Leila was sitting absolutely still. If not for the slight rise and fall of her chest, I might’ve thought she was… Actually, no, I might’ve been traumatized.
She was wearing her maid clothes as usual… but that wasn’t normal. This was supposed to be her break, right? Was she being forced to work through her time off? My old boss used to pull that kind of stunt. Or…
Yeah, no, it was definitely something else.
“L-Leila?” I called out gently. “Are you alright?”
Light figuratively flickered back into her eyes as she glanced my way. “Lady… Carine?”
Good, at least she was responsive. I took the chance to enter her room and closed the door behind me.
“Leila, are you alright? You looked a bit…” I paused for a second, not sure what word I could use. “...quiet?”
“Ah, forgive me.” Leila rose from her bed and fixed her hair. In no time at all, she was standing straight like she used to and showed her usual deadpan face. “What can I do for you, Lady Carine?”
“There’s no need to do anything, Leila. You’re on break, right?”
Leila’s fingers twitched. It’s a small detail, I know, but I never saw her flinch at all.
“Y-You’re right, My Lady. Forgive my impertinence.”
She slumped a little bit, something I never saw her do as well. But I figured this was just her usual pose outside of work, which wasn’t all that different all things considered. I wouldn’t even notice any difference had I not had Carine’s eyes.
Weird details aside, I noticed that she did look distressed. Must be the effects of not drinking two or four cups of coffee every so often. I expected that she might be a bit surprised with her sudden week-long break… but this… I didn’t know it was going to be this bad…
I need to have her get fresh air, fast.
“If I may ask, Lady Carine. What brings you to my room?”
I took a glance at the sky outside the window. The clouds were there, but they weren’t crowding, giving a nice breezy weather.
“It’s a nice day outside. I figured it might be a good time to take a walk.”
“A walk?” Leila said, tilting her head. “I see, with no schedule for the week…”
“It’s the perfect chance, don’t you think?” I said, glancing at her. “However, walking alone wouldn’t be ideal, and walking with a servant I’m not that acquainted with won’t be all that… fun.”
At first, Leila stared at me with her mouth just slightly agape. But then, she looked at the floor, biting her lips slightly.
“Forgive me, Lady Carine. However, I am not allowed to participate in any work-related activities. Those are the orders from the Duchess.”
My eyebrows were raised. I held back a chuckle as I replied, “I didn’t say this was going to work. I just want to walk with… a friend.”
“Friend?” Leila blinked twice, a signal that meant she was thinking something through.
I felt a bit awkward. Did I overstep? Did Leila not consider me a friend? Was I turning into one of those awful bosses who crash their employees' personal lives under the excuse of “team bonding”?
I was starting to think that the plan was a bust and that I was over-eager and overconfident. But then, Leila’s face… changed.
What’s that thing on her face? It looks weird and out of place…
Wait… that’s a smile!
A very very small smile, but a smile nonetheless!
“Your words flatter me, Lady Carine,” Leila said, her tone more warm despite being delivered in her usual monotone manner. “Very well, I shall accompany you as your ‘friend’. I shall grab a change of clothes right away,” she said before giving a small bow.
It was my turn to blink twice, wondering what triggered her sudden smile.
Knowing she was about to change though, I excused myself from her room. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭•𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚•𝕟𝕖𝕥
I waited outside her room, watching over the garden from the window. As expected, I can still see every detail, down to the petals of each flowers and the bees passing by. One maid in particular was being swarmed by those bees. I guessed that she smelled sweet? Could probably just her clothes though.
I began to wonder if I should change as well, but after a quick glance at my reflection… probably not. These were fresh clothes, changing out of them right away would feel like a waste. Besides, even my everyday clothes can be considered presentable clothes.
Mother’s habits of wearing elegant dresses in absolutely any situation must’ve rubbed off on me, though I was more of an elegant blouse with a long skirt type of person. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like wearing Mother’s frilly dress all day long.
I heard a door creaking open behind me. Leila was done changing. I was a bit excited, since this would be the first time ever that I would see Leila in casual clothes. That’s right, for the entire time she was assigned as my personal maid, I never once saw her in other clothes beside her work clothes.
And today… was no different.
Standing before me was Leila now dressed in a fresh set of maid clothes, like a snake shedding its skin.
Don’t you have any other clothes?!
I cleared my throat, trying to emphasize my voice. “Leila, I thought I specifically mentioned that this is not work-related?”
Leila took a quick glance down and seemingly realized something. “Ah, forgive me, Lady Carine. This is but a force of habit. Excuse me for a moment.”
She stepped back inside like nothing had happened. Even now I'm still not sure if this was her attempt at a joke or not.
Yeah, I’m starting to think Leila’s a bit… different than what I expected.