A Day at the Manor
"Hmm, hm-hm~."
Morning began with bright sunlight and a little hummed tune. I sat on the edge of the bed and stretched my arms high overhead, then picked up the bell from the bedside table and rang it once, twice, three times.
The moment the last chime faded, the door opened. A maid with bright blonde hair and fresh green eyes stepped inside. Siril—that was her name, I was sure of it.
She didn't even bother with a greeting. She simply looked me up and down once, her gaze openly unpleasant. I already knew she disliked me, though. I wasn't particularly curious why.
I was the one holding the leash, after all.
"I'd like a bath, so would you prepare the water for me, Siril?"
I smiled sweetly and rang the bell three more times. For a brief instant Siril's face twisted with hostility—but the privilege of ringing that bell was something Viviana had granted me, an absolute rule she had no choice but to obey no matter how much she hated it.
Siril turned on her heel, left the room, and slammed the door behind her. The noise was enough to make anyone frown, but I only laughed it off.
I was in an excellent mood today. I had figured out how to handle Viviana, and I had received permission to write letters to the other young ladies.
And that wasn't all. My hands no longer had to be bound to the bed—and most important of all, I had secured a book to ease my boredom.
After winning that many privileges in a single morning, I could happily tolerate a little cute hostility like hers.
I had heard that Iris, the afternoon attendant, would escort me to the ducal estate's study, where I would be allowed to choose a single volume.
I was still pondering what book to pick when Siril returned, preparations already finished. I followed her into the bathroom adjoining my room—and the first thing that caught my eye was a tub with not so much as a single scented candle set out.
Siril left with a faint smile and shut the door. I slowly reached out and dipped my hand into the water.
Lukewarm.
Neither warm nor cold.
I could submerge myself if I wanted, but the temperature was just unpleasant enough to ruin any chance of a languid, enjoyable soak. If the water had been freezing, I could have reported her open malice to Viviana—but it wasn't quite that bad.
"Hmm..."
I would bathe in the evening, then.
Without a second thought I stepped out of the tub. Siril, waiting by the door, looked startled—she clearly hadn't expected me to come out so soon.
"I enjoyed my bath."
I gave her one bright smile and walked back into my room. The morning air wasn't particularly cool, but I could laugh that off too.
An unremarkable morning passed, and lunchtime arrived. I rang the bell as usual, and a different attendant appeared at the door.
A beauty with deep black hair and black eyes—Iris. For reasons I couldn't quite name, the air that seemed to leak from her felt different from anyone else's.
"Would it be all right if we went to the study now?"
I decided to skip lunch.
Maybe it was the morning's little episode, but I had no appetite. Or perhaps I simply wanted a book to soothe my boredom more than I wanted a meal.
Iris nodded without a word. I had thought I might need to explain that Viviana had already given me permission, but fortunately she seemed to have been informed in advance.
Iris led the way to the study, and I followed, humming under my breath. I tried speaking to her a few times along the way, but all that came back was the same cold silence.
"I hope we can become friends someday, Iris."
With that, spoken through a smile thick with warmth, we arrived at the study. The moment I opened the door, my first thought was whether this was a library or a study. The sheer scale of it, the shelves packed solid with books—it was a sight worthy of a ducal house's prestige.
I slowly walked the vast room, examining the volumes. Contrary to my hopes, most of them had been written for scholarly purposes.
History, magic, swordsmanship, estate management, and so on.
They might have been useful to Mother, but they were of no help to me whatsoever.
I did occasionally find a work of fiction, but a quick skim of the plots proved them dull beyond measure.
"Not quite what I was hoping for..."
Nothing suited a palate that craved something stimulating. A faint disappointment was just beginning to settle in when a single title caught my eye.
I reached up to take it down—but the book sat far too high for my fingertips to touch.
I was wondering whether I ought to fetch a ladder when Iris, who had somehow drawn close without my noticing, pulled the book down for me from behind. I had been certain she was still outside the door; her sudden appearance at my back startled me more than I cared to admit.
No presence at all...
Iris handed me the book with the same impassive expression as ever. I accepted it with a blooming smile.
"Thank you, Iris! You're so tall—and so cool."
I examined the volume amid praise thick with artifice. The title on the cover read:
Sixty-Six Tortures and Screams.
I flipped rapidly through the pages, skimming the contents. Large lettering and numerous photographs filled the book from end to end—perfect for someone who disliked dense text.
Each section described a method of torturing a person, and at the end of every entry was a photograph of the victim. The people in those pictures wept tears of blood, convulsed, and sobbed in agony.
Some of the images were gore of the most graphic sort. Looking into the eyes of people sunk in despair, I felt my heart begin to beat a little faster without quite realizing it.
At the very least, this book would be stimulating.
"I'll take this one."
I cradled the book against my chest in a bright voice. Iris's face remained expressionless, but a faint, almost imperceptible flicker of bewilderment showed in her eyes. I offered a bashful little smile and pressed a finger to my lips.
"Please keep it a secret from Lady Viviana."
With Iris's silent acquiescence, our tour of the study came to a close.
After lunch, the early evening hours were spent with Luna. I ate the snacks she brought me, then decided to take the bath I had skipped that morning.
Luna was a bit of a scatterbrain, but she wasn't unkind. The tub was filled with luxurious scented candles, and flower petals had even been scattered across the water for atmosphere.
After roughly thirty minutes of soaking in the warm water, I returned to my room to find unfamiliar objects waiting on the desk.
A plain envelope, three sheets of letter paper, and an elegant fountain pen that looked expensive at a glance. These would be for the letters we had discussed yesterday.
Versha, Shari-one, Mardian—three sheets of paper, one for each young lady.
I considered for a moment what to write, then began setting words down with a faint smile. To Shari-one, I wrote my thanks for the gifts and how well I was using them. To Versha, I wrote that I missed the sweet confections she had sent me every day. To Mardian, I wrote that I did not wish to let our connection simply fade away.
Mindful that Viviana might see them, I left out anything too personal. Even so, I carefully wove in the sense that I always wanted to see them, and the quiet plea not to forget me, without making either too obvious.
I rang the bell, and Luna opened the door. I carefully sealed the letters I had written and handed them to her.
"Do you think Lady Viviana will read my letters?"
"...!"
Luna startled so hard she took a step back. She didn't answer the question, but the restless look in her eyes said everything.
To be that bad at hiding her thoughts—Luna really did have far poorer instincts than most people. Stupid and incompetent on top of it; if she at least had money it might have been different, but I had no particular desire to get close to her.
Luna snatched up the letters and hurried out of the room in a fluster. Left alone, I looked at my face in the mirror.
I wiped away the bashful smile and settled an awkward, uncertain expression onto my features instead. The result was a face that looked thoroughly lacking in confidence.
It was similar to my face from the past, and yet subtly different. A mask still sat over my features—but this ought to be enough to work on Viviana as well.
"...I'm hungry."
I had deliberately skipped dinner so I could share it with Viviana. If I shyly, bashfully suggested we eat together, she would surely be delighted.
And as if the old saying about speaking of the tiger and having it appear were true—when the bright sun had softened into a gentle evening glow, the door opened with a firm, confident stride.
"Tina."
The only person in this vast manor who ever spoke to me. A woman with quiet black hair and rapturously luminous violet eyes.
My beautiful mistress stepped through the doorway. I let a touch of clumsiness settle into my throat and offered Viviana an awkward smile with eyes that couldn't quite hold focus.
"W-welcome back, Lady Viviana...!"