Side Story 5 (1/2)

Side Story 5 – A Certain Servant’s Return Home

“You want to go back to your old village?”

It was a little while after they had settled down in the Black Rose Mansion that Tena had told Anri as such

“Yes I had always been hesitant about it, but in the end I really do want to meet with my family once”

When she had first begun living with Anri, they had discussed this matter as well, but at the tis yet, and they postponed the visit It was natural that she held co sold as a slave, but with time, she was able to sort them out

And being the case, Anri had only one possible reply

“Got it I’ll be fine here, so don’t worry and go”

There were plenty of things that she’d be troubled with if Tena wasn’t here to do the housework, but if it was just for a short while, then she would ave her consent After all, it wasn’t as though Anri herself couldn’t do housework, and Leonora was here too Even the young Lili had recently begun to help out around the house, so Anri judged there was no problem

And so, Anri tried to send Tena off, but Tena herself gave an unexpected reply

“Umm… If possible, I would like to introduce you to ood?”

“……………Eh?”

Had anyone else been in the room, they would very probably have tried to stop this, but for better or for worse, it was only the two of them in the room

It was a se froe, save the occasional ht, and in this village arrived a single luxurious horse-carriage

Before the eyes of the villagers staring in curiosity, opened the door of the carriage, and froirls

The reason was siether with her entirely black dress with its bewitching design, there was nothing that could be ers ary

Because of how ers coirl who they nor on

“Umm…”

“? …Tena? Aren’t you Tena!?”

Tena tiers let out cries of surprise

But overwhel next to her, they couldn’t come near and instead stood around a little distance away

“So you were fine, Tena…”

“Yes, Roi-san”

A man in the prime of his life called out to Tena, and with that as the i out to her as well

“Thank goodness Everybody was so worried for you”

“Muer-obaasan…”

An old lady with a cane spoke to Tena in tears, and Tena’s eyes became watery as well

“Tena-oneechan!”

“I’m sorry, Epina”

A girl around Lili’s age ran up to Tena, hugging her, and Tena stroked her head with a gentle smile

And then, silence fell

All of them wanted to push the task onto somebody else, and nobody could say the words, but finally the man from before──Roi, timidly asked,

“By the ho is that person?”

Once again, all the gazes fell onto the girl, but she si overwhelmed

“Ah, this personage is my master, Anri-sama”

A coers

After looking back and forth between the faces of the masked Anri, and Tena, complicated expressions appeared on their faces

The villagers knew that Tena had been sold as a slave

On this point, thewoman, and Tena seemed to be fond of her as well Tena was somebody close to them, and she couldn’t have been sold to a better person Norers should have welcomed this

However…

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──What on earth was that mask!?

So wondered every single villager there

Whether her age, or her sex, she seemed to be the safest and most fortunate master possible for Tena, but just that suspicious hed on their minds

To begin with, looking at the carriage she arrived in, and the dress that she earing, there was nothat she was a powerful person with a considerable sum of assets If they incurred her displeasure, it was possible that a s considered that, the villagers couldn’t give voice to their question

The truth was that the girl──Anri, was sied to, and leaving aside her substantial connections to the Holy Anri Thearchy, she actually had no official authority at all However, the villagers had no way of knowing this

In the end, the villagers didn’t bring up Anri’s mask, and the two of them headed towards Tena’s house

After parting froers, Tena and Anri caers orrying about theirls hadn’t noticed

The house was a cosy one built froh quite some tied here and there

“This place?”

“Yes, this is my… this is the house that my family lives in”

Tena couldn’t bring herself to say 『my house』 Her broere curved in a difficult expression

She stood there in front of the door, and stared at the doorknob

“Not going to go in?”

“…I’ll, be opening it now”

Anri gently prohtly clenched her hand before reaching out to open the door

However, before she could do so, a voice called out to her from the side

“…………Tena?”