Chapter 38

The morning after spending a night without Nona.

"Should we live as if Nona isn't here when she's not around?"

I switched my mindset, ran in the morning, and had a simple meal that prioritized nutrition over taste. During my free time, I continued to make a black wig, which was almost complete.

In the evening, after finishing my assistant work, I visited Mr. Miles. There was something I needed to confirm.

"Oh? What's up?"

"Mr. Miles, can you spar with me? I haven't trained with my brothers in a long time."

"Ah, sure. What weapon will you use?"

"I'll use a short sword with a blunted blade."

"Then I'll use a practice sword."

Mr. Miles' practice sword looked heavy, and it seemed like it could break bones if it hit you. The conversation progressed quickly even before we finished our greetings. Mr. Miles seemed excited to spar again after a long time.

"Alright, whenever you're ready."

"Then, let's go!"

I ran towards Mr. Miles, and just before him, I jumped up, spinning and kicking his left shoulder from behind.

Mr. Miles, after being kicked, regained his balance, turned around, and swung his practice sword at me with a whoosh. I narrowly avoided the sword and immediately readied my short sword.

I dodged the sword that was repeatedly swung at me and slashed Mr. Miles' side with my short sword. I then jumped onto his neck from behind, wrapped my left arm around his neck, and pressed the short sword in my right hand against his forehead.

"Alright, both eyes are slit."

"You got me! Can we do it again?"

"As many times as you want."

After that, we had five-minute sparring sessions. Mr. Miles, despite being retired at his age, still had impressive skills.

If he were still active, I wouldn't have stood a chance.

We both panted heavily, and sweat streamed into our eyes. As we caught our breath and readied ourselves, Mr. Miles spoke up.

"What happened to that girl?"

"She's staying at another house."

Before I finished speaking, Mr. Miles attacked. I blocked it with my short sword. I failed! My right hand went numb.

I kicked Mr. Miles' right hip joint, his dominant leg, while deflecting the sword with all my strength.

"Ugh."

Mr. Miles groaned, and I, breathing heavily, spoke to him.

"Actually, I aim for the groin."

"The hip joint of an old man is just as vital."

"Only at times like these, huh."

I found it funny and started laughing.

"Hey, wait a moment."

"Is that allowed?"

"I can't stop laughing."

"Finally, you're feeling better."

"Yes."

"Then, how about some tea?"

"Yes!"

Mr. Miles didn't ask any more questions. After finishing the tea, he smiled and said, "Feel free to come anytime. It was really fun," and saw me off. I felt about 80% better, and I had confirmed what I needed to.

I immersed myself in work every day.

Sir Clark looked dejected and occasionally gave me a disapproving look.

"I understand what you're trying to say, but I respect Nona's feelings."

I said this with a wry smile, as if trying to convince myself.

"I would never let Nona go."

"Thank you. Nona would be happy to hear that."

Still, Sir Clark didn't seem convinced.

Every day, I did morning runs and horse exercises. There was always plenty to do if I looked for it.

The black wig was completed, and I decided to cut it to a length that reached my shoulders. I tied the hair in small bundles and cut it. Since I made it a short hairstyle, I decided to use the leftover hair to make a wig for a child. Although the amount of hair left was only enough for a short-haired boy's hairstyle, I thought Nona would look good in a black-haired boy's disguise as I worked on it.

Six days passed. Tonight was the night before Nona would decide her future.

I woke up to a small noise. I took out a dagger from a cloth bag attached under the bed. The dagger was a double-edged short sword for close combat.

I slipped out of bed and stood quietly by the door, barefoot.

The doorknob was slowly turned from the outside.

Of course, the door was locked. Listening carefully, I heard faint footsteps moving towards the kitchen window.

What should I do?

After thinking for a moment, I went to the bedroom and slipped out the window. I thought about stabbing the intruder in the buttocks as they tried to enter through the kitchen window. I circled the brick house, dagger in hand, and turned the second corner.

There, under the moonlight, I saw Nona struggling to pry open the kitchen window. Nona was wearing a pure white nightgown with lots of lace and delicate white silk slippers. I hid the dagger at my waist and called out to her.

"What are you doing?"

"Ah! You scared me!"

"I was the one scared. What are you doing at this hour of the night? ... Anyway, come inside."

"Okay."

We went inside, and I lit a lamp, wiping the dirt off my feet. Nona had already taken off her nightgown in the living room.

"I don't like the rustling of the lace."

"Going out alone at this hour in such attire is like asking to be attacked. I'm glad you came back safely. Why did you do this?"

Nona, now in just her undergarments, said, "Wait a moment," and went to her room, returning with her favorite light blue flannel nightgown.

"Listen," she said, putting on the nightgown over her head and buttoning it up as she explained.

"Today, my room was locked. They also call me Dolores and tell me to call them 'Father' and 'Mother.' I don't like it. I'm not Dolores, and they're not my parents."

I felt sorry for the baron and baroness, but I thought, (So it came to this).

"Then, how did you get out of the mansion at this hour? If your room was locked, you couldn't have used the front door, right?"

"I hung from the second-floor window railing and let go. I rolled on the ground when I landed, just as I was taught. I did it well!"

I almost burst out laughing at Nona's proud face. It was a method taught only for emergencies. Nona, trying to justify herself, said to me,

"The lock was for emergencies. Replacing a dead child is also an emergency."

A wave of helpless laughter rose in me. I warmed some milk, added a little honey, and handed it to Nona. She blew on it to cool it down and drank it bit by bit.

"I knew you were a replacement for a dead child. The lock is indeed harsh. But I think you shouldn't have accepted it in the first place."

"At that time, Lady Eva was in trouble. When she's in trouble, she clutches her handkerchief. She was doing that then. That's why I went. She said it was okay to refuse."

Hmm. So Nona had noticed Lady Eva's distress.

"Have you ever seen Lady Eva in trouble?"

"Yes. When she kneed Sir Clark, Lady Eva was clutching her handkerchief when she entered the room."

Wait, wait.

Knee to Sir Clark? What?

"Wait a moment. Did you ever knee Sir Clark?"

"Yes. When he asked me to show him how to do it. Vicki, it's okay. I didn't say, 'Like this, like this, like this!' or show him."

What have you been up to without me knowing?