I had a plan.
That was to personally wash Serena and build intimacy with her. You could call it a “conversation in the nude.”
…Wait, that sounds really dangerous when I put it that way.
Anyway, the important thing is that I wasn’t able to carry out my plan.
Our overly diligent maids stepped in, saying, “Please leave this kind of thing to us!” and I had no choice but to back off.
No—if even Ord hadn’t agreed with them, I might have been able to do it.
I was really looking forward to it! That first experience of Serena’s could have been with me!
“Next time, for sure…!”
I was frustrated, but there was plenty of time ahead, and I could always create another opportunity.
Even so, I couldn’t help feeling disappointed.
But the moment Serena stepped out, freshly washed and clean, all my petty complaints vanished in an instant.
Her skin was as white as milk.
Her once dull and lifeless hair had regained a bit of vibrancy, cascading down gently.
A pearl hidden in the mud.
The transformation was so drastic that I couldn’t even compare it to how she looked before.
And to top it off, she smelled amazing—I wanted to hug her right then and there.
“…Get away from me.”
But as I opened my arms and approached, Serena instead backed away even further.
Why?
I just wanted to hold her tight, pat her head, and bury my face in her sweet-smelling hair.
“…Hey.
Even you think the Lord looks kinda weird right now, don’t you?”
“Yeah. Just in case, let’s protect Lady Serena.”
I wasn’t about to give up, but the attendants and maids stepped in to block my way.
These brats dare to interfere with their master?
I was about to roll up my sleeves and teach them a lesson when—
“Lord, I think it would be best if you stopped here.”
Lord placed a hand on my shoulder, stopping me in my tracks.
Tsk.
Fine.
As a noble, I’ll take a step back this time.
Forcing Serena when she clearly didn’t want it wouldn’t sit well with me anyway.
It’s absolutely not because I was scared of Ord, who was clenching his fist.
Anyway, with Serena now properly cleaned up, I led her to the dining hall where the surprise party was prepared.
Honestly, just serving food and calling it a party felt a bit cheap, but we had prepared enough to make sure she could eat to her heart’s content.
“Alright!
Eat as much as you want!”
The table was stacked high with food, almost to the point of breaking its legs.
Greasy spaghetti paired with fresh fruits and vegetables to cut the heaviness, warm bread puffed up to perfection, and a rich, aromatic roast turkey.
And to top it all off, a thick, juicy whole roasted pig.
A true feast—there was no other way to describe it.
Even my own mouth watered just looking at it.
“…You want me to eat all this?”
“Yeah.
It’s all yours, so dig in!”
Her arms and legs were painfully thin.
She must have been barely scraping by, with no one taking care of her.
A slave trader wouldn’t have bothered feeding a girl he was just going to sell.
So it made sense that she looked at me with disbelief.
Up until yesterday, a meal like this was probably beyond her wildest dreams.
Serena hesitated for a moment, playing with her fork and knife, but then finally reached out for the food.
She must have been starving—she grabbed a piece of bread and stuffed it into her mouth like a squirrel.
Her cheeks even puffed out.
Once she got a taste, her appetite fully kicked in.
She widened her eyes and started trying everything.
She was eating so hastily that she almost reached for the spaghetti with her bare hands.
No one was going to take her food away—she could take her time.
Still, seeing her eat so heartily made me feel proud just watching her.
“Phew… I’m done.”
“Huh?”
But suddenly, Serena put down her fork.
She had barely eaten half of the roasted pork I had just cut for her.
There was still so much left—why was she stopping?
“Does the food not suit your taste?
Or is it awkward because I’m sitting here?”
“I’m full.
I can’t eat anymore.”
“What do you mean…”
She was at an age where she should be eating way more than this.
—But then, as I glanced at the table covered in food, my brain finally caught up.
The sheer amount of food was overwhelming—it could easily feed a family of four for three days.
I had been so focused on making sure Serena ate well that I completely overdid it.
“Uh, wait…?”
Why didn’t I realize this sooner?
I had been too caught up in the thought of feeding her to think things through properly.
When I turned my head toward Ord, he simply let out a deep sigh and shook his head, as if he had seen this coming all along.
Now what were we supposed to do with all this leftover food?
We couldn’t just throw it away, and there was no way I could eat it all myself.
“…Ah.”
As I was deep in thought, my eyes met those of the servants peeking through the dining hall door.
They definitely weren’t just here to watch Serena eat.
There was only one reason they would be standing there like that—they were waiting for the leftovers.
So everyone except me knew this would happen, huh?
I felt like an idiot, and all I could do was chuckle dryly.
“…Don’t just stand there watching. Come and eat.”
As expected, the moment I gave permission, they rushed in through the door.
Look at them grinning at the thought of a free meal.
In the end, I just ended up doing them a favor.
“Lord, may I have a word with you for a moment?”
“Eek…”
If dinner had ended just like that, it wouldn’t have been so bad.
But instead, I had to endure Ord’s nagging for not treating food with proper care.
“I understand that you care about Miss Serena.
However, there should be a limit.
You’re not going to make excuses and say you didn’t expect this to happen, are you?
Everyone knows you’re not that kind of person.
But if things had gone just a little differently, all that precious food could have gone to waste.
And overeating isn’t good for one’s health either.
Do you have any idea how shocked I was when you told her to eat all of it?
And also…”
“Th-that’s enough.
Please, just stop…”
Hearing Ord nag at me twice in one day…
My eardrums were screaming for mercy.
“I’m not finished.
Don’t you realize I’m saying all this for your own good?
You’ve never listened to me properly, and in the past, you’ve—”
But once his nagging started, it didn’t stop until the servants had finished eating all the leftover food.
Strangely enough, I always feel like I work more efficiently at night.
My body feels tired, but my mind becomes clearer.
The downside is that I always wake up feeling stiff in the morning.
Still, since there was less work to go through today than usual, I was able to finish earlier than expected.
“Yaaawn~”
The moment I put my pen down, a massive yawn escaped, bringing out all my built-up fatigue.
So much had happened today.
Honestly, I just wanted to dive straight into bed and sleep.
“You’ve worked hard, my lord.”
Ord, who had been assisting me at my side, also looked utterly exhausted.
“You too, Ord.
But really, you don’t have to stay up working with me every night.”
I was a little worried that an older man like him might ruin his health because of me.
“Despite how I may look, I have more stamina than most young men.
There’s no need to worry about me.”
“That so?”
Well, who was I to worry about whom?
Enough of this idle chat.
Let’s go check on Serena.
Grabbing a random fairy tale book from the shelf, I made my way to her room.
When I arrived at the door, I pressed my ear against it before entering.
Since there were no sounds or movements inside, I carefully opened the door to check.
Serena wasn’t sleeping.
Instead, she was sitting on a chair, silently staring at the night sky outside the window.
Since she had her back turned to me, I couldn’t tell what was going through her mind.
“You’re still awake?”
“…!”
Only after I spoke did she seem to notice my presence.
She quickly turned her head, then, as if in a panic, bolted to the bed and pulled the blanket over herself, covering her entire body.
I wasn’t even planning to scold her, but her reaction hurt a little.
“How’s the room?
Do you like it?”
I walked inside and sat on the edge of the bed, trying to make conversation, but her response was cold.
“Go away.
I’m not talking to a pervert.”
“What did I even do to deserve being called a pervert again…?”
“Your expression is suspicious.”
…Do I really have such an expressive face?
“Hmph.
Well, at least it looks like you’re getting comfortable here.
That’s a relief.”
It was a little sad that she still didn’t trust me, but it wasn’t realistic to expect someone with such deep-seated distrust to open up overnight.
That would just be my selfish wish.
My job was to knock on the door to her heart, not to forcefully barge in and rip it open.
The past isn’t something you destroy and throw away—it’s something you overcome.
“So, how was the food today?
It was good, right?”
“…I don’t know.”
“And taking a bath?
Didn’t it feel refreshing?
Like you could fly?”
“I don’t know.
Don’t talk to me.”
“Geez.
You’re so prickly.”
I couldn’t help myself—I poked at her through the blanket, and her body flinched, as if telling me not to touch her.
It was kind of fun, but if I kept going, she’d probably get seriously annoyed.
“Oh, right.
I brought a fun fairy tale book.
Want me to read it to you?
When I was a kid, my parents used to read to me before bed, and I’d always have good dreams.”
“…Just leave.
You’re too noisy.”
Hmm.
Her voice was quieter than before, which meant she was serious this time.
Oh well, I’d have to try again next time.
Just in case, I placed the fairy tale book on the nightstand beside her bed, bid her goodnight, and left the room.
“Haaa… I’m so sleepy…”
To be honest, I really wanted to sleep next to her, but it was still too soon for that.
But I wasn’t going to give up.
Just you wait.
Eventually, I’ll get her to call me ‘big sis’ and shower me with affection. Hehehe…
After Ershi left the room, Serena lay still for a while before peeking her head out from under the blanket.
“…Why didn’t she get mad?”
She was aware that she had been unusually sharp with Ershi.
Her instinct for self-preservation, developed over years of surviving alone, had manifested in coldness and indifference.
So she had fully expected to be scolded.
Back when she was a slave, she’d been yelled at just for breathing too loudly.
But instead of getting angry, Ershi didn’t even seem the slightest bit upset.
What was she really after, hiding her true feelings behind a mask of kindness?
To Serena, who had always believed that people wore masks to conceal their real intentions, even kindness seemed suspicious.
“I won’t be fooled…
No matter what she tries to do, I’ll never…!”
As if engraving those words into her heart, she muttered to herself—until she happened to notice the fairy tale book left on the nightstand.
Why did she leave that here?
Though she questioned it, her curiosity got the better of her, and she picked up the book and opened it.
The story inside was simple and childish, written to tug at a young reader’s heartstrings.
A princess, kidnapped by an evil dragon and locked away in a castle, is rescued by a prince who overcomes all odds.
“…How cliché.”
That was Serena’s only thought after finishing the book.
A dull, predictable ending where the two lived happily ever after.
She didn’t believe in something so unrealistic.
A “happy ending” like that could never exist in the real world.
“…Prince, huh?”
And yet, for some reason, one particular character from the book stuck with her.
Not because of his name, but because he reminded her of a certain perverted noble who had freed her from her cage.