Charlotte, who had changed her garments, was walking down one of the mansion’s long corridors.

After having breakfast on the serving table, she found a walk-in closet at the back of her bedroom. From there, she picked a blue dress.

The maid who came to Charlotte’s room hadn’t returned since.

As a result, she had to change clothes by herself. It was quite a valuable experience in of itself.

I kept trying to tie the ribbon on my back without success…

…Thanks to those numerous attempts, a long time passed.

With the feeling of wanting to hum, she flipped the hem of her dress around.

She had managed to change her clothes on her own. That alone was a great achievement to her.

Is this the type of dress the former Charlotte preferred?

The dress, which was of the same blue color as her eyes, was layered with a soft cloth that resembled the wavy surface of the ocean.

Even so, what a large mansion…

No matter how much I wander, there’s no sign of Oswald getting angry at me.

While walking down the corridor, she looked around.

Did Oswald know Charlotte had left her room? Perhaps, he had allowed her to leave.

—I’m sure Oswald has done something to prevent me from escaping.

He had told her that he’d be watching.

In fact, during the previous incident, Oswald had appeared almost instantly.

I’m being watched, guarded, and imprisoned by Oswald…

…The entirety of my being is in his hands…

That’s, that’s just…!

Charlotte squeezed her chest.

That’s just too stimulating, I’m so excited!?

She was overjoyed.

It’s as if we’re connected no matter how far apart we are! Maybe he’s visually monitoring me through some kind of spell! Oswald, notice me please?!

Charlotte waved towards a particular direction on the ceiling.

In truth, she had no reason to believe that he was indeed monitoring her. It was just her imagination, but it still felt very fun to wave with the hope that Oswald was indeed watching her.

Hmm…!? But wait…! If he is truly watching me, he has just seen me change clothes…!?

I-it’s alright, let’s calm down first….

…It isn’t like Oswald likes me. Hence, he wouldn’t want to see me undress!

As a result of her internal turmoil, she ran out of breath. As Charlotte inhaled, a small scream could be heard.

Three maids were standing at the end of the corridor.

“Ah! Hello everyone!”

“…!!”

“Aren’t you the maid from earlier? Thank you for delivering my breakfast…”

Before Charlotte could finish her sentence, those maids ran away in fear.

Oh…

The sound of rushing, panicked, footsteps could be heard. She wanted to reassure them, but she ended up terrifying them instead.

…To them, rather than a saint, I’m more of an evil god…

Feeling sorry, her mood was lowered slightly.

If keep wandering around, I might end up scaring them again. Incidentally, while exploring the first floor, I passed by the terrace and saw a garden…

Recalling that, she went towards the terrace once again.

The door was fitted with glass and had a wooden frame. Its doorknob seemed harmless to the touch. When Charlotte gently pushed the door open, a cold gust blew in.

It ruffled both her hair and dress. For a moment, she found it difficult to even breathe. But soon enough, the rejuvenating cold air felt comfortable.

Does the cold air feel fresh because I’ve lost my memories?

She was about to curl up, but she forced herself to straighten her posture.

The sky was clear and bright. However, despite the bright shining sun, it was still cold. The reason why the inside of the mansion felt warm was probably due to magic.

I wish I had put on a scarf… but it’s fun to be cold, too.

The cloak Oswald lent her had been left in her bedroom.

If she could, she wanted to keep wearing it. However, it was a precious item that she had borrowed. Despite crying a bit in regret, she decided to leave it so it wouldn’t be soiled.

Most of the trees in the courtyard had shed their leaves. Their branches were swaying in the cold wind.

However, on the flowerbed at her feet, colorful flowers were in full bloom. Even during such a freezing season, the flowers seemed to be lively. They were probably nurtured with great care.

She walked down the courtyard while admiring the beautiful flowers. When she looked at the other side of the hedge, she discovered a small lake beyond it.

As there was almost no wind, the water’s surface was tranquil, and the blue sky above was clearly projected on it.

“Beautiful… it’s like a huge mirror…”

There was a reply to her soliloquy.

“If you come here during a beautiful starry night sky, the sight will be even more spectacular.”

“Uwah!”

After being surprised, Charlotte looked towards the owner of the voice.

An old man was sitting by the lake’s shore.

The white-haired old man wore dirt-stained gloves and looked at the lake with his back hunched up.

Charlotte blinked and talked to the old man.

“Good day, grandpa. Uhm… aren’t you afraid of me?”

“Afraid of you? Why would I? You’re a gorgeous young lady.”

Good, this person doesn’t seem to know that I’m the “saint.”

Finally, she could talk without scaring anyone.

Relieved, Charlotte approached the old man.

“The starry sky reflected upon this lake… I can already imagine how beautiful that must be.”

“Not only that, during the spring, flowers will bloom in the trees around here. Then, red flowers will lay scattered on the sky-blue lake, which make it even more beautiful.”

“Wow…! Will I be able to see that scene next spring?”

“Of course. I can promise you that they’ll bloom beautifully.”

The old man laughed as he said that. She could guess his true identity.

“Grandpa is the one who planted these flowers, isn’t he?”

“So, you somehow guessed it. I come to take care of the trees in this mansion about once a week.”

“Really? I just took a stroll in the garden, it’s truly beautiful! Just looking at it made me feel more energetic and warmer… oh?”

While looking at the surface of the lake, Charlotte tilted her head.

“A large blue flower has bloomed on the lake… wait, isn’t that a muffler?”

A blue cloth could be seen floating a few meters away from the shore.

Charlotte then realized the why the old man who seemed to be who tended to the garden was sitting in such a place.

“Is that grandfather’s muffler?”

“It’s embarrassing. When I tried to tighten it around my neck, a strong wind blew.”

A slender cane was laying beside the old man.

“This lake is shallow and only knee-deep, but I can’t do anything with these legs.”

“It’s a very nice-looking blue muffler.”

“My late wife chose it for me.”

At those words, Charlotte stared down at the old man.

“Haha, please don’t make such a face. My grandson is also going in and out of this mansion, so I’ll ask him for help later. However, while I wasn’t paying attention, I was swept away and almost fell. As such, I couldn’t move my legs… I honestly believed that it’s the end.”

“I see…”

Charlotte stared straight at the lake.

It must’ve been cold.

She almost couldn’t recall anything about the winter season. But it seemed that she hadn’t forgotten the feeling of coldness and pain.

It should had been quite frigid by that point. As it was for Charlotte, the same should go for the old man, too.

“Please wait a moment.”

“…Miss?”

She removed her shoes and lifted up the hem of her dress.

After tightly tying the hem of her dress so it wouldn’t slip free, she started walking towards the lake. The old man who saw it rushed to stop her.

“P, please wait! Please come back! You don’t need to do that!”

“It’s alright.”

“B, but, miss…!”

She stepped into the lake.

---

***T/N: Whattasaint indeed…

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