episode_0002

The night is getting deeper. I sat on a chair on the terrace and looked down at the garden.

Hundreds of fireflies flew around above the colorful flowers that bloom in June. The appearance was like the night sky spread over the ground.

“Lady, the night wind is cold.”

At the sound of Sarah’s voice coming from behind me, I smiled slightly and swept my arms down.

“I have something to think about for a moment. By the way, could you bring me a blanket? It’s a little cold.”

“… … Yes.”

I looked at Sarah for a moment as she went in to get a blanket, then leaned against the back of the chair.

If the mansion’s chief maid or a member of the family saw this, it was obvious that they would criticize me and nag me, but it was good. Because now is my time.

“Hmm… … .”

Let’s organize our priorities. The person you need to pay most attention to is your younger brother.

He’s an idiot who can’t help but think about incompetent subjects, and even he’s a fool who goes on a rampage without any consideration once he gets angry and excited. At the same time, he is the kingdom’s greatest asshole with a thirst for fame and a desire to show off.

How did such a fool come into being? My head started pounding as I remembered how I was toddling around during the day. If I had been born a few years earlier, I would have secretly taken medication and caused a miscarriage. It’s such a shame.

As I rested my chin and tapped my cheek with my index finger, I felt a soft touch on my shoulder.

“Lady. I brought a blanket.”

“Thank you Sarah. As expected, Sera is capable.”

“Thanks to you, this was possible. I am… … .”

I laughed with satisfaction at the way he didn’t listen and instead belittled himself even when I praised him. I did a good job of eroding my mental strength since I was young.

After looking at Sarah for a moment, I straightened my back and looked down at the garden. Perhaps because I couldn’t sleep, or because I was paranoid, I saw my younger brother hiding among the bushes.

… … ah. okay. That would be nice. Thinking about how to use Sarah and her younger brother, I slowly blinked and got up from my seat. The chair was pushed back and a clattering sound came out of the terrace.

My younger brother, who was hiding in the bushes, looked up at me in surprise, probably because he was startled by the sound, and I smiled and waved as his light pink eyes turned towards me.

My younger brother frowned and went somewhere else. Jealousy, irritation, and greed were shining in my younger brother’s eyes for a brief but intense moment.

“Really, you can’t see the cuteness even if you wash your eyes and look for it.”

Of course, even if you’re cute, it doesn’t change the outcome that I’m going to kill you.

As I swallowed my words and turned my back, Sera glanced towards the bottom of the garden and asked.

“Was you there?”

Look at him? Just because I let them off a bit, they turn their eyes like this again. I really can’t let my guard down for even a moment.

“Sera.”

“Yes.”

“Sera is ‘my’ exclusive maid, right?”

“… … Yes.”

He told me not to ask any more questions, smiled, and went into the room.

“Oh, the one in the garden just now was my younger brother. Were you curious?”

“… … No.”

“Really? I guess I misunderstood. Hehehe.”

First, let’s sleep today and start moving tomorrow morning.

I left the blanket with Sarah and laid down on the bed.

“Good night, lady.”

“Sleep well, Sarah.”

I am 14 years old. One year until academy admission. Someone to deal with. So far, four people.

Wouldn’t it be a dream to deal with one person each time the season changes? no. Let’s take it slow. Take it slow. I closed my eyes with a smile on my lips.

.

.

.

July, summer.

The 10th birthday of my younger brother who was born in July. The head of the family threw a banquet for her younger brother, who was at an age when he was considered adorable.

Well, the reason is that I am now at the age to debut in the social world, but it doesn’t matter. My idiot-like younger brother was preoccupied with the fact that he had thrown a banquet for his birthday.

As I was watching my innocent younger brother running around the banquet hall where a banquet was being prepared, I heard the matriarch’s voice from behind me.

“Charlotte.”

“Father, you are here.”

“You came out early.”

“I was checking to see if the preparations for the banquet were going smoothly and if there were any problems.”

I said with a small smile, and the head of the family nodded with satisfaction.

“By the way… … . Your younger brother is still the same.”

“Because I have just reached the age to debut in the social world. Above all, today is Arcien’s birthday, right? It’s not something I can’t understand about being so excited.”

When I said that with a small smile, the head of the house huffed and snorted. I thought nothing would get better if I talked more, so I kept my mouth shut.

The matriarch looked around the banquet hall, patted her younger brother’s head, and then went up to the main building.

My younger brother smiled confidently at me, as if he wanted to boast that he was loved so much.

“Hehe.”

When I smiled and waved, he frowned and walked out of the banquet hall. Ah, I laughed inadvertently.

No problem. I wonder if I can’t help but laugh and feel disgusted when the child who will one day break apart in my hands shows such confidence.

I looked around the banquet hall with a smiling face and thought there was nothing more to see, so the moment I turned my back to go back to my room, I heard Sarah’s voice next to me.

“Lady.”

“Huh? What’s going on, Sarah?”

Sarah was holding a green decoration in one hand and a red decoration in the other hand.

“The Duchess said she would help me gain experience and asked me to decide on the decorations for this banquet… … . Honestly, I don’t know what color to choose… … .”

iced coffee. Before the regression, the child was so capable that I made his own decisions, but now he doesn’t trust his own choices and relies on me.

I smiled inwardly, filled with indescribable satisfaction.

“The color of the decorations for the banquet hall? Umm――”

I was about to tell you that red is better, based on the experience I gained through several regressions, and then it was a June night. I remembered how my mind had not broken down yet and I had turned my eyes elsewhere, so I closed my mouth.

No, rather than telling you the correct answer here… … . I smiled and gently held Sarah’s hand.

“Which color do you think Sarah likes better?”

“I… … . I like red… … . No, green looks better.”

“I like the red color better, but this time, how about decorating it the way Sarah wanted? My mother entrusted the job to Sarah, not me. Isn’t that right?”

“As I wish… … ? Would it be okay for me to make that choice? … ?”

As I smiled and let go of her hand, Sarah’s eyes began to sparkle just as they did when she first became my exclusive maid.

“Please just leave it to me… … !”

Sarah said that and brought out green decorations and started decorating the banquet hall, and I smiled as I watched her.

It’s a decoration that really doesn’t fit. Why did I choose green? I looked at the green decorations desecrating the banquet hall, then turned and went up to my room.

I’m really looking forward to the banquet tonight.

As I was walking down the hallway humming to myself, unable to hide my pounding heart, I suddenly felt like drinking Darjeeling for the first time in a long time.

As I was walking down the hallway looking for a suitable maid, thinking that I would bring the Darjeeling if I asked another maid instead of Sarah, a black-haired maid cleaning the window in front of my room caught my eye.

“Maid?”

When I called the maid, the sharp-looking maid turned to me and bowed.

“Yes, lady. Did you call me?”

“Could you prepare some black tea?”

“Yes, I understand.”

When I smiled and nodded, the maid who was cleaning bowed, said that she understood, and left.

As I returned to my room and enjoyed the warm sunlight on the terrace, the door opened and the maid who had earlier asked me to bring tea came in, dragging a moving tray.

On the tray were finger food desserts that were worth eating in moderation, as well as sandwiches that could easily fill your stomach.

“There is a banquet tonight, so I think you may not have had a proper meal yet, so I prepared some snacks to satisfy your hunger.”

“Thank you. I happened to be a little hungry, but you have good sense.”

“That’s too much praise.”

The maid humbly bowed her head and began preparing tea. Really talented. It’s almost similar to Sarah before she returned.

As I was quietly watching the tea being made, the maid put the tea down in front of me and stepped back.

The faint scent of green grapes and flowers tickling the tip of my nose made me smile. It was Darjeeling, which I had been unable to drink even though I wanted to.

“It’s Darjeeling.”

“Yes. I brought the second flush harvested in June. I heard that the lady prefers Darjeeling, so I prepared it with Darjeeling.”

“Hehe, you’re capable. What is your name?”

“Mel. My name is Mel. Miss.”

“Hmm… … . is it so. I’ll remember it.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Seeing that she didn’t have a last name, I guess she was a maid and not a maid. And yet, he is so good at drinking black tea. I wonder if he learned it from looking over his shoulder.

I nodded and enjoyed my tea leisurely, thinking that if the time came to abandon Sarah later, it would be okay to keep this child as my exclusive child.

As I was leisurely enjoying tea time until the sun set, Sarah with a gloomy face came into the room.

“I’ve been there――Mel?”

“Hello.”

Sarah blinked at the sight of Mel standing behind me, and Mel bowed her head in greeting.

“Why are you here… … .”

“I called you. Because I want to drink black tea.”

As I spoke with a grin on my face, Sarah approached me while still maintaining a poker face, and when she smelled the tea, her face contorted.

“Mel, is this black tea Darjeeling?”

“Yes.”

“Don’t you know that you prefer Ceylon tea, not Darjeeling?”

I smiled and tilted my head.

“What does that mean, Sarah?”

“Yes?”

Sarah blinked and looked at me in confusion, and I looked at her with a puzzled face.

“I never said I prefer Ceylon tea?”

“But, but then you told me that you like Ceylon tea… … .”

“That’s strange? At that time, I said I wanted to drink Ceylon tea, but I never said I liked Ceylon tea. You must have heard wrong.”

“But, but… … .”

Perhaps because she was embarrassed and ashamed to hear something like this in front of a maid who was not her fellow maid, Sera’s ears turned red and she lowered her head.

“Sorry… … . do. I guess I misunderstood… … .”

“It’s okay. But it’s not me who should apologize… … . It must be Mel?”

Sarah apologized to Mel even though she was shaking, and Mel calmly accepted it as if it was nothing.

As if that was making her even more ashamed, Sarah bit her lip to the point where it bled. I pretended not to know and enjoyed it.

iced coffee… … . Okay, suffer a little more. Doubt yourself little by little and crush your self-esteem by stepping on it. So that when you let go of everything and lean completely on me… … .

“The tea smells good. Mel.”

“Thank you, lady.”

Because I will be able to abandon you without hesitation.

Hehehe.