The Villainess Enjoys Her Seventh Life as a Free-Spirited Bride (hostage) in a Former Enemy Country

“…?”

Rishe didn’t understand what the logic behind it was, but Oliver seemed to mean it.

Rishe heaved a sigh of relief and glanced at the closed door.

Oliver sensed this and asked, “Are you curious how my master is?”

“Yes.”

“Then I dare you to keep it a secret.”

“!”

Oliver smiled pleasantly upon seeing Rishe’s ticked expression.

“Don’t worry. In order to maintain the fairness of your quarrel, I will keep quiet about your condition.”

“O-Oliver-sama!”

“Look, Rishe-sama, seems like we’ve got company.”

Rishe realized that her maids were at the place Oliver indicated.

They were holding the luggage that Rishe had prepared and were watching them.

“Ugh…If you’ll excuse me.”

“Sure. Thank you for bringing the midnight snack.”

Oliver bowed and walked towards the maids.

They waited at a distance and looked at Rishe with concern.

“Rishe-sama, are you okay?”

“Sorry, I’m alright…Will you both accompany me to Harriet-sama’s room?”

The maids nodded happily, and Rishe made her way to one of the guest rooms.

Standing in front of the door, Rishe took the luggage that the maids handed her and thanked them before sending them back to the maids’ quarters.

When she was alone in the hallway, she knocked on the door, forgetting for a moment about her quarrel with Arnold.

“Excuse me, Harriet-sama.”

“H-Hai!”

After the faint voice inside, the door opened gently.

The person who peeked out from inside was not Harriet, but Elise.

“We’ve been waiting for you, Rishe-sama!”

“Thank you, Elise.”

Elise had been staying in Harriet’s room for just about an hour now.

Rishe was about to ask her about the situation when she realized that she didn’t need to ask. From the look on her face, she was probably itching to say, “She’s been dying to see you.”

The reason was apparent the moment Rishe entered the room.

“Wooow!”

There stood Harriet in a lovely nightdress.

“We-Welcome Rishe-sama.”

Harriet straightened her back, standing in front of the couch and fumbling with her sleeves.

Her calf-length, light mint-colored nightdress looked great against her blonde hair and eyes.

The cutback from the bottom of her chest spreads out fluffily, making her cute and flattering. Her bangs were also loosely braided.

In other words, her face was visible.

From the bottom of Rishe’s heart, she jumped for joy at the sight of her olive-colored eyes, just like the real Curtis.

“Harriet-sama, you’re so beautiful!”

“Oof, d-don’t…No, I mean…”

Harriet hid her eyes with her hands in reflex.

However, she quickly removed her hand without hesitation and bowed deeply to Rishe.

“Thank you…Erm, I’m sorry for borrowing your Elise. She taught my maid a lot of things.”

“Don’t mention it. Elise had a great time. She’s adept at fashion, and she loves it very much.”

Elise nodded in agreement, but Harriet still looked apologetic.

“Also, I’ve borrowed a lot of Rishe-sama’s dresses and bags…”

“Don’t worry about that either. It’s more fun to narrow down the list of what you want for tomorrow’s shopping!”

The couch in the guest room was piled high with dresses.

Rishe brought them with her on this trip, though she couldn’t wear everything on this itinerary.

It was better to have Harriet try on the dresses here than to bring them back without even trying on the sleeves after having brought them in the carriage.

“That aside Harriet-sama, let’s get right on it…”

Rishe looked at the luggage that Elise was carrying for her.

“H-Hai, I was wondering about that. Um, that’s…”

The luggage contained a large iron pot.

Rishe smiled and placed the iron pot on the table. Then she took out a warm towel from inside.

This was exactly what she had prepared in the kitchen while making the sandwiches, and had it brought to her when it was ready to be heated.

“Now then, Harriet-sama! Please lie down on the couch.”

“Hiccup?! But I can’t do that in front of you!”

“This way, please. Yeah, sit down, lie on your back, and fold your hands over your stomach…”

“Hya-I-I-I…”

Rishe had learned the skill of moving patients around quickly when she was a pharmacist.

She asked Elise to wait for her in the hallway and placed the warm towel on Harriet’s eyelids as she lay on the couch.

“Hyah…”

Harriet seemed to be startled by the sensation.

“W-What’s this strange, pleasant scent?”

“It’s a towel with herbs wrapped inside, and the herbs were heated by steam.”

The fabric of the towel was thin, so the ingredients of the herbs must be seeping out slowly.

“The herbs are used to relieve muscle stiffness. It is more effective when warmed.”

“When you say ‘muscles,; do you mean in the eye area?”

“Yes!”

In this way, the skin absorbs the medicinal effects and the muscles themselves would be warmed by the heat of the towel.

“It’s a lot easier when the tension around your eyes is relieved.”

It would also help with Harriet’s habit of frowning unconsciously.

“Ahnnn…”

Harriet’s sigh leaked out, as if she was about to melt from the comfort.

Rishe chuckled and went to finish the other concoction.

“Do you feel at ease?”

“I feel very comfortable”

“Great. I’ll write down the types of herbs and their proportion so that you can return to Fabrania just fine.”

The sound of dispensing the contents of the vials clicked and clacked in the room.

Harriet fell silent for a while and then opened her mouth softly and reservedly.

“Excuse me, Rishe-sama, may I ask you a question?”

“Yes, anything at all! Anything from how to grow herbs to how to warm a towel, I’ll answer if I can!”

“Um, that…”

With her eyes covered with a towel, Harriet asked softly, “What happened with your fiancé?”

“……”

The room became quiet and still.