When I Speak Harshly, Bring Two Full-Course Banquets Immediately
Serena's bathing service. Her first target was Lumina's hair.
It had clearly gone completely unmanaged for ages — dull, brittle, the ends slightly split. Even a wild animal's coat would have had more luster than this.
"Close your eyes~"
Serena mixed a herbal rinse into warm water and gently soaked Lumina's hair. She worked the solution through every strand with careful, deliberate strokes, then massaged the scalp with her fingertips. Being a child, Lumina wouldn't have built up much grime — but this would still leave her feeling refreshed.
Serena went a step further, applying a little more pressure for a proper scalp massage.
"……."
The sensation must have felt good; Lumina's facial muscles softened, her expression going loose and drowsy. Afraid she might doze off entirely if this continued, Serena rinsed the cleanser from her hair, then carefully worked in a diluted fruit vinegar solution.
"……Vinegar smell."
"It's to soften hair that's gone stiff from the cleanser."
"You're really going all out."
"Ladies of noble houses all do this, you know?"
"Is that so."
After a light rinse that left just a trace of the vinegar, Serena twisted Lumina's hair up and began soaping her body.
So pale……
Perhaps it was from living behind drawn curtains, shut away from sunlight. Lumina's skin was even fairer than Serena's own. White hair, silver eyes, and that almost painfully pure white skin — she looked like a snow maiden straight out of a fairy tale.
If the Witch hadn't half-destroyed the world forty years ago, Lumina would have been famous throughout the north as its snow maiden.
That said……
She'd always worn long-sleeved nightgowns, so it hadn't been obvious — but Lumina was truly thin. Skeletal, even. How someone this bony could still feel soft and pleasant to hold was a mystery, but then again, little girls were mysterious creatures. Softness was simply part of the package.
Children are soft even when they look like this…… No. It's because her meals have been nothing but a scrap of bread or potato, raw cucumber or carrot chewed halfheartedly……
Serena thought of Lumina's meager diet and let out a quiet sigh. Being blind, Lumina had only ever eaten foods she could hold in her hands — nothing that required a fork and knife. But even so. There were plenty of varieties of bread, vegetables, and fruit that were easy to eat. If someone had at least given her plenty of milk, she wouldn't have wasted away like this.
At this rate she'll die of malnutrition before any illness gets her.
Resolving to overhaul Lumina's diet immediately, Serena rested her fingers against the girl's protruding ribs.
"Hyeek?!"
Lumina twisted away in shock. Serena's mouth curved into a faintly wicked smile. She'd expected the girl to be sensitive given how little flesh she had on her bones — but the reaction was even better than anticipated.
Unable to suppress her little-devil sadism, Serena mercilessly tormented Lumina's sides, ribs, and underarms.
"Stop it, stop it……!"
"Heheh."
Lumina thrashed and flailed desperately to escape Serena's hands, but a malnourished child stood no chance against a healthy girl who could run a hundred meters in twelve seconds.
"Hah, hah, hah……."
"Did you enjoy that, Lady Lumina?"
Thoroughly tormented, Lumina cracked her eyes open into a narrow glare.
"……Enjoy, my foot. You rude little—"
"Isn't that Lady Lumina's own fault for being so satisfyingly ticklish?"
"You're truly awful……!"
"Heh-heh."
Before Lumina could sulk any further, Serena carefully washed her body with soap suds — between every finger, between every toe.
When the long-yet-short bath was finally over, Lumina emerged looking soft and fluffy just to look at, with what almost seemed like a baby-sweet scent about her. Her long hair, falling all the way to her hips, carried a faint fruity fragrance from the vinegar rinse.
"Here. Would you sit down for me?"
"There's more……?"
"We're only halfway done."
"……?"
Only halfway? Lumina blinked blankly.
"♬"
Humming to herself, Serena worked fragrant oil thoroughly through Lumina's hair. Then, using a magic tool that blew warm air, she slowly dried it while combing continuously with her fingers.
Thanks to Serena's care, the white hair that had been dull and brittle from neglect was now soft and gleaming. The way those pale strands slipped like silk threads through the webbing of her fingers sent a strangely pleasant shiver through her.
Long hair really is wonderful……
It was a subtle pleasure Serena, who always kept her own hair short, could never experience herself.
And to think just one session of care could improve it this much.
If her nutrition improved even a little more, the luster would deepen further — it might even look like true silver hair.
Given Lumina's bloodline, it might be more platinum than silver.
Either way, it would look quite lovely in the sunlight. Serena thought so.
Perhaps it was the gentle breeze, or the rhythmic stimulation of having her hair combed — Lumina's eyelids began to flutter.
"You can take a little nap if you'd like."
"Mm……."
Serena lightly stroked the crown of her head, then applied moisturizer to her face, neck, arms, and legs.
"There. All done."
"Mmngh…… huh? Mm……."
Lumina nodded at Serena's call, heavy with drowsiness. A hint of reluctance lingered in her eyes — she must have found Serena's touch more comforting than she'd care to admit.
Finished with Lumina's care, Serena stepped back and looked her over. At last, she carried the dignity of a true ducal daughter. And yet the small, endearing quality unique to children still remained, making her rather……
Serena shook her head vigorously.
Business relationship. Business relationship. Don't get too attached to how cute she is.
Finally, she dressed Lumina in a fresh nightgown.
"Shall we hold hands on the way up?"
"I can go up by myself……."
"Says the person who fell and hurt her face in her own room?"
"……."
Serena took Lumina's hand and climbed the stairs toward the fourth floor. Midway up, Lumina suddenly stopped and tugged on Serena's hand.
"Serena."
"Yes?"
From one step below, Lumina looked up at her.
"……Could I ask you to do this again sometimes?"
"You acted like it was the biggest nuisance in the world at first, but it seems you've taken a liking to it already?"
Lumina turned her head away.
"……Shut up. Just answer me."
Serena beamed.
"As often as you like."
Her steps even lighter than on the way down, they arrived at Lumina's room. Perhaps thanks to Serasia putting her heart into it, the room that had been a garbage dump mere hours ago was now spotlessly tidy.
Serena settled Lumina in to rest, then dashed to the kitchen. The maid and the head chef, busy preparing dinner, went wide-eyed at the sudden appearance of Lady Meridiana.
"Starting today, Lady Lumina will be dining with me. So prepare proper meals — not scraps of bread. That is all. Message delivered!"
And so dinnertime arrived.
Serena looked at the meal that had been brought up to the fourth floor with a dubious expression. Warm bread and fruit, tomatoes and cheese. It was far more generous than what Lumina had been eating, and nutritionally sound. Easy enough for a blind girl to pick up with her hands, too.
But this was not what Serena had asked for.
I said prepare proper meals. Do they not understand what 'proper' means?
Serena marched straight into the kitchen.
With her three-white eyes, even a sheepish smile made her look like a scheming mastermind. So what did she look like when she deliberately stripped every trace of humor from her face?
The answer was right here.
"Lady Meridiana……?"
An oppressive weight that no one would believe belonged to a twelve-year-old settled over the kitchen. Every person there began watching Serena's face for cues.
"When I speak harshly, bring two full-course banquets immediately. Lady Lumina and I will be eating together in the dining hall, so you'd best not even think of putting out anything halfhearted."
Overwhelmed by Serena's force of presence, the head chef bowed deeply.
Having conquered the kitchen, Serena waited with Lumina in the dining hall. This time they seemed to have understood — dishes befitting a lady of a ducal house began to arrive.
It smells so good……
Lumina swallowed hard at the aroma of the food set before her, then felt a small wave of frustration — these were dishes she couldn't eat on her own. For safety reasons she couldn't use a fork and knife, and even if she somehow managed, she couldn't locate the food well enough to cut or spear it properly.
Serena solved that problem with ease.
"Here, Lady Lumina. Aaah."
"……."
"Aa.ah."
"It's embarrassing. I don't want to."
"I'll keep doing this until you eat."
"…………Aaah."
By feeding her directly, that is.
Lumina's face flushed red, but she accepted the food from Serena like a baby bird. She was terribly mortified at first — but under the overwhelming feast of flavors, her expression soon melted, and she began accepting each bite eagerly.
Yes. This is the face of a ten-year-old.
Finding the way she quietly accepted everything so adorable, Serena sped up a little.
"Here, Lady Lumina. Aaah."
"……."
Lumina's cheeks began to puff out like a squirrel's. The plump look was thoroughly cute. On a whim, Serena poked Lumina's cheek with the fork.
Thinking she was about to be fed again, Lumina frantically waved her hands.
"Mph, mmph. No more…… can't fit any more……."
"Heheh."
"……."
At that laugh, Lumina realized she'd been toyed with and shot Serena a sharp glare. The direction of her gaze wasn't quite accurate, so it wasn't particularly threatening.
"I'm a little more to the left of that, actually."
Lumina hurriedly glared to Serena's left. At empty air.
"Pff—"
"You……!"
Before Lumina could truly get angry, Serena fled to the kitchen at top speed. The head chef, startled by a lady mid-meal suddenly invading his domain, came out in a low, deferential crouch.
"W-what else do you need? Dessert — shall we bring out the dessert now?"
Serena shook her head and flicked a few silver coins to the head chef and the kitchen maids.
"I doubt the duke's household underpays you…… but more money is always better, isn't it?"
The servants' eyes went wide as they grasped her meaning.
"……!"
This high-handed, money-throwing little brat who was far too young for any of this…… they rather liked her. The weight of those silver coins made it very hard to dislike her.
"Leave it to us!"
That was the moment Serena seized control of the Sirius Duke House kitchen.
Two weeks later.
Day after day, Serena had bathed Lumina and fed her delicious meals in abundance. By now, Lumina had even grown used to accepting food like a baby bird.
……I wonder what Serena will feed me tomorrow.
Before she knew it, Lumina had come to look forward to dining with Serena.
But today was different somehow.
Lunch came and went. Dinner came and went.
Serena never came to find her.
Lumina chewed on cold rye bread and blinked blankly. It had only been two weeks since she'd last eaten rye bread, yet it was so hard and sour she didn't want it at all.
Strange. Before meeting Serena, she'd eaten it without a single complaint. Why did it taste so terrible now?
Serena. Why aren't you coming……?