Chapter 19 - Volume 2

Volume 2, Chapter 6, Part 2: I’ve Become a Master (Second Half)

While studying such things, a few months passed by.

I’m growing quickly. What will I look like at the end?

My entourage candidates have come at last.

I’m expected to carefully select them…?

“Yurushia, these are the children.”

Father brings in four children, they look at me for a moment like fools, I must have scared them.

“I am the second son of the former Baron Ruth, Noah. Please have me as your apprentice butler, Yurushia-sama”

Noah-kun, age eight. Dark brown hair… a brunette? Speaking politely, his piercing grey pupils seem strange.

“I am the twin sister of Noah, Ninette. Umm… may I be your apprentice escort?”

Ninette-chan, age eight. I get the feeling I shouldn’t separate them, is she trying out to be an apprentice female knight?

“I am the eldest daughter of the former Viscount Seruda, Christina. Maid apprentice.”

Christina-chan, age six. Born the same year as me. This is the first time I’ve seen blond ringlets in a long time.

“I am the Former Baron Rohan’s third daughter, Fontaine. The same as Chris-chan, maid apprentice.”

Fontaine-chan, age five. Silver haired and blue eyed, she gives off the impression of a spoiled child.

Besides Noah and Ninette, the three of us, me, Christina and Fontaine are the same age.

These kids are all [Former] aristocrats since they were from the noble houses that were crushed after the second demon summoning incident.

“Yes, I’m Yurushia. Greetings to everyone.”

““Yes”” “…Yeah” “I’m in your care.”

These four are the candidates for my entourage, huh… I hope I can get along with them.

＊

The four new people came out. These kids aren’t so bad. They work. They don’t harbour malice towards me or the household. No naughty children. But, they’re slightly…

“Princess Yurushia, the etiquette teacher is scheduled to come in the morning today.”

“Got it.”

Noah-kun, is that all? Why are you staring?. Is there nothing else to do?.

*Gashan*!

“Oh Princess, my greatest apologies. I do say.” (TL note: their tone is full formal, like British butler crossed with samurai level of formal.)

Clumsy Ninette-chan pushed over a vase. It must be because it’s hard to move around while wearing a large wooden sword on your waist.

“Y-yes, I understand…”

By the way, I have no special skills. That includes my attentiveness; I just don’t have enough for these children… These are going to be my escort? Seriously?

“Ninette, please tidy it up quickly.”

Don’t do others’ share of work, Noah-kun. That’s no good, right?

“Y~es, I’ll call the maids at once~.”

“Pardon my sister, oh young Princess. It is acceptable, though. If the duke loses a vase or two, it does not matter.”

…… Eh? What is he saying, this child?

“I see, as expected of a Duke, huh. I am glad to be serving the Princess.”

“… It’s all good. Setting that aside for now… the two of you.”

Those five year olds, I assume it’s their first time.

“Chris, I want tea.”

I don’t like the taste, but it should wet my thirst.

“Princess, my name is Christina. What flavor of tea would you like.”

“A suitable herbal tea…”

She doesn’t like being nicknamed…? This child, is working properly in spite of her age… it’s too outstanding, you know? Delicate… or not?

“Speaking of which, where is Fontaine?”

“I do not know. I will prepare an appropriate herbal tea.”

“…Yup.”

‘I won’t be bad?’ You’re quite the pure person. It seems.

I don’t see the other five-year-old housemaid during the day.

“Fell, have you seen Fontaine?”

“That child dug a hole in the morning by the flower beds… was this not at Yuru-sama’s instruction?”

“Ah, Yurushia-sama, I had some sweets in the kitchen just a bit ago…”

“I saw her walking somewhere with a blanket.”

“That child always ate at the beginning of lunch time, I wonder why?”

“Umm… I had Yuru-sama’s crayons and picture book, but it’s been used.”

The housekeepers were watching… what are you doing, Fontaine-chan. It’s like she’s playing around in the house of relatives. Very “My Pace”…

Still, out of the four of them, Fontaine is the best.

Only that child was able to establish a conversation with me. They can’t work if we can’t talk.

I’m sure that the others will be able to find a good place also.

Those kids, when they’re adults, will be able to be respectable members of an entourage.

… My limits, I wonder where they are…?

And so, I will soon be six years old.

To help father, I will be visiting the region as The Duke’s daughter.

… and we brought those kids with us.

＊＊＊

On a certain day, the eldest daughter of the Viscount Varun, Seri, received an invitation in the mail.

“T-this,”

Seri let out a surprised voice as she clasped the letter in her hands.

She was a provincial noble who was a fifth grader at the magic academy all the way at the royal capital, her family did not have a second house in the capital, so she was living in the dormitory of the academy.

Children of wealthy noble homes or successful merchants would be able to go to tea parties on a daily basis, she was hardly ever invited, Seri could be said to only have friends of circumstance, so she would only ever have tea in her dorm room.

The topics that are raised every day like rumors in the academy or cool boy talk. Tamani-senpai’s older sister invited me to what I yearned to see, a [Tea Party].

What Seri was longing for especially was a [Moonlit Tea Party] which would only be done at night.

It begins with a sudden [Invitation].

The invitation which came to girls without many acquaintances, were said to be receiving the special favor of Count Oberu’s daughter, the girls who came to the [Moonlit Tea Party] would talk of the splendor of it to other girls with a dreamy look on their faces.

Accompanied by a young and beautiful butler in a garden blooming with roses, marvelously delicious teas and sweets are served.

The lord of the tea party was the [Silver Princess], Milaine, who had an enchanting beauty.

There was an unspoken pact around the [Moonlit Tea Party].

The invitation must never be seen by the eyes of anyone but the invitee.

If invited, one should never speak of it to anyone else about it.

When the carriage for that glorious evening arrived, you could not be found with anyone else.

If you broke any of the promises even once, not only would the carriage not arrive, but a second invitation would never arrive at your door.

“I-it came…”

Seri hugged the invitation that she found under the door of her room, frightened as if holding a large amount of money, and hid the letter beneath her undergarments in a hurry.

“… U~… I want to tell someone~…”

Without the courage to speak, even ignoring her stomach in the bed, going without food, even though her friends came to invite her to dinner, she lied about being unwell, to avoid leaving her room.

And so, that night.

“…Uwaa.”

Riding a lovely horse-drawn carriage, just like how she dreamed of as a child, Seri came into a strange garden.

The surroundings were filled with white roses, and elegant music tickled her ears.

In white chairs at white tables, girls who were guests like Seri were being served by a beautiful young servant who had a facial expression capable of causing them to melt away.

A gentle looking girl wearing a black and purple dress finished her conversation and came over to Seri.

“It was kind of you to come, Seri-sama”

“Th… thanks.”

Silver hair that shone like the moon. The sheer whiteness of her skin stood out.

A breathtaking beauty that would stop someone in their tracks to admire…

Staring at those bewitching purple pupils, the expression of Seri, just like the other girls, melted like sushi-grade tuna.

The girls wake up in bed the next morning, and to prove that it wasn’t all just a dream. On their chests, they had the [Vase of the White Rose] as proof that they had participated in the tea party, to tell their friends and families that they had participated in the [Moonlit Tea Party], so they could dream of the splendor themselves.

All of them, except one who didn’t return…. Goodbye Seri.