Chapter 50 : Doll Play (3)

“How has Lady Elizabeth been doing lately?”

I intended to let Seila do the talking and just pretend to pour the tea, but Seila kept looking up at me with sparkling eyes, so I had no choice but to start the conversation.

Still, I thought it might be slightly easier than talking to a porcelain doll that wouldn’t respond at all, considering Elizabeth could at least understand human speech to some extent.

Technically, it would be correct to call it a ‘stem,’ but since Elizabeth’s movements were remarkably human-like, I decided to just call it a ‘shoulder.’

Elizabeth touched the teacup with the ‘hand’ at the end of the ‘arm’ that extended down from that ‘shoulder.’ Unfortunately, Elizabeth’s ‘hand’ was actually a ‘leaf,’ so it didn’t seem capable of functioning like fingers.

Then she mumbled something in response.

“I’ve recently taken up embroidery as a hobby.”

I looked at Seila.

Seila gave me a look that seemed to say, “Oh, come on,” so I tried to continue the conversation while looking at Elizabeth again.

“Embroidery, you say? What kind of embroidery have you been working on recently?”

“Sunflowers. I like the sun.”

Well, of course, she would like the sun since she’s a plant.

But if she likes the sun, wouldn’t it be simpler to just draw the sun? Why bother drawing sunflowers?

“I see.”

“Oh, sometimes I wish I could have those pretty yellow petals. Actually, I get a bit envious of red or blue leaves, too.”

This time, Elizabeth looked at Seila.

She seemed a bit flustered by the unexpectedly complex backstory.

This is just my opinion, but honestly, I don’t think Elizabeth would care much about colors. She doesn’t even have eyes, after all.

“…Lady Elizabeth’s greenery is beautiful as it is. Every color in the world has its own beauty, so I hope you don’t feel too envious.”

“Wow, that was a lovely thing to say!”

Seila’s eyes sparkled. This time, it must have been Seila speaking, right?

“I mean, how should I put it… I liked it!”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

I bowed slightly.

Come to think of it, at Seila’s age, it wouldn’t be unusual for her to attend social gatherings.

Of course, she wouldn’t go on her own but would accompany her parents and spend time with children her age.

But Seila had never done that.

The Count probably intended to marry her off to a suitable man once she came of age, likely someone who could strengthen the power of the Count’s household.

I became a little curious about what Seila’s mother might have been like. Of course, I had enough sense not to ask about it here.

After that, Seila continued playing for about another hour.

It was only difficult at first. Once I figured out what Seila wanted, it became easier to respond. After all, Seila was handling all the roles herself, including Jenna’s and the other porcelain dolls’.

“Um…”

While I was tidying up after the play, Seila called out to me.

“Yes, Lady Seila?”

“Is it really okay for me to keep staying here?”

“As I said, this place belongs to you, Lady Seila. I believe you’re free to stay here however you like. Besides, you always treat the staff with respect. I’m sure you’d get the same answer no matter who you asked.”

“…Yes.”

However, Seila’s expression didn’t look genuinely happy with her answer.

Rather, she looked as if she didn’t know what she should want.

She seemed to like the atmosphere of this place. Yet, she also felt as if she should return somewhere, though she didn’t know why.

In that case, it was fine for her to remain unsure for now. It was only natural for a child to be uncertain about such things.

Especially since Seila had spent most of her life inside the house, it was even more understandable that she didn’t know what to aim for in life.

“Well then, I’ll be returning to the mansion. Daisy, please take care of Lady Seila.”

“Yes, I’ll do my best.”

Daisy responded with a playful wink.

“Did you have a good look at Seila?”

“Yes. It seems she’s recently taken up a new hobby.”

“A hobby?”

“She’s been playing with dolls.”

“Doll play…?”

Ayla didn’t seem to find it strange and simply nodded.

“Well, at least she knows how to play.”

“It appears that Daisy’s presence is more significant than expected. She mentioned wanting to stay at the villa for a while.”

“For a while? Or forever?”

“It seems she hasn’t made up her mind yet.”

Ayla let out a small sigh at my answer.

She appeared to be deep in thought, pacing the room slowly with measured footsteps.

Watching Ayla’s serious expression, I suddenly realized something.

Doesn’t Ayla… not have any friends, either?

I mean, whenever Ayla attended a ball, she was always alone. Perhaps she had turned down offers from others, but regardless, no one would describe someone sitting alone as “popular.”

It was the same in this mansion. If Ayla truly had someone loyal to her, they would have stayed in the mansion no matter how hard she tried to send them away.

Well, considering that employer-employee relationships are tied by money, they are inherently special. If Ayla had someone like that, I would’ve been extremely jealous.

“…Luna? What are you doing?”

“I’m tidying up the table.”

I said that and walked to one side of the room.

A small cabinet beside the bed. On top of it were a water bottle and a glass.

It was placed there to drink from when feeling thirsty upon waking up in the morning.

The water in the bottle is sometimes just plain water, but lately, I’ve been adding tea leaves to cold water to give it a faint tea flavor.

So, you could say this is a very, very light tea.

I placed the tray on the table and pulled out one of the chairs.

“……What does that mean?”

“Would you please take a seat here?”

“Is there any particular meaning to sitting down and drinking water?”

Now, how should I say this?

I can’t just ask Ayla, ‘You don’t have any friends, do you?’

She might get even more upset if she really doesn’t have any.

“Ayla, you might have to interact with other ladies in the future.”

“Do you think I can’t handle that?”

“If it’s about making deals, I believe you can.

You turned out to be a much more determined person than I had worried about.”

“I don’t understand when or why you had such concerns.

We didn’t even know each other before you came here.”

I deliberately ignored Ayla’s remark and continued.

“But Ayla, as long as you live as a countess, you may need to attend at least some social gatherings.

If you just sit in one spot without saying a word each time, it could leave a bad impression.”

“……Did you see that? Me sitting quietly in a corner?”

“Ayla.”

I straightened my back and looked directly at Ayla.

She blinked once, seemingly surprised by my assertiveness.

“As your personal maid, I must tell you this.”

I slightly bowed my head.

“Didn’t you say you wanted to get closer to Lady Seila?

That Lady Seila is also a ‘Count’s Daughter.’

If you don’t learn how to approach a conversation gently, maintaining a relationship won’t be easy.”

“There is no magic in this world that makes human relationships friendly.

Even the witch of the forest would say it’s impossible.”

“I know.

Even if such magic existed, I wouldn’t think of using it on Seila.”

Ayla let out a long sigh and sat down on the chair.

I slightly adjusted the chair to make it more comfortable for Ayla to sit.

Then, I sat in the seat facing her.

We sat facing each other like that for a while.

“So, what are we supposed to do sitting here like this?”

“It seems you need to learn how to start a conversation.”

“Are you one to talk?”

“……Ayla, do you have any hobbies?”

“Ha.”

Ayla scoffed as if she found it ridiculous, but after a moment of consideration, she answered.

“I don’t have anything that could be called a hobby.”

“That’s not good.”

“Are you suggesting that I get a hobby?”

“I’m saying that even pretending to have a hobby helps continue a conversation.”

Ayla fell into thought once more.

Then suddenly, she seemed to remember something.

“I practice swordsmanship, a little.”

“Really?”

“Wouldn’t other ladies find that strange?”

“There are many daughters of military officers.

Of course, not all of them learn swordsmanship, but it’s not taboo for women to learn it either.

More importantly, the person you’ll be dealing with right now is Lady Seila.”

“You’re saying Seila wouldn’t find it strange?”

“Lady Seila would be glad just to find someone she can talk to.”

Ayla looked a bit stunned.

“Did Seila… say that?”

“Ayla, just a little while ago, I was playing with dolls with Lady Seila.

If she had a friend her age, she might have enjoyed such games by visiting each other,

but unfortunately, there’s no one her age in this territory.”

There is Daisy, but that’s only in appearance, so I decided to skip that part.

“Ayla, please be Lady Seila’s friend.

If you do, Lady Seila will naturally start to follow you.”

“…… Is that so.”

Ayla muttered.

“Then, I suppose I should start practicing first.”

“So, you were planning to continue, huh?”

Ayla sighed deeply, looking exasperated.