Lina pushed the squeaky little cart down the hallway toward Adeline’s room.
The cart had two tiers.
On the top sat a silver tray carrying breakfast, covered with lids to keep the heat from escaping too quickly.
On the bottom were clean towels and a basin of hot water for washing up.
She stopped at the door, freed one hand to give two soft knocks, then pushed it open.
“Miss Adeline, time to wake—”
She stopped mid-sentence.
Adeline was sitting up in bed, the blanket pulled up to her waist, holding a piece of paper in her hand, staring down at it.
She looked up only when she heard the door.
“Miss, why are you up so early?”
Lina pushed the cart in, her voice full of surprise.
“The sun’s barely been up for a while. You should have slept in.”
“Couldn’t sleep, so I got up,” Adeline said casually.
Lina parked the cart by the bed and reached for the warm towel to wipe her mistress’s face, but she noticed Adeline wasn’t waiting quietly to be served like usual.
Instead, she was staring straight at Lina, holding that piece of paper in her hand, as if thinking something over.
“Miss?”
“Lina, take a look at this.”
Adeline handed the card to her.
Lina stopped what she was doing, took it, and turned it over a few times in her hands.
“Miss, what’s this?”
She blinked, a confused look on her face.
“A… card with nothing on it? The material feels strange—not like paper.”
“Nothing. Mr. Swan sent it over yesterday as a little trinket. Probably some kind of card game or something.”
Adeline narrowed her eyes slightly, watching Lina’s every move.
“I don’t see anything on it, so it must be a printing error.”
“I see.”
Lina didn’t find it strange.
She’d heard that those factory machines broke down every few days, so it only made sense—how could cold, lifeless machines compare to a craftsman’s exquisite skill?
From Lina’s reaction, it seemed she couldn’t see the contents of the card… but Adeline needed to test it more.
She tossed the card onto the smooth tabletop, then took the warm towel and pressed it to her face, enjoying the heat seeping into her skin.
After wiping clean, Lina handed her a cup of lemon water to rinse her mouth with.
“What’s for breakfast?”
Adeline asked, already noticing the inked hand-painted map beginning to spread across the table.
Lina perked up, lifting the lids and laying out the dishes while chattering:
“Grilled fish fillet and poached eggs. The milk is warm, too. The fish came fresh from the kitchen this morning—straight from the port, very fresh. Mr. Swan specifically told the kitchen to save the best piece for you.”
On the silver tray, a golden-brown fish fillet lay on a white porcelain plate, the skin slightly crispy, sprinkled with some unknown crushed leaves, giving off a rich scent of butter and herbs.
Next to the fish was a poached egg, the whites set firm, the yolk hinting at a runny center.
Another cup held warm milk, with a thin skin forming on the surface.
Adeline cut a piece of the fish with her fork and put it in her mouth.
The meat was tender, nearly melting on her tongue, juicy with a light sweetness.
She didn’t know what kind of fish it was, but she was sure she’d never eaten it in her previous life.
“Is it good?”
Lina stood by the bed, watching her expectantly.
“Not bad.”
Adeline cut another piece, satisfying the other girl’s anticipation.
Lina’s face immediately lit up with a smile, as if she’d done something amazing.
As Adeline ate, she confirmed that neither the card nor the map were visible to Lina.
That meant those things—those supernatural things—weren’t something everyone could see.
As for the conditions, she still didn’t know.
But that brought up a more critical question.
Was this card box directed straight at her?
If so, she’d have to seriously consider whether to keep dealing with the box and the cards.
But it was hard to judge that way.
After all, according to Swan, the box was a gift from some minor noble to her cheap old father, Herman, and had coincidentally ended up in her hands.
Of course, if Butler Swan himself was problematic, that would make things especially delicate.
However, if she kept thinking along those lines, she’d fall into an endless cycle.
Until she had more effective and reliable information, it was better to keep things simple.
After stuffing the last bit of fish into her mouth, Adeline put down her utensils and wiped her mouth with the napkin.
Lima quickly cleared the dishes, tidying everything up in a flash.
“Miss,” she said, straightening up and wiping her hands on her apron, “the doctor said the weather is nice today and the wind outside isn’t strong. Your body has recovered very well lately, so you can go for a walk.”
Adeline tilted her head slightly to look at her.
“Outside?”
“Yes.”
Lina nodded, her eyes full of anticipation.
“It can’t be out of the estate, but walking around the mansion or taking a stroll in the garden is perfectly fine. The doctor said sunlight is good for your health—staying cooped up in the room all day isn’t good for recovery.”
Adeline nodded, but in her heart, she grew even more curious about that doctor.
These past few days, she had never seen him even once.
Yet he could accurately judge her physical condition without meeting her, and he gave specific advice based on the weather.
That was highly suspicious.
Of course, Adeline couldn’t directly ask Lina about the doctor, which would be like confessing her own secrets.
So she simply said, “I understand.”
Lina didn’t catch anything unusual and went on enthusiastically making plans.
“Miss, would you like to go see the garden? Even though there aren’t many flowers blooming right now, the lawn is neatly trimmed and the air is better than in here. Or the library? The chairs there are more comfortable than the ones in your room, and the sunlight is better—”
“I know,” Adeline cut her off.
Lina obediently shut her mouth, but the excitement was still plain on her face, as if she were the one about to go out for a walk.
It wasn’t that Adeline wasn’t interested in going out.
She had actually been longing for the outside world—at least until the card box appeared.
But now her attention was more focused on that game, and simply leaving the room no longer fully satisfied her.
Her expectations had dropped considerably.
Still, going out for a walk wasn’t a bad idea.
After all, she couldn’t play the game all the time.
Adeline turned her gaze to the card.
Ever since Lein Kelin had finished his “read” and returned home to rest, the card had gained a different kind of clock.
Two concentric circles—one large and one small—formed inner and outer scales, each with a completely different density.
The inner scale was fine and compact, while the outer scale was much sparser.
Two hands, one long and one short, moved at different speeds.
The short hand on the inner circle moved at about the same speed as a regular clock hand, while the outer one only moved one tick after the inner circle had completed a full rotation.
At this rate, the outer circle would take at least an entire daytime—roughly eight or nine hours—to complete one full rotation.
‘Really? Can’t that guy just rest for two hours?’
Some born capitalist miss felt indignant about it.