The Florence family’s royal capital residence was notably modest even among provincial noble estates.
Located on the outskirts of the upscale residential district in the eastern part of the capital, most of its grounds were dedicated to green gardens planted with Attica region flora that could thrive in the capital’s climate.
Though the atmosphere had brightened since Miyako arrived for her search for a fiancé, back when only the workaholic Odina lived there, it had been called a gloomy haunted house.
“Young Lady Miyako! Thank goodness you’ve returned safely,” head maid Suzie welcomed her.
As the head maid who had served at the Florence family’s capital residence for many years, the wrinkles etched between her eyebrows gave her an air of dignity. They seemed to reflect her warm yet stern character.
Suzie let out a heavy sigh.
“To think that Lady Fuuka Hamilton, having lost the fiancé competition, would go mad and kidnap you, Lady Miyako.”
“Eh, wait!? That’s what people are saying!?”
Wrong, completely wrong!
If anything, or rather overwhelmingly, it was the opposite.
She was the one who had forcibly taken Fuuka’s hand and dragged her off to the Attica region. So why…?
“The rumor going around is that none other than Lady Fuuka Hamilton herself confessed to that effect. It’s reached even the ears of an old servant like myself.”
“Such a…”
Why!? The question spun round and round in her head.
“I’ve heard she confessed as much to Lord Reinhardt. I don’t know what deal was struck, but the rumor is that as an apology, the Hamilton family will cover most of the costs for the Gran River flood control project they were jointly developing with the Reinhardt family.”
“Such a…”
“But I think it’s for the best. Had there been even the slightest suspicion that you, Lady Miyako, who disappeared with Lady Fuuka, had kidnapped the daughter of Count Hamilton’s household. I fear a provincial noble family like the Florences might have faced dissolution.”
Suzie spoke matter-of-factly.
Hearing those words, Miyako suddenly realized.
I see, so Fuuka told such a lie to protect me.
“Suzie. Thank you.”
“Not at all. By the way, young lady… that cat over there?”
‘Meow?’
“Ah, this is Umi…”
Miyako stammered, unable to say she was actually the water spirit Undine who had been sleeping in the garden of their country villa.
“There’s no precedent for keeping cats in this residence.”
Seeing Suzie’s clearly reluctant expression, Miyako hurriedly explained.
“She’s quiet and well-behaved!”
‘Meow!’
Seemingly satisfied with Miyako’s words, Umi nodded.
She appeared to be following Miyako’s instruction to pretend to be just a fluffy ordinary cat.
“Haa,” Suzie fixed a sharp gaze on Umi.
“And she has good manners!”
‘Meow!’
“Is that so?”
“Plus, she’s cute…”
‘Mew…’
“I see.”
“And she’s very elegant!”
‘That’s right, meow!’
“Hmm…………!?”
…Oh no.
“Th-that’s right, meow!!”
Trying to cover up Umi’s enthusiastic agreement, Miyako desperately attempted cat talk.
Whether it worked or not, Suzie seemed to reluctantly accept Umi entering the residence. Miyako reaffirmed that she needed to be careful when walking around with Umi from now on.
“Now then, young lady,” Suzie cleared her throat and spoke in a formal tone.
“Given your hurried return, is there something you require of me?”
At Suzie’s words, spoken with perfect posture, Miyako nodded firmly.
To get Fuuka back.
To fight for her, she had come to this capital.
This head maid was a capable, dignified woman. Miyako could confidently rely on her support.
“Suzie, I need you to prepare these items immediately.”
At Miyako’s voice, Umi, held in her arms, wagged her tail flap flap.
Writing paper, envelopes.
Servant’s clothing, and a gorgeous dress.
—And one flower, blooming modestly in a corner of the green garden.
These were the items Miyako requested head maid Suzie to deliver immediately.
‘Meow. Miyako, what’s that?’ Umi stretched up nyoon to peek at what Miyako was writing at the desk.
“This is a letter. To Brother Odina.”
‘Meow. Can that guy be trusted?’
“Hmm, well, Brother basically doesn’t think much about anything. He’s the type to go with the flow… what you’d call a corporate slave type. Since he doesn’t have any particular convictions, I think we can maneuver him well.”
Miyako knew her brother worked for the Reinhardt ducal household. She didn’t know explicitly that he was in a covert position, something like a shadow butler, but her assessment of Odina wasn’t wrong.
Fundamentally, he was a man without convictions, and he had a soft spot for family.
The reason he brought Fuuka back to the capital was simply because Fuuka herself strongly requested it… that’s all.
Though he was serving the Reinhardt household to build connections for the future, since he would eventually inherit the Florence family headship, he was probably much better suited to being a salaried worker than worrying about various matters as a provincial noble head. The only thing to say about his toxic workplace environment was that it was unfortunate.
Thinking such thoughts, Miyako swiftly moved her brush.
“Alright, done. Now then—”
She sealed the envelope with wax. On the address line, she wrote “Odina Florence” in large letters.
Then, slowly standing up—she ripped off the clothes she was wearing.
‘Wow, bold, meow. My master!’
“I’m just changing clothes.”
What Miyako put on was the work clothing popular among the capital’s servant class.
A plain outfit based on a dead-leaf color, with almost no lace or decorative buttons. Much plainer than the casual clothes Miyako had been wearing for country life in Attica.
—First of all.
First, she had to investigate whether Fuuka was safe now.
The Hamiltons were extremely cold toward failures. There was no guarantee Fuuka wasn’t suffering. Or rather, she was absolutely suffering. First, confirm the situation and next time, instead of a surprise attack, she would take Fuuka away from this place head-on.
“…”
‘What’s wrong, meow, my master?’
“Nothing, I just thought I’ve really changed.”
Miyako reflected.
Her previous life, worn down by long working hours. Unable to say NO, always passive, giving up. Holding faint expectations that someone would somehow fix things. Those expectations were also called ‘relying on others.’
But then.
Meeting Fuuka, falling in love, scheming with all her mental and physical strength to run away together.
And now—to seize a future spent with her, she was standing up to fight with her own power.
She had decided to stand up again, no matter how many times it took.
She had changed.
For Fuuka’s sake, she felt she could do anything.
Though she had strayed far from the original scenario, and her precognitive dreams through ‘clairvoyance’ seemed to have mostly stopped.
Still, she had the water spirit Undine with her.
She had Shanly, Aisha, and Maria who had encouraged her.
And she had her feelings for Fuuka.
That made her inexplicably happy.
She felt somehow invincible.
She felt she could do anything.
“Alright!”
Tying her long reddish-brown hair into a plain ponytail, Miyako raised her voice loudly to psych herself up.
“First, I have to go check on Fuuka-chan!”
‘Nyafu’
Miyako clenched her fist tightly for the first step of the Fuuka retrieval operation.
At her feet, Umi stretched floppily and yawned.
—That scene.
There was a figure watching from behind the door.
Suzie. The head maid who managed the mere three servants of the Florence family’s residence.
Next time: Infiltrating the Hamilton household. Will Miyako be able to meet Fuuka?
I’ll push aside Fuuka’s father, the Reinhardt family, everyone, and seize happiness!