Those were Reynaldoâs first words when I told him I would return to being a maid of the Knightsâ Corps from tomorrow.
After I agreed to his request, Eva-sama, who quickly completed the necessary procedures, came to my house and explained the details to me.
He confirmed that, as long as he had the permission of the Knight Commander, hiring a maid for the Knightsâ Corps was not a problem. Moreover, he quickly obtained permission for me to start working from tomorrow.
As I had no specific plans for tomorrow, I told him it wasnât an issue, and he smiled happily with a bright expression.
Upon bidding farewell while saying, âI look forward to working with you from tomorrow!â Eva-sama hurriedly returned home, and I watched him leave with a feeling of relief, as if a storm had passed.
Shortly after that, Reynaldo came to visit, and thatâs how the current situation came to be.
âHmm⊠Is that so?â
I pass the warmed soup to Reynaldo, who seems lost in thought.
Todayâs dinner consists of vegetable soup, herb-roasted chicken, and homemade bread.
âDid something happen with Alberto?â
I dropped the bread I was holding in my hand.
I hurriedly picked it up. Then, I wiped off the slight dirt and set it aside for myself.
Ah, my face is getting hot.
âWhy do you think something happened?â
Although I managed to pretend to be calm, Reynaldo is probably smart enough to see through my futile attempts.
Reynaldo looks at me with a teasing glance.
âThatâs right⊠For example, did he confess his feelings for you?â
â⊠No, that didnât happen.â
Thatâs right. It didnât.
While he did propose, he didnât confess his feelings to me.
Itâs Alberto weâre talking about. He may have tried to do that out of kindness to me, who was worried that my marriage might be delayed. Thatâs the conclusion I came to after I calmed down.
Otherwise, thereâs no way he would have proposed out of the blue like that in that situation.
âI seeâŠâ
âWhy do you think thereâs something going on?â
I pour the wine we had the other day and hand the glass to Reynaldo, then proceed to prepare my own meal.
Itâs a bit of a relief that Alberto, who seems to be working late today, is absent.
Reynaldo holds the wine glass handed to him and swirls the liquid inside.
âEva, the Knight Commanderâs assistant, suddenly taking action like thisâŠÂ It makes me think that Alberto must have made some advances toward you and failed. Then, his subordinates pitied him and decided to help him⊠Thatâs probably the case. He certainly has good subordinates. Unfortunately, it led to me losing you to the Knightsâ Corps.â
Reynaldoâs expression was somewhat dull, yet there was a slight hint of amusement. I found myself blushing at his words.
âSince youâve made your decision, I wonât object to it.â
â⊠Thank you.â
Even though he holds the position of chancellor and could easily deal with a mere maid, Reynaldoâs respect for my wishes made me happy, so I genuinely thanked him.
âSpeaking of which, how is the search going for Princess Tiaâs whereabouts?â
âHer whereabouts remain completely elusive. Itâs unnerving how we canât pinpoint her location at all. Iâve been tracking her thoroughly, but her extravagant social life has made it difficult. I just want to finish it quickly.â
Though faint, a shadow of vengeance lingers in Reynaldoâs eyes. Despite Rosemaryâs efforts to quench the flames of revenge in Alberto and Reynaldo, I can painfully understand their desire to settle past grudges.
I also want Princess Tia to properly make amends for her past actions properly. I wish for her to apologize like King Gray and reveal the truth.
That alone is not enough, as Reynaldo would repeatedly say sourly, so I donât bring up the topic too often.
Regarding King Gray, I donât hear much about him anymore. All I have is what happened during that time in the audience chamber, and thatâs it.
However, with Princess Tia, nothing has been concluded yet. I wonder if meeting her in person, like I did with King Gray, would make any difference.
In Rosemaryâs memories, Princess Tia always had a faint, enigmatic smile directed at Rosemary while remaining in the shadow of King Gray. Thinking about that smile, itâs somewhat unsettling.
âMarie.â
Reynaldo held my hand as I was lost in thought.
I lifted my head and looked at Reynaldo. The image of the young Reynaldo from Rosemaryâs memories overlapped in my mind.
His sincere eyes, transparent like jade, reflected my figure.
He slowly lifted the hand he was holding.
He firmly grasped my hand with both of his hands, intertwined his fingers with mine, and held our hands tightly together.
âMy sisterâs wish is my happiness, and my wish is for my sister to be happy.â
He pressed a kiss to the back of our joined hands, as if offering a prayer.
âEven now that youâve been reborn as Marie, my wish remains the same. Your happiness is my happiness.â
â⊠Itâs the same for me now.â
Even though we may not be blood-related now, Reynaldo is still a precious family to me. The affection I have for him, as Rosemary did for her brother, knows no bounds.
âMarie. My sister. Please do what you think is the happiest for you. Follow your heart sincerely.â
âSincerelyâŠ?â
âYes. Never again should you have to endure like my sister did before. Even if an invincible wall stands in front of you, I will break it down for you. If someone troubles your heart, I will do everything in my power to remove them.â
Though it was a dangerous statement coming from someone who meant it, Reynaldoâs appearance as he spoke was godly and angelic, making it all the more frightening.
âSo, please. From now on, act according to your heartâs desires. Unlike in the past, there shouldnât be anything to hold you back now.â
I felt a little concerned about his somewhat forlorn smile and extended my free hand toward Reynaldo. His golden hair, which was slightly longer, brushed against my hand. I then nodded at his prayer-like request.
In Rosemaryâs memories, she always followed her fatherâs commands. She became engaged as her father ordered, and diligently learned proper etiquette and academics as those around her instructed. She was raised to become a good queen. In truth, she had rarely acted according to her own heart.
Throughout it all, Reynaldo had always watched over his sister, worried about her, and loved her deeply.
It was clear that his heart was the only pillar of support for Rosemary.
âThank you.â
Emotions welled up inside me, almost making me want to cry. Overflowing with joy and affection, my feelings swayed.
I thanked God again for allowing me to be connected to him, even after being reborn.
As they were wordlessly touching each other, they heard the sound of the door opening as a visitor entered the room.
Reynaldo and I both turned our gaze toward the door at the same time.
There stood Alberto with an indescribable expression on his face.