episode_0029

No room for complacency. The opponent is Lily, a genius who awakened to mana at the age of 8.

I’ve never won a game of chess before. But now is the time.

I’ve played numerous games of chess with Lily, but never had such an advantageous position as now. I don’t know what Lily was thinking, but she made a mistake by missing my queen, and my queen is alive.

Looking at the overall situation, I am clearly in a favorable position.

It’s amusing to be so serious against an 8-year-old, but if I don’t, she won’t even consider me as competition.

Moreover, playing with Lily has significantly improved my skills.

Carefully considering each move, an hour after starting the chess game.

“I lost…”

Lost again.

Even though I captured her queen first this time, I still lost.

Lily proudly sticks out her small belly, saying, “Burrr!”

“Hiyaaaah!”

Oh, I couldn’t help but kiss Lily’s belly and make a fart sound. I just couldn’t resist.

“Give me a kiss.”

Whenever Lily wins a game, she asks for a kiss from me. I smile and give her a kiss.

Recently, when she said she would help with the laundry, I taught her the easiest way to fold dry clothes.

When Lily confidently declared she was done and went to show me, I was taken aback. I mean, I did follow my instructions, but something seemed off. One thing for sure, storing clothes like this will cause wrinkles.

So, laundry is a no-go.

Next was tidying up. Here, I learned one of Lily’s traits.

She believes things are clean if they’re out of sight. So, she stuffs what she considers dirty in hidden places.

In the end, since this leads to more work later, tidying up is also a no-go. Some items might disappear later.

Then… nothing.

There doesn’t seem to be any chores suitable for an 8-year-old.

Realizing she lacked talent in chores, Lily eventually gave up.

Still, I appreciated her effort and affectionately patted her head.

As I gently stroked Lily’s sleeping head, I noticed faint scars between her fingers.

Although she doesn’t show it much lately, she seems anxious about being away from me.

While there has been definite improvement since the beginning, it seems I need to show more affection.

She must have felt my touch because she tightly held one of my fingers, looking so adorable that I could go crazy.

I’m considering sending Lily to the academy when she turns 12.

In the game, due to pressure from Helena and the family, she has been confined to the annex without experiencing much. It’s heartbreaking to see how pitiful Lily is, so I’m determined to expose her to various experiences this time.

Now that Helena seems to be on our side, it might be okay. Oh, but will Lily and I be sad if we go to the academy…?

Well, since it’s still four years away, I can think about it later.

It seems like all Lily needs now is my continued care and attention.

The next issue is Helena.

I never imagined having this kind of relationship with Helena. In the game, Helena appeared as a ruthless villain, but here she is acting playful in front of me.

Honestly, I worried a lot about how to deal with Helena later, so I’m relieved things turned out well.

Seeing Helena and Lily occasionally meeting secretly and playing together, their relationship seems fine.

Now, the biggest issue is the upcoming war. Although it’s in the distant future, it’s not bad to prepare in advance.

The problem is, the game didn’t explain why the war broke out…

The reason for the revolution was because of Helena, is it okay?

Lately, besides focusing on work-related matters, I feel like my concentration has been off. I wonder if I’m becoming like Amelia.

It seems like I’m gradually adapting to this world.

I wonder if it’s okay to continue like this. Is it alright for me to live peacefully without doing anything?

It’s scary to think that this peace might disappear if I don’t do something.

“Ugh… Ah… Melia…”

As Lily approached me with small steps, I embraced her. Lily’s warm presence spread through my body, making my previously dizzy head feel clear.

Wouldn’t it be okay to live like this?

I also snuggled Lily gently and fell asleep.

==

Today is Lily’s magic lesson. I stretched in bed and got up.

After changing out of my pajamas and handing them to Lily, I returned to my room.

I guess I could sell the bed in my room at this rate. I’ve only used it once or twice since coming here…

Twice now, once during my period and once to relieve stress.

Only used it twice in almost two months.

I quickly took off my underwear and…? Huh?

I distinctly remember a seam sticking out prominently on these underwear, but now it’s gone?

It looks somewhat new… Could it be that this drawer is enchanted!

That would make sense. I had a feeling that recently, some of my worn underwear and stockings seemed slightly new, and now I know why!

Fantasy worlds sure are convenient. With this drawer alone, I might never have to buy underwear or clothes again.

“What’s this.”

But the maid’s outfit remains unchanged. The torn part on the table’s edge from when I cleaned last time is still there.

“Why is the maid’s outfit the same… Oh!”

Could it be a kind of enchantment that only affects underwear types! It’s clear that only small and relatively simple undergarments are affected.

Since the maid’s outfit is quite large and intricate, it seems difficult to repair it with magic.

I reluctantly restored the maid’s outfit quickly. This is a piece of cake now.

Come to think of it, Camilla is coming today. It’s been a while, and I’m a bit bored. Maybe I should put on some makeup.

My makeup skills seem to improve every time I do it.

Looking in the mirror, I saw a stunning version of myself. At this rate, shouldn’t a maid maker come out based on me?

Setting that aside, I wish I could reduce the size of my large chest a bit. It’s uncomfortable being too big; there are a few inconveniences. Now, corset over the underwear…! Phew, tight. After tidying up properly, I put on the maid outfit I just restored.

I went down to the kitchen on the first floor, put on an apron, and started preparing breakfast.

Camilla comes on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays to teach Lily magic, so we decided to have breakfast here each time she comes due to the tight schedule.

After breakfast, I take a short break before starting lessons, so I wake up earlier on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays to prepare breakfast.

Come to think of it, on Tuesdays and Saturdays, I go to the main house to get ingredients, so I end up waking up early almost every day.

I’m living quite diligently, more than I thought.

Of course, it’s not forced; I find joy in this work and have been enjoying it.

With a simple breakfast of toast, eggs, and bacon almost ready…

-Knock, knock.

Camilla arrived at the annex.

I quickly took off my gloves, wiped my sweaty hands on the apron, and opened the door to the annex.

“Welcome. Lady Camilla.”

“Hello~ Ah… Mel… ia?”

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh, nothing~ *gulp*.”

“I’ll go wake up Lily for a moment.”

“Okay.”

I quickly went upstairs to Lily’s room. As expected, Lily was still holding onto my pajamas tightly, lost in dreamland.

Lifting Lily in my arms, I headed straight to the bathroom. After quickly washing her face to wake her up and swiftly changing her into fresh pajamas, I carried Lily downstairs to the kitchen.

Camilla, perhaps feeling bored, assisted with setting up breakfast. The morning meal was already prepared.

“Thank you for helping.”

“Oh, no, no! Hello, Lily.”

Still groggy, Lily waved her hand in greeting to Camilla. Why did she seem unable to fully wake up?

Come to think of it, she drank milk before bed after a long time last night. Could that be why we had to make a trip to the bathroom together in the early hours?

Hmm… It seems drinking something before bedtime might not be a good idea now. Judging by how tired she looks.

While having breakfast, I informed Lily, “From now on, no more milk or water in the evening.”

-Clang, clang.

“Huh?”

Why was Lily so surprised, and why was Camilla also taken aback? And what’s with this déjà vu?

“Why… why?”

I calmly explained the reason, “You wake up in the middle of the night because of using the bathroom after drinking in the evening, right?”

“…Yes.”

“It disrupts your restful sleep, which is why I think it’s not good for you, Lily.”

“No! It’s fine!”

“However! Even though Camilla arrived late this morning and greeted you first as your elder, how did you respond?”

“…”

“You didn’t greet politely; you just waved your hand. Is that how you should behave towards someone older than yourself?”

“I’m sorry…”

“You should apologize to Camilla, not me.”

“I-I’m sorry.”

As soon as I finished speaking, Lily turned her head towards Camilla, bowed apologetically, and said, “It’s okay, it’s okay. Also, if there’s something you want to drink when you’re young, it’s okay to have it. You take naps too, right? So, wouldn’t it be okay to wake up in the early morning?”

Suddenly, Camilla was advocating for Lily, trying to persuade me. When did both Camilla and Helena become so close to our Lily?

With half-closed eyes, I gazed at them intently, and Camilla opened her mouth more assertively to convince me further, “She’s only 8 years old. It’s a very healthy age; there’s no need to worry about waking up briefly in the early morning. And where’s the harm in a simple greeting? Right? So, even without imposing such restrictions, Lily will do just fine. Isn’t that right?”

“That’s right.”

As Camilla urgently looked at Lily, Lily nodded quickly and looked at me with sparkling eyes.