Third Arc: Fourth Chapter

The inn where we were to stay, the Silver Fox's Tail, was quite a grand place. Remias had arranged it. Inns are graded in three ranks, gold, silver, and bronze, and this one was a silver inn close to gold.

Nearly every inn in Altria, and some inns in Lumelica, has one of the words gold, silver, or bronze in its name. This is the inn's rating, and the rank rises from bronze up toward gold. Inns with "gold" in the name are found only in the larger towns of the kingdom, and even in Medius there is just one gold inn. Since Lady Julia, the daughter of a marquess's house, was coming on this trip, I had thought to book a gold inn, but Remias recommended this one instead.

And Remias knew what he was about, as ever. The refined landlady who came out to greet us, the polite staff, the furnishings and the building itself, all of it was splendid. It was a finer inn than you would ever guess a silver one to be.

A soft-spoken maid in a clean, tasteful uniform showed me to my room, and I went straight through to the next room to check on Sissi. She had seemed a little tired, so I had sent her ahead to the inn to rest. I hoped she had been able to take it easy.

"Sissi, I'm back. How are you feeling?"

"Welcome back, milady. I'm quite all right. I wasn't unwell to begin with."

Sissi rose from her chair and answered with a wry smile.

Good, she had more color in her face. I let out a quiet breath. With how busy things had been lately, I had pushed Sissi far too hard. This trip was partly meant as a reward for her, since she had never left Altria, so tiring her out over it would defeat the whole purpose.

"You can stay sitting. Once you're settled, let's go for dinner. They say the food at this inn is good too. I can't wait!"

"Milady... you needn't fuss over someone like me. I'll make some tea."

Sissi slipped past me to go and make the tea, and as I tried to stop her, there was a knock at the door.

"Oh? Who could that be. Lady Julia, maybe?"

"I'll get it. Please stay seated, milady."

She pressed down on my shoulders, and I sank into the sofa.

Hmm. That's Sissi for you. A tough one.

But this sofa was lovely too. So soft it gently cradled my bottom, gone stiff as a board from the jolting carriage.

As I was savoring the sofa, Sissi came back with a puzzled look on her face.

"Milady..."

"Sissi? What's wrong?"

Something in Sissi's face made me uneasy, and I asked. The next moment, I couldn't believe my ears.

"...Lady Anje has come to see you."