The clear blue sky, devoid of a single cloud, instantly uplifted my spirits just by looking at it.
The fresh air, free from fine dust and smoke, was far more refreshing and enjoyable than drinking a cool, carbonated beverage after a long day of exhausting labor in the heat.
The sunlight was warm, and soon I could hear the distant chirping of birds.
It was a peaceful, cozy day.
Rosaria, who was experiencing all this through her eyes, nose, and mouth as she opened the window, said,
“Ah… I’m so bored I could die.”
It was incredibly boring.
It had already been over two weeks since I took over Rosaria’s body.
In other words, it had already been two weeks since my discharge.
At this time of year, Rosaria was supposed to be on an overseas trip, waking up in an unfamiliar yet fresh and extraordinary place, planning her day over a cup of coffee.
In a way, things had worked out quite perfectly.
Staying in an expensive accommodation (a count’s mansion) in Europe (or rather, this other world), experiencing a culture vastly different from Korea (a forced medieval culture with no smartphones), I couldn’t help but think that I was following the plan perfectly.
However, it was boring.
Incredibly boring.
As a noble, there was naturally not much to do.
While some nobles might wish for two bodies to handle the heavy responsibilities and tasks they faced, the position of the youngest daughter of a count wasn’t particularly busy.
Freya was dealing with complex matters that were hard to understand just by looking at them, and Felix was completely immersed in the world of magic, stuck in his room studying.
According to her dedicated maid, Bennett, strange laughter could sometimes be heard when Felix passed by, but she dismissed it, saying that he was just like that.
In reality, even at home, when he finished studying and indulged in his hobbies, he would chuckle to himself, so it wasn’t just an excuse.
Dariann…
“Wow… Mom must never get tired.”
As Rosaria recalled Dariann and looked up at the sky, she lowered her gaze below.
There, she could see Dariann running in a wide space that looked like a training ground… or was it actually a training ground?
In any case, it was where soldiers employed by the count’s family trained.
Waking up early in the morning while breakfast was being prepared and seeing Dariann running around every day made her think, “Yes, that’s definitely Mom.”
“Hey, Bennett.”
“Did you call for me, Miss?”
Bennett, who had been tidying up the dressing table after brushing Rosaria’s hair while she leaned her chin on the window, quickly approached her side.
“About Father… Is he doing that every day?”
“If you’re referring to the head of the family… yes, he wakes up earlier than us to go running.”
“I see.”
Seeing him exercise every day, rising earlier than the maids (who were the second earliest risers; the first being the cooks in the kitchen), made Rosaria feel a certain way.
“…Oh, PTSD is coming back.”
The sight of him resembled the morning runs of soldiers, which inadvertently reminded Rosaria of her time in the military, causing her to shudder.
“PTSD?”
“You don’t need to know. Just a passing thought.”
“Yes, Miss.”
“Ugh, I’m so bored I’m going crazy! I’ve definitely been discharged, yet it feels like I’m still in my last days!”
As she muttered to herself, Rosaria slammed the window shut and threw herself onto her bed, grumbling.
Her current situation was no different from that of a last-year soldier.
She woke up at a set time but had nothing to do, eating tasteless meals (by modern standards) three times a day, sleeping, and idly wasting time—over two weeks had already passed like this.
In the first few days, she had felt confused and terrified at becoming an unknown countess in a strange family, but once she realized that her entire family had come with her, she accepted and adapted to the situation relatively quickly.
After that, she tried to satisfy her curiosity by wandering around the vast mansion, but she ended up feeling sorry for the attendants who were always on guard, so she secluded herself in her room.
She knew all too well the feeling of annoyance when the commander suddenly announced a visit to the unit.
“Hey… Bennett.”
“Yes, Miss?”
“Was I such a bad girl?”
Consequently, the person she spent the most time with in the mansion was none other than her dedicated maid, Bennett.
“What? What are you talking about, Miss? No!”
“Who hits someone just because their hair got tangled while brushing?”
“I’m just a humble commoner, and you’re a noble lady. I think it’s a reasonable punishment.”
‘…Bennett, you’re too kind for your own good.’
“What?”
When Rosaria first met Bennett, who wore a maid outfit that struck a chord in men’s hearts with her simple yet charming appearance, she had been too flustered to even speak properly.
However, seeing Bennett shivering every time she thought about the things she did in the past made Rosaria feel more apologetic than excited.
Even when she was a private, it had been frustrating when senior soldiers would hit her for trivial matters, and the class system that separated nobles from commoners was something she could never get used to, no matter how hard she tried.
Nevertheless, having gone through the harsh realities of military life, including the absurdities of the army, she could naturally accept Bennett’s service.
“Anyway, I’m so bored. There’s nothing to do.”
As Rosaria continued her conversation with Bennett, she buried her face into her pillow again and mumbled.
During her last year in the military, she at least had been able to waste time by joking around with her juniors, but if she tried that in the mansion, it would be no joke; she would genuinely be flat on her face, trembling, which made her reluctant to speak.
At least with Bennett, who she had somewhat gotten used to over time, her attitude toward Rosaria felt a little softer compared to other attendants.
Moreover, Bennett reminded her of a kind junior she had been close to during her military service, making her feel more at ease.
There are those who live life with a positive mindset, no matter what they do.
Even now, she couldn’t forget the smile of her junior who had laughed while putting on his uniform again after an emergency call when he was about to take a nap after pulling an all-nighter on duty.
But Bennett wasn’t the only one who spent all day with her; she had various tasks to do as her maid, so ultimately, most of the day was spent just lying on the bed, doing nothing.
Time felt like it was passing even slower than during her last year in the military.
And so, as she sat there with a sour expression, consumed by boredom…
“How about going out for a bit?”
“…Ah.”
Bennett’s suggestion reignited the spark in her dead eyes.
“Rosaria. What’s the matter?”
“No… Wow… Aren’t you tired?”
Freya, who was buried in paperwork with piles of documents surrounding her, looked up at Rosaria.
After being possessed by the light of dawn, all the family members had changed gender, turning her into a daughter.
Still, Freya, who habitually referred to her as a son, eventually began to call her Rosaria in public or when people were around.
Though she still had a warm and gentle smile, the dark circles under her eyes couldn’t be hidden.
Hearing Bennett’s suggestion, Rosaria jumped out of bed like a spring and headed straight for Freya’s office.
Formally, Dariann was the head of the family, the highest decision-maker, but it was Freya who was truly leading the Evergarden family.
To put it bluntly, Dariann had no talent for paperwork, Felix was brilliant but deeply engrossed in magic training, and Rosaria’s mind went blank as soon as she laid eyes on the documents, so it was ultimately Freya who took on the responsibility of clearing away the mountain of accumulated work before Rosaria’s family took possession of this body.
“It’s not that the work itself is difficult… but should I say it’s a lack of manpower? Writing documents that could be created in a minute with Word takes a considerable amount of time to write out by hand.”
Though it had been quite a while since she officially began her duties as head of the family, and she had accomplished much, this damn paperwork never seemed to end.
Excluding debts, the funds I could manage were minuscule.
With that meager amount, I had to prioritize the most urgent matters, allocate budgets, stamp documents, and pass them along, which was enough to give me a headache.
The territory was in such dire straits that it resembled a critically ill patient on the brink of death; merely putting on a band-aid wouldn’t fix it.
Rosaria was worried as it seemed the light in Freya’s face was gradually dimming.
‘Well, there’s nothing I can do. Dad is struggling, so what can I possibly do?’
Having eaten countless servings of silent rice during her military service, Rosaria realized that if she intervened, she would only make things worse.
Thus, she naturally became a supporter of Freya and took a step towards the path of the “fireflower” daughter.
“So, what’s the matter?”
“Well, it’s just that it’s boring being stuck here all the time, and I feel like I’m going to die of boredom… I want to go out for a bit.”
“Now that you mention it, it’s already been over a week since we came here, and I’ve never stepped outside this mansion.”
“Right? I just got discharged, yet being stuck here is driving me crazy!!”
“Hmmm… maybe. It is hard to grasp the situation entirely just from paperwork, so I wanted to see the state of the territory with my own eyes at least once.”
“Uh, w-wait, are you planning to go too, Mother? You look busy…”
Freya, who had been deep in thought about Rosaria’s words, smiled brightly as if it was a good idea.
However, seeing the mountain of paperwork piled up, and knowing that Freya had been working hard until just before Rosaria arrived, she felt a sense of doubt.
“Oh, that’s fine. Common, Common?!”
“Uh… Huh? Yes?! Yes, yes!! You called, my lady!!!”
“Wait? Why is this guy here? Wasn’t he supposed to be locked up in prison?”
To Rosaria’s question, Freya nodded as if it was okay and clapped her hands to summon someone.
Suddenly, from the corner where the documents were piled, Common wriggled and quickly appeared in front of them.
The treasury keeper, Common.
Freya had said he had been imprisoned for engaging in shady activities, so why was he here in the office?
“That’s true, but Common’s skills aren’t bad, and with the current shortage of hands, he’s here to help me under the condition of a special pardon.”
“Ah.”
“Given the urgent situation, we should use whatever we can, right? Hehe.”
“I see…”
However, Freya, who found it a waste to keep Common locked away for his skills, soon decided to take him out and reinstate him.
Common returned, not just as the treasury keeper but as an assistant for paperwork.
Looking at Common again, Rosaria could clearly see he had changed since she first met him.
Common, who had been quite plump to the point his neck seemed to fold, had now lost so much weight that his cheeks were sunken in.
His face was full of fatigue and dark circles that couldn’t compare to Freya’s, and he couldn’t stand still, his legs trembling and wobbling.
The proud and arrogant gaze he had before had completely disappeared, replaced by a humble and desperate look.
“Surely Common… you haven’t fallen asleep before finishing the tasks I entrusted to you, have you?”
“No, absolutely not! I was just thinking for a moment; I definitely didn’t fall asleep!”
“Hmm, I see. If you ever feel too exhausted, just let me know. I’ll make sure you get a good sleep.”
“Gulp… gulp…”
Common, who had been dozing off for a moment and drooling, glanced at Freya’s gentle smile and began to hiccup.
Was it just Rosaria’s imagination that he looked pitiable despite being a sinner?
“Anyway, Common? This time, I plan to leave the mansion and take a brief tour of the territory while spending some enjoyable time with the family.”
“W-wait, does that mean you’ll be leaving the mansion for a while…?”
“That’s right. So, while I’m away for a bit, I’ll need you to take care of the documents on my desk.”
“Then what about the work I’m currently doing…?”
“Of course, that all needs to be finished as well.”
“…Yes?”
At that moment, Rosaria realized how someone looked when they experienced immense despair.
“Of course, it might be hard for you to handle alone, so I’ll instruct Gordon to assist Common. That should be sufficient, right?”
“A-uh… but that… this is really…”
Is she really going to ask me to do something this difficult, or would she prefer to send me back to prison?
I want to believe…
“Common?”
“Common?”
“…I will tidy everything up perfectly while the lady is away.”
“Great, then I’m counting on you. Gordon? Did you hear what I said?”
“Yes, my lady. I should brew a cup of tea that’s good for recovery.”
“Uh… just bring the teapot as it is. Yes. Haha.”
“Now, Rosaria? Since we’re ready here, how about going out with the family? It should be a lot of fun.”
“…I guess so.”
With that, Freya, having completed her menacing threat disguised as an order for Common and assigned Gordon as a watchdog, looked at Rosaria with a hopeful expression, her hands clasped together.
Watching this, Rosaria could only nod and leave the office with Freya.
Before leaving the office, she could hear someone shouting for help and muttering about how to make even more work right next to her, but Rosaria decided to ignore it completely.
Anyway, it’s an outing!!!