Chapter 42

Marion's house was a small but old and grand mansion.

It had no ostentatious atmosphere, but was simple and well-built.

As the carriage arrived, about twenty birds landed on the roof of the mansion.

They were the owls that always played in the courtyard. It was reassuring.

"Caro, it's good if you hide in my pocket."

"Kukkyu"

"Stay hidden until you play with Sara, okay?"

"Kyu~"

Caro is more reliable than Daru, so I feel reassured.

My mother watches me talking to Caro with a smile.

When I got out of the carriage, Baron Marion himself came to greet me.

Leaving one attendant and a maid in the carriage, I was led into the mansion by the baron.

The four attendants from the Grand Duke's household followed me into the mansion.

To treat Marion in secret, I had to avoid the eyes of the attendants.

They were the biggest obstacle to the treatment.

We were led to the parlor, and we introduced ourselves.

Inside the parlor, I took off my hood and let my hair down.

"…No, Miss Luria, you are truly adorable."

The baron reacted briefly to my red hair and eyes but did not say anything.

He must know the legend of the cursed evil woman.

"Thank you, Baron. Where is Sara?"

I asked the baron right away.

In the parlor where the baron led me, there were only a few servants besides the baron, and no children.

"Miss Luria has been saying she wants to meet Sara all along."

When my mother said this, the baron looked troubled.

"But Sara is still young and doesn't know manners…"

"Don't worry. She is Marion's child. I consider her family."

"Such kind words… but… as you know, Sara is not someone who can meet the princess…"

"I said, don't worry."

My mother's smile had an unyielding authority.

"What generous words!"

The baron, moved by my mother's words, dramatically instructed an attendant to call Sara.

After a while, Sara, dressed in beautiful clothes, came into the parlor.

Sara was small, with dog-like ears on her head.

She had a tail that looked cramped under her skirt.

Sara might be a dog beast. This was the first time I had met a beast in this world.

Neither Marion nor the baron were beasts, so it must be her grandparents or even further back.

As I stared at her tail and ears, Sara nervously grabbed her ears with her hands.

"……"

"Sara, introduce yourself."

"Sara…"

"Keep your hands in front of your body."

"H, hai"

Sara released her ears and brought her hands in front of her body, then bowed her head.

"I'm Luria. Nice to meet you?"

"……"

Sara looked troubled and bowed her head.

"Sara, greet properly. I'm sorry, but due to being spoiled, she hasn't learned manners…"

"No, no. Don't worry. Sara, I'm a friend of your mother, Amelia."

"……"

Sara bowed her head.

My mother bent down and gently held Sara's hand.

"Sara, if you have any troubles, tell me. I think I can help."

"…Hai"

The baron, from an angle where my mother couldn't see, waved his hand at Sara.

Seeing this, Sara bowed deeply again and ran out of the room.

"…I am truly embarrassed. My wife's illness has prevented proper education…"

"No, no. She's cute. A good child."

"Such kind words."

The baron, looking extremely embarrassed, answered my mother's questions about Marion's condition.

The baron also had a serious expression.

I listened quietly for about three minutes, but it was all I had already heard from the guardian birds.

I had to find a way to leave this place and go to Marion's treatment.

As I was thinking this,

"Really, Luria, you're hopeless."

"Hm?"

I was a bit confused by my mother's sudden smile.

"You find the conversation between adults boring, don't you? You look so sleepy."

"I'm not sleepy!"

I wasn't really sleepy, but my mother seemed to have misunderstood.

"Adult conversations might be a bit difficult for a young child."

"Children are like that."

The baron smiled.

"Oh, right. Play with Sara. Baron, is that okay?"

"Bu, but my daughter—"

For some reason, the baron looked confused.

My mother, who must have noticed his confusion, continued speaking without any concern.

She, who usually considers the feelings of us and the servants, was surprisingly forceful.

"Oh, don't worry. You there, take Luria to Sara's room."

"Your Highness, wait—"

"Oh, Baron! Don't worry at all!"

My mother's insistence was unusually strong.

The baron, who was from a marquis family and the Grand Duke's consort, couldn't respond.

"Luria's manners are still developing. Young children—"

My mother continued speaking without letting the baron finish.

The baron, looking confused, couldn't interrupt and could only smile vaguely.

In the middle of the conversation, my mother paused and smiled at the maid.

"Could you please take Luria to Sara's room quickly?"

Seeing my mother's smile, I inwardly thought, "Scary."

Her pressure was that intense.

It was different from the smile she usually gave me.

(This is… the power of the royal family…)

There was a force that made subjects want to obey.

My mother was not born into the royal family but married into it.

Yet, she could exert such pressure.

I looked at my mother with admiration.

"Y, yes, I understand."

Pressed by my mother's pressure, the maid started moving without waiting for the baron's instructions.

"Your Highness, but—"

"Children are so cute. Baron—"

The baron tried to say something, but my mother didn't let him finish.

(…This is diplomacy.)

I might have seen the diplomatic face the Grand Duchess shows outside for the first time.

My mother probably had something she didn't want me to hear.

It was something I wouldn't understand anyway, and if she didn't want me to hear it, it was fine not to.

Besides, it was convenient to be away from my mother now.

The most important thing now was to heal Marion.

I would use this opportunity.

I followed the maid out of the room.

"Where is Marion's cottage?"

"A, ah, it's that way, but there's an infectious disease—"

"I know."

If I knew the direction, I could manage. With just one maid, I might be able to lose her.

After all, I trained in swordsmanship and built my body every day.

As I was thinking this,

"Please don't worry, Miss Luria. I will guard you properly."

I was called from behind by one of the attendants from the Grand Duke's household.

I hadn't sensed his presence at all. It was terrifying.

"You don't have to follow me?"

"That's not possible. Protecting you is my job."

He said this in a tone that left no room for argument, with a full smile.

Of the four attendants who entered the mansion, only one followed me. Perhaps this was a fortunate misfortune.

Still, it was difficult to lose a first-class guard, even if there was only one.

There was no choice. I would have the attendant wait outside Sara's room.

After walking a bit, the maid stopped.

"What's wrong?"

"Miss, please wait here for a moment—"

The maid walked towards a room at the end of the corridor.

I perked up my ears to listen inside the room.

Actually, I had a special ability where I could hear well when I concentrated.

Incidentally, when I concentrated, I could also see better.

It was like using a body enhancement spell in my previous life.

But I wasn't using magic, so it was a special ability.

Since it was a special ability and not magic, my height would still grow.

Using this ability, I heard:

"What a shameless one!"

"……"

"Someone like you in the baron's family—"

I heard a woman's voice scolding.

"…What a surprise?"

I whispered so the maid couldn't hear.

"Excuse me!"

The maid called out loudly into the room.

"What's going on?"

"Miss Luria from the Grand Duke's household has arrived."

"……"

The door opened, and a woman dressed like a noble lady came out.

The woman, dressed like a noble lady, glared at me.

"How surprising… so ominous."

She said this mockingly, hiding her mouth with a fan.

Her belly was noticeably swollen.

She was probably about seven months pregnant.

She must be the baron's sister or younger sister who had returned to her parents' home due to pregnancy.

I ignored the woman.

I wouldn't introduce myself to someone who called me ominous.

"Not introducing yourself is rude."

It was polite to let the elder speak first.

This woman, no matter what, couldn't speak to me, a young lady from the Grand Duke's household, on her own.

So she gossiped. She must have thought I was a five-year-old child.

"An impolite and ominous girl might match the gloomy and foolish Sara."

My father probably kept me out of the house to protect me from such gossip.

"Can you hear me? What's your name?"

"Huh?"

The woman made a surprised sound. She probably didn't expect to be questioned by a child.

I was angry.

The insults about me didn't matter.

No, they did matter, but the insults about Sara were even more unacceptable.

I didn't know much about Sara, but she had shared Marion's milk with me.

"Huh? What's your name? I need to report to my father."

"Huh?"

Surprised to be questioned, the woman looked bewildered.

"Miss, there's no need to ask. I will thoroughly investigate her name."

"Okay, thank you."

"Um, excuse me."

The woman hurriedly left, hiding her face with a fan.

It was too late to hide her face now. The Grand Duke's attendant had already seen her.

All her information would be exposed in no time.

"Sorry, I want you to wait outside the room."

"Why is that?"

"Sara was bullied. She might be crying."

The attendant who accompanied me today had special training.

With enhanced senses, he must have heard the sounds of Sara being bullied.

"…I understand. But if something happens, please keep the door open so I can respond quickly."

This was the greatest concession the attendant, whose job was to protect me, could make.

"Okay, keep an eye out for any trouble."

"Understood."

I asked the attendant to keep the maid away and quietly entered Sara's room, leaving the door open.