But to think she even said to make sure to tell her what the Duke dislikes...
Contrary to what they had expected, the kitchen staff wore puzzled expressions at the sight of Camilla leaving such instructions.
“Alright then. Thanks for the trouble.”
Whether they understood or not, Camilla gave a light wave and strolled out of the kitchen. Everyone watched her go with a curious look.
“......”
Rania was no different.
She stared holes into Camilla’s back as Camilla walked out of the kitchen.
****
“Yaaawn......”
“What? Didn’t you sleep last night?”
“Yeah, I was reading a bit.”
Seeing Ravi walking with his eyes half-closed, Camilla gave a small shake of her head, half exasperated.
He had devoted himself to magic research before, but ever since the hunting tournament he had thrown himself into it even more.
Only, instead of floundering in self-loathing like before, he seemed to be using that day as a stimulant, so she was just watching for now.
“Then why didn’t you sleep more? Why’d you come out?”
He looked like he’d stayed up all night, and Ravi wasn’t the type to eat every meal anyway. She couldn’t understand why he had bothered to come to breakfast.
“She’ll be there too.”
“She?”
Did he mean Rania?
“Why?”
“Why, what do you think. Without me there, you alone—”
“Huh?”
“...Forget it.”
Ravi cut himself off and started walking again.
Camilla watched him in silence for a moment, then let out a soft laugh.
She pretended not to notice the way his ears reddened at her laugh and began to walk slowly toward the dining room.
“You’re here?”
A moment later, at the dining room entrance, she ran into Ludville. After light greetings, the three of them went in together.
“Ah! Come on in!”
Someone was already there. Rania.
She greeted them brightly with a radiant smile.
But...
“Hey!”
“You...”
No one gave her greeting a proper reply.
“Why are you sitting there?”
The problem was where she was sitting.
Rania had taken the very seat Camilla always used.
“Huh?”
“Get up.”
Ludville’s low voice flew toward Rania, who tilted her head in confusion.
“W-was I not supposed to sit here?”
Startled by the angry reactions of the two, Rania sprang to her feet in a fluster.
“I—I’m sorry.”
Tears instantly pooled in her eyes. She looked about to burst into loud, miserable sobs.
Sssrrk.
“...!”
At that moment, a hand gently pressed her shoulder and settled her back into the chair. It was Camilla.
“It’s fine.”
“Huh?”
“Sit here.”
“But...”
Ignoring Ravi and Ludville as their brows drew tight, Camilla smiled brightly.
“This will be your seat from now on.”
“Hey!”
“Camilla.”
Seeing the two men’s expressions harden further, Camilla lightly shook her head.
“A seat is a seat. Sit anywhere. Father will be here soon. Isn’t it better not to cause a pointless scene?”
At Camilla’s words, the two couldn’t say anything more.
She was right—there was nothing good to be had by making a bigger scene now.
“Enjoy your meal.”
“Um! Is this seat...?”
“It’ll be your seat from now on.”
“No! I—”
“Shh.”
Camilla even covered Rania’s mouth.
“Enjoy your meal.”
As Rania made to jump up again, Camilla pressed her shoulder and gave a small shake of her head. In the end, Rania could only clamp her mouth shut.
Camilla looked at her in silence for a moment.
[ I definitely heard it. Just a little while ago, that girl’s maid said so. This seat is your seat. And yet...! ]
She listened to the chef-ghost Ferrol, who had been chattering in an excited voice by her side for some time.
‘Well, well?’
Rania’s maid, assigned to her not long ago, had clearly designated which seat was hers. Even so, Rania had sat herself in Camilla’s seat. After the maid had been sent out of the dining room entirely.
‘And then she pretended to know nothing?’
As if she had no idea at all.
The moment she learned that, Camilla immediately quieted Ravi and Ludville.
She also stopped Rania, who was on the verge of bursting into tears and spouting apologies. She could roughly see the picture Rania had been trying to paint.
Camilla drew out, in her head, exactly what Rania had planned to do.
If Rania had cried and apologized, and Ravi and Ludville—and even Camilla herself—had joined in pressuring her?
‘If Father or anyone else had seen that?’
Over a single seat, she would become the greedy, ill-bred stepdaughter who bullied the Duke’s trueborn daughter and stirred up a scene.
‘Rumors start from little things like this.’
She had already experienced the terror of rumors enough in the world she’d lived in before.
In entertainment, if you so much as dripped a little water on the floor while holding a glass, the next day there would be a rumor that you splashed someone with water.
It was no different here. Society was its own kind of entertainment industry.
Camilla let out a silent snort.
If things had gone exactly as Rania planned, a rumor would have spread through society as early as tomorrow.
A stepdaughter who pressured and mistreated the trueborn daughter!
...A rumor wearing that title.
‘Of course, it could be an overread.’
Camilla’s gaze returned to Rania.
With her eyes round as saucers as she watched the situation, she looked, to anyone, like an innocent child who knew nothing.
But to Camilla, who’d been a veteran actress, it showed. Unlike a moment ago, Rania’s expression had stiffened slightly, as if she disliked the way this was turning out.
‘What is she really?’
If she kept it simple, one could say it was just an action to secure her own place.
Because someone sitting where you think you belong could be unbearable to look at.
“Hmmm.”
For now, should I just watch a bit?
The moment their eyes met, Camilla gave Rania her brightest smile yet. She enjoyed the way Rania’s face faltered at that smile.
****
“Camilla! I’m really sorry!”
Now what is this?
That afternoon, while she was resting comfortably in her room, Camilla couldn’t hide her disbelief at the sight of Rania, who had come to see her.
“I really didn’t mean it like that...”
The moment she came in, her head bowed, her voice trembling on the verge of tears—it was more than enough to irritate Camilla.
“What are you talking about?”
“I heard.”
“What?”
What does she keep hearing all the time? Is she digging around about me?
“That things weren’t good between you and Father...”
“......”
“And that only recently it started to recover because you’ve been bringing him a nightly snack... I’m sorry!”
Rania bowed her head again.
“I didn’t know and I cut into that time...”
Tears were already dripping from her eyes.
“And at breakfast, too—I really didn’t know! That it was your seat!”
Again, she clasped her hands tight, as if to appeal to her sincerity.
“I really want to get along with you! Even if you’re not Father’s trueborn daughter...”
What?
“I have absolutely no intention of taking that place from you.”
Wow, look at this one.
“I’m sorry. I really... sob...”
Should I hit her once? Just so it wouldn’t be unfair.
Camilla let out a thin laugh at Rania’s face as she began to weep as if someone had already slapped her.
“Poor Camilla...”
Without even thinking to wipe away the falling tears, Rania looked up at her.
“You must be uneasy because of me as it is...”
“......”
“I—I’ll speak well to Father!”
“About what?”
“I’ll tell him not to drive you out!”
She clenched her fist.
“No matter what, Father won’t be able to refuse his trueborn daughter’s—”
“You take it.”
She cut her off; she couldn’t listen any longer.
“...Huh?”
“You take it.”
“What are you...?”
Talking with her now, Camilla understood for sure.
Why she had felt so unruffled even when the Duke of Sorpel’s trueborn daughter appeared.
Why the word “take away” grated on her so much.
“This place—take it.”
It was laughable to even say such a thing.
She had never had it to begin with.
Not once had she thought this place was hers.
That was why she’d felt nothing special when told the trueborn daughter had appeared. What was there to worry about when there was no place to be taken?
“I don’t have the slightest desire to keep this place.”
Camilla gently patted Rania’s shoulder as Rania stared, blank-faced.
“If the owner has returned, of course it should be returned. Don’t you think?”
“Th-that...”
She lightly dabbed the tears on Rania’s face with a handkerchief.
Why was she flustered? Did she think I’d slap her?
‘If it were the former Camilla, she would have.’
Trueborn daughter, true parents.
The moment she heard those words, it wouldn’t have stopped at a slap—the hair would be in shreds. But she had no reason whatsoever to do that.
Take this place.
[ My lady. ]
Just then the butler-ghost Derrin’s voice came.
[ Outside... ]
Camilla moved to the door and opened it. There she saw a man standing stiff-faced.
“Camilla.”
The Duke of Sorpel.
‘So it is this, after all?’
It had been the same at breakfast, and now again—the timing was exquisite.
Was it really a coincidence that Rania shed tears and recited her apologies right around the time the Duke of Sorpel would appear?
As if she were scratching lightly, hoping Camilla would get angry and slap her.
“Father, what brings you here?”
“...I heard you asked to have tea together.”
“Rania did?”
“Yes.”
As expected.
“Please come in.”
“More than that—just now—”
“Father.”
Camilla cut him off and smiled as brightly as she could.
