Calming the Panicked Servants
The servants vanished from the corridor in the blink of an eye.
All that remained was Marie, collapsed atop a pile of towels.
"Carsella, I've got a question."
"Yes?"
"...You did explain things to the servants ahead of time, right?"
"Of course I did."
Carsella answered without the slightest hesitation.
"That the clever and adorable Flora had finally awakened from her long slumber and greeted me first of all people."
"...That's it?"
"Of course not."
Carsella added,
"She mastered reading in a single day—a true genius. Her table manners are impeccably elegant, without a single flaw. She has a gentle heart that considers others, and the voice with which she greets me every morning is so clear and beautiful..."
"Stop, right there."
I pressed a hand to my forehead.
Now I get the picture.
Even a calm explanation would be hard to believe.
But if Carsella went around bragging like that in her unrealistic way, what would everyone think?
Not "Lady Flora has regained her sanity!" but "Lady Carsella has finally lost hers!"
"No one believed you, huh."
"Nothing of the sort—they all listened so earnestly and nodded along."
"They absolutely didn't."
Elisiel chimed in from behind, shuffling out with a wobble.
"Who'd believe that? When I got your first letter, I thought you'd finally cracked. 'Carsella's sister-love went too far, and now she's hallucinating'—that made way more sense."
"Elisiel."
"Think about your usual behavior."
Carsella wore an expression of pure grievance.
Grievous, yet subtly unable to argue back.
"Elisiel could've chimed in with a few words."
"Me? Hmm... yeah, that might've helped. But I was busy un-sealing you. She should've come up with that idea."
"...They all seemed to understand and were happy about it."
"Who'd contradict you to your face...?"
What servant could tell their master, "You've finally gone mad and started hallucinating"?
They'd nod along up front, then wipe away tears behind her back.
"We need to clean this up before it blows up bigger."
I approached Marie, who was curled up unconscious on the floor.
I placed a hand on her shoulder and shook her lightly.
"Enough sleeping. You'll catch a cold."
"Ugh... umm..."
With a faint groan, Marie slowly opened her eyes.
Her blurry gaze focused on my face right away.
"...Hiiik!"
Marie toppled backward. She didn't faint again, but she squeezed her eyes shut tight instead.
A posture that had already given up on survival.
"...No matter how bad the rumors are, do people usually fear me this much?"
"You don't know?"
Elisiel spoke up.
"What happened before?"
"A long time ago. You went on one hell of a rampage once."
"Elisiel."
"Ah, come on. No one died."
I scratched my head and waited for the rest.
"I don't remember the exact time—really ancient history."
"...I see."
"No seal back then. The restraints happened to come loose by chance, and you bolted. Carsella suppressed you fast, so no deaths, but plenty of servants carry the trauma. Some even left the mansion entirely."
"A serious incident, then."
"Flora, it was absolutely not your fault."
Carsella looked worried I might get hurt by the news.
But there was no reason to feel wounded anywhere.
It really wasn't my fault—it happened before I possessed this body.
I'll take responsibility since I'm using Flora Alberich's body now, but no need for guilt.
"So this seal was because of that incident."
"Ah-ha."
In other words, Flora's escape had precedent.
No wonder the servants' movements weren't ordinary.
They must've had a response manual prepared for exactly this scenario.
"C... conversation...?"
As Elisiel and I chatted casually, Marie cracked her eyes open, clutching at a sliver of hope.
I deliberately gave a small smile and raised both hands.
"Feeling better?"
"Y-you're... talking..."
"Yeah, I'm talking."
"You understand... my words..."
"Yeah, I'm listening."
At my calm responses, Marie stared blankly.
"L-Lady Flora..."
Bam!
Before Marie could finish, heavy footsteps poured in.
Armed knights and soldiers appeared all at once.
They filled the corridor with massive shields out front, faces tense.
"Rescue Lady Carsella!"
"Glory to the House of Alberich!"
I watched the scene for a moment, then muttered,
"Carsella."
"Yes?"
"This is getting annoying."
"Is it?"
Carsella gave her hand a light flick.
The next instant, the soldiers went flying into the sky.
Notifying the servants turned out easier than expected.
Everyone was already gathered in the courtyard.
No need to hassle them into assembling—I just had to go out there myself.
"Good thing the courtyard's still within my activity range."
Sunlight touched my skin.
Don't vampires usually hate sunlight?
Walking under the clear sky felt fine—no weakness at all.
If anything, the fresh air after so long was refreshing.
After a good walk, I spotted the crowd in the courtyard's center.
"I-it's really Lady Flora!"
"Isn't it dangerous here too?!"
Panic spread instantly.
Even from a distance, every step I took pushed the crowd back.
They fear me more than I imagined.
I stopped and first looked at Marie and the knights beside me.
"You guys go explain nicely."
"Y-yes!"
"Leave it to us!"
Marie stood before the crowd, face stiff with tension.
"Um, everyone...! Lady Flora is truly... back to normal! She speaks perfectly, and she just woke me up after I fainted..."
"That's right!"
One knight jumped in immediately.
"Lady Flora meant no harm at all! The one who sent us flying just now was Lady Carsella! Rest easy!"
"...Is that reassuring?"
Murmurs rippled through.
Doubts about Flora Alberich aside, wasn't this proof of safety?
No bared fangs, no attacks. Just standing far off, watching.
Impossible for a mindless vampire.
Feeling the mood loosen a bit, I took one step forward.
"I get it—you're not buying it. I won't force you to. If you hate having me nearby, just say so; I'll steer clear."
The courtyard fell silent.
"I can announce when I'm moving around the mansion. If even bumping into me bothers you, I'll set fixed paths ahead of time and let you know."
"Flora? You don't need to go that far for their comfort..."
"It's fine."
Not a big deal anyway.
My usual range wasn't that wide to begin with.
Even basement life had been fine aside from mild boredom, right?
"Even if you just don't want to see my face, it's doable."
One by one.
Their expressions shifted.
"So no more commotions like this from now on."
I finished speaking.
Only then did an elderly butler part the crowd and step forward.
"Pardon my impertinence, milady."
I nodded.
"Have you... truly regained your senses?"
"Yeah."
That's when Elisiel abruptly rested her chin on my head from above.
"Ow."
"This grand archmage Elisiel Barentia guarantees it. Flora Alberich is completely back to normal now."
The old butler closed his eyes.
Then slowly, with perfect courtesy, he bowed at the waist.
"Understood. We sincerely welcome you at last to Alberich Mansion... milady."
With those words, Marie and the other servants, knights and soldiers too, began bowing one after another.
At any rate, the first button was fastened.
"Hee hee."
A satisfied chuckle came right beside me.
It was Carsella.
"What a gentle way to resolve it. My little sister, but truly admirable."
"...Huh? I don't think so."
I'd blasted the soldiers away, and basically said "if it's a hassle, let's just avoid each other," right?
"No leaning on authority, no forced commands. You even yielded your paths for those who fear you. Flora, you're such a kind child."
"...You're too kind."
Anyway, with such a commotion in Alberich House, protocol demanded reporting to the family head.
What kind of person is she?
No one expected the family head to step up even after Flora escaped the basement.
And Carsella was heading not to an office, but a bedroom.
The bedroom.
Even after all this chaos, she'd stayed in her bedroom?
"...Mother, I'm coming in."
Carsella knocked on the bedroom door.