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Wendy recalled something that had happened not long ago.

In the evening, during a brief moment of free time, Wendy was chatting with the senior maids at the mansion about this and that.

Suddenly, curiosity about “that” struck Wendy, and she opened her mouth.

-“So… what exactly is a night vigil…?”

For a moment, the air froze.

-“Um. Uh. Well. You see…”

-“It might be a bit… too early… or too difficult… for Wendy…”

-“It’s… tricky. Hmm.”

The seniors hesitated to speak.

Seeing their reactions, Wendy could guess.

A night vigil must be something incredibly difficult.

Something so complex that even veteran maids found it hard to explain.

-“Ahaha… W-Wendy, it’s okay if you don’t know yet, right?”

-“No! Please, teach me! The night vigil!”

-“Huh?!”

Wendy puffed out her chest and spoke.

-“I’m the Count’s exclusive maid. No matter how hard it is, I can do it! No, I *have* to do it…!”

-“Uh. Hmm… We’d rather you didn’t, though…”

-“Yeah… Do you really *have* to do it? Haha…”

Their faces showed concern and worry.

Perhaps Wendy was too young to handle the difficulty of a night vigil.

Wendy pouted a little.

-“But… you said it yourselves… As an exclusive maid, I should be able to handle a night vigil skillfully…”

-“Ugh… No… That’s not what we meant…”

-“D-Did we really say that…?”

The senior maids looked awkward.

-“Wendy. Hmm. That was about other nobles. Our Count… has never once asked for a night vigil… So it’s fine, right?”

-“No…”

Wendy shook her head.

She had already made up her mind.

She couldn’t stay a child forever.

-“Ever since I became the Count’s exclusive maid, I decided… I would do anything I could for him…”

-“Wendy…”

-“So, please, teach me about the night vigil…”

-“The problem isn’t that… Hmm… Wendy, if you were to perform a night vigil, the Count might get dragged to the security bureau.”

-“What?!”

-“Even with his notorious reputation… socially, it would be…”

-“No, no! Why are you all beating around the bush?!”

At that moment, Jane, the eldest among the seniors, stood up abruptly.

-“If you’re going to teach her, teach her properly! What if she makes a mistake later?”

-“But…”

-“You’re all too soft. If you can’t do it, I’ll teach her. Wendy, listen carefully!”

-“Y-Yes!”

Wendy gulped at Jane’s serious expression.

As the most senior maid, Jane would surely explain the true nature of the night vigil accurately.

-“Ahem. A night vigil is when a man and woman share a blanket at night-”

-“K-Kissing! Under the blanket!”

-“?!”

At that moment, Julie, Wendy’s direct senior, interrupted.

-“Kissing! You know?! Like smooching! Smooching!”

-“Julie! What are you-! Ugh?!”

The other maids covered Jane’s mouth.

-“Sorry! We can’t let you teach Wendy the wrong thing!”

-“Ugh?! Hey! Let go! Who’s teaching the wrong thing here?!”

-“Forgive us!”

Jane was dragged away by the maids.

As Wendy stared in bewilderment, Julie placed a hand on her waist and spoke.

-“Forget what Jane said. She just thinks you’re too young.”

-“Julie… But is kissing under the blanket different from kissing outside…?”

-“Sharp… question.”

Julie pondered for a moment before speaking again.

-“Actually… a night vigil is a dangerous ritual between a master and a servant.”

-“What?! A dangerous ritual?!”

-“Yes. There’s a sad legend about the night vigil. Why do you think it’s done under a blanket? It’s because if someone sees it, it might fail.”

-“F-Fail…”

-“If a regular kiss is like plain black tea, a night vigil is like the finest black tea laced with poison. If it succeeds, it’s great… but so many masters and servants have ruined their relationships because of failed night vigils.”

-“H-How many…?”

-“Huh? Uh… I don’t know the exact number, but it’s a lot. Anyway… what I’m saying is…”

Julie spoke with an extremely serious face to instill tension in Wendy.

-“A night vigil is like a dangerous superstition. Don’t risk losing everything you’ve built over something like that. The reason we haven’t taught you about it isn’t because you’re too young, Wendy, but because it’s too dangerous. Got it?”

-“Yes… But what if the Count asks for it…?”

-“That won’t happen. Our Count doesn’t believe in such superstitions. A night vigil is the last thing on his mind.”

-“Then… why do men like such superstitions…?”

-“I-I don’t know? Maybe men just like that sort of thing. Ahem! Just forget about the night vigil, okay?”

-“Okay…”

Though something still felt unclear, Wendy decided to accept it for now.

After all, Tristan didn’t seem to care about night vigils at all.

Because he had never once brought a woman into his bedroom.

Well, he had lent her his bed once.

But that was purely out of kindness… far from a night vigil.

So Wendy had never thought Tristan would want something like a night vigil.

Until that morning, when she saw Helga coming out of his bedroom.

-“Count…”

Wendy looked straight at Tristan and spoke.

-“I may not understand as a woman… but I get it… You’re a man, after all… It’s not strange at all if you want a night vigil…”

She wasn’t a child anymore. She was old enough to understand.

-“I know… You were thinking of my inexperience and had Helga perform the night vigil instead…”

Tristan’s warm consideration had healed Wendy in many ways. But sometimes, that very consideration could also hurt.

-“Sniff… But I can do it too… A night vigil…”

Wendy, wrapped in a blanket, spread her arms toward Tristan.

-“I… I’m disappointed… Count. I wanted to perform your night vigil before Helga…”

Even if it wasn’t his first night vigil, it was fine.

If Helga could do it, so could she. No. She would absolutely not fail.

-“I’ll serve you… Please…”

Wendy closed her eyes.

And quietly… waited for his lips.

Thump thump.

Back when she had wished for Tristan to kiss her, she hadn’t been this nervous. Back then, she was afraid of being rejected, but not of failing.

According to Julie, a night vigil was a ritual beyond a kiss.

If it succeeded, it was great, but if it failed, it could irreparably damage the relationship between the two.

Wendy tightly closed her eyes and waited for Tristan’s lips.

Half fear, half embarrassment.

But what Wendy felt wasn’t his lips.

-“Kyah?!”

-“What nonsense are you spouting in your condition?”

A sudden cold sensation made Wendy scream involuntarily.

A cold washcloth had been placed on her face.

-“Wendy.”

-“Y-Yes?!”

-“There’s something I want to confirm with you.”

When Wendy removed the washcloth, Tristan’s stern face was right in front of her.

-“It seems you’ve learned well about the night vigil. I’d like to know who taught you.”

-“Huh? Uh… Julie…”

-“I see. What did she say a night vigil is?”

-“Uh, well…”

-“Can you tell me?”

Tristan leaned in closer, looking intrigued.

For some reason, Wendy felt too embarrassed to say it out loud, so she whispered it into his ear.

Even though no one was listening, it felt like the right thing to do.

As Tristan listened to Wendy’s explanation, his expression gradually hardened.

Worried by his unusual reaction, Wendy asked in a shaky voice.

-“D-Did I get it wrong…?!”

-“…No. You’re right. You understand it very well.”

Tristan patted Wendy’s head, seemingly relieved. Was it her imagination, or did he look oddly reassured?

Tristan cleared his throat and continued.

-“Let me say this first… I have no intention of having anyone perform a night vigil. Not even Helga.”

-“Then that time…”

-“Last night, she came to my bedroom without permission, so I… punished her. Helga often disobeys me.”

-“Ah…”

So that’s what it was…

Seeing Tristan speak so nonchalantly, Wendy felt relieved.

But along with relief came embarrassment.

-“I… I thought it was a night vigil…”

-“Well. Besides, it’s not even night. It’s morning.”

-“Oh, you’re right… Ugh… I’m sorry…”

Wendy covered her face with her hands.

She had been embarrassed so many times today.

-“Sniff… Why do I always do this… Making mistakes left and right…”

She suddenly felt depressed.

Her constant mistakes and her inability to do anything right made her feel like such a fool… Wendy endlessly blamed herself.

-“Wendy.”

-“…!”

At that moment, a hand gently touched her forehead.

-“Have you ever felt… unhappy?”

-“Huh?”

Caught off guard by the sudden question, Wendy looked up.

Tristan was looking at her with a somewhat pitiful expression.

-“I asked if you’ve ever felt that your life was more unfortunate than others’.”

-“N-No…! How could I dare-.”

Wendy stopped mid-sentence.

His question seemed to target something deep within her heart.

Wendy, as if under a spell, slowly nodded.

-“In the past… there were times when I felt unhappy… No matter how hard I tried, I always failed and fell… At those times, I felt so foolish and miserable…”

Wendy recalled.

The poverty she couldn’t escape, her sick family, and the many misfortunes that had happened around her.

-“But I don’t feel that way anymore. You’ve given me so much, more than I deserve… Not only did you make me your exclusive maid, but you also sent me to school… You took in my poor family too… Enough to make me forget all my past misfortunes…”

A shadow crossed Wendy’s face.

-“Even though I’ve received so much… I often fail to live up to your expectations… Today, I caused you trouble by being sick… And I misunderstood things again… Hehe… Looking back, I really can’t do anything right…”

Wendy unknowingly poured out her heart. Along with her words, tears threatened to fall, but she held them back. Because…

-“Count. I don’t feel unhappy anymore… I may have been unlucky, but I’ll never say I’m unfortunate… If I say I’m unfortunate… If I say that…”

Wendy forced a smile.

A fragile smile that seemed ready to break.

-“Then even the precious days I’ve spent with you would become part of my misfortune… If the days I’ve spent with you, whom I love, became part of my misfortune… That would be too… too painful… So I-!?”

At that moment, Wendy’s vision darkened.

At the same time, she felt warmth.

Tristan had wrapped her in a blanket and hugged her.

In the darkness under the blanket, Tristan spoke.

-“You don’t need to say anymore.”

-“C-Count…?!”

-“That’s enough.”

Caught off guard by the sudden embrace, Wendy was flustered.

Moreover, being hugged under a blanket was exactly the situation Julie had described as a night vigil, which made it even more awkward.

But Tristan’s voice was so gentle that she forgot all about that.

-“From now on, consider me your fortune.”

Tristan hugged her tighter than ever, as if he didn’t want to let her go.

-“Even if the world makes you unhappy, I… will always be your fortune. Even if you fail 99 times out of 100, I’ll make sure you succeed that one time.”

At those words, Wendy couldn’t speak. Tears simply fell from her eyes.

-“So, as you said earlier, don’t admit to misfortune. Forget it. Forget misfortune. And don’t deny your fortune… your hope… me.”

-“…Yes.”

Tristan’s embrace loosened.

Immediately after, Wendy felt the touch of his lips on her forehead.

-“Ah…”

The blanket was pulled away.

In the pouring bright light, Wendy touched her forehead where his lips had just been.

-“What a cute expression.”

Tristan, rarely seen, was covering his mouth, trying to hold back a laugh.

Even without a mirror, Wendy knew her face was bright red.

Embarrassed, she covered her face, her palms burning.

Peeking through her fingers at Tristan, Wendy spoke.

-“F-For me… this is much more scandalous than a night vigil…”

Tristan muttered, looking exasperated.

-“…I hope you keep thinking that way.”

 

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