After my mother finished washing herself, she joined me in the bathtub, and we warmed up together.
Carro and Koruko were relaxing in a bucket placed right next to the bathtub.
Carro was using its little hands to clean its body.
“Carro, you’re so skilled!”
“Kyuu!”
Carro stood up straight in the bucket, looking at me with a smug expression. It seems Carro has a habit of standing up when showing off.
“Koruko, you’re skilled too!”
“Koko!”
Koruko shook its body like it was taking a dust bath, splashing water in the bucket.
“Mother, chickens don’t usually like water baths, do they?”
“That’s right. Generally, chickens prefer dust baths.”
“Hmm, Koruko is quite different.”
“Koo-ko-ko!”
It sounded like Koruko was saying, “I’m a guardian beast, after all.”
“Ko-ko.”
Apparently, Koruko dislikes water but enjoys bathing in warm water.
“Kyuu-kyuu!”
Carro also dislikes cold water. Maybe Carro and Koruko are more like Sara and me than I thought.
“Cold water is unpleasant, huh?”
“Kyuu.” “Koo.”
I stepped out of the bathtub and moved to Koruko’s bucket.
“Let me help you wash up.”
“Kokko.”
I poured warm water over Koruko’s head and gently washed its feet.
“Let’s make sure your comb is clean too.”
“Koo.”
I scooped up water with my hands and gently scrubbed, washing between the feathers.
“Does it hurt?”
“Koo.”
Koruko seemed to enjoy it, so it was fine.
“Now it’s Carro’s turn.”
“Kyuu.”
I washed Carro with warm water as well.
“You both are so clean, Carro and Koruko.”
“Kyuu.” “Kok.”
Carro and Koruko were naturally clean, so washing wasn’t necessary most of the time. Still, I made sure to clean the dirt from Carro’s claws, as it tended to dig holes and get dirt stuck there.
Meanwhile, Daru floated on its back in the water, like it was doing a backstroke. I didn’t know how it managed that, but perhaps it was a special ability of guardian beasts.
As for Sara, she was being held by Mother. Resting her head against Mother’s ample chest, Sara twitched her ears as Mother gently embraced her from behind.
“Sara, how are you feeling?”
“I’m fine… really.”
“Good. But if you feel even a little unwell, let me know, okay?”
“Okay.”
Mother probably checked Sara’s body to ensure there were no signs of red pox as well.
“Is there anything you don’t like to eat, Sara?”
“Nope!”
“Are you sure? Don’t hesitate to tell me.”
“Okay.”
While I washed Carro and Koruko, I listened to Mother and Sara’s conversation. Sara still seemed a bit tense.
But after chatting for a while:
“Um, Sara is really fast at running!”
Sara’s tone lightened up.
“Oh? Really?”
“Yeah, Mama said I was really good at it!”
“That’s wonderful!”
“Ehehehe.”
Sara blushed from Mother’s praise. Perhaps feeling Mother’s kindness reassured her.
I hoped Sara could feel even more at ease.
“A blessing amidst misfortune?”
Before Sara met many people, it was good that she could recognize Mother as someone she could trust.
Father, my brothers, my sisters, and the servants were all kind. But to Sara, just being surrounded by many adults must be overwhelming.
Apparently, Sara tends to freeze up when she’s startled. If there are too many people around, there’ll inevitably be more opportunities for that to happen.
Now that Sara seemed less tense, this was a chance.
“Sara, I’ve been wondering.”
“What is it, Luria-sama?”
“That! You don’t have to call me ‘sama.’”
“Eh, but…”
Sara looked a little troubled and glanced at Mother.
“Mother, she doesn’t need to use ‘sama,’ right?”
“That’s right. While it’s necessary in formal settings, it’s not needed casually.”
“See? Just call me Luria.”
“R-Luria -chan?”
“That’s perfect!”
Being called “Luria-chan” felt really nice.
After warming up thoroughly, we all left the bath before anyone got dizzy.
The hardest part after leaving the bath was drying Daru. Since it was so big, we had to use many towels.
Later, we were taken to Mother’s room, where many clothes were laid out.
“Wow, there’s so much!”
“These are clothes Lydia used to wear.”
Apparently, these were clothes my sister Lydia wore when she was younger and had been stored at the villa.
“This outfit would look lovely on Sara.”
“It does!”
“Really? Ehehe.”
The clothes suited Sara so well; she looked adorable. Together with Mother and the maids, we dressed Sara up like a doll.
“Maybe the light blue dress suits her better?”
“Hmm, both look great!” “They both suit you wonderfully, Miss Sara.”
“Ehehehe.”
It was great that we found so many outfits that fit Sara. Now she wouldn’t have to worry about clothes until her custom-made ones were ready.
After our dress-up session, we folded and put away the clothes that didn’t fit Sara.
“Mother, what about these?”
“Oh, those are clothes Gilberto used to wear.”
“Oh?”
I picked up some of my brother Gilberto’s clothes. They looked like they might fit me.
“Should I try wearing them?”
The clothes looked practical and had lots of pockets, which I liked.
As I started changing:
“Luria, do you want to wear Gilberto’s clothes? Fine, I’ll help you.”
Mother helped me change into them.
Once I was dressed, I spun around. The clothes were very comfortable to move in.
“Mother, how do I look?”
“Luria… this is even cuter than I imagined.”
“Hehe.”
“Luria-chan is so cute!” “You look adorable!”
Being praised by everyone made me feel great.
Maybe I’d wear my brother’s clothes for a while.
That night, I climbed into bed with Sara. After the maids left, we turned off all the lights. The spirits’ glow provided enough brightness for Sara, me, and the guardian beasts.
“Tomorrow, let’s write a letter.”
“Okay, but isn’t writing hard?”
“It’s a bit tricky, but don’t worry. I’ll teach you.”
“Okay… Luri…a-chan…”
Before finishing her sentence, Sara drifted off to sleep.
It had been a long day, so it was no wonder she was tired.
I hugged Sara tightly, just like my brother and sister used to do for me.
“Did she fall asleep?” “She did!” “How cute!”
The spirits, seeing Sara asleep, began chattering. Sara could see spirits, but she couldn’t hear their voices.
They must’ve stayed quiet earlier to avoid interrupting our conversation.
“Lady Luria, can we talk now?”
“I’m sleepy too.”
“Aww…”
Being five years old, it was only natural for me to feel tired.
“Let’s talk tomorrow…”
“Good night, Lady Luria!” “Sweet dreams!” “So cute!”
“Where did Kuro go…?”
Among the many playful spirits, the black cat Kuro was missing.
Perhaps it had gone off to play somewhere.
Still, I wasn’t worried. Kuro was a powerful spirit, and few things could harm it.
