<h4>50: At Hen Inn Again</h4>


    “Thank you for your help. I will express my gratitude somehow.”


    I gave them my best noble curtsy and bowed my head as deeply as I could. I quickly boarded the Edenbach House carriage and told the coachman where I wanted to go.


    I quickly got off the carriage and began walking.


    <i>Uoah, my head feels fluffy and disgusting.</i>


    I had my hair in braids so that I could wear the wig, so when I took it off and untied my hair, it became a lovely, fluffy hairstyle. <i>Is it a little too childish? </i>I thought, but I wanted to get out of the Edenbach mansion as fast as possible, so I untied my hair and left.


    Lots of women were walking in groups, so I drew people’s attention.


    <i>Argh, I don’t want to, no.</i>


    <i>I don’t want to be a noble, </i>I screamed in my mind while walking fast.


    The sky was blue and clear but the inside of my mind was stormy.


    I got off the carriage near the carriage stop and headed towards 『Hen Inn』.


    <i></i>


    <strong>?</strong><strong>?</strong><strong>?</strong><strong>?</strong><strong>?</strong><strong>?</strong><strong>?</strong>


    ―― *CREAK*


    It must have been lunch break, because the inside of the 『Hen Inn』was deserted and quite.


    “Hello. Excuse me....”


    I quietly whispered and softly stepped into the inn.


    When I headed towards the counter, I saw Master sitting on a chair while napping with his arms folded.


    <i>(It’s rude to see the crown of his head, so don’t look! Me!)</i>


    Master nced at me with half-opened eyes and then jumped up.


    *GAK*


    <i>He jumped! I’m the one who’s surprised!</i>


    “...... e.”


    “I would like to stay for the night, are there any rooms avable?”


    Master nodded, and gave me the key that I saw some time back.


    “..... It’s the same room...... Ah, you look fine.”


    “Well, it is thanks to you that I was able to live properly in Coolden. It’s thanks to Master’s letter. I’m extremely indebted to Bobles-san and his family. It’s only for a night, but I would like to thank you by helping out in the kitchen or by cleaning the dining area. Anything’s fine, so please let me do this.”


    I quickly bowed.


    However, Master stopped me by holding my shoulder and I immediately raised my head.


    I returned to the restaurant again after I put my ck bag and the box of macarons down in my room.


    I held a broom and swept near the entrance of the restaurant carefully.


    My mind finally calmed down.


    I only had the milk tea coloured dress on me, so I borrowed an apron and put it on. I had my hair up in a ponytail, but it was fluffier than usual and felt weird.


    <i>(I feel them staring from the </i><i>Fernand Empire’s 2</i><i>^nd</i><i> soldier station. Were they waiting for the restaurant to open so they could have an early dinner?)</i>


    I, who wasn’t used to being examined by men as a woman, ignored all their gazes. I also did this when I worked at the guards’ station in Coolden.


    <i>I don’t have any interest in that at all, probably because I wasn’t self-aware of the opposite sex or maybe it was because I had few chances to interact with young men. Having said that, I don’t think I’ll get involved with love.</i>


    <i>If I have that kind of time, then I would rather use it on embroidering or other things.</i>


    <i>That’s why it was impossible for me to know what their intentions are.</i>


    I finished sweeping and this time, I took a dust cloth and wiped around the door. <i>I have to make it clean.</i>


    ―― *SQUEAK SQUEAK*


    “Make the door knob clean...... And I have to wipe at the top of the door too.”


    I, who wasn’t very tall, jumped as I wiped the door.


    I felt the presence of someone tall behind me when they snatched the dust cloth away from me.


    “Oh.”


    “Is this alright?”


    ―― *RUB RUB*


    The top part of the door was being wiped by someone.


    I turned around and saw, “Captain Weller...”


    “Yes? Ayesha, was it?”


    “Ye-yes. Thank you for wiping it for me.”


    I tried to take the cloth back and leave back into the restaurant, but I couldn’t escape from Captain Weller’s strong rust coloured eyes.


    His eyes moved from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet.


    “Everyone was saying that there was a cute new rookie here, but it was you, huh...”


    “Un? I’m just helping out.”


    It seemed that the young soldiers were making a fuss, so he came to confirm the culprit behind it.


    I forced Captain Weller to talk about what happened up until now.


    He seemed very troubled because Roberto-sama would bug him, “Where did Lady Ayesha-marie go?” He would ask many times... <i>Well, yeah. I did my best to pretend I didn’t know where I was going after all. Master and Ada-san also helped me out.</i>


    <i>But he eventually found me anyway, I don’t know what will happen in the future.</i>


    I stared off into the distance and grumbled.


    While this was happening, Ada-san came to work a little before the restaurant opened.


    She jumped me as soon as she saw me. My heart was pounding.


    “Kyai, if it isn’t Ayesha-chan. It’s been awhile! How are you? You’re not being questioned by Captain Weller or something are you?”


    Ada-san approached Captain Weller and when I said, “I was just about to tell Captain Weller about it,” it became really noisy, “I want to hear about Ayesha too!” I was surprised and consulted with the two. The result was that I would be helping out as a waitress until 8 o’clock. When I finish, we would have dinner and then talk about what has happened to me while Ada-san has her break.


    “I’lle to the restaurant at 8-ish,” Captain Weller said before going back to work.


    <i>(What’s with this information gathering meeting?)</i>


    <i>At any rate, let’s help the Hen Inn first. I’ll feel down if I don’t do anything.</i>


    <i>It seems like it’s going to be a long night. I have to lie well about things I can’t say!</i>