"mistress" • diluc

xii

• third person •

Avoiding any sort of creak, the head housemaid cautiously pushed the wooden door behind her shut, glancing around with shrunken pupils.

"Ahah, it stinks in there."

Adelinde jumped. She shot around, only to be met with the familiar butler of the winery within the empty corridor of the second floor. Her shoulders instantly fell.

Elzer's eyes closed with a smile. His head tilted.

Adelinde nodded, the corners of her lips turning up ever so slightly.

"All of them?"

"All of them."

Elzer folded his arms, his emerald eyes glistening. Adelinde tugged off her no-longer-white gloves, tucking a dirty blonde strand behind her ear.

"You've always been swift at getting the job done. You should get cleaned up quickly; the other maids are on a break."

Adelinde was about to nod once again.

The pair of them froze on the spot.

A creak erupted behind them.

Slowly, Elzer turned.

A blue-haired woman stared at the pair, blinking in perplexion.

They both sighed simultaneously.

"Master Diluc's asleep," Aila informed them simply. "I should get home soon."

"Ah, thank you–"

"Hold on," Adelinde interrupted.

Aila's eyelids fluttered.

An innocent smile plastered upon Adelinde's face. Elzer let out a disapproving but playful exhale, shaking his head.

"How about a meal before you go?"

•

"Funny woman," Aila murmured to herself as she finally began to approach the snowy lands. Her heels left a delicate trail in the white blankets behind her, puffs of her breath evident in the chilly air. "I know how you are."

Aila avoided a few hilichurls in the way of the path before her, before eventually, the sight of fire was finally in her view.

Rapidly, Aila approached the small camp, and lo and behold, of course her mentor was there. Aila's eyes lit up.

And then narrowed in remembrance of what had happened that morning.

The blond-haired alchemist raised his head upon hearing the shuffle in the snow.

"Aila?"

Aila's face reddened. She peeked into the lab, avoiding Albedo's gaze in shame.

Albedo instantly stood straight, a warm smile spreading across his lips. "Are you feeling better now?"

Aila nodded slightly. "I-I apologise. My reaction to your care was immature."

Albedo shook his head. "Come in."

Hesitantly, Aila did so. Albedo pulled out a chair for her within his small lab, but Aila only politely refused.

From what it looked like, many ingredients were spread across his desk, along with a few sheets: it seemed he was working on a new potion.