\nKate Lorraine knocked the brass door ring decorated with lion’s head against the door. After a while, she was greeted by a familiar maid – Martha. Kate promptly handed over the souvenir she had prepared beforehand.\n\n“I brought a raspberry pie.”\n\nThe raspberry pie, that was the specialty of the Lorraine Family, could only be made during the Mars season (kanji: June) and was also the favorite of her friend, who was probably feeling down after having her engagement annulled. Wishing to cheer up Connie even a little bit, Kate had closed herself in the kitchen and baked it in the early morning. Martha tilted her head in puzzlement.\n\n“A raspberry pie, was it? However, didn’t our Young Lady bake it with you the other day too?”\n\n“Pardon?”\n\nSilence fell. Martha’s face started to look more and more suspecting. “Oh!” Kate shouted and slapped her hands together as if she had just remembered something.\n\n“Oh, thaaaaaaat! The thing from the other day! That’s what you’re talking about! I had totally forgotten about it! Yes, exactly, I baked it together with Connie at home. That raspberry pie!”\n\n◇◇◇\n\n“―――And?”\n\nKate, who brought the freshly baked raspberry pie, was looking at Connie with glassy eyes.\n\n“When exactly did I bake a raspberry pie with you, Connie?”\n\nThe buttery pie dough was crispy and slightly salty and went well with the bittersweet raspberries that were simmered in sugar. It was neither too sweet, nor too heavy on the stomach, so you could eat as much as you wanted. Thus, Connie always ended up eating it up whole. Even with such a tempting baked sweets before her, Connie stopped the fork she had almost put in her mouth.\n\n“N-no, well…”\n\nShe was nervously avoiding making eye contact with Kate. After frowning in exasperation, Kate Lorraine roared at her thoughtless friend.\n\n“You’re always careless at the most important part! I did tell Martha that you came to my house but I don’t know if she believed me or not!”\n\n“Thank-“\n\n“And? What’s the deal? You used me as an excuse so you’ll obviously be spitting out everything, right?”\n\n“Ugh…”\n\n‘Actually, I needed a maid uniform to deceive innocent people from the orphanage’ ――― there was no way she could tell all this to Kate. Connie desperately searched for an excuse with a stiffened expression.\n\n“Umm, you see, I w-wanted to be alone…”\n\nThe only thing she came up with was an unbelievably pathetic explanation. This was just unbearably bad. Connie fell into despair. She wanted to slap herself.\n\n“Hmm~”\n\nKate narrowed her eyes. The interjection Connie met with was frighteningly devoid of any emotions.\n\n“U-um, Kate…!”\n\nConnie hurriedly blurted out but she couldn’t say anything beyond this. Just as she was frozen stiff, frantically thinking about what to say, Kate sighed loudly and took over the silence.\n\n“Whatever, it’s fine.”\n\nHer voice was so unexpectedly gentle that Connie couldn’t help blinking her eyes in surprise. Kate Lorraine had lowered her eyebrows as if troubled and was looking her way. Reflected in her eyes, that were the same chestnut color as her fluffy fair, was neither anger nor hounding, but simple concern.\n\n“I won’t ask anything until you want to talk about it, so if there’s anything you need help with, make sure to properly ask for it.”\n\n“Kate…”\n\nConnie’s heart was filled with guilt and warmth. As she was gritting her teeth, lost at how to reply, the corner of Kate’s lips rose mischievously and she said especially cheerfully.\n\n“But ―――I won’t cover for you next time!”\n\n◇◇◇\n\nDull, hazelnut-colored hair and chartreuse-colored eyes. A common, mediocre face.\n\nConnie carefully examined herself in the full-length mirror. Constance Grail, with her hair tied up and a light make-up on her face was clad in a light blue dress and still looked more glamorous than usual.\n\n『Somehow you look more presentable now』\n\nScarlet smiled with satisfaction. The outfits and the jewels she found by ransacking through the house suited Connie so well that they looked as if they were made for her. Even the make-up that was usually left to the maids was done according to Scarlet’s will today. Her eyelids were painted with emerald green eyeshadow and her blush was applied brighter than usual. And, her pale lipstick was topped with honey. With this, she was ready.\n\n―――Emilia Gordwin’s evening party would be held tonight.\n\n\n\n\n“Ohh, you look extremely adorable!”\n\nAs soon as Connie descended to the living room, Parcival-Ethel Grail exclaimed, changing his usual fierce look to the doting one. After that, Ethel spent some time piling compliments on his beloved daughter, but suddenly, his eyes changed to a faraway look as if he remembered something and muttered.\n\n“…You used to be so shy and reserved, but then you bravely confronted Neil Bronson and now you even took the initiative to attend an evening party…To think that my daughter would grow up so gentle and strong, I…I’m so…!”\n\nPerhaps overcome with emotions mid-reminiscence, he pressed down on his eyes and looked down. Meanwhile, Connie’s mother, who had appeared next to him who know when, was rubbing his wide back, comforting him.\n\nConnie’s mother, Aria Grail, was a beautiful woman with curly blonde hair and green eyes. When she saw her daughter, who looked different from usual, she put a hand on her cheek and gently tilted her head.\n\n“Oh dear, be sure to keep things in moderation today, alright?”\n\n‘What exactly does she mean by that?’ Connie stiffened. However, Aria was simply smiling beautifully, the true meaning of her words mysterious.\n\n“―――Elder Sister!”\n“Gwah!”\n\nJamming into her stomach like a storm was Parcival-Rayleigh. He was Connie’s angelic younger brother with curly blonde hair he had inherited from their mother and emerald colored eyes.\n\nRayleigh, who would be turning 8 this year, was looking at Connie with glittering eyes.\n\n“Wow, Elder Sister, you look very pretty today!”\n\n‘Today?’ Connie didn’t quite understand. However, as Connie was a lady, she knew when to let the sleeping dogs lie.\n\n――― Children are very cruel creatures.\n\n“I heard about Neil Bronson. It was right to dump that kind of mean guy! I’ll beat him up for you when I see him the next time! I’ll use those fists!”\n\n“S-sure…”\n\n“Also, don’t worry about the debt. As long as we do the right thing, the three goddesses will definitely show us the way.”\n\nThose words made Connie stiffen up. ―――If it was the previous Connie…\n\nIf it was the previous Connie, she would surely nod in agreement.\n\n“Elder Sister?”\n\nRayleigh, what a good boy. What a sincere boy.\n
Seeing an unusual expression on his older sister’s face, Rayleigh also became anxious. Connie, who had suddenly come back to herself, ruffled Rayleigh’s soft curly hair and smiled, assuring him that everything was alright.\n\nSoon after, Martha announced that the carriage had arrived.\n\n\n\n\n『Are you ready, Constance? 』\n\nScarlet Castiel spoke melodiously. A two wheeled-carriage was waiting beyond the opened door.\n\n\n
\n—\nNotes:\nWe know more about the calendar now! Mars is June. I wonder if all months are named after Greek gods. But then again, Malta/Martha isn’t a greek mythology name, is it?\nAnyway, the when to let the sleeping dogs lie is actually蛇がいるとわかっている藪をわざわざ突いたりはしない, as in ‘she wouldn’t poke the bushes when she knew that a snake was hiding inside’ or something like that. Basically, she wouldn’t just walk into punchline and make herself feel worse, you know?\nAbout the last sentence…I do like translating but I can’t really write eloquently…so the line could definitely be better. In the original, it says まるでその奥に金鉱床が沈みこんでいるかのように、光を弾いて瞬いていた, so ‘pulling all the light and glittering, as if a goldmine was sunk in them’. This kinda sounded silly, so I thought I’d replace it with something that sounded cheesy but maybe better. In theory, at least.\n