54-Anecdote 2: Save money,

We're in a bit of a pickle here.

'Miss Estella. Where are you going?

'I'm here, Natalia.

'Ah, there you are, .......'

Clang!--There's a heavy thud.

'...... Natalia, are you okay?

'........................ I'm fine. I don't have a shin. ............

You're being very patient.

She probably hit the table with her shin.

That's understandable in the dark.

This is my private room in the lord's mansion.

It's a decent size, but there's a lot of stuff. Natalia has been nagging me to organize my things, but I should have followed ...... her advice.

I don't even let Natalia touch the inside of my office because I work better when it's a little messy. This is the only area that is completely private to me.

It all backfired on me at .......

'I'm perfectly fine with it, but ...... I'm sure a lot of stuff will be missing from your daughter's private room in the near future.

'I'm sorry!I'll clean up properly next time, just please don't throw it away.''

Natalia was serious. ...... You must have been in a lot of pain, Sune.

Now, the reason why this is happening is because ...... it is night time.

And if you want to add a little more ............, it is because there is no light in our house right now, no, we cannot light it.

There is no money in the house now.

'Let's sell it. Let's sell everything in this room.'

'Wait, Natalia!There's a lot of important stuff in here!

'I've been a little troubled by the young lady's collecting habits. Let's sell everything that's worth something!

'No, you can't!There are rare knives that are priced at a premium!

I often like to buy knives that I have managed to negotiate with vendors in other countries, and folk artifacts from other countries. I often like to buy such things. I can't believe he would sell them. ......

I'm sure you'll be able to find something that will work for him.

'............'.

Yes. It's because of Yashiro that we have so little money.

No, it's not because of Yashiro. In fact, I'm even grateful to Yashiro. ......

The cost of the revitalization project that Yashiro pushed for in the 42nd district was to be borne solely by the lord in charge of the district.

To be honest, it's a bit too much for our family, which doesn't have that much money to spare.

But ......

The cheers, the smiles, the energy ...... of the people who were inspired by it made it impossible to say anything.

That's the look I've been looking for for years.

Thanks to Yashiro, the 42nd district will be reborn.

It's going to cost a lot of money.

That's why we're doing this, saving as much as we can. ......

'Oh, this knife is going to fetch a good price.

'No, you can't!Not that one!I don't care what else you can get for it!

...... Poverty is hard.

When the sun rises at dawn, we wake up and start working.

Since there is no light during the night, we have to get our work done while there is still daylight.

We go to bed early and keep working as long as the sun is up.

That's what I've been doing these days.

...... So I haven't even eaten Jeannette's breakfast at church. ............ I wish I could eat Jeannette's breakfast.

'Miss. Breakfast is served.

Natalia comes over to me with a plate.

Since my priority is work, I eat in my room instead of the dining room. This is quite shabby.

The large plate is covered with a silver cloche. Under the dome-shaped lid is the usual menu.

Crusty bread and salty cheese. The ham was gone from ...... the day before yesterday, so it must be just bread and cheese.

I sighed at the disappointing breakfast.

This is the level of a lord.

'I don't feel like eating. ......'

'You shouldn't. Your health is your capital. Please eat even if you don't want to.'

'...... I understand.'

Overcome with persuasion, I decide to have breakfast.

I'm tired of seeing the same old bread. ........................ What?

On the plate was an unfamiliar grass with dirt on it. There was nothing else on the plate.

'...... What is this?'

'It's some kind of grass.'

'...... What's for dinner?'

'Here.'

..................Oh, god ......

'This is edible, right?'

'............'

No!

'How do I eat it?

'Try your best to eat it.'

I asked her how to eat and she gave me a mental reply!

'Miss ......, there's nothing in this world that you can't eat, right?'

'Yes, there is!There's a lot of it!

This mysterious grass belongs to a particularly suspicious category. ...... Ah, it smells like grass!

I'm not going to do it anymore.I'm not going to be a nobleman anymore!I'm not going to be a lord anymore, I'm going to be an employee of the sunshine pavilion and live a modest life!

'Don't be such a spoiled brat, child.'

'That's right!

I was about to argue, when a package was presented to me.

The cubic shape of it was the lunch box used at the Sunlit Pavilion.

'...... What is this?

'I thought it was time for your daughter to reach her limit, so I took the ...... liberty of asking 'him' for advice.'

'...... to Yashiro?'

'Yes, sir. I did, and he said he would provide breakfast if I came early in the morning to pick it up.''

'You're lying!There's no way Yashiro would say such a thing!There must be something behind .......'

'Then I'll return it to you. If you don't eat it, the contract is null and void.

As soon as she said that, Natalia turned to leave the room.

She left a mysterious weed on my desk.

'Wait!All right!I'm sorry, let me eat my lunch!

I was at my wits end.

If I failed to eat that lunch now, I would lose something important as a human being. I felt that way.

'Is that so?

'At ......, does that mean I have to sign a contract, or am I going to be forced to do something after this?

'No, sir. There was a personal item of mine that he was interested in, so I decided to trade him for it.

'With Natalia's personal belongings!Are you sure about ......?'

'Yes, it was very important to me, but ...... I would not trade it for your daughter's health.'

'Natalia ..................'

I was on the verge of tears, but I had one concern.

'............Not pants, are they?'

'The idea is obscene, young lady.'

No, it's Yashiro. ......

'So please don't mind me, miss, and have your breakfast.'

'...... Thank you, Natalia. I'm going to take your word for it.

When I opened the lid of my lunch box, I could smell the aroma of Ginette's homemade cooking.

Ah, ...... is still good.

As soon as I took a bite, all the tiredness and hardships I had experienced so far were swept away.

Now I can work hard again.

'By the way, what was that thing you gave to Yashiro?

If I could have gotten a replacement, I would have given it to him.

'A notebook.

'A notebook?

'Yes. My treasure, where I secretly wrote down Miss Estella's lovely bedtime stories. It's a collection of Estella-sama's naked sleep-talking - spoiled brat remarks.

I'm not sure what to say.I'm not sure what to make of it.You wrote that?

'Yes.'

'It's not 'yeah'!

'I was reluctant to let it go, but he told me, "Well, if you read it out here, you can always check it in the Conversation Record," so I decided to accept the deal. ......'

'You read it out loud?

'Yes. For example, ......, 'I love it when someone squeezes me,' or 'If you're mean to me, I'll cry.

'You're lying!I didn't say anything like that!

'You talk a lot in your sleep, don't you, young lady?

That's the first time I've ever been told that,............?That's right!

I'm not going to be able to do this!I have to go get it back now!

'But your daughter has already eaten her lunch.

'I'll pay for it!I'll buy it as usual!

'We don't have that kind of money in the museum!

'I'll pay for it myself!

'And since I read it out loud, I'm sure it will be recorded perfectly in his Conversation Record.

'Noooooooooooo!

'Now that you've finished your meal, you can get on with your work.

'Moooo ～～～～～～～!I'm poor!

For a while after that, I locked myself in my room and immersed myself in my work.

...... I couldn't very well show up at the sunlit pavilion.