I should have filtered my words a bit more.
But what’s said is said.
My sister bit her lip slightly.
Did she perhaps notice my feelings?
Well, I was practically throwing myself at her; there’s no way she wouldn’t…
“Well! I simply did what I had to do.”
There it is.
Her indifferent reply calmed my own heart.
‘Was it strange of me to expect something?’
But wasn’t that precisely my sister’s charm?
Even this situation made me happy.
“Ahem, Sei. What about you?”
“Yes?”
“Did you consider the attention Anne would receive?”
“Ah, of course. Harming Anne is the same as harming me. I won’t stand for it, no matter who it is!”
I clenched my fists.
My sister chuckled at my action.
‘Wow, did that work?’
I was basking in the thought of making my sister smile when,
“Eek!”
With a small shriek, I hugged my sister.
It wasn’t for any ulterior motive, of course.
“S-Sister! Th-There! There Mr. Roooo.”
I squeezed my eyes shut and pointed at the floor.
I couldn’t bring myself to say Mr. Roo’s name.
Just thinking about it made my skin crawl.
Mr. Roo was the one thing I couldn’t handle.
I remembered the time when I lived in a basement room and couldn’t deal with an unexpected visitor, shivering outside in the cold.
My mind went blank, and my heart soared to the sky before plummeting to the ground.
“Hic.”
I was so startled that I tightened my grip around my sister.
Soon, I felt a hand patting my back.
‘…?’
It was a warmth I had never felt before.
It felt like sinking into warm water, cut off from the chaotic world.
A sense of peace gradually seeped into my heart.
Is this what it feels like to be protected?
“It’s okay now, Sei.”
A gentle voice landed softly above my head, like a divine revelation.
I slowly raised my head, still clutching my sister’s sleeve.
“Don’t worry. It wasn’t a cockroach, but a stag beetle.”
“A stag beetle?”
“Yes. It must have flown in through the window.”
At her words, I glanced at the half-open window.
I trusted her words all the more because it was my sister who said them.
“I’ll get someone to take care of it.”
Come to think of it, one of the teacups that had been neatly placed on the table was gone.
It seemed my sister had covered the bug with the empty cup after finishing her cocoa.
‘How can I not fall for her?’
My racing pulse gradually returned to normal.
How long had I been lost in my sister’s kindness?
Before long, the class was almost over, and the headmistress called for us.
Finally, our turn had come.
“…!”
I almost fainted on the spot when I saw the headmistress’s face.
It was true that she was a famous socialite who led trends in the original story, but I never imagined she would appear as a modern woman at the forefront of maid education.
‘What is this game?’
Am I going to die of a heart attack before I even see the ending?
While I was having ridiculous thoughts in my head, I greeted the headmistress warmly.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Sadie Le Cleo.”
“Pleased to meet you. I’m Amber Diana Cherry. Welcome.”
Her identity was Countess Cherry.
The mother who made Cherry Boy a mama’s boy.
I tried to hide my expression and calm my surprised emotions.
‘Now that Anne is here, I don’t want to be on bad terms with the Countess.’
Right, what could possibly go wrong?
Especially since my sister is already matched as a target.
“After you’ve looked around, please let me know if you’d like any coaching.”
Countess Cherry winked at us both and gave us a friendly smile.
Then, another teacher was introduced.
“Here, Ms. Catherine is in charge of the afternoon class.”
The afternoon class.
That meant she was in charge of Anne and Parker’s class.
That was a relief.
Since there was someone else conducting the class, it seemed I wouldn’t have to face the headmistress directly.
It seemed that Countess Cherry’s role was mainly to manage the school as a whole.
Soon, Catherine led the way.
We followed her slowly into the school.
“Today, we had a basic braiding lesson for updo hairstyles. These are the students’ practice pieces.”
I saw mannequin heads lined up on the school tables.
I quickly spotted Anne’s work and my eyes widened.
“Wow, did Anne really do this?”
“Yes, Miss!”
Her skills might not have improved dramatically overnight, but there was potential.
‘This is pretty decent, isn’t it?’
I gave Anne a thumbs up and glanced at Parker’s mannequin.
I wondered if Parker’s work, who wasn’t used to this kind of thing, would be the most clumsy.
But.
‘Huh?’
What am I seeing?
A mannequin with a professional-looking set of dreadlocks was placed on Parker’s desk.
What? A basic braiding lesson?
I was so surprised by his incredible skill that my mouth dropped open.
“Parker is the pride of our Charming Class. He understands ten things when you tell him one. He’s a student with a very promising future. And he’s the only boy, too. Ho ho ho.”
“Haha! I see.”
I felt embarrassed by the thumbs up I had been holding up just a moment ago.
I felt my shoulders shrinking.
But it was too early to give up.
There was still hope.
‘If Anne sticks close to Parker, she’ll learn something from him.’
Catherine said that she would constantly evaluate the students to analyze their strengths and weaknesses.
She added that she would make sure to compensate for their weaknesses and make the most of their strengths so that they wouldn’t regret registering here.
At that moment, an employee came in and posted the students’ scores at the back of the classroom.
Out of a total of fifteen people.
‘Let’s see, where is our Anne?’
I carefully scanned from top to bottom.
Finally, my eyes stopped at ’14th place?’
Oh!
Anne isn’t last?
After seeing Parker’s skills, I didn’t expect much from Anne.
However.
‘Someone is surpassing Anne.’
It was a great pity.
Thanks to that, I was able to straighten my shrunken shoulders with confidence.
And Anne smiled more brightly than ever.
After class, we left the salon in a good mood.
Anne left first to prepare dinner, and Parker stepped back to give us some space to talk comfortably.
‘Everyone’s so perceptive.’
I was feeling pleased with myself when,
“Sei, do you have any plans?”
“This is it for today. Why?”
I felt a flicker of hope.
My heart kept speeding up.
Judging by the atmosphere, this is a green light, right?
I don’t want to be disappointed.
‘Heart, get a grip!’
A strange tension hung between my sister and me.
“I have something to give you. Would you like to come to my house?”
Did that sound like,
‘Do you want to come up for ramen?’ I must be crazy.
Haha.
I need to get a grip before I go even crazier.
What if my sister changes her mind!
“Yes! Ra… I mean, I’ll go! To your house, Sister!”
The inside of my sister’s mansion didn’t seem to have changed much.
It was still minimalist with only the bare essentials.
Oh, there was one thing that had changed.
‘The curtains have changed?’
Before, the ivory-colored, flowing fabric draped naturally to the floor, but now, the deep navy color with gold embroidery made it look even more luxurious. And it had a heavy feel.
Perhaps because of that, the atmosphere of the mansion felt quite elegant, blending in with the portraits hanging everywhere.
In addition, the dark color of the curtains would make it difficult to see inside from the outside, which would be good for privacy.
‘Is this the Baroness’s taste?’
Most of the home decor and atmosphere were the responsibility of the mistresses of the house.
In our house, Anne and I would give each other feedback and make changes from time to time.
Come to think of it, I felt awkward coming empty-handed, unlike my last visit.
‘Next time, I should bring flowers, or even cookies.’
I thought that would be the proper etiquette as a guest.
As I looked around, I felt something was missing.
The changed curtains made the interior look great, but it felt empty without the mistress of the house.
“Sister, the Baroness doesn’t seem to be around today?”
“She’s probably getting a massage and is asleep by now.”
“Oh, I see. I’m a little sad that I can’t say hello today.”
“Well, there will be many opportunities.”
My sister answered casually, but I couldn’t help but give her words all sorts of meanings.
Does having many opportunities mean.
She’ll invite me to her house often in the future?
Whatever it is, as time goes by, I’ll have more contact with my sister, and I’ll naturally get closer to the Baroness.
‘It would be nice to make a good impression at times like this.’
Most mothers like their daughters to hang out with good friends, and I’m the epitome of a good friend.
Moreover, I had never been involved in any scandalous affairs.
I felt my spine straighten with newfound confidence.
‘It’s a shame today, but I should give up on touring the house.’
I shouldn’t disturb the Baroness’s sleep by wandering around.
I just hoped that the Baroness would recognize me as a good friend of my sister.
As soon as I entered the drawing room, my mouth dropped open.
The sky-blue carpet with yellow tulip patterns made the drawing room atmosphere refreshing.
Even the white daisies in the vase smelled fragrant.
‘Hmm, it smells good. The atmosphere of the house has definitely changed.’
I smiled subtly and looked around.
Soon, cocoa and dessert were prepared.
“This is cocoa from the capital and cake made with candied fruit. Try it.”
I was about to lift the cocoa cup when I blinked repeatedly.
It was because I was focused on the first words of my sister’s kind explanation.
“The capital? Sister, did you go to the capital?”
“Yes, recently.”
She said she was going on vacation, but it seemed she went to the capital.
“Uh, what did you go to the capital for?”
“Just, there was something to do.”
Ah, she doesn’t want to talk about it in detail.
I noticed my sister’s mood and nodded quietly.
It felt like it would be rude to ask any further.
My mouth felt bitter even though I hadn’t had anything to drink yet.
It seemed that I was only this much to my sister.
‘I thought we were getting closer.’
I guess not. It was just my imagination.
But I forced a smile.
I shouldn’t show that I’m upset that my sister isn’t telling me everything.
“Sei, I have something to give you.”
That’s right, that’s what she said.
Before coming to the house, my sister had said that she had something to give me.
“Give me something? What is it?”
Will this be the turning point for our relationship to stabilize again?
I decided to have a little hope.