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A Calm Forenoon
I woke up with rhythmic sounds of knocking on the door.
First of, I raise my body from the bed and yawn. And as I casually rub my eyes, the door is knocked again and,
「Alfried-sama, this is Mina! It’s about time to wake upー! It’s just before noon now you knowー」
Mina’s voice can be heard from the hallway.
Since today is a free day, it doesn’t matter how much I sleep in Eric’s mansion today. Let’s just ignore her now and let her politely withdraw.
「U, umm, I think it’d be great if you can wake up energetically soon thoughー」
Just when I’m thinking of feigning sleep, Mina still calls out to me.
That’s strange. Mina shouldn’t be a maid who would say such a line that mirrors a maid? That’s Sara’s role.
I’m sure that there’s some other reason which will make it easier for Mina if I were to exit my room now.
「You haven’t eaten breakfast yet, right? I will prepare some light meal in the large room, all right?」
Muu, certainly, I haven’t eaten anything since I woke up so early and sleep again. Honestly, I feel hungry right now. It will almost be impossible to sleep again on an empty stomach.
But, it’s a little annoying to do it according to Mina’s motive.
「Mmー, then, please bring the light meal hereー」
This way I won’t need to move as I eat them and after I finish with the light meal, I can immediately go to sleep for the third time today.
Fufufu, staying indoors at one’s leisure at the destination of your trip is the best.
I can just come here anytime in an instant using Teleport anyway, so there’s no need to be in a hurry to play outside just because we came all the way here. I just want to do what I want now.
「Ah, I knew it, you’re awake after all! But, ummー, this is another person’s mansion see, so having a light meal in your room is a bit.....」
「What are you saying now so suddenly? There’s no way Eric and the others will care about something like that」
If anything, they even said that it was fine to have our meal in our room or in the large room if we are still tired yesterday. So those people wouldn’t get angry with something like having a light meal in our room.
That Mina, does she want to get me out of my room to make her lie like that?
While a little amazed in my mind, Mina stealthily pokes her head a bit from the door.
「Err, Alfried-sama. Can I come in for a bit?」
「Hm? Sure」
After I give her my permission, Mina enters my room and comes closer.
Guessing from Mina’s atmosphere as she enters, it seems like she wants me to get out of my room because of some other proper reason.
「Umm, actually, Eric-sama has been hanging around in the hallway for a long time already」
「Eric did?」
Finding it curious, I try to peek into the hallway from the door, I saw the figure of someone who looks to be Eric panicking and hiding in the shadows.
「……what the heck is that guy doing?」
「He was looking at Alfried-sama’s room since morning, maybe he wants to ask you to play with him, don’t you think? Come on, today is free time for you, right」
「Wants to play with me? If he wants to do that he can just ask me normall――」
I was about to say that but then I suddenly realize it. If he can do it naturally, he won’t end up in a situation where he has few friends.
Oh well, it may have been difficult for him to ask me since I was sleeping, but he doesn’t have to worry about that right now.
If I were in his shoes, maybe I would ask the maid-san to wake me up, or just directly enter the room?
If it was before then it will be the former option, but now that I had put him in the bad company category, I will just go with the latter option without hesitation.
「Even though he was the one who invited me to go and watch the play in the royal capital together」
From Eric’s perspective, I wonder if he mustered a lot of courage first to invite me at that time?
It’ll make me smile and I’m very happy if that’s so, but I am really doubtful he can invite Aleutia-san like that.
「Even though we have become friends already, was it that difficult to just casually ask?」
Hmm, there are times when Eric tried to put me in a rival-like position.
「Really, can’t be helped thenー」
「You’re going out then! Alfried-sama!」
「No, I’m going to get a light meal and sleep for the third time today」
When I move away from the door and tries to go back to bed, Mina grabbed my shoulder in a fluster.
「Wait, Alfried-sama, that will be quite sad for Eric-sama! Look, why don’t we head for the large room and make it so like we accidentally meet him?」
「Ehhー, but I’m tired from the training we did each day, so I want to spend my time leisurely in my room for the whole day. The working Mina will also understand what I feel, right?」
「Mumu, of course I know. When I have my days off, I also want to just stay at home and do nothing and slo――, how did you know Alfried-sama?」
「……cause I can understand other people’s feelings somewhat」
「Then, please also understand Eric-sama’s feelings, okay?」
As a matter of fact, Mina was right.
Honestly, there might be the possibility of being taken outside if I met Eric so I want to just stay here and go back to sleep, but there’s probably a limit to that seeing I’m staying in the same mansion as him.
I’m also hungry, so for now I allowed Mina to bring me to the large room.
「Make me some tea for now」
「Understood!」
After I ask for a cup of tea as though to have a wake-up drink, Mina begins to prepare tea with a familiar movement.
The sound of Mina pouring the tea can be heard, along with the refreshing breeze coming in from the opened window and the white curtain that softly sways in the wind.
The weather is clear today, the sunlight is shining on the sofa beside the window.
「Un, what a fine morning」
「It’s already noon, you know. Here, your tea」
When I absent-mindedly muttered like that, Mina presented the tea while smiling slightly.
I raise the teacup and enjoy the fragrance of the Royal Feed, then I take a little sip of the tea and hold it in my mouth.
The mellow taste of the Royal Feed pierces through my mouth. After I swallow it while appreciating the taste with my tongue, the warmth from the tea starts to spread in my stomach.
Sure enough, a cup of tea after waking up is exceptional. Mou, maybe it’s because I’ve been drinking it that I felt like I can’t start my day without this anymore.
As I try to take another sip of the Royal Feed while relishing the taste,
「Alfried, it’s me! Can I come in?」
A knock and a voice came from the door, interrupting the comfortable morning hours. He gave the atmosphere as though he just came now, even though I know he had been waiting there all along.
「「…………」」
「O, oi!? I know you’re there!? Just now, you’ve been having a conversation with the maid, right!?」
When I decide to keep silent and feign ignorance, for now, Eric started yelling.
「Mou, you’re so noisy since morning. Okay okay, come in」
And as I give up and said that, Eric muttered things like 「Hey, it’s noon already, isn’t it」 and entered the room.
Perhaps it’s because I woke up before noon that I can’t get rid of the feeling that it’s still morning.
「Please give me some tea too」
「I can only prepare Royal Feed right away, but would that be fine with you?」
「Yeah, it’s fin――you say Royal Feed!? .....*cough*, that’s fine then」
「Certainly」
Even though he looked like he doesn’t care about the drink at first, when she said it was Royal Feed, his eyes started to light up. What a simple guy.
「O, oi, don’t tell me you always drink Royal Feed in your house?」
「Un, that’s cause Elna-kaasan likes to drink tea, so she can’t help being particular about it」
「H, how envious. Being able to drink such a high-class item everyday.....」
It’s natural for Eric to say that. I was also surprised when I saw the price of this thing back in the royal capital.
Of course, it’s not the sort of price a noble can’t buy, but if you keep on buying them so that you can drink them every day, then it will take quite a lot of gold coins will fly out of your pocket.
But most of all, since minding about that kind of thing will not let me enjoy it, I decided just not to care about its price.
「Here you go」
「Ooh!」
When Mina present the tea to him, Eric take the teacup without delay and started to enjoy the tea’s scent.
「Hmm, what a pleasant smell. It has a distinctive strong scent, but it is by no means strong」
After Eric makes such a courteous comment, he took a sip.
「……hmm, it’s good. It has a stronger taste and smell than when I drank it in the past. The maid’s skill who serves this is also great」
「Uuh, so you understand Eric-sama! In order to be able to work in the Slowlett house, you need to be able to do your duties, but above all that, the skill of making tea is the most important! If you can’t do so then you will have to practice making tea forever...... 」
Maybe she was happy receiving Eric’s words of praise, Mina makes a crying-like voice with deep emotion.
「I know that feeling. Since I’ve also practiced making them so many times」
「You too? Nonetheless, to be made to practice making tea to the point of obtaining the skill of making a tea with such a flavor, I guess there are some strict parts surprisingly, despite your parent's calm look, huh」
「When it’s fine to be lenient, then our house is quite lenient, but when it’s time to be strict, they can be really strict」
「Well, that sounds just like mine then」
Conversely, they won’t get angry if we follow the strict rules properly.
As long as I can grasp the rules, it’s quite a free family actually, and I really like it.
That aside, I’ve calmed down now after drinking tea, so I want to eat my meal now.
「Ah, Mina. Can you bring the meal here?」
「Understood. Would you also like me to bring you something Eric-sama?」
「I’ve had my breakfast already, it’s enough with Royal Feed now」
「Is that so? Well then, I will bring your meal here」
Since Mina was trying to leave the room without telling me about certain something, I made a brief comment as payback for bringing me to the large room from the bedroom.
「Royal Feed also goes well with the cookies of our house」
「Muu, is that so? If I can further enjoy Royal Feed, I’m sorry, then I would also like to have that as well」
「Eh, umm, the cookies were consumed yesterday――」
Fuhh, there’s no way the cookies-lover Mina would not leave some cookies for our return journey. And I saw Mina hiding a small box. That’s definitely cookies.
「Hm? Surely we should still have some in the carriage, right?」
「Uuh, how di――so, so that’s what you meant. I will bring it here」
Mina was about to yell ‘how did you know’, but since Eric is here with us, she wisely endure it and left the room with a somewhat lonely figure.
Oh well, I’ll just pretend to use magic and give some cookies to her on our return journey to properly make up for this, so please forgive me.