Don't Remember Me - Chapter 74

Chapter 74

“Ah, yes! You should. Nanny, I will take the young lady to her room.”

After nodding at Flitta’s words, Rosé opened her mouth towards the nanny. The nanny clenched her lips tightly, glared at Rose without answering, and then swiftly turned her body.

“Let’s go quickly, Young Lady.”

Flustered, Rosé didn’t know what to do when someone gently tapped her arm. It was Veronica, who had just defended Rosé a moment ago. Rosé slightly lowered her head towards her.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it… I just thought you were impressive. I even felt like I had been a bit childish. Um, so… let’s chat together and have some snacks from now on.”

Veronica added, making a shy expression, then turned with the other servants.

Rosé watched her for a moment, and a smile touched her lips. It was the first time since arriving at the Grand Duke’s mansion that someone had shown kindness.

“Rosé, did you make a friend?”

At that moment, Flitta tugged on her hand and asked. Rosé smiled at the child’s question.

“Well… maybe.”

Spending time with Haven and Flitta, just the two of them, felt like the little remaining time she had was precious. So, even if others treated her coldly and excluded her, it didn’t matter. But when a casual word made her heart warm, she realized maybe it wasn’t that simple.

… She must have been lonely.

Even though she was with the man she loved and the child, she was still just an ordinary person.

Sometimes, she needed someone else to talk to, and perhaps that time was something she had longed for.

“Shall we head to the room now, young lady? I wonder how it’s been decorated?”

“Yes! I’m curious! Let’s go quickly!”

Flitta nodded eagerly, as if waiting for the answer, and hurried her steps. Rosé smiled and took the child’s hand as they walked into the mansion.

***

“Unbelievable, really!”

The nanny, unpacking her luggage from the vacation, threw it down irritably. She was seething with frustration, unable to hold it in. In a fit of anger, she threw the harmless luggage and muttered in a tone of regret.

“I should have volunteered instead.”

But it was too late to regret now. Time had passed, and the young lady had miraculously recovered. Despite this, the nanny couldn’t calm her agitation.

“500 Setena. If I had gone into the annex with her, I could have received even more!”

In her irritation, the nanny tossed aside whatever was in her hands. Her treasured necklace rolled across the floor, but she didn’t care. It was just a cheap necklace… compared to the reward she missed out on, it meant nothing.

“They gave 500 setena to someone who just arrived. If that had been me, I might have received even more. Why didn’t I act back then? I should have volunteered to go into the annex with her.”

Looking back, it must have been nothing more than a trivial illness. The talk of death or the lack of a cure must have been exaggerated. Seeing the young lady still alive and well now, it seemed she had been scared for nothing.

“This is all that girl, Rosé’s fault. She’s always in my way. I didn’t like her from the start.”

By luck, she saved the young lady and became the personal maid. She had continued to catch the Grand Duke’s eye like that, and now she had received this huge reward…

“Wait.”

The nanny, muttering irritably to herself, suddenly stopped, narrowing her eyes as though she was thinking deeply.

“… Something’s suspicious.”

She nodded, convinced her instincts were right.

The way the Grand Duke and Rose had been earlier seemed somehow off. It was hard to pinpoint exactly, but it felt like their relationship had grown closer.

What could have happened while the young lady was ill, while she was out of the Grand Duke’s mansion?

“Could that girl be after my position?”

The nanny muttered absently, then frowned as she realized how unpleasant the thought was.

“That’s ridiculous. What would that girl do… No, it’s not entirely impossible. If she keeps getting noticed by the Grand Duke and receives his favor…”

The nanny narrowed her eyes in frustration, sensing her own position might be in danger. She then clenched her lips tightly and thought of the late Queen.

“Right, first, I’ll visit the late Queen. Even though she pretended not to care, she seemed to have some doubts about that girl, didn’t she?”

The nanny pressed her lips together as if making a plan, and her mouth twisted into a crooked smile.

***

“Kkkeeuuuh…”

Rosé smiled as she looked at the deeply sleeping Flitta. After exploring the newly redecorated bedroom excitedly, the child had gotten tired and fallen asleep. Even in her dreams, the child’s mouth had a smile, as if something happy had happened.

Rosé gently stroked Flitta’s head, then carefully pulled the blanket up to the child’s neck and straightened her back. Although Flitta was asleep, Rosé herself still had no time to rest.

In fact, it was during this time, when the child was sleeping, that Rosé was the busiest. She had to finish packing before Flitta woke up.

She quickly opened her bag and started taking out her things. Although the time spent in the annex had not been long, there were quite a few things to pack. Still, it felt like she had spent an eternity there.

Watching the child suffer and forcing herself to push away the fear of losing her, she realized she never wanted to go through that painful time again.

After finishing with Flitta’s clothes, Rosé exhaled softly and approached the bed, bending down to look at the child. The peaceful sound of her steady breathing made her feel calm.

There was no rattling cough or signs of discomfort. Confirming this once more, Rosé turned carefully. She closed the bedroom door quietly and left. By the time she returned to her room, it was already evening.

Finally able to relax, Rosé sat on her bed with a deep sigh.

“Hooh…”

She would have a moment to rest before Flitta’s dinner. Perhaps that was why she felt her tension release, and now her whole body ached and grew heavy.

“Ah, and I need to take my medicine…”

Having been so busy preparing to return to the main building, she had completely forgotten to take her medicine. In a hurry, Rosé opened her bag to retrieve it.

She had finished organizing Flitta’s things, but her own luggage was still not done.

Knock, knock.

Just as she was about to take out the medicine packet, there was a knock on the door.

“Yes? Who is it?”

Startled, Rosé dropped the packet and asked as she quickly went to the door. From beyond, she heard the voice of the head maid.

— It’s me, Rose.

“Oh, Head Maid!”

At the recognition, Rosé hastily shoved the medicine packet back into her bag and approached the door. As soon as she opened it, the head maid entered, standing tall.

“It seems like you haven’t finished packing yet.”

“Yes, not yet…”

“Hmm…”

The head maid looked around the disordered room, then her gaze fell on the open bag on the bed. More specifically, it was the medicine packet sticking out of the bag.

‘Oh no…’

Seeing where the head maid’s eyes had landed, Rosé panicked and tried to quickly hide it. In her rush, she hadn’t put it away properly. But before she could do anything, the head maid waved her hand and stopped her.

“It’s fine. There’s no need to fuss about it. I’ll be leaving soon.”

“… Oh, yes.”

Rosé picked up the medicine bag and put it down. The maid looked at her and asked indifferently.

“Where does it hurt? I guess you were just about to take some medicine.”

“Oh, well, that’s…”

Rosé was flustered by the maid’s question and stuttered. Since she hadn’t thought of an excuse, her mind went blank and she couldn’t figure out what to say. However, the maid looked at Rose indifferently and nodded her head as if she had come to her own conclusion.

“Well, it can’t possibly not hurt. Your arm is in that state right now… Don’t rely on painkillers and get proper treatment.”

“Yes, head maid.”

Rosé was relieved that she didn’t have to find an excuse, and answered the maid’s words obediently. The maid handed Rosé the bag.

“Take it.”

“… Yes? What is this?”

Rosé made a puzzled expression at the unexpected envelope. The maid raised one eyebrow as if she had forgotten, and answered.

“This is the reward His Majesty asked you to give me earlier. I’ll check the amount to see if it’s 500 setena.”

“Um, but that’s too much money for me…”

Rosé hesitated again and trailed off. However, the maid continued speaking with an indifferent expression.

“Last time, when the chandelier fell in Middlepion, you saved the princess, and this time, you took care of the sick princess all by yourself, so it’s a reward you deserve. If you think about it that way, it’s not a large amount. It’s not bad for you to show humility, but if it’s related to the princess, it could actually be an insult to the princess and His Majesty the Grand Duke.”

“… Yes, I will gratefully accept it.”

Rosé had no choice but to accept the envelope when the maid also said something similar to Haven. However, perhaps because it was a large sum of money that she had never received in her life, or perhaps because she thought of it as a reward for saving her child, the thick envelope made her feel uncomfortable.