Chapter 44
***
Dana walked Willow twice a day. Wandering around with the curious pup was more like play than work.
"You smart girl."
Dana smirked down at Willow, who was nuzzling her shawl.
"Somehow I don't think you need training."
Willow barked in reply.
"Okay, let's go."
Dana smiled and opened the door.
The sun was already tilted in the changing colors of autumn. The dense forest had changed colors, and the air was chilly against her cheeks.
"Where shall we go today? We've taken the same path every time, so why don't we go somewhere different?"
Before she could finish her sentence, Willow took off like a bullet into the middle of nowhere, much to Dana's dismay, as she had never done that before.
She could see someone scurrying behind a tall tree. Willow spun in circles in front of it, barking.
The afterimage was eerily familiar.
"Dorothy?"
A shoulder peeked out from behind a tree, and she could see it startled.
"Dorothy... right?"
After a few seconds of holding her breath, the figure stepped out cautiously. The corners of Dana's mouth curled upward at the sight of the expected face.
"Where have you been?"
"...Huh?"
"I've been looking for you."
"...Me?"
"Yep. Here, this."
Dana tilted her head and showed her the Lolo clip that held her mobcap in place.
"...."
"Thanks. That's really good."
"Uh, no... That's... It's nothing......."
Dorothy’s little face began to flush red. Willow jumped up and barked at Dorothy. Dorothy hesitated and backed away, scared.
"It's okay, she just likes you."
Dorothy's eyes widened, as if she couldn't believe the word 'like'.
"You can pet it. It’s lady Liana’s dog, but that's okay."
Dorothy's arm hesitantly stretched out, then stopped in midair.
"It's really okay, people all have petted it , and the head maid said it was okay."
Dana repeated, but Dorothy shook her head.
"No... I... I... I don't like dogs...."
Despite her words, her gaze kept drifting back to Willow.
"If you change your mind, you can always...."
"I said no!"
A sharp exclamation cut off Dana's words. Dorothy looked stunned, shocked at herself for shouting.
"Well, then... Uh, I'll go first."
Dorothy whirled around without giving Dana a chance to respond. Willow, who didn't know any better, tried to run after her. Dana grabbed Willow and hugged her tightly.
Dorothy’s legs, which had been walking at a brisk pace, began to run. The hunched back receded further and further away, becoming a tiny dot.
"..."
Dana stared blankly at Dorothy's disappearance.
Was it because she couldn't forget the day of the mushroom hunt, the way she'd clutched her knees and spat out venomous words?
Dana heard Dorothy's every word later that day. Lost in thought, she was jolted out of her reverie by Willow's bark.
"Shall we go to the beach?"
As if she understood, Willow jumped up.
"Just as far as the sandy shore, it's not safe on the rocks."
Dana turned toward the hills, a twenty-minute walk down the path to the ocean.
Flocks of birds flew across the sky. The sound of the waves grew closer and closer. Dana stopped every now and then to close her eyes and take it all in.
When she reached the bushy path that led down to the beach, she saw someone else coming from the opposite direction. Willow noticed it first and ran to meet him, tail wagging.
It was Stan, the butler.
"Hey, sweetie, would you do this if a thief showed up?"
Stan smiled and patted the dog on the head. Dana walked over and said hello.
"Hi."
"Yeah, how are you doing?"
"...good, thanks for your concern."
Dana replied politely, clasping her hands together. Stan set Willow down and straightened.
"Master Edwin wants to know how you're doing."
She hadn't seen him since her return to Belvida. With her heart pounding in her chest, Dana found it hard to answer.
"Go see him at noon. He'll probably be in his study."
"..."
"I see you're going for a walk on the beach. The waves are pretty high. Be careful."
"Yes... Yes. I will... I will."
With that, she turned away from Stan as if to flee. Her heart was beating too fast. She covered it with both hands, afraid to show her blushing face.
As he looked down at Dana, a look of concern crossed his face.
***
Eleven-fifty.
Edwin checked the time.
He lowered his head back down to his papers, but the letters and numbers had long since dispersed like smoke. He tilted his head back and pressed his eyes tightly shut.
"...Are you all right?"
Dawson, the finance manager next to him, asked worriedly.
"I'm fine, just a little tired."
Edwin stretched out his arms. He moved his stiff head from side to side a few times, and his blurry vision came back into focus. His sharpened eyes turned to the wall as if searching for something.
"Seventy minutes before twelve."
Stan noticed first and answered.
Edwin smirked, realizing he'd been checking the time again.
After a moment of staring into space, he put down his pen and walked over to the window.
The sky was frighteningly blue, and as he stared at the white clouds drifting above him, Edwin realized that his mood had been all over the place.
Then there was a knock on the door. His heart dropped and he spun around.
Through the open doorway, he saw a tiny human form.
It was Dana Bordon.
Yes, she's back.
Relief washed over him, like finding the last missing piece of a puzzle.
"Hello, Master."
Edwin watched calmly as her cautious gaze lingered on Dawson and Stan, then shifted to the papers scattered about.
"Do you want me to come back .........later?"
"No. It's okay."
Edwin replied, his eyes immediately going to Dawson.
The financial manager, who had been resting his hands on his pot belly, looked at his master with a distant stare, then went, ah, and gathered his papers.
After Dawson, it was time to send Stan away. The shrewd butler was fortunate to be the first to speak.
"If you need anything, just ask."
The door closed, and the two people were alone. An awkward air current settled over the study.
"...How have you been?"
"Good, thanks for your concern."
Her voice was sweet in his ear.
Her voice was still good, still small and adorable, still innocent-eyed. And it wasn't a fancy dress wrapped around her tiny frame, but the familiar gray maid's uniform.
Edwin was once again relieved to see that 'the girl’ was still 'the girl’.
Willow, in her arms, had been waddling toward him from earlier, and when he smiled and opened his arms, her tiny feet bounced toward him, scared to touch the ground.
As he exchanged pleasantries with Willow, a smile replaced the tension on Dana's face, too.
"Is she worth keeping?"
"Yes. She’s sweet and gentle, and... she’s a huge prankster."
"She doesn't give you a hard time?"
"No, not at all."
"Well, that's good."
Their eyes met for a moment.
They'd gotten pretty close over the years, but they weren't close enough to laugh comfortably face-to-face. The two pairs of eyes were fluttering, trying to get away from each other.
Edwin coughed and opened his mouth again.
"I called you because I wanted to ask you something."
"Yes, go ahead."
"The matter of becoming Liana's handmaiden. I hear you don't want it either."
Dana bit down on her parted lips.
"It's not that I don't want it... I just don't think I'm good enough for it. I've only just learned to write, and... My blending skills... I'm not good enough, and my personality... I'm too shy......."
"That's something you can learn and work on."
"But... When the lady gets married... she’ll be the hostess of the Macmilan household... The kind of role I've been associated with... I wonder if I’ll ever be able to pull it off...."
The words 'hostess of Macmilan House' were enough to stun Edwin into silence for a moment.
"How about this, then?"
Dana set the puppy down and turned to face him.
"Once she's here, you’ll just spend time as usual, without the pressure of being a handmaiden."
"..."
"I want you to continue your education, though. We don't have Ms. Celeste, but we do have a head maid, and Rosi will continue to teach you the basics."
"...Ha, but... The Duchess is..."
"Don't worry about that. She has said that she will defer to Liana's wishes in the final decision."
Dana's face did not brighten as Edwin had hoped.
"I think the Duchess had an external handmaiden in mind, but that's not what Liana really wants. She wants a handmaiden who is a friend, not someone to greet guests and stir up trouble on her behalf."
Dana said nothing, just stroked the nape of Willow's neck.
"Again, Liana likes you, and she'll be much happier if you know how to do more things. You could read to her, ride horses with her."
Knowing or not that her face didn't brighten easily, Edwin continued, his voice gleeful.
"Speaking of which...."
He ducked under the desk. When he pushed himself back up, he had a large box in his hand.
"I asked Rosaline Tiso to do this for me on short notice. Liana wanted it, so don't feel pressured."
The box opened.
Dana's breath caught in her throat at the sight of a light apricot-colored chiffon dress.
***
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