Chapter 8

Rosie is said to be convalescing at a cottage about a fifteen-minute walk from the castle, accompanied by a few servants.

Lord Alexis arranged a visit, and on the day of the visit, I walked to the cottage with him.

People working in the fields along the way noticed Lord Alexis, took off their hats, and greeted him warmly. Lord Alexis responded amiably. He must come to visit often, as he is well-known here. He introduced me as "my wife, Serafina." Everyone introduced themselves to me with friendly smiles, saying, "I'm Ben," "I'm Bernard," "I'm Anna," and I struggled to remember all their names.

"Lord, please take this freshly picked lettuce to Rosie. It's crisp and delicious."

"Thank you, Ben. I will."

We waved goodbye to them and continued down the peaceful path, eventually arriving at an elegant cottage with colorful roses in bloom. Lord Alexis knocked on the door, and a maid opened it, welcoming us inside.

"Rosie, how are you feeling?"

In a room with floral wallpaper and good sunlight, Rosie lay on a canopy bed. When Lord Alexis spoke to her, she slowly sat up. Her thin hands and legs were visible under her simple nightgown. She was a cute little girl with long flaxen hair and large brown eyes, only ten years old.

Rosie looked back and forth between Lord Alexis and me.

"Oh... Brother, is this Serafina!?"

Her pale cheeks flushed as she asked excitedly.

"Yes, it is," he replied gently, introducing me. "Serafina, this is my sister, Rosemary. Everyone calls her Rosie."

"Hello, Rosie. I'm Serafina. Nice to meet you."

"Oh! What a refined manner! You must be from the capital!"

Rosie clasped her hands and looked at me with sparkling eyes. I am indeed from the capital, but being called a lady made me a bit embarrassed.

"N-no, not really..."

"I've asked Brother many times to bring Serafina here! But he kept saying no... cough, cough."

"Rosie, try to calm down."

Lord Alexis gently laid Rosie back down and covered her with a light blanket. She looked at us anxiously, worried that the coughing might make us leave. It was pitiful to see her, still so young, suffering from illness.

I squatted beside the bed and smiled at her.

"Rosie, as a token of our acquaintance, I brought you a gift. Would you like to receive it?"

"Oh! Thank you. What is it?"

I opened the package and took out a pillowcase with a bird embroidered on it. Rosie's eyes lit up.

"Oh, how adorable! ...Could it be that you embroidered this, Serafina?"

"Yes."

"That's amazing! To be so skilled at embroidery, a lady's pastime!"

Rosie suddenly sat up again. Lord Alexis looked at her sternly, but before he could say anything, she grabbed my hand and said,

"Serafina, please, will you teach me embroidery?"

I glanced at Lord Alexis, who had a stern expression. It seemed he was going to say no.

"Well... when you feel better, I'd be happy to teach you."

"Ah!"

"...Rosie, if you make Serafina uncomfortable..."

"I understand, I understand."

She reluctantly backed down and traced the bird on the pillowcase with her finger, looking dejected. It hurt to see her like that.

"...Rosie, when you feel better, let's not just do embroidery, but also climb the mountains of Shaffield together. I've always lived in the capital and have never climbed a mountain."

"Really? You haven't? I climbed to the top with Brother when I was five!"

"Oh, really? That's impressive."

"...I carried her for the last third of the climb."

"Brother, that's a trivial detail! ...Anyway, when Serafina climbs, I'll be her guide!"

Her enthusiasm was endearing, and I smiled.

"Yes, thank you, Rosie. I'm looking forward to it."

"Serafina, since we're family now, can you stop being so formal with me?"

"Oh... then can I call you Rosie? But you're also quite formal with me, aren't you?"

"I'm practicing to be a lady, so this is fine!"

We continued chatting happily, but Rosie started coughing again, so we decided to take our leave. Before we left, I had something I wanted to do.

"Rosie, can I take your measurements? It won't take long."

"Measurements...?"

"I need to measure your body."

I took out a measuring tape from my pocket and quickly measured Rosie, taking notes.

"That's it. Next time, I'll bring you a cute house dress."

"Oh! Can you make clothes too!?"

"Yes, simple ones. What color do you like?"

Rosie started to think.

"Well, pink is nice, but blue is also nice..."

"Then I'll make one of each for you to change into."

"Oh, really! Thank you, Serafina!"

* * *

"Rosie seems to really like you."

On the way back from the cottage, Lord Alexis said.

"I'm happy to have become friends with Rosie. She's very bright and cute."

"...Yes. Until last year, she used to run around the castle garden with the servants' children..."

I recalled her thin, gaunt cheeks. She didn't seem to have the strength to run around the garden now.

"...Lord Alexis, is there no way to cure her illness?"

"Unfortunately... no matter how many doctors we bring, there's nothing they can do... But I think my sister is very happy that you're here."

Lord Alexis' words, tinged with resignation, pierced my heart.

Why does young Rosie have to suffer from illness? I want to teach her embroidery and climb mountains with her. ...But if things continue like this, neither will happen...

I felt frustrated by my own powerlessness.

When we returned to the castle, I immediately went to the sewing room, checked the inventory of fabric and thread, and asked Johnson to place an order. The materials arrived the next day. I worked tirelessly, cutting, sewing, and carefully embroidering the design of Rosemary, completing two house dresses of different colors in one day for Rosie.