After playing the โSpirit Carrying Gameโ for a while, the room started to feel cramped.
โWould we get scolded if we go outside?โ
โWoof.โ
Since there was no other choice, I ran around the room, throwing spirits diagonally.
In response, Sara also ran along my diagonal path.
As we did this, I began to sweat little by little.
After a while, I started throwing multiple spirits in quick succession, which made me even more tired.
As I ran, Sara touched each spirit I threw with swift movements, without stopping her feet. Then, Carro, running alongside her, caught the spirit and gently floated it upwards.
Then, Daru bounced the spirit off his nose, tossing it back towards me.
I threw the spirit Daru sent back.
Throughout all this, Kuro hovered in the middle of the room, watching over us.
After running around and getting drenched in sweat, a maid came to call us for dinner.
โYour ladies, dinner is readyโฆโ
The maid froze for a moment, seeing me, Sara, and Daru running around.
โSara, itโs time for dinner!โ
โYeah!โ
โHa, huff, ha!โ
Daru, hearing it was dinner time, started circling around the maid, wagging his tail vigorously.
Carro quickly hopped onto my shoulder, silently urging us to go to the dining hall.
It seemed Daru and Carro were both hungry.
โYour ladies are so full of energyโฆโ
โYeah. It would be nice if we could run outside, though.โ
โOutside is dangerous, you know.โ
โYeah. I canโt help it.โ
I held Saraโs hand and followed the maid. Sara tightly gripped her stick figure doll.
โโฆWhereโs everyone else?โ
As we walked, Sara whispered to me.
The moment the maid appeared, Kuro and the spirits who had been playing with us instantly hid.
โTheyโre fast at hiding.โ
โYeah.โ
โItโs always like that, donโt worry.โ
โOkay.โ
Sara seemed to feel uneasy when the spirits suddenly disappeared.
โAre you hungry?โ
โYeah, I am.โ
โWhat does Sara like?โ
โMeat.โ
โWoof woof.โ
Daru was showing that he liked meat too.
When we entered the dining hall, we found Kolko there for some reason.
Kolko ran up to me as soon as she saw me.
โKolko! What are you doing here?โ
โKoo koo.โ
Kolko pressed her body against me in a show of affection. I hugged Kolko tightly and gently petted her.
My mother, already in the dining hall, explained,
โApparently, Kolko got on the food cart without us noticing, and even though we tried to get her off, she wouldnโt budge.โ
โReally?โ
โKolko realized that Luria wouldnโt be coming back to the mansion for a while.โ
โThank you for coming, Kolko.โ
โKoo.โ
After Kolko cuddled with me, she tilted her head when she saw Sara.
โSara, this is Kolko! Sheโs Luriaโs friend!โ
โA chicken?โ
โYeah, sheโs a chicken!โ
โKokko.โ
โKolko, this is Sara. Nice to meet you.โ
Sara petted Kolko, saying,
โKo.โ
Kolko closed her eyes in contentment as Sara petted her.
โIf Kolko came over here, she could have come to Luriaโs room too.โ
โKoo.โ
โSeems like Kolko was circling around the house and the surrounding area.โ
Mother told me Kolko had been working.
โI see. She was doing a patrol?โ
โKoo.โ
โThanks for that.โ
โHere.โ
After petting Kolko, we all sat down for dinner. Unlike usual, all the dishes were already set on the table, since there was only one maid, and she couldnโt serve them all at once.
โLuria and Saraโฆ You two are drenched in sweat, huh?โ
โWe were playing, you know? Right, Sara?โ
โYeah, we played.โ
Sara still seems a bit nervous around my mother.
Her tone of voice is a little off.
โSince you might catch a cold, itโs better to take a bath first, butโฆโ
โIโm hungry!โ
โRight, if we donโt eat now, the meal will get cold. Weโll take a bath right after eating. Can I count on you?โ
โUnderstood.โ
At my motherโs instruction, the maid went to prepare the bath.
Sara and I sat down, facing my mother.
โLuria. Sara. Today, the maids wonโt be doing everything as usual.โ
โI understand.โ
โYes.โ
โLetโs do what we can ourselves.โ
โGot it.โ
โYes.โ
I start eating the bread.
โItโs delicious. Even without anything on it, itโs good. Sara, do you want some jam?โ
โYes.โ
โHmm.โ
I spread some jam on Saraโs bread.
โYou should try it, jam makes it taste even better.โ
โThank youโฆ itโs delicious.โ
As Sara took a bite of her bread, her tail swayed excitedly.
โYeah, bread isโฆ so good.โ
I donโt know if itโs because bread from this time period is delicious, or if itโs the Dukeโs householdโs bread, but compared to my past life, itโs just incredibly good.
Todayโs bread is small and round.
The scent of butter and wheat, along with a subtle sweetness, spreads in my mouth.
โCroissants are also delicious. Theyโll be served eventually.โ
โLooking forward to it. Hehe.โ
While Sara munched on a small bread with both hands, I ate three.
One without anything on it, the second with butter, and the third with jam.
โSara, if you use this spoon, itโs easier to drink the soup!โ
โYes.โ
Sara spilled some soup, so I wiped it up.
Since Sara is still young, spilling is inevitable.
As an older sister, I have to look after her.
Lydia-neesama also used to do this for me often.
โThis meat has bones, but you donโt have to force yourself to eat the bones.โ
โOkay.โ
Saraโs mouth got dirty, so I wiped it with a napkin.
As her older sister, itโs only natural.
Once, I tried to crack a bone with my teeth and eat the inside, but I was told there was no need to do that.
โLuria. Normally, you donโt try to chew on bones and eat them, you know?โ
My mother said with a smile.
โWoof!โ
After finishing his own meal, Daru placed his chin on my lap.
โNo! You canโt have the bones.โ
โWhine.โ
โItโs too salty!โ
โPeep.โ
Daru is sweet, but there are some things he canโt have.
I once tried to give Daru a bone, but my mother told me not to.
Apparently, what tastes good to humans is too strong for dogs.
Also, there are plenty of unseasoned bones around the mansion.
Daru can eat those instead.
โDaru already ate his portion, didnโt you?โ
โWhine.โ
When Daru realized he couldnโt get bones from me, he went to put his chin on Saraโs lap.
โSara, be tough.โ
โOkay, Iโll try.โ
After a while, it seemed like Daru gave up, and he lay down at my feet.
He seemed a little sulky about not getting any bones.
Meanwhile, Carro and Kolko, after finishing their meals, quietly sat at my feet, behaving well.
Sara, despite eating about a third of what I had, stopped eating.
โSara, you should eat more.โ
โThanks, but Iโm full. Hehe.โ
Is that really true? Is she just being polite?
While I stuffed my face with meat, I wiped Saraโs mouth.
Since sheโs young, her mouth gets dirty quickly.
โYou really donโt need to be polite. Thereโs still plenty left.โ
โIโm fine, thank you.โ
It seems that Sara is quite a small eater.
โLuria. Normally, a five-year-old would eat that much.โ
โReally?โ
โYes. Lydia and Gilberto also ate about as much as Sara did.โ
โโฆSmall portions?โ
โRather, it would be more accurate to say that Luria eats a lot.โ
โHmm.โ
Whether everyone is a small eater, or if I just eat a lot, I canโt seem to decide.
โSara, you donโt have to eat everything. If you eat too much, your stomach will hurt.โ
โYes.โ
โThe food was prepared according to Luriaโs standards, so itโs normal if you canโt eat it all. Donโt worry about it.โ
โYes.โ
โHmm~โ
With Sara watching over me, I continued to eat greedily.
โSara, you can leave some. If you leave it, Iโll eat it, as your older sister?โ
โAs your older sister?โ
Sara tilted her head in confusion. Sheโs so cute.
โYes, as your older sister.โ
โLydia didnโt eat what Luria left behind, though.โ
โHmm?โ
Thatโs also a tricky question. After all, I donโt leave anything behind.
So, maybe Lydia just didnโt happen to eat what I left.