27. Signal flare, Bang
"Dalton, you?"
"Of course. Who am I?"
"A libertine?"
Dalton furrowed his brow faintly. I must have given the wrong answer.
"Iphoe Bell. Wrong. I am Archmage Dalton Racers who can do almost anything."
He shrugged his shoulders triumphantly. It was excessive confidence that only Dalton could have.
"Ah, right. That was it."
I answered insincerely.
Dalton's shoulders rose even higher. He glanced at me repeatedly with a face asking me to praise him quickly.
"You did... well."
I spoke in a not-so-willing voice. Dalton didn't notice the fact that I was reluctant. Idiot.
"See, what did I say. I said I would take care of everything. I said I can do everything. I said trust only me."
"...Yes."
To state the conclusion first, Dalton bought my today. Walking confidently to the head maid, Dalton said so.
'This maid decided to help with my debauchery for today. So, I'll take Iphoe Bell completely for today.'
The head maid made an annoyed face, but eventually nodded her head. Even if today passes vaguely, it was uncertain whether the head maid wouldn't be annoyed at me tomorrow. Of course, she is quite generous though.
Dalton didn't seem to have thought that far. But I thought, what does it matter anyway. The deed was already done, and I was curious about the conversation Arwin and the Princess would share.
Let's not worry about tomorrow in advance.
Then, my reluctant heart disappeared somewhere. Far, very far away.
The place Dalton headed to was an unexpected place.
It was a garden that was neither Arwin's room nor his room, but a garden only Arwin could access. A secret garden overlooking the canyon.
The garden was desolate. Leaves dyed red swayed soundlessly in the blowing wind, and only the faint scent of nameless flowers was smelled.
As if sidestepping the flow of time, it is exactly as I saw it before. Nothing has changed. If I had to pick one thing changed from before, it would be the composition of the people visiting this garden.
I asked Dalton.
"What's with the garden?"
He gave an answer completely different from my question again.
"Did you forget who I am?"
Good grief. How many times is he going to ask if I know who he is? My answer was consistent.
"A libertine?"
"My goodness."
With a dejected smile, Dalton began to wave his hand in the air. Wherever his fingertips passed, the space distorted as if twisted. The small distortion added to its size, creating lines and further sketching an outline.
What appeared in the air soon was Arwin's face.
Arwin's face floating in the air was indifferent. Watching his face continuously, I felt as if his scent was seeping into my nose tip.
"Before being a libertine, I am an Archmage. How many times do I have to say it."
He waved his hand once more. Then, the Princess's face also appeared within the distorted space in the air. The thought that occurred at that moment was the fact that I still didn't know her name. Was I not curious because I didn't want to know?
Even now, I wasn't curious about her name. Since remembering the name I wanted to remember was enough for me.
"Oh my. You aren't surprised even when I use magic now."
Dalton spoke as if disappointed by my calm reaction to his magic.
"Because humans are animals of adaptation."
"Heartless."
Seating me on the grass, Dalton gestured to the image floating in the air. It seemed like he meant since we finished preparing to eavesdrop, let's eavesdrop seriously now.
While thinking it was a truly convenient magic, I became curious about how much Dalton had eavesdropped on Arwin's conversations in this way.
Surely he didn't eavesdrop even on the nights spent with me. When my thoughts reached there, Arwin's pleasant voice flowed from the image.
"Iphoe Bell cries easily."
I was quite surprised. To think the first words heard were related to me. I couldn't quite believe it.
For what reason did he come to talk about me with the Princess? With doubts, I listened closely to their conversation.
"She says her tear ducts are broken."
"...."
Arwin began to lay out things about me in a dry voice. As expected, I couldn't guess at all why the direction of their conversation was me.
The Princess sitting opposite Arwin only listened to his words without retorting.
"She says people prepare coffins because they die soon."
"...."
"Do you prepare a coffin too?"
"No. I don't prepare for the distant future in advance. Because it's foolish."
A stiff voice leaked from the Princess's red lips. She was right. Preparing for the distant future was something I was also reluctant to do.
However, preparing a coffin was a matter of the very near future for me, and they didn't know that fact.
Arwin laid out more of his impressions about me.
"Iphoe Bell's hands smell good."
The moment the words 'smell good' flowed from his mouth, Dalton flicked his finger lightly and murmured small, "Natural organic soap."
Dalton seemed proud that he introduced and gifted that soap to me.
I had no objection to Dalton's reaction. I was inwardly grateful to him for creating one more thing for Arwin to remember.
"Her body smells even better."
"...."
"And she engraved something memorable in my heart."
"Do you like that maid?"
The Princess asked Arwin, frowning faintly. Arwin, who had been speaking silently well, became quiet.
Arwin stared somewhere unfocused as if thinking about the hidden meaning of her words. That was the appearance he showed when he heard a word he couldn't understand.
Probably his next words would be something like 'What is liking?' Even though I wasn't the owner of that question, I thought of the answer to it.
'Liking is becoming desperate. As the depth deepens.'
I wanted to answer like that right away, but the Arwin I was looking at was a fictional image reflected in the air. I couldn't confess my true feelings to an illusion, not reality.
Whether the Princess was frustrated by the silent Arwin, she repeated lifting and putting down the teacup placed in front of her. She must be frustrated because she couldn't gauge at all what he was thinking.
I felt a small joy there. Joy about the fact that I, a mere maid, know the appearance of Arwin that even the beautiful Princess doesn't know.
Arwin pondering deeply about an unfamiliar question was an appearance of him only I knew. An appearance of Arwin I didn't want to share with anyone else.
After a deep and heavy silence, Arwin parted his lips slowly.
"What is liking?"
As expected. It is Arwin's answer I predicted.
At my prediction not deviating even a little, I smiled a faint smile. A sense of victory of unknown origin arises.
"Liking someone is thinking of someone every day and wanting to possess them. Just as I always thought of you and wanted to possess you."
The Princess answered in an emotionless voice.
"I don't know well."
Arwin continued with a face saying he didn't understand.
"But when night comes, I miss her."
He said he missed me.
I also miss you every night.
"When she sheds tears, my heart hurts."
He said his heart hurts at my tears.
If you cry, my heart will lose its function captured by deep sadness.
In my heart, I answered each of Arwin's words one by one. If I wished for my answer to reach him, that would be my sincerity.
"Among the words I heard from you so far, that was the most unpleasant remark."
"...."
The Princess spoke brusquely.
She didn't try to hide her worsened mood. Since it was to the extent felt even by me eavesdropping on them indirectly. It wasn't difficult to guess how bad her mood must be.
The Princess, whose mood became uncomfortable, raised her seated body.
"I'll get going."
"Yeah. It would be better to deliberate on our engagement a little more."
"...Until when?"
Arwin looked up blankly at the Princess who rose from the sofa. His eyes looking at her didn't look indifferent. They look strangely firm. Is it my misunderstanding?
"Until my heart misses you."
Arwin answered firmly. It was a firmness no one could stop. Even Dalton's ruthless storm couldn't stop it.
Whether the Princess also felt that firmness deep in her skin, she didn't argue with him anymore. Only, she glared at Arwin for a long time with a face hardened coldly.
Snap. Dalton snapped his thumb and index finger again. Then the image in the air disappeared without a trace. The figures of Arwin and the Princess, where a chilly current was evident, were no longer visible.
"Eavesdropping ends here."
Although I wanted to eavesdrop more, I nodded my head as if understood. I think I can roughly guess what follows.
"Iphoe Bell, impressions?"
Dalton asked me as if asking for impressions of a play.
"I'm happy. Does Arwin like me even a little?"
He remembered my name, remembered my smell, and even missed me. A rash thought occurred that maybe he likes me. My heart fluttered.
I wanted to run to Arwin right away and ask.
'How much did you think of me?'
Then Arwin would answer.
'I don't know well.'
I giggled alone like a person with a screw loose. I wanted to teach Arwin the meaning of the word 'like' clearly.
"Iphoe. You look really happy."
Dalton twisted his body completely toward me and faced me.
"Yes, I'm happy. Should I say I feel like I won against the Princess?"
"You know, I told you. You are already attractive enough."
A strange talent for moving people's hearts. I recalled my charm Dalton taught me the other day.
"Iphoe Bell. Don't you want to know a little more certainly whether Arwin likes you or not?"
"Certainly?"
"Yeah."
Dalton's odd eyes directed at me twinkled brightly as if discovering something interesting. The feeling arising suddenly was danger.
"Is there a way?"
"Not that there isn't."
"What is it?"
"At times like this, a signal flare inducing his true heart is needed."
"Signal flare?"
He made the shape of a gun muzzle with his fingers. Then placing the hand shaped like a gun muzzle on his temple, he mimicked a gunshot sound with his mouth.
"Signal flare, Bang."
A meaningful smile lingered on Dalton's face.
Presumably, the method he is thinking of will absolutely not be a peaceful method. Rather, it might be violent. Beyond my imagination.
But I was curious about Arwin's heart enough to endure such danger. What am I going to do knowing his heart when I will only live for two months? Do I want to take his heart even after death lingeringly?
Death, where I can take nothing, felt futile.
Returning to my room and looking down at the garden through the window, I saw the carriage the Princess rode returning. Why does the back of the returning carriage look somewhat lonely?
I wished her carriage wouldn't come to Arwin's mansion again. For a very long time. Even after I die.
Watching her carriage become a dot and disappear, I entered the bathroom and washed my hands.
'Iphoe Bell's hands smell good.'
Arwin's words saying he remembers my smell kept coming to mind, so I couldn't help but wash my hands.
Putting my hands under running water, I washed my hands carefully. The corners of the natural organic soap I took out anew the other day were naturally worn down.
Everything will change according to reason and its appearance will also differ, but I had one thing that doesn't change.
It was my heart toward Arwin. That heart will be eternal without wearing down or changing its appearance.
I wished my heart, which will not change, would be remembered by Arwin forever.
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