Chapter 55

In response to my question, Ru, who had been listening to the mayor's instructions with a lifeless expression, nodded his head.

"Then come and pick me up at the market in 30 minutes."

"Where?"

"I'll wait in front of the restaurant 'Piece of Land.'"

"Without a coat?"

"......"

"Hmm. Even if we are a couple who has shared the same bed, that's going too far. I don't want to owe any more to a heartless husband who broke the wedding ring, do I?"

Heartless husband.

That's not something I want to hear from a tall man whose shadow looms over my head.

Of course, his appearance was so striking that it wouldn't be strange if he bankrupted me, made me a slave, and dragged me around.

Jin, who was hanging on the second-floor wall to clean the exterior glass, let out a sigh of admiration.

"A couple, huh."

A couple? I glared at Ru irritably.

"I cancel the request. Wait for me until I come back."

"Oh, really? You want me to stay locked up in the mansion like a well-trained dog? Without a coat?"

"And, junior. That guy and I are not a couple. I'd rather die than marry him."

"You're so cold. If it were me, I'd rather raise her well than die. Of course, I'm talking about Daisy. Remember that, it hurts."

Ignoring Ru's smirking face, I headed for the market.

The wedding ring tactic.

This is a malicious wordplay that Ru uses when he wants to torment me.

But today was a bit different. The wedding ring tactic had a very beneficial effect on me today.

Namely, an increase in violence due to anger.

'Ah, I'm so angry.'

I was grateful to Ru for awakening my dormant violent tendencies, and as soon as I arrived at the market, I pushed open the door of the pub.

Creak, creak.

It didn't move.

Is it locked from the inside? Since I entrusted the pub to the butler assassin, this door has never been locked.

That means the usual suspicious guy must have locked it.

"Do you have an axe?"

I casually asked the gathered crowd, and the butcher quickly jumped out.

"Here! Use this axe."

"Thanks. If I mess up, your head might fly off, so stay back."

I pushed the butcher aside and smashed the door with the axe.

Crack!

As the wooden door broke, I couldn't see well through the cracks in the splintered wood.

After breaking the door a few more times, I reached through the hole and unlocked the latch.

Creak.

A square of sunlight fell into the pub with a sinister sound.

The first thing I saw was the organization members kneeling in a row on the front wall, all struggling with their mouths gagged.

I stepped into the pub, where sawdust from the door floated in the air.

At that moment,

"Careless!"

A presence silently standing behind the door burst forward with a murderous intent.

Swish, the blade cut through the air and fell over my head.

It was a shoddy sword strike, with no weight, sharpness, or even cleanliness. He might as well have shot a gun.

I caught the blade with my index and middle fingers, and the intruder, startled, spat out a curse through his unkempt mustache.

"Are you some kind of amateur? If not, then you must be the woman who meddled with our branch... cough."

His body, unable to withstand even a light kick, flew backward and crashed into the wall.

I tore off the ropes that were gagging the organization members.

As soon as their mouths were free, they exhaled, "Phew!"

"Sis! That guy is from Berryd Let!"

"He was asking for the conspirators, saying he knew they had betrayed him!"

They immediately tattled.

"We didn't answer, Sis. In return, we were beaten until our faces were mush."

The most composed bartender, with a bruised eye, revealed the loyalty of the organization members.

"Good job."

Hehe. While the grown men blushed, I heard the merchants behind me whispering.

"What's Berryd Let?"

"Don't know. They must be gangsters from another neighborhood. Our neighborhood gangsters have long reformed. Tsk tsk."

"Hey, miss! Watch out behind you!"

A shout of alarm came from nearby.

"Die!"

The intruder, who approached like a rat and swung his sword, was kicked in the back by me, who had anticipated his move.

Ting.

The intruder's blade broke with a weak sound.

The intruder, looking at his broken sword in disbelief, took a step back, breathing heavily.

"Hey, woman. I don't know what your intentions are, but you made a mistake. We from Berryd Let never let those who interfere off the hook..."

"Shut up."

I slapped him, and he fell, revealing a clear white of his eyes.

Unfortunately, I had to catch a train soon, so I had no time to listen to the intruder's personal matters.

A sense of responsibility for the errand. That's the duty of a maid.

"What? It's over?"

"Disappointing. Young people these days lack perseverance, perseverance."

The merchants, who had been craning their necks to watch, began to disperse one by one.

The organization members, who had slowly risen, checked the intruder's condition and put on a sad face.

"Sis, as always, we can only rely on you."

"We'll work hard! Please lead us well in the future. We'll treat you like a mother and the boss like a father!"

Who decided that?

The pub clock read 9:30.

It was a bit tight to visit the Weatherwood mansion and then go to the Midwinter train station on foot.

"I have to go. Tie him up well."

"Yes! Should I hand him over to the boss?"

"Sure."

Thinking I might have to run on the rooftops, I left the pub.

The market floor was already narrow and inconvenient, and a large, shiny carriage was parked in front of the door.

"Where are you in such a hurry?"

A handsome man was visible through the half-open carriage door, the owner of the carriage with a mocking smile.

My partner, Ru, who had awakened my violent tendencies.

Without even asking about the state of the pub, Ru naturally reached out to my face.

"Our Daisy is a bit clumsy, you know."

The sawdust stuck to the tips of his long, smooth fingers. I watched his retreating white hand with a strange feeling and cleared my throat.

'He said he wouldn't come.'

Always like this. He'll listen in the end, but he says it in a teasing way. Does he find it fun to reject?

"Ah, Mr. Ru. Do you need any workers?"

Instead of answering, Ru looked at the driver's seat. It was a look asking if he needed one.

The butler assassin, who didn't have eyes in the back of his head, answered as if he had been waiting for it.

"It's not absolutely necessary, but I often think it would be good to have a skilled employee who is good at housework. The servants of the Ashera mansion are excellent at various skills, but they lack finesse and often do the same task twice."

It was perfect.

I went back into the pub and dragged out the intruder who was lying on the floor.

"No one is more skilled at finesse than a maid. Take him and use him as a maid from today."

The butler assassin first looked at the suspicious man with a "This bandit?" look, then at me with a "Are you crazy?" look.

"We have plenty of maid uniforms at Weatherwood. I'll lend you the largest size to alter."

"......"

"By the way, he's a member of the Berryd Let guild. He was tormenting... our... no, the good pub's organization members."

The butler assassin's eyes, which had been indifferent, immediately turned sharp.

"Is that so? The good pub's employees? ...Understood. I'll train him well as a maid."

Thus, the intruder, who would become the first maid of the Ashera mansion, was tied up like a bundle of luggage and placed next to the butler assassin.

As we got into the carriage, the horses began to move toward the Midwinter train station.

Leaning back in the soft, high-quality seat and looking outside, I felt a burning sensation on one side of my face.

It was Ru's gaze.

Why? ...Ah, a greeting.

"Thanks for coming to pick me up."

Ru didn't even hear my strained gratitude.

"Maid uniform? Is that your taste? You're way out of my expectations."

What do you mean, again?

"Or did I somehow open Daisy's hidden tastes? Hmm. That feels a bit responsible."

It seemed he was talking about the incident where I suggested the bandit-like intruder be used as a maid.

It was absurd.

"Mr. Ru, sometimes..."

Ru stared at me blankly.

"Even refuting you makes me feel tired."

Ha ha. After a dry laugh, he touched his ear and replied.

"Sometimes is a relief. I do it every day."

"Don't exaggerate."

"I wish I could exaggerate. Sometimes I feel strange about myself unconsciously watching over Daisy."

His words made me feel even more peculiar.

Wasn't that almost a confession? Unconsciously being aware of someone? Feeling strange about it?

Maybe.

"Mr. Ru, do you like me?"

Ru met my eyes.

Ah, that was a really peculiar expression.

It was also a very complex emotion. A face that didn't know where to start or how to point out. At the same time, eyes filled with anguish and contemplation.

An indescribable expression.

There was no choice. I had to give a serious warning.

"Don't like me. You'll only get hurt, Mr. Ru."

Ru's eyes widened even more. His golden eyes were filled with clear amazement and surprise.

After a while, he said in a voice that couldn't believe it.

"You're the first person to say such an incredible lie in front of me, Daisy."