c25 (2/2)

“……I knew that from the start, you know. It’s just that much. I only got surprised because Lute did something strange all of a shudden.”

Ah, she bit her tongue.

Mercè-san stood back up with an unconcerned face and wiped away the dust clinging to her maid clothes.

c.r.a.p. She’s way more amusing than she looks.

“Oi.”

While we were having that conversation, the head of the guards Gigi-san called us out.

“Gigi-san, good work.”

“……good work.”

Mercè-san and I greeted him one after the other.

Gigi-san greeted us back with a slight bow of his head.

“Do you have any business with us?”

“How are you doing with ojou-sama? Can you stay at the Vlad house?”

Gigi-san answered my question with a question.

Looks like he was worried so he came and looked.

Because Gigi-san was an ally who wanted me to stay, I frankly told him my situation.

This is also because he might come up with a good idea.

“―I see, you got closer to her with some snacks, huh.”

“Yes. But it gets hard after that. Gigi-san, do you have any ideas?”

“Use this.”

Gigi-san gave me the thing in his hand.

It was a book.

“Can you read Demon Language?”

“Yes, I’ll be alright.”

I was speaking in the Demon Language even now.

Reading was also not a problem, unless the book was too difficult.

Personally, I’d rather read than talk.

The book looks to be a picture book for reading aloud to children.

The book was about a princess who was kidnapped by the Demon Lord of the Demon Continent, and the Demon Race hero borrowed the other heroes’ power and came to her rescue, it was an adventure-action and love story.

It seems like this was one of the books ojou-sama likes.

“Ojou-sama likes books, she used to cage herself inside the school library. Lute can use that to start getting closer to her.”

“Thank you very much, Gigi-san!”

Gigi-san finished what he came to do and silently went back to his post.

While looking at his back, I came up with a plan. If I pull it off I might be able to get closer to ojou-sama.

I told the plan I thought up to Mercè-san and,

“It could certainly be a good plan. If you do it well, ojou-sama might come to see Lute’s good points.”

She agreed.

Because of that I suddenly became fired up.

In preparation for tonight’s evening party, I called upon my knowledge of my previous life while sweeping.

Evening at the 2nd evening party.

Yesterday was pudding.

Since there was some custard cream left from today I applied it to white bread and put fruits in between.

A perfect fruit sandwich.

Of course I made it small for the evening party.

Ojou-sama thought that there were vegetables and meat between the bread slices so she was a little averse towards the fruit sandwich at the beginning.

Do custard cream and bread fit together?

However, she remembers how delicious the pudding and mille crêpes were so she believed in me and tried it.

Ojou-sama immediately smiled broadly.

She happily grasped the fruit sandwich with both hands and ate it like a squirrel.

Her appearance was very lovely.

(gulp)

I made eye contact with Mercè-san.

I nodded and spoke to ojou-sama.

“Ojou-sama, there is one thing I wanted to ask you, will it be okay?”

Ojou-sama tilted her head, still holding the fruit sandwich, and nodded.

She gave the OK sign.

I slowly cut in.

“Actually, I met the head of the guards Gigi-san while sweeping today and I heard that ojou-sama likes to read picture books. If it’s alright with you, I’d like to tell you a story that is well known in my country. Would you like to hear?”

Ojou-sama nodded, smiling with her whole face.

In my heart I made a victory pose.

I cleared my throat and immediately told her a story I remembered from my previous life.

It seems like it’s best to tell her stories she’d like, like “Cinderella” “Snow White” or “Romeo and Juliet”.

I slowly started telling the story of “Cinderella” as the young lady sipped on her scented tea.

“Well then…. Once upon a time and place, there was a young girl named Cinderella―”

When I finished telling ojou-sama the story of “Cinderella”, she clapped her hands, her eyes bright.

It seems like she understood it just fine.

It was the fairy tale’s author, not me, that made it enjoyable, but I was still happy that she liked it. It’s like the feeling of reading a picture book aloud to a child.

I continued, and told her the stories of “Snow White” and “Romeo and Juliet”.

When I told her “Romeo and Juliet”, tears welled up in ojou-sama’s eyes that were bathed in the magic lamp’s light.

‘Did I fail!?’, I panicked, but it seems that she was moved by the story and teared up.

She wiped her eyes using a handkerchief Mercè-san handed her.

I looked at them and silently stroked my chest.

“Well then, it’s become late so we should end it here for tonight. If it’s alright with ojou-sama, would you like me to tell you another story at tomorrow’s evening party?”

“Can’t you tell me just one more story?”

Ojou-sama wrote on her mini blackboard, stood up from her seat and pressed it right beside me. Mercè-san and I looked at each other in surprise despite being in front of ojou-sama because of her actions.

“Can’t you?”

Ojou-sama took it as a no and her face became gloomy.

I hastily denied it.

“No, there’s no problem. Well then, I shall tell ojou-sama one last story.”

As I said that ojou-sama’s expression completely changed and became bright.

Then she, without returning to her seat, wrapped herself in her quilt and rolled down on the bed.

Then she urged me to come beside the bed.

I then brought a chair and sat down beside the bed as ordered.

Ojou-sama looked up at me with an expression that would fit the term “excited”.

(A story that ojou-sama would like like “Cinderella” “Snow White” and “Romeo and Juliet” huh…… )

Normally I would gradually run out of story material, but in my old life I had not only that but also anime, light novels, and manga.

I still had a lot of story material to use.

I folded my arms and pondered a little.

I thought of a story ojou-sama would like and turned towards her.

“Well then, I will finally tell you the best story I saved for last.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

Ojou-sama skilfully wrote on the mini blackboard while lying down.

I cleared my throat, and after introducing one of the most famous stories in my country, I said the t.i.tle.

“Then the last story for tonight will be―‘La○○ta: Castle in the Sky’.”

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