Chapter 6: Taking a Break
Rachel reached the dormitory grounds from the school building, then paused, looking back to ensure there were no pursuers. She stopped running and took a moment to catch her breath, trying to calm her ragged breathing.
“Phew… Phew… I guess it’s safe now that we’ve come this far…”
For Rachel, exerting herself like this was a rarity in her past life. After all, the body of a noblewoman wasn’t exactly suited for physical exertion.
“Hey… Rachel, are you really okay?”
Leaf peered into Rachel’s face with a concerned expression. “Are you sure you’re okay…? You seem a bit out of sorts. I hope we can rest soon…”
Rachel wiped the sweat from her brow as she replied, “Yeah, you’re right. I could use some rest.”
From Leaf’s words, Rachel inferred that it must have been okay to leave Martina behind, but she also sensed Leaf’s concern for her well-being. Rachel silently returned Leaf’s gaze as she waited for her breathing and pulse to settle.
After a while, when she felt ready, Rachel ran her hand through her disheveled appearance, adjusting herself to look more like a proper lady, and proceeded to enter the dormitory with graceful demeanor.
As she passed other young ladies in the hallway, Rachel greeted them with proper etiquette, giving no indication that she had been sprinting at full speed just moments before.
“Rachel, your switch is impressive.”
Leaf whispered from amidst Rachel’s hair as they entered a place with other people.
“Regardless of everything, because it’s where aristocrats’ children are, you can’t let your guard down in terms of manners and etiquette.”
“It must be tough.”
Though Rachel actually wanted to drag her tired body to her room, she persevered until she reached it. Then, she knocked on the door knocker four times.
“Emma, I’m back.”
When Rachel announced herself at the door, there was a flurry of movement from the other side, and with a click, the door swung open.
“Welcome back, Rachel-sama!”
On the other side of the door was a petite maid in an apron dress with the same fluffy short black hair as Rachel, big round eyes, and slightly thick eyebrows.
“Emma, could I have some water?”
Rachel walks into the room and moves towards the center of the room. Emma closes her door and she trots over to the pitcher and fills her glass with water.
“Yes, Rachel-sama.”
Rachel accepts the water offered by Emma and drinks it all in one go. Despite her composed demeanor upon arrival, her body, which had sweated profusely from the sprint, was in dire need of hydration.
“Thank you, Emma.”
Rachel glanced at the clock while returning the empty glass. The hands had already passed Emma’s end-of-shift time.
While wealthy aristocrats might have full-time maids from their own households, lower-ranking nobles like Rachel, who didn’t have much money to spare, relied on part-time maids like Emma. These part-time maids had set working hours, and it was essential to send them home once their shift ended.
Today, with the ‘event’ after school and the matter with Martina afterward, Rachel had ended up staying far beyond her usual dormitory return time.
“Emma, it seems like it’s gotten late. You can go home now. Thank you.”
“Ah, yes, I understand.”
Emma replied, and after washing her glass and putting it away, she bowed and left her room. After confirming that the door to the room was closed and the sound of Emma’s footsteps receding, Leaf emerged from Rachel’s hair.
“It looks like it’s okay to come out now.”
“Yeah, I sent Emma home so it’s okay.”
Rachel then headed towards the bed and gently placed Leaf next to a small tree planted in a pot on the bedside table.
“Rachel, I think it might be okay to tell that girl about me…”
“…But isn’t it too early for that? We don’t know if she can be trusted.”
“You’re quite strict, Rachel, or rather, you’re very cautious. From my perspective, that girl’s aura is trustworthy enough.”
Indeed, if Leaf said so, it might be true. Leaf is a being with the appearance of a small humanoid fairy. However, while she possesses a physical body, she is more akin to a spirit than a living creature. Therefore, she can perceive not only physical appearances but also spiritual information. Thus, Leaf can easily discern the essence of a person beyond their outward appearance.
However, Rachel couldn’t immediately trust Emma just because Leaf saw her as benign. Rachel believed that even if someone appeared harmless, they could still be manipulated by malicious third parties. If someone lacked ill intent themselves but could be used by someone else with ill intent, Leaf might not be able to detect it.
Considering Leaf’s intrinsic value and her irreplaceable role as Rachel’s only friend, Rachel couldn’t casually trust people and reveal Leaf’s existence.
“I’ll be in the bathhouse to wash off the sweat for a while. Could you stay here alone?”
Despite everything that happened today, she wished she could immediately rest in bed, but being a young lady attending the academy, she couldn’t simply sleep with sweat after all the exertion.
“Got it.”
Leaf replied, then began watering the bonsai-like sapling she had separated from her main tree. Rachel couldn’t help but think how convenient it was for a tree to take care of itself. She prepared to change clothes and headed to the bathhouse.
Arriving at the bathhouse, Rachel began to undress. Initially, she thought about filling the tub and soaking in hot water, but feeling exhausted, she decided to just take a shower to wash away the sweat.
After the shower, she changed into her pajamas and towel-dried her hair. Suddenly, a strong wave of sleepiness hit her. Her body and mind seemed more tired than she had realized.
Unable to resist any longer, Rachel returned to her bedroom.
“You’re back early, Rachel.”
Leaf said from atop the potted sapling.
“Yeah, I was too tired, so I just took a shower… I’m so sleepy…”
Rachel replied, collapsing onto the bed.
“Don’t just fall asleep like that, you’ll catch a cold. Make sure to cover yourself with a blanket.”
Hearing Leaf’s words, Rachel stirred and adjusted her body to sleep. And before she could say goodnight to Leaf, she fell into a deep sleep.
