Chapter 8: Successful debut in the society

A thick darkness covered the sky, and the noble moon softly illuminated the ground. As I opened the carriage door and stepped out, the mansion, now feeling cozy, appeared before me.

“Tina!”

The peaceful house. The person I feel most comfortable with there ran towards me. Her hair was whiter than the moon floating in the sky, and her face held a youthful beauty that made it hard to believe she was married.

“I’ve returned, Mother.”

Could she have been waiting for me all this time? I hadn’t set a specific return date, but seeing how she kept waiting, it seemed she had been quite worried.

Without hesitation, I burrowed into Artasha’s arms. As she embraced me, her large and soft cushions enveloped me.

“…Hehe.”

The warmth made me laugh without realizing it. No wonder men find comfort in women’s chests when they are upset.

Although Artasha is my biological mother now, having lived as a man once, I think it’s okay to have such thoughts.

“Tina, how was the ball? It must have been tiring; you did a great job.”

Her eyes were full of concern, making my heart tingle. How many times in my life had I been looked at with such genuine worry? I felt ashamed of Tina for wandering despite having such a mother.

“I missed you, Mother.”

“…I missed you too.”

Her eyes softened with a gentle smile at my words. She continued, stroking my hair with a mature smile.

“…You must have heard many insults, but you overcame them so gracefully. I’m really proud of you, Tia.”

“No? I didn’t hear anything like that.”

“Really?”

Artasha blinked in confusion, as if thinking,

“That can’t be true.”

She was really transparent.

“I was able to get close to a nice person.”

“Really? Could you tell me the name of that young lady?”

“Lady Mardian of the Abreldine Count’s family!”

This time, surprise filled Artasha’s blue eyes. She seemed to know about Mardian’s reputation.

“Tina, that’s amazing. I heard she’s not easy to approach. Are you really close with Lady Mardian of the Abreldine Count’s family?”

“Of course. She told me to call her sister!”

“Sister?”

Although it was something Mardian said during that ‘act,’ I decided to twist the truth a bit to reassure Artasha. After all, it’s not a lie, right? It’s okay.

“Really, Tina. You’ve done well. It seems she liked you because you’re so lovely.”

“It’s because I take after you, Mother. You’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen.”

A light blush appeared on Artasha’s white cheeks. Not used to compliments, she awkwardly cleared her throat, looked away, and shyly replied.

“Is that so? Thank you.”

“Only with words?”

I smiled lightly and offered my right cheek to Artasha. She hesitated for a moment, looked around, and then leaned towards me.

Smooch.

As the soft lips of Artasha touched my cheek, I felt a slight recovery in my weary body. For the first time in months since I possessed this body, it felt like I had returned to a comfortable home.

‘Don’t worry, Artasha.’

No.

Don’t worry, Mother.

For the sake of my peaceful idle life, I will definitely make this family wealthy again.

Even though the grand feast in the banquet hall was over, having finished a thoroughly satisfying dinner with my mother and now stepping into the bathroom, I examined my reflection in the full-length mirror.

My skin was so white it was hard to tell if I was a person or a ghost, and it was flawless without a single blemish. Although my body was quite thin from not eating properly, the curves of a woman were clearly evident. Even though she was just an NPC, Tina Blanc was truly a beautiful woman.

“Her chest is a bit small, though.”

But looking at my mother, there seemed to be quite promising potential. I wondered if Tina might one day become a mature and voluptuous woman like my mother.

“..Ugh.”

While looking at the mirror, I felt a sharp pain in my calf. Turning my body halfway to face the mirror again, I saw a clear bruise on my white calf.

Looking at the bruise that was hard to cover with both hands, I recalled the events that happened a few hours earlier in the dark garden.

[Ahh… Tina. You’re so pretty. Cry a little more, a little more.]

[Ugh! It hurts! Please… just a little gentler, ugh! No, stop now….]

[Hah, my lovely girl… I’ll torment you more, more.]

Crack-!!!

“…Damn it.”

Swearing as I looked at the filthy marks and scars left by Mardian, I recalled how she had not stopped tormenting me until I cried. Her final act of licking my tears away and then smiling seductively had truly sent shivers down my spine.

I didn’t feel wronged for walking into the tiger’s den myself, but honestly, it didn’t feel good. Even when Mardian slapped me on the behind, I struggled to control my rising anger.

Wasn’t it my own fault?

But it couldn’t be helped.

One thing I must make clear is that I am definitely not someone who enjoys being on the receiving end.

If I had to choose, I would be more inclined towards making others suffer. In the typical TS stories, where people are often called ‘cover’ and ‘mattress,’ I am clearly the ‘cover’ type.

Of course, I am fully aware of my situation. I am now relying on the power of someone like Mardian in a declining family, but if I had even a little bit of power, I would never associate with a sadist like Mardian.

But reality is harsh. I wasn’t born into a powerful family, and possessing the body of a declining noble’s daughter, I have no choice but to act sweetly.

Just to clarify once more.

My true self is a real man. I have no doubt that a fundamental macho spirit still lives deep inside me. For now, I am merely succumbing to reality, but the masculinity deep within my heart is still very much alive.

I’m clarifying this to avoid any misunderstandings if someone might come across this.

“…I’ll have to get some medicine without Mother knowing.”

After a short sigh, I turned away from the mirror.

If Mother saw this injury, it would be clear that she would be worrying about me alone, which was evident. I didn’t want to add another worry to her already tireless workday.

I moved my heavy legs into the bathtub. As the warm water with rose petals enveloped my lower body, a stinging pain radiated from my calf.

“Haah…”

The warm water wrapping around my whole body felt more soothing than the pain in my calves. I felt like closing my eyes and falling asleep right here.

But I knew that if I did, I would surely get an earful from Renihel, so I forced myself to fight off the drowsiness, took a deep breath, and submerged my head in the bath.

I calmed my racing thoughts underwater.

I had only just taken my first step into the harsh world of high society. Even though I had the strong backing of Mardian, I couldn’t rely on her alone forever.

I needed to expand my influence as much as possible, and as quickly as possible. Even if it meant endlessly humbling myself, I had to cling to the powerful figures who could protect me in this world where power was everything.

Some might call it cowardly. Well, let those people get reincarnated as commoners. Let’s see how far they can get with their precious pride.

I just want to live comfortably while flattering those around me.

I could worry about my pride and any dormant masculinity later, once I was financially secure.

“Pooh!”

I surfaced, clearing all the cluttered thoughts from my mind. I should probably start practicing holding my breath for longer. Judging by Mardian’s demeanor, it seemed like she would try to strangle me before long.

Splash.

I slapped the water with my hand, making it splash everywhere with a loud bang. Clenching my fist with renewed determination, I made a vow to myself.

“Survive. Survive, and live comfortably here with Mother for a long, long time.”

With that vow, I slowly closed my eyes in the bath. When I opened them again, Renihel was scolding me with a grim expression.

I must have been more tired than I realized.

Anyway.

Despite my resolve, time passed very quickly.

A whole year had flown by.

I was still alive, wearing a smile on my face.

And, fortunately, I had managed to win favor with the high-ranking members of society.

Everything seemed to be going quite smoothly.

Except for one peculiar thing.

At some point, a nickname started to follow my name.

I started being called ‘The Pet lady.’