A Day Off, Not a Day Away ( 39 )

The Viscount family arrived, and Liana, who was enjoying her rare day off, spotted them. She approached them and greeted Lady Francesca politely with a respectful bow.

"Good morning, Madam," Liana said.

Lady Francesca smiled warmly, but she looked tired. "Good morning, Liana. Are you taking a day off today?"

"Yes, Madam," Liana replied.

Lady Francesca raised an eyebrow, looking concerned. "Oh no… Who is taking care of Javier today?"

"Miss Gloria and some of the maids are handling my duties," Liana said with a slight smile.

Lady Francesca sighed and rubbed her temple. "Oh dear… I can already imagine the trouble."

At that moment, Lord Garius walked by, looking very tired. He didn't even look at them as he muttered, "I don't care who's in charge. I just want to sleep."

Lady Phenelopie and Lady Garcinia followed him, looking bored. Lady Phenelopie adjusted her silk shawl and said dryly, "As long as he isn't bothering us, I don't care."

Lady Garcinia nodded, distracted. "Yes, let Gloria deal with it. She wanted to manage him, didn't she?"

Liana watched them go into the manor, their indifference not surprising her. "Not their son, not their problem," she thought, smirking a little.

Lady Francesca lingered for a moment and gave Liana with apologetic look. "Enjoy your rest, Liana. I guess Javier antics are unavoidable, right?"

Liana nodded calmly. "They'll manage, Madam. It's good practice for them."

Lady Francesca chuckled softly, shaking her head before heading inside. Alone in the courtyard, Liana stretched her arms. 

"Well," she said to herself, "it's not my problem today." With that, she walked back to the pekko pen, happy to let the maids handle Javier.

Later, Liana lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling as she thought about her so-called "day off." Her hands rested on her stomach, tapping a rhythm.

She compared her usual day to today.

"Morning—wake up, shower, breakfast," she said softly. "No difference so far."

She thought about her regular tasks. After breakfast, she would go to Javier room to wake him up. This was always a challenge because he liked to pretend to be asleep, mumble funny things to make her laugh, or pull the covers over his head.

Then she would dress him, carefully buttoning his shirt while he complained or joked.

"Next is breakfast," she thought with a smile. While Javier ate, she would stand nearby, putting up with his playful attempts to get her to eat sweets.

After breakfast, they would go to the study. But "study" was often a loose term. She would sit on a cushion with a book, enjoying a rare moment of peace while Javier lay across her lap. His excuses for not focusing on his lessons made her feel both annoyed and amused.

In the afternoons, they would have lunch. Sometimes she ate in the maid's dining room, but often she joined Javier when no one else was around. After lunch, it was naptime, which Javier insisted on. Liana suspected he just enjoyed it. He would curl up against her, using her as a pillow, and she tried not to think about how silly it was for a growing boy to cling to her like that.

After their nap, they would often visit the pekko pen or Javier's workshop. She could still picture his happy grin as he worked on his inventions, his laughter filling the room.

"Honestly," she said to the ceiling. "What's the difference between my day off and my usual day?"

The only real difference, she realized, was that she didn't have to follow him around or report to anyone. But still, her thoughts kept going back to Javier and his antics.

Liana sighed and turned onto her side. "I should be relaxing, but I can't stop thinking about him. This isn't a day off; it's just a day of worrying about what trouble he's causing to other without me."

Even though she tried, a small smile appeared on her lips. Javier presence was always in her mind, making it hard to relax.

"Maybe tomorrow, things will go back to normal," she thought.

Liana tried to sleep, but the noise outside her room made it impossible. She could hear the maids calling out in a panic as they searched for Javier.

"Young master! Where are you? Come out right now!"

She shook her head with a knowing smile. "They're not going to catch him like this."

Slowly, she got up and changed into her maid outfit. She moved carefully, making sure the hidden weapon under her dress was secure. Most maids in the household did this for protection against intruders or unexpected dangers.

After smoothing her uniform and tying her hair, she listened to the chaos outside. The sound of frantic footsteps and tired breaths was all too familiar.

Liana stepped out of her room and saw Gloria and some other maids leaning against the walls, trying to catch their breath.

"Liana, you're supposed to be resting!" Gloria exclaimed, her face red.

"I tried," Liana replied calmly, smiling a little. "But it was too noisy."

Before Gloria could say more, Liana raised her voice to be heard over the noise. "Young master! Time for a nap!" Her tone was firm but gentle, and her smile stayed.

Suddenly, Javier appeared beside her, grinning widely. Liana wasn't surprised; she knew he had been using his invisibility magic to avoid the other maids.

"Okay!" Javier said happily, hugging her tightly. Even at eleven, he was a bit taller than her, and he loved to tease her about it.

Liana gently patted his back, her smile softening. "Now, young master, let's go to your room for a nap. No more running around."

Javier laughed, his amber eyes shining with mischief. "If you're the one telling me, how can I say no?"

Gloria and the other maids watched, a mix of relief and surprise on their faces.

"How does she do it so easily?" one maid whispered.

"Because it's Miss Liana," Gloria replied, shaking her head. "The young master doesn't listen to anyone else like that."

As Liana led Javier back to his room, the manor finally quieted down, allowing the other maids to catch their breath. For Liana, it was just another ordinary day—day off or not.

Later, Gloria decided to check on Javier to make sure he had settled down. She quietly walked to his room, her footsteps soft on the wooden floors. She slowly opened the door, peeking inside.

What she saw stopped her.

There was Javier, sleeping peacefully, his arms wrapped tightly around Liana. She sat on the bed with an open book in her lap, her head tilted slightly as she dozed off too. Despite the awkward position, she looked calm, as if she was used to being a pillow for him.

Javier had a rare look of peace on his face, nestled against her lap as if it were the most comfortable place in the world.

Gloria sighed, pressing her lips together. "Of course," she muttered. "Only Miss Liana can handle him."

She thought about waking Liana to remind her about her day off but decided against it. Liana looked too comfortable, and waking her would only lead to a polite but firm talk later. Plus, Javier would probably wake up and cause more trouble.

Shaking her head, Gloria quietly closed the door and walked away, muttering, "I'll never understand how she does it... but at least he's not causing trouble anymore."

As she returned to her duties, she made a mental note: never question Liana methods. They worked, and that was what mattered.

(End of Chapter)