CH 5

The school has been in existence for several months.

It was time for a long vacation, and I returned with Miloda to the Shefinko Duchy’s estate.

The Duke of Shefinko’s estate is a reasonable distance from the city where the school is located. It took a few days of rocking on a horse-drawn carriage to reach the territory.

Brother wasn’t there. As the next head of the ducal family after graduating from the academy, Brother is in the service of the Crown Prince and travels back and forth between the royal capital and our domain. I have not had a proper conversation with Brother for years. One way or another, Brother hates me, so I can imagine that he did not want to be in the territory while I was there.

However, because Brother has been so reluctant to engage in conversation with me, he is more of a blood relative to me than a family member.

Sometimes I thought I could talk to them, but in the end he didn’t see me, he saw me only as “Ottilie Shefinko,” the evil woman he had set his eyes on.

「Father, Mother, I’ve returned!」

「Ollie, welcome home.」

「Ollie, have been you well?」

Even though Brother has that thing to me, Father and Mother love me. They hug me tightly and I love my parents for loving me like this.

And the servants would smile at me and say,「Welcome home, Milady.」Even with the servants, I was able to deepen exchanges and become friends with them since that day ten years ago.

After all, this mansion where I was born and raised is a relief.

But after graduation, I have to leave this mansion one way or another. It makes me a little sad to think so. Although I have been told that as long as Father and Mother are alive and they are the head of the family, I can stay in the mansion without getting married, but I cannot just take their word for it.

On the first day back, I was tired from the carriage trip and slept slowly.

The next day I showed up in my territory. I show up in town with Miloda. By the way, Miloda has a background in martial arts, so she is also an escort. I have also learned self-defense and to some extent, I can handle it if someone gets involved with me.

「Ah, Ollie. Long time no see!」

「Ollie-chan. It’s been a while.」

This is how I have always shown up in town.

My parents, who took pity on me because I could not be close to anyone in the royal and aristocratic society, granted my wish to go to the city. And I have often gone out and interacted with the people of the territory.

They are aware that I am the daughter of their lord. But when I am here as “Ollie”, they pretends not to see it.

When I’m here as Ottilie Shefinko, I am properly treated as a daughter of the lord.

「It’s been a while!! Have you been well?」

「Yeah. What about Ollie?」

「I’m fine. I haven’t had a single illness.」

These conversations with friends I had met in the territory were a time of respite for me.

I used to show up in town often like this, so I knew a lot of people.

Even they know a little bit about the rumors about Ottilie Shefinko. But they see me here and smile at me. That alone made me happy.

I showed up at the fruit store, I showed up at the shoe store—— I came to tell familiar people that I am back for a while.

The rest of the time I played with the kids from the orphanage in town. I played chase with them just as Ollie and played with them as much as I could. I enjoy making sweets with them and things like that.

The sisters at the orphanage know that I am Shefinko’s daughter. But if I want to learn things because I may eventually become a commoner, they teach me things.

Orphaned children do needlework and sell it to earn a living. Of course, there are government subsidies, but they will learn these skills.

If they learn such skills, they will be able to survive when they have to leave the orphanage.

I was able to hone such skills in my own way because I was allowed to learn such skills for living with them.

I also learn various skills for living as a commoner from my friends in the city.

「I think Ollie could be a noblewoman, too.」

「Ahahaha, there isn’t a nobleman in this country who would want me as his wife.」

「…I don’t think I have the eyes to see it. Well, I’m happy to be a commoner, but I’m happy to be able to associate with you more easily.」

Even though I am a ninja, my friends know that I am Ottilie Shefinko, so sometimes that is the conversation we have.

From their point of view, the fact that I am so disliked in the royal and noble society seems to be a mystery. Yeah, it’s a mystery to me, too, because I don’t know why.

「I’m glad to hear you say that.」

I have many friends and acquaintances who are commoners.

——They are important people to me. I am still wondering which territory I will live in after becoming a commoner, but even if I end up living in a different territory, I would like to exchange letters and be friends with them.