ORCA 55

Whenever the word ‘engagement’ was about to come up, she would deftly start telling bizarre adventure stories, and thanks to her, his parents eventually had to postpone the conversation. Hearty voices and refined laughter took turns lingering over the table.

While Hilda took care of warding off the unpleasant conversation, Orca rolled his eyes, searching for Niah. The once peaceful garden had become distorted with bustling people and noise, and just looking at it made him feel unpleasant. Before his expression could crumple, he forced his brow to flatten. Straightening his already erect spine even more, he craned his neck and scanned the vast garden here and there. His gaze was as sharp as a hawk waiting for its prey hidden in the ground to emerge.

Niah, having finished the dishes and become a cleaner, was trailing after Harriet, organizing used tableware into a basket or wiping things down with a damp cloth. Occasionally, she was called upon by a guest and had to attend to them. At such times, she would become incredibly nervous, her fingertips trembling. Fortunately, since attending to them only involved running simple errands, she gradually grew accustomed to it.

However, standing in front of strangers still made her nervous, so she remained hunched over as she darted from place to place. She walked with hurried steps, hoping that no one would speak to her. When she returned from taking the basket of dishes to the kitchen, she habitually buried her nose in her forearm and sniffed. It was only when Harriet, who was walking with her, asked why she was doing that, that she quickly lowered her arm and shook her head.

“Niah. Over there.”

“Yes? Where?”

“Go over there and take a look, will you? I’ll go put this away.”

Harriet, who had set down a basket of soiled linens by her feet, pointed to the opposite side with just her eyes. Niah, who had tilted her head and asked back, understood a beat later and nodded in response. Harriet said she would be right back and walked away.

After staring glumly at her retreating back for a moment, Niah quickly came to her senses and gathered a clean damp cloth, napkins, and a palm-sized bucket. She walked across the grassy ground between the sparsely spaced tables, occasionally crouching down to pick up fallen food or trash.

With so many guests, as well as servants attending to them, she did not stand out much no matter how much she darted around. Furthermore, since most of the servants were wearing the same uniform, her presence would have been even fainter if not for her orange hair.

Orca found Niah quickly. After finding her, he diligently followed her with his eyes. The sight of her sticking close to Harriet was a bit irritating, but he decided to let it slide, thinking it was better than her being alone. As he picked at his food, becoming much more distant than before, Hilda stomped on Orca’s foot once more. She was starting to run out of things to talk about.

“Orca. Didn’t anything interesting happen to you? I heard you joined the border guard?”

“Yeah. What fun could there be on a battlefield.”

“How about you tell us about a prisoner you’ve captured.”

“Well. Prisoners aren’t my responsibility.”

“Right, well. You wouldn’t know if it’s not your responsibility. How do you feel being back in Roselpia? I mean, I’m one to talk, but it’s been a while for you too, right? Nothing has changed here.”

“Not bad.”

Orca curtly cut off Hilda’s friendly question. She smiled so widely that her dimples creased deeply and tried her best to draw out a conversation, but she failed every time. Curses welled up in her throat. She deliberately laughed out loud, “Hahaha,” and then raised her voice as much as she could. Even then, Orca’s gaze was focused elsewhere.

“Then tell us how you’re living over there. I heard everyone was curious. It’s not like you to go around talking about yourself, right?”

“I’m doing well. Eating, sleeping, and fighting.”

However, Hilda’s efforts were sorely lacking in piquing Orca’s interest. To Orca, who had spotted the orange rolling around in the distance and coming his way, nothing else mattered.

He feigned engrossment in his meal, shoveling potatoes from his plate into his mouth. It was a relief that Niah was walking through the gaps in the bustling crowd from behind Hilda. If he had been at a diagonal or to the side, Orca would not have been able to resist turning his head.

He observed the round features slowly approaching. He did not know why it felt like he was seeing him after a long time. Then again, if things had been normal, they would be having lunch together right now, or he would have rushed through his meal with his parents and be watching the goldfish somewhere in the mansion.

The goldfish moved slowly and sluggishly, repeatedly disappearing from view and then reappearing. He did not know what he was doing, but he looked busy. He wondered if he had eaten properly, and then Hilda let out another “Hahaha.”

“Then how about you tell us a war story. You must have torn many to shreds. You bas—”

“Hilda.”

Her words cut off by her father’s gentle call, Hilda this time chuckled, “Hoho,” and brought her fork to the grilled salmon. When she too fell silent, the table once again became cheerful with the murmuring voices of their parents.

Hilda cleared her throat and glanced back furtively. There was no way she would not have noticed that Orca’s eyes had been staring intently past her for some time. She quickly scanned the area and then went back to poking at her grilled salmon.

What the hell is that guy looking at?

In the meantime, Niah, who had reached a spot a few steps away from Orca, flinched to a halt. She had belatedly realized Harriet’s intention. As soon as her eyes met her young master’s, Niah broke into a grin. Orca tilted his head to the side. Following his movement, Niah’s cheeks turned a rosy pink as she tilted her own head. A sense of gladness seeped from his eyes, which were folded in half. Niah, afraid a laugh might escape, bit her lips tightly and carefully made her way to where she had originally intended to go.

It would probably look strange if he just stood in one place, grinning foolishly. Besides, the master and madam were sitting next to the young master, which was a little scary. There were probably few people who could remain unfazed by their beautiful and elegant appearances and, in contrast, their large physiques.

They sometimes came to the garden or the greenhouse for a walk, but this was the first time he had seen them up close. Moreover, being a goldfish, he could not help but feel an indiscriminate fear of humanoids larger than himself. Just the fact that the master and madam were in front of him made him extremely nervous.

But the young master was different. He was taller and larger than the master and madam, and they even resembled each other, but rather than feeling scared, the thought that he was pretty and cute came first. Of course, he was also handsome. That was especially true these days. Before he arrived or when he first came to the mansion, he was scarier and more intimidating than Pepe or Andrian, which brought him to tears, but not anymore.

It was not that he liked him because he was kind to him and gave him presents; now he just liked him for no reason. It felt like there were so many reasons that he could not pinpoint just one. It seemed that even if the young master were mean to him and mistreated him, he would not resent him at all and would only like him.

That was why he kept getting greedy. When he had decided to return the shirt and blanket he had received from the young master, he had intended to let go of his greed a little at a time, but it was not as easy as he thought.

He wanted to see him off, saying goodbye, and telling him not to get hurt and to stay healthy. He wanted to see him off with a smile, without asking when he would be back or pestering him.

Contrary to that wish, his plan gradually lost its power as time went on. It seemed it would be more helpful for him to prepare his heart early by asking when he was leaving. But when he actually tried to ask, he could not muster the courage. He felt pathetic for being such a fool.

“Oh!”

“Oh my. Are you alright, madam?”

“Yes. It’s nothing. What about you?”

A small commotion arose not far away. A plate clattered to the ground with a dull thud, and the food it had contained scattered. A woman in a green dress and a man in an indigo formal suit stood facing each other, asking if the other was okay. They had collided because their paths had crossed. Their clothes got a little dirty, but no other accident occurred.

Niah, who had been standing there blankly for a moment, scurried over. The people nearby also turned their attention to the source of the sound. The people sitting at Orca’s table also turned their heads. Orca’s gaze had followed Niah, but he had no interest in the commotion.

Soon, an attendant came trotting over and headed to the mansion with the woman. The man similarly disappeared with his own attendant. The murmuring soon subsided. The gazes that had gathered also found their respective places. All that was left in that spot was Niah and Orca’s fierce gaze, watching Niah.

Niah, left all alone, bent her knees and began to clean up. Her hands were busy picking up the food and putting it into the bucket she had. Niah sat there like a deserted island. The Ware family’s servants were each busy, and the noble guests were not idle enough to care about what a servant was doing.

Orca’s mood soured in an instant. He felt incredibly petty and cowardly, sitting upright in his chair and watching the small, curled-up body fumbling on the ground with its bare hands. He clenched his fists tightly. His heart pounded. Niah was only doing what she was supposed to do as a servant, but Orca was filled with anger, as if he had seen something he should not have.

He had seen the goldfish work countless times until now, but it had always been in front of him. Tending to the flowers or planting strange weeds in the vegetable garden and chattering about something was the goldfish’s job. Other than that, serving tasteless tea and looking pleased with himself or fastening the buttons on his clothes was enough.

He had sometimes wanted to clean the windows or the bathroom floor, but he could stop him if he did not feel like it, so he had not thought much of it until now. The goldfish only listened to him and only did what he allowed.

So, the sight of him cleaning up after someone else felt extremely alien. His chest churned with the sensation of having something he had held in his hands snatched away without any resistance. He felt incredibly foul.

Harriet, who had returned from the laundry room, glanced around. Having finally found Niah crouching down, she sat next to him and helped with the cleanup. Orca just watched as the two, after exchanging a few words, stood up side by side.

Niah, having covered the bucket of food scraps with a napkin, left the spot with Harriet. They were on their way to the kitchen to empty the full bucket and wash their hands. He deliberately turned his body in the direction of Orca’s table. Niah, whose dark eyes met his immediately, rounded her eyes and smiled silently. Then she circled around at a distance. Her steps were light. Perhaps because she had seen the young master, even if only for a moment, she felt good.

“Orca, how long will you be staying at home? Let’s have a meal like this again before you go.”

“…”

Orca focused his hearing on Niah, who had disappeared from his sight. He pushed aside all the noise and concentrated only on the light footsteps walking around him. The grass was rustled, swish, swish, slowly. A whispering voice could be heard. The fact that it was not his was infuriatingly maddening. But if asked whether he could kick his chair back and chase after him right now, he could not easily answer. It was the worst.

Hilda laughed, “Ahaha,” and tapped the shoe of the unresponsive Orca. Hilda was slightly displeased that she had to keep stepping up to smooth things over, but she had no choice. It was because Orca’s parents, smiling like wax dolls, were staring at Orca. They did not even blink once. She thought that this family had not changed much, then or now.

Her own parents, whose question had been ignored, were instead amused, saying it was the first time they had seen Orca so lost in thought. It was understandable, since this crazy fish head was a guy who was excessively disciplined even as a child. She still remembered her parents’ conversation, worrying about something and saying he did not look very well.

Hilda cursed inwardly and repeatedly tapped Orca. Only then did Orca snap out of his reverie. His hazy focus sharpened immediately. Before either of his parents could speak first, Hilda quickly opened her mouth.

“She asked when you’re leaving. My mom.”

“…I apologize, Duchess. I was lost in thought for a moment.”

“Forget it. When are you leaving?”

Orca thought for a moment before giving a vague answer. It was a topic he did not want to talk about right now. Especially now, he did not want to be reminded of the fact that he had to leave Roselpia soon.

“I plan to return when the heat subsides.”

“That’s a while away. Or is it? Maybe not that far off?”

“Summer goes by quickly. Spring is almost gone.”

“I’m already sad to see you go, Orca.”

“Yes. That’s right.”

Orca agreed in a low tone. Hilda’s eyes narrowed instantly. It felt strange for what was usually just a polite pleasantry. Curiosity began to stir. There was the way he had been rolling his eyes as if looking for something since earlier, and the uncharacteristically stupid expression on his face seemed somehow different from the ‘crazy fish’ she knew.

It had been a long time since he had called her a bear cub and treated her with contempt, but people were not a species that changed so easily. It meant that even if years had passed since the time he spoke like he was in a play with a face that said he had no interest in worldly affairs, his personality was bound to remain the same.

It should have been that way, but for some reason, she felt a sense of disharmony. They had not had a proper conversation, let alone made eye contact for more than a brief moment, but it was clear that something interesting was happening. Bears were naturally quick-witted. They also loved interesting things. Hilda raised the corners of her mouth meaningfully.

Orca’s parents did not intervene in the quite amicable conversation. It was the first time they had heard of their son’s return date, so they just listened silently. If they added unnecessary words and were found out, they would not be able to escape the shameful situation.

After lunch, instead of a dessert course, a light welcoming party was arranged with a musical performance. Sweet cocktails and champagne were placed on the tables, and for accompaniments, various types of bite-sized finger foods such as canapés with salami, black olives, and square-cut Brie cheese were served on plates.

The servants walked around holding trays with cocktail and champagne glasses. It took quite a bit of effort as they had to search every nook and cranny due to the guests, whose range of movement had widened compared to lunchtime. Perhaps because the mansion was so spacious, the bustling scene quickly became more relaxed.

The nobles each drank and enjoyed the party wherever they pleased. There were those who remained in the garden to chat, and those who went for a walk to the greenhouse or the mansion’s lake.

Among them, some were guided to the smoking room to smoke cigars, while others gathered in the drawing room to play card games. Peek and round games were the most common, but the one with the most spectators was, as expected, the betting card game, Pope Joan.

The nobles would casually put down several one-pound sovereign gold coins, and if they won, they would down the drink they were holding in one go and then put a one-shilling coin in the glass and give it to a servant. Considering that the lower-ranking servants of the mansion received their wages of 4.5 pounds each, divided into four installments a year, one shilling was quite a large sum of money. It was enough to buy a loaf of bread the size of three fists put together, two bottles of milk, a dozen eggs, and two cups of beer.

Therefore, the servants took turns going in and out of the drawing room discreetly. The Ware family paid higher wages than other families, but there was no reason to refuse if they were lucky enough to receive a hefty tip.

Meanwhile, Niah continued her cleaning duties, wandering around the garden. Whatever was happening in the drawing room, if Orca was not there, it was of no interest to her.