Chapter 71. Still, just maybe, just maybe
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Early in the morning, there was a knock on Ihedia's bedroom door.
It wasn't mealtime, and no one would be knocking on her door, so she was a little puzzled.
She cleared her throat and answered.
"Come in."
A plump looking woman, old enough to have grown children, appeared before her. The woman, with curly red hair, smiled at Ihedia and bowed. The greeting was very awkward, perhaps because Ihedia was already used to being Anut's slave.
The woman didn't seem to care about Ihedia's reaction and introduced herself in a bland tone.
“Nice to meet you. I will be your servant starting today. Please feel free to call me Sawana.”
"I’m fine."
Sawana looked a little embarrassed at Ihedia's refusal.
"I have no choice but to do so at master Kayan's insistence, and he told me that I would be needed here, as there are no bodyguards, not even servants."
Kayan had assigned Ihedia a personal maid.
Ihedia was overwhelmed with emotion, realizing that even though he hadn’t visited her as often, he had been worried about her.
Sawana read the confusion in Ihedia's eyes and spoke warmly.
"Please don't be afraid to call me if you need me to do anything. I heard you are from Elmir. I'm not from Elmir, but my former master used to bring Elmir goods to sell in Anut."
At Sawana's mention of Elmir, Ihedia looked at her a little curiously.
"Elmir?"
"Yes. I've never been there, of course, but I know a little more about the country than most of the other Anuts, so I will be your conversation partner when you are lonely.”
The distance between Anut and Elmir made trade very difficult.
But it just so happened that the maid who served an Elmir person knew about Elmir.
Ihedia realized that Sawana's arrival as a maid was no coincidence.
"Is there any particular reason why Master Kayan personally hired you?"
Sawana, realizing the implication of the question, replied without hesitation.
"Master Kayan specifically ordered that the manor be staffed by people with ties to Elmir, though it's nearly impossible to find such people in Anut. I'm sure he's still looking for Elmir people to serve Ihedia, or at least people who are familiar with the country."
Ihedia's pupils dilated as she listened to Sawana's explanation.
That Kayan would go to such lengths for her.
Ihedia began to notice Kayan's villa, a little different from Anut's house.
Then Sawana spoke, her mouth curling into a smile.
"It seems that Master Kayan is very fond of you, Ihedia."
"...What?"
"I don't know what it's like in Ihedia’s home country, but it's not common for an Anut to go to such lengths for his lady."
When Ihedia remained silent with a complicated expression, Sawana glanced at the window and spoke.
"It's not like Elmir, where you only need to wear thin clothes year-round, but even in Anut, there are periods of time when it's warm enough that you don't need to light a fire. Like right now. The Anut call it the blessing of the sun."
As Sawana spoke, Ihedia realized that she wasn't feeling cold at all.
Seeing this, Sawana smiled and continued.
"The house is well insulated, thanks to the special care that Master Kayan has taken, but the reason it's so warm in here without a fire in the brazier is because we're in the midst of the sun's blessing. It's only a month or so, but the snow has melted and the breeze is warm enough to enjoy the festivities outdoors."
"Festivals?"
Sawana's gentle voice let Ihedia's guard down a little.
Even in this cold Anut, there was a time for spring.
She found herself listening to a tale of the sun's blessings.
"It's the biggest event in Anut. Every quarter, there's a great festival. Surrounded by the bitter cold, the Anuts don't have many opportunities to get out and enjoy themselves, so the Blessing of the Sun is one of their most anticipated joys."
"That's an interesting story I didn't know, thank you for sharing."
"It must be very stuffy for you to stay indoors when the weather is this nice, so why don't you go out and look around the garden for a while?"
Ihedia nodded slightly at Sawana's kind offer.
She followed Sawana's lead and stepped out of the building.
She hadn't thought to venture outdoors until now, having spent most of her time inside the mansion.
Partly because of the bitter cold, and partly because she hadn't had the presence of mind to think about it in her confined state.
Once she stepped outside, she realized what Sawana meant.
The sun was blessedly warm, and there was no sign of the bitter wind that chafed her skin.
The floor, which was always frozen, was as soft as velvet.
She didn't have to shuffle her feet and rub her hands together in the cold, or keep her eyes half-closed against the icy wind.
It was warm enough to be outdoors and not shiver, though nothing compared to the mild weather of Elmir.
As Ihedia's gaze lingered on the greenhouse at one side of the garden, Sawana spoke.
"I heard that Master Kayan made this greenhouse especially for you, Ihedia. Would you like to take a look at it? I haven't been able to go inside yet, and I'm very curious."
Sawana gently led Ihedia to the greenhouse.
The moment she stepped inside, she felt the heat and the strong scent of flowers.
As Ihedia slowly explored the greenhouse, her mouth dropped open in amazement.
So did Sawana next to her.
"My, my, these flowers can only grow in mild weather like Elmir.............. I can't believe we can enjoy such a rare view in Anut. I heard this mansion was built using magic stones, but now I see there was a reason for that."
Sawana, as surprised as Ihedia, looked around the greenhouse with wide eyes and exclaimed.
The greenhouse was filled with colorful flowers and trees that made it hard to believe this was Anut.
Most of them were familiar to Ihedia, having only grown in warmer regions.
Overhead, birdsong echoed similar to that she had heard in Elmir, and butterflies fluttered among the flowers.
For a moment, Ohedia wondered if this was Elmir.
Am I dreaming?
The sight was so unreal that she stood still, mesmerized.
Sawana snapped her out of her reverie.
"Do you like it?"
"I don't know what it means to like something if it's not mine."
Ihedia said in a bitter tone, realizing that she liked it enough to want to stay in the greenhouse all day, but that she was a slave who had run away and been caught.
"Master Kayan said that everything in this mansion is for you, Ihedia, so if there is anything else that needs to be filled or fixed, please feel free to ask."
At the mention of Kayan's name, Ihedia's mind became cluttered again.
Everything in this place was hers.
How he could be so angry with her, and still not have gotten over his feelings of affection for her, disturbed her heart.
***
Late at night, unable to sleep, Ihedia slipped out of bed and opened the window wide.
The sun's blessing was still in effect on the cold moonlit night.
There was no sunlight, but there was little wind, so the night was only a little chilly, but not cold.
Ihedia's gaze drifted to the greenhouse.
Did he think she was special enough to bring Elmir’s garden here?
Ihedia could not fathom the depth of his feelings.
It wouldn't have bothered her so much if Kayan had taken out his frustrations on her.
The worst part was, as much as she wanted to believe he meant it, she couldn't stop thinking about what she had witnessed in Bayate that full moon night.
‘Maybe I'm mistaken.’
It was unlikely, but Kayan's inconsistent behavior puzzled her even more.
Still, just maybe, just maybe...................
Ihedia was lost in her thoughts about Kayan.
Her gaze wandered out of the greenhouse and into the void, landing somewhere in a corner of the garden.
And there she locked eyes with Kayan, who was staring back at her.
They stared at each other for a while, locked in silence on a sun-blessed night.
Looking into his blue eyes made Ihedia's heart flutter.
Then Kayan moved away and disappeared.
As she watched him disappear, her heart felt empty.
Then she closed the window.
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