May led Lucillea to the bath and gently washed her face.
The touch of the warm towel, carrying the scent of sunshine, was soft against her skin as it dabbed away the water.
Afterward, May stood her in front of the vanity and held up a dress.
“How about this one?”
She fluttered a pale pink dress in front of the mirror before lifting a blue one.
“Or perhaps this dress? No, wait, this one suits Lady Lucillea so well too...”
Goodness, everything looks beautiful on you!
Making a fuss, May pulled out several dresses at once.
Lucillea's gaze shifted to the portable dress rack May had wheeled over.
Surely those aren't all mine... right?
And it wasn't just dresses.
There were hair ornaments, matching shoes for every outfit, and boxes overflowing with jewelry for every imaginable occasion.
Every single one of these looks expensive...
For a moment, she couldn't tell whether she had entered the Grand Duke's estate as a child chosen by the Elite Corps or as the Grand Duke's actual daughter.
Just then, May thrust a light-green dress forward.
“Oh my, Lady Lucillea! What do you think of this one?!”
May declared that it was the most flattering dress yet.
“Ooh...”
For the first time, Lucillea's eyes sparkled.
“I like it. I love light green.”
“Oh, really?!”
Seeing May's delighted smile, Lucillea nodded.
“Yes! The same clear, bright light green as your eyes. This dress is exactly my favorite color, so I like it.”
“...”
For the briefest moment, May froze.
The pause was so fleeting that Lucillea failed to notice it.
The maid quickly smiled again.
“So Lady Lucillea likes light green? Like my eyes? What an honor.”
Then she set the dress aside and presented a jewelry box.
“In that case, what kind of necklace would you like?”
“I have to choose a necklace too?”
“Of course! The necklace you choose today is one you'll continue wearing while living in the Grand Duke's estate, so please choose carefully.”
“Does choosing one have some special meaning?”
May nodded.
“Yes! Well, more specifically, you're choosing the gemstone set into the necklace. Gemstones can act as vessels for magic. The gem in the necklace you select today will be personally enchanted with protective magic by Lord Noah Radebian, the greatest mage in the Grand Duke's household.”
“Wow...”
Lucillea couldn't help letting out a small gasp.
Noah Radebian.
May explained that Noah was a mage who had voluntarily sworn himself into service to the Grand Duke's family and was responsible for teaching magic to children selected by the Elite Corps.
Not only financial support, but protective enchantments as well.
So this is the wealth of the Grand Duke's family...!
Astonished by the sheer scale of their support, Lucillea accepted the jewelry box as May offered it again.
“Go ahead. Pick one.”
“Hmmm...”
She slowly examined its contents.
Necklaces adorned with gemstones of every color lay neatly arranged inside.
Diamonds.
Sapphires.
Rubies.
Emeralds.
Every single one looked valuable, though a few appeared noticeably older than the rest.
She said I'd be wearing it all the time.
In that case, shouldn't the biggest, prettiest, and most expensive-looking one be the obvious choice?
Thinking so, Lucillea rummaged through the box.
Then—
Something suddenly caught her eye.
W-Wow...!
Her eyes widened.
At the end of a delicate gold chain hung a pendant about the size of a small coin.
The pendant appeared to be modeled after the World Tree.
Its trunk and branches were crafted from gleaming gold, while tiny leaves hanging from the branches were formed from pale-green gemstones.
Compared to the other jewelry, traces of age were clearly visible.
Yet the moment she saw it, every other necklace vanished from her attention.
“Th-this one...”
“...”
As Lucillea pointed at the necklace as though entranced, May's eyebrows twitched slightly.
“Are you certain you'd like this one?”
Lucillea nodded immediately.
“Yes! This one!”
May carefully removed the necklace from the box and fastened it around Lucillea's neck.
“You're actually the first person to choose this necklace.”
The first...
Lucillea stared at her reflection.
The necklace resembled nature itself.
Especially the gemstone leaves.
They looked as though the lush greenery of early summer had been carved into light and given physical form.
As she admired it in fascination, May spoke.
“That light-green gemstone is natural peridot. Time has faded its brilliance somewhat, but long ago it was so popular that people called it a gift from the sun. Have you ever heard of it?”
Lucillea shook her head.
“No. This is my first time hearing about it.”
As she adjusted Lucillea's hair and necklace, May continued.
“A very long time ago, there was a notorious—”
She quickly corrected herself.
“—or rather, an extraordinarily powerful genius spirit contractor.”
A spirit contractor?
Lucillea tilted her head.
There were spirit contractors in this novel?!
She knew about mages and aura-using sword masters.
But she had no memory of spirit contractors ever appearing in the original story.
May continued.
“That spirit contractor decorated their magic wand with peridot. After that, it became extremely popular among mages and spirit contractors alike.”
Lucillea tilted her head.
“If it was such an amazing gemstone, why has nobody chosen it until now?”
“Well...”
Maybe?
The smile in May's crescent-shaped eyes deepened.
“Perhaps it was waiting to meet Lady Lucillea.”
“...”
Waiting to meet me.
Lucillea knew it was simply something nice to say.
Still...
It sounded nice.
The corners of her mouth twitched upward.
Just look at this beautiful color.
As May had said, time had dimmed its brilliance.
But somehow that only made her like it more.
Instead of dazzling with youthful sparkle, it carried a quiet resonance earned through the years.
A gift from the sun.
The title suited it perfectly.
Its mysterious hue looked as though all the vitality of nature had been gathered together and condensed into a single jewel.
As Lucillea gazed at the necklace in a daze, an unreadable smile touched May's lips.
“Please treasure it.”
At those words, Lucillea carefully touched the pendant at her throat.
“I will! It's so beautiful. I'll take good care of it.”
“The necklace will be happy to hear that.”
After she had finished dressing, Lucillea asked May if she could explore the estate.
May hurried over as though she'd been waiting for the question.
“Oh my, of course! Sir Irevan said a short walk would be perfectly fine!”
She immediately fetched a coat.
Even the coat was extravagant.
“This was made from the fur of a fox hunted by His Grace the Grand Duke and the Young Master. The silver fur is beautiful, but more importantly, it's far warmer than ordinary animal pelts.”
“...”
At this point, asking why something so precious was being given to her felt pointless.
After all, she was already draped in treasures from head to toe.
This is the level of support provided by a Grand Duke's family...
“All right. Thank you.”
Lucillea simply accepted it and allowed May to help her into the coat.
Just then, Cookie came fluttering over after stuffing himself with fruit and landed on top of her head.
He appeared to have spent some time cleaning fruit juice from his beak, though faint red stains remained.
Cookie opened his mottled beak.
Ohoh!
[Lucy! Is this what you meant by the taste of turning your life around?! The taste of a life-changing reversal?! I think I finally understand now! Right now, you completely look like a newly rich person!]
Newly rich...? Not a noble lady?
[Oh, come on, Lucy.]
Cookie snorted.
[Look in the mirror. Calling that a noble lady is kind of... questionable.]
“...”
Lucillea looked at her reflection.
She was certainly covered in expensive and dazzling things.
Yet somehow, it all felt awkward.
Like a child sneaking around in her mother's clothes.
[But!]
Cookie nodded vigorously.
[You look way better than when you lived in that awful village! I can tell you're happy!]
“...”
Lucillea smiled softly.
Thank you, Cookie. Judging by your beak, you seem pretty happy too.
Puhihihit!
Cookie laughed and nodded enthusiastically.
[If both of us are happy, then we've succeeded! Life reversal! Bird-life reversal!]
It was probably too early to call it success.
But Lucillea simply smiled.
That's right.
This is only the beginning.
Even if she still looked like a country girl pretending to be a noble.
Even if the weight of the dress on her shoulders and the skirts brushing her feet still felt strange.
If I'm going to live in the Grand Duke's estate, I'll have to get used to things like this eventually.
Even so, she resolved never to forget her gratitude.
Just then, May took her hand.
“The indoor garden at the Descartes Grand Ducal Estate is absolutely beautiful. I'll show it to you today.”
Placing Cookie atop her head, Lucillea followed.
The moment they left her room, the air felt different.
Cooler.
Heavier somehow.
Without warning, May scooped Lucillea up into her arms and began descending the stairs.
Startled, Lucillea wrapped her arms around May's neck.
“I can walk!”
May grinned.
“Of course you can. I know that very well. But Sir Irevan specifically instructed you not to overexert yourself. In this estate, aside from His Grace, Sir Irevan's word is practically law.”
“Oh... I see.”
Having no choice, Lucillea quietly allowed herself to be carried.
It was embarrassing.
Yet strangely fun.
And much more comfortable than she'd expected.
Then—
Wow... My room was on the fifth floor?
She only realized this after reaching the first floor.
Good thing May carried me. Otherwise, I would've used up all my energy just climbing down.
Thinking about going up and down those stairs regularly already made her dizzy.
At that moment, after exiting the annex, May carefully set her down and suddenly gasped.
“Ah! Lady Lucillea, your scarf!”
“I'm fine. This fur coat keeps me perfectly war—”
“You are absolutely not fine!”
“...Huh?”
“Right now, Lady Lucillea looks like a soap bubble that might go pop! if the wind blows too hard!”
“Excuse me?”
“A scarf isn't enough. I should bring earmuffs and a fur hat too! Please wait right here! I'll be back in a moment!”
Goodness! How could I forget something so important?!
Scolding herself, May hurried back inside.
“M-May!”
Lucillea called after her.
But May had already disappeared into the annex.
Lucillea stared at the entrance.
I'm really, really fine though...
The side effects from the gate had left her exhausted before, but after a good night's sleep she felt much better.
May didn't need to fuss over her this much.
It made her feel like she was causing trouble.
Sigh...
Letting out a small breath, Lucillea leaned against a pillar along the outdoor corridor.
That was when it happened.
“Hey, beggar. Stay right there.”
“Huh?”
A voice suddenly called out from somewhere nearby.