Sara mostly talks about her day, one-sidedly. Marion listens, nodding and agreeing.
Despite being bullied and having little to no good memories, Sara only speaks of happy things.
โAnd then, when I opened the window, a pretty leaf came in.โ
โOh, thatโs lovely.โ
โAnd then, with that leaf, Iโฆโ
After a while, Saraโs mother speaks to her.
โItโs about time to go home now. Marion might be getting tired.โ
โโฆOkay.โ
Sara looked a little disappointed but nodded obediently.
Given Marionโs health, she shouldnโt be subjected to prolonged conversations.
But considering her morale, conversations with Sara were essential.
โMarion, please rest well. Iโll make sure your meals are well taken care of, so donโt worry.โ
โThank you very much, maโam. Please convey my regards to the master as well.โ
We placed the easily digestible sweets we had brought by the house before heading for the carriage. As we opened the carriage door, Da-u barked loudly and tried to climb in first.
โโฆDa-u, you should consider your size.โ
โWhineโฆโ
Da-u was enormous and clearly couldnโt fit inside the carriage.
โDa-u, you can run alongside us, canโt you?โ
โYip!โ
โDonโt try to beg.โ
As we left Da-u behind and boarded the carriage, it began moving.
Four attendants rode on horseback, escorting the carriage.
โThereโs one fewer than usual, isnโt there?โ
โThey must have some other task to attend to.โ
Mother held Sara on her lap, hugging her gently and stroking her head.
Saraโs ears twitched.
โDa-u is so energetic.โ
When Da-u realized he couldnโt ride in the carriage, he looked sad, but now he was happily frolicking. He ran alongside the carriage, occasionally sprinting ahead before quickly returning, darting right and left as if playing.
Though it seemed like he might obstruct the carriage, the coachman was used to it and calmly guided the horses.
Neither the attendants nor their horses seemed particularly bothered by Da-uโs antics.
โStill, isnโt it surprising the horses arenโt afraid of Da-u?โ
โThey always play together during walks, so theyโre good friends. I think the horses see Da-u as an oddly-shaped companion.โ
โโฆI see.โ
It was an unexpected side of Da-u.
Considering he was about as large as a horse, it wasnโt strange for them to regard him as one of their own.
โGurgle.
At that moment, my stomach growled loudly.
If I was hungry, Sara must be too.
โSara, would you like some sweets?โ
โSweetsโฆโ
โUm, let me seeโฆโ
โMiss, please wait a moment.โ
As I rummaged through our belongings, the maid quickly produced the sweets we had brought. Besides the easily digestible ones for Marion, there were other treats as well.
The maid opened a box of sweets and presented it to Sara. It was filled with delicious-looking cookies.
โUmโฆโ
Sara hesitantly looked at me and then at Mother.
She seemed unsure if it was really okay for her to eat.
She had probably experienced bullying related to sweets before.
In my previous life, I too had been tormented, like being forced to watch others eat sweets while I endured a three-day fast.
โTheyโre delicious. Go ahead and eat.โ
โOkay!โ
Sara smiled brightly, took a cookie, and began eating.
She looked so adorable.
โEat as much as you like. You can have them all.โ
โWonโt Lady Luria eat?โ
โLuria had a big breakfast, so sheโs not hungry.โ
Trying to look cool, I said that, butโ
โGrowwwl.
My stomach betrayed me again with a loud growl.
โโฆLuria, you should eat too.โ
โIโm not that hungryโฆโ
โJust eat. Food tastes better when shared with everyone, and thereโs plenty.โ
Mother took a cookie herself and popped it into her mouth.
โTheyโre delicious. Go ahead.โ
โThank you.โ
The maid also took one and, surprised, remarked, โOh, these are delicious.โ
โI-Iโll eat too!โ
โPlease do.โ
โโฆWow! These are better than usual!โ
Whether it was because of the dispelling spell or the healing magicโor bothโI was ravenously hungry.
Marionโs curse was successfully lifted.
Healing magic was applied to her body, which had been ravaged by the curse.
Right now, her stamina is low, but if she eats and sleeps, Marion will definitely recover. Once she regains her strength, Sara will be able to live with Marion.
โSara, Iโm looking forward to when Marion gets better.โ
โYeah. Me too.โ
Sara, who was sitting on her motherโs lap, tightly hugged a stick doll.
I want to ask Kuro later why she didnโt tell me that Marionโs illness was caused by a curse.
It must be related to the nature of the curse.
โHmmmโฆโ
I looked at the ceiling of the carriage. Two tails were swaying.
It seemed Kuro was up there.
I wanted to talk to her, but since Mother and the maid were present, it would be difficult.
When we get home, Iโll take a bath, eat, and tuck Sara into bed.
Iโll cuddle Sara closely in the same futon and sleep together.
After that, Iโll talk to Kuro. Sheโll surely teach me many things.
โโ
While everyone was eating cookies, one of the attendants riding a horse came chasing after us.
โโฆHm?โ
One of the attendants was running alongside the carriage and knocked on the window.
It seemed there was something urgent.
โWhat happened?โ
Mother opened the small window and asked.
โThe baron has developed smallpox.โ
โโฆ!โ
Motherโs expression changed, and she gasped.
โWe wonโt be returning to the main residence. Weโre heading to the lakeside villa.โ
โUnderstood.โ
โYou must also avoid contact with anyone from the main residence.โ
โUnderstood.โ
โWeโll send a letter. Stop the carriage. Iโll write it now.โ
After stopping the carriage, Mother moved Sara from her lap to my side, took out a portable writing desk, and began writing two letters.
Mother wrote very quickly.
โMother, youโre really fast at writing.โ
โBecause, as the mistress, I always have a lot to write.โ
Her writing was not only fast, but also incredibly beautiful.
โThis one is for Graf. Of courseโโ
โWeโll deliver it in a way that avoids contact.โ
Since it was a special escort, there must be various methods, like those used to convey military strategies.
โPlease. This one is for the manager of the villa.โ
โUnderstood.โ
After one of the attendants ran off, Mother opened the window and spoke to the remaining attendant and the coachman.
โThe fact that the baron has developed smallpox means we may have contracted it as well.โ
โWhat!?โฆโ
โWoof!?โ
The maid turned pale, and Da-u, who had his nose sticking out the window, whimpered anxiously.
โWe canโt risk spreading it to Graf, Gilberto, Lydia, or anyone else. Weโll stay at the lakeside villa near the main residence for a while.โ
โUnderstood.โ
The maid nodded with a serious expression.
โHow long is the incubation period?โ
โFive days. Luria, youโre familiar with difficult words, arenโt you?โ
โWhen will it come? Thatโs surprisingly shortโฆโ
โYes, just five days. If no symptoms show, weโll be able to return to the main residence immediately. Donโt worry. Youโll receive special provisions.โ
โThatโs something to look forward to.โ
One of the attendants forced a smile as he said that.
At that moment,
โYou donโt need to reply.โ
Kuroโs upside-down head appeared from the ceiling of the carriage.
โAs I said before, the baron doesnโt have smallpox. Itโs a curse that looks like smallpox, so donโt worry.โ
โโฆI see.โ
โThe curse that was cast on Marion just returned to the baron. It wonโt spread to you, so you can relax.โ
โHmmmโฆโ
โJust wanted to report that for now!โ
With that, Kuro withdrew her head.
If it wonโt spread, then I can relax.
That said, even if I say itโs fine, Iโm not sure theyโll believe me.
Also, Iโve never been to the lakeside villa.
Iโm looking forward to it.
โSara, itโs going to be fine.โ
โโฆYeah.โ
After that, we didnโt return to our usual residence but headed toward the dukeโs villa instead.