261 - Side Story: Leonardo's Perspective - Little Lady 4
"It seems her arrival is a bit delayed... but I have sent a letter to Kalisa at the Mandez Residence to come to the capital."
When I said that she should be coming to the capital soon so it ought to be a little less lonely, Tina rejoiced with unrestrained delight. The Black Dog (Oscar), who ended up being petted all over in her excitement, looked somewhat bothered. The three sisters all have the same face, and there is no difference in their attitudes toward their master (Tina), but Tina does seem to have a particular fondness for Kalisa. Perhaps she gets along well with Kalisa, who also tends to be shy around strangers like Tina. Though I think it might be the opposite. Sometimes when Kalisa was attending her, Tina would stand as if to shield Kalisa.
...Well, Kalisa is more reliable than Giselle anyway.
Even in a protective sense, Kalisa is reliable. The sisters who serve at the residence granted to the Black Knight Commander were raised by Iridal since they were babies. Because Black Knights were a familiar presence to them, and due to the nature of the residence master being the Knight Commander, they have also trained in martial arts since childhood. Unfortunately, due to their gender, they had difficulties with physique and muscle development, so they could not become Black Knights, but they have enough ability to serve quietly as a lady escort. More so than the White Knights, who are mocked as mere decorations.
"Why is Kalisa's arrival delayed?"
After thoroughly petting the Black Dog, Tina, whose excitement had subsided, returned to my side. Lately she has been getting quite good at wearing a ladylike smile, but right now she is the real Tina. She is beaming with a childish grin.
"Alf apparently asked her to do something, so that is probably the reason."
"Alf-san did?"
Tilting her head with a wondering look, Tina began thinking about what to do next. If one more maid is added, room preparations will be necessary. If she releases Hermine from her dual duties and has her stay at the detached palace as a live-in tutor, she could move Hermine room to the guest quarters.
...She already understands the master duties when it comes to increasing the staff, does she not.
Considering how Kalisa as the newcomer to the detached palace might be received, she cannot show favoritism. To avoid showing favoritism, she will not prepare a private room. Kalisa will have to share with someone, and Tina began to rack her brains over who would be the best roommate. Deep down, she seems to want to put Kalisa in the antechamber right next to her own room, but if the master trust is placed in a newly arrived maid, the other attendants certainly will not be pleased. It is obvious that friction would arise, so Nadine would probably stop her too.
To Tina, who was humming and hawing over the problem, I advised her to bring her tutor Hermine along next time and discuss it directly with Nadine. Normally, this is the kind of decision the master should make directly with Nadine who is the coordinator of the detached palace, without going through a servant who is a tutor (Hermine). It is about time Tina started being mindful of the hierarchy among the servants as well.
From Lugmilama Fortress, escort Black Knights arrived, wearing deep navy cloaks. Tina, who had been packing a freshly made lunch into a bag, furrowed her brow at the color of my cloak.
"...Leonyaldo Big Brother-sama, which fortress are you returning to?"
"Lugmilama Fortress, but..."
"I see. I was under the impression you were returning to Grenore..."
I had not deliberately told her which fortress I was going to, but seeing the color of my cloak, she could tell I was not returning to Grenore. Both are border fortresses, but Lugmilama Fortress and the neighboring Saenard Kingdom which shares the border are currently in a very delicate situation. That is precisely why I am planning to head to Lugmilama Fortress, but Tina who had readily agreed to me returning to the fortress must have thought I was going back to Grenore Fortress. Her smile was more than a little strained. Since I was aware that I had deliberately led her to think that way, I silently held out my foot and received the baptism of her custom-made shoes.
...Wait, so she has been holding back until now, huh.
I wondered if showing it on my face would be bad, so I endured the pain with a straight face, but seeing that, Tina apparently thought it had not worked and stepped on my foot again. Fortunately, there is no special work done to the soles of these shoes, so I only felt a bit of weight like something had landed on my foot.
"If you are heading to Lugmilama Fortress, then just say Lugmilama Fortress. Honestly."
If she had known, she would have prepared at least one protective charm for me, Tina said angrily. Tina tends to stay cooped up in the detached palace and rarely suggests going out, but it seems she would be willing to go shopping for my sake. I am more than a little happy, but when I think about it, Tina is the kind of girl who would spend months working on an embroidered picture to surprise me. As her brother, I should be delighted that my little sister loves me so much.
"...Guh-huh."
"Your face was getting on my nerves for some reason."
The moment I grinned, feeling my sister love, I received the baptism of her custom-made shoes with all the strength Tina could muster. So this is what it means to feel love and pain at the same time. Unable to endure it, I crouched down, and when I lowered myself, Tina face, slightly bowed, came into clear view. Surrounded by adults, Tina is shorter than everyone around her, so when she looks down, her expression is completely hidden. The face I could see after crouching down was on the verge of tears.
"Tina..."
"Is war going to start?"
When I reached my hand toward her cheek, she knocked it away, still angry it seemed. She grabbed my sleeve, so I could not even wipe the tears from her eyes.
"Leo, are you going to die?"
"I am not going to die."
"But you are going to war, are you not?"
"It has not come to war yet. We are just glaring at each other."
"But," Tina voice trembled. Putting on the deep navy cloak before leaving was a complete mistake. If I had said something like "it is still hot" and worn it after leaving the royal castle, Tina would never have noticed that I was heading to Lugmilama Fortress. When she heard the news of Aurelia passing, the way Tina fell into despair was heartbreaking. She is still sensitive to the concept of death, I suppose. Even though neither I am going to die nor war is about to start, Tina is afraid that I might die.
...Well, that makes sense. Her only family now is me.
In terms of blood relatives, Bertrand should also be family, but I will exclude him for now. Tina family (her parents, the acquaintance couple she adored like grandparents, Aurelia who grew strangely attached to her) have all died. It might be inevitable that Tina is sensitive to death.
...Thinking about it, should I have Tina reconcile with Bertrand-dono?
I am an active knight who stands on the battlefield, but Bertrand is retired. At least, there is no chance of Bertrand dying on the battlefield. However, this time there is the unavoidable specter of old age. And her cousins who would increase if she reconciled with Bertrand are reportedly frail and bedridden several times a year. She could increase the number of family members, but it would be a family where death hangs heavier than usual.
...If Tina can stay as my child, then I might consider a reconciliation with Bertrand-dono.
I would want to avoid having Tina taken away as his granddaughter only to be neglected or smothered to death by attention, but if it just means more people she can rely on when she is in trouble, I would not mind welcoming that. Either way, Tina happiness is the top priority.
"Tina."
"Hya wa!?"
I slipped my hands under her arms and lifted her up. The tears disappeared from Tina startled face. I felt like something similar had happened before, and searching my memory, I recalled the day we first met. Back then too, I was troubled by Tina who had started crying, and I picked her up to make her stop, I think.
...She should be taller now, but she does not feel much heavier.
Unlike the shabby clothes she wore in Mey Village, she is now wearing clothes made with plenty of fabric, so her weight should have increased just from that, but she does not feel heavier. At this rate, I might still be able to lift her even after she becomes an adult.
As I was thinking such things, Tina reached out and pinched my nose.
"Leonyaldo Big Brother-sama, carrying is forbidden except in emergencies."
"But this was an emergency, was it not? My little sister looked like she was about to cry."
"I was not crying."
Tina pouted, looking adorable, so I sat her on my arm and kissed her cheek. When I pulled my face away, Tina made a rather complicated expression and covered the kissed cheek with her hand.
...Oh? She did not hit me.
When I surprise her with a kiss, Tina usually either gets startled or shy and hits me, but today there was none of that. She just stared at me with an indescribable expression for a while, then signaled for me to put her down.
"Tina?"
"Have a safe journey, Leonyaldo Big Brother-sama. Your sister can stay home alone just fine, so please do not worry."
Saying that, Tina quietly and gracefully curtsied like a proper lady. I could tell she was acting exactly as she had been taught, but it was a curtsy so beautiful it seemed to transform her. Having her suddenly seem so grown-up made me a little lonely. As I placed my hand on Tina head to hide that feeling, the real Tina words, spoken in a small voice, were trembling.
"Make sure you come back, okay?"
She had suddenly seemed so grown-up. I felt a pang of worry, but it seems she was just putting on a brave face. The moment her head was patted, her mask slipped off, and my little sister sniffling was precious to me.
"For now, it is just through autumn. I will be back by winter, so there is no need to worry."
I stroked Tina soft hair as I told her there was nothing to worry about. Then, though her blue eyes still trembled with anxiety, Tina lifted her face.
I will fix typos and errors another day.
The heat has been getting to me and I have not been getting enough sleep. For that reason, updates might be irregular for a while. I will try to update as much as possible, but if there is no update by half past one at night, please assume there will not be one that day. Rather than staying up late, I will sleep during the cooler hours and conserve my energy.
I have fixed any typos and errors I found.