Chapter 9: Awake

The Stampede had occurred because of an un-excavated dungeon that had somehow been created in the backwoods.

From there, something caused the demon beasts to start the stampede.

I have to destroy the cause of the stampede before it happened.

There was just one more year.

I can’t let them kill my parents.

This was an important turning point for Charlotte and Lucas. If we don’t get past this, then  we will never be happy.

Today, I decided to start exploring the mountain behind the house little by little.

Since I had already played the game, I vaguely remembered where it was.

As I recall, it was pretty far away, but I’ll go there anyways.

I got out of bed and was about to get ready for the morning when there was a knock on my door.

“Charlotte-sama, please excuse me.”

One of the maids came into the room.

“Good morning.”

The one who smiled at me was my personal maid, Marianna.

“You got up early today, didn’t you?”

“Yes, I did. I had a scary dream…”

I smiled bitterly.

Marianna walked me to the vanity and pulled out a chair for me to sit on.

“I see. What was your dream about? Perhaps you’ll feel a little more at ease if you talk to me about it?”

In the reflection of the mirror, Marianna was looking at me with concern.

Marianna was the daughter of a Baron’s family.

Her work here was a kind of apprenticeship. Because the Avi family is a duchy, there are several others.

Marianna is 18 years old, I believe. Although she is of marriageable age, she feels that her work as a lady-in-waiting is worthwhile, so she has no intention of getting married at the moment.

She wears her strawberry brown hair in a single bun and hides it behind a tailored hat. Her eyes are brown and she has long beautiful eyelashes.

Marianna has been taking care of me since I was seven years old.

“Thank you. But I’m not going to tell you because I’m afraid that if I do, it will come true.”

I shook my head with fervor.

“I see. If you ever change your mind, you can talk to me anytime, alright?”

“Yes.”

When I nodded my head, Marianna smiled and began to gently comb through my hair with a soft brush.

“How would you like your hair done today?”

Hmm, well I was planning to explore the backwoods today, so…

“Can you keep it in one piece so I can move around easily? And please keep my clothes as simple and comfortable as possible.”

“Understood.”

I’ve always found Marianna’s brush handling skills to be amazing.

My unwieldy drill curls* were neatly put together in no time at all. (***like the corkscrew curls commonly seen in an otome villainess)

I wish I could get them straightened.

I think I’ll ask my mother and Marianna about it next time.

Those two people were the managers of my hair rolls.

I feel like I could change the future if I could just do something about my those curls, which seemed to be a common characteristic in a villainess.

As I was thinking about this, I finished getting ready.

Today I was wearing a young grass-colored dress. The skirt was not too voluminous, so it would be perfect for walking in the mountains.

I also put on a pair of cotton socks with frilled lace and dark green shoes.

My mountain girl fashion was complete!

“Thank you Marianna!”

“Come now, Miss Charlotte. It’s a beautiful day, so you’ll be having breakfast on the terrace.”

I headed for the terrace with Mariann.

***

“Good morning, Charlotte.”

“Good morning. Did you sleep well yesterday?”

On the brightly lit terrace were my father, mother and brother.

“Good morning. Father, Mother. Yes. I think I slept well.”

That was a lie. The truth is, I had a very bad dream.

“Good morning, Charl. Are you going out somewhere today?”

My brother, who had me sit next to him at eye-level, looked gingerly into my eyes.

“Good morning, Brother.”

I really should be used to seeing him, but just the thought of my brother being Lucas made me a little nervous.

“Yes. I’m going to go explore the mountain behind the house today.”

I can’t lie to my brother when he looks into my eyes like this.

I was afraid of what might happen later, so I answered honestly.

“Huh? That’s unusual.”

“I won’t get enough exercise if I stay cooped up in the mansion all the time.”

That was not a lie either. I just meant…

“Hmm. I see.”

Brother nodded quickly and proceeded to eat the breakfast that was brought to him.

Whew! Thank goodness… He seemed to have been convinced.

But then—

“—I’ll come with you.”

He smiled and dropped that bomb on me.

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