Chapter 188
After escorting Bella to the front gate, it was almost midnight. Luckily, I wasn’t caught dancing with Wendy, but I had to sweat bullets trying to refuse Bella’s request to take her all the way to the mansion.
At that moment, my mind was completely occupied with thoughts of Wendy. Her sudden appearance didn’t look like a 12-year-old no matter how I looked at it.
“Is it some kind of magic I don’t know about…?”
I pondered deeply. Throughout the original story, I had never seen or even heard of a magic that makes someone grow up overnight. Naturally, there couldn’t be an episode where Wendy suddenly becomes an adult. She was one of those characters who died young and faded away without much significance in the story.
When a mysterious woman wearing a child’s mask invited me to dance, I didn’t think she was Wendy. If I hadn’t felt the familiar bandages on her hand when I held it, I might have realized it too late. Wendy’s grown-up appearance was truly seamless.
Clomp.
Walking through the dark corridor, I arrived at the office. It was already late at night, and the building was filled with silence. I opened the office door without hesitation. And there was Wendy.
Moonlight seeped through the large window. Beneath it stood a woman in a golden butterfly-like dress. Her somewhat unreal and dreamlike appearance left me speechless for a moment as I gazed at her.
“Ah… Count.”
Wendy, noticing my arrival, quickly approached. Her awkward walk, as if she wasn’t used to the shoes, was unmistakably Wendy.
“That appearance…”
“Count. More importantly, would you like to dance with me now…?”
Wendy interrupted me, pleading with a desperate look in her eyes. Though she wasn’t on the verge of tears, her amber eyes had a strange power that made it hard to refuse.
“…Alright.”
I had a mountain of questions, but it wouldn’t be too late to ask after the dance. I took her hand and prepared to dance.
“Then, Wendy…”
“R-right now!”
“Huh?”
“Please just call me ‘Miss’ for now…!”
Why does she have so many requests…? But since I promised, I decided to humor her a bit.
“Alright. Are you ready to dance with me, ‘Miss’?”
“Yes, yes!”
Wendy answered energetically and began to dance, led by my hand. It was a ball for just the two of us in the office.
Wendy was clumsy but more confident than before. She must have practiced quite a bit while waiting for me. I could guess how much she wanted to dance.
“Stay close so you don’t bump into the bookshelf.”
“Ah, yes!”
Wendy’s gaze was fixed on me the entire time we danced. For a beginner, she should have been watching her steps, but instead, she was staring at me, her partner. It was admirable, or perhaps brave…
Regardless, she seemed extremely happy. She had a dreamy look in her eyes, as if she didn’t want to miss even a single moment of this.
Though it was sudden, I was glad I danced with her. If time allowed, I might even teach her how to dance properly later.
“You’ve improved a lot in a short time.”
“I’m still struggling to keep up with your dancing, Count…”
“This much is already impressive.”
“Hehe… I got praised by the Count.”
Wendy smiled brightly. Even though she was wearing a child’s mask, her smile was dazzling. The bright moonlight seemed insignificant compared to her smile.
We danced for a while.
“Eek?!”
Suddenly, Wendy’s foot got tangled. I quickly caught her before she could fall.
“Be careful.”
“Th-thank you… My legs gave out…”
Wendy, who was clinging to me, was catching her breath. Her face was very close. Then, my mouth opened on its own.
“Your face…”
“Huh?”
“Can I look?”
Wendy’s eyes widened. After hesitating, she nodded.
I carefully removed her child’s mask. Beneath it was the beautiful face of a young woman, still with a hint of childishness. It was exactly the same as the grown-up Wendy that Michaela had shown me before.
“Count…”
“Can you stand?”
“Huh? Ah, yes! Ouch…”
I didn’t miss the small groan Wendy made as she tried to stand up unsteadily.
“Does your foot hurt?”
“I-it’s fine! I’m just not used to high heels yet…”
“Let me take a look.”
“Huh? Ah, eek?!”
I lifted Wendy and sat her by the window. Then, I carefully removed her high heels.
“…You won’t be able to dance like this.”
As expected, Wendy’s feet were covered in wounds. Her heels and toes were scraped from rubbing against the shoes. It looked painful at a glance. Had she been enduring it just to dance with me?
“W-wouldn’t it be okay with just some band-aids…?”
“Don’t be stubborn. The dance ends here.”
“But…”
“Throwing a tantrum won’t help. If you’re an adult, act like one.”
“Sniff…”
Leaving the dejected Wendy, I rummaged through the office desk. It should be around here… Ah, here it is.
I approached Wendy with a wet cloth and band-aids. Then, I knelt on one knee in front of her sitting by the window.
“Co-count…?”
“What’s wrong?”
“Um… You’re not going to treat me, are you…?”
“…? Yes, I am.”
“Ah, no!”
Wendy hid her feet under her dress and shouted.
“I’ll do it! It’s fine if I treat myself!”
“Stay still.”
“No! No! You shouldn’t do this for a servant like me…!”
“It’s an order.”
“Eek?!”
I calmly looked up at Wendy.
I waited patiently until she complied with my order.
“Ugh… It might be dirty…”
“Dirty?”
“Ah, no! It’s not dirty…! But…!”
Then, Wendy hesitantly pulled her bare feet out from under her dress. She already knew she couldn’t defy my stubbornness after serving me.
“Ugh… I don’t know. I definitely told you…”
“Alright. It’s going to sting.”
“Huh? Eek?!”
The moment I wiped her feet with the wet cloth, Wendy let out a strange moan.
“…Does it hurt a lot?”
“No, it’s ticklish…”
“Endure it.”
“Sniff… I didn’t think you’d wipe there too…”
Even though she said “there,” it was just between her toes.
Embarrassed, Wendy covered her face with her hands and wiggled her toes. I found her cute but also exasperated, muttering to myself.
“I don’t know what magic made you an adult, but it seems only your body grew.”
“Huh?!”
“Seeing that your core is still the same…”
“N-no… I’m an adult… Eek!? I-it’s ticklish!”
“Stop exaggerating.”
At that moment, a flower petal flew in through the window. It was a petal that had reached the end of its lifespan, withering away. It looked like a Christmas light decoration or a firefly dancing in its final moments.
The treatment was almost done. It was just a matter of wiping clean with the wet cloth and applying band-aids, so it was over quickly. Then, Wendy spoke.
“Count… Why are you so kind to a servant like me?”
It was an awkward question.
I couldn’t honestly say she was my death flag. Explaining what a death flag is would be difficult, and she wouldn’t believe me anyway.
The only saving grace was that I had answered this question before.
“Because you’re special.”
“I’m special…?”
“Yes. You’re the only one in this world who spills tea, falls over, and gets hurt all the time.”
“Sniff… That doesn’t sound special…”
“It is. At least, I think so.”
I answered and silently applied band-aids to her feet. But suddenly, my vision darkened.
“…You’re special to me too, Count.”
“…?”
Wendy, sitting by the window, suddenly hugged my face.
There was no time to scold her for her sudden action. Because…
“I… I really like you, Count.”
“…What?”
“I like you so much… I can’t sleep every night because I think of you. Really.”
Though I couldn’t see her expression, Wendy’s voice trembling in my ear.
“Earlier… I was happy when you said I was beautiful. It’s because you treated me so preciously that I could become like this.”
As I was about to respond to her confession…
Peck.
A soft touch landed on my forehead.
At the same time, Wendy let go of me. When I looked up, Wendy was covering her lips with her hand, looking at me.
“Wendy…”
“Hehe… It’s a shame, but it seems time’s up…”
Once again, I was surprised.
The Wendy who had looked about my age just moments ago had returned to her 12-year-old self. Like a magic that lasted only one night.
Ding-.
The chime of the grandfather clock announcing midnight echoed through the darkness.
The tearful and timid, yet infinitely lovable girl smiled shyly and said.
“W-will you be satisfied with just this much today…?”
