"I understand."
The butler nodded with a solemn expression and led us inside. The four-story stone mansion had a neat and sophisticated atmosphere. As I walked along the well-polished Irish marble floor, I looked at the tapestries hanging on the walls of the hallway. The butler showed us around the mansion, including the bathrooms, bedrooms, powder rooms, and guest rooms, and finally led us to the office where I would spend most of my time.
"I feel like I've really succeeded," I said, entering the office and gazing out the window, a sense of deep satisfaction washing over me.
Isaac, who was standing behind me, quietly said, "Mel, I'll check out the rest of the mansion." There might be a spy or a magical enchantment somewhere inside.
"Oh, yes." I nodded. After Isaac left, I was alone and my thoughts naturally drifted to the Pope. The strange look in his eyes, as if he wanted to devour me, was still on my mind.
What is the Pope thinking? What is the identity of that catechism? It was definitely not an ordinary catechism. When he had put his lips on the back of my hand, black letters had appeared, visible only to him and me. Until now, I thought that black stain was just a normal manifestation of power. I decided that when Isaac returned, I would have a serious conversation with him about the catechism. Isaac might know something.
I have to give the dragon a gift, I reminded myself, remembering the small box I had kept in my pocket and the egg I had brought from the stationery store. Just then, I heard a knock outside the door and a chorus of baby-like voices in my ears.
"Click."
I didn't know who it was, but the sound was so cute! I looked at the door and whispered, "Come in. What's going on?"
Three little servants entered, making clicking sounds with their mouths and thrusting their faces toward me. "These are the three attendants selected and sent by Her Majesty!" one said.
"From left, Ally, Mary, and Seri!" another chimed in.
"Congratulations on entering this wonderful mansion, Marquis Kinnoa!" the third one added.
The three girls, who all had cute brown hair and brown eyes and looked to be about eight years old, came into the study carrying small tea treats.
"Ally, Mary, Seri. What's going on?" Even though I had been distressed by the Pope, a compassionate smile naturally formed on my lips when I saw the children. They spoke vigorously, as if my smile had given them courage.
"What should we do now?" one of them asked.
"Didn't you see the playroom when you came in?"
"Well..." They looked guilty. The playroom was like a miniature version of my stationery store, filled with all sorts of things to do.
"There must be things to play with in there. Why? Isn't it fun?"
"Can we use that?"
"We are here to work..."
It was a look of guilt. I had heard that young servants and maids in the Imperial Palace were raised to be servants from an early age. In reality, there was almost no strenuous labor; it was a period of training to become a servant. However, as children who had been educated from beginning to end, they clearly felt that as soon as they arrived at my mansion, they had become real maids. They looked like round potatoes, and they were trying to work. This was my mansion, and I couldn't allow that to happen.
I looked at the children and said seriously, "Oh, yes... then I remember." The children stood with their hands firmly on their thighs and their backs straight. They were cute and adorable, like proud acorns standing there, staring at me. I said sternly, "There is something very important for you to do."
The children's eyes sparkled. "What is that?"
"You must have fun for now." I stood up from the wooden table and stood right next to the children. Then I stroked the bewildered little attendants' heads one by one and chuckled. "What do you think?"
"It's good... but..."
They looked very burdened. If so, it was up to me to put the nail in the coffin. "There is one more thing. I have set a mission for you: play with me when I'm bored."
They were dressed up very well, but they were still children. The children opened their eyes wide, looked at each other, and hesitated to ask me, "...Do you ever get bored too?"
Laughter erupted at their genuine question. "Of course." I tilted my head and squeezed Ally's cheeks. A few cute freckles on her cheeks made her a lovely ten-year-old child. The cheeks next to my lips squeezed out, and her rabbit-like front teeth popped out. Ally screamed, then grabbed my hand and shouted, "Then! Wait a minute! We'll think a little about what kind of thing we're going to play!"
More than ten minutes passed. I sipped the flower-scented tea I had placed on the wooden table, while the children were seriously pondering with their heads bowed on the sofa.
"I've decided!" Seri, who had white skin and big eyes, took a card out of her pocket and declared it seriously. "We're also good at dating counseling! I can read it like a tarot card!" As I sat on the opposite sofa, comfortably drinking my tea, I almost dropped my teacup.
Then the children looked at each other happily. "After all, I thought you would like it!" The three children said very quietly, as if they were hiding their inner thoughts, but I could hear everything they said.
...Do they think I like it? These brunette kids were so cute that I raised one hand to cover the corners of my mouth and giggled. The children seemed to be even more convinced of their guess.
"His Highness the Eighth Prince is right." "Let's consult with you quickly and then speak to His Highness!"
I didn't know what on earth Prince Axion had said, but I wasn't the kind of person to dash the hopes of young children. Why would I say no to something I liked so much? I put the teacup on the table across from the sofa, crossed my arms, and said, "Yes, can you give me love counseling?"
"Yes!" The little servants moved in unison. Seri professionally took the tarot cards out of her pocket, Mary took them and shuffled them nicely, and Ally placed the well-shuffled cards on the table. Seri, who seemed to be today's tarot leader, said seriously, "It's a love tarot. Think about your worries in your heart and then talk about them."
Suddenly, Isaac's face came to mind and then disappeared. What will happen to my relationship with Isaac in the future? Will the dragon accept the gift well? Pondering which of the two questions to choose, I pressed my hand against my brow and picked up a card with a struggling expression.
The children huddled together on the sofa opposite me, looked at me with sparkling eyes. "Oh, you picked..."
"The Lover's card!"
It was the Lover's card. Each tarot reader interprets tarot readings in a different way. Moreover, since this was a different world, the Lover's card might have a different meaning. How would these little servants interpret this card? During a break I hadn't expected, I was thinking of playing with the children, but I suddenly found myself feeling invested in the reading.
"I'll interpret it!" a little voice said.
"Huh?"
"It won't be long before I finally confess." The little servant solemnly declared, "Really! Now I will soon receive the confession, which is the fruit of true love!" The children laughed to each other.
I think I've already received it... The little servants were laughing in a more relaxed atmosphere. I put my hand to my forehead and looked at the children. A cool voice echoed in my ears.
"I'm going to get a confession soon." I stiffened my body and looked to my left, toward the door. I wasn't the only one who panicked. As soon as they heard Isaac's voice, the three little servants looked at each other and started hiccuping. I didn't know when the door had been opened, and I didn't know when Isaac had arrived.
I think you've heard the tarot reading, right? I definitely hadn't done anything wrong. However, I was inevitably embarrassed for some reason.
"Heehee..." The three children looked at us, holding their cheeks, which had turned red like peaches, with both hands.
What do these little babies know? I laughed softly and tidied up the tarot cards. However, the children were also quick to act. "Let's go out, that's the principle of servants!" Seeing them run away, it seemed that they had a premonition that they had to get out of the way.
"What about you guys?" I asked. "You don't have to leave, do you?"
"Have a good time!"
"No, you have to bring the tarot cards, guys!"
However, the children had already escaped. Perhaps because he was still a little servant, he moved as fast as a hamster running away.
In an instant, only Isaac and I were left in the room. Is the atmosphere suffocating? Suddenly, the atmosphere had reversed. Isaac sat across from me, in the spot where the children had been sitting and chatting. The air changed as if there was a sense of tension. Isaac, who was staring down at the tarot cards the children had left behind, immediately looked up. "After searching the inside of the mansion, there were no particular problems."
"That's great!"
The mischievous smile hanging from the corner of Isaac's mouth deepened. "Then let's have a good time now?" He seemed to like the children's words about having a good time, seeing that he emphasized the phrase.
I fanned my hot face with my hand and turned my head away. "...Yes, good times..." I hurriedly blurted out my words.
He raised his hand and unbuttoned the top of his shirt one by one. It was a very devastating gesture. The white shirt came undone, and his well-tanned skin was revealed. No, why are you unbuttoning it? I raised my hand and wiped the corners of my mouth. Fortunately, my mouth wasn't drooling, but my eyes kept turning to his rib cage. I closed my eyes tightly and opened my mouth resolutely.
"Uh, that..."
He leisurely unbuttoned his buttons and frowned at me. "I think it's going to be a bit hot where we're going."
I forgot what to say for a moment. Every time he breathed, I could see his rib cage swell and then close. Isn't this a crime of indecency? I was thinking about all sorts of things, my face bright red, when I suddenly turned my head. Now, let's come to our senses. Then, in a stiff state, I opened my mouth and finally came to my senses. "Uh, where are you going?"
Isaac stood up languidly. Then he came up behind the sofa I was sitting on. He lowered his head and brought his lips to my ear. "I'm going on a trip."
I slowly turned my head to the side. Finally, I made eye contact with him. Isaac playfully kissed my forehead and then whispered in a husky voice, "Alone."
Suddenly? Teacher, this is moving too fast, right?