Stash rushed to my side and helped me sip on a glass of water so the coughing would stop. He said a few words to the girl who looked shocked and bowed her head in an apologetic stance.

-I apologies, my lady. Ḿĺ is still learning.-

He signed hastily before wiping the rest of the food that had splattered down my chin.

-My sorry! My sorry!-

The girl repeatedly signed.

She looked very embarrassed and glanced around for something to do in this emergency. She looked like she had just broken an expensive vase… Somehow, meeting someone more clumsy than myself made me happy.

As Stash finally finished wiping my dress from salad, I addressed her.

-Your name is Ḿĺ, right?-

The girl stopped her frantic apologies and tilted her head

-Sorry. What say?-

She responded.

From the way she signed, she was still learning the basics. Some people seem to pick up quickly when it comes to the secret language, but there are people who simply can’t seem to grasp it.

-Your . Name . Is . Ḿ ĺ . Right ?-

I signed slowly.

She repeated the signs a few times before her eyes lit up.

-Yes! Yes! Ḿĺ.-

She signed back, smiling.

-Our names are similar! Mine is Śĺḵ! Almost the same accents! Can I call you Ḿĺ? It will be even closer!-

I learnt all the basic consonants of the language, so I could guess her name must be something close to Mili. There was another accent, but I wasn’t sure what it sounded like.

She seemed to hesitate for a moment. Stash spoke up and told her a few words and her eyes lit up once again.

She seemed rather happy about what he had just told her and she nodded excitedly.

-Yes! I like name!-

After our short introduction, Stash took the time to explain who Mili was and what she would be doing.

He explained that Lionheart and himself had been struggling on how to make sure I was well taken care of. Although the maids had all been kind, I was unable to communicate with any of them despite my best attempts. Apparently, Stash had tried to teach some basic phrases and sentences with moderate success. Most could ask me basic questions such as if I was thirsty or hurt, but they struggled to understand anything beyond ‘Yes’ or ‘no’. That’s where Mili came in.

Apparently, she was the daughter of one of our family’s knights, Sir Glsr. As landed gentry, his family was quite well off. Recently, his daughter Mili had joined him in the capital to gain more worldly experience.

To my surprise, she was the one who volunteered for the position. Despite her parents best intention in bringing her to the capital, there had been little in the way of interesting work for her to do and as she was both highly literate and learned, Mili had spent her days helping with keeping the household books and doing menial jobs around the estate.

Seeing her bounce from one foot to another, I could already tell why this wasn’t a good fit for her. She looked much too active to spend days in an office scribbling on paper.

-So from now on, Mili will be the one to look after you throughout the day. You can call for me at any time of course if the need arises. She is still learning, so I hope my lady will be kind and patient with her.-

I nodded and smiled in response.

It was exciting to no longer have an adult with me all day long. Maybe Mili would also be able to play with me? Stash had tried, but it just wasn’t the same as playing with other kids or Jade.

Stash turned to Mili and talked to her for a few moments.

There were a few back and forth, probably instructions, before he turned back to me.

-I wish you a wonderful day my lady-

Stash finally said before bowing and taking his leave, leaving the two of us alone in the garden.

We looked at each other awkwardly for a few moments. I was unsure what to say, so I turned my attention back to my unfinished plate.

Once I finished the meat, it was always difficult to finish the plate somehow. The green always feels more bland and bitter in comparison…

There was a Seeir saying that went something like: ‘Those who do not know, do not crave’.

I had not truly grasped the meaning back then, but it all made sense now.

I did try to skip the salad yesterday, but Stash scolded me. Maybe Mili wouldn’t?

Fork in hand, I stole a glance in her direction. She was still staring at me with an intense look in her eyes.

Had she caught on with my plan already?

Nevermind. It’s not worth the risk. I chowed down on the herbs as quickly as I could, doing my best to ignore the bitter prickle in my throat. I washed it all down with a warm cup of tea and laid back on my chair. The entire time, Mili had never stopped starring.

I don’t think she even blinked.

Somehow she had managed to sneak all the way up to my side and was now staring harder than ever. If she stared any harder, I think her eyes would pop right out of their sockets.

-Are you…?-

As I signed the words, she jumped forward and stared at my hands intensely. Making me backaway by reflex.

What’s wrong with her?

After a moment, she turned back to me, perplexed looking.

-Sorry, no understand words. Again?-

Uh? She was trying to see what I was signing?

I gently pushed her back and slowly signed.

-Are you alright?-

I saw her eyes trace every movement of my hands. She repeated the sign to herself once before nodding seriously.

-Yes! I alright!-

She answered proudly before going back to staring intensely.

I could feel a grimace appearing on my face, but I forced myself to smile instead. At least now I understand better why she looked so focused.

Learning the secret language can be exhausting at first, and it’s very easy to miss a hand movement or the beginning of a sentence if you’re not paying attention… But maybe she’s trying a bit too hard…

I sipped on my cup of tea as I tried to ignore her gaze.

I closed my eyes and immersed myself in the flavour.

Like with most teas, the first thing I noticed was not the taste, but the aroma. The ones I had drank before coming here had mostly a floral smell, but this one was more fruity. Almost like wild berries. The taste on the other hand wasn’t sweet. Actually, tea was a strange experience. The taste was never particularly good. If someone asked me to describe the taste, I would probably say that it is bitter with hints of whatever ingredients were mixed in. Yet, somehow, the experience of drinking was always enjoyable. It disconnects the mind, makes me stop thinking and instead makes me appreciate what one has.

I opened my eyes and looked around me, The courtyard of the Ashbrook estate. Like many Evergreen estate, it was smaller than the ones you would find in the countryside. So compact in fact that the courtyard was surrounded on three sides with the rest of the mansion as to not waste space. At first I thought it looked cramped, but now that I was sitting here, I could tell it was all meticulously planned. Flowers surrounded the central pavillon, and trees and climbing plants had been placed along the walls to give the illusion of space.

I took a deep breath and took in the smells of nature. Having lived in the city for quite some time now, I had almost forgotten this feeling.

My mind feeling calmer, I turned to Mili and waved at her before signing.

-Don’t Worry. I will warn you before I sign. You can relax.-

She watched attentively as I signed slowly. She signed back to herself and in an instant her posture relaxed. She let out a sigh which I could only imagine must have sounded very relieved.

-Thank you.-

She simply signed back with a smile.

I nodded and went back to sipping tea. It had been a hectic few weeks since I moved here, so finally being able to just be at home felt like a blessing.

I went to take another sip, but it seems that Mili had continuously refilled my cup and the teapot was now completely empty.

I sat back on my seat and…

Wait. What do I do now?

Actually, what do I usually do?

Normally, once the meal is over, Stash would bring me somewhere to shop for furniture, pick colours for clothes or take measurements. He would bring me out to go to church, give me writing lessons or take me out to play with Jade…

I don’t usually have nothing to do.

I turned to Mili.

-Is there anything else planned today?-

I asked her, curious.

She signed back to herself and thought for a few moments, but simply shook her head.

[Uh. Nothing. That’s… Boring.]

I said to Darkie.

“I guess it’s been a long time since we’ve been bored. At the orphanage there’s always a game to play, a thing to clean or a class to learn, but Jade isn’t here and the servants take care of cleaning.”

He replied in his bunny voice.

[That makes sense. I guess we could play together?]

I suggested.

“Yeah, good idea! It’s been a while!”

[So what should we play?]

“Uh…”

We both thought for a long moment but nothing came up at all.

I felt a small poking sensation on my shoulder. I turned around to a smiling Mili, but I could tell from her shifting posture that she was getting ants in her legs.

-Would you like to walk around?-

Walking around?

“She’s right! We haven’t visited the house yet!”

[Right! Let's get her to show us everything!]

It had completely slipped my mind.

The house was huge, much bigger than the orphanage, but I had only visited the entrance hall, the dining room and my own bedroom. This was a perfect opportunity!

-Yes please! I want to see everything!-

She smiled excitedly at my enthusiastic response and without a second thought took me by the hand, short of yanking me out of my seat.