38 - Revenge Sandwich
...That Leonardo, curse him.
I screamed and cried at full strength like a toddler, and coming back to my senses, I'm just plain embarrassed. Unable to look at Leonardo's face from shame and anger, I puff out my cheeks in a fit of pique. I never understood why toddlers puff out their cheeks when angry, but trying it myself, I feel like it surprisingly distracts from the anger inside. Is it a kind of self-harm? Puffing out your cheeks, holding in the air, all of it takes effort. Perhaps the children of this world are redirecting the aggressive impulses stirred up by anger to the nearest available spot, their own mouths.
...I was scared, you know! A suspicious person in the middle of the night, I really thought I was going to be killed!! When that suspicious person picked me up, curtains and all, in the dark, I felt like I was going to die. I thought I'd be killed to keep me quiet, or kidnapped for ransom. Just as I resigned myself to death, what came into view was Leonardo's carefree face. Relief hit me at the same time as the realization that Leonardo had just come to check on me, and then my emotions just got all jumbled up and exploded. I couldn't control myself and just wailed and screamed. I remember slapping Leonardo's face over and over while hurling nonsensical insults at him.
And now that I've calmed down, I'm just utterly embarrassed.
...If you're going to come into my room, at least announce yourself!!
Every time I remember the terror from earlier, it transforms into anger toward Leonardo. I clench my fist and bring it down on Leonardo's shin, an impulse I can't distract myself from by just puffing out my cheeks. I'm hitting him with decent force, but there's no scream from behind me. As expected, with a toddler's arm strength, I can't even inflict a moment's pain.
...I'm not sitting on his lap for a while!
Earlier, Leonardo tried to soothe me by sitting me on his lap, but I was angry so I slipped right off. But I didn't want to be left alone again either, so I'm also clinging to his left leg. Even I don't understand my own actions at all. Isn't this no different from a real toddler? The adult part of me is dumbfounded, but that doesn't mean I can switch my feelings around that quickly.
I follow Leonardo as he moves, saying he's going to wash off the sweat. It galls me to rely on Leonardo, the source of tonight's terrifying experience, but I'm not used to Bart enough to rely on him over Leonardo yet. Shyness with strangers is a trait I've had since my past life. Leonardo, even if I'm mad at him, is better than Bart whom I barely know.
The bath Bart prepared was the big bath I'd found during my exploration in the evening. It's a luxurious bath with a tub, a changing room, and even a bench for resting. Of course I can't follow him into the changing room, so I sit down at the entrance and wait for Leonardo.
...My first time waiting for someone in either this life or my past life, and it's for a man's bath. That's... awkward.
The hallway is dark, but Bart prepared a lamp for me so I'm fine. Since Leonardo, the master of the mansion, is in the bath, the changing room and bathroom are lit up. Just having light behind me made me feel more secure.
"Leonardo-sama, where shall I bring your late-night snack?"
Bart, who had brought Leonardo's change of clothes and a towel, called out toward the bathroom. I heard Leonardo answer, "To the guest room."
...Late-night snack?
I strain my ears at the words "late-night snack." He said earlier that he'd sleep with me tonight, but if he's going to eat a late-night snack, he probably doesn't plan to sleep yet. ...In other words, either he's planning to leave for work once I fall asleep, or he's forgotten he said we'd sleep together? My stomach, which was starting to settle, flares up again at the thought that he said it himself. If that's how it is, I won't be satisfied unless I make Leonardo pay tonight.
I follow behind Bart as he returns from the changing room. Bart glanced back at me once but didn't say anything in particular. Maybe he understood it as me being bored waiting in front of the bath.
...Though my real goal is to mess with his late-night snack.
It's just a little mischief, but it makes me feel a bit better. As expected, letting some steam out is necessary rather than bottling everything up inside.
When I follow Bart into the kitchen, I find a sandwich sitting on the worktable. This seems to be Leonardo's late-night snack. Ignoring Bart who's started preparing the tea set, I get a step stool and aim for the worktable.
...For a classic, mildly funny prank, maybe I should stuff it with mustard?
Having settled on the direction of my prank, I look back from the step stool. Since this is my first time in the kitchen, I don't know where the seasonings are.
"Bart-san, Bart-san."
"Yes, what is it?"
My voice was a little strained, but it came out brighter than I expected. Maybe reassured by my voice, Bart stops his work unsuspectingly.
"Where's the mustard? Something spicy?"
I flash a triumphant smile and ask with feigned innocence. But Bart gently deflects my question.
"...Leonardo-sama didn't mean to startle you either, so please forgive him."
"I want to get back at him. I won't feel settled otherwise."
I puff out my cheeks in protest, saying it's not fair to just take it lying down. This time it's not to distract from frustration but deliberately for a childish effect.
"I'll serve you some warm milk with honey instead."
"I know what that is. That's called a bribe."
I thought about calling him out, asking if he was trying to trick me because I'm a child, but I stopped. I know too that Leonardo didn't mean to startle me. Even though there's still some unresolved anger left.
"I'll stop the prank. Food isn't a toy."
When I declare this, Bart's face visibly relaxes with relief. It's true that food has no sin, and it shouldn't be treated as a toy. I understand that Leonardo didn't do it on purpose, and I pride myself on being an adult on the inside despite my little girl appearance. I'm an adult who can forgive small mistakes, after all.
"Can I have some of the late-night snack too?"
"Then shall I add a bit more for you, young lady?"
Bart seemed to think that I'd make up with Leonardo while sharing the late-night snack. He added a few more sandwiches for my portion.
When Leonardo returned from the bath, he blinked at the sandwiches remaining on the plate. And that's only natural, since the only sandwiches left on the plate were the small amount Bart had added as my portion. The amount originally prepared for Leonardo is all inside my stomach now.
...I'm really full.
I meant this as a little bit of spite, but I wonder if this is what they call instant karma. Since I force-ate a late-night snack meant for a grown man, I'm not just a little full, I'm uncomfortably stuffed. I do feel sick, but since Leonardo is blinking with a surprised face, I'll consider this revenge complete. Feeling I might have overdone it a bit, I decide to sit on Leonardo's lap to appease him.
"...Did you not have enough dinner?"
Leonardo said this while reaching for the remaining few sandwiches. From my side, I just stole his late-night snack as payback for scaring me, but Leonardo seems to have interpreted it as me not having enough dinner. I need to clearly deny that. If I don't deny it properly, I feel like from tomorrow morning onward, they'll keep refilling my plate like wanko soba.
"I had lots of dinner. It was yummy."
I assert that the amount of food is not an issue. Stealing Leonardo's late-night snack tonight was purely an act of revenge. It's not that I didn't have enough to eat.
"...But eating alone is a little lonely."
If there's any complaint about the meals, this would be it. Having a meal by myself in a space where other people are present was terribly uncomfortable.
"I saw Bart-san cleaning my room. It's too big. I can't relax."
The guest room is also too big and not relaxing. For tonight, Leonardo's body will adjust the bed to be narrower, so I should be able to sleep.
"I chose the room with the best sunlight... but if you'd prefer a smaller room, should I change it?"
"I can choose?"
"It's not that you can choose, but rather that all your clothes and shoes are things I picked out on my own. I don't even know what your favorite color is, Tina."
Leonardo said this while running his fingers through my hair, asking me to tell him my preferences. That's a somewhat heartwarming thing to hear. There's a room in this mansion I'd much rather live in than the oversized one.
"The attic room! I want the attic room!"
My face genuinely lights up with expectation as I look up at Leonardo. Leonardo, receiving a little girl's hopeful gaze, furrows his brow with a troubled expression.
"Attic rooms are usually where servants live. They're not places for the lord of the mansion, their children, or guests."
"Servants, you mean Bart and them? Bart and them have a house outside. Not the attic."
I try to argue with convoluted logic that the attic in this mansion isn't a servant's room, but Leonardo's response is poor. I can tell Leonardo is gently trying to make me give up, but I want to somehow get permission to use the attic room. I never had a chance to live in a house with an attic room in my past life. Actually, in Japan, houses with attic rooms are quite rare. And while I'm at it, thanks to anime and old foreign dramas, I've actually always had a bit of a longing for one.
"It's the smallness! I like small. It's like home, I can relax."
My home in this life was small. I never minded it, thinking home is where the heart is, but compared to Aurelia's house and the Fortress Lord's mansion, it was indeed small. The latter is a wrong comparison to begin with.
"...Like home, you can relax, huh."
I also talked about my longing for attic rooms and such, but this was the part Leonardo reacted to. Maybe he's convinced himself that I'm feeling some kind of nostalgia. It's true that room is closer to the house I lived in with my parents than the room prepared on the third floor. Since it's a room meant for servants, the wallpaper uses subdued colors and the floorboards are completely exposed. Leonardo seems to be starting to struggle with the decision, so I keep my mouth shut to avoid saying anything wrong. After that, I just stare up at Leonardo's face with expectation.
"...Only until you get used to living in the city. Until then, you may use the attic room. But it is still a servant's room, so eventually you'll move to the room I've prepared."
"Really!? Thank you, Leonyaldo-san!"
I squeeze myself against Leonardo, who has a face that clearly shows he's not entirely happy about this, as a sort of brown-nosing hug. He was making a stern face, but he probably wasn't entirely displeased. Leonardo gave a wry smile.
[Author's Note]
A relative's child sat on my lap without permission the first time we met, and I wonder what goes through a toddler's mind at times like that. Don't they feel cautious with strangers? As the one who was suddenly sat on without permission, I was surprised. Like, is it okay to be this defenseless!?
Typos and missing characters will be fixed another day... orz
I've found and fixed the typos and errors.