Chapter 72 (1/2)
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!」