The next week at the estate of the Duchy of Cassius flew by so quickly that I didn't even have time to come to my senses when it was time for us to leave.

A new semester of study at the academy was about to begin, and therefore we could not stay here any longer. Tomorrow we will take the carriage of the Cassius family to Atlas, where we will continue our studies until the summer holidays.

And what will happen next… I didn't know yet.

Anyway, to somehow celebrate our stay in this place, Duke Cassius decided to organize a farewell dinner. At six in the evening, the three of us were sitting at the table, and I looked with hungry eyes at the meal, perhaps the most luxurious in all the time that I lived here.

I expected that we would have dinner in complete silence as usual, but this time, the Duke unexpectedly volunteered to make a farewell speech.

—It was nice to meet you, Lady Leriana," he said, "I hope you will continue to look after Rachel."

— Of course! It's not a problem, Father.

Rachel choked on these words. It was still unusual for her that I called her father that way. After all, she did not expect that we would be able to find a common language at all. And now she was even a little jealous.

— What kind of nonsense are you talking about? I don't need it," she said irritably.

— And I thought that with her appearance, you became calmer, — the Duke remarked, — Wouldn't it be better to finish your studies without fights and scandals?

— I've never had anything like this before.

At these words, Duke Cassius and I looked at each other at the same time and grinned. Of course, this has happened, and more than once. But we didn't remind Rachel of that.

After all, he and I were in the same boat. If Rachel's father was engaged in raising her as a child, now this "mission" has passed to me. And considering how badly he handled it, then all the hard work to fix it fell to my lot.

But I was ready for it. After all, I still had two and a half years left.

We had a pretty relaxed atmosphere at the table, and even Rachel sometimes cut in on the conversation. At some point, I even caught myself thinking that I would miss this place. Surprisingly, despite the thirty-degree frost and the gloomy atmosphere of the estate, I have never felt uncomfortable here.

Overall, it was a pleasant time, during which I managed to learn more about the Cassia family and Rachel herself. I will definitely need this knowledge in the future.

After dinner was over and I thanked Duke Cassius, Rachel and I returned to our room. There were still a lot of things to pack, and contrary to the Duke's suggestion, I decided to do everything myself. After all, I didn't have any other things to do anyway, and I didn't want to distract working people.

Laying out my luggage in suitcases, I was once again surprised in queues, why did I bring so much ...? I didn't even use half of it.

Rachel watched in silence as I rummaged through my things, not too eager to join in. Unlike me, she was too lazy to do all this, and she blamed the collection of her things on the servants.

Being behind this case, I came across an interesting idea, and decided to execute it.

Almost finished with the last preparations, I rang the bell, and a couple of minutes later Melinda appeared on the threshold of the room.

— Lady, did you call me?

— Yes, — I smiled, — Come here.

Since we're going to say goodbye very soon, in honor of our departure, I wanted to give her a small gift. Melinda managed to do a lot of things for me, and a couple of times she found herself in difficult situations because of this. Despite the fact that it was her duty, the girl sincerely treated me well, and I wanted to thank her.

I pulled out my jewelry box and took out a beautiful silver pendant with a gem. I knew that at current prices it was quite expensive, and if Melinda decides to sell it, she will be able to feed not only herself but also the whole family.

With this intention, I put the pendant in her hand, and said:

"Please accept it as my thanks."

— What?! — the maid widened her eyes in shock, — B-but Mistress...!

She looked at the jewelry and was speechless. Probably for the first time in her life, the girl was holding such an expensive thing in her hands. This made her visibly agitated.

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— Lady, I don't need this! — she hastily blurted out, trying to hand me the pendant back.

I was surprised.

- why?

"It's too expensive for me," Melinda explained sheepishly, "I can't accept such a gift.

— Really, you won't let me thank you? I sighed.

— Lady, this is my job. It is enough for me that you are satisfied with me.

Seeing how categorically she turned out to be, I even fell into a stupor. Perhaps it is really inconvenient for her to receive a gift from a noble lady. After all, it was usually not accepted in the relationship of masters and servants.

But I didn't see anything wrong with it myself. Like any other aristocrat, my jewelry box was stuffed with jewels that I didn't even wear. So what's wrong with giving one of them away as a gift?

But seeing how insistent Melinda was in her desire to refuse me, I decided on a backup plan.

"Okay," I said, "then how about a Christmas present?"

- what? — the girl was even more surprised.

"Since you can't accept the pendant as a thank you for your work, then I'll just give it as a gift," I cunningly thought up.

— But...! — she faltered, — Lady, how can you give gifts to a simple maid?!

"I can," I said calmly, "and if you don't accept it, then I may regard it as disrespectful to my favor."

I had to make even a small threat so that the timid Melinda would still agree to take him. Being just as stubborn, I couldn't give up my idea so easily.

The maid flinched when I said this in front of her and hastily retorted:

— No, lady, what are you! Of course, I am grateful to you.

"Then will you accept him?"

The girl hesitated a little, after which she still stretched out her hand so that I handed her the pendant again. Despite the awkwardness of receiving such an expensive gift, her eyes watered when she looked at me.

— Lady, I will never forget your kindness! Melinda exclaimed heartily, holding the jewelry as carefully as if it were the most valuable thing in her life, "Please accept my gratitude!

After these words, the maid even fell to her knees, about to bow, but I stopped her.

"It's not worth it," I smiled, "It's enough for me that you're happy.

— Very much! Very glad, madam!

I grinned, finding Melinda in such a happy mood for the first time. At that moment, she looked like a child. For some time, scattering words of gratitude in front of me, the girl finally left our room.

As soon as this happened, Rachel closed the book she had been pretending to read with a loud bang. In fact, all this time she was watching the scene with displeasure.

— A gift, then? Rachel was indignant.

I was surprised, because I didn't even know that she was eavesdropping on us.

— Yes... Melinda tried a lot for me, and I thought it would be right.

"That's not what I'm talking about," the girl said irritably.

— Hmm?

"You even gave a gift to some servant. What's wrong with me?

I stared at her even more.

—A-a gift?"

— Exactly! — Rachel seemed angry, — Or do you think you could just forget about it?

I fell into a stupor. The last thing I expected was that Rachel would start demanding a gift from me. And it looked like that from the outside. But shouldn't such things be done voluntarily?

— Why do you need a gift? I asked doubtfully.

— What's that for? What about Christmas?

Rachel looked like she'd been expecting this from me for a long time. But the scene with me giving something to the maid was the last straw for her.

— Okay ... — I sighed, — but you didn't give me anything either. Aren't we even now?

— Not at all, — she suddenly objected, — You owe me. Or have you already forgotten what I did for you at the ball?

I realized that she was referring to the incident when, in front of the whole crowd, Rachel took me right out from under the Crown Prince's nose. This helped me avoid rumors and a possible engagement initiative on the part of the king. So, if you think about it, it really can be regarded as a significant help. Is that really what she decided to make my Christmas "gift"?

"Okay," I agreed, "you're right. Tell me what you want.

"What can you give me?" Rachel asked bluntly in response.

I thought about it. In fact, I really didn't think about it, because I had absolutely no idea what she wanted. Considering that Rachel remained the sole heiress of the Cassius family, she hardly needed anything material. And what else could I give her?

— Well... — I said awkwardly, — Then maybe you want jewelry too?

— Are you kidding me? Are you going to give me the same gift as the maid?

— What else can I do? I don't have any ideas," I said indignantly.

After that, Rachel looked at me strangely.

— And I'm not asking you to pay me with things.

I was surprised, while the girl continued to stare at me intently, as if some thought had matured in her head. At some point, from such a look, I felt like a dish on the buffet.

At one point, she even moved, ready to do something. But then, she noticed with how innocent an expression I stared at her, and apparently changed her mind.

Sighing, Rachel muttered with displeasure:

— Okay, the hell with you. Just sit down.

I asked, surprised.

— You don't want to fulfill my wish anymore?

Not quite understanding what she was driving at, I still sat down on the bed. Trying to unravel Rachel's plans in advance was useless, so I just waited for her to do.

The next second, Rachel got up from her chair, and approached, lay down next to me and put her head on my lap. Closing her eyes, the girl seemed to be preparing to sleep here.

— Hey! I exclaimed, "What are you doing?"

— Don't bother me to rest, — she yawned, — I'm tired.

"But why are you doing it on me?"

—This is your punishment," Rachel said indistinctly, "for all the time you've been here, I haven't had a minute's rest. So sit here and wait for me to get some sleep.

I was quietly indignant.

— If I was bothering you so much, you might not have invited me to visit…

Rachel didn't say anything, but she smiled imperceptibly.

— Hey! Meanwhile, I called out to her again, "What if you sleep all night?"

— Then be patient until morning.

Throwing this short answer, the girl fell asleep very quickly, and I didn't even have time to object. Sighing, I looked doubtfully at her sleeping face, wondering if she was pretending or really sleeping.

At that moment, when we were alone in silence, I involuntarily remembered the words of Duke Cassius a week ago.

What did he mean when he told me all this...?

I didn't think about it in detail until today. But now, listening to Rachel's steady breathing, thoughts about the future slipped through my head.

Duke Cassius, apparently, was very concerned about this issue, and he even made me promise. But I had no idea what was going to happen for me to betray Rachel...? And what exactly was behind this designation?

I sighed and ran my hand through her hair, removing one of the strands from her face. When the girl was sleeping and you can't say that this cute angel was actually a demon.

Mentally, I hoped that what the Duke was worried about would never happen. More precisely, this simply cannot be.