I was in a birch forest.
The ice on the lake had melted at some point and reflected even the clouds in the sky, and I stood alone beneath it.
'Lord Kahiten.'
I called his name desperately.
Usually I could wait for him all day, but today was an exception.
'Lord Kahiten, please come quickly...'
Transparent tears dropped into the lake below.
Eventually I buried my head between the reeds of the lake. So that others couldn't find me. I supported my clasped hands below my forehead.
'I have to leave soon. Please come quickly...'
I called for him over and over. Hoping he would come find me below this lake before someone discovered me and dragged my wretched body down to the burning sea.
But he never came in the end.
"...Miss."
Something vigorously shook my shoulder amid the rattling movement.
"...Miss Rea!"
"Huh...?!"
As soon as I opened my eyes, what I saw was Roche looking at me very pathetically.
"How can you sleep in such a violently shaking carriage? That steel-wire personality of yours is sometimes enviable."
"What. Don't be sarcastic."
I wiped the drool from my mouth and glared at Roche.
"How far have we come?"
"We just passed the capital gates."
"Oh, finally."
I pulled back the carriage curtains and looked outside. The capital's scenery was both familiar and unfamiliar.
Leticia before possession had lived here her entire life, but I had only spent the first few days here.
'Oops, this isn't the time to feel like a tourist.'
The Bringston Marquis family was waiting for me. I couldn't even imagine how extreme the cold treatment would be.
"Roche, you might get kicked out."
"Why?"
"I'm going to be quite hated..."
"Hmm, that's a bit."
"You're abandoning me right away? That's too much."
Roche seemed to genuinely contemplate before saying.
"No, let's try to endure it first. With Miss Rea's personality, even if you entered a tiger's den, you'd befriend the tiger and grill meat together."
"..."
To say such things while looking at my thin wrists.
I was all mouth and no action. I couldn't do anything except hop around.
As we entered the street where nobles' townhouses were concentrated, buildings that looked familiar from romance fantasy novels lined up.
I recalled revenge romance fantasies and family regret romance fantasies I'd seen before.
'Schemes, secret struggles, jealousy... that kind of thing won't be a joke.'
Now I'll be assigned to an attic room, and a prickly maid will give me pig slop once a day. My younger sister will get angry claiming I stole jewelry I never had...
Thinking of what Leticia actually experienced, it was hard to run my happiness circuit hoping reality would be different.
"We've arrived."
"Ugh, already...?"
The front gate of the Bringston family townhouse where the carriage stopped looked exactly like Cerberus's maw.
"Shall we go in?"
"Phew, wait a moment."
I took three deep breaths and nodded.
"Let's go."
"Yes."
Roche picked up the luggage bag with a rather frivolous voice that suited a servant.
"Here."
And handed it back to me.
"You do plan to work, right?"
"Of course. I'm just afraid that if I serve clumsily, Miss Rea might get on someone's bad side."
"...Right."
It wasn't wrong. There's nothing good about standing out.
I entered the townhouse struggling with heavy luggage bags in both hands.
"Welcome, Miss Leticia."
The butler was polite. He took my luggage bags, and the head maid approached to guide me to the inner reception room.
I walked in with a somewhat bewildered expression.
'What? This is better than I thought?'
I shouldn't say such things even in my heart. It's a flag.
I had unconsciously raised a major flag.
"You're here!"
Marquis Bringston spread both arms to welcome me. The Marchioness beside him dabbed her tears with a handkerchief, and Selena was also smiling outwardly for now.
"It's been 10 years. I thought you were dead, but to return alive like this - your father is just happy."
"I'm... happy too..."
Ah, my conscience stings. I wish he'd gotten angry instead.
I smiled awkwardly to mumble the end of my words.
Following Marquis Bringston, the Marchioness hugged me. The strong scent of cosmetics hit my nose.
But at least her tears seemed genuine.
"Who is this?"
The Marchioness pointed to Roche.
Roche, who had hidden his ears and become a neat young man, greeted while lowering the beret on his head with his hand.
"I'm Roche. Miss Leticia's one and only..."
"Servant."
"I see."
The Marchioness immediately treated Roche as if he didn't exist upon hearing the word servant. The back of my head stung.
"Sister! It's been so long!"
Then Selena hugged my neck and clung to me. The grown twenty-year-old was at least 10 centimeters taller than me. I staggered a few steps.
"Sister, I missed you!"
"Oh, me too..."
What? This wasn't her image.
Just as I was caught up in subtle feelings.
The question was resolved in an instant.
"Now, I'll take the picture!"
Click!
The flash went off.
Ah, I think I closed my eyes.
"Who is that photographer...?"
"He said he wanted to cover our story, so we had no choice but to let him in. Is it uncomfortable?"
"Ah, no."
I see. There were newspapers in bustling places like the capital.
"Now now, let's take one more. You there, servant, you're tall and nice. Pretend to work beside them."
"No, I..."
Roche hid in a corner for some reason.
Strange, he's someone full of confidence in his face, so I thought he'd naturally say yes and pose.
The other Bringston family members skillfully created a natural and touching reunion scene.
After taking photos for several hours and even finishing interviews, I was quickly exhausted.
When the reporters left and only the Bringston family members remained, I sprawled on the reception room sofa.
"Hey, move."
"...Agh!"
I was immediately pulled down.
Selena, who had grabbed my sleeve and practically thrown me off, looked down at me with crossed arms.
"Who are you to sit there? Don't rub your butt on my seat with dusty clothes."
...That hurts.
But since I still felt sorry, I decided to accept it and move on.
"Then where should I sit?"
"Sit? What sit?"
Selena glared at me with a venomous gaze. Her previous bright smile and kind eyes were nowhere to be seen.
"Father, I'm tired, so let's stop here and think about it tomorrow?"
"Right. Leticia, ask Philip about your room."
Marquis Bringston patted my shoulder and passed by.
"You... this bad girl, betraying your mother?"
The Marchioness shook my shoulders with rabbit eyes, then got tired and looked away. This side was at least somewhat human.
"Um, then my room..."
"This way, Miss."
The butler named Philip took me along. I could hear Roche muttering behind us.
"Then my room..."
No one responded to Roche's words.
"The room Miss used to use is currently being used as Miss Selena's dressing room."
"Wow, that room was huge. Does she have that many clothes?"
"..."
I was ignored.
Hmm, yes. I thought so.
"I'll guide you to another room."
The room Philip took me to was a guest room slightly smaller than before.
'At least it's not an attic. This treatment isn't bad?'
As soon as I thought that, click, there was a sound.
"...Huh? Philip?"
I tried to turn the doorknob to go out of the room, but only clicking sounds could be heard.
Don't tell me I'm... locked in?
"...Why? I'm not angry."
This is... strangely understandable.
I unpacked my luggage and lay on the bed. Maybe because I'd been in a carriage for days, every joint ached.
"Ugh, I'm tired."
The bed wasn't particularly soft, but it wasn't extremely hard either. The treatment was more moderate than expected.
Too moderate...
'That makes me anxious.'
After organizing my thoughts briefly, I found one cause of anxiety.
The room I was assigned was neither 'original Leticia Bringston's room' nor 'attic room,' but a 'guest room.'
'A guest room. Did they give it to me temporarily because they didn't prepare a room in advance?'
A few days later, I realized this was an assumption so naive it wouldn't work at all in the capital.
It was around the time I was getting used to confined life. Since the marquis didn't seem likely to kick me out, I was instead pondering ways to leave the family.
"Miss, may I come in?"
The door opened with a knock.
"I brought water for washing and new clothes."
I received the maid's service, changed clothes, and went downstairs.
The place the maid took me from morning wasn't the dining room but the reception room.
A haggard middle-aged man was there with Marquis Bringston.
Both men stood up as if by agreement when they spotted me.
"Leticia, did you sleep well! Say hello, this is Count Shaning, my old hunting friend."
"Ah, hello, Your Excellency Count. I'm Leticia Bringston."
I greeted awkwardly. It was my name but it just wouldn't stick in my mouth.
"It's been a while, Young Lady Bringston. I saw you once when you were small, so this feels like the first time? Fortunately you've grown up splendidly."
Fortunately? The nuance was a bit...
Marquis Bringston drove in the wedge of this strange situation with a smile.
"He recently became widowed and is preparing to remarry."
"Ah, congratulations."
"Of course you should congratulate. It's your marriage too!"
"What...?"
...What?
I turned my gaze to look at the person called Count Shaning. He slicked back his thinning hair and grinned, showing discolored teeth.
"Excuse me, sorry but..."
Could you please not smile so shyly since it makes people very anxious?