Chapter 46: A day at the mansion

“Hmph, hng…”

The morning begins with bright sunlight and a soft hum. Sitting up on the bed, I stretched my arms upward. I picked up the bell resting on the table beside the bed and rang it once, twice, three times.

As soon as the ringing stopped, the door opened. A maid with bright blonde hair and fresh green eyes entered the room. Her name was definitely Ciriel, wasn’t it?

Without even greeting me, she gave me a once-over, her gaze filled with obvious disdain. I was well aware that she disliked me, but I wasn’t particularly curious about the reason.

After all, I’m the one in charge here.

“I’m going to bath, so could you prepare the water, Ciriel?”

I smiled sweetly and rang the bell three times. For a moment, Ciriel’s expression twisted in hostility. However, the privilege of ringing this bell was something granted to me by Viviana, an absolute rule she had no choice but to follow, no matter how much she hated it.

Ciriel turned and left the room, slamming the door behind her. Despite the noise that made me frown, I merely laughed it off lightly.

I was in an exceptionally good mood today. I had found a way to manage Viviana and received permission to write letters to the other young ladies.

And that’s not all. I was no longer bound to the bed, and above all, I had managed to obtain a book to alleviate my boredom.

After securing so many privileges in one morning, I could easily tolerate such petty hostility.

I heard that Iris, who was on duty this afternoon, would guide me to the library of the duchy. I was told I could choose a book there.

As I pondered alone over which book to pick, Ciriel returned, having already prepared everything. Following her into the bathroom adjacent to my room, my eyes were drawn to the bath that lacked even a single lit candle.

Ciriel left the bathroom with a faint smile, closing the door behind her. Slowly, I reached out and dipped my hand into the bathwater.

It was lukewarm.

Neither warm nor cold.

Though I could bath in it, the unpleasant temperature made it unsuitable for a relaxing soak. If the water had been cold, I could have easily reported her overt hostility to Viviana, but it wasn’t quite to that extent.

“Hng…”

I’ll have to take my bath in the evening.

Without much hesitation, I left the bath. Waiting outside the door, Ciriel seemed surprised, as if she hadn’t expected me to come out so soon.

“I enjoyed my bath?”

I gave her a sweet smile and walked back into my room. It wasn’t exactly a refreshing morning, but I could smile through it.

The not-so-pleasant morning passed, and lunchtime approached. When I rang the bell again, another attendant opened the door and appeared before me.

A beautiful woman with jet-black hair and dark eyes, Iris. For some reason, the atmosphere around her felt different from others.

“By any chance, is it okay if I go to the study now?”

I decided to skip lunch.

Perhaps because of what happened in the morning, I didn’t really have an appetite. Or maybe I just wanted to grab a book to ease the boredom faster than I wanted food.

Iris nodded silently. I felt like I should have informed her that I had already gotten permission from Viviana, but fortunately, it seemed like Viviana had informed her in advance.

Iris led me to the study, and I hummed a tune as I followed her. On the way, I tried to strike up a conversation with her a few times, but all I got in return was cold silence.

“I hope we can become closer someday, Iris.”

With my words, filled with a cheerful tone, we arrived at the study. As I stepped inside, my first thought was whether this was a library or a study. The vast space filled with books stacked high. It was certainly a sight befitting the grandeur of the duchy.

Slowly, I wandered around the large study, browsing through the books. Contrary to my expectations, most of the books were scholarly.

History, magic, swordsmanship, management, and so on.

They might have been useful to my mother, but they were of no use to me.

Occasionally, I came across fiction books, but after skimming through the summaries, they seemed dull and tedious.

“Not quite what I was expecting…”

All the books seemed to fall short of satisfying my craving for something stimulating. Just as I began to feel a bit disappointed, one title caught my eye.

I slowly raised my hand to try and pull the book out. However, it was too high, and I couldn’t reach it with the tips of my fingers.

Just as I was considering whether I needed to bring a ladder, Iris appeared behind me and took the book down for me. I thought she had stayed outside the room, so I was slightly startled by how she suddenly appeared behind me.

‘She didn’t make a sound…’

With her usual expressionless face, Iris handed me the book. I smiled brightly as I took it from her.

“Thank you, Iris! You’re so tall and really cool.”

With a compliment full of flattery, I examined the book. The title was written as:

‘66 Methods of Torture and Screams.’

I quickly flipped through the pages, skimming the contents. Here and there, large letters were accompanied by various photographs. It was perfect for someone like me who dislikes reading.

The book illustrated different methods of torture, and at the end of each section was a photo of the tortured person. The people in the pictures were shedding tears of blood, their bodies writhing in agony.

Some of the photos were quite gory. As I gazed into the eyes of the people consumed by despair, I felt my heart start to race a little.

At the very least, this book would be stimulating.

“I’ll take this one.”

With a cheerful voice, I hugged the book tightly to my chest. Iris remained expressionless, but there was a faint hint of bewilderment in her eyes. I smiled softly and put a finger to my lips.

“Please keep this a secret from Lady Viviana.”

With Iris’s silent response, the exploration of the study came to an end.

After lunchtime, I spent the early evening with Luna. I ate the snacks she gave me and decided to take the bath I had missed in the morning.

Luna was clumsy, but she wasn’t unkind. The bathtub was filled with luxurious scented candles, and flower petals were scattered on top, adding a touch of mood.

After enjoying the warm water in the tub for about thirty minutes, I returned to my room, only to find a strange item placed on the desk.

There was a plain envelope, three sheets of letter paper, and a luxurious fountain pen that looked expensive at first glance. It must be the letter mentioned yesterday.

Versha, Sharione, and Mardian. The three sheets of letter paper were perfect for these three ladies.

After briefly pondering what to write, I began to pen my thoughts with a faint smile. To Sharione, I wrote a thank-you note, expressing my gratitude for the gift she had given me. To Versha, I mentioned how I missed the sweet treats she used to send me every day. And to Mardian, I conveyed that I didn’t want to sever our ties.

Considering that Viviana might see these letters, I refrained from including any personal details. Instead, I subtly wove into the text my desire to always see them and my wish for them not to forget me.

When I rang the bell, Luna opened the door and entered. I carefully sealed the letters and handed them to her.

“Do you think Viviana might see my letters?”

“…!”

Luna was startled and stepped back. She didn’t answer my question, but her restless eyes spoke volumes.

With such poor ability to hide her true feelings, Luna was clearly quite oblivious compared to others. Stupid and incompetent—if she at least had money, it would be different, but as it stands, I had no desire to get closer to her.

Luna hurried out of the room with the letters in hand. Left alone in the room, I looked at my reflection in the mirror.

Wiping away the slight smile, I put on an awkward expression. My face now looked quite lacking in confidence.

It was vaguely similar to my face from the past, yet subtly different. Though there was still a mask over my face, this should surely be convincing enough for Viviana.

“…I’m hungry.”

I deliberately skipped dinner to spend time with Viviana. If I shyly and awkwardly suggest we have dinner together, she will undoubtedly be pleased.

And as if speaking of the devil, the door opened just as the bright sun was setting into a gentle dusk, and with confident steps, she entered.

“Tina.”

In this vast mansion, she was the only one who ever spoke to me. A woman with jet-black hair and enchanting violet eyes.

My beautiful mistress had come to visit me. I swallowed my awkwardness, forcing an uncomfortable smile with eyes that failed to focus on her.

“W-Welcome back, Viviana…!”