ALPL 07

Chapter: 07

Could a grand mansion really have so few servants passing through? The corridors were eerily empty, as if someone had issued a strict “no entry” order.

―Auuuu.

A chilling animal cry echoed from somewhere.

More than anything else, Luise felt frustrated by not knowing the time. She was paid a large sum as a daily wage, equivalent to a weekly salary, but once night fell, it would be difficult to return home.

Sunlight still streamed through a window at the end of the corridor, but the sunset was soon to arrive. After that, the carriage to Melk from Helden would probably stop running.

How many times had she glanced toward the window? Suddenly, a door behind her opened, and Luise nearly tumbled over.

“…Eek!”

She let out a startled exclamation without meaning to, and the door that had barely opened snapped shut again.

Hastily, Luise stood up and knocked once more.

“Miss Miriam? Are you ready to greet me now?”

The door opened again only after she had counted twenty in her mind.

“Miss… Miriam?”

Her pallid complexion, which looked as if she had never seen sunlight, contrasted with hair almost silvery-blonde. Her pale face framed striking turquoise eyes that stood out vividly.

There were many beautiful yet spoiled young ladies in the world, but those sea-colored eyes seemed far too innocent to dismiss her as spoiled.

“Um… are you the new teacher?”

Her voice trembled, metallic in tone, which didn’t suit her angelic appearance at all.

“Yes, that’s right. I’m the new teacher, Luise.”

Miriam muttered again.

“The teacher… doesn’t have a mother either…?”

It seemed the girl had spent some time pondering to find a shared point between them. Luise thought of her own mother and answered softly.

“She passed away. Last month.”

Miriam’s turquoise eyes fluttered in shock.

“Mi… mi…”

Before the girl could awkwardly apologize, Luise quickly added,

“So, Miss Miriam, would you comfort me a little?”

Like a fawn, Miriam nodded awkwardly and opened the door slightly more. Stepping back as if to make room, she allowed Luise to enter.

Carefully stepping inside, Luise noticed something white and shiny placed neatly in a circle on the edge of the tea table by the window.

On closer inspection, they were seashells, arranged with meticulous care and evenly spaced.

Miriam was about to go straight to the desk, but noticing Luise’s gaze, she said defensively,

“Th-there… don’t go there…”

It seemed that in this room, the tea table had forgotten its purpose for serving guests and had become a display for seashells. Luise, unsurprised, nodded approvingly.

“Of course. You’ve decorated them too beautifully to disturb.”

In that instant, a rosy blush appeared on Miriam’s pale cheeks, and her chest heaved slightly with pride. Just as the head maid had said, she behaved like an eight-year-old.

Luise was paid for the day and only needed to greet this special young lady once before leaving. She forced herself to suppress the sympathy rising in her chest.

This was a noble girl who could afford to be ignorant of the world’s hardships. She was different from her.

The desk was covered with traces of clumsy handwriting practice. Miriam selected one sheet with trembling fingers and handed it to Luise.

Miriam von Burck

It was her name, carefully written with devotion, leaving out the middle name. Her expression suggested she was hoping for praise. Luise smiled warmly, not disappointing her.

“Your handwriting is so, so beautiful, Miss Miriam.”

“I-I… practiced… a hundred… times… so I wouldn’t… make mistakes.”

“Truly wonderful. Since we’re meeting for the first time, shall I write my name for you as well?”

Miriam straightened her back stiffly, and her jewel-like turquoise eyes sparkled.

Luise picked up a pen and wrote her name, pretending not to notice the sky outside slowly reddening.

This young lady had taken hours just to open the door. If the new teacher she had met after such a big decision left in less than an hour, she would undoubtedly feel disappointed.

Even if it was only for a single day, Luise decided to do her best.

Miriam couldn’t focus for long periods of conversation. By the time she began practicing Luise’s newly learned name in cursive, the sky had turned a deep red.

But Luise no longer cared about the sky’s colors.

At that moment, a quiet knock sounded from outside. Tap, tap.

Miriam was so startled that her shoulders shook at the small sound.

Luise, remembering the head maid who had pounded on the door earlier that day, froze. Could it be that she had been acting without knowing the girl’s current state?

No reply came, but the door opened slightly. The maid who had escorted Luise to the front gate earlier peeked in.

“Teacher Luise, have you finished greeting the young lady? The master has invited you to dinner.”

“The master… you mean the Count von Burck?”

“Yes.”

The maid answered briefly and then entered the room, frowning as she waved her hand.

“Teacher, you mustn’t show me respect here. If the head maid sees it, I’ll get docked pay!”

The meeting with the Count had come as a complete surprise, leaving Luise utterly flustered. She apologized hastily.

“…I see, sorry.”

Then she noticed Miriam’s calm face.

Miriam was the Count’s younger sister. A wave of relief washed over Luise, thinking it would be fine with her there.

“Shall we go to dinner together, Miriam?”

But as soon as Luise asked, even normally composed Miriam turned pale.

“M-me?”

It was natural for her to feel uneasy, as the Count was a stranger to her, but he was her older brother.

Luise had seen similar sibling dynamics at the Engel residence. The eldest son, Pietro, had been kind and gentle with his younger siblings.

Yet Miriam’s fearful expression was even more intense than her worry over the head maid. Why…?

She looked up at the maid as if pleading to be told she wasn’t invited.

Luise thought that couldn’t be the case, but the maid surprisingly shook her head.

“The Count specifically asked for only the teacher to come. He doesn’t usually dine with anyone.”

Still, why insist on dining with the candidate for his sister’s teacher?

Perhaps she had lingered too long in Miriam’s room? Being new and staying until sunset might have been improper.

That thought crossed her mind.

Turning to Miriam, Luise saw her turquoise gaze tremble like a stormy sea.

That uncertain look was enough to heighten Luise’s tension. A man like the Count would surely be terrifying as his status suggested.

Meanwhile, the maid, looking anxious, urged her forward.

“…Excuse me, but the master is already waiting.”

Luise jumped to her feet, nearly toppling her chair. If she had, it would have left a terrible first impression for someone coming for a teacher interview.

“Enjoy your dinner too, Miriam.”

She greeted brightly, though her trembling lips betrayed her nerves.

“Follow me.”

The maid leading the way stepped lightly ahead, probably to avoid keeping the master waiting.

The Count’s room was at the far end of the opposite corridor. They had to pass the stairs and walk quite a distance.

―Auuuu.

The unsettling animal cries outside made Luise’s steps feel even heavier.

Arriving at the grand door, the maid knocked softly.

“Enter.”

A low reply came from inside. Luise’s heart raced irregularly.

The maid opened the door and immediately stepped back. Luise swallowed and entered the room.

“Excuse me.”

She offered an awkward greeting, but no reply came. On top of that, the door closed behind her.

The room wasn’t particularly bright. The mingling scents of burning wood, wax, oil, faint smoke, and a subtle floral fragrance lingered in her nose.

When she cautiously lifted her gaze, the first thing she saw was a large mounted deer head on the wall.

Flustered, she looked away and saw a young man with pale golden eyes. Though unmarried and not yet officially titled, the name Count von Burck felt almost absurdly grand for someone so young.

His jet-black hair bore no resemblance to Miriam’s, but if one dared to compare, he was just as handsome. Unlike his porcelain-doll-like fragile younger sister, he looked tougher than steel.

He finally stood from the desk. She would have no need to meet his eyes deliberately, yet he was tall enough that she would have had to tilt her head to avoid it.

“Sit down.”