Interlude: The Letter

One day, with the swordsmanship lecture just concluded, all of today’s lessons came to an end.

I walked down the hallway of the Noble Academy alongside Florence-san.

“Today’s lecture was efficient and informative… Though it seems Lux-sama had already mastered it before being taught.”

“I’ve been training with a sword for a while, so I can manage the basics at least… And it looked to me like Florence-san handled everything perfectly too.”

“I, too, have trained with a sword since I was young, so I have some experience.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. However, I’ve primarily focused on the rapier, so learning to handle a standard sword felt quite refreshing.”

It’s true—Florence-san always carries a rapier. That alone suggests she’s more skilled with it than a regular sword.

As we talked, we continued walking down the academy’s hallway.

Suddenly, Florence-san glanced at my clothes, stopped walking, and said, “Lux-sama, it seems the first button of your uniform is coming loose.”

“Eh!?”

I hurriedly checked the first button of my uniform, and just as Florence-san said, it was indeed coming undone.

“Y-You’re right… the button…”

“It likely happened because of the movement during the swordsmanship lecture. It’s not an uncommon occurrence.”

“W-What should I do…? I’m terrible at sewing…”

Flustered, I let out a weak, nervous voice. Maybe I’ll ask Siana to fix it when I get back to the mansion… But if I do that, the button might come off completely on the way home. If that happens, I could end up losing it altogether.

The uniform buttons are specially made with the Noble Academy’s crest. Reordering one would take time—

“Lux-sama, please don’t be so shaken. Something like this is simple enough for me to sew back on right away.”

“Eh…!? F-Florence-san, you can sew too…!?”

“Yes. I have some skills, so I believe I can be of help to you, Lux-sama.”

“…! Thank you so much! Please, I’d appreciate it!”

Since it wouldn’t do to have her sew the button in the hallway, we moved to a small room.

Florence-san placed the sewing kit on a nearby desk, then stepped closer to me and said, “Now, Lux-sama, I’ll need you to take off your uniform jacket.”

“Huh!?”

T-Take off my jacket…!?

“I-I can take off my uniform myself, so I’ll just quickly—”

“Please, don’t say such things. This is a rare opportunity, so allow me to assist you.”

“I-If Florence-san insists that much, alright! Please, go ahead!”

Though I was nervous about her closeness and the idea of taking off my jacket, I managed to reply.

“Thank you.”

With a small smile, Florence-san began carefully unbuttoning my jacket.

“…”

Her movements were so precise and gentle that I was acutely aware of how close she was to me.  And as I watched her hands unbuttoning my jacket, I couldn’t help but notice how beautiful and graceful they were—

“Lux-sama? Is something the matter?”

“Eh!? N-No, nothing at all!”

I hurriedly replied as Florence-san paused while unfastening the final button to check on me.

“…”

Then, Florence-san gently placed a hand on my cheek and said, “Lux-sama, you mustn’t lie. If there’s something on your mind, please don’t hesitate to tell me.”

“Uh, um…”

Feeling like she’d see through any attempt to hide it, I blurted out what I was thinking.

“I got a little nervous because we’re so close… and, well, I was thinking that your hands are really beautiful.”

“…!”

At my honest words, Florence-san looked slightly surprised. Then, with a faint tightening of her fingers, she blushed and said, “I asked, but now I’m a bit embarrassed… Still, I’m truly happy to hear you say that, Lux-sama.”

As she unfastened the final button and removed my jacket, she touched near my chest and said, “Helping you remove your jacket and touching you like this, I can tell how diligently you train every day, Lux-sama.”

“Th-That’s not…!”

My embarrassment spiked as she touched me, but Florence-san spoke apologetically.

“I’m sorry for touching you so suddenly… You complimented me, so I wanted to return the favor by complimenting you, Lux-sama.” Florence-san pulled her hand away from my body, her voice soft with apology. “…But indeed, I could have complimented you without doing this.”

She looked directly into my eyes, her gaze steady and sincere. “Lux-sama, you are truly beautiful… more so than anyone I’ve ever met.”

“…! Th-Thank you!”

Embarrassment nearly made me reflexively deny it, but Florence-san’s earnest words held me back. I couldn’t bring myself to shake my head. Instead, I expressed my gratitude sincerely.

Then, Florence-san gently took my right wrist, guiding it toward her chest. “I touched your chest, so it’s only fair. Would you like to touch mine as well, Lux-sama?”

“W-What!? N-No, I’m fine!!”

“Are you sure? You don’t need to hold back.”

“R-Really, I’m fine! It’s… It’s different for me and you, Florence-san…!”

“Is that so…” Florence-san lowered my wrist with a hint of disappointment, gently releasing my hand.

The moment had heightened my nerves again.

Afterwards, Florence-san skillfully sewed the button back on, and we walked together until it was time to board the carriage home.

Back at the mansion, I was studying as usual when a faint hunger stirred in me. It wasn’t enough to crave a full meal, though.

“I’ve got dinner coming up later, so I shouldn’t eat too much now, but…” I mulled over the thought.

A knock sounded at my door.

“Master! May I come in for a moment?”

“Yeah, sure.”

Siana entered my room with a cheerful smile, carrying a plate of sweets. She came to my side and said in a loud, enthusiastic voice, “Master! I made these sweets just for you, so please enjoy them when you take a break from studying!”

“Y-You made sweets!? For me!?”

My voice cracked with surprise, and Siana blushed as she replied, “Seeing you work so hard at your studies, I wanted to do something for you!”

She thought of doing this for me…

“Thank you, Siana! I was just feeling hungry, so this makes me really happy!”

“I’m so glad to hear that! Please, eat whatever you like!”

Siana placed the plate, a teacup with tea, a knife, and a fork on my desk.

“…”

Seeing Siana so enthusiastic, I was reminded that she’s an incredible girl—a maid far too wonderful for someone like me. At the same time, I found her utterly adorable.

“Alright, I’ll dig in.”

“Yes!” she responded energetically, quietly standing behind my chair.

She once said she’d never worked as a maid before, but from the moment we met, Siana has been perfect, down to the smallest gestures. I recalled this briefly before turning my attention to the plate in front of me.

I was too excited earlier to notice, but the plate was filled with cookies, scones, and other baked goods that looked absolutely delicious.

“S-Siana, you made all of these!?”

“Yes!”

Each one was perfectly shaped, baked to just the right degree.

“This is amazing, Siana! How did you make them so perfect!?”

“I-I just happened to know how…!” Siana said, blushing at my praise.

“That’s still incredible… Can I try one?”

“Yes!”

I picked up a scone with the knife and fork and took a bite. The outside was crisp, but the inside was soft and fluffy—a perfect texture.

“Siana! This is so good, it could be served at a fancy shop—no, because you made it, it feels even more delicious than anything from the finest shops!!”

“…! I’m so relieved…! I was worried it wouldn’t suit your taste, but if you think that, I’m truly happy!”

“It’s really delicious! Can I have more?”

“Yes! Please, eat as much as you like!”

After enjoying a variety of Siana’s homemade sweets, I turned to her and said, “This is my first time eating sweets you made, but I absolutely love them… Siana, thank you for giving me something new to love in this world.”

“…! If you say that, then I…” Siana murmured something softly, then gazed at me.

“…Siana?”

“N-Nothing! If my sweets suited your taste, I’ll make more for you, Master!”

“Really!? Thank you! I’m already looking forward to it!”

“Yes!! …Oh, by the way.”

“What’s up?”

Noticing she seemed to have remembered something, I asked, and Siana handed me a letter.

“This letter…?”

“It arrived at the mansion this morning, addressed to you, Master.”

“For me… I wonder who it’s from.”

I didn’t have many guesses, but I opened the envelope and read the contents.

“To Lux-kun, I enjoyed talking with you the other day and felt I’d like to spend more time together. Would it be all right if I visited your mansion on the next holiday? From Felisiana”

“Eh…!?”

F-Felisiana-sama!?

“Master, is something wrong?”

“S-Siana! This letter is from Felisiana-sama! And she says she wants to visit the mansion on the next holiday…!”

“Is that so? How will you respond, Master?”

“H-How are you so calm about this!? No, more importantly, I need to reply… It’d be rude to decline an invitation from Felisiana-sama, right? Should I change my writing style since it’s for royalty? And what about the delivery address—”

“Master, please calm down. It’s not a formal meeting, even if it’s Felisiana-sama, so there’s no need to be so nervous.”

“…Y-You’re right. Thank you, Siana.”

After that, I worked with Siana to draft a letter accepting the invitation.