His face was clean from any trace of tears.
My grandfather, who looked like someone who had never cried since he was born, cleared his throat as if asking me to take the hint.
"...Father-in-law?"
"N-No, Dad. I must've seen it wrong. Only Dad cried. Yeah, that's right. Only Dad cried when I disappeared!"
I tried to cover up the fact that he cried.
"Yeah, I cried. Do you know how worried I was..."
Fortunately, my dad didn't think much of it.
"You should go back to sleep, Eve. The weather is cold. What were you doing outside for two hours anyway?"
"Mom's portrait....um, Grandfather. Can I tell him about it?"
"Yes, go ahead."
"I saw my mom's portrait. I was in a room where there was a really huge portrait of my mom. My mom in the portrait really looked like me..."
"Astrid's portrait? Where is that...? Don't tell me...."
"Keep it a secret for the time being, Nial."
My grandfather adjusted his grip on me before lifting me up in a more comfortable position.
"Don't let anyone know that Eve went into that 'room'. Do you get it? Keep your mouth shut."
"Pardon? Y-Yes, Father-in-law...!"
"And Eve...you can go to bed now. You can sleep in if you want. I will tell them to prepare your breakfast when you wake up. So I hope you can sleep comfortably."
"But I wake up early even if I sleep late."
"Then you can get up early. You can wake up whenever you want. And if you don't mind..."
Duke Ferdinand asked cautiously.
"Can Grandpa put you to sleep? I'll leave as soon as you're asleep."
"Yes, of course. Instead..."
I stared at my grandfather with eyes gleaming in anticipation.
"You have to tell me what my mom was like and how much she resembles me!"
"Alright, alright."
My grandfather nodded with a smile.
"Grandpa will tell you everything...."
His voice was sweet, but I couldn't help noticing the sadness imbued in it.
By the way, whose voice was that?
-Eve.
'The voice that led me to that room.'
I also talked to my grandfather about it, but he said that I must have been dreaming. He said he had never heard that kind of voice inside the mansion, so maybe he was right that I was just dreaming.
"Or maybe your mom led you to that place." My grandfather murmured quietly.
I mulled over his words.
'Yeah, I was in a daze like someone who just woken up.'
However,
'But I'm sure it wasn't a dream.'
I remembered clearly the voice that was speaking to me and led me to my mom's portrait.
The whole thing couldn't have been a dream.
'I hope they talk to me again later.'
I should ask about their identity when I get the chance to talk to them again. I was determined to get the answer no matter how.
I nodded my head with such determination.
My grandfather caught all the maids who spoke ill about me and fired them without a letter of recommendation.
Of course, he did all that behind my back. So I was worried that he would catch the wrong person.
I secretly went to check the faces of the maids who got fired.
'These people....are the maids who were there at that time.'
I didn't know how my grandfather managed to catch all those people without any input from me.
I sneaked out after making sure that my grandfather didn't catch the wrong person.
"Y-Your Grace!"
"Please forgive us! I won't do it again!"
"Please forgive me just this once....!"
That day, I heard the sobbing voices of the maids who said bad things about me in the hallway.
Mrs. Charlotte told me that working in Duke Ferdinand's residence was easier than in other noble houses.
Moreover, they rarely fired people off, so the servants who were fired and kicked out of the mansion would struggle to find work elsewhere.
"But didn't they say that everyone has exceptional swordsmanship skill?"
"Hoho, that's right. So usually the maids or servants who got fired work as mercenaries or guards afterwards, but those places usually pay less...."
In other words, the maids were getting kicked out from a good place and could no longer work in high-paying workplaces.
But that was their problem..
'I don't think they will ever starve working as mercenaries or guards.'
They couldn't work as a maid in the Ferdinand family, but mercenaries and guards made a pretty decent income.
'I hope you find another job that fits you better!'
I felt sorry for the maids who were kicked out of the Ferdinand mansion overnight because of me, but I didn't intend to step up and defend them.
Because they made a mistake, and it was entirely my grandfather's judgment to fire the maids.
It was decided by the head of the family.
Also, I wasn't in a position to step up because I hadn't decided whether or not to stay in this mansion.
Housework was supposed to be done at home.
That was the wisdom of life that the uncles and aunties in our village taught me.
Housework was supposed to be done at home! If an outsider intervenes, they may encourage you to scoop soup with a fork instead of a ladle.
(T/N : This is equivalent to the idiom 'don't air your dirty laundry' and people will only give you advice that only further complicates the problem.)
Grandfather! Since you're doing the housework, please take care of that 'annoying' guy, too!
After cheering for my grandfather inwardly, I walked down the hallway and returned to my room. But the moment I hold the door handle.
"Huh?"
I realized that I had returned to the room without even getting lost.
"....I think I have a good sense of direction."
It has only been two days since I came to this mansion, but I already had a rough idea of its structure.
....Huh? Why am I so...smart?
As I scratched my cheeks with a dazed expression, I heard a familiar voice from behind.
[It's not that you've become smarter, you're just getting more sensitive. Your body remembers the structure of this mansion.]
"What?"
[Damn it. How did I end up becoming a babysitter for an eight-year-old? I mean, your intuition is getting sharper!]
I get it. I'm getting sharper, but why do you get so angry?
I thought about hanging Ex outside the window for a while, but I quickly scratched that idea.
There was more I wanted to hear from this rude sword, so I let him slide for now.
"Ex, where should I leave you when you get angry for no reason again? If that happens, good luck on finding me among the people who you can't talk to."
[........]
"So don't get angry at me and tell me. What's this intuition that you're talking about?"
[In other words....your senses are getting sensitive. You may not be aware, but you have the qualities of a Sword Master.]
"...When did I ever hold a sword? Do you mean to say knife?"
[Do you want to get hit?]
"Ex."
[Ahem..anyway...There was a time when you used me to fight, right?]
"When did I ever....AH!"
Don't tell me it's about that one time when you ripped off the clothes of those drunken uncles?
[Don't put it like that! You make it sound weird!]
"But you did rip off their clothes....]
And it wasn't like I fought with Ex.
To be exact, I was hanging on Ex's handle when Ex attacked those drunk uncles.
Are you saying my intuition is getting sharper?