In the Rain (4)
“Y-yes?”
Catherine’s face drained of all color, as though her imagination had taken a horrifying turn. Her voice shook like a bleating goat.
“I ran into a band of robbers on the way. Their blood must have splattered on me. I thought the rain would have washed it all away.”
Wearing blood-stained clothes without a second thought—how careless of me. If I hadn’t crossed paths with those organization dogs, I would never have made such a rookie mistake. I glanced down at the dark stains and clicked my tongue softly.
“R-robbers?! Are you all right?”
Catherine jumped at the word, flustered beyond measure.
“Are you hurt anywhere? I knew this would happen! That’s why I told you to at least take a guard!”
“I’m fine, really.”
I snatched the towel from the over-worried Catherine and roughly dried my hair.
“More importantly, has His Highness Edwin still not returned?”
“I was told the knight order would arrive back at the quarters around this evening. His Highness will likely return with them.”
That was a relief. At least Edwin wouldn’t see me in this state. The boy would have made an even bigger fuss than Catherine.
“Then I’d better wash first. I can’t let His Highness see me like this.”
“Good heavens, what on earth happened to you?”
I had wondered why he hadn’t shown himself yet. I narrowed my eyes at the arrival of yet another scold.
“It’s been a while, Gardener.”
“Where the hell did you roll around this time?”
Sage—the legendary sage and gardener of the Third Prince’s Palace—stared at me in open horror.
“The fellow who said he was taking a vacation… just what did you do out there…”
“Gardener, sir?”
Catherine raised a hand to cut him off.
“Perhaps you could continue this conversation a little later? I need to get the nanny bathed first. His Highness Edwin will be back soon.”
Sage pulled a face at her words, then let out a heavy sigh and waved his hand dismissively.
“Tsk, fine, do as you like. The stench is unbearable. If you don’t want to walk around reeking of blood, at least wash your clothes properly.”
Pinching his nose, Sage strode past me.
“Nanny, please head to the grand bath. As the gardener said, a quick rinse won’t be enough to get rid of that smell.”
The moment he disappeared, Catherine seized my hand and tugged me along.
“I’ll scrub your back for you.”
“No, that’s really not—”
“Come now, don’t refuse!”
Why did she look so thrilled? I eyed the back of her head with suspicion. But Catherine charged forward with the excitement of a new recruit receiving her very first mission.
* * *
The sound of rushing water filled the air.
Thick, hot steam clouded the grand bath. I submerged myself in the tub and rolled my stiff neck from side to side.
Outside the water, Catherine had hiked up her skirt and was bustling about busily.
“Catherine, I’m perfectly capable of washing myself.”
“Oh, don’t worry and just leave it to me. I may not look it, but before I entered the imperial palace I used to attend noble ladies during their baths.”
“I’m hardly a noble lady…”
In truth, I had no memory of ever being waited on like this. It felt uncomfortable.
“Then would you like to wash together?”
I offered the compromise reluctantly. Catherine’s eyes widened.
“Is that… allowed?”
“Why so surprised? We bathed together last time.”
“I thought you only permitted it then because Her Highness Emilia was present.”
I shrugged and jerked my chin toward her.
“It doesn’t matter. Besides, you’re quite dirty yourself.”
“Ah.”
She was still holding the towel she had used to wipe away blood and dirt. Catherine’s own appearance was far from tidy.
“Hmm… shall we, then? I was feeling rather grimy myself.”
They said no citizen of the empire disliked bathing. Catherine gazed at the warm, steaming water and smiled brightly. Without hesitation, she shed her clothes and stepped in.
“I’ve been thinking for a while now,” I said, watching her.
“You seem remarkably informal, Catherine.”
She had been lounging in the water like melting sugar. At my words she gave a playful laugh.
“Is that your way of saying I’m not very noble-like?”
“Yes. It’s a compliment. ‘Noble-like’ is an insult.”
“What? Ahahaha—!”
Catherine burst into bright laughter, then leaned back against the edge of the bath and stretched luxuriously.
“I suppose it’s because I’ve always lived among ordinary people. My family fell apart after my father lost everything to gambling debts. Yet we never starved, largely thanks to me. Mother was ill, so I had to manage the entire household from a young age. I dealt with debt collectors, market merchants I constantly had to beg credit from… all sorts of people.”
She turned to me with a gentle smile.
“The one thing I learned was that there is no greater treasure in this world than people themselves.”
People as treasure? Her values weren’t so different from my own. I watched her in silence.
“That’s why I try to like people. When I like someone, I can treat them with sincerity. And I hope they’ll like me in return.”
“Because liking them lets you treat them sincerely?”
“Exactly.”
Catherine began drifting slowly toward me through the water.
“In that sense, Nanny, I hope you’ll come to like me too.”
She clasped both hands over her heart with an exaggeratedly sorrowful expression, pretending to cry.
“I know you’re a good person. But… it still feels like you keep a wall between us.”
“…My apologies.”
I answered indifferently. Her eyes widened.
“You’re not even going to deny it?”
“Because it’s true.”
There had been a time when I, too, liked people. When I had tried to treat them with genuine heart.
But.
I clenched my fist. Water streamed between my fingers.
It was all meaningless.
My trust in humanity had always been paper-thin, but the betrayal of the one person I loved and believed in most had shattered everything. I had once thought there might be at least one person in the world I could trust completely. That belief had long since burned to ash.
“For me, there is nothing more difficult than trusting someone completely.”
Catherine let out a soft, regretful sound. Then she shook her head and clenched her small fist.
“No. I still see hope.”
“What hope?”
“If I try just a little harder, I think you might truly come to like me.”
“…How can you be so certain?”
“Because the old you would never have suggested we bathe together first!”
Her eyes sparkled with triumph.
“So there’s still hope, isn’t there?”
What a ridiculous woman. I stared at her with the expression of someone who had just taken a blow, then let out a small laugh.
“Aren’t those the kinds of words you use when trying to seduce a man?”
“Oh please—when it comes to winning someone’s heart, what does it matter if they’re a man or a woman!”
Catherine winked, then reached for the sponge floating outside the tub.
“Your body’s warm enough now. Shall we scrub you clean?”
“Catherine, we can each—”
“Hup! No refusing! Turn around! I’ll scrub your back so thoroughly you’ll feel brand new!”
Where had she learned to speak like that? In the end I half surrendered and turned my back to her.
“Wow, Nanny! Your skin is incredible. Do you take special care of it?”
“…You sound like a very skilled bath attendant trying to upsell her services, Catherine.”
“Oh my, do I? It seems my old habits haven’t died yet.”
Chattering away, Catherine diligently scrubbed my body. After a while she suddenly gasped.
“Nanny.”
“What is it?”
“That thing Her Highness Emilia mentioned last time.”
She poked the area near my shoulder blade.
“Seeing it again, it really does look like it was drawn there. So clear.”
What could it possibly look like to make her react so dramatically? I turned my head silently to look at her. Catherine frowned slightly as she continued.
“It looks exactly like a snake biting its own tail.”
“A snake?”
I let out a quiet chuckle.
I like it.
In the western continent, the snake symbolized both death and rebirth—and evil as well.
A snake biting its tail.
It felt like a brand that perfectly represented my existence—Kayla Angel.
* * *
Knock, knock.
“It is I, Your Majesty.”
Aurell, the royal mage of Adamant, threw the door open after his brief knock. The antique room contained only the bare essentials required for work.
“I don’t recall inviting you in.”
“It is an urgent matter.”
“Hah.”
The room’s owner, who had been lying on the central sofa, rose slowly. Kaiden, King of Adamant, set down the bundle of documents and lightly tapped his shoulder.
“Urgent, you say?”
He frowned, visibly annoyed.
“What is it?”
“We have found a trace of the angel.”
Aurell delivered his report to his lord in a calm, even voice.
“In the borderlands of Adamant, they discovered a woman bearing the mark of a Uroboros on her body.”