Chapter 73

Lilian was quite pleased with her current situation. Rolling about, no matter how much she did, this body never gained weight. In her past life, she had put in so much effort to maintain her figure. Whenever summer came and she had to hit the pool, it wasn’t unusual for her to skip meals for days, and even the slightest belly bulge would send her into a panic. But now, even without exercising or eating like a horse, her weight barely budged.

Of course, lately she had been a bit worried about a slight weight gain, but that was only temporary after going a few days without food in the carriage.

‘So, munching on cookies like this is totally legal,’ she thought.

Who cares if she doesn’t gain weight? With those thoughts, Lilian popped a cookie from the plate into her mouth. Crunch! The sweet, chocolate chip part of the cookie melted away inside her. The cookies made by Catherine were delicious, no matter how many she ate. Catherine, who used to be pretty clumsy with desserts, had gotten surprisingly good at making them after reading a few cookbooks at the Academy.

When her throat got scratchy, she would sip some juice and read a romance novel borrowed from the family’s library. Whenever she reached the scene where the second prince of the Empire wooed a commoner young lady, her cheeks burned with embarrassment. She wanted to experience such romance herself.

“Hmm,”

But the daydreaming brought her to Catherine’s face. Despite being the same gender, it was troubling. Ruffling her flushed cheeks, Lilian threw herself onto the bed. As she stared blankly at the ceiling, Catherine’s smiling face came to mind again. In that moment, her feelings for Catherine were not simply admiration…

“She was lovely.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Eek?!”

Startled by Catherine’s sudden voice, Lilian jumped up and stared dazedly at her maid. But Catherine, with a blank expression, merely stood by and urged Lilian to get up.

“You’ve had your cookies, so let’s go for a walk.”

“Huh? That sounds annoying.”

“But you have to.”

“Ugh… Fine.”

Lilian, dressed in a comfortable dress after changing out of her pajamas, pouted as she grabbed Catherine’s arm. Slowly, Catherine began to lead her away.

The Garden of the House of Marquis of Portus was quite expansive. Thanks to the previous Marchioness’s love for gardening, it had been thoroughly developed. Every time Lilian looked at the garden, she thought that the former Marchioness must’ve had exceptional aesthetic sense. After all, it had already been two or three generations, yet the garden remained stunningly beautiful.

Especially considering the current Marchioness showed no interest in it at all. She had heard that even the previous Marchioness didn’t pay it any mind, meaning the garden had continued to reflect the designs of its predecessor.

“Oh, Miss.”

“…Susan. It’s been a while.”

“It has indeed. I apologize for not being able to visit due to my busy schedule.”

“No worries. I know you’ve been swamped.”

“Is that so? Hehe.”

At her unexpected remark, Susan’s eyes widened slightly as she covered her mouth with a laugh. As always, Susan was on the aristocratic side despite looking like a commoner due to her lack of a last name.

“Have you come out to walk in the garden?”

“Yep. How about you, Susan?”

“I was checking to see if this quarter’s budget was executed properly. The Marchioness tends to neglect the garden.”

“Hmm…”

Susan’s comment about their superior was something a typical maid would never dare to say, yet she spoke freely. If it were the original young lady, she would’ve likely gotten furious, but Lilian merely kept her mouth shut. It was a silent agreement.

“I see you’ve had some changes in your mindset.”

“Yep. I can’t rely on my mother forever, can I?”

Complex emotions swirled in Lilian’s eyes as she spoke. Susan and I, who understood the cause of those feelings, subtly changed the topic.

“By the way, Catherine. Is work going well?”

“Yes. Unintentionally, though.”

“Work? What work?”

“Didn’t Catherine mention it?”

“Nope.”

At Lilian’s answer, Susan looked at me as if something was off. If it were the original me, I would’ve rushed to Lilian to explain the new orders I’d received. But things were different now. Lilian wasn’t just the “young lady” anymore, and I too had undergone a change in mindset.

Though my blind loyalty towards the young lady had somewhat diluted, I still considered her a benefactor. Thus, I intended to carry out Lilian’s wishes wholeheartedly, yet I was no longer willing to share everything.

“I was monitoring a maid named Marcia. There were a few suspicious points.”

“Oh, I see.”

“It’s not a big deal, and I didn’t want to cause any unnecessary anxiety for the young lady, so I kept it to myself.”

“Hmm, is that so.”

Susan nodded, tilting her head slightly, seemingly realizing the reason behind my words. After a moment of contemplation, she suddenly looked at me and Lilian and said,

“Oops, I’ve interrupted your walk. I’ll take my leave now.”

“Ugh, I could’ve had a bit of a break.”

“…Miss.”

“Oh, fine. I’ll get moving.”

Just how unwilling was she to move? That lady really needed to work on her lethargy. I sighed as I thought this.

Three days later, the House of Marquis of Portus began bustling with activity. The date for the Marchioness’s return had been set. Coincidentally, it matched the day of the Marquis’s return as well. Because of that, the servants were busier than ever—well, not quite doubled; it was more like a 1.5x increase in busyness.

At least it was fortunate that both the Marquis and Marchioness were returning together, but the misfortune lay in the fact that they planned to meet. They would likely have dinner together, considering how it looks in society. With those thoughts, I lightly nudged Lilian’s shoulder with my elbow.

“Ah, aaah!”

“You’re being a drama queen.”

“I’m not being dramatic!”

At her scream-like reply, I quickly pulled my elbow away. Lilian spun her shoulders around dramatically, exclaiming “Wow, I feel a lot less stiff now.”

“That’s because you’ve been lying in bed all day.”

“…Could you stop hitting me for real?”

Having been hit with a brutal truth, Lilian looked at me with a slightly gloomy face. Watching her, I quietly said,

“The Marquis and Marchioness are coming back soon. Aren’t you worried?”

“Worried? What’s the point of worrying? Just living it up, you know.”

“…”

“I was joking! Of course I’m worried. I know they don’t think highly of me.”

With a deep sigh, Lilian threw herself onto the bed. Thud! She buried her face into the comforter, mumbling something that I couldn’t quite catch. When I leaned closer to ask her to repeat, Lilian suddenly bolted upright.

“Hah. I feel bummed out.”

“You don’t look that bummed out, though.”

“It’s just how I say things! What child feels happy when their parents are coming home?”

Snickering, Lilian buried her face in the blanket again. Ugh! While she screamed something, it didn’t quite reach me. After a while of silently shouting, she rolled over to stare at the ceiling.

“Honestly, I’m fine with my father. He’s indifferent, but he hasn’t harmed me in any way.”

“That’s true.”

“But my mother…”

With a small sigh, Lilian gazed vacantly at the ceiling, an expression reminiscent of how she looked whenever she spoke of her mother. It made me wonder if she had reason to share anything in common with the original young lady. I contemplated this as I looked down at her.

“Why don’t you have Catherine lie down next to you?”

“That’s inappropriate.”

“I’m fine with it!”

“Even so.”

Even if the young lady had given her permission, there are things that are acceptable and things that aren’t. For me to lie on Lilian’s bed was leaning far more towards the unacceptable side of things.

She wouldn’t know the implications of a young lady and maid in the same bed, so I decided to let it slide. Just as I thought that, I took a seat on the chair by the tea table.

“Ugh, I really don’t want to meet them…”

Just as Lilian muttered that, a knock sounded at the door. As I slowly approached the door and opened it, Marcia looked up at me.

“The Marquis and Marchioness will arrive in two hours.”

“Got it.”

Even so, Marcia seemed solely focused on letting me know about their arrival rather than starting any trouble, turning away and disappearing. As I watched her leave, I confirmed she was gone before closing the door.

“What’s up?”

“You should get ready.”

“Ugh… so annoying.”

It was simply a matter of changing from her bathrobe after her morning bath, yet she acted as if it was such a hassle. I didn’t get it. Oh, wait, I was the one who would have to dress her anyway.

After stripping Lilian out of her pajamas and suiting her up in a more formal outfit, I even did her makeup before finally freeing her. With everything set, it was already time for the Marquis and Marchioness to return.

“Let’s go, Miss.”

“Yeah.”

Relaxed a bit, Lilian nodded and stepped out of the room with a determined face.