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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: The Octopus Witch
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The door opened, and Chessier walked in. He saw me and stopped dead in his tracks.
Standing there dumbfounded, his mouth fell slightly open.
‘What’s with his reaction? What’s going on?! Am I so pretty he’s speechless?’
I cleared my throat, *ahem*, and fidgeted with my toes for no reason.
“…Why?”
“……”
“Chessier?”
At my call, Chessier, who had been dazed, snapped out of it and spoke.
“Ah. I came to see if you were okay.”
“You were worried? I’m fine. It's not like I got hurt yesterday or anything.”
“…That’s a relief. I'll be going.”
“Huh? Wait a minute!”
Chessier, who had grabbed the doorknob to leave, turned back.
“You’re just… leaving?”
“What else?”
“Don’t you have anything to say?”
“…Like what.”
“Don’t I look a little different today?”
“……”
“Oh, maybe not.”
“Yeah. You do.”
“*Ahem*. How so?”
Chessier hesitated.
His shy-looking reaction filled me with anticipation. The corners of my mouth kept trying to curl up, and I had to struggle to keep them down.
Just then.
As Chessier was about to say something, the door flew open.
“Lilis! Are you ready?”
It was Theo.
Theo also froze and gaped at me the moment he entered.
“Oh my…”
“Brother, you’re here?”
“Hey, squirt!”
Leon’s voice followed from behind him.
Shoving Theo aside, Leon burst in, saw me, and froze.
“…Pfft!”
He puffed out his cheeks and clamped a hand over his mouth to stifle a laugh.
What’s his problem?
Soon, Leon was clutching his stomach and roaring with laughter. He looked ready to roll on the floor, his body half-doubled over in ridicule.
“Pwahaha! Ahaha, it’s the octopus witch!”
The o-octopus witch?
For reference, the octopus witch was the ugly villain from *The Adventures of Princess Lala*.
The one with the pasty white face, pitch-black eyes, and thick, bright red sausage lips!
“Leon, stop laugh—*pfft*.”
Theo tried to stop Leon, but in the end, he couldn't hold it in either and burst out laughing.
I slowly turned to the mirror behind me.
‘I-I don’t think I look that weird…’
It seemed my first attempt at makeup in this life was a spectacular failure.
“Aaaaaah! My lady! What on earth happened!”
“Oh my goodness! No! Emergency, emergency!”
Jeti and Jun, who arrived next, were also horrified.
* * *
Captured by the maids again, I had the octopus witch makeup removed before heading outside with the twins and Chessier.
The garden, in full bloom, was beautiful, and the spring weather was warm, but my heart ached.
“…You’re pretty.”
Chessier, who had been stealing glances at my gloomy face, reluctantly spoke.
“I don’t believe you.”
“I’m serious.”
“Yeah, thanks.”
“Earlier, too…”
Chessier closed his eyes for a moment.
“…It wasn’t bad.”
I wanted to cry as I watched him open his eyes again.
「Chessier Rubinstein was the type who couldn't lie. Whenever he had to, he would squeeze his eyes shut, which always gave him away.」
Why, of all things, did Chessier’s habit from the original novel have to pop into my head so clearly…
There wasn’t even a related episode, so why did the damn original novel have to include such useless information…
I wanted to crawl into a hole and hide.
“Octopus, octopus.”
“Hey, I told you not to call me octopus!”
Leon snickered as I snapped at him.
“Alright, Leon. That’s enough. Lilis, you look really pretty today. Like a princess.”
“Uh-huh.”
Theo looked at me every minute now that my makeup was off, telling me over and over how pretty I was.
It looked like I’d have to change my internal ‘best brother’ rankings. That infuriating Leon.
“By the way, Leon, are you really not going to meet the others? If so, why did you even come out?”
Theo asked. Leon, walking with his hands clasped behind his head, jutted his chin at me.
“The maids kept saying how pretty the little squirt was, so I came to take a look. You think I want to see Erica Valerine’s face on a nice day like this?”
“Is Erica coming today, too?”
When I asked, Theo nodded and added, counting on his fingers.
“Erica Valerine, Damon Martini, Jean Weber, Bruno Pensler, and Charlotte Meyer…”
I perked up my ears, listening for any names I knew.
From the sound of it, they all seemed to be extras, but one name in particular bothered me.
‘Damon Martini… I think his name was in the original novel, but who was he? My memory’s hazy, so he must not have been a major character…’
I was lost in thought.
“Hey, guys!”
A familiar voice called out from the garden entrance. It was Erica.
Next to her stood a boy I’d never seen before.
“Wh-what! Why is she here so early?”
“Guess we’re not getting away.”
As a startled Leon jumped, Theo laughed as if to say, ‘serves you right.’
“Argh! Whoa! Hey!”
He really must hate it. Leon, not knowing what to do, grabbed Theo.
“Hey, hey! Swap earrings with me!”
“Are you crazy? No way!”
“Quick! Swap them!”
Leon snatched the sapphire earring from Theo’s left ear and shoved his own ruby earring at him.
Theo reluctantly put on Leon’s earring.
I wondered what this was all about.
“Leoooooon!”
Erica, waving her hands enthusiastically, ran over and threw her arms around Theo’s waist.
‘Hoh. So she can’t tell them apart if they swap earrings.’
I burst out laughing at the sight.
“Hoo…”
Theo, forced to act as Leon, let out a sigh and gently pushed Erica away.
Dressed in a glamorous navy dress, Erica looked like a kid model again today.
Being twelve, she also looked quite mature.
“She’s super pretty, isn’t she?”
I asked Chessier, who was standing beside me, feeling a bit down. He looked at me for a moment before shaking his head.
“I don’t know about that.”
“And she’s so much taller than me.”
“……”
“Sigh, right. I’m just an octopus witch.”
“…I never called you an octopus.”
“Haaah, when will I ever grow up…”
As I muttered, Chessier, who had been staring, turned his head and said quietly.
“Even now…”
“Hmm?”
“…It’s nothing.”
“What are you talking about, squirt?”
Leon, who had been listening, jumped in and whispered in my ear.
“You’re a hundred times cuter and prettier. That girl just chirps away noisily all the time.”
“Whatever. You were calling me an octopus just a minute ago.”
“I was kidding. You’re the prettiest girl in the world.”
Just then, Erica, who had been pestering the wrong twin, came over to me.
“Hi, Lilis! It’s been a while! Have you been well?”
“Yeah! You look like a princess again today!”
“Oh my? Hehe, don’t make me blush. You still look like an angel, sweetie. You’re all dressed up today! Everyone’s going to fall for you.”
Erica giggled, then tilted her head as she looked at Chessier.
“By the way, who’s this? I’ve never seen him before. Is he a page?”
Theo then approached.
“Ah, this is Chessier. Our uncle recently became his guardian, so he’s living with us now.”
“Oho, is that so. By the way, Leon.”
Erica blinked her pretty eyes and poked Theo’s shoulder.
“Why are you being so nice to me today? You even explained everything so kindly…”
“Huh?”
Just then, Leon stuck out his foot and kicked Theo hard in the shin.
“Oof!”
Ouch, that must have hurt. Theo clutched his bruised knee and, gritting his teeth, shouted in his best Leon impression.
“Wh-what do you mean, nice?! You annoying brat!”
One might expect her to be frightened by Theo’s outburst, but Erica, being used to it, just grinned.
“Now that’s more like Leon.”
I nodded as I watched Erica, who was the same as ever.
‘She really does have a thing for bad boys. So consistent.’
I was watching with interest as Erica clung to Theo’s arm when suddenly, the boy standing beside her like he was part of the air caught my eye.
He’d been fidgeting, trying to find the right moment to jump in. When our eyes met, he quickly approached.
“It’s a pleasure to meet…”
“Why are you here? No one’s happy to see you.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Rubinstein. I’m Damon, from the House of Count Martini.”
Damon, simply ignoring Leon who was openly trying to embarrass him, offered me a handshake.
Seeing Leon click his tongue in disgust, it seemed they weren’t on good terms.
‘So this is Damon Martini. His name sounds familiar… Come on, Lilis! Remember!’
Damon, with his dark brown hair and eyes, had a refined face, but his features were indistinct.
‘Martini… Damon Martini…’
As I shook his hand, I wracked my brain until a lightbulb went off.
‘Th-that’s right! I remember! Him! He was the classic villainous extra #1 who only ever said infuriating things!’
Damon Martini.
He was the character who constantly picked on Chessier about his origins and spouted obnoxious lines about how the Rubinstein family was past its prime.
No wonder I had a bad feeling about him…
I glanced at Chessier beside me and tensed up.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Young Master Martini. I am Lilis Rubinstein.”
“Oho, you’re quite familiar with etiquette, aren’t you? I heard you were raised with commoners, so I was worried we wouldn’t be able to hold a conversation.”
“Wow, this bastard’s mouth is as foul as ever.”
At Leon’s quiet muttering, Damon shot him a quizzical look.
Probably because it didn’t sound like Theo.
Soon, Damon seemed to realize the twins were playing each other and chuckled, “Ah.”
Then he said.
“Though, I suppose there are some, like the young masters of Antracse here, who are ignorant of etiquette despite being nobles from birth.”
“Yeah, you worry about yourself.”
Leon retorted, but Damon just smiled faintly, as if used to it.
“But for the Duke to take you in as his ward, I must be behind on the news. What family are you from?”
…As expected. Like a villainous extra programmed to ‘provoke the main character,’ Damon’s interest immediately shifted to Chessier.
I swallowed hard and quietly took Chessier’s hand.
“He’s a commoner. Mind your own business.”
“What? Is that really true?”
When Leon answered for him, Damon’s eyes widened, and he covered his mouth.
“Why on earth would the Duke? Ah!”
Damon’s gaze fell on my hand holding Chessier’s tightly, and he nodded as if he understood.
“So you’re something like a playmate. How lucky. You caught the princess’s eye, so now you get to be educated by a great family. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so work hard and don’t disappoint the duke who’s sponsoring you. Got it?”
Anyone would think *he* was the guardian…
Damon patted Chessier’s shoulder as if to encourage him.
“…Yes. Thank you for your words.”
“Yes, yes. Ah, instead of standing around here, why don’t we all go have some tea and get to know each other?”
“Oh my, are you guys done with your greetings? Great! Let’s go too, Leon!”
Erica, who had been completely distracted by Theo, tucked him under her arm and flitted away.
“Hey, wait.”
I was about to follow when Damon blinked and looked at Chessier.
“Surely you’re not planning to follow, are you? There’s a clear line between nobles and commoners. Sharing a table wouldn’t be proper, now would it?”
