Chapter 32
The next day.
“Milady… are you really sure this is all right?”
Betty spoke with a face on the verge of tears.
Katarina’s sudden, complete change in attitude—after being openly hostile for so long—clearly made her uneasy.
“Going on an outing all of a sudden? There’s definitely some kind of scheme behind this!”
Even as she said that, Betty’s small feet never stopped scurrying about as she busied herself dressing me.
I briefly recalled what had happened yesterday.
“What is it you want to show me?”
“Spring is fully here now, isn’t it? Flowers are blooming everywhere. So let’s go boating on the Celeste River. The view from a rowboat is absolutely spectacular! I’ll even make you some delicious tea while we’re on board.”
Katarina, who had asked to be friends, had come at me with a rather ticklish proposal.
Not just a simple outing—she wanted to go boating.
By the Celeste River, she meant the very same place where lanterns had been released during the spring festival not long ago.
“Boating?”
Those three syllables alone were enough to make my heart flutter.
“And on top of that… a first date with a beauty….”
Honestly, there was no reason to refuse.
Flowers? Love them.
Tea? Love it.
Boating? Love it.
A beautiful woman? Love it the most!
With all my favorite things rolled into one, wouldn’t it be foolish not to go?
Thinking it was no big deal, I hadn’t even told the maid squad in advance…
But apparently, to the Ganada maid squad, this was quite a shocking piece of news.
That morning, after enjoying an unusually blissful sleep in a luxurious bed,
the moment I casually mentioned that I’d be going boating, Betty practically leapt into the air and hurriedly summoned the other maids.
And after that… well, here we were.
“All right! First, please choose one from here! Which dress will you wear?”
Rrrrk.
The rack Betty dragged over with her tiny body was filled to the brim with dazzling, extravagant dresses—so flashy they hurt just to look at.
Frills and lace were a given, and every single dress was densely embroidered with exquisite craftsmanship.
She doesn’t expect me to try all of these on… right?
Please tell me no.
Clinging to that hope, I asked,
“Where did all these dresses come from?”
We don’t have money… You didn’t, did you…?
As if she’d read my thoughts, Dora—who hesitated slightly—poked her head out and protested,
“These aren’t stolen! They’re all outfits prepared for you, Your Grace, by order of the Duchess!”
Seeing how indignantly she defended herself, it didn’t seem like she was lying.
Whenever Dora did something wrong, she always wore the unmistakable face of a guilty puppy—so obvious that even someone as dense as me could tell.
Nina, who was always glued to Dora’s side like a twin and had often stolen madeleines meant for Katarina’s dessert, also looked rather confident.
“Then who exactly—”
“Well, that’s… you’ll find out soon enough! That’s not what’s important right now!”
Then what is important…?
No matter how I looked at it, the dresses’ origins were suspicious, but judging by their sealed lips, it seemed they had no intention of telling me just yet.
“In any case, we can’t just let Miss Katarina have her way!”
I let out a long sigh and looked at the still-determined Betty.
“Betty, for someone who’s so worried, you sure picked only the flashiest dresses….”
“That’s a separate issue! If we’re going to beat Lady Katarina, this much is absolutely necessary!”
She’s lost it.
Betty’s wide eyes burned fiercely with fighting spirit.
She truly had the imposing aura of Cerberus, guardian of the gates of hell.
Already exhausted, I weakly protested,
“Why do we even need to beat her…?”
“That’s obvious! To completely crush the arrogance of everyone who’s looked down on you and us until now!”
“C-Crush…?”
“Betty’s right.”
Trembling with an unprecedented fervor, I heard Garnet’s solemn voice as she approached and wrapped an enormous petticoat around me.
With a dress layered on top, I looked so voluminous it felt like I might float off into the air.
No—could I even walk in this?
Perhaps misunderstanding my pale expression, Lia and Marie—who had been dusting my face nonstop with white powder—joined in eagerly.
“This is a matter of pride for us maids as well. We’ve lived in the annex for so long that we never had the chance to show off our skills… but now it’s different!”
“That’s right! We’ll make you the most perfect, adorable, lovable, amazing, gorgeous, beautiful baby bunny duchess in the world! Though you already are!”
“That’s the spirit! Let’s ride this momentum—go out, fight, and win!”
“Uoooooh!”
“Waaah!”
“Kyaaaah!”
“…….”
Why, exactly…?
A date with a beauty sure is a treacherous road.
Surrounded by the maids, I felt like a soldier heading into battle without weapons.
I couldn’t understand why they were acting like this when I—the person involved—was just standing there.
But—
“There it is. The strict, solemn, serious mode of the Ganada maid squad….”
Once they entered this “ultra-serious mode,” they were nearly impossible to stop, so I chose to quietly entrust my body to their hands.
From the looks of it, rivalry among maids serving different masters was rather fierce.
Once I gave up trying to understand, everything progressed in an instant.
“Oh my goodness, milady! You’re absolutely beautiful!”
I turned this way and that, looking at myself in the large mirror Marie brought over.
“Oh… honestly, not bad at all?”
It took considerable effort to stop Betty—who looked ready to put me in every single dress—but…
The dress I’d chosen with a vague show of effort suited me surprisingly well.
The soft, pale yellow silk dress gave off a buttery, gentle impression.
Elegant puff sleeves swelled gracefully on either side of the heart-shaped neckline.
On my head sat a cream-colored silk headdress adorned with lavish lace.
Anyone would think I was a young princess.
“Wearing something like this at my age feels a bit embarrassing….”
No—stand tall!
This is a romance fantasy world, after all.
I was just the only one who hadn’t realized it, holed up in a cabin digging around the backyard.
Thinking that this was everyday wear for noble ladies here, my heart finally settled.
And before I knew it, I was even starting to enjoy the reactions.
“Well?”
I asked, swaying lightly as I turned toward the maids.
Thanks to the full petticoat, even the smallest movement looked delightfully buoyant.
“Even I think… I might look kind of cute right now.”
Heh.
Just as I was deliberately posing prettily, Garnet—who had been staring silently—suddenly dropped to her knees.
“W-What? Why are you doing that?”
Why does everyone keep kneeling every time they look at me? Please, get up!
Startled, I awkwardly stepped toward Garnet—
when she shouted,
“It’s a tulip fairy! A fairy has appeared!”
“…….”
No. I take it back.
So much for trying to look pretty!
I’m absolutely not immune to reactions like this!
Ignoring my darkening expression, the maid squad—starting with Garnet—launched into endless, over-the-top praise.
“Oh my, our baby bunny milady. You’ve become a flower fairy now.”
“I—I think I’m going blind. Milady, you’re shining like the morning sun! Sniff…!”
“Show us already—those wings you’ve been hiding! Damn it! There’s no way you’re not an angel!”
“Please stop….”
…Going on a single outing is ridiculously hard.
With hollow eyes, I glanced out the window.
I didn’t want to be late meeting my new friend because of all this fuss.
Fortunately, the morning sunlight was warm and gentle.
I spoke firmly to the maids, who were still wailing and praising me.
“I’m leaving now. Are you going to keep this up? If so, I’ll leave you behind.”
“No!”
“We just want to take one more look at you as you are right now!”
“Then please hurry up. And I’m begging you—don’t do this in front of other people….”
“Huh? Why not? You’re this adorable.”
“…Haaaa.”
I have a social reputation to maintain, you know….
Just as I was about to warn the maids yet again—
Knock, knock, knock.
