Taming the Young Lady (2)
Early in the morning, Andy was absorbed in something in the bathroom. He didn't even seem tired, despite running around all day yesterday.
Focus on my hand...
He was currently dipping his hand into a bathtub filled with muddy water.
It wasn't that yesterday's events had driven him mad. Rather, he was testing the limits of his newly acquired trait.
Although the gritty debris of the muddy water clung to his skin, he endured the unpleasant sensation and stirred. Gradually, the water began to clear.
Purification successful.
He had started with a cup, moved on to a bucket, then a basin, and finally scaled up to the bathtub. The single-person tub was purified in no time without much effort.
Is this about average? I hope it's at a level that can make some money.
He knew that the priests of this world used supernatural powers like purification and healing, but he had no idea where he stood among them.
Clerics had appeared in the latter half of the original novel to subjugate the maddened Cream, but they had merely been absorbed by her witch's power like tomato juice. There was no way to gauge their relative strength from that.
The real question is whether I can purify Cream's blood.
The level of her Contaminated Blood trait was marked as a question mark, making it impossible to predict if his level one Purification could cleanse it.
He couldn't exactly ask her for a blood sample to test it. Harming the young lady's body for such a thing was out of the question.
Trying it directly on her body was also dangerous. Purification and Contaminated Blood sounded like polar opposites, so he didn't want to make any reckless moves.
...Harming her is not an option.
It was fine if he got hurt, but the reverse was unacceptable.
Was there a way to cleanse her blood without causing her harm?
Removing the curse inside her body entirely would be the best outcome.
"..."
Andy gently stroked the bandage wrapped around his wrist.
He had wrapped it tightly to hide the bite mark from yesterday.
Touching it brought a dull, throbbing ache, similar to the feeling of pressing down on a fresh injection site.
...It's best to play dumb for a while.
Even Andy felt he had pushed too hard yesterday. Though he hadn't explicitly told her to suck his blood, she might still find it suspicious.
She might wonder, How much does this guy know? If she decided he was a nuisance and made him her next target, he would be in deep trouble.
For the time being, it seemed wise to pretend ignorance regarding her thirst and contaminated blood.
But what is her goal?
How much did Cream actually know, and what was she acting innocent for in this mansion?
Just when he thought she was disposing of a maid she disliked, she had allowed the maid to return 'safely' to lower the mansion's guard.
Just when he thought she was enjoying his reactions, she would suddenly push him away as if displeased.
Whatever her goal was, his duty as her tutor remained unchanged, but he couldn't help but be curious. Would he ever get to hear the truth from her?
Lost in thought, he made his way to Cream's room, only to be greeted by an unexpected sight.
"Good morning, tutol!"
"Oh, have you decided to forgive me?"
"Huh? I don't know what you mean. Why would I be mad at tu—tutor?"
After chasing each other around all day yesterday, they had eventually retired to their respective rooms in an exhausted truce.
Yet, here she was, greeting him cheerfully with her slightly slurred pronunciation first thing in the morning. And what was with that blooming, flower-like smile?
It seemed she was going to pretend yesterday never happened.
What incredible consideration!
Next time, I should elegantly cut myself with a knife and serve it in a glass.
He smiled, resolving to do just that if the opportunity arose. Cream's eyebrows twitched at his slightly ominous smile, but he paid it no mind.
"Thank you, Young Lady. Now, let us wash up, have breakfast, and begin today's activities. We must finish the move we couldn't complete yesterday."
"Yes!"
How obedient.
Glancing briefly at Andy's wrist, she pretended not to notice and skipped ahead. Perhaps she had decided to cooperate in her own way.
The two finished their meal together and agreed to meet again after preparing their respective belongings.
Andy gathered his lesson materials, schedules, and personal belongings. Once everything was ready, he stepped out into the polished hallway.
As for the pile of purified clothes stacked in the corner, he could just make up an excuse that he had received a fresh batch of laundry.
I really shouldn't run into the head maid today.
He had already gotten on her bad side during the previous maid disappearance incident.
If they crossed paths while he was moving luggage, she would undoubtedly find some excuse to nitpick. Swift action was required.
It was best to avoid conflict. Above all, he didn't want to show Cream the ugly side of adults. If she snapped, it would be a disaster.
Fortunately, since she had changed her mind and agreed to cooperate, things should wrap up quickly—
"—Wait, Young Lady!"
"Hnngh... Hnngh...! Ah, tutor!"
As he neared Cream's room, an absurd sight unfolded before him.
She had piled her pillows, blankets, a stuffed dog, and even a chair onto her mattress, and was grunting as she dragged the whole heap out the door.
Upon spotting Andy, she began hopping up and down and calling out to him. Haha.
Our young lady was practically broadcasting to the entire neighborhood that she was moving.
"Look! I packed all my things! Didn't I do great?"
"Haha... You did a wonderfully thorough job, but shall we put all this back for now?"
"Why? You told me to get ready, so I did. I did exactly what you said."
"Well, the bed and chair are already in my room, so you can leave those behind."
"But I like my things. I want to keep using what I've been using. Can't I?"
She asked with a bright, innocent smile, but he couldn't indulge her. If they ran into the head maid like this, it would be a massive headache.
"—Excuse me, tutor. What are you doing?"
Ah, of course. Dammit.
"You seem to have a lot of luggage. Shall I help you?"
Oh.
Listening closely, the voice belonged to an old man, not a middle-aged woman. It was the butler he had seen during the disappearance incident.
"Ah! Chief Butler. Thank you, but it is fine. We are just putting these things back."
"I see. But why were they out here in the first place...?"
"Well, we were in the middle of cleaning the Young Lady's room."
"Do you drag the entire bed out just to clean? Haha."
Andy was about to launch into a lecture on the vital importance of thorough sanitation, but he quickly changed his mind.
He remembered the butler trying to call the guards during the maid's disappearance. The old man had shouted, asking what they would do if something had happened to her.
Now, that same elderly man was peering inside the room.
"...So she was living in a place like this."
He murmured softly, staring into the damp, sunless room.
Seeing this, Andy spoke up.
"...Actually, we were planning to switch rooms. The location here is poor, so I've wanted to change it for a while, but I was told there were no vacant rooms. So, I decided to swap my room with the Young Lady's."
"Ah... Is that so?"
He must have more of a conscience than the cover-up-loving head maid.
After Andy explained the situation, the old butler stared at the room in contemplation before turning his gaze back to Andy.
"Tutor. Instead of doing that, would you follow me?"
"Pardon?"
"A spare room... if you could call it that. There is a room available."
Andy and Cream's eyes widened in surprise.
They climbed the stairs, up and up, until they reached the top floor. Only the footsteps of the three echoed down the quiet hallway.
Andy had never really been this high up before. Perhaps only once, when he was searching for Cream after she ran out of the kitchen.
"The mansion is much larger than I thought. I didn't know there was a space like this."
"Haha. There is rarely any reason for a tutor to come up to the top floor. Besides this area, the basement and the annex are also quite spacious, so be careful not to lose your way."
The butler replied with a genial smile.
He had seemed quite displeased with Andy before. Was it because Andy had agreed with him during the argument with the head maid? It didn't seem to be just that.
"We have arrived."
Stopping in front of a door, the butler turned the handle.
The door creaked open, having been unused for a long time, releasing a peculiar scent from within.
"Ah, let me air it out."
"What is this room?"
"It is the Art Studio Lady Petunia used when she was engrossed in painting."
The scent of paint and stale air lingered.
As the butler spoke and drew back the curtains, sunlight flooded the room.
A sofa and an easel stood against the wall, and the table in front of them was cluttered with art supplies like paints, brushes, and palettes.
The view of the garden outside the window was cozy, and the excellent lighting made it perfect for painting still lifes or landscapes.
"We were planning to clear it out during the spring cleaning for the Lord's return... but if you do not mind, Lady Cream could use it."
"Is it really alright to use it? You said it belonged to Lady Petunia."
"She has not used it lately. It has been months, which is why it was scheduled to be cleared out anyway."
While not grand, it was incomparably better than the room Cream had been using.
Petunia was Cream's niece—a niece four years older than her. As the only daughter of the current Count Hollybell, she held a secure, high status.
That was why she could afford to use a room like this as an art studio and then simply abandon it.
"...What do you think, Young Lady?"
Andy bent down to meet Cream's eyes.
Inheriting secondhand things could be hurtful. Moreover, unlike Cream, who lived like a dependent as the late Count's illegitimate child, this room had been used and discarded by the family's legitimate heir.
In the original novel, Cream eventually inherited Petunia's room after some time, and she hadn't been pleased about it.
Knowing it could easily wound her pride, he asked cautiously, but Cream only hopped in place.
"I like it!"
Stress: -5%
"Grandpa Butler. I can use these paints and brushes too, right?"
"Yes. They are as good as discarded... so you may use them."
"Hehe!"
Picking up the paints and brushes from the table, she spun around the room. Perhaps because she was a young girl, she seemed to love activities like making dolls and painting.
Seeing her stress level drop, it seemed her joy was genuine, not an act.
Still, he worried she was just distracted by the art supplies and might feel hurt about the room itself. As he watched her, she added:
"It's okay, tutor. Every room in this house was used by someone else at some point anyway."
"Young Lady..."
"What matters is that it's mine now."
"..."
"Then I'll go grab my things!"
Excited about her new room, Cream dashed out with her hair fluttering, leaving only Andy and the butler behind.
"...Tutor, are you reasonably strong?"
"About as much as the next man. Why do you ask?"
"We need to move in new furniture, like a bed and a wardrobe. It would be rather unseemly to keep using the ones from her old room... but if we call the servants, well, it might cause unnecessary talk. I was hoping we could handle it ourselves..."
"Ah, I see."
Since it was used as an art studio, it lacked bedroom furniture, so they needed someone to carry it.
Sneaking around behind the head maid's back. Got it.
"For your information, the spare furniture is in the basement storehouse."
"Excuse me...?"
They were currently on the fifth floor.
"But as you can see, I am getting on in years. So, haha..."
"..."
"You are young, you can do it. Do your best, tutor."
"..."
Patter, patter, patter—
Leaving the top-floor room, Cream ran lightly down the hallway before coming to a sudden halt. Her fluttering hair settled, and a warm breath escaped her lips.
Her room was in disarray from dragging the mattress out and shoving it back in.
After checking that the hallway was empty, Cream slipped inside, closed the door, and headed straight for the desk—the very place her tutor had searched yesterday.
Opening the desk drawer revealed an empty interior, save for a few specks of dust, as the sewing tools and dolls had already been removed.
Cream reached deep inside, toward the back.
Specifically, toward the underside of the drawer's top panel.
Click.
A small, elongated rectangular box slid out from the seemingly empty drawer.
Inside the box, which resembled a fountain pen case, lay several long quilting needles.
Made of silver metal, they gleamed coldly, with faint red stains smudged on one or two of them.
"..."
Cream shook her head.
After inspecting them, she closed the lid and stuffed the box inside the stuffed dog sitting on the bed.
Next, she walked over to the wall near the door. It looked like an ordinary, cracked old wall, but as she crouched down and tapped along the surface, a loose piece popped right out.
Behind the flat stone fragment, which was about the size of two adult palms, lay a cube-shaped box hidden in a hollow.
Nodding to herself, Cream pulled the box out.
A dry, rustling sound echoed from within.