As soon as I entered the mansion, I parted with Siegfried.
It was because it had been a long time since the head of the family, Siegfried, had been away from the dukeâs family, so there was a mountain of things that needed to be taken care of right away.
âIâm ashamed to leave you alone as soon as I bring you to the townhouse,â Siegfried said, looking very sorry.
âItâs okay, donât mind me!â I shook my head quickly, saying I was fine.
Iâm sure he will mind me anyway, too.
âI canât be a troublesome child.â
First of all, all three warriors have declared that they will be my guardians for a while. I donât have to worry about being kicked out right away, butâŚ.
âTo continue to receive protection in the future, I have to work just as hard.â
Being a child that is nice, obedient, and useful.
âOnly then will I be able to grow up safely under the protection of the three warriors without being hated by them.â
Make a good impression with the warriors and skip this and that until I become an adult!
As I was making up my mind, I suddenly thought of the middle-aged woman I had just met.
âButâŚâŚ Why does she hate me so much?â
The cold gaze that looked me up and down, and the deep disgust that crossed over her face.
âThat person and I met for the first time today. Is there any reason to hate me?â
The biggest problem is that the maid seemed to have a very high status among the servants. If I am hated by such a person, there is a high possibility that my comfortable life is likely to be ruined âŚ.
At the moment when I was lost in thoughtâ
âHello, miss.â A voice as soft as cotton called out to me.
Startled, I glanced back.
A young girl, still older than me and neatly dressed in a maidâs uniform, smiled softly at me.
âMy name is Nora. We met briefly earlier, right?â
I saw her among the servants earlier!
At that time, I was distracted by the middle-aged woman who was glaring at me fiercely, so I couldnât recognize her right away.
âNice to meet you. I am Tatiana!â
âDonât mention it.â Nora, who shook her head, continued softly, âI have prepared the bath water for you. After taking a bath, I will guide you to your room.â
âThank you very much!â
Ever since I entered the empire, I always went to the inn to wash myself.
Still, because I was in the carriage for a long time, I had no choice but to be in a very dirty state.
âWouldnât I look a lot better to the people in the townhouse if Iâm washed clean and looked neat?â
Such a calculation was made.
On the other hand, Nora smiled brightly at how she interpreted my twinkling eyes of desire.
âThen shall we go to the bathroom?â
I dutifully followed Noraâs footsteps.
âWow, what a nice scent.â
When we arrived at the bathroom, which was neatly finished with pure white tiles, the scent of roses wafted through.
I guessed that the scent was coming from the big bathtub over thereâŚ..
As I was sniffing, Nora touched my shoulder gently.
âI will help you take off your clothes.â
I looked up at Nora with a puzzled face.
Then Nora was rather puzzled and looked down at me.
âHmm? Because I need to help you take a bathâŚâŚ.â
âYou donât have to wash me; I can wash myself.â
For a moment, Nora looked taken aback.
Hey, why is that face like that?
Somehow it seemed that she didnât quite understand what I was saying, so I added an explanation.
âNora is busy. So, I wonât bother you.â
While closely observing Noraâs expression while I said that I immediately stiffened my shoulders.
Because Iâm a child who wonât reach out. I donât bother adults. I thought you would be delightedâŚâŚ.
Somehow, Noraâs face clouded like a dark sky!
âWhy the hell are you making that face?!â
I broke out in a cold sweat.
Did I say something wrong? But Iâve been washing up all this time by myself. So, it doesnât matter at all if I donât need help, right?
Nora slowly squatted down, made eye contact with me, and asked a question.
âHow old is the miss this year?â
âYou are four years oldâŚâŚ.â
Nora, who had been mulling over my answer, soon smiled broadly.
âDid you say that you would wash alone even though you are so young? Iâm so proud of you. ButâŚâŚ.â
Nora, who was blurring the end of her words, drooped her shoulders.
âIf the Miss does not allow me to attend the bath, I am out of work.â
âOf course, I canât force you if the Miss doesnât want to, but⌠âŚ.â Nora put on a sad expression and slowly lowered her eyes.
I glanced at Nora and nodded as if I couldnât win.
âWell, if thatâs the case, just a little bit of help âŚ.â
Ugh, I feel like Iâve been tricked. That couldnât be it, right?
Feeling suspicious, I took off my clothes with Noraâs help.
Nora was speechless for a moment, looking shocked. Then she hurriedly corrected her expression and got up.
âWell, shall we go into the bath first? Youâll feel better if you soak yourself in hot water.â
Um, does it look that ugly?
I glanced down at my body.
A slender, ribbed body and thin forearms as slender as dry branches.
Well, my body was somewhat weaker than my peers. Still, Iâd gained quite a bit of weight while traveling with the three warriorsâŚâŚ.
âMay I wash your hair?â
âYes, Iâd like that,â I nodded.
After that, Nora washed my body meticulously.
She poured warm water over me, followed by a gentle scrubbing with soap, and then washed off the soapy water.
Her hands were cautious and caring, so somehow my heart was a little moved.
âItâs the first time⌠⌠something like this happened.â
I just wiggled my fingers.
The warriors cared for me in their own way, but since I was a different gender, they couldnât take care of even the smallest things, like bathing.
So, I guess it really was the first time Iâd been taken care of like this.
Lastly, Nora, who dried me with a towel, put me in a bathrobe. She hugged me to pick me up and headed to the powder room right next to the bathroom.
âIf your hair is wet for a long time, you will catch a cold. So, I need to blow the water away as quickly as possible..âŚ.â
She murmured anxiously and wrapped my head in a towel.
The hand that dried my hair was soft.
But that was just for a while.
Nora looked down at my hair with a troubled face.
It had to be because of my hair.
The hair that had never been taken care of and grown up on its own, it was a mess just by brushing it off with a towel.
ââŚâŚ Your hair is very damaged.â
Nora, who unconsciously put on a pitiful expression, hurriedly smiled at me when our eyes met through the mirror.
âDonât worry too much. Iâll brush it so well that it doesnât get tangled.â
Nora brushed my wet hair carefully.
Meanwhile, while Nora was preoccupied with my hair, I subtly asked about the middle-aged woman I had just met.
âThe servant who greeted Siegfried earlier. Who is that?â
Then Noraâs hand as she combed my hair slowed down a little.
âOh, do you mean Countess Ghiberti?â
âThe Countess of Ghiberti?â
âYes, she became His Excellencyâs aunt. After the death of the former count, she became the general manager of this townhouse.â
I rolled my eyes in thought.
The flow of the original work was roughly like this.
After the three warriors went to subdue the demon castle and Siegfried died unexpectedly, Siegfriedâs title was handed over to his cousin.
âBut this time Siegfried came back alive.â
Siegfriedâs return, then, wouldnât be great news, at least for his other cousins who coveted the title of duke.
âThen does Countess Ghiberti have no family now?â
âNo, she has a son. He inherited the title of Count Ghiberti.â
âBut why doesnât she live with her son and work as a general manager?â
âWell, the head of the household went to subdue the demon castle, didnât he?â
Carefully untangling the ends of my tangled hair, Nora quietly continued her explanation.
âApparently, since the head of the family has been leaving the townhouse empty for a long time, she volunteered and asked if he needed someone to manage it.â
Hey, isnât that a little strange?
As described in the original work, Siegfriedâs father was alive and well.
âOf course, the relationship between the two is the worst.â
In other words, there is no need to manage the Orlean townhouse even when she is an aunt because the previous duke could send someone himself.
Nevertheless, Countess Giberti volunteered to enter the townhouse as the general manager. Itâs as if she wouldnât miss the opportunity to get involved with the dukeâs familyâŚâŚ.
âHmm, do I think too twistedly?â
The door opened violently without even a knock.
âAre you still not ready?!â
Countess Giberti, who stormed into the powder room, looked at me and Nora alternately with an annoyed gaze.