Chapter 8: The Beginning of a Full-Blown Disaster (4)
She spends the whole day in her study. If she’s not reading novels like I do, then what on earth is she doing in there? Working, maybe? I guess it makes sense. The head of the family probably has to work hard to maintain all this luxury. If that’s the case, I’d be more than happy to hand things over to my older sister (I think) later on.
Anyway, I followed the directions I’d been given and headed up to the fourth floor to find the study. Since it was early morning, I walked quietly and glanced around as I went. The morning sunlight had just begun to shine through the gaps in the fluttering curtains by the windows, casting an elegant, almost patterned light along the antique corridor.
It was a dreamlike and beautiful sight. I suddenly felt a strange urge to open every one of the wooden doors lining the hallway and explore them. Maybe I’ll come back early tomorrow and do a proper tour of the mansion. Praising myself for such a spirited plan, I quickened my pace.
“This must be it.”
In front of the grand double doors, stained a deep mahogany, I paused to take a deep breath and knocked.
“…!”
“Excuse me?”
I heard something topple over inside. It sounded like a piece of furniture! Alarmed, I pushed open one side of the door, and found a scene I absolutely hadn’t expected.
“Eek!!”
“Huh?”
My supposed half-sister, hair disheveled, was crouched behind the desk. What in the world is going on? Did she fall over? I cautiously crept closer.
“What are you… Huuh?!”
“Get out!”
I immediately used the catalog I was holding to cover my face and backed out of the room in a panicked reverse. I don’t think I’ve ever backpedaled that fast in my life.
As I closed the door behind me, I tried to collect my thoughts calmly.
When she fell, it looked like her blouse had gotten snagged on something and tore but… uh…
She didn’t have breasts. But she did have pectoral muscles.
“…Hahaha.”
A cross-dressing stepbrother (apparently), huh.
I’m seriously wondering what kind of chaotic life this body was living before I lost my memory.
What if I’m not even the real daughter of the late master of this house? Huh?
“I don’t know anymore. Let’s just respect their preferences…”
I decided not to think about anything anymore. I’ll just go buy the camera.
— — —
Workplace Guidelines
9. Under no circumstances should any staff member reveal their real name to Madame Zauer’s daughters. Anyone who does so will be immediately dismissed and must leave the premises before sunset that day.
— — —
After a suffocatingly awkward silence, I cleared my throat and tried to call out as gently as I could to the person inside.
“Um? All cleaned up in there?”
“…”
No reply. Thankfully, the hallway was still quiet, since the other staff hadn’t started their rounds yet.
I glanced around for no reason, then lightly knocked on the door again. Knock. Knock knock knock.
“Can we talk for a second?”
I almost said, ‘Do you want to build a snowman?’
This time, I got a response.
“…Piss off.”
It was a grudging voice, softer than before. Now that I listened again, it was quite low for a woman.
Is that why ‘she’ barely spoke at dinner the other night? Anyway, I tried once more, as gently as I could.
“I just had something I wanted to ask. I’ll make it quick and then leave.”
“…”
Silence counts as consent, right? I cautiously opened the door and stepped in. My (supposed to be) stepbrother was now seated in the large wooden chair he had fallen from earlier. Draped in a richly patterned blanket… wait, no, looking closer, that’s definitely a carpet. He stared at me.
“I came to find Mother. Do you know where she is? I was told she’d be here.”
He stared at me incredulously.
“She left at dawn for an urgent trip.”
“R-Really?”
She must work really hard… I awkwardly fanned myself with the catalog I was holding.
“Ah, I just had something to ask her about a purchase.”
“Whatever you’re buying, she’d just say to go ahead. So what’s the issue?”
Why does it sound like he’s gritting his teeth every time he talks to me? Am I imagining things? And if we’re going to get into specifics, why exactly was he in the study at the crack of dawn?
But I decided to let it go, just once. He’s probably flustered from getting caught in… an awkward moment. Let’s be generous and leave it at that.
“Actually, I was thinking of buying a camera. I figured it’d be better to check with you before I made the purchase.”
“A camera…?”
Yeah, there was no doubt about it now. This whole camera superstition had to be trending. My stepbrother’s expression grew noticeably serious. He swallowed hard and asked me again.
“W-Why do you want to buy a camera?”
Well, I already saw him crossdressing. Telling him this much was only fair, right? I decided to answer truthfully, with no hesitation!
“Oh, I want to take a few photos of my fiancé.”
“…What?”
Judging from his reaction, I had a hunch he was about to kick up another fuss. No good. Time to make a swift exit!
As his voice started to rise again, I rattled off a rapid-fire closing speech in the tone of someone reading out the fine print on a life insurance commercial.
“Anyway, I won’t tell a soul about what I saw today, I respect everyone’s individual preferences, so don’t worry. Let’s all enjoy our hobbies in peace and refrain from meaningless criticisms of each other. That’s it, bye!”
“Wait, hold on! Your fiancé–!”
I quickly and carefully shut the door on him mid-sentence and made a break for my room like I was fleeing the scene. Whew. I definitely needed something sweet to calm my nerves after this chaotic morning.
* * *
After a hearty breakfast, I ordered some tea.
“Bring lots of honey.”
I hoped they’d bring everything they had in stock. Sunset responded to my seriousness in kind.
“Understood.”
Soon enough, a massive jar of honey, practically the size of a certain potbelly yellow bear’s stash, was delivered along with the tea set. Sunset brewed the tea and placed the cup in front of me. I scooped out a generous amount of honey and stirred it into the tea.
Oh, come to think of it. The teaspoon my fiancé gave me is stored in this table’s compartment. I opened it and took it out. The delicate, silver item still gleamed softly. I gently placed it in my teacup and stirred to help the honey dissolve evenly. A lovely start to using a great piece of merch.
Then I let the tea cool a bit, and downed it like someone drinking honey water after a night of heavy drinking. The sweetness melted away my worries. Ahhh. Eating really is the best.
“Was everything to your satisfaction?”
“Mm. It was great.”
Honestly, I had added so much honey that it just tasted like sweet water with a faint hint of tea, but Sunset must’ve missed that while tidying up. She eyed my now-empty teacup, then moved as if to clear it away. Huh? That’s a bit too soon.
I waved her off and said, “I’m still drinking. I’ll call you when I’m done.”
“…Please don’t overindulge.”
Was she worried about my sugar intake? Maybe she thought I was consuming too much fructose without exercising? I nodded quietly, a little embarrassed, and after a moment of hesitation, Sunset left the room.
…Alright, I’ll have just one more cup. I poured the rest of the tea from the teapot and added a more reasonable amount of honey this time. Now to wait for it to cool.
“Might as well deal with this too.”
I pulled out the same black pill that had made an appearance at breakfast. This time, I’d hidden it up my sleeve flawlessly. Not a single staff member had noticed. I could probably even hang the new camera I’m going to buy on that success.
Now, where should I dispose of this…? Oh.
“Oops.”
The pill slipped from my fingers and plopped directly into the cup of tea I’d been cooling. Tiny bubbles fizzed to the surface as the tablet dissolved into the tea.
Well, that’s ruined. I’ll have to throw this out and brew another. Where should I dump it? The bathroom, maybe? And while I’m at it, I can toss the leftover pills from last night too.
Praising my own genius, I picked up the teacup. The cup was still hot, so my hand trembled slightly, making the spoon inside rattle against the liquid.
And that’s when I saw it. The silver teaspoon, where it had touched the tea, had turned black.
