Chapter 13 (1/2)
Volume 1
CH 16
A Day in a Certain Young Lady’s Life
「My lady, I’ve brought you your meal . 」
「…Thank you . 」
I, Shuria, responded to the knock at my door by placing a bookmark in the novel I was reading and setting it aside . Only after looking outside the window did I realize that it was already noon . The book had been so entertaining that it’d caused me to lose track of time .
The exact piece of work I had been reading was one a lot of the other ladies had started to talk about as of late . It described a romance, one between an earl with fairy blood and a young female slave . Its plot focused particularly on the troubles that they had to overcome in order to realize their burning passions for one another . I’d only just started reading it, but was already intrigued and couldn’t help but wish to know how it would end .
I really did think the novel was a wonderful one, but the l-lewder parts embarrassed me and made it a bit difficult for me to read .
「Your lunch today is a Muroo Beef Steak, a Potato Potage, and a salad made of Naruna Herbs . I’ll have a chilled Eppla waiting for you as dessert once you’ve finished . 」
I moved over to the large table upon which one of the maids, Sori, arranged my meal and sat myself down in the seat closest to the windowsill . Sori had been working to take care of me for the past three years, and had really been doing her job well .
Though she was basically expressionless, she was quite gentle and kind . Moreover, she knew exactly what it meant to be a maid . That is, she didn’t talk too much, and made sure to never overstep her bounds .
「Would you like to join me, Sori?」
「I’m terribly sorry my lady, but I am merely a lowly maid . I could not possibly bring myself to eat at the same table as you or Lady Yumis, your elder sister . 」
Sori bowed to apologize as she answered my question .
I couldn’t help but think of Sori as someone really accomplished . Though she worked as my caretaker, she also found enough time to do much more than just that . She would often help make decisions regarding our territory when need be, and even acted as my elder sister’s confident . In fact, the two had been friends since childhood .
Her gallant, cool looking face, blue-purple tied up hair, and charming, womanly body made me feel a bit jealous of her . She was very different from me, who, despite being human, had obvious, thick, Elven blood . I was already 14, but still looked really childish, mostly due to my height and chest .
「How do you feel about the dishes’ tastes? I believe the chef decided to use a slightly different recipe today . 」
「They’re so delicious they almost seem wasted on me . 」
「That’s great . I will pass your compliments onto the chef . 」
I was really filled by the time I finally finished off the Eppla I had for dessert .
Sori had her subordinates carry off the empty plates after I finished eating .
「Umm… what about the usual thing…」
「You must mean the new stuffed animal . Please wait for just a moment . 」
Sori left the room and returned shortly after .
「What do you think of this one?」
「…Thank you . It’s wonderful . 」
The stuffed animal Sori bought for me today was one that looked like a large teddy bear . Its red and yellow patchwork body, sewn mouth, and brown button eyes made it look really cute . Best of all, it was really fuzzy and fluffy .
「Please excuse us, as we will now be leaving you to your business . Do let the maids stationed outside your room know if there’s anything you happen to need . 」
Sori left the room after making the exact same statement she always did .
I took the teddy bear to my bed and played with it a bit by hugging it, rolling around with it and stroking its fur to satisfaction before finally doing with it as I had all the others and turning it into one of my room’s decorations .
「This one’s really cute, so I guess I’ll have to put it right over here . 」
I ended up moving the brand new stuffed animal right beside my pillow .
「…Okay! Time to go through my daily routine!」
I purposefully pumped my fists and spoke out loud as if to encourage myself . The act I was about to repeat for the nth time was one I tried to do every single day: exercising .
The manor I was living in was a noble’s, or more specifically, one belonging to the lord that governed the area . The food the maids served me was delicious, and the portions were always really big . I, as an ordinary village girl, was sure to start gaining weight if I continued eating such luxurious food day after day, especially since I was confined to my room . I’ve been making sure I got exercise everyday, both to prevent myself from getting fat, and to mitigate the stress that built up from being cooped up all day . But no matter how hard I exercised, I was never able to build up any muscle, mostly due to my elvish blood . That, I was actually a bit thankful for, as I really didn’t want myself to develop a muscular looking torso .
I entered and used the shower in the bathroom connected to my suite after working up a sweat . Showering wasn’t something I’d been able to do back when I lived in the village . There, I only ever bathed in the river around noon, when it was still warm out .
I was a bit worried about how odd I would feel upon returning to my old life and losing access to the shower, so I’d thought about restricting my access to it, but I couldn’t . I wasn’t able to resist the comfort it brought .
「…That felt great . 」
「That’s quite the immodest appearance right there, Shuria . 」
「Y-Yumis!?」
My sister, Yumis, appeared to to have been waiting for me to finish my shower, as she was sitting in the chair I always used, the one by the windowsill . Her face was pretty, and her smile gentle as always . Her hair, which reflected all the natural beauty of a lush, green forest, sparkled in response to the light beaming through the window .
As if to contrast her, I myself was dressed in nothing but a bath towel .
「I-I’m sorry!」
I hurriedly grabbed a set of clothes and changed into them .
「You don’t need to be in a hurry of any sort, especially because I’m to blame as well . I could have been more careful with my timing . 」
「I-It’s definitely not your fault! I know you’re really busy, so don’t blame yourself!」