Chapter 3: Waking up(3)

"You may go now."

Jane looked at Finesse quietly. Her complexion is getting worse and she's also getting skinnier. Jane frowned while looking at her like she's a dumb child that needs to be scolded.

"No miss, I'm staying here."

Finesse looked at Jane with surprise before frowning.

"I said leave, I don't need maids. Leave me alone."

"...Are you going to keep being like this?"

"What?"

"I said are you going to keep being like this?"

"You, how dare you speak to me like that! You-!"

"Is this what your sister wanted?"

"...!"

"Do you think your sister would like it if she saw the life that she saved bawling here in the corner of a dark room not even going out even once?"

Finesse stayed silent for a moment before gritting her teeth at me. She looks like she's about to cry at any moment.

"What do you even know about my sister?! You know nothing!"

"Yes you're right I didn't know anything about her. But even a child could know what she will feel if she ever saw her sister locking herself away."

"..."

"Think about it. Try thinking about it long and hard. Now if you'll excuse me."

Jane quietly went outside the room and sighed. She frowned while massaging her temples.

'What to do? The duke is currently gone and the second in command here is Finesse, the duke's lover. I wanted to ask for a long vacation so that I could make my way to the place where I could become a man but the head maid is only capable of granting short breaks. I need Finesse to snap out of it and ask her to permit me to leave.'

Jane sighed and thought that there is a long road ahead.

'Oh well, I need to do something here in the estate anyway so this isn't that bad. But... I need Finesse sooner or later. I'll visit her again tonight and make her snap out of it.'

She walked down the hallway and returned to her room while silently waited for nighttime to arrive. While waiting she organized her plans for the future. She was so absorbed by her thoughts that she didn't notice that it was almost nighttime.

She stood up from her seat, grabbed a lamp, and walked down the quiet hallway. Only her footsteps were the only noise that she could hear as she walked through the hallway. Finally, she arrived in front of the door.

Knock, knock

"Who's there?"

"...It's me, miss. I want to talk to you."

"You again? No, go away."

"No, I'm not going. I need you to talk to me."

"..."

Finesse was silent for a moment. I stared at the door while waiting for her answer. And then a few minutes later she finally spoke.

"...Fine, come in."

I silently celebrated inside my head and went inside the room. As usual, the room was dark, and because it was night time the room looked darker and gloomier. I saw Finesse sitting in front of a table while staring at me. I sat at the chair opposite to her and looked at her directly in the eyes. I got straight to the point.

"Miss, you must move on."

Finesse seemed baffled and took a while to answer me.

"What are you talking about? You want me to forget about my sister?"

"No, what I mean is to slowly accept the reality and to move forward, keeping your negative emotions behind you. Moving on doesn't mean that you are completely forgetting about someone."

"That..."

"You must accept reality and move on and face the present."

"..."

"You know miss, your sister may have died but what about the others?"

"...Others?"

"Don't you still have the duke here? Are you going to keep ignoring him? Or are you waiting for him to die before you notice him?"

"That! No! Of course not! I love him! He can't die."

Jane felt her veins slowly popping out in her head. She looks at Finesse with disbelief.

'Then why did you let him die?'

Jane wanted to tell her this but she can't because she will be too suspicious. A maid talking face to face to her master is weird enough already. But, she won't play nice

"Then stop being a dumbass and stand up."

"What...?!"

"I said stand up."

Jane stood up from her seat and pulled Finesse from her seat. Finesse stared at her blankly. Jane looked at her with a sharp gaze.

"What kind of person is your sister?"

"My sister?"

"Yes, your sister."

Finesse hesitated for a moment. Her lips are trembling and her body was shaking. She slowly opened her lips and answered in a shaky voice.

"She's adventurous, good, brave... And always in front of me to protect m-me..."

"And?"

"She's always mad whenever I did something wrong... She would scold me for days. And she i-is good at using the sword."

"Do you want to be like her?"

"Pardon?"

Finesse looked at the maid in front of her. Out of all maids who are serving her she is the only one who has the guts to talk to her like that and call her a dumbass. But for some reason, she can't get angry at her. Her brave and sharp gaze looked exactly like her sister. No, she acts exactly like her sister.

Finesse held her tears back while clenching her fists. She looked at this maid who was still staring at her sharply like demanding an answer. But Finesse saw it, there is a hint of worriedness aimed at her. It's like she's worried for her well-being the entire time just... Just like how her sister does.

Meanwhile, Jane's thoughts were completely different.

'Am I being too harsh? She isn't going to cry, right? I need her permission. But what if she thinks differently? What if she punished me for calling her a dumbass?'

Her thoughts were interrupted by Finesse's suddenly loud and energized voice. She looked at Finesse and saw her clenching her fist and placing it in front of her body and looked at her with sparkling eyes.

"Yes! I want to be like my sister!"

"Good. Then from now on, you are not allowed to cry anymore."

"What?"

"Stand up straight, chin up, and puffed up your chest."

As if possessed she was possessed by a puppy, she followed Jane's words immediately. Jane wondered why she is so obedient but just ignored it. She looked at Finesse in front of her who was nervously waiting for her next words.

"Now repeat after me. I am brave."

Finesse's eyes opened wide. But she then bit her lips to hold down her tears from escaping.

"I, am brave!"

"I am good."

"I-I am good!"

"I will move on."

Couldn't hold It back anymore, tears started to trickle down from Finesse's face.

"I... I will move on!"

Jane smiled at Finesse it was a smile that says that she was proud of her. Finesse stilled and stared at her smile. It was a smile that she would never forget.

'Sister...'

"I will survive."

"I *sniff* will survive! *sob*"

Jane took a step forward to Finesse and hugged her. Finesse hugged her back while crying. Jane, who is starting to feel awkward and doesn't know how to console someone, just patted her back gently.

"I told you not to cry right? Fine, you can cry but only for today. Don't cry anymore okay?"

Finesse didn't answer and just hugged Jane tightly while crying. At the same time, Jane felt weird for some reason.

'I never knew I could sympathize with her... I mean, she was a character in a novel after all. But now that she is in front of me living, breathing, and moving... I felt weird.'

She just brushed off the thought and kept patting Finesse's back. Right now, what Finesse needed the most is comfort. This is what the duke couldn't do because he was blinded by rage and anger for revenge. He thought that if he avenged Finesse's sister, Finesse would feel better.

'Now that I think about it, was the duke always that dumb? Committing revenge but not comforting his lover... Seriously?'

Jane suddenly felt stressed out at her thoughts and sighed. After that, she noticed that Finesse wasn't crying anymore. She looked at her and saw her sleeping face. Her eyes were puffy and her face was red. She must've cried so hard.

Jane supported Finesse's unconscious body and laid her down to bed. She pulled up the blanket to cover Finesse and slowly walk out of the room. When she finally went out she let out a sigh and looked out the window.

'It's tonight, I'm still not late am I?'

Comforting Finesse tonight wasn't the only stuff for Jane to do. Tonight is also a very important night to recruit an ally. Specifically, a dying ally. If she is even one step late, it will be all over so she needs to hurry.

'Let's go save a dying legendary beast.'