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Chapter 12
That echo had the power to deflate even the most heated opponent.
Felix glared at Gwyneth with a menacing look, biting his lower lip hard before roughly letting go of his collar. Gwyneth’s body swayed slightly.
“Fine. Then you just keep doing that. You idiot.”
With those words, Felix turned on his heel, as if he had nothing more to say.
Gwyneth watched Felix stride away with the force of someone kicking down every obstacle in his path.
There wasn’t a trace of caution in those steps—even if you scrubbed your eyes and looked.
But those steps, while they might hesitate, never stopped. Even if they seemed clumsy and inexperienced now, they would eventually move forward.
Gwyneth stared at that retreating back for a long time, but Felix never once looked back.
“…….”
Like those countless days when he’d been unable to move, as if something had caught his feet, Gwyneth remained standing there for a long while.
—
* * *
On the day Felix had dragged me to the dining hall, I checked Gwyneth’s affection score the moment I returned to my room. Only after confirming that the score hadn’t changed did I finally relax and feel relieved.
But perhaps because I’d been anxious the entire time, my frail body—even though I’d only eaten a tiny amount—ended up with a severe case of indigestion.
I considered asking the maid for medicine, but I held back, worried that Felix might drag me to the dining hall again. Surely he wouldn’t force a sick person to come, I thought.
As expected, Felix came to my room in the evening to drag me to dinner—but when he saw my pale face, he was horrified and noisily summoned the physician.
*〈Hey, do something! Her face looks terrible!〉*
*〈What the……?〉*
The physician’s dumbfounded expression upon realizing that Felix had called him because of me was quite a sight.
Fortunately, after that, Felix stopped forcibly dragging me to the dining hall.
Though he would occasionally come to my room to eat with me, or drop by whenever he had time to ramble on about things I wasn’t the least bit curious about.
Even in previous rounds when his affection was high, he’d never clung to me this much. I wondered why he was acting like such a leech now—but realizing that I was simply reaping what I’d sown before my death, I just responded with an empty soul.
Besides, even if he weren’t here, there wasn’t much I could do in my room other than stare blankly into space.
“So I told Hans to bring warm water, and this idiot—instead of thinking to mix hot water with cold—starts fanning the boiling water with a fan. I was so dumbfounded…… I mean, he’s twelve years old now—how does that make any sense?”
But I really wish he’d tone it down—I feel like my ears are about to bleed.
—
* * *
A week after the dining hall incident, I finally got a new personal maid to fill Rain’s vacancy.
“Miss, is the water temperature alright?”
“Yeah. It’s fine.”
“Good. If anything is uncomfortable, please let me know right away.”
Her name is Ciela Buteil. Twenty-one years old.
She’s the eldest granddaughter of the Viscount Buteil couple, who fell from grace due to business bankruptcy in the previous generation. With dark chestnut hair and eyes, she has a gentle yet sharp-looking appearance.
I suppose you could call her a little head maid.
She had worked at the Marquis Repel household for over five years, but quit to care for her younger sibling who fell seriously ill. Now that her sibling’s condition has improved significantly, she’s started working again to make a living.
Her special feature is……
*’She’s too good at her job……!’*
Ciela Buteil—she was beyond imagination when it came to work.
First, she’d knock politely in the morning, enter, ask if anything had happened during the night, and pour appropriately warm water into the washbasin without spilling a single drop.
Then, while I washed my face, she’d stand quietly with a towel in hand, blending into the wall like a chameleon without any hint of impatience. Once everything was done, she’d leave without a sound.
She’d bring meals on time without even a minute’s error, and she quickly noticed that I rarely touched meat or greasy food—soon after, she started bringing soft, light dishes like steamed eggs or mashed tofu.
Without my ever asking, she’d prepare afternoon tea on time, and after learning that I rarely left my room except for when the maids cleaned or changed the linens, she showed her sense by styling me in the most comfortable, light clothing and simple hairstyles.
Every action was quick, clean, quiet, and without excess.
*’Thanks to her, my quality of life—which I never asked for—has skyrocketed……’*
Even now, she’s washing my hair, giving me a scalp massage with skills that rival a professional masseuse.
Until now, the maids who came after Rain had generally been competent, but I’d never seen one this perfect.
When the head maid looked into Ciela’s record from her time at the Marquis Repel household, she learned that Ciela had been impeccable and well-regarded among the other servants. When I first heard that, I thought, “At least she’ll do the basics”—but I never expected this level.
*’Why would someone like this apply to be the maid of a young lady famous for being the family’s burden?’*
Considering the time needed for basic training, it seemed she had interviewed a day or two after Rain was let go.
*’Around this time, the Duke Chervil household should also be recruiting maids to attend Lady Chervil. The pay would be better there.’*
As I was puzzling over this alone, Ciela carefully poured water over my hair. It was the kind of meticulous touch I’d never once seen from Rain.
“Ciela, why did you apply to be my maid?”
After debating whether to ask, I couldn’t contain my curiosity and posed the question. Of course, worried about affection, I quickly added:
“If it’s an uncomfortable question, you don’t have to answer. I heard that Lady Chervil’s household is also recruiting maids—and I thought someone like you would have been easily hired.”
“Thank you for thinking so highly of me. Actually, the head maid heard about my circumstances, took them into consideration, and offered me favorable conditions. She said I could stop by home occasionally after work, even on non-holidays.”
Ah, that does sound like an appealing condition.
Even if I had to work out of necessity, if my sibling was sick, I’d feel anxious not being able to see them until the next holiday. Unless the pay difference was significant, I’d choose the option that let me see my sibling more often.
*’Some families can’t stand each other, though.’*
Thinking that, I found it a bit amusing. Of course, I didn’t actually laugh—that would make me look strange.
“I heard your sibling’s condition has improved a lot—are they still unwell?”
“No, they’re now well enough to run around lightly for a few minutes. However, since my grandmother is elderly, it’s difficult for her to care for my sibling all day.”
“I see.”
It seemed the Viscount Buteil household currently couldn’t afford to hire servants. The cost of her sibling’s medicine must have been a factor as well.
*’I should let her leave a bit earlier.’*
That way, Ciela would likely stay at the Duke’s household longer. With so much already on my mind, I at least wanted to be comfortable physically.
I desperately wanted to avoid the worst-case scenario—Ciela leaving and being replaced by someone worse than Rain. The head maid would do her best, but you can’t tell if someone is good at their job just from a first impression.
“Thanks for telling me.”
“Not at all.”
After that, the bathroom fell quiet again.
Ciela didn’t talk much—which made me like her even more.
As I poked at the frothing bubbles, Ciela twisted my hair up and secured it. A signal that the washing was done.
“I’m finished, Miss. Shall I step out?”
“Yeah.”
“Then I’ll wait outside the door. Please call me if you need anything.”
Ciela rose from her kneeling position and left the bathroom without a sound.
The door closed carefully, and I languidly sank into the bathtub.
For a while, I splashed the water’s surface idly with my hand, watching the rich bubbles ripple. Then, cautiously, I tried to levitate the water in the air.
The largest I could manage was about the size of an adult woman’s fist.
I attempted to shape it like a duck, but it wobbled and then burst with a pop, losing its form and scattering down like rain.
*’I knew it, but it’s still not working.’*
This time I tried to conjure water from my hand, but only a single tiny droplet floated in the air—so adorably small it was almost pathetic.
Magic that creates something from nothing requires far more mana than other spells, and even that droplet soon evaporated away as if melting into thin air.
“Hah……. How am I supposed to wait until I’m twelve again?”
It was a skill that only drew sighs, but for now, this was the best I could do.
Children with the potential to become mages are born with a seed-sized amount of mana deep within their bodies.
