Chapter 3

It was all well until I started walking with Mr. John, but after going down the stairs, turning, advancing, and turning again, I lost track of where I was going.

In this mansion, which is as wide as a maze, I thought I would definitely get lost, so I tried to keep up without falling behind.

"This is the guest room. Please stay in this room, Miss."

As befitting a guest room, the room was filled with expensive furniture. The table, polished to a shine, seemed too pristine to touch, and the chair, which was too large for me to sit in, was spotlessly clean.

Even the fluffy carpet made me feel guilty for stepping on it with my not-so-clean shoes.

If Mr. John hadn't told me, I might not have moved from the entrance at all.

Sitting on the overly fluffy chair, I remained in a strangely tense state. After what seemed like about thirty minutes, a maid brought in a tea set. The maid didn't glance at me casually but stared at me intently, so I smiled ambiguously to get through it.

After a while, the maid left the room.

Alone in the room, I let out a breath.

"What did I come here for?"

As I muttered this, the door suddenly opened. Thinking it might be Mr. John, I looked towards the door, but there was someone I didn't know.

The person with silver hair and sky-blue eyes looked a lot like the Earl.

I remember that there were two boys in this house, aged eighteen and twelve.

Observing the boy in front of me, I guessed he was probably the twelve-year-old second son.

"...Are you the child of your father's mistress?"

It was a difficult question to answer with a simple yes or no. I thought that when in trouble, it's best to smile and dodge, so I tilted my head and smiled, as if to say I don't know.

The person in front of me, who had gasped, was staring at my face intently.

"You look just like Father."

Not knowing what to say to this, the person, who was near the door, walked over to me.

"Why are you so dirty? You stink."

Saying this, he pinched his nose and opened a window in the room. I sniffed my clothes, wondering if I really smelled that bad.

Yeah, a little bit.

I remembered that there was no bath at Mother Jade's house. Although I had only lived in this world for four years, I had never seen a bath. I always wiped my body with a wet cloth when I got dirty, but I was indeed dirty in some places.

Moreover, I didn't wash my clothes frequently; I only changed them when they got very dirty, so they weren't clean. Still, in the place where I lived, everyone dressed similarly, and this was the norm.

"It's unimaginable that you're so dirty."

When he said this angrily, John hurried in.

"Excuse me, Master Oliver."

"John, why is this child so dirty?"

"…I brought her as she was, without time to clean up. I apologize."

"I can't tolerate someone so dirty."

From the way he repeated that I was so dirty, it seemed that Oliver was a clean freak. He couldn't bear to be in the same space with someone so dirty, let alone see someone so dirty in front of him.

"John, prepare a bath immediately."

"Yes, sir."

A few minutes later, under Oliver's supervision, several maids scrubbed my body. When Oliver saw the white foam turn black from the dirt, he shouted.

"What a mess! Unbelievable! How could you not clean yourself until you got this dirty!"

Oliver, who was very excited, was giving instructions to the maids.

"This sponge won't do, get a new one."

"Yes, sir."

"Use this brush for between the fingers."

"Yes, sir."

"Wash the hair three more times."

"Yes, sir."

The maids were busy moving around me.

When I tried to help by touching my own head, Oliver was quick to notice.

"Don't touch. Stay still, stay still."

While being washed, I thought about what a four-year-old could understand and how they would speak.

Thanks to my memories from my previous life, I was a mature adult in my mind. However, I was now a four-year-old.

There were no children my age in the neighborhood where Mother Jade lived, and in my previous life, I had no opportunity to interact with young children, so I didn't know what a four-year-old could do. Therefore, it was difficult for me to act like a four-year-old.

While being washed, I felt a bit confused but was only happy that the dirt was coming off. However, it would be strange for a normal four-year-old to be surrounded by adults and not cry, but to say it felt good. So, I remained silent.

After that, from head to toe, I was sparkling clean and sat facing Oliver. After confirming that I was clean, Oliver finally calmed down.

"Hey, your mother cried because of you."

When I was glared at, I felt a mix of emotions.

If the existence of this child was the reason my mother cried and the relationship between my parents was at risk, it was understandable that he would dislike me. At twelve, which is middle school age in Japan, it's the beginning of adolescence. Knowing that his father had a child outside the family would be even harder to accept.

But as a four-year-old, I couldn't show that I understood everything, so I had to act as if I didn't understand.

"Take this child to a different room, a smaller one, not such a nice room."

"But—"

"Since Father can't handle it now and my brother is away, I have the authority to make decisions in this mansion."

"…Understood."

John, looking apologetic, led me to a room. The mansion was so large that I still couldn't figure out the way, but John walked slowly to match my pace. Oliver followed, fidgeting behind him.

"Here it is."

He led me to a smaller room, but it was still quite large.

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but—"

"No, it's fine."

Yeah, it really is a nice room, I thought.

Maybe my small smile was a mistake.

"John, prepare an even smaller room."

Oliver, who was still angry, was shown several rooms by John, but his mood didn't improve.

"…Master Oliver, if we go smaller, the only rooms left are the servants' rooms."

"Then that will do."

"But the servants' rooms are all full."

"Then, an even smaller room."

John's calm responses made Oliver more stubborn. Unable to back down, Oliver clapped his hands.

"That's it, the storage room next to the children's room."

It was a dim room with items covered in cloth to keep the dust off, placed here and there.

Oliver looked around the room and finally seemed satisfied.