Chapter 4
Chapter 4
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: The First Morning
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“Isn't she heavy?”
“She's so skinny, she feels like a twig.”
“Ah...”
The butler let out a sigh, but Theo paid it no mind as he headed straight for the child's room.
He had instructed them to prepare everything in advance, but in this season of unrelenting bad weather, it wasn't an easy task.
Fortunately, a quick look around the room showed it was adequately furnished for an ordinary noble young lady. They could fill in any gaps later, so for now, this would have to do.
“...The room feels a bit cold.”
“We've lit the fire, so it should warm up soon. No need to worry.”
Theodor didn't know exactly how much cold a human child could tolerate. But the butler, Marsha, was just as unfamiliar with humans.
She had dozed off in the carriage, only to start shivering from the chill, so he'd draped a blanket over her coat as well. Her cheeks were bright red—perhaps she had already caught a cold.
The facility where the child had stayed was filthy and rundown. She was emaciated from lack of food, and after being beaten on top of that, she seemed frail and tired easily.
She had fallen asleep without even realizing they'd arrived, so he'd carried her out of the carriage blanket and all. At this rate, she wouldn't wake until morning.
“The chief physician?”
“She'll arrive by tomorrow morning.”
“Food for the child.”
“We've prepared plenty of food suitable for a human child.”
The butler spoke with reliable confidence.
Marsha, the white weasel beastkin butler who had served the Diarc Family for many years, had already brought the mansion into good order under her care.
Marsha glanced at the child cradled in the young master's arms and ventured softly,
“The child... seems quite young.”
“Seventeen.”
“Pardon? She looks no more than fourteen or fifteen at most... Ahem. Even for a human girl, she's awfully small. At this rate, she'll never...”
The butler let out a pained groan. Theodor addressed her.
“This child is the bride I brought home. Use the proper form of address.”
“...My apologies, Master. I spoke out of turn.”
“See that she's properly bathed and dressed by tomorrow.”
“Understood, Master.”
Theodor laid her on the bed and turned to leave.
Before exiting the room, he paused for a moment, as if lost in thought, then departed.
Lara blinked her eyes open.
The air around her was warm and filled with hazy steam. It felt moist and gently rippling.
She must have fallen asleep without realizing it somewhere along the way, but she couldn't quite remember.
Where am I?
Only then did Lara notice the unfamiliar sensation of something softly wiping her body.
“...!”
Her mind snapped alert in an instant. Startled, Lara instinctively jerked away from the strange touch, and Marsha raised both hands placatingly.
“Oh dear, miss. Did I startle you? I'm so sorry.”
“...”
Lara stared at the unfamiliar woman with wide, frightened eyes.
Her heart pounded with anxiety. This wasn't the carriage. Theodor was nowhere in sight. Had she been sold off somewhere after all?
“Please don't be scared, miss. I'm Marsha, the butler of this estate. We're just giving you a bath right now. You were sleeping so soundly that we couldn't bring ourselves to wake you.”
“...Butler?”
“Yes. We manage large houses and attend to important people up close. I've served Master Theodor for a long time.”
Hearing Theodor's name from the strange woman's lips eased the tension in Lara's body a little.
I see. So this must be Theodor's home?
Looking around, she realized this was a bathroom far larger than anything at Laden Orphanage.
Lara was half-submerged in a massive tub, and the butler was gently washing her arms and legs.
Embarrassed at being seen naked, Lara shrank back.
Fortunately, the tub was covered in a thick layer of bubbles.
As Lara tentatively gathered them, Marsha swallowed a pang of bitterness.
She had seen all the bruises marring the child's body while washing her.
Without showing it, Marsha spoke in a gentle voice.
“We're almost done, so just bear with it a little longer, miss.”
“I can do it myself.”
The child spoke in a small voice. It was frail, but pleasant to the ear, like the chirp of a tiny bird.
“I can wash myself.”
“Miss, you must be tired from the long journey. Just relax. Soaking in warm water helps melt away tension.”
But despite Marsha's words, Lara couldn't relax.
Marsha washed the child's rigid body, dried her with a towel, and dressed her in the fresh white nightgown they had prepared.
Seeing how transformed the child looked now filled her with a sense of satisfaction.
Her limbs were stick-thin, but she was a doll-like pretty girl.
“My goodness, miss. You're truly beautiful.”
“...”
Lara still felt dazed and stood silently, unable to respond.
Marsha gently led the bemused Lara to the bed. Even as she followed the butler's words, everything still felt awkward to her.
“It's late, so you should get some rest now. Sweet dreams, miss.”
Click. The door closed.
Left alone on the vast bed, Lara stared at the unfamiliar new clothes enveloping her, then hugged her knees and buried her face.
“N-No...”
It was a nightmare.
In the dream, Director Laden was chasing Lara, raising her hand high. An old man stood beside her, reaching out with clammy hands.
Her cheek? Or her head? Lara squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for the impending blow. She was about to be caught.
“...!”
Lara jolted awake just before they grabbed her.
The pounding of her heart and her ragged breaths told her it had been a nightmare.
“...”
She was drenched in cold sweat.
Sitting up on the bed, Lara quietly regulated her breathing.
Deep breaths gradually calmed the fluttering in her chest.
The faint light filtering in indicated it was very early morning. The room was filled with the hazy glow unique to dawn.
And then Lara realized this wasn't Laden Orphanage.
It was just a dream. The director isn't next to me. This isn't the orphanage. I'm safe.
Everything that had happened before she arrived here began replaying in sequence.
On a snowy night, a man like winter itself had come for her.
A man all black, enormous, with snow-white skin and crimson eyes.
Theodor Diarc...
Lara murmured his name softly to herself, as he had told her in the carriage.
Why had he called her his bride?
“...”
Lara quietly gazed at the crackling fireplace.
It was a sound she rarely heard at the orphanage. Her spot was always the farthest from the single brazier.
Surprisingly, nothing here felt cold at all. The pristine white blanket and sheets covering Lara were clean and warm. Everything was unfamiliar and new.
I should... do some work.
Once her eyes were open, she couldn't just lie there doing nothing.
At this hour, Lara would normally be starting her chores. Rising two hours earlier than everyone else was the only way to avoid the director's beatings and survive the day.
Lara cautiously slipped out of bed. She felt like she had to avoid making any noise, so her every movement was careful.
There was a large mirror in the room. Turning to look, a skinny child with waist-length silver hair and mismatched eyes stared back at her identically.
“...”
Lara covered one eye.
It was the eye the director always pointed at with disgust and horror. An eye she'd never liked.
But right now, she thought of that man instead.
Theodor.
It was only one eye, but remembering his made it feel not so bad.
“...”
Lara quickly shook her head. He's different from me. His eyes are beautiful. They're not different colors, and they don't resemble mine at all.
Lowering her hand, her mismatched eyes reflected back again.
A gaunt body. Unfamiliar fine clothes she'd never worn before. A sullen expression.
Lara dropped her gaze and stepped away from the mirror.
Creeeak. Lara gently opened the door.
Can I go out?
She glanced around cautiously, but the long hallway appeared empty.
The rising sun shone through the corridor windows, illuminating dust motes floating in the air.
Gathering her courage, Lara peeked out of the room.
Doors similar to hers lined the endless corridor.
It's so vast...
Cleaning all of this would be exhausting.
Lara walked slowly down the hall. It seemed to stretch on forever, no matter how far she went.
Several times—no, dozens of times larger than Laden Orphanage. Her meager imagination couldn't even compare.
With each step, faint creaks echoed from somewhere. Old wooden floorboards.
Soon, a broom propped in a stairwell corner caught her eye.
“...”
Sweep, sweep. Lara began brushing away the settled dust.
It wasn't unfamiliar work to her. Opening tightly shut windows, wiping dust, sweeping and mopping stairs.
As Lara stood on tiptoe, struggling to turn the stiff window latch,
“What exactly are you doing?”
“!”
The sudden voice made Lara freeze in terror.
She hadn't sensed anyone approaching.
She nearly dropped the broom.
“It's morning already. What are you doing here?”
Theodor stood at the top of the stairs, looking down at Lara impassively.
The answer was obvious from the broom clutched tightly in the young human's hands.
Theodor's brow furrowed.
“...Cleaning?”
His expression made Lara's heart sink.