355 - Side Story: Leonardo's Perspective - Little Lady 8
The master of the detached palace was returning to the city of Grenore, so the palace was busy with preparations for departure. I would finally be returning to the city of Grenore as well, but in my case I had come back once during the winter, and before that I had returned to the residence several times to drop off the Mirshe I had purchased, so I had little luggage. It was mostly just a change of clothes.
...Tina's luggage had increased, though.
Unlike me, who had been going back and forth between the fortress and the capital, Tina had been living at the detached palace for two years. She seemed to be having trouble sorting through the luggage that had accumulated during that time, deciding what to bring back and what to leave behind. She had decided to dispose of clothes that no longer fit due to her growth and out-of-season clothing, but since Elke and Petrona wanted some of them, the luggage ultimately had not decreased. Tina looked puzzled, saying that the clothes could not possibly fit Elke and the others who were larger than her, but the two were daughters of merchant families. Even though they could not wear the clothes themselves, they probably understood their value.
The clothes they had chosen to take back were all new clothes made in the capital. They likely intended to bring them back to the city of Grenore not to wear themselves, but as capital-style garments to incorporate into their family businesses.
...They should not even be adults yet, but they are both so reliable.
Especially Petrona's family. They were merchants who handled thread and fabric. The latest clothes made in the capital must look like nothing but business opportunities to them.
"...The luggage has grown quite a bit, has it not."
Tina apologized to Alf, saying she was sorry, but this was not Tina's fault, and the luggage had not actually increased that much. For the return trip, there were three carriages for transporting food and people, and one carriage just for luggage. It felt like an increase because there had been three carriages when coming to the capital, but a carriage-load of luggage had been delivered along with Alf as autumn and winter clothing. Adding that in, while the luggage had increased over two years of living, the return luggage was the same as the outgoing trip. Tina had properly reduced the luggage as much as she could.
...Tina's luggage is all purely practical.
Clothes, shoes, hats, decorations for animal costumes, and she was loading a kotatsu, saying it was collapsible. On the other hand, the large black dog stuffed toy she had named 'Curry Rice' - an ornament-like piece of luggage - was being left at the palace.
"...Tina, what are you doing? If you are scurrying about, it will be hard for the servants to move."
Come here, I beckoned to Tina, who had been trying to carry luggage into the carriage mixed in with the servants. A small body moving around like that was also in the way, but for the servants, having their master working alongside them was genuinely difficult to deal with. For the servants, it was much easier if the master acted like a master - either supervising the work from a slight distance, or leaving even that to a lady's maid and just having tea.
"Thisu is my treasure, so I will carry it myshelf."
"Treasure?"
She was not trying to get in the servants' way - since it was her precious treasure, she wanted to carry it with her own hands, Tina said, lifting the box so I could see the contents easily. It seemed she was showing me, so when I checked the contents of the box, inside was a jewelry box said to have been gifted by Basilia. When I opened the lid of the jewelry box with her permission, inside were the lace ribbon she had received from Aurelia and my sketch. As for things that had been added recently, there were the matching earrings gifted by Basilia.
...So she is finally starting to appreciate accessories too, huh.
Previously, Tina had been completely indifferent to whatever I gave her, be it hair ornaments or anything else, but she seemed to have taken such a liking to the earrings from Basilia that she kept them in her jewelry box. The things stored in the jewelry box were all special to Tina. There were also things she and Kalisa had made, like bobbin lace ribbons, but those were kept in a different box.
"...It seems the cameo you received from Christoph-sama is not inside?"
"I always wear that one, sho I do not put it in the box."
Would you like to see it? Tina slid her fingers toward her collar. Catching the chain with the pads of her fingers, she smoothly pulled a gold pendant out from inside her clothes. When she hooked her nail and opened it, my profile emerged from inside.
"We really do the same thing, do we not, us siblings."
"Leonyaldo Big Brother, do you always wear yours too?"
"I do."
See, I pulled out my gold pendant from inside my clothes. When I opened it with my nail and showed her the inside, Tina broke into a shy smile at the profile of herself that came out.
"Leonyaldo Big Brother really is a shishcon, is he not."
"Shishcon...?"
I blinked, unable to immediately understand the meaning of Tina's words. It had been a while since an unfamiliar word had come out of Tina's mouth. When I asked if it was Japanese again, she told me it was an abbreviation of the English 'sister complex.' Once I knew it was English, I could understand what it meant.
"...Your big brother is not a shishcon. If anything, it is a family complex."
I corrected myself, saying it was not that I treasured Tina because she was my little sister, but because she was family. There was no change in the fact that the little sister I was protecting under my wing was the cutest, but I also looked after the children at the orphanage. It was not that I treasured her because she was my little sister. If Tina had been my little brother, I would have treasured her just the same.
"Shishcon or famicon, either is fine, but if Leonyaldo Big Brother does not cure this illness, no bride will come for you."
"...I have a sneaking suspicion about that."
When she closed the lid of the jewelry box, Tina showed me other treasures she wanted to carry with her own hands. Among the items decorated ornamentally, fitting for a girl's belongings - a full set of bobbin lace tools I had given her, a sewing box gifted by Ms. Hartmann, a cosmetic box that was this year's birthday present - there were two small, unadorned pots mixed in.
"What about these pots? Are these also Tina's treasures?"
I swallowed the words that had almost come out, asking where on earth she had gotten such pots. Whatever they were, she was introducing them as her treasures. It would not be good for me to deny that.
"These pots are the Enomena pots that Leonyaldo Big Brother gave me at the Spring Flower Festival this year and last year."
The flowers had already withered, but the pots remained, she said with a laugh, looking so cute that it made me happy. From my end, I had simply chosen Enomena flowers and arranged for them to be delivered for the Spring Flower Festival, so I had not expected Tina to treasure even the pots after the flowers had finished blooming. Tina was not treasuring mere pots. She was treasuring the pots I had given her.
...Starting next year, I will choose the pots myself too.
Thinking something like that would remain a lifelong secret from Tina.
In the carriage on the return trip, Tina seemed a little lonely after parting with Ms. Hartmann. Seeing this, Kalisa dabbed a bit of Ms. Hartmann's perfume onto Tina's ribbon. Ms. Hartmann's perfume, fitting for a governess who wore it, had a clear, soft fragrance without the gorgeousness of large flowers. It seemed fitting for a scent that a lady would wear as a bit of fashion, and also suitable as a first perfume for a girl who was just about to start using it. Whether Tina felt the same or was simply thinking of Ms. Hartmann, she tied the scented ribbon not in her hair but around her wrist. She seemed to prefer sniffing the fragrance from the ribbon on her wrist whenever she wanted, rather than having it faintly scent the air behind her head.
"If you like that scent, shall I buy you a large bottle?"
"That will not be necessary. I am using it now because I am lonely without Hermine-sensei, but I have Kokumaro."
Since we had put several types of perfume in small bottles into the cosmetic box, the scent she was currently using would soon run out. Thinking that, I asked if I should buy a large bottle of perfume, but Tina lowered her gaze to the black shiba at her feet. Since there was a dog sensitive to smells, it probably was not good to use too much perfume, she said.
...If she ever starts actively asking me for perfume, I feel like her marriage will be close.
Right now, Tina was still using her black shiba as an excuse and demurring that it was too early for her, but someday when she became an adult, she would seek perfume. That was why I had given her the cosmetic box, even though I myself thought it was still early. The gift had been made on the advice of Ms. Hartmann, but for Tina to gradually learn about makeup, this age was probably right. The mother who should have been there to give her opinions on such matters did not exist for Tina. In that sense, I really thought we had chosen an excellent governess.
...No, Ms. Hartmann was introduced by Alf, though.
Incidentally, once before I had been deceived by the signboard of 'governess' and hired a truly terrible tutor for Tina. That had been a real failure.
...I was surprised by Dietfried-sama's proposal, but I suppose things like that will increase from now on.
Remembering Dietfried's recent marriage proposal to Tina, I furrowed my brow. Tina had firmly refused, leaving not a shred of hope, but someday the day would come when she accepted someone's offer. As her brother, I had no choice but to keep training, preparing for that day. So that I could punch the man who would take my little sister away - even if just once.
As I was thinking such things, Tina called out to me. I had been near the door in the carriage acting as a guard, but when she called me over, I went to the table as summoned. I thought perhaps she would spend the time playing a board game with Alf, but Tina moved to sit next to me and began to speak, saying she had a somewhat serious consultation.
"...Is this something I should be hearing?"
Hearing that it was a serious consultation, Alf furrowed his brow. If it was a family matter, it would be better for him not to listen, he implied. However, Tina stopped Alf.
"Hermine-sensei said that Leonyaldo Big Brother is unreliable, sho I should conshult Alfred-sama firsht."
So please join the consultation with us, Tina said.
"I think the 'Alfred' Ms. Hartmann was referring to was Alf..."
Jealous of Tina's complete trust in Alf, I could not help but interject. Even though he was pretending to be Alfred, the one here was Alf. I was not wrong, but somehow I felt subtly displeased.
"Hermine-sensei called both Alfred-shama 'Alfred,' sho it is fine."
"No, it is true that Ms. Hartmann called both of them 'Alfred,' but she distinguished between 'prince' and '-sama'... ow."
Tina patted my thigh. She was telling me to stop the pointless back-and-forth and listen to her story first. When I finally listened, thinking about what kind of consultation would require involving Alf from the start, it seemed Tina had started thinking about becoming my bride. She asked what I would think if she said she would become my wife. We had joked about such things several times before, but today she had prefaced it with 'a serious consultation.' So this was Tina, in her own way, seriously thinking about this and consulting me.
...In that case, I needed to seriously consider it in my own way too.
Seriously, I thought about Tina becoming my wife. Tina was still a girl's age now, but someday she would grow into an adult woman. And standing beside that Tina as her partner would not be some man of unknown background, but me. And standing beside me as my partner would be Tina.
"If I think about it simply, I would be happy that I do not have to let Tina go..."
Really, thinking about it simply, that is what it came to. If Tina came to marry me, our life would not change much from how it was now. Instead of marrying someone else and going away, Tina would stay with me forever. Nothing could make me happier.
"...Then, is it okay for me to be Leonyaldo Big Brother's bride?"
Stared straight at by Tina's blue eyes, I wanted to jump at the proposal immediately, but my reason held me back. Alf seemed to feel the same discomfort I was sensing from Tina. Frowning slightly, he asked why she had suddenly started saying such things, seeking clarification for her words.
"The reason I thought about becoming Leonyaldo Big Brother's bride? One is that it would be effective as a way to bring Hermine-sensei back, and the other is what I thought when Dietfried-sama proposed to me. I thought, Leonyaldo Big Brother is better."
The latter part made me happy, but I was not sure what to make of the former, and when I asked for further explanation, Tina began to talk about how to bring Ms. Hartmann back. If she had a child, could she not hire Ms. Hartmann as that child's governess? Ms. Hartmann had apparently said something like that as a joke.
...So, it was Ms. Hartmann's influence.
I had thought that Tina, being a reincarnator, was a child who thought like an adult, but in strange ways she had very childish ideas. I never expected she would take Ms. Hartmann's joke seriously and actually start considering marriage with me.
"I thought that no matter who proposed to me in the future, I would probably compare them to Leonyaldo Big Brother and think Leonyaldo Big Brother is better."
And there was no sign of me finding a bride, so it would work out perfectly, was Tina's reasoning. We were brother and sister, too dependent on each other to likely find lovers, she said.
"Tina, do you like Leonardo?"
"Yeshu, I do."
Tina answered Alf's question without a moment's hesitation. There was no shyness or confusion in her answer that she liked me. Her face clearly showed she was stating it as a simple fact, as if it were only natural. Alf seemed to have noticed this too. He changed the question slightly.
"...As a member of the opposite sex?"
"Huh? I do not know about that. But I like Leonyaldo-san the mosht."
There were political marriages and arranged marriages in the world, so romantic feelings were not necessarily necessary for marriage, Tina continued, but Alf pinched her lips with his fingers. Tina's cute lips were pushed out like a duck's bill, and she furrowed her brow as if it hurt a little.
"I hurushu!"
"But you understand that you said something you should not have, right?"
"Something I should not have said?"
Brushing Alf's hand away, Tina tilted her head. She could understand that she had been silenced because she had said something she should not, but she seemed to have no idea what that content was. And that was only natural. What was problematic about Tina's statement was not directed at Alf. It was directed at me.
A face that flickered in my mind made me take a deep breath. Tina was distracted by Alf, so she probably would not notice my expression. While Alf was diverting Tina's attention, I sank the memory that had surfaced back into the depths of my mind.
"...Tina, when Tina says she likes me the mosht, it is because she does not know love yet."
Perhaps thanks to the deep breath, my voice came out calmer than I expected.
"Even if you do not have anyone you like right now, you are going to grow up from now on. Someday, a man like that might appear, right?"
When that day came, I did not want to feel betrayed by Tina, I continued. Right now, in Tina's narrow world, I might be number one, but eventually Tina's world would expand. She might fall in love with someone new she met, and I did not want the promise of marriage with her big brother made when she was a child to become a shackle, and I did not want her to betray such a promise by breaking it off.
Yes, betrayal.
The words 'I will be Big Brother's bride' - nothing more than a verbal promise with a child - I would absolutely take them seriously and have expectations. My obsession with and longing for a wife, biological children, and what family is were surely stronger than anyone's. If that were betrayed, even if it were my little sister, I felt I might resent her, and I hated that.
I thought my luck was relatively good, but I was aware that my luck with women was absolutely terrible. I wanted Tina to stay as my cute little sister. I did not want her to become an adult woman who would have the worst compatibility with me.
"...I undershtand."
Tina opened her mouth as if to say something, then closed it again. After repeating that several times, she spoke in a slightly subdued voice. She understood that her offer had been rejected because I was thinking about her future, and also to protect my own heart. As Tina apologized softly for saying something strange, a thought flickered through my mind.
...Tina had heard it from someone.
Having lived in the capital for two years, rumors would have reached her. A story related to marriage - that I had once been cruelly betrayed.
"When Tina becomes an adult woman, and if at that time she comes to like me as a member of the opposite sex, then propose to me again then."
I did not want to wait, and I did not want to be betrayed again while waiting. Last time, I had been betrayed while being made to wait, but such differences were trivial.
In an attempt to cheer up Tina, who had grown a little subdued, I deliberately spoke in a bright voice. Seeing me, who probably looked pathetic, Tina broke into a mischievous smile.
"Leonyaldo Big Brother, please work hard to make me fall in love with you so that I can shay I like you as a member of the opposite shex."
Tina's shy smile was as cute as ever, but today Alf chimed in with an unnecessary interjection from the side. Was that not a difficult order for me? he said.
...I know that without you pointing it out!
I knew it, but I could not argue back, so I only refuted it internally. There seemed to be a fatal disconnect between what Tina thought was 'cool' and what I thought was 'cool.' There was not a chance in hell that I could make Tina fall in love with me through whatever masculine appeal I might have. At least, not in the few years it would take for Tina to become an adult.
Pathetically, I was confident of that much.
Tina's treasures and Leonardo's recent state of mind.
The classic scene of 'When I grow up, I will be Big Brother's bride' was something that stimulated Leonardo's trauma.
Typos and errors to be corrected another day.