NOVEL NEXT Chapter 5
Dinner with my family at this long table is the hardest time for me.
I feel unworthy to be here, having achieved nothing for the proud Count’s House, just living in seclusion.
This gathering feels like nothing more than a bed of nails for me.
That’s why sitting here is torturous.
As usual, I hurried through my meal, finishing quietly and getting up first.
“I’ll head in first.”
After years of escaping the meals like this, my family doesn’t even react anymore.
Now, indifferent as I am, I find their silence comforting.
To distance myself from this awkward place, I fidgeted nervously.
As I neared the exit of the dining hall, the booming voices of men grew louder than usual.
The same familiar voices I was utterly tired of now.
…The servants of Siabel and Sion.
Once again, they must be gossiping about me or bragging about my sister and younger brother.
“How about it? Even if today is your first day serving, she is Princess Shione, after all… did she do something to trouble you?”
Yep, the topic of their chatter is definitely about me.
Isn’t it something to be proud of that I endure even open criticism from the servants?
With such questions, the man who has now become my personal servant will probably start gossiping about me as well…
It’s become a habit to lash out with prickly words at him, since I’ve grown used to avoiding people.
It makes total sense for him to speak ill of me.
I’m definitely the kind of person who deserves it.
But contrary to my assumptions, his voice didn’t spew insults about me.
“At least, I hope you know that Princess Shione, as I have seen, is not the kind of noble you complain about.”
He seemed to really dislike me while cleaning my room.
Why on earth is he siding with me?
What reason could he possibly have?
Even I know that my usual demeanor is more akin to a ruffian than the polite noble I once admired.
It makes perfect sense to be criticized.
Though it was different from my expected reaction, it didn’t feel half bad.
“Are you going back to your room?”
So I looked at him for a moment.
People’s eyes don’t lie.
I wanted to catch just a glimpse of why he was siding with me.
But that was all.
“…Yeah, I’ll go back to my room.”
I didn’t want to linger awkwardly here any longer.
I decided to stop probing into his intentions and left.
With time, he’s bound to stop siding with me, so I figured I wouldn’t need to worry about it.
And so, a few more days passed.
Winter faded, and spring arrived.
By this time, when the seeds hibernating in winter begin to bloom, I thought how lovely that would be.
Sure enough, the weather was lovely, so I decided to go for a walk after a long while.
Naturally, that servant followed me as if it were expected.
Leaving him behind, I murmured to myself in excitement about seeing my favorite flowers.
“The sunlight is warm, and the breeze is refreshing; the weather is just right.”
“It’s perfect weather for a light stroll.”
“Indeed.”
Thus began a conversation with him that started as a solo musing.
“Where will you go?”
“I plan to head to the garden. Around this time, the daffodils and irises are blooming; it’s quite beautiful.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
“Expectations can be a form of entertainment. Besides that, we’ll see tulips and daisies too.”
Chatting in such an ordinary manner felt surprisingly pleasant, and I answered him readily.
As we continued our conversation, he asked me a question.
“Do you like flowers, Princess Shione?”
Why I liked flowers, huh?
Originally, I had no intention of sharing that…
But on a whim, I decided to let him in on it.
“Flowers bloom. They break free from their stuffy, dark seeds, take root, sprout, and through relentless effort, eventually bloom. Isn’t that quite admirable?”
Unlike me, who’s always trapped in a dark seed, flowers will bloom someday.
That’s why I liked them.
Although we had a pleasant time until I reached the garden with such trivial conversations, my emotions wilted once I met Sion.
My younger brother despised my incompetence and lethargy, seizing every opportunity to belittle me.
In contrast to me, the talented eldest and youngest of the Shianella family were constantly being praised by my brother instead of just my complaints.
…I’m tired of it. I hate it all now. I didn’t choose to be born this way.
“If only I had some proper talent.”
As I whispered this, that servant—who usually watched me carefully—had the audacity to speak up.
“If you have no talent with the sword, maybe you should seek out other abilities?”
I was appalled.
How dare this guy, who just appeared a week ago, say something so brazen.
“How dare you. Were you so ignorant as to not know what kind of place our Shianella family is?”
“I’ve heard that even Sion Shianella has excelled in the path of a priest instead of just focusing on the sword. You don’t have to be tied to that lineage, Princess Shione.”
Yes, I know I don’t have to stick to just the sword.
That’s exactly why I fought so hard in the past.
“No one is born without talent, Princess Shione. You simply have yet to discover the talent that has been bestowed upon you.”
“……”
“Have you ever trained in anything other than the sword, Princess Shione?”
…Of course. I wanted to be recognized as a proper member, no matter how. But—
I wanted to loosen this pent-up frustration.
“After giving up on the sword, I tried my hand at the spear. As expected, the spear, just like the sword, never glided smoothly in my hands.”
“Eventually, after setting down the spear, I tried to learn magic. But I realized that I wasn’t cut out for magic either.”
“Still, I didn’t think it was time to give up. I realized I wasn’t suited for dynamic things, so I went into the library to read books, gathering static knowledge.”
“I didn’t ask for encouragement. I just wanted everyone to understand and wait for me until I find my own path. But every time I went to the library to read, they couldn’t wait to compare and belittle me.”
And his reaction to my words was—
“I’m glad.”
I was taken aback.
Saying “I’m glad” at a time like this?
“…What? Did I hear you wrong?”
I was angry.
Very angry.
“I’m just glad that there’s still something I can teach you.”
But after hearing this, I couldn’t help but stifle a laugh.
“Have you ever pulled a bowstring?”
I was confused by his words.
“What do you mean by that? If you’re trying to test me, then enough already…”
“I think it would be good for you to try in small increments starting tomorrow. What do you say?”
“Me, going outside to shoot a bow? Ha, I can almost hear the knights laughing from here.”
I even found it somewhat amusing.
“What do you mean you’ll teach me? And if I go along with it, I will surely become a laughingstock again. Why should I expose myself to such humiliation?”
“I was born a humble slave, but I’m a man with mana. Since I was destined to be sold as a plaything to a noble family under the title of a toy knight, I have learned simple swordsmanship and archery.”
“……”
“I only learned superficially for show… but at the very least, I can teach you the correct posture to hold the bow and shoot.”
I couldn’t understand why he was so insistent on being around me.
“If you’re worried about others laughing, don’t be. If visibility is poor at dawn, it’ll be fine to come back before others arrive. I’ll make sure to wake you when it’s time.”
“Ha, ha.”
I could only laugh.
What could he possibly gain from being troubled over me?
“You say you’ll teach me to draw a bow. Can you really take responsibility for that?”
“Of course.”
“I’m curious where this confidence comes from. I haven’t heard something amusing in a long time. Now stop the nonsense and get going.”
But that was enough of a joke.
I didn’t want to hear any more of his nonsense. Whenever I did, it only made my mind more chaotic.
“If you give me all you have, will you trust me?”
But he didn’t stop shaking me.
So I asked directly.
“Why are you so eager to stick to me like this?”
His answer was unexpected.
“No servant enjoys seeing their master belittled. If such a person exists… they are already those who have turned their hearts to another.”
“……”
“I won’t look down on you.”
…Is it because it bothers you to see me belittled? Why on earth…
I sank onto my bed, lost in thought.
It was hard to reach a conclusion easily, but my heart tilted slightly in one direction.
“…This will be the first and last time I will grant your request, so keep that in mind.”
For this one time, I decided to go along with his words.