Allen didn’t delay anything and told the workers in the residence the next morning about his plan to go on a vacation. Together with his wife. For the first time since their marriage.
Thus, the entire residence went into an uproar that day… behind Allen and Ann’s back, obviously.
After all, it was their first time going on a vacation!!! And it wasn’t even a business trip!!! It was just a normal trip, for them as a couple, to somewhere relaxing!!!
When the gossiping young maids and workers turned to see Faye excitedly, they noticed that Faye didn’t have any surprised expression on her face, nor joy.
“Faye, aren’t you surprised that Allen-sama and Arlea-sama will be going on a trip? And you’ll get to go with them, too! It’s going to be your first trip, too!” A maid excitedly said to Faye, thinking that perhaps Faye might not understand what was going on with all the uproar.
Faye nodded calmly, “Yes, I know.”
“Whoa, you knew it before us?”
“Yes,” Faye nodded again.
“Tell us about it!!” The young maids excitedly asked.
Faye then narrated about how she was the first one to know about this trip plan. And more importantly, she dropped a bomb about how Allen was the one who invited Arlea out.
“Whaaaat?! I thought it was Arlea-sama who asked Allen-sama!” One of the maids said in shock.
“Yes, I thought so too!” Another maid added.
Even the male worker nodded as he agreed to it.
“Still, it’s really surprising for Allen-sama!”
“Yeah, three days vacation, imagine! For a man who rarely takes a time off… this is really new!!”
As their uproar grew louder, even the old workers joined in and soon, the whole residence came to know the facts about this trip. That Allen was the one who planned and invited Arlea…!!!
One of the older maids crossed their arms as she said with quite a loud voice, “Good gracious! There might be a little master or little miss running around the residence soon.”
And the uproar grew larger again.
Among all of them, the loudest voice was, “What do you mean? Don’t say such a nonsense!”
It was all that it took to make the noise stop and turn into a pin drop silence.
Everyone’s attention turned to the person who just said that. It was one of the senior maids. Her stern face looked quite menacing especially with her bigger build. That made anyone who wanted to oppose her words… hesitate. They were afraid to spark her anger.
Thinking about it, Arlea-sama’s conduct had changed a lot now, but back then, she was something else. If Allen-sama invited Arlea-sama on a trip, could it be that it wasn’t a date, but a trip to test something? That might be the case…
Even if that might not be the case, if Arlea-sama managed to capture Allen-sama’s heart during this time… and then she went back to her old villainous way… that would mean hell for them!!!
The atmosphere turned grim all out of a sudden.
But then, the older maid’s next words surprised literally everyone there.
“Obviously, there are going to be little young masters and misses running around in no time soon!”
And her stern face melted away into a silly-looking face. Like a mother who was talking about how her child was going to give her a grandchild soon.
Everyone’s face turned silly soon. The old maid’s silly-looking face and gesture infected all of them to do the same, all imagining how this desolately big residence would be merrier with children running around soon.
Albeit cold, Allen-sama was good-looking.
Albeit she was initially menacing, Arlea-sama was beautiful.
The two’s children… They would surely turn out cute!!!
A young maid who was standing next to Faye immediately turned around to look at Faye and said, “Isn’t it good, Faye? Soon, you will get some little brothers and sisters!”
The people close to them overheard this conversation and added to it.
Faye tilted her head in confusion.
What are they talking about?
I am not Arlea-sama and Allen-sama’s child to begin with???
Little did she know that they all think of her as Arlea’s daughter now.
***
Allen didn’t schedule the trip in the long future. He was also enthusiastic with this trip, thus he arranged it to be as early as possible.
With that, the destined day arrived quickly.
Only several workers were brought to this trip. It consisted mainly of Ann’s personal maid which was Faye, Allen’s personal butler, and several guards plus a driver.
They would be going in the usual carriage. The destination was the closest nature tourism spot, Mojo village. It would take several hours to reach the village, so all of them prepared very early in the morning so they could arrive by the afternoon.
That included Ann.
Faye was a very sensible child and an early bird… also a bird halfling. Even though she was a child, she wasn’t acting finicky. When her coworker woke her up, she prepared herself and went to see Ann, who was deep asleep.
Faye shook Ann’s body continuously, despite Ann saying, “Unh… Five more minutes…,” repeatedly.
Eventually, Ann woke up and cursed herself for being too excited at the thought of going on a trip—which might be her first and last trip in this world—that she ended up sleeping so late in the night.
Her lack of sleep showed, but she still dragged herself to get ready for the trip. Either way, she could just sleep in the journey.
At another side of the residence, there was someone else who had a lack of sleep. But contrary to Ann, he didn’t let it show on his face.
After getting ready, all of them got aboard their carriages. Though the workers had another carriage to ride on, Faye was allowed to sit together with Ann.
Thus, in the master carriage, Faye and Ann were sitting in the same row. And right across Ann, Allen was sitting alone.
The carriage departed once everything and everyone was ready. Unlike the fast-paced modern transportation, the carriage was slow, but its slow and rhythmical movements was something new that Ann enjoyed.
During the way, Ann looked even more excited than Faye as she looked here and there, pointing at almost everything she saw during the journey.
Faye was also excited, but oddly, she still looked calmer than Ann as she looked everywhere that Ann pointed.
“Look, Faye! We’re leaving the town! Oooh, the scenery is changing! Welcome, nature!!!”
Faye only nodded as she smiled and looked at the sky and the nature that welcomed them right after they went out of the city gate.
“Chirp chirp!” Little Pinkie Birdie also tagged along and chirped happily from time to time, though nobody knows if she was chirping because she was happy or if she just wanted to remind everyone of her existence…
Unlike Ann who just saw everything for the first time, Faye had seen the world more than her. Unlike Ann who was so focused on enjoying the scenery that she might never be able to see again after this, Faye’s eyes managed to wander off from the scenery and coincidentally, she saw Allen.
Allen wasn’t staring at the window to enjoy the scenery. Instead, Faye could see that he was looking at Ann in a good mood. The corner of his mouth was slightly turned upwards, although she couldn’t say that he really smiled.
But whenever she or Ann turned and he entered their field of visions, Allen would quickly avert his gaze. Ann might not notice this, but Faye who wasn’t focused at the window noticed and she tried her best not to let her smile show.
When the scenery got repetitive, Ann got bored and started yawning. The swaying of the carriage was so comfortable that her eyelids grew heavier and heavier… and eventually, she fell asleep on her seat. Ann’s yawning and her falling asleep seemed contagious, for Faye immediately followed her all the way to the dreamland.
Only Allen and Birdie were wide awake in the carriage at this time.
Birdie inevitably became the only witness to what was happening in the carriage. But since she was just a bird who didn’t seem to be able to communicate with comprehensible words, Allen didn’t bother.
With both girls sleeping, Allen didn’t need to pretend he wasn’t looking at Ann anymore. He was now looking at Ann who was sleeping soundly.
She looks so innocent when she’s sleeping like this.
So he thought as he unconsciously extended his hand and caressed her cheek slowly.
Soft.
Ann was very fast asleep that she didn’t seem bothered by Allen’s caress.
If she’s this defenseless, what’s going to happen if there’s an assassin or someone bad wanting to harm her?
Allen thought to himself as his desire to protect her unconsciously grew stronger.
Birdie seemed to be able to read the atmosphere as she only calmly observed Allen who was looking at the sleeping Ann tenderly. Her head turned left and right as she looked alternatively between Allen and Ann. Then, she also took a peek at the sleeping Faye.
Nobody really saw it, but Birdie looked as if she was contemplating about something very seriously.
Finally, the carriage stopped.
They have arrived at their destination.
The Mojo village.
