Chapter 90
Chapter 90
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: First Period
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"........."
"Young Lady."
"Oh, what? Lize, is something wrong?"
I'd been staring blankly out the window, lost in thought without realizing it.
I hadn't even noticed Lize approaching from behind until she spoke...
"You were just staring out the window for so long... I got worried something might be wrong."
"Oh..."
"Was there something..."
"No. I was just bored and looking outside, that's all."
"Oh..."
I brushed off Lize's question like that.
Truthfully, it wasn't some huge problem that had me staring out the window.
The reason I'd zoned out like an idiot was simply the time I'd spent with Rozalin a few days ago.
Really, just those mere 30 minutes together in the bathroom were the issue.
That... short 30 minutes had messed with my head more than I ever expected...
"Sigh..."
"...?"
"Lize. Could you really bring me something cold to drink? With lots of ice."
"Uh... Yes, of course...?"
I knew cold drinks weren't great in this weather.
But even so, I wanted something to shut up my brain for a bit.
"Ha..."
After Lize left my room, a sigh escaped me reflexively—one I'd been holding back.
It was so frustrating.
No matter how hard I tried to think of something else, Rozalin's body, her silhouette, every part of her kept swirling around in my head.
Really... it was just her body...
"Though calling it 'just'..."
It was very beautiful.
Yeah.
Honestly, it wasn't my first time seeing a woman's body, but Rozalin's was... yeah...
"Seriously... is this puberty?"
Given my age, it made sense.
Twelve... by local counting, practically fourteen.
My birthday's in January too... and yeah, it was about the right age for puberty...?
Even with memories of my past life, could I do anything about hormones and the body's natural changes...?
"Ha..."
Ever since that day I bathed with Rozalin, weird thoughts kept popping into my head nonstop. It was a real problem.
I'd only planned to spend as much time as possible with her before heading to the academy—that was it.
Feeling like a pervert constantly replaying her body's image in my mind made me feel like such an idiot.
*
"...Huh?"
Life throws all sorts of things at you.
You could suddenly be reborn in a fantasy world with past-life memories as a pretty girl from a rich family.
Live with a stunningly beautiful stepmother and an adorable maid.
Earn so much money that your viscount-level wealth balloons to count or duke status.
Yeah... lots of things can happen...
"...Huh?"
But how do you react to a situation like this...?
No, how do you even... handle it...?
"...What the hell."
Lowering my head slightly, what I saw was blood on the tissue and my panties...
Not just any blood, but something...
"This is... menstruation...?"
I wasn't an idiot—I could recognize the situation.
My stomach had been hurting since this morning, and my body felt heavy, so there was only one possibility.
I'd heard about it, but facing it for real was a first...
"...What do I do."
I understood what was happening, but I had no clue how to deal with it properly.
How do you even...
"First, I need to call Lize..."
For now.
Still sitting on the toilet with my panties and pants around my ankles, that's what I thought... then slowly stood up.
"...Can't wear these panties, huh?"
I'd wiped it up somewhat with tissue so it wasn't flowing anymore... but no way was I putting them back on.
Even with plenty of clothes and underwear, no need to get more blood on them.
"...Lize."
First, a soft call.
Of course, Lize wasn't in my room.
She wasn't some pet that hung out in my room all day.
She was just a maid.
She could go wherever, and she just spent a lot of time here.
So my quiet call didn't reach her.
That's why...
"Lize...!!"
A bit louder.
...Embarrassing as it was, I couldn't handle this alone.
"Lize!"
But she still hadn't come to my little calls, so I had no choice but to shout even louder.
I had to call for Lize at the top of my lungs again.
"Young Lady? What did you need..."
Lize finally burst into my room.
She was a little out of breath... She'd heard me yelling and come running.
"Y-Young Lady?"
"...I think my period started."
"Oh, uh... that... just a moment..."
"...Yeah."
Lize panicked when she saw me.
Yeah, I got it.
No one could stay calm seeing me like this... I had to understand.
".......Ha."
Lize rushed out of the room, and I heard clattering from outside.
I was still standing there without panties on, waiting for her.
This was mortifying.
Truly, utterly humiliating.
Different from the embarrassment with Rozalin—pure, raw shame.
Like a little kid who wet the bed.
"Young Lady, here... fresh panties first, and this is... um, a sanitary pad... you put it inside..."
Lize came rushing back in, explaining everything frantically.
How to use the pad, asking if anywhere else hurt, worrying...
She talked a ton, super earnestly.
Meanwhile, I just stood there listening quietly.
Still with my panties down... just standing there as she went on.
Both of us so flustered that neither thought to sit, attach the pad, or pull up the panties.
-Drip...
"Oh, uh... Young Lady, first..."
"...Yeah, I'll take them off."
Only after a bit more blood trickled during her explanation did we finally do the most important thing.
Seriously...
"Ha..."
It was so embarrassing I wanted to lock my door like Karen and live as a total shut-in.
Really... truly...
*
"Camellia...? It's... normal for everyone, so you don't have to be so embarrassed..."
"...I know."
...I knew.
I knew it well, it wasn't weird, and my reaction wasn't weird either.
Plus, Lize helped me change clothes all the time, so seeing each other naked was no big deal.
I knew all that.
But...
"........"
"So, um... want to lighten the mood? Poke your cheek or something..."
"...No need."
"Haha... really?"
"Yes."
...Childish.
Even I thought it was childish.
I wasn't some actual preteen puberty girl—I knew better... but this morning's events were so humiliating.
Standing in front of Lize with my panties down like that...
And hearing Rozalin worry about it...
"Girls your age all go through it... Actually, you're a bit late to start, Camellia...? No need to be so embarrassed..."
"...I know."
"And Lize is older than you anyway, right? She'd understand perfectly."
"...Yes."
I wasn't clueless, but the embarrassment lingered.
If Rozalin weren't here, I'd have sighed even more.
Of course, I'd already sighed plenty alone in my room and with Lize around, but still.
"Um, Camellia, is your stomach hurting more or anything?"
"...I'm fine."
"If it hurts at all, you have to tell me, okay? No need to tough it out."
"Yes..."
As expected from an elder in womanhood.
During tea time, Rozalin kept giving me period advice nonstop.
"Oh, and during your period, keep your belly warm, avoid too much movement..."
...Though for me, her advice just kept making me more embarrassed than helpful.
"Madam...?"
"Yes? Something else you want to know?"
"...You can stop with the period talk. I've already heard tons from Lize."
"Oh... sorry. I was just so worried about you... haha."
"...It's fine."
Normally, I'd have nodded along casually.
She was just voicing normal concern for me.
But... my stomach hurt, and my body felt heavy...
"...Young Lady, here. Strawberry fondue chocolate. Please have some."
"Oh, thanks..."
"...Camellia, how about milk tea instead of black tea?"
"Uh... sure?"
"Yeah, better than something bitter."
"...Okay."
No need to stop the black tea I was drinking.
I could finish it and switch to milk tea after.
Eat the cookies first, then chocolate—no issue.
But... I craved something sweeter and more indulgent than what I had.
Normally, I'd say I'd have it later, but today I went along with them.
"Ha..."
Experiencing my first period ever... was pure hell.
Like lava churning inside my gut.
Boiling over in my belly.
Seriously... it sucked so bad.