Chapter 8: Awakening
「I looks like it was not a dream」
After returning to the mansion after the banquet, I slept in my room after a short bath.
At first, my heart was throbbing so much that I could not fall into sleep easily, but nevertheless, there was the exhaustion from doing such a thing in front of the public. I have fallen to sleep without noticing it.
But, it looks like that, that series of event on the banquet, was not a dream.
The one-sided discarding of the engagement from Rayford-denka.
The confession towards my beloved Wilhelm-sama.
The engagement of Wilhelm-sama and me that was approved by His Majesty the King.
Ahh, what should I do from now on.
Was not able to help it, *BataBata*, I horsed around on top of the bed.
But, I cannot spend the whole day on top of the bed like this. Reluctantly, I woke up, and changed. For someone who is a lady, you cannot stay on your sleepwear around even if it was your own house.
I have no any schedule for today, so a simple room wear should be fine.
Originally, it was being said that a Lady from the House of the Duke, should let maids change her clothes. But, in Ambrose, House of the Duke, it seemed like Ojii-sama had hated tradition like that. That is why, I was thought that I should be able to take care of myself at the least.
Regardless of being a daughter of a duke, I can cook very decently. I have a retainer that was a cook, so I asked to be taught from time to time.
I was busy with the education needed as a queen this past six years, so I had not learned a lot.
I know.
Men should be caught by their stomach, I heard that from somewhere. It means that, I only need to be able to make the food that Wilhelm-sama would like.
Immediately, I quickly went towards the kitchen from my room.
「Good morning, Natalia」
「Ahh, Good morning to you too, Ojou-sama」
On the way, I encountered the maid who had most likely came call me for breakfast. Usually, the maids that would call for me like this, I meet them on the way. Because it seems that I wake up a little early.
Natalia is, my exclusive maid.
With a descent from not around here, she was a 27-years-old woman who has a brownish skin. After I was saved by Wilhelm-sama when I was almost kidnapped by bad men at 7-years-old, Father hired her.
After that, Natalia would usually go with me everywhere. I do not know a lot about it, but it seems like Natalia has a finesse for martial arts, and she was also my bodyguard.
「Mu〜……」
「Yes? What is it? Ojou-sama」
Natalia learned her work quickly, she also takes cleaning very delicately, she also follows courtesy etiquette properly, and it can be said that she was the best model for a maid.
I had not seen her fight, but if she was strong, I can feel relieved with her as my bodyguard.
But, the more that I looked at Natalia, there was a small shadow that starts to dwell inside my heart.
「Natalia」
「Yes, Ojou-sama」
「Is it really……uhm, does men, really like bigger ones?」
I had lived, without any notable difficulty in my life.
Regardless of that, I am smaller than Ladies of my age, and my growth was entirely bad.
Specifically where, I do not want to say it, but the part that men mostly likes, that one that can be said as the woman’s feminine part……that, it was small.
Compared to that, Natalia was *TayunTayun* desu. It bounces when she is walking. I got annoyed by it for some reason.
「N-No……I think that, Ojou-sama is very lovely. There is no need to grief for it being small」
「I wonder what should I do to make it bigger」
「Please let me think……it is a common opinion, but I had heard that, something like milk would be good」
Milk huh.
I really like cheese, but milk as it is, I do not really like it. Its distinctive smell, how can I say this, I really am not fond of it.
Of course, as a daughter of the House of the Duke, as long as I am living through the blood taxes from our subjects, I cannot ask for a change because of my preferences, I know that. But, it could not be helped that I do not like what I do not like right.
「But, it is more lovely around how much Ojou-sama has. Even if it was too big, there is nothing to gain from it」
「……that is, I can only hear it as the sarcasm from someone who has them」
「No, not at all……in reality, men really likes smaller ones. Someone like me, it seems like men do not really like」
I wonder if that was true.
The butler, Richard, I saw him look at Natalia’s chests very often, though. Things like that, even if the side who was looking intended to be not noticed, it is surprisingly easy to tell.
I think that Natalia also, for sure, have noticed about it.
「In the first place, even if it became bigger, there was nothing to gain from it. It would just be easier to clean high places」
「……high places?」
「Yes. Even if the height got bigger, that is only the perks for it」
………
I, for some reason.
Somehow, got very embarra.s.sed. Was I, such an immodest girl.
For the mean time, I pa.s.sed by the entrance of the dining room, and went towards the kitchen.
Natalia was like “A-re?”, and was tilting her head, but without saying anything, she followed me walking.
Natalia who was ordered by Father to call for me, basically needs to follow that order. But, Natalia is also my exclusive maid, so between Father’s orders and my orders, she needs to give priority to my order.
It means, if there was something more important that I needed to do rather than going to the dining room, it is Natalia’s job to follow that.
But that being said, the thing that I was going to do, was really a simple thing.
「Excuse」
「Hey, you there! Isn’t that dirty again! Clean it properly! Hey, newbie! Until when are you planning to peel off the potatoes! I told you many times to wash them after you peel them right! Don’t stand there and start moving!」
「……Chris」
「Ah〜, my gosh……oh, Ojou-sama?」
The one who was making a ruckus even if it was morning, was out House’s exclusive cookーーthe person who takes commands for them, the Chief Cook.
Even though she had not reached her thirties, she was a brave woman who commands men older than her with her chin.
That is, Chris.
「Good morning, Chris」
「Good morning to you too, Ojou-sama. Then, what did you came for? The breakfast will be ready soon, so please hurry up and go to the dining room」
Chris was probably using honorific words to talk to me, but it had somehow crumbling here and there. I mean, I think it was better to say that she was only taking the pose that she was using honorific words.
Well, I do not mind such trifle things, so I really do not mind.
And also, Chris was the teacher that teaches me how to cook.
「Before breakfast, I came to ask something of Chris」
「Haha〜, I see. Then, what is it? We’re just starting the preparation for lunch right now, so there’s not a lot of time」
The cooks that our House was hiring was, three.
The head cook, Chris, and two others, a man who was over his thirties, and a man who was around his forties. There was someone who stopped working recently, so the newest newbie was the oldest, it had become a really weird situation.
But regardless of that, Chris, even if it was older men, she was a brave woman who can stand with her chest out.
「There is no need to hurry. I have no scheduled appointments for the whole day today, so I just thought that I would like to ask Chris to teach me how to cook」
「Ahh, if it was like that, it should be okay around noon. I mean, for the whole day today? Ojou-sama, what about school?」
「School is, I do not need to go there anymore」
「……Hmmm〜」
She looked at me suspicious of something, but Chris did not say more than that.
Well, that should really be the case.
I had asked her to teach me many times before, but recently, there was really no opportunity. Because of the Queen’s education, I was also tired.
「Then, what of food does Ojou-sama requests?」
During the morning, I will tell Chris the food that I want to be taught. If it did that, she would buy the ingredients from the market.
The one that she taught me before, was fish Meunier if I was correct. It was easy to cook it, but I was not able to prepare the fish properly.
「Food that can catch a man’s stomach, please」
「Oh, it means, you’re making hand-made food for Denka? Men at his age, deeply seasoning meat should be enough. I’ll prepare for it」
「No, the person that I am going to make it for is not Denka」
「……ha?」
Chris narrowed her eyebrows, and looked at me.
Well, that should really be the case. My fiance, known publicly, is Denka after all. To think that the engagement was discarded last night, that was probably not yet well known throughout the House.
But regardless of that, I need to say it properly.
「The person I am making it for is a man, who is 62-years-old. Thinking of that, please」
「Ha〜, 62-years-old……62?!!」
For some reason, Chris was overly surprised, she was so surprised she choked.
Was I really saying something that strange?