TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 23
After erasing all the graffiti on the wall, I looked at the clean wall with a refreshed expression.
“Perfect.”
No graffiti was visible on the wall.
Today is the day to go out with the Young Lady.
It’s not an event that happens every day.
Since it’s a rare day when the Young Lady, who detests outings, decides to leave the house.
5 Great Restaurants of the Empire.
Friends of Forest.
A restaurant that turned Hamel, a place with no remarkable attractions, into a tourist spot. Today, the Young Lady and I were going to a restaurant renowned for its harmony of Juicy Steak and Fresh Vegetables.
I had something to tell the Young Lady today.
Good news I had been pondering over when to share.
I plan to tell the Young Lady that I’ve finally paid off the debt.
How delighted would the Young Lady be if I said she didn’t need to sleep under a newspaper anymore? I became curious about her expression.
‘She’ll like it, right?’
Before returning to the estate.
I checked the wall one last time to see if there were any strange writings on it.
Since it was a rare outing, I wanted to show the Young Lady only good things.
“It’s clean.”
Something like “Banish the Evil Villainess from the village.”
Or graffiti saying “House of the Villainess.” I thought erasing these would allow the Young Lady to leave the estate with a lighter heart.
Because the tender-hearted Young Lady might be hurt if she saw such phrases.
Though she constantly complains and grumbles, she has unexpected traits like fearing Cockroaches, crying profusely after nightmares, and whining to sleep together.
Protecting the fragile heart of the Young Lady is also part of the Butler’s duty.
-Song of the Forest?
-Yes.
-You didn’t hear it wrong, did you?
-And if I did?
-I’ll sulk.
Greedy for food as well.
A Young Lady who also sulks.
To me, she seemed more innocent than most people.
“Ricardo! When are you coming!”
From the Second Floor of the Estate, the Young Lady’s booming voice echoed. She seemed quite thrilled at the thought of eating meat.
She resembled a Young Child begging to go to an amusement park. If I said we weren’t going, she might burst into tears.
‘Does she like meat that much?’
I thought she ate it often, but it seems the Young Lady still finds it insufficient.
Now that the debt is cleared.
I suppose I could serve her meat about five times a week.
We are now a new type of humanity free from a negative Bank Account.
We can also consider Remodeling the estate.
Fix the leaky Ceiling.
And hire workers for Cleanup, laying the groundwork for a luxurious noble lifestyle, even as Fallen Nobles. Meat no longer felt like an extravagant expense.
Though we might have to compromise when choosing cuts.
First, starting with replacing the Cheap Green Tea seems like the priority.
When we go to the Marketplace, I resolved to visit a teahouse first.
“Ricardo!”
“Yes!”
I’d better hurry.
Otherwise, she might cry.
***
“You’re late.”
The Young Lady, sitting on the Bed, glared at me.
“Why are you so late!”
“There was a lot of Trash outside.”
“Still, you’re way too late!”
The Young Lady, eager to leave but displeased with my tardiness, folded her arms and huffed. Her jutting lips made me want to pull them.
-Staring.
The Young Lady sent a Villainess-like glare my way.
“Ugh.”
I defended myself from the mental attack of guilt induction by pulling the Young Lady’s cheek.
“Don’t pull!”
It felt remarkably soft.
Like a rice cake.
If I pulled it sideways, it stretched.
“I said don’t pull!”
“Oh….”
“It’s going to tear. Heek…! I said it’s going to tear!”
“It’s so soft!”
If I pulled it in the opposite direction, it stretched that way.
“Heek!”
After savoring the satisfying texture of her cheek for a while, I finally let go when the Young Lady, clutching her Fist tightly, gave me a Cat Punch.
Still fuming, the Young Lady thrust her Fist forward. Her eyes, filled with irritation, carried a hint of Killing Intent.
I dodged lightly and pulled two pieces of Paper from my inner Pocket, sticking them to her forehead with a snap.
The Young Lady, frozen like a Chinese vampire, sniffed the scent of the Paper as her anger subsided.
“Sniff sniff.”
“It’s real.”
“Sniff… It’s really real, right?”
“Of course, that’s why I told you to prepare.”
“Sniff… I’m so happy.”
The Young Lady was quick to shift her mood.
For the first time in a while, the Young Lady dressed up properly.
The Beloved Pajamas she wore every day finally went into the laundry basket, and she was sitting neatly on the Bed in a Black Dress fit for a Ball.
When the Young Lady dressed up properly for the first time in a while, she looked stunning.
“Did you put on perfume?”
“Yes. Want to smell it?”
The Young Lady brushed her Hair aside to reveal her Nape. Seeing her pale, unguarded Nape made my face flush.
‘Damn.’
It was an expression still too much for a Confucian Boy to handle.
I turned my head away.
‘This is driving me crazy.’
It had been so long since I’d seen the Young Lady, who could be called the Goddess of Beauty without exaggeration, that I felt my heart race.
“Young Lady…”
“Yes?”
Hm….
“Are you planning to go out like this?”
“Why?”
“No, it’s just that….”
I took a Mirror from the Dressing Table and showed the Young Lady her face.
Tilting her head, she couldn’t find anything amiss.
“Why? Am I too pretty?”
“No.”
“Well…”
The Young Lady ended up putting on makeup reminiscent of a Japanese historical drama.
Heavy eye makeup.
Over-applied lipstick.
And excessively red blush.
Excited by the rare outing, it seemed she had tried putting something on her face.
She looked like an elementary schooler who had stolen and used her Mother’s makeup.
I rubbed Olivia’s face with a cotton pad.
The Young Lady groaned “Ugh, ptoo ptoo” in annoyance, resisting, but I erased her makeup to maintain the dignity of a Noble.
“You’re too beautiful. I’m afraid you might get into trouble if you go out like this.”
“Really? Did I overdo it?”
“Yes, it’s overly excessive, and in many ways, it seems risky.”
“Is that so?”
Grinning Young Lady at the praise of her Appearance.
“Hehe. Make it pretty, please.”
The Young Lady looked at me with a foolish smile.
She’s impossible to hate.
Having fixed the Young Lady’s makeup many times for Balls, I was quite used to this. In the past, when the Noble Lady had her makeup smudged and roamed around like a Warlord after Hair Pulling incidents at Balls, I often had to clean it up.
I began to naturally adjust the Young Lady’s makeup.
Not too strong-looking.
But not so soft as to look overly Good either.
Finishing the makeup in a style the Young Lady liked.
I held up a Mirror to show her face.
“Oh…!”
The Young Lady puffed up her cheeks and alternated glances between the Mirror and me. Satisfied, she gave me a thumbs-up and an approving evaluation.
“It’s pretty.”
“It’s because your natural beauty shines through, Young Lady.”
“Hehe…”
The Young Lady, with Light Makeup and a touch of red tint, smiled bashfully.
The preparations were complete.
I turned my back to the Bed and crouched down.
“Alright, one. Two… Three…!”
“Heave-ho.”
The Young Lady naturally climbed onto my back.
It felt like just yesterday when she was too embarrassed to get on my back, yet now her habit of trusting me with her body came across as endearing.
It felt good to think that we had reached a point where we could lean on each other.
I playfully groaned as I carried the Young Lady.
“Oh, you’re heavy.”
“Liar.”
“I’m serious. You didn’t sneak Chocolate, did you?”
“…Am I really that heavy?”
I had said it as a Joke, but I ended up discovering a Secret I didn’t want to know.
The Young Lady, eager to change the subject, hastily searched for another topic.
“Is the weather nice outside?”
“You’re banned for a week from Chocolate.”
“…Sorry.”
Tying a cloth around my waist to secure her, we headed outside.
***
All eyes were on us.
It seemed inevitable that we would draw attention, given the sight of a grown adult being carried on my back.
-Mother, why is that lady being carried?
-She must be uncomfortable in some way.
-What’s uncomfortable?
-How would I know, Mother?
The blatant stares made the Young Lady tighten her grip around my neck.
“Ack! Young Lady. Air. Air!”
“Shh…”
The Young Lady was feeling shy.
Her Uncomfortable Body embarrassed her.
Every conversation she overheard felt like criticism directed at her.
The further we got from the Estate, the quieter the Young Lady became. Even though she wore a Wide-Brimmed Hat, she flinched and kept her gaze fixed on the ground.
“Heave-ho.”
“Am I heavy?”
The Young Lady whispered softly into my ear, her Voice low, as if nervous.
“No. You’re so light I can barely tell you’re on my back.”
“Liar.”
“I’m not lying. It’s true.”
She felt lighter than the sword I usually carried.
Perhaps because I was in a good mood, enjoying this rare outing with the Young Lady, I felt unusually energetic today.
I wanted to create good Memories for the Young Lady, but at this rate, she might only remember counting Bricks on the ground.
Changing course from the teahouse, I redirected us toward the Restaurant.
While walking to the Restaurant, I decided to tell an old story to ease the awkwardness.
I wasn’t sure if she’d find it amusing.
But I hoped it would help her relax.
“Do you remember when your shoelace broke at the Academy, and I carried you all the way to the Dormitory?”
“…I do.”
“Back then, you were really heavy, though.”
-Thud.
The Young Lady gave me a Cat Punch.
“Ouch.”
“I hit you on purpose.”
“Puhaha… Where would the loving Butler be hit?”
“Plenty of places.”
The Young Lady buried her face in my back.
She felt overwhelmed by the unrelenting attention of others and also grateful for the Butler’s playful Joke, so she hid her face.
“You’re not a turtle, so why are you hiding on my back?”
“I just want to be a turtle.”
“Puhaha…”
The shy Young Lady peeked out at the bustling Marketplace, using the Butler’s broad back as her shell. Curious about the outside, yet burdened by others’ gazes, she resembled a turtle.
As she gradually relaxed, she lifted her head and slowly began to take in her surroundings.
“Oh…”
The Young Lady was fascinated by the Marketplace she was seeing after so long.
Buildings that hadn’t been there before had appeared.
Buildings that used to be there were gone.
And buildings with cherished Memories remained the same.
Olivia gradually loosened up.
During her Academy Days, she would come down to the Estate, snack on treats, and indulge in extravagances by saying, “From here to there.” The bittersweet yet nostalgic Memories vividly passed through her mind.
“Look at that.”
“Cotton Candy?”
“We used to buy and eat it there often, didn’t we?”
“That’s right. It’s been such a long time.”
Olivia mustered her courage and spoke.
“Shall we buy some Cotton Candy there after we finish eating?”
I readily answered.
“Sure.”
The destination in the City Center gradually came into view.
A bustling Restaurant still crowded despite the late Time.
I told the Young Lady to hold onto the Meal Voucher that I had kept in my Pocket.
“When you see the Clerk, show them the Meal Voucher.”
“Okay.”
Malik had said.
-This one’s a bit special, so if you show it to the Clerk, you can eat right away without waiting in line. It’s expensive, so don’t foolishly line up—just go straight in.
-Oh…!
The bustling Restaurant.
We slowly made our way inside, cutting through the long line.
“Excuse me.”
“Sorry.”
“Pardon me.”
“Sorry.”
As the Young Lady and I pushed through the massive crowd, I spotted the Clerk in the distance and called out loudly.
“Over here! Young Lady, wave your hand!”
“Uh… Uh!”
“Proprietress!”
“He… Here!”
In that moment, someone grabbed us.
Stopping in my Footsteps, I turned my head.
Behind me stood a familiar figure.
“Ha. What’s this?”
Their Voice was full of irritation.
And laced with contempt.
“Who do you think you are, being here?”
The Man with Green Hair.
Ruin stood there, looking at us.