The Runaway Maid is Loved by the Archmage - Chapter 79
“Oh my, does my little brother really like Roina that much?”
“Screw off, shut up, stop it, just stop!”
Of all people to get caught by, why did it have to be his sister? Whether she understood Josef’s utter misery or not, Maili burst into laughter.
Josef groaned, clutching his head. Seriously, why was she only ever sharp in situations like this? He hadn’t wanted things to turn out this way either.
Everything was new to him—completely unfamiliar. First love was far more terrifying than he’d ever imagined.
“Roina is an incredible person. Someone you don’t come across often. Honestly, I think I fell for her too.”
Realizing that she and her little brother had the same taste wasn’t exactly the most delightful revelation, but Maili chuckled anyway.
Josef, exhausted by her nonsense, shot her a look of pure exasperation.
“Anyway, what are you going to do about it? Roina doesn’t have the time to spare even a glance at you.”
“…Yeah. I know that without you saying it.”
‘That I’d been rejected before I could even begin.’
Josef muttered weakly, and Maili clicked her tongue.
“Then what? Are you just going to give up?”
“No….”
“Huh?”
Maili raised an eyebrow, surprised. Josef firmly denied her words, his tone unwavering.
‘So, he wasn’t planning to give up?’
“I’m not giving up. More like, I can’t.”
Because I’m an Amasto. Josef grumbled, turning his head away sharply. The Amasto Marquessate truly had an odd family spirit. Though they now dealt in wealth, their roots had always been in knighthood—passionate warriors bound by loyalty. That unwavering sense of pride and rigid integrity had never left them.
Josef pondered. This was the first time he’d ever experienced a feeling that reason alone couldn’t suppress. And now that he had, he understood. He understood why his father and sister had acted the way they did. He would, too. Even if it meant becoming a moth drawn to a flame.
He knew it. This wasn’t some fleeting fever that would subside in time. If it was, then he was doomed to burn with it for the rest of his life. It was a strange certainty. His father had been the same. His grandfather, too. The blood of Amasto always carried an unshakable, all-consuming devotion to someone. He had thought himself the exception—turns out, he had merely failed to escape it.
“Anyway, this is my first time going through something like this, so I’m just… a little shaken up. Give me a few days to get my head straight. Not like Lady Roina is going to come looking for me or anything.”
His lips pouted slightly in frustration. Looking at him like this, he was nothing but a boy. Maili barely managed to stifle her laughter.
“As your sister, I must say I’m quite concerned. Roina is mine, after all. Too many rivals.”
“Oh, would you stop teasing me already—!”
Knock, knock.
Just then, a knock on the door cut between them. The two halted their conversation and exchanged glances before Josef, the owner of the room, spoke first.
“What is it?”
“Lady Veronica of the Eckhardt family has requested a visit.”
The elderly butler’s kind voice followed, asking what they would like to do as he waited for their response.
“The Eckhardt family? Why?”
“For the sake of fostering goodwill and to offer an apology regarding the incident at the Imperial Palace.”
Ugh, does that mean I have to take the hit for this?
This time, it was Maili who groaned in distress.
She had only just graduated from being a proper young lady and reclaimed the freedom of a wild foal, but facing someone as rigid as Lady Veronica meant she couldn’t very well greet her in riding gear or a loose shirt and trousers.
The thought of having to put on a demure act again made her shudder.
Josef shook his head.
How that troublemaker had managed to endure life as a lady-in-waiting at the Imperial Palace remained the greatest mystery to him.
