CH 60

Eventually, we arrived at the tea room and each took their seat. Despite it being winter, flowers imported from the tropics were arranged in a vase, emitting a pleasant fragrance.

The furnishings and interior were refined and tasteful, and even I, who was not particularly knowledgeable in that direction, felt comfortable.

“Well then, please relax for now. We don’t have to introduce you to everyone yet, and I also want to go shopping first.”

Paula’s eyes shone like an owl in the dark night.

The scene of being taken to a tailor shop in the past suddenly came back to me. Will I be embarrassed and laughed at again?

——Ugh, I don’t want to.

While thinking that, I looked at Lucia.

She was a beautiful girl, but not yet of an age to appear in society, and perhaps due to the intentions of the tutor hired by Baron Palmara, she was dressed quite plainly.

She seemed indifferent to her appearance, but if she became Paula’s prey, things would probably change.

Above all, it was a relief that I wasn’t the only human sacrifice. At least, I could have some time to rest.

“Well, I also want to go and give my opinion.”

“Yes, of course. I understand. I will also take your opinion into consideration, and I will make sure to accompany you when shopping. Since we have come all the way to the capital, let’s make things that we can’t get in the countryside.”

“That sounds good.”

As usual, she’s talking without considering my opinion…or rather, she’s planning to ignore it from the beginning. Well, I know I’m not useful, but…

Feeling indescribable, I gaze at the tea and sweets prepared on the table. As expected of the Duke family. The craftsmen who make the sweets must be incredibly skilled. Even a small cake is strangely beautiful and elaborate. It’s almost too precious to eat.

I avert my eyes from the beautiful siblings in front of me.

Until a little while ago, I could enjoy the tea while admiring their faces, but now I feel defeated that I can’t worship them because of their stares.

After all, everyone around me is beautiful.

If I don’t enjoy myself, the name Lorraine Valcourt will be ruined.

I gather my courage and raise my head, and then I notice the servant who is serving us. He was the young man I saw earlier.

His face is not as artificially beautiful as Jeremiah’s, but he is handsome. He has reddish-brown hair, which is not so rare in this country, and it is slightly trimmed.

He had a tall, well-proportioned, supple body wrapped in a high-quality outfit that suited him well. He had a mole near his eyes, and his bright smile was charming. His eyes were deep blue, like blue flames that were the opposite of Jeremiah’s somewhat cunning impression. When he noticed me looking at him, he winked back at me to an extent that I couldn’t tell why.

Well, um, why?

Depending on the situation, it could be a rude act, but when he did it, it looked strangely good. However, I didn’t remember anything like that happening to me. Maybe he had an Italian temperament.

When the conclusion was reached, I felt calm.

However, he dropped a bomb on me that completely destroyed my calmness when he came close to me and whispered in my ear.

“…Don’t you want to eat sushi, ramen, or curry?”

!!!

It’s been a little over eighteen years since I was born into this other world.

During that time, I had never heard those words before. I stared at the young servant with astonishment, and he had a pleasant smile on his face. It seemed that there was no mistake.

He was also a reincarnated person. Moreover, he was either a Japanese person like me or someone who lived in an era where sushi, ramen, and curry existed. It was possible that he was a foreigner since Japanese food had spread to other countries, but I think the era was quite close. Of course, I wasn’t sure, but I had a feeling.

Still, the three things he mentioned were probably favorites of most Japanese people in my era.

Ignoring my state of great confusion, he finished his work with the other servants and left the room after announcing that everything was ready.

Then, I heard Lucia sighing next to me.

She looked very disappointed.

When I turned my face towards her, she puffed up her cheeks and looked at me. Her expression was just like a hamster. Apparently, she didn’t like the fact that the servant’s attention was directed towards me.

I have a bad feeling about this.

I wish she would stop thinking about a love affair between people of different social classes… As I was thinking this, a chill came over me from the side. I felt my body suddenly cool down, as if a draft had blown in. I immediately knew where it was coming from.

Perhaps Jeremiah had seen that young servant whispering something to me. He probably didn’t know the content, so there was a high possibility of misunderstanding.

I need to come up with a lot of excuses for this. But the more I panicked, the stronger the cold air directed towards me seemed to become. It’s doubtful whether I can even get him to listen to my excuses at this rate. What should I do?

I was confused about where to look and inadvertently looked at Paula. Then, she returned a suggestive smile.

“Fufu, Lorraine hasn’t changed.”

“Eh?! Um, that’s not it.”

“It’s okay, I don’t mind. But it’s better to keep it in moderation.”

I knew that painfully well.

Honestly, I couldn’t see the face I wanted to see the most. No matter how much I apologized, it seemed useless. But I swear it’s not cheating. This is an act similar to appreciating art. How nice would it be if I could say that out loud?

As I lamented, Jeremiah sighed and spoke up.

“Nee-san, what kind of education do the servants receive? If you leave those kinds of people alone, they’ll only get worse. How about finding them another job as soon as possible?”

His tone was calm, but essentially he was saying to fire them. I turned pale. I couldn’t take away the job from that young man due to a misunderstanding.

“Well, I don’t know…”

“If you want, I can find a replacement servant. There are plenty of people with suitable personalities for the Duke family who understand manners.”

“Yes, but there aren’t many people with the appearance suitable for the Duke family’s servants. Besides, are you planning to run around the capital leaving Lorraine alone?”

As Paula scolded him with a wry smile, Jeremiah fell silent. Then, he looked at me with a displeased expression.

Even that expression was attractive, and I couldn’t help but feel a sensation like my heart was turning over. Is this what they call jealousy or something in that direction? I thought it was something completely unrelated to me!

No, it’s no good. I’m too happy. I could die today and be satisfied.

While my expression remained serious, I felt like I was on cloud nine. Jeremiah spoke with a resentful tone.

“I didn’t mean it that way. But could you please have female servants around her?”

“Sure, if it makes you feel better. But I’ll bring you along to help with the heavy lifting. If you don’t like it, you can stand off to the side and watch. You won’t have many reasons to go out anyway.”

“Yes, that’s what I intend to do.”

Jeremiah grimaced as if he had bitten a bitter bug and sipped his tea. Ah, even when he’s angry, he looks cool. He’s so beautiful. Well, in Jeremiah’s case, a smile is rarer, but I like his angry face too, so I decided to watch him for a while.

This is the benefit of being a lover.

Only I can do this. How happy I am.

“You’re so lucky, Lorraine-oneesama, to be loved like that.”

“Huh, yeah.”

Lucia suddenly said enviously. I was confused about how to answer, so I smiled ambiguously. Smiling is convenient. Most of the time, you can get away with it.

“Well then, I’ll go check the room.”

“Ara, but you just got here.”

“Yes, but…”

Jeremiah put his cup back on the table and looked at me with piercing eyes. I wanted to hide my face under the table, but I managed to hold back.

It seems that he has something to tell me.

It’s probably related to that young servant.

I felt a strange feeling of happiness, fear, and wonder.