Chapter 30
Both the young master and Miss Baba refused to be carried on my back.
“I can provide a smooth and comfortable ride.”
“The path to the magic library is narrow and rough. I’ve called for a skilled coachman, someone I trust.”
I followed Miss Baba towards the forest outside the city gates. Was this a trap? I stayed close to the young master, ready to rescue him if he was in danger. He looked at me suspiciously, then subtly moved away. How mean.
“Hello there. Meet my coachman.”
Miss Baba waved to someone. I could see a carriage parked beyond the bushes. It was a simple carriage with a wooden and leather roof. Definitely not something a noble would ride. Perhaps I should have carried the young master after all.
The horses, sensing Miss Baba’s presence, snorted. There were two of them, as black as the night sky. A short, stout coachman emerged from between them. He was so short that he looked like a child. Tipping his flat hat, he greeted Miss Baba.
It was embarrassing to say this, but he was the ugliest person I had ever seen.
“Is that a monster?”
The young master said, tilting his chin towards the coachman. I was startled and stepped in front of him.
“Young Master! You can’t call someone a monster just because they’re ugly! Humans and monsters are incomparable. Even if he’s surprisingly ugly, calling him a monster is too rude. Ugly people are still people! How can you discriminate based on appearance?!”
Ahem, the ugly coachman cleared his throat. Oh no. I turned around, and Miss Baba was looking at us with a faint smile.
The young master sighed and nodded towards the coachman apologetically.
“I apologize on her behalf. It’s my fault for not teaching her properly.”
His apology wasn’t what I expected.
“Hmph. Forget it.”
The coachman replied gruffly in a gravelly voice, looking me up and down.
Miss Baba’s smile widened. She pulled me towards the carriage, her voice laced with amusement.
“My coachman is a goblin. A monster, not a human. And he’s quite proud of it.”
“Gasp.”
I was speechless. What should I do?
“I-I’m so sorry!”
I shouted to him as he headed for the driver’s seat. Come to think of it, his ears were pointy, his nose was long, and his skin was slightly green…
I had thought he was incredibly ugly, beyond human comprehension, but he was actually not human. I was so embarrassed that I wanted to shut down until we reached our destination.
After helping the young master into the carriage, I sat beside him and huddled in a corner. He said to me nonchalantly,
“Don’t be so discouraged by a small slip-up. A maid of the Zepetto family should be more confident.”
“Easy for you to say. How about I drive the carriage instead, as an apology?”
“What do you take me for? I told you to stay by my side.”
He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and added,
“Besides, you’re not a coachman.”
This was so embarrassing. Could I ever make up for this mistake?
I remained silent as the carriage sped through the forest. The carriage felt unusually quiet. The young master was sitting beside me, arms crossed, eyes closed, as if refusing to even look at Miss Baba.
“Shall I tell your fortune?”
Miss Baba was the first to break the silence. She seemed to be trying to cheer me up. I was huddled in the corner of the carriage, but my curiosity piqued, and I looked up.
“Witches are different from ordinary mages. If a mage’s rival is a scientist, a witch’s rival is a clergyman. We can borrow the power of demons to see the future.”
Hmph. The young master scoffed. I had heard that witches and mages didn’t get along, and it seemed to be true.
“Can you tell me my fortune for today?”
I asked dejectedly, resting my chin on the carriage door.
“Does it say anything like, ‘You’ll be so embarrassed by a slip-up that you won’t be able to leave your seat’?”
“Well, let’s see.”
Miss Baba moved her hand as if caressing the air. I heard a metallic clinking sound, and then a purple crystal ball appeared. It glowed softly in her hand.
“I can see more significant events in the future, but if that’s what you want, Estella, I’ll tell you your fortune for today. Let’s see what my crystal ball reveals.”
She began chanting an unknown spell.
Hum, hum— As if responding to the spell, the crystal ball vibrated and turned gold. At the same time, a faint golden light flickered in her eyes.
“You’ll receive praise from an unexpected person today.”
“I wonder if it will be a human or a monster.”
The young master chuckled. I glared at him, and he even grabbed my chin and turned my face towards Miss Baba. How annoying.
“What kind of person? Someone with big ears, green skin, and a long nose?”
The young master couldn’t contain his laughter anymore. But I was desperate.
Miss Baba tilted her head back and forth, then clapped her hands. The crystal ball disappeared.
“I don’t know. Fortunes are always vague.”
“Con artist.”
The young master muttered.
“That’s because the demons aren’t nearby. A naive young master like you wouldn’t understand.”
They glared at each other, frowning. The young master suddenly uncrossed his arms and wrapped his arm around my shoulder.
“Young Master, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Let’s just stay like this for a while.”
“Okay! I don’t mind.”
I poked his hand on my shoulder with my index finger, then sat up straight. Thinking about my fortune for today, something good would happen eventually.
“Did you know? I saw your fortune too.”
His hand on my shoulder subtly moved down to my waist. I took his hand and wrapped it around my waist like a belt. It was comfortable to lean against him whenever the carriage jolted.
“You’ll soon experience heartbreak. The person you’re thinking of is too fragile, you won’t be able to save them with your power.”
“Nonsense.”
His arm around me tightened. If my body were any softer, I would have been squashed like a sponge.
He glared at Miss Baba with undisguised hostility.
“I don’t fail. I never make miscalculations. I will definitely…”
Then he looked down at me and froze. He quickly pulled his arm away, as if startled.
I was just as surprised.
His reaction… it was as if her words about heartbreak had struck a nerve. Had he been in love with someone?
Honestly, I wouldn’t blame anyone for calling me conceited, but I had thought he liked me. Back when I was Anna, of course. He didn’t associate with other noble ladies and only sought me out.
I liked him, so I had spent countless hours hoping and being disappointed, wondering if he might like me back.
But his current reaction shattered my expectations.
Anna was no longer in this world. If he had liked the past me, that heartbreak was already settled five years ago. Future heartbreak didn’t make sense.
I thought I had moved on, but why was my heart so restless? I was his one and only doll now, but I could never be more than that.
I wondered if it would have been better if he was a pervert who liked dolls.
That thought made me feel a bit foolish.
“Young Master, did you… have someone you liked?”
I asked nonchalantly. He averted his gaze, as if flustered.
I had no choice but to pry. I was the one experiencing the heartbreak, so I deserved some answers.
Just as I was about to grab him by the collar, the carriage jolted to a stop. The goblin coachman’s scream echoed through the quiet forest.
“Z-zombies! Baba! Zombies have appeared!”
The coachman frantically called out to Miss Baba. Her expression hardened.
“They’re here already. Count Zepetto, maid. Help me. My coachman and I don’t know how to fight.”
I could question him about his love life later. I jumped up, bumped my head on the carriage roof, and grabbed my vacuum cleaner.
“Trust me! I finally have a chance to apologize to the ugly goblin coachman!”
Groooooan. The forest path was too narrow for the carriage to escape. The black horses reared, snorting at the zombies.
The coachman was frantically trying to calm the horses and fend off the approaching zombies.
“I’ll help you!”
I put down my vacuum cleaner and approached the driver’s seat. I lifted the coachman, who was cracking his whip at the zombies, and carried him to safety.
“Oh my! What’s happening! Y-you! You’re that doll from earlier!”
“You’re safe now that I’m here!”
“Put me down, you crazy doll! Z-zombies are attacking! There’s no time for this!”
I carried the goblin coachman towards the carriage. The young master was already outside, preparing his magic. I handed the goblin coachman to Miss Baba, who looked concerned, and grabbed my vacuum cleaner.
“The time has finally come to use the vacuum cleaner you gave me!”
I swung the wand and turned to face the approaching zombies.
“Estella, can you keep them from getting close to me? I want to clear the area with a wide-area spell, but I need some time to calculate the coordinates to minimize collateral damage.”
“Of course, Young Master! Leave it to me. Zombies and dust are both slow and disgusting.”
I smiled as I ran towards the nearest zombie.
“Cleaning is my specialty!”