253 - Reunion with Basilia 2
Shestin apparently had business not with me, but with Leonardo. When they called for Basilia's nursemaid to guide us to the room where the tea party had been prepared, Leonardo was left behind in the reception room. I was a little uneasy, but since I had Giselle with me as my guard, there was no helping it.
That is right, today's guard is Giselle.
Leonardo was accompanying me, and the Black Dog was there too. Aaron decided to leave it to Giselle, who insisted strongly that she could handle being the sole escort. I will not deny that I had great trust in Leonardo and the Black Dog.
...Well, both of them got separated from me anyway.
Oscar is outside the residence, and Leonardo is in the reception room. Behind me is only Giselle, a White Knight who apparently is not very reliable as a guard.
"I had them prepare the capital's trendiest sweets. Do you know Norakamu? They come in various colors, and they are quite adorable, you know. Also, it seems King Christoph of late has taken a liking to cheesecake, and they say he has had cheesecake brought in from every shop in the capital."
I felt a little sorry for Basilia, who proudly declared it cheesecake from a shop patronized by the king, but the information that cheesecake is the king's favorite is incorrect. It is not that King Christoph likes cheesecake. I think she heard somewhere about the time I had it prepared because they thought it was my favorite.
...But still?
The table was lined with sweets and cakes packed so tightly there was scarcely room, so I could tell I was being warmly welcomed. I understood that much, but there was something I did not understand.
...I do not recall being liked this much by Basilia-chan, though?
The first time we met, when she tried to throw water at me, Kalisa shielded me. After that, I lost my temper at Basilia's unreasonable claims and talked her down with logic, making her cry. I conveniently sicced Dietfried on her and watched him get dragged around by her with the feeling of offering a sacrifice or putting on a collar, but there is nothing about me that would make her like me.
Puzzled, I nevertheless took a seat as urged. Behind Basilia stood the tutor who introduced herself as Eliana, quietly watching over us.
...She is probably judging whether I am a suitable person for her young lady to associate with, huh?
She is keeping an eye on Basilia's conduct too, but I feel like I am being strictly assessed as well. She seems like a rather strict tutor, but an indulgent tutor would be useless for anything. I have heard Basilia is the child of a mistress, but it seems Jemian has prepared a good tutor for her.
...But somehow, I feel like her face looks familiar?
Who is it? I peeked at the tutor's face, trying not to be rude. I definitely felt like I had seen her before, but the more I thought about it, the more elusive the answer became. That made me wonder if perhaps I did not know her personally but knew someone related to her, and then it hit me.
...Eliana Messner? Messner... like that bad tutor, Kaya's relative?
Once I realized the possibility that she might be Kaya's relative, it was strange how much she started to look the part. Their personalities, evident in their posture and expressions, are completely different, so there is no trace of Kaya in her, but if I set aside all the personality traits and only looked at the facial structure, I could definitely feel the same bloodline running through them.
...This is awkward.
Once I realized the tutor's true identity, the pleasant tea party turned into an incredibly uncomfortable space. She is the sister of a criminal who stole from the mansion where she worked as a tutor, and I am the student who was the victim of that crime. Because of my complaint, Kaya's discretionary authority was sold off to a noble, and I have not heard what happened after that. If Eliana is the type to hold a grudge, I would be her sister's nemesis.
...Maybe I should not have put the tea and sweets in my mouth.
What if she mixed dog hair or mustard plaster into them as harassment? I suddenly felt afraid to reach for the sweets piled on the plate. But I have already eaten quite a lot. If something had really been mixed in as harassment, I should be showing some symptoms by now.
...I think I heard her mother and younger sister are famous as excellent tutors, so maybe she would not do something so petty?
Hoping that was the case, I brought the fragrant tea to my lips.
"I lost again. I am going to have a rematch!"
I indulged Basilia when she suggested playing Reversi, probably as revenge from the other time, and I had won about five times now. A luxurious Reversi board had been made, not quite as fine as Alfred's but still, and I really wondered when she had had it prepared. The Reversi I started at the Grenore residence was brought back to the capital by Alfred when he visited, passed on to Dietfried, and spread to Basilia in Lagarette. Since they played it many times in the sunroom at Lagarette, it probably became known to other guests as well. Through those connections, Cidur has been taking individual orders for Reversi boards and selling them, and apparently it is starting to spread among nobles and the wealthy.
...Maybe I missed an opportunity?
If I had gone into business with it, I might have made a fortune. The fact that Cidur, who was watching from the sidelines, has skillfully turned it into business shows he is a true merchant. I was just too absorbed in playing to even think about selling Reversi boards.
...Well, even if I had tried to go into business, I think I would have stumbled right away, just like with bobbin lace.
Cidur, being a merchant, could easily secure sales channels and place orders with craftsmen, but I am different. I have neither the capital nor connections with craftsmen. Either way, I could not have turned Reversi into a product.
"Basilia-sama, shall we play Saik next?"
I called her 'Basilia-sama' instead of 'Basilia-chan', hoping she would calm down. Like a proper lady, I wished she would accept the results calmly without showing her frustration at losing at games on her face.
...And besides, I still cannot do it well with simple-rules Reversi, but with Saik I have been practicing intentionally holding back.
I think it is thanks to playing with Kalisa and Alf, who are strong at Saik, but my current skill level is classified as moderately strong for my age. The sense of being bad at it that I felt when I first started feels strange to me now.
"I will not lose at Saik!"
Basilia puffed out her chest, saying she had been playing it longer, and seemed to have the thought process of a child her age. Not too strong, not too weak. If I did as Hermine taught me, I thought I could manage to hold back.
...The goal is don't win, don't lose too much. Make it a close match and let Basilia-chan win.
Not being allowed to win is quietly painful. Since I usually play against opponents like Alf, who are several levels above me, I always have winning strategies in my head. Today, I have to use that winning-focused mind to lose skillfully. That was surprisingly difficult, and also stimulating.
"I-I win!"
In chess terms, it would be checkmate. Clutching my king piece, Basilia stared at the Saik board with a deeply moved expression. As for me, I breathed a sigh of relief that she had finally won.
...Intentionally losing is still hard, Hermine-sensei.
I kept calculating in my head as I played, trying to lose, but my mind kept searching for ways to win. On my fourth try, I finally succeeded at losing. Though it is strange to say losing is a success.
...Well, Basilia-chan's mood has improved, so I suppose that is enough for today?
I will report to Hermine when I get back to the detached palace. As I was catching my breath, Eliana, who had been watching our match, spoke up.
"Basilia-sama, you held out very well today. Let us try to win two games next time."
"It will be easy. I shall soon be able to win them all."
Strictly speaking, her record was one win and three losses, but Basilia was triumphant. She must be really happy to have beaten me. After praising Basilia thoroughly and giving commentary here and there, Eliana had the nursemaid put away the Saik board.
"You have been trained by a good teacher, Christina-sama."
It was just one line, but with that one line, I understood. Eliana had seen through my struggle to intentionally lose.
...If she saw through it, that means I still need more practice.
I could not say in front of Basilia that I had been holding back, so I shrugged slightly. That alone seemed to convey what I meant to Eliana. In a small voice, she gave me a passing grade. Unlike Kaya, Eliana seems to genuinely do her work as a tutor. Apparently she even checked the level of proficiency of me, a child from another household.
"Since I won, I shall take your ribbon."
"Ribbon?"
I tilted my head, wondering what she meant. I did not think we had been betting on anything, but Basilia started saying that since she won, she wanted my ribbon. If Basilia gets to demand a ribbon because she won one game, I wonder what I would get for my eight wins combined with Reversi.
...And why a ribbon... wait, is that it?
Suddenly, I remembered the sense of incongruity I had felt about Basilia ever since arriving at the residence. She is wearing a fashionable dress with abundant ribbons and frills, but she does not have a single hair ornament in her hair. I cannot imagine Basilia, who wears lavish dresses, skimping on accessories, and she certainly would not be lacking ribbons or hair ornaments. That means Basilia deliberately chose not to wear hair ornaments today. And asking for my ribbon because she won at Saik means she was planning this from the start. She wanted a ribbon, so she did not wear any hair ornaments in order to beg for one.
...That is hard to figure out!
But when I tried pointing out that she had not worn hair ornaments today in order to beg for a ribbon, Basilia's cheeks turned visibly red.
"Th-that is not true at all! My father would buy me as many ribbons as I want!"
She turned her face away with a hmph, but Basilia kept glancing at me. When I silently stared at the apparently caught-red-handed Basilia, who was both amusing and adorable, she seemed unable to back down. Her face stayed turned away, but her eyebrows drooped and her lips began to tremble.
...This is probably her reflecting on her inability to be honest in her heart, but not being able to back down anymore.
Basilia's tsundere blossoming was cute, and I wanted to watch a little longer, but I could see her nursemaid starting to fret behind her, so I decided to stop teasing her here. I owe a debt of gratitude to Basilia's nursemaid for sheltering me in Lagarette. I did not want to cause her trouble.
"But why a ribbon?"
"Because it was written in the letter. That you gave ribbons to your friends in Grenore."
Finally prompted to continue, Basilia looked relieved and faced forward, then turned the other way. She sure is busy, I thought, but once I understood the cause of her sulking, it was nothing at all. She was probably just embarrassed to frankly state why she wanted a ribbon.
"Basilia-chan wanted her friend's ribbon, did she not."
"That is not true! I am merely saying that since I won, I might as well accept a ribbon."
...If we are going by that logic, should she not have said it when I won? Something like, "Since you lost, I will accept one."
As always, Basilia's arguments are incoherent and illogical. But strangely enough, it seemed to come from being liked, so I did not find it all that unpleasant. At most, it was at the level of "What a troublesome child."
"Basilia-chan."
"What is it?"
"...Do you not have any friends?"
For her to welcome me, someone she only briefly interacted with about a year and a half ago, so warmly, and to want a ribbon I gave to other friends. I wondered if perhaps she did not have any other acquaintances her age. It was just a little curiosity, but my straightforward question seemed to have struck a soft spot in Basilia's heart. Her face flushed bright red, and then her eyes began to glisten with tears before my eyes. By the time I thought "Uh-oh," Basilia was already sobbing.
"Th-that is not... true! I too have dear... friends... at least..."
"Yeah, you are right! Basilia-chan has friends too! Like me, and Diet...!"
I wondered if it was okay to unilaterally include Dietfried in the "friends" category here, but I pretended not to hear my own composed voice pointing that out in the back of my mind. I was aware that I had made her cry with a careless remark, so all I could do was humbly comfort Basilia.
...What do I do? I think I understand a little how boys feel when they make girls cry.
Basilia, who kept insisting she had friends despite her brave words, was honest in her expression, with tears spilling down her cheeks. And the troublesome thing was that Basilia's crying face was cute. The gap was huge because she is usually so tsun and haughty.
...Leonyaldo-san, I am sorry. I think I might be awakening to girls...!
While comforting the sobbing Basilia, I was surprised at myself for thinking her crying face was cute, and I apologized to Leonardo in my heart. If Alfred and the others do not want me to bear children in the future, I realized there was also the option of taking a girl as a bride.
...Huh? But I also like Leonyaldo-san's troubled face, you know?
I like Leonardo's troubled face, and sometimes I deliberately play pranks on him. I always thought it was that I liked the face of a pathetic older brother who sighs "There is no helping it, is there?" at his little sister's antics and ends up forgiving her, but what both have in common is that I am the one doing things to them.
...Which means I am a bully!?
I was not aware of it, but looking back, I suppose that is what it was. Both were things I did deliberately.
...I am sorry. I will reflect on this. Bullying is not okay. That is common sense.
Once I became aware of it, I could only reflect. The only reason I have people I can call friends is because Leonardo intentionally sent me to the Menhishumi Church. He prepared Hermine as a tutor, but what she mainly teaches me is how to behave as a lady. As for the basic education that the Menhishumi Church also provides, I learned it by attending classes there. Thanks to attending those classes, I was able to meet Mirshe and the others. And Basilia is the daughter of a noble. If she is a noble's daughter, she probably would not go to the Menhishumi Church but would have teachers sent to her home to receive her education. There is nothing strange about Basilia not having friends close to her age.
...It is not easy to meet other noble children unless you are somewhere like the capital where noble residences are densely packed.
I am a bully. Having realized that, I deeply reflected. After reflecting, I set about comforting Basilia again. First, I had to stop the tears of the victim I had unconsciously made cry.
"Basilia-chan wants a ribbon, right? What color would you like? I can take color orders right now too, you know?"
I had originally been thinking about making a different ribbon for Basilia using good quality thread anyway, so this was perfect timing. I thought I would ask for her preference. It was just that simple proposal, but Basilia's crying abruptly stopped.
"You... had actually planned one for me too...?"
"Huh? Ah, yeah. Unlike my friends in Grenore, I thought for Basilia-chan, if I did not use good quality thread, you would not use it..."
I kept quiet about the part where I had put it off and forgotten about it, since that would be an unnecessary remark. I had not originally planned to meet Basilia again in the capital. I am not to blame for not having prepared a gift... probably.
"My... ribbon is special, is it not...?"
"Eh? Yeah, that is right. Only Basilia-chan's ribbon would be different quality."
I simply thought that depending on who had it, it might invite trouble, or that changing the thread quality between commoners and nobles might be better, but the words "only I am special" seemed to resonate with Basilia. She had been sobbing moments ago, but now her proud and spirited expression had returned.
"Well then, I suppose I have no choice but to accept it."
Looking at Basilia, who puffed out her chest with a haughty air and had completely stopped crying, I made a vow in my heart.
...I will keep silent for my whole life about the fact that I was thinking of using her as a billboard to spread bobbin lace.
Typos and omissions again another day. Fixed any typos and omissions I found.