Chapter 58
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 58
Tears that had been tucked away somewhere deep inside welled up in my eyes.
“……Tulia.”
Since when had Lisian stopped stuttering my name?
“It was… when I was young. When I s-saw… Mother’s… corpse.”
“…….”
“She was… covered in blood. Mother’s hair… which was like the light of s-spring….”
“…….”
“It was… matted with b-blood….”
“…….”
“Back then… it felt like s-spring had died.”
“…….”
“Ever since… that d-day… forever….”
“Mom, too….”
Was it because my heart was churning with a bone-deep ache?
In my mind, I had always referred to her as the late Marchioness, Marchioness Frezier, or Tulia’s mother. I had kept her at such a distance.
But the word that actually tumbled out of my mouth was ‘Mom.’
“……Did Mom have pink hair, too?”
“…….”
“Like me?”
I had never seen her in The Milk Bread. It was an insignificant detail that wasn't in Tulia’s memories and had never even been mentioned.
Lisian, who had been staring down at me, nodded slowly.
“Yes.”
In that moment, it felt as if a stagnant winter wind was finally scattering away.
I felt a little more pain, a little more sorrow.
Lisian’s hand, which brushed against my cheek, was as cold as ice, unlike its usual warmth.
With those freezing hands, Lisian covered his face as if to hide it.
“Tulia.”
“Yeah….”
“Don’t die.”
“…….”
“P-promise me you won’t die.”
“…….”
“Promise that y-you won’t leave us, t-too….”
Ah, I see.
We were children who had been equally abandoned by our father.
Children whose mothers had equally died.
Children who equally had no place to plant their feet and live.
We were just those children, grown a little taller.
“……I promise, Lisian.”
Lisian still had his face covered.
Between his sturdy fingers, moisture slowly trickled down.
It was funny. Even in a moment like this, a certain thought crossed my mind.
In The Milk Bread, Lisian was a man like a great tree standing tall in early spring. He possessed a sturdiness that silently endured the hardships of the four seasons.
Perhaps that was why, despite having silver hair as delicate and ethereal as a snowflake landing on the back of a hand, and despite always offering kind and gentle smiles to others, Lisian Frezier never cried.
He was a man who didn't know how to weep.
Among the countless illustrations in the game, there was only one where Lisian showed tears.
And yet….
The tears falling onto the back of my hand right now were hot.
They were so hot it felt like they were burning me.
And so, I began to cry as well.
A surge of emotion rose in my throat from a pain I couldn't quite name or locate. My insides ached so much it felt like my very bones were hurting.
“I’m sorry….”
I didn't know whose mouth the words came from, or who the apology was for.
The wounds that had clustered together for so long began to scatter, drop by drop.
* * *
“My Lady!”
They say life is all about timing.
“Adel!”
Adel, who had been away performing the mission I gave her, returned that very evening.
Since it had been quite a while, I was simply happy to see her, but Adel was a different story.
“Oh, heavens. These bandages…. These wounds….”
Her face turned pale as she frantically inspected my injuries.
“I’m fine. I’ve healed a lot.”
“You call this ‘healed a lot’?”
But something was strange.
At Adel’s retort, the atmosphere in the bedroom froze in a peculiar way.
The Chief Physician, who had been by my side constantly treating me since I was injured at the hunting competition, looked… how should I put it?
‘Terrified?’
Why is he acting like that?
For the record, there was one more servant stationed in my bedroom.
‘The Assistant Butler.’
I glanced at the Assistant Butler’s face without much thought, then tilted my head.
It was puzzling.
‘Why does the Assistant Butler look low-key terrified, too?’
“Lady Tulia….”
There was a faint trace of moisture in Adel’s voice.
“Does it not hurt?”
“No, really. I’ve gotten much better.”
“You had a cold just before I left. Instead of properly supporting your fragile health, they let you get even more injured? They let it get to the point where you’re wrapped in bandages like this? And they actually take a wage for serving you?”
The first part was directed at me.
But the second part was clearly….
“W-we are doing our absolute best to treat her.”
“I have no excuse.”
It was a scathing rebuke directed at the Chief Physician and the Assistant Butler.
At Adel’s fury, the two middle-aged men bowed their heads deeply, clasping their hands politely in silence.
‘Aha.’
When Grandfather returns this time, the hierarchy of my employees will change. New maids, servants, and other staff will be assigned.
But until then, in this small bedroom being run by a skeleton crew so modest it was hard to believe they were the dedicated staff of a Marquis’s daughter….
‘Adel is rank number one.’
The Assistant Butler, who would rebel against the main castle’s head butler to get me what I needed.
The Chief Physician, a brilliant talent who graduated in the top three of the Medical Academy.
I only realized today that even these impressive men were ranked far below Adel.
‘Wait, maybe later….’
I mean, Adel is technically Luc Kelposher’s hidden younger sister.
Once everything is resolved later, could it be?
‘Could it be that Adel….’
Will she end up bossing around Luc Kelposher and all his aides, too?
Nah.
No matter how tough she is, they’re the direct aides of the Iron-Blooded Grand Duke, Asis Frezier….
Surely it won’t go that far. Probably.
* * *
Clink!
Clink!
Clink!
The sound of coins rolling in was constant.
If I said it sounded as sensual as the final notes of an orchestra, people would think I’m truly obsessed with money.
But it was such a rich, satisfying sound.
‘Ah. I just want to stay lying down like this forever.’
Adel was taciturn.
The Assistant Butler was even more so.
The Chief Physician was a bit more cheerful. A cheerful middle-aged doctor. As long as your sense of humor aligns, he’s a real source of energy.
The common thread was that all three were ‘my people,’ so they were polite and respectful.
And they were doing their absolute best to take care of me.
So, I didn't want to lift a single finger.
That’s how I felt in my heart.
‘But….’
I had to go see Lisian.
“An Emergency Council meeting has been convened at the main castle. It is set to be held this evening.”
This was news from the Assistant Butler.
Indeed, the unpleasant incident at the hunting competition couldn't just be brushed under the rug.
To be honest, this was a world where status was everything. At the same time, it was a world that placed the highest importance on the dignity of the nobility.
Even if the victim had been a son or daughter of a lowly Baronial house, it would have caused quite a stir.
But the one hit by arrows was Leon Frezier, the young lord of a Marquisate. And the other was Tulia Frezier, who, despite her reputation as a brat, had recently maintained a close relationship with the Grand Duke.
‘It hurts like hell, but seeing how things are playing out, it’s not all bad.’
Lisian was the eldest among us and the one who held the seal of the Marquis’s successor. Therefore, he would naturally play a very significant role in the Emergency Council meeting tonight.
I went to find Lisian to discuss a few things.
…Or so I thought.
“My Lady, My Lady….”
“Mmm…?”
“We have arrived.”
“……Did I fall asleep in the meantime?”
“You said you wanted to recover quickly, My Lady. I had no choice but to include many medicinal herbs that induce sleep.”
I nodded at the Chief Physician’s words.
But to think I fell asleep just moving from one end of the main castle to the other—a trip that doesn't even take fifteen minutes on foot.
“Put me down.”
“Yes, Lady Tulia.”
The Assistant Butler set me down as carefully as if I were a fragile piece of glassware. Of course, I wasn't unaware of Adel’s strict gaze watching from behind.
I knocked on the door. Knock, knock.
“Ah. Lady Tulia?”
“Where’s Lisian?”
“He is inside, but….”
“Can I go in?”
“Well, that is….”
The servant Lisian had brought with him from the Academy hesitated.
I grew puzzled.
‘Why? Again? What’s with that reaction?’
Normally, if I couldn't go in, they’d say so. If Lisian was busy, they’d say he was busy. Or if he was bathing, they’d give me a tactful hint.
But this servant was just wavering.
It was as if he wanted me to barge in and see Lisian of my own accord, but he didn't dare to actually ask me to.
What was it?
‘Hmm.’
To grant this servant’s unspoken request, I’d have to give up a tiny bit—just a tiny bit—of my noble elegance.
‘Fine.’
I suppose this is why I reincarnated as the total trash Tulia.
Etiquette?
I can ignore that.
A lady’s grace?
I can ignore that even more.
I gave the servant a light shove.
“Hey, move.”
“Ah…!”
The servant pretended to fall weakly to the side, but he didn't try to stop me.
“M-My Lady…!”
“…….”
“If that is truly your wish, My Lady…!”
‘……What is with this guy?’
I had only given his shoulder a tiny tap, but the way he fell and looked up at me made him look like a pitiful lily. Seeing his brown eyes even welling up with tears, I wondered if Lisian was raising an actor instead of a servant.
I was dumbfounded in many ways, but that was it.
“Everyone, wait here.”
I strode inside.