Volume 5 Chapter 24 Bonus Chapter
"Ah, thank you."
Catherine nodded at the cup handed to her. The maids around her were staring, their gazes sharp like needles... but it felt a bit underwhelming.
Catherine was taken to a glass-walled garden room. It was a cozy space that captured sunlight, making it warm and comfortable even in the middle of winter.
As Catherine and Leon fidgeted with their cups, Liz smiled softly, "Hehe."
"You don't need to be nervous; no one will bite you."
Elegant Liz made Catherine whisper,
"...but... I'm the one who set you up, you know."
It was an awkward confession, but it was the truth. For the people in this house, Catherine was nothing but an enemy. As Cedric had shown earlier, it felt normal to sense piercing gazes and hostility in this strange situation.
"We don't show hostility to our guests."
Behind the smiling Liz, Miranda nodded vigorously. Lucian wasn't in the mansion right now. So, Cedric was in charge, and he had instructed everyone to treat Catherine as a guest.
For the people in this house, that alone was a good enough reason to welcome Catherine.
"...That 'shadow' thing was the same, but all the staff are way too skilled."
Catherine shivered, and Miranda bowed her head, saying, "I'm honored." With that gesture, Catherine looked back at Miranda, remembering her name and her impressive presence, recalling Miranda's role in the game.
"Miranda, could it be... [Blade Maiden of the Azure Moon]?"
Catherine whispered, "It's an embarrassing name," and Miranda bowed her head again.
In the game, she is enemy that appear alongside Cedric, the boss character from the rebellious Marquis family, who is also Liz's brother. Since the game is still in the early middle stages, both of them are not very strong in terms of stats, so they didn't seem too intimidating. But the woman smiling in front of Catherine is clearly someone far beyond Arthur or Edgar.
Cedric was the same.
Catherine shivered, realizing that if they had charged ahead, they would have been brutally defeated.
Catherine's face turned pale, but Liz probably didn't think about the silly past of tracing the game. She just looked down, feeling sorry, as if she was only remembering Cedric from earlier.
"Still... I'm really sorry."
Catherine, back in reality, shook her head and said so. Even Catherine understood that Liz was referring to Cedric's earlier attitude.
"Your elder brother is such a wonderful person."
With a sigh, Catherine started to talk about how Cedric's hostility made her realize her own mistakes.
"You might not care, but others do... I really felt it."
As Catherine tilted her cup with a sigh, Liz gave her an indescribable expression. It was nice that Cedric's feelings reached Catherine, but at the same time, Liz realized she had been a bit naive.
"Let's stop talking about this."
"Yeah, let's just say we're in the same boat."
The two of them shared a wry smile and tilted their cups almost at the same time. Miranda, watching them, had a complicated expression. Cedric's attitude was understandable, and it was actually strange that Liz was sitting at the table with them.
So, as she watched the two get excited about school stories and the prototype they brought, Miranda's face seemed to say, "I don't really get it."
"Ms. Miranda... I'm sorry for worrying you."
Liz mumbled without looking back, and Miranda shook her head, saying, "No way..." It was as if she understood Miranda's feelings, and Miranda couldn't help but touch her face repeatedly.
That instinctive action was interrupted by Catherine's wry smile from across the table. Miranda straightened up with a cough and tightened her expression before speaking.
"Lady Liza, I always say this. Please call me just Miranda, not 'Ms. Miranda'."
With a sigh, Miranda spoke, and Liz turned back with a smile.
"If I do that, it might cause trouble later."
"What do you mean by that...?"
While Miranda tilted her head in confusion, Catherine looked at her with a happy smile and said, "Oh, really?"
Catherine spoke to Liz, and Miranda opened her mouth, asking, "What do you mean by 'really'?"
"That's right."
Liz's smile interrupted her. While Miranda looked puzzled, the two of them started chatting away happily...
"Can you explain what you mean?"
"Eek!"
Miranda leaned closer to Catherine, and Liz gently reminded her, "Ms. Miranda, we have a guest here."
Reluctantly, Miranda stepped back, but her expression was no longer dark. There was a sense of relief on her face, as if to say, "Maybe this is for the best."
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