Looking for the Villainess Who Spent the First Night

Chapter 5.

Carcian's room, which he entered hesitantly, could not be called pleasant even with empty words. It looks like Carcian cleaned up in his own way, but it was true that it was dirty. In the first place, this is not a room used by people, but a warehouse.

To put a child in a place like this... … . It's really my family, but it's a bad family.

Of course, the marquis will pay off all the wrongdoings he did to Carcian later through death. It was a scene giving cider to the readers, but absolutely not to me.

Because then I die too.

I gulped and looked back at him. Karsian took the food Susan gave her and went to the dining table-cum-desk and saw me.

"What."

I tried to be as harmless as possible at the voice that was still full of caution.

"No, just… … .”

But I couldn't think of anything to say.

Aren't you uncomfortable living in this room?

… … This is natural.

Shall I ask you to move rooms?

… … Right now, I'm an illegitimate child, so by what power?

I quietly sighed.

I was definitely the daughter of a Marquis, but I felt helpless at the fact that not even one Carcian could take responsibility. In the end, I couldn't find anything to say, so I just laughed awkwardly. Karsian looked at me like that, and then moved on.

I glanced at the desk where he sits and found an unexpected object.

"uh? Isn’t this siren stationery?”

"Do not touch!"

I asked without much thought, but Karsian suddenly raised his voice and hugged the letter.

“Uh, huh?”

Since I hadn't even stretched out my hand yet, I was a little bewildered, but at that moment the contents of the original came to mind.

That stationery was a gift Carcian's father bought for him before he left.

'If you have this letter, you can contact me from anywhere. Although we may be apart for a while, our hearts will never be as far apart.'

In fact, Karsian used to say that I would follow my father in the trade. However, the Count stubbornly refused, as the sea, infested with pirates and unknown creatures, was very dangerous for a child.

Instead, he mortgaged his bereaved wife's brooch and bought that stationery for his son, who would be afraid of being left alone. Carcian knew this, so in his childhood, that stationery was a very precious treasure.

But that... … .

I cautiously said to Karsian, who was very nervous about losing the letter.

“Have you tried that?”

“… … What?"

“Did you send me a letter recently? You, you are contacting your father with that.”

“That… … How do you know?”

Karsian sent a puzzled, yet suspicious look.

Oops.

I hurriedly shook my head.

“I read the catalog the group carries. If you have stationery, you can keep in touch with anyone in the middle of the sea at any time.”

He also said that it was very expensive because it was used by envoys crossing the sea or when the imperial family traveled. Carcian nodded slowly, moved by his father, who had bought me such a valuable item.

"However… … No reply is coming.”

He looked at me with a very sharp expression. It's like, 'Isn't your family getting caught in the middle?' It looked like it was.

Hmm, looking at it, it reminds me of a stray baby cat. In particular, the fact that the thoughts are revealed as it is in the facial expression.

“… … Aren’t you stealing it from the middle?”

I quickly returned to reality after falling into other thoughts for a moment at Karcian's words. He shook his head at him and said.

“It wasn’t stolen from the middle, it just didn’t arrive.”

“You didn’t arrive?”

"yes. I read it in the catalog, but in fact, this stationery is coated with a magic potion that controls the sirens.”

“I know that.”

“Then did you know that there is a magic trick to find that person in the address line?”

"know. That's why trained sirens fly as the magic guides them. Are you treating me like a fool?”

Karsian growled.

“I didn’t mean that… … .”

As I muttered lowly and lowered my eyes, Karsian flinched. He paused for a moment before asking.

“… … But why do you think the letter never arrived?”

I walked up to him and pointed my finger at the letter.

“They say that the smell of the potion disappears in a humid place. That’s why I always told you to keep it in a dry place.”

Karsian's breath stopped for a moment. Then, with a blank face, he looked down at the remaining stationery.

“A damp place… … .”

Karsian let out a murky sigh with a pathetically devastated expression. Due to the improvement of the food storage, this room was damp and even damp. It was natural that the stationery would be discolored.

At that moment, a pretty good idea passed through my head. I'm in a situation where I have to score points with him now.

Should I let go of my guard first and make him trust me a little to get points?

And in fact, it was our marquis family who made me keep that stationery in a damp place. I said it quickly before he realized this and got mad at himself.

"I will help you."

“… … What?"

“That letter, it’s not that I can’t write very well. You just need to dry the damp stationery and apply new medicine.”

“But that… … .”

Karsian looked around the room where the stale air had settled. It was definitely impossible in a room like this. I said as if I had been waiting.

“Will you give me some of that?”

"what?"

“Well, as you can see from earlier, there is sunlight in my room. I don't mean to make fun of you.”

I was afraid he would object, so I quickly continued.

“What if I dry the stationery in my room? And that potion, I saw it in my father's study.”

“Is it really?”

"yes."

I know this because I was helping my father organize the books in the past. I wondered why there was such a thing in my father's study, who hated the sea, but it turned out that the count had bought it for him.

In the original work, there was a scene where the Count asked Carcian why he hadn't contacted him, and why he didn't buy him a magic potion. However, since it is a magical drug, it is dangerous to be exposed to children for a long time, along with the statement that an adult was keeping it.

I cautiously proposed to Carcian.

“So, I’ll dry the stationery in my room, apply magic potion, and give it to you. What do you think?"

Hearing my words, Carcian hesitated for a moment. Then, he shook his head.

“How can I trust you?”

The sharp voice was nervous. I opened my mouth for a moment and then closed it.

Well, even if it was me, I think I would have reacted like that. How can I trust her right away when the girl who has been bullying me suddenly says she is good to me?

I spoke to Karsian cautiously with a face of full understanding.

“But I won’t be able to use that stationery otherwise.”

“… … .”

“If you don’t trust me, why don’t you trust Susan?”

Susan is kind of friendly though.

I was expecting a little bit here.

"no."

Karsian flatly refused.

'She's also your limb after all.'

It was such a look. He seemed to have no intention of reversing the decision he had already made.

In fact, if it were me before returning, I would have rushed to my mother with the letter. Carcian must have been stubbornly enduring like this because he expected me to be like that too. Knowing all this, I was compelled to step back to find out.

If I push further here, “There must be some ulterior motive!” And you can buy more antipathy. I'd rather not know before committing a mistake, but since it's already been done, it's tricky to rectify.

I looked at Karsian and said.

“Then I'll go and see. The servant seems to have passed by, and it's also difficult if Betty comes to watch over you unexpectedly.”

Karsian didn't answer. Susan and I left his room after making sure the hallway was clear.

Susan asked cautiously.

“Is it okay if I leave it as it is?”

“You mean stationery?”

"That's true, too, Master Karsian."

Susan pursed her brows in concern. I glanced back at Susan.

Through the crack in the door, I met Carcian's red eyes. He flinched in surprise and immediately closed the door.

It really seems like the kitty is clumsy and vigilant.

I replied to Susan with a slight smile.

“When I saw it, I thought it would be fine. And sooner or later he will come to me.”

"yes? really?"

"yes. Because even when I got down on my knees, you didn’t give me back the ointment you said you wouldn’t apply.”

"Oh! really!"

Susan laughed, saying she hadn't thought of it.

"If the wound heals thanks to the ointment, the lady's sincerity will come through."

"yes. right."

Then, it was clear that Carcian's closed heart would open even a little bit.

* * *

A week has passed since then.

“Are you not coming today?”

I put a bookmark in the book I was reading at Susan's words. Susan was looking back toward the door with a worried look on her face.

A week ago, I confidently said that Carcian would come to me eventually.

Even after a long week, Karsian didn't even show his nose. However, this was expected enough.

"It's okay. Karsian is very cautious from the beginning.”

Such a child saw his father's friend, the Marquis, change his attitude like flipping the palm of his hand. And the people of the marquis, and I, all took the lead in harassing him.

“Carcian’s heart will be more tightly closed than usual.”

So I'm sure you'll spend a week, no, more than that, slowly trying to measure me.

“Wait longer. The time it takes to trust a person is different for everyone, Susan said the other day.”

When it was, I think I was about 6 years old.

I was walking in the garden with Susan when I found a bird with a broken wing. We treated the bird wholeheartedly, but the baby bird seldom opened its heart.

'If I treat you so well, why doesn't that bird trust me?'

When I said it as if I was complaining in my upset heart, Susan spoke as if she was reading.

'It's because the time required is different.'

'necessary time?'

'yes. The young lady is so gentle that it takes a short time for her to trust someone, but those who are wary of them trust someone after looking at them for a very long time.'

After hearing Susan's words, I gave the baby bird enough time to trust me. Then the baby bird started to follow us very well, as if it were vigilant when it pecked its fingers.

“Carcian must be the same as that baby bird.”

When I said it in a laughing voice, Susan smiled warmly as if she remembered the baby bird.

"Right. I was impatient this time.”

Susan said embarrassingly, placing the back of her hand on my cheek.

“By the way, you haven’t seen that bird lately, have you?”

"Well… … .”

After hearing from Susan that she would be happier living free than being locked up in a cage, she set her free.

"I know. I think I used to come here to play sometimes.”

Even before the regression, it seems that he had not been seen since the time he started harassing Karcian.

“Shall we go find it?”

"Well… … great. It's been a while since I haven't been to the garden.”

I put the bookmarked book down and jumped off the chair.