could see a huge lawn at the back of the mansion as if it was a small park for people to take a stroll through.
"So I'm going to be staying here for a while, huh?" Kei muttered under his breath.
The longer he looked out the window, the more solemn Kei's expression began to seem. It seemed as though he was deep in thought. Slowly, but surely, Kei was falling asleep the longer the night got.