On the surface, the Evening Primrose Festival had drawn to a close without any issues, but I came out of it with a laundry list of things I needed to do to get ready for the future.
When I returned home, I introduced Noa to my parents. I kept no secrets from them and told them everything I knew, from Noa’s birth to her circumstances. My parents didn’t doubt me at all and gracefully accepted her into our home.
“I know she’s only temporarily with us, but the thought of having another daughter brings me joy to no end,” father said.
“I don’t know how things might turn out from here, but Mary, make sure you act like a good older sister to her,” my mother added. “Keep her safe, all right?”
Unsurprisingly, Noa was shy at first and kept her distance, but I decided to take the role of a nosy sister and help her create friends and bond with others.
“Hee hee,” Snow chuckled.
“What’s up?” I asked. “Did you see something funny?”
“Oh, it’s nothing much. It’s just that since you’ve been doing your best to act like an older sister, Lily has been trying to be more like one too,” Snow explained with a fond, gentle tone. “She’s been keeping a good eye on Noa. It honestly makes me a bit lonely that she’s grown a bit more independent.” Her expression softened as she continued to watch her sister and Noa frolicking around in the garden.
The tranquility was soon shattered by a loud roar and a harsh scolding echoing from one of the rooms in the manor.
“I can still go on! I can! I can! I can!” Sita begged.
“Cut it out!” Rachel shouted back. “Get some sleep!”
I’d thought that they would remain in the royal capital, but Noa and the Agard memoir required a ton of investigation, so Sita and Rachel had ended up coming to stay in my family’s manor as important guests.
Meanwhile, I’d been having the prince act behind the scenes to set up a meeting with Belletochka, the Eternal Songstress.
Uh... Is it okay for me to rely on Prince Reifus to do everything? I wondered. Since he was so fired up to help, I could hardly turn him down, though...
“Ah, there you are, Lady Mary!” Rachel said as she stepped out to the garden while I was organizing my thoughts. She looked visibly exhausted.
“Did Sita fall asleep?” I asked.
“She did,” Rachel replied. “She practically collapses when she decides to sleep. She’s always been like this.”
“Did you need anything from me?”
“Ah, yes. We had Lord Orthoaguina send a message to the spirit tree, and I came to report back her response.”
Thank you, everyone in Kairomea who’s helping me out so much.
I’d already reported the evening primrose issue to my parents, and I asked father to leave resolving it to me. At first, he’d wanted to spoil me and claimed that there was no need for me to work so hard, but he relented once he saw how serious I was about it.
“Very well,” he’d said. “As you’re the next head of this household, I’ll have you take on the responsibility.”
And with that, the problem became mine to solve. The weight of the words “next head of household” made me cower, but I wanted to do my best. I don’t want to disappoint Noa, my future self, my parents who raised me, my citizens, and above all, Tutte, who’s always been by my side.
“What did the spirit tree say?” I asked.
“She said that she wanted to keep it on hold for now because she hasn’t managed to create a temporary body she’s happy with yet,” Rachel replied.
“If I’m gonna have to wait for her to come out here, I’d rather just make the trip to see her myself.”
“She explicitly said she doesn’t want you to come. I believe she’s set on using the excuse you’ve given her to make the trip to the kingdom and doesn’t want you to deprive her of the opportunity.”
I fell to my knees, the despair I felt from Rachel’s report hitting me like a swift kick to the shins.
“Curse her...” I grumbled. “I was planning on keeping her in check so that she wouldn’t wander around the kingdom as she pleases. How dare she be one step ahead!” The Evening Primrose Festival fiasco had already made my stomach ache with stress—though I didn’t have any ulcers yet—so I didn’t want the spirit tree to give me more to handle and worry about.
As I was deep in the throes of my depression, my trusty maid came to my side. “M-My lady,” Tutte said, sounding a touch reserved. “Pardon me, but His Highness’s messenger from the royal capital has arrived.”
“I-I see,” I said. “Maybe he’s made some progress with Queen Belletochka. Let’s go.” I straightened my posture and put on my best smile to wash away my disappointment and worries before heading for the drawing room.
I took a deep breath in front of the door to calm myself. All right, Mary. You can do this. With renewed energy, I had Tutte open the door and headed inside.
“Thank you for your patien—”
“Oho? Mmph! Mph!”
Uh, sounds like someone’s talking with their mouth full. When I turned to see the owner of the voice, I clung to the door next to me to stop myself from collapsing onto the ground.
“E-Emilia?” I stammered. “Why are you here?” My guest was none other than the princess of Relirex, a demon with a pair of large horns atop her head, long orange hair flowing down her back, and, presently, a mouth greedily jam-packed with cookies.
“Mph! Mfah! Mph!” she offered pitifully, tragically incapable of communication while in the midst of her best squirrel impression.
“Eat or talk,” I demanded as I glared at her wearily. “Don’t do both at the same time.”
“Mph! Mff!” She chose eating.