Chapter: 127
[You’ll realize it someday.]
……It’s noisy.
[And you’ll become like me someday.]
……I said it’s noisy.
[Better to burn everything down than to be betrayed, hurt, and made sad. You’ll come to think that way.]
……I won’t, okay?
I won’t become like you.
I vowed to live strong.
So as long as there are still people who believe in me, I can somehow make it through.
*
I felt my fading consciousness gradually awakening.
At the same time, a familiar sound echoed as if it were natural.
[Ddingding~ Good morning~ Ddingding~]
The faint sound gradually grew louder—
[Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba Good morning~]
It kept resonating in my head, incessantly ringing, ringing, and ringing.
The sound I didn’t want to hear echoed endlessly, becoming annoyingly loud.
It was so noisy.
With a sharp motion, I clenched my fist and slammed it onto my head.
“……Damn, that hurts…”
The pain made my head throb, and tears welled in my eyes.
But this was better.
Thanks to that, the sound ringing in my head lessened.
[Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba~ Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba beautiful day~ It’s a beautiful day~ Ddingding~]
I shook my head a few times to clear my mind, then lifted my body.
As I looked around, I found myself in my room at Sylvia’s mansion.
It seemed Sylvia had brought me here when I passed out.
I checked the time; it was already early afternoon, past lunchtime.
Ah, I’m late.
Just as I thought that, I saw a note placed next to my bed.
What is it? I unfolded the note, and without needing an explanation of who wrote it, I could tell it was Sylvia’s elegant handwriting conveying her message to me.
– Miss Scarlet, are you feeling better? The medical staff said there’s no major problem, but I thought it would be best for you to rest today, so I didn’t wake you. So please don’t wander around or exert yourself. You got through yesterday’s events just fine, so don’t worry and take a good rest. I’ll see you later at dinner.
A slight smile crept onto my face at Sylvia’s worry-filled note.
Just as she said, today seemed like a day best spent resting.
I wasn’t in great shape right now.
It seemed I’d need a bit of time to get used to not showing it to others.
[Ddingding~ Good morning~]
I carefully folded the note and placed it back on the bedside, then lay back down.
As I lay there, vague memories of yesterday began to surface.
…I could tell that even with my fuzzy memories, I should be grateful to still be alive.
How many times did I narrowly escape death in just one day?
If those who helped me hadn’t been there, I’d probably have been long gone.
I should express my gratitude to them someday.
Thinking that, I got up to prepare macarons for Sylvia as a token of thanks.
I usually made them almost every day anyway, but…
Let’s put in a bit more effort today.
With that determination, I left my room and headed for the kitchen.
On my way, I greeted the mansion’s staff I passed by and arrived in the kitchen.
It appeared to be break time, as the kitchen staff were absent, leaving me alone to naturally pull out the macaron ingredients and start mixing.
It felt like a routine by now.
At this point, I could probably make macarons with my eyes closed.
Once I have more free time, I might just ask to be hired as Sylvia’s snack-maker.
Even if I could only make macarons…
While pondering that pointless thought, I finished preparing the macaron batter with fluid movements and reached for the piping bag when—
[Ddingding~ Good morning~]
Suddenly feeling dizzy, I stumbled, grabbing onto the nearby dish rack to steady myself.
That was when I heard an ominous sound as if something was falling. The dish rack wobbled, and various items on top of it began to tumble down.
In slow motion, a few expensive-looking dishes and teacups caught my eye.
If those break, oh boy.
With that thought, I instinctively reached out, managing to grab as many of the fragile items as I could.
Fortunately, those that fell to the ground didn’t shatter; instead, they bounced.
Letting out a sigh of relief, I carefully set the dishes and teacups down and began picking up the fallen items when suddenly, drops of red blood splattered onto the floor.
Only then did I feel a sharp pain in my arm.
Looking at my arm, I saw what seemed like a cut, with blood oozing out.
Among the fallen items, there must have been a sharp object that I got cut by.
Realizing I needed to disinfect it before trying to stop the bleeding, I turned on the tap and brought my arm under the water.
Imagining the stinging sensation I was about to feel, I tensed up, but the pain was much less than I expected, and I felt relieved as I turned off the water and gently dried my arm with a cloth.
“……I should wash this separately since it’s probably stained with blood.”
I muttered, and then checked the cloth, tilting my head in confusion.
No matter how much I washed, there were no marks that should have been visible.
Feeling something was off, I looked at my arm, and indeed, it was as if the cut hadn’t been there at all, revealing only smooth, unblemished skin.
[Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba Good morning~]
……It couldn’t be that I just imagined it, considering the red stains still on the floor.
Biting my lip slightly, I took a deep breath to prepare myself and picked up the knife with a clear red stain still on it.
Then, with a swift motion, I dragged the tip of my finger along my own skin, creating a small cut.
A trickle of blood formed at the tip of my finger, and after a moment, I wiped the droplet with the cloth and looked at my finger.
And then I let out a deep sigh.
My finger was healed without a trace, as if the cut had never existed.
[Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba~ Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba beautiful day~]
“……What the hell am I becoming?”
I sighed as I asked, but there was no answer to my question.
Only the alarm echoed emptily in my head.
*
Despite everything, I managed to finish making the macarons, and as I was returning to my room—
“Hey there, are you feeling any better?”
I heard a voice calling me, and turning around, I saw an elderly gentleman enjoying tea alone on a terrace in the hallway.
Who was he again? Then I recognized him as the elder who sat next to Sylvia in yesterday’s interrogation.
I bowed my head slightly and replied.
“……Yes, thanks to you, I’m feeling better.”
“Really? That’s good to hear. I wanted to speak with you briefly, would you join me for a cup of tea?”
He gestured to the chair across from him.
To be honest, I was feeling a bit muddled, wanting to calm my thoughts alone in my room, but it wouldn’t be polite to refuse an elder’s request, so I nodded.
As I sat across from him, a teacup was already placed in front of me as if it had been prepared in advance.
Sipping the tea, I could tell from the flavor that it was expensive.
While I didn’t know much about it, it had a very refined taste.
As I sipped slowly, trying to conserve it, the elder asked me.
“So, you’re Miss Scarlet, right? I didn’t get a chance to properly introduce myself since I’ve been busy. You’re Sylvia’s friend, correct?”
“……Yes, I’m indebted to her for helping me.”
I hesitated for a moment at the word “friend,” but I didn’t completely deny it either.
Saying that I wasn’t Sylvia’s friend would just be my stubbornness at this point.
Anyway, after my response, the elder chuckled and shook his head.
“Ah, don’t say you’re indebted. Providing a room for a friend of Sylvia’s isn’t a big deal.”
“…It’s not just that; I feel like I’m receiving help all the time… Just yesterday, I received help again.”
“Well, we gained more from you, I hear. They mentioned you saved Sylvia. Compared to that grace, this is nothing.”
To be honest, it was exactly because of me that everyone ended up in danger.
I couldn’t lift my head in guilt as I sipped my tea, and the elder chuckled softly.
“Besides, didn’t you say you’re friends? In true friendships, such things don’t need to be meticulously counted. True friends help each other without expecting anything in return.”
“……I can’t live with debts to others, it’s just not in my character.”
When I replied like that, the elder gave me a playful smile and whispered softly.
“Well, even though you say that, our Astra family isn’t much different from you. We never forget our debts and always repay them. So just be cautious not to hold any grudges against Sylvia. You never know what might happen. Hehe.”
Considering how dignified he looked, I didn’t expect him to tell jokes, and I felt somewhat caught off guard.
He was surprisingly witty…
Just as I was thinking that, I noticed the stone he had been fiddling with in his hand.
What’s that stone? Out of curiosity, I glanced over, and the elder, noticing my gaze, extended the stone toward me.
“You’re curious about this, huh?”
“……Yes, what’s that stone?”
“Hehe, it may look like an ordinary stone, but it’s not just any stone; it’s a magical tool. It lights up when there’s something wrong with your body. As an old man, my health is my greatest concern, so I always carry something like this.”
Oh… It truly looks like an ordinary stone, but it has such an effect.
As I was marveling, the elder asked.
“Would you like to hold it? It seems fine, but given what happened yesterday, there might still be something wrong. Health is something that deserves the most attention when you feel fine.”
At the mention of health, I instinctively flinched, remembering the cut on my arm.
Is that also a problem…?
Thinking that, I cautiously took the stone he extended and held it with my right hand, not my prosthetic left arm.
“……Seems like you’re in good condition. Haha, that’s a relief. That’s good news.”
The elder, who had been staring at me intently, murmured in a relieved tone as there was no reaction from the stone.
He was worried about my health even though we were strangers…
Feeling slightly touched yet a bit embarrassed, I blushed and sipped my tea, only to realize my cup was empty.
…I want more of this delicious tea, but will it be okay to have more?
After hesitating in longing, I reached out towards the teapot on the table.
However, my hand was stopped abruptly by the elder, who grasped my wrist as if to say it was not going to happen.
Oh…so it’s too pricey for a second cup.
With that thought, I glanced at the elder, and he chuckled as he spoke to me.
“…Hehe, the tea’s gone cold.”
“Oh, I’m fine with it being cold…”
“I can’t have that. I cannot serve cold tea to a precious guest. If you like this tea, it’s best enjoyed hot. I’ll brew a fresh pot, so please wait a moment.”
Saying that, the elder picked up the teapot and poured its contents into the flower pot next to us, as if watering it.
Is it really that cold? Or is it just my imagination that it still feels warm…?
By the way, to waste such an expensive tea simply because it’s slightly cold…
Is this the mindset of the bourgeois?
I was left confused by the incomprehensible act, and soon the elder returned with a freshly brewed pot of tea.
And just as he said, the steaming hot tea was indeed tastier.
Still, I couldn’t shake off the feeling of waste, confirming that I just wasn’t cut out to live as someone wealthy.
*
After Scarlet left for her room, the First Elder, casually fiddling with the magical tool that looked like a stone and sipping tea on the terrace, spotted a servant walking down the hallway and called out to him.
“Sebastian, come here for a moment, will you?”
“Oh, Elder. Is there something you need?”
“This orchid here seems to have died.”
“Eh? No, it looked fine when I checked it this morning…”
Sebastian tilted his head at the elder’s words, but upon seeing the wilted orchid as the elder claimed, he muttered, unable to comprehend.
“…This can’t be. It shouldn’t be dead; it didn’t eat anything weird…”
“Don’t mind it. Just throw it away in the pot.”
“…Are you sure? That was your favorite orchid, wasn’t it?”
“It’s fine. It’s just an orchid. Just consider it a small misfortune.”
The First Elder, looking at the dead orchid in the pot with a bittersweet expression, quietly muttered to himself in a voice that nobody else could hear.
Surely that’s much better than cleaning up a corpse.
