After that, I talked about trivial things with Jeremiah and had meals together. The topic of people with memories was hardly mentioned, and as he declared, we stayed together until I fell asleep.
However, Dora looked at me strangely, and Paula occasionally showed up, and the Duke visited, so I was reasonably busy. But I was happy to have plenty of time with Jeremiah.
Thanks to that, I slept soundly at night, and Jeremiah even appeared in my dreams.
Feeling truly relieved, I was able to rest both physically and mentally.
And then the next day.
I thought it was strange to be sleeping when I wasn’t sick, so I convinced Dora, who insisted that I should still be sleeping, to let me get up and move around as usual.
Of course, I didn’t go outside.
I had been told so strictly not to go out that I didn’t even want to.
Spring was approaching amidst the commotion, but it was still cold and there were many cloudy days. I had heard that the weather in the winter capital was usually not good, and it was really true.
Looking at the scenery outside the window, I wondered if I should write a letter or go see Lucia.
“For now, it seems like Denny is resting.”
She hasn’t shown her face since then. In other words, she should be resting properly. I thought so, but I still had a slight unease.
I shook my head slightly from side to side and told myself that I shouldn’t believe it and decided not to think about it.
By the way, Jeremiah is out doing something with Paula. I don’t know the reason, but I think they’ll be back soon.
Dora is busy with her work.
There is still time until the meal.
I muttered “Okay” and left the room.
Suddenly, I felt several gazes directed towards me. I walked pretending to be normal while my face twitched slightly.
——As expected, they’re watching me.
Paula must have ordered them to keep an eye on me so that I don’t take any arbitrary actions and don’t go outside the mansion.
I can’t stand being watched like this, even though it’s nice to see them. But there’s nothing I can do about it.
I headed to my destination with awkward movements.
Of course, my destination was Lucia’s room.
To be honest, I had been curious for a long time, but Jeremiah, Paula, and Dora had been keeping a close eye on me, so it was difficult to visit her. It was because I thought that I might find it easier to talk when I’m alone with Lucia, but there were other reasons as well.
With Jeremiah nearby, I was not comfortable talking about Paolo.
Eventually, I arrived at Lucia’s room and knocked on the door. Her maid came out and invited me in. Then, I went to tell Lucia about my visit.
Suddenly, I heard a muffled groan from the adjacent bedroom.
“W-What?”
I had planned to wait until I was called, but I was so surprised that I ended up entering the bedroom.
What I saw there was a small pile of cloth that had become like a small mountain. I think Lucia was probably curled up under the futon.
I don’t remember doing or saying anything that would cause her to be like this.
Moreover, she was trembling slightly…
“Um…”
When I looked at the maid in confusion, she had a tired expression on her face and said:
“I’m sorry. She’s been like this for a while… Even when Lady Astorga comes, she doesn’t come out of this state easily.”
That must be tough. Maybe it’s because of Paula. It’s probably just my imagination, but I feel like Jeremiah is also playing a role in this.
Those siblings have incredible insight.
Even if someone looked at me like that, I would be ecstatic, but Lucia must have been scared. As I watched, the maid began to shake the pile of cloth.
“Lucia-sama! It’s Lorraine-sama, don’t be afraid. Lorraine-sama won’t do anything and won’t say anything~.”
“Come on out~,” the maid said in a rather perfunctory tone while shaking the bundle of cloth. She seemed to be getting quite annoyed. However, it seemed to be for the best.
A voice came from the bundle of cloth.
“Lorraine-oneesama?”
“Yes, I’m already here.”
Finally, the bundle of cloth moved in response to the maid’s words. There was a rustling sound, and a head popped out of the cloth. The movement was somewhat turtle-like.
However, I could finally talk to her. I smiled and said,
“Good morning, Lucia. Um, are you okay?”
In response to my question, Lucia didn’t react immediately and stared at me for a while. I didn’t know what to do and froze with a smile that seemed forced.
Eventually, Lucia’s stiffness eased and she said,
“Onee-sama…I’m sorry.”
Lucia drooped as if she were about to wilt and collapse. I panicked.
“It’s okay now that it’s over. You and I are both okay. It was tough, but I was at fault too.”
When I said that, Lucia surprisingly nodded obediently and said “Yes.”
“Is everything really okay?”
The situation just now was quite abnormal.
I have some idea about the cause, but I won’t say anything unnecessary. I feel like it’s not a good idea to even let Lucia hear a few words or someone’s name in her current state.
Then, Lucia opened her mouth and looked at me without answering the question.
“Lorraine-oneesama, I always envied you. You always looked happy and smiled even in unpleasant situations. I couldn’t do that, but I thought maybe I could if I imitated Onee-sama.”
“…I see.”
“After that, I would secretly grin at cool-looking men, observe them carefully, and hide from people’s eyes in plain clothes. Then, I stopped caring about anyone’s eyes and didn’t hear anything unpleasant.”
…It’s kind of unbearable.
I feel uneasy as if my embarrassing parts are being exposed, but Lucia is serious. I reluctantly decided to listen without telling her to stop.
After that, I talked about trivial things with Jeremiah and had meals together. The topic of people with memories was hardly mentioned, and as he declared, we stayed together until I fell asleep.
However, Dora looked at me strangely, and Paula occasionally showed up, and the Duke visited, so I was reasonably busy. But I was happy to have plenty of time with Jeremiah.
Thanks to that, I slept soundly at night, and Jeremiah even appeared in my dreams.
Feeling truly relieved, I was able to rest both physically and mentally.
And then the next day.
I thought it was strange to be sleeping when I wasn’t sick, so I convinced Dora, who insisted that I should still be sleeping, to let me get up and move around as usual.
Of course, I didn’t go outside.
I had been told so strictly not to go out that I didn’t even want to.
Spring was approaching amidst the commotion, but it was still cold and there were many cloudy days. I had heard that the weather in the winter capital was usually not good, and it was really true.
Looking at the scenery outside the window, I wondered if I should write a letter or go see Lucia.
“For now, it seems like Denny is resting.”
She hasn’t shown her face since then. In other words, she should be resting properly. I thought so, but I still had a slight unease.
I shook my head slightly from side to side and told myself that I shouldn’t believe it and decided not to think about it.
By the way, Jeremiah is out doing something with Paula. I don’t know the reason, but I think they’ll be back soon.
Dora is busy with her work.
There is still time until the meal.
I muttered “Okay” and left the room.
Suddenly, I felt several gazes directed towards me. I walked pretending to be normal while my face twitched slightly.
——As expected, they’re watching me.
Paula must have ordered them to keep an eye on me so that I don’t take any arbitrary actions and don’t go outside the mansion.
I can’t stand being watched like this, even though it’s nice to see them. But there’s nothing I can do about it.
I headed to my destination with awkward movements.
Of course, my destination was Lucia’s room.
To be honest, I had been curious for a long time, but Jeremiah, Paula, and Dora had been keeping a close eye on me, so it was difficult to visit her. It was because I thought that I might find it easier to talk when I’m alone with Lucia, but there were other reasons as well.
With Jeremiah nearby, I was not comfortable talking about Paolo.
Eventually, I arrived at Lucia’s room and knocked on the door. Her maid came out and invited me in. Then, I went to tell Lucia about my visit.
Suddenly, I heard a muffled groan from the adjacent bedroom.
“W-What?”
I had planned to wait until I was called, but I was so surprised that I ended up entering the bedroom.
What I saw there was a small pile of cloth that had become like a small mountain. I think Lucia was probably curled up under the futon.
I don’t remember doing or saying anything that would cause her to be like this.
Moreover, she was trembling slightly…
“Um…”
When I looked at the maid in confusion, she had a tired expression on her face and said:
“I’m sorry. She’s been like this for a while… Even when Lady Astorga comes, she doesn’t come out of this state easily.”
That must be tough. Maybe it’s because of Paula. It’s probably just my imagination, but I feel like Jeremiah is also playing a role in this.
Those siblings have incredible insight.
Even if someone looked at me like that, I would be ecstatic, but Lucia must have been scared. As I watched, the maid began to shake the pile of cloth.
“Lucia-sama! It’s Lorraine-sama, don’t be afraid. Lorraine-sama won’t do anything and won’t say anything~.”
“Come on out~,” the maid said in a rather perfunctory tone while shaking the bundle of cloth. She seemed to be getting quite annoyed. However, it seemed to be for the best.
A voice came from the bundle of cloth.
“Lorraine-oneesama?”
“Yes, I’m already here.”
Finally, the bundle of cloth moved in response to the maid’s words. There was a rustling sound, and a head popped out of the cloth. The movement was somewhat turtle-like.
However, I could finally talk to her. I smiled and said,
“Good morning, Lucia. Um, are you okay?”
In response to my question, Lucia didn’t react immediately and stared at me for a while. I didn’t know what to do and froze with a smile that seemed forced.
Eventually, Lucia’s stiffness eased and she said,
“Onee-sama…I’m sorry.”
Lucia drooped as if she were about to wilt and collapse. I panicked.
“It’s okay now that it’s over. You and I are both okay. It was tough, but I was at fault too.”
When I said that, Lucia surprisingly nodded obediently and said “Yes.”
“Is everything really okay?”
The situation just now was quite abnormal.
I have some idea about the cause, but I won’t say anything unnecessary. I feel like it’s not a good idea to even let Lucia hear a few words or someone’s name in her current state.
Then, Lucia opened her mouth and looked at me without answering the question.
“Lorraine-oneesama, I always envied you. You always looked happy and smiled even in unpleasant situations. I couldn’t do that, but I thought maybe I could if I imitated Onee-sama.”
“…I see.”
“After that, I would secretly grin at cool-looking men, observe them carefully, and hide from people’s eyes in plain clothes. Then, I stopped caring about anyone’s eyes and didn’t hear anything unpleasant.”
…It’s kind of unbearable.
I feel uneasy as if my embarrassing parts are being exposed, but Lucia is serious. I reluctantly decided to listen without telling her to stop.
