The item inside the box was wrapped in a white cloth.

It was flat—maybe clothes or something?

“Ooh?”

As I unwrapped the white cloth, a blue fabric appeared from within.

Red on the inside of the box, white wrapping, and blue contents… quite colorful.

Anyway, I lifted up the blue fabric and unfolded it.

The material was thin and very light, but… just by touching it, I could tell it was sturdy.

This is a high-quality item made from monster materials, isn’t it?

“Hmm… a cloak? Ah, it’s embroidered with our family crest.”

The cloak was much larger than the one I’d received in the past—nearly adult-sized.

And on its back, right in the center, the Lisellia family crest was embroidered in black thread.

“Father is preparing something from the Müller family, of course. But for our side… When we go to the royal capital in spring, wear this over your shoulders on top of the Müller family cloak.”

I see…

Even though I have an exclusive contract with Seriana, my status is technically still independent.

But starting next year, I’ll officially be part of the Müller family.

Even so, I’ll remain in Riana, so maybe something like this is necessary to clarify my affiliation—more than just my status.

I don’t wear clothing with family crests anymore, but I used to wear a maid outfit with an embroidered crest back in the day.

I guess this cloak is like a uniform or an ID badge now.

“Whoooa… so cool…!”

Even a slight movement of the hand holding the edge made it flutter, showing off the vivid blue color.

It’ll probably look great when paired with the red cloak of the Müller family.

I tried it on for a test—surprisingly, it felt even lighter than when I was just holding it. It didn’t get in the way of my movements at all.

This is the first proper cloak I’ve had since Liesel’s, but it’s in a whole different league.

“Doesn’t look like it needs any alterations… I’ve also ordered clothes, but the tailor will bring those in person, so they’ll come later.”

“Oh, there are clothes too?”

“Formal ones, of course… They’re tailored to fit you as you are now, so look forward to them.”

“Yeah, thanks!”

Ceremonial clothes for the royal capital, huh…

Unlike that fake knight cosplay outfit I wore before, this might actually be the real deal.

I’m not particularly interested in fashion… but still, I’m kind of looking forward to it.

◇

Now then… we finished carrying in my gifts and also took the opportunity to remove the leftover provisions meant for a siege.

It would’ve been easy to carry them out using 【Hideout】, but since they were brought into the mansion, it had to be done by the servants.

Sorry for troubling everyone.

I should really do something to thank them…

Anyway, the servants had now left the room, and Elena, who’d been over at the main building, had joined us.

With Fiora joining as well, the usual members were all here, and just like always, it was time to check the gifts.

The senders were already listed, but we hadn’t looked through the contents yet.

However…

“I didn’t do anything… is this really okay?”

“This is the fastest way, right?”

“Yeah…”

Teresa and Elena opened the packages and took out the contents.

Seriana and Fiora wrote everything down on the list.

And me? I just sat on the sofa by the window, listening to the sound of rain as I watched them work.

As Seriana said, this probably isn’t the kind of task that gets more efficient with more people. So maybe this really is fine…

“Oh… what’s this? Sera?”

“Hmm? What is it?”

Elena, who had been unwrapping a package, seemed to notice something and called out to me.

Wondering what it was, I walked over to find her holding a small box.

She opened the lid so I could see, and inside…

“…Money? Uh, one, two…”

There were 20 gold coins inside.

…A bribe?

I accepted it from Elena, but tilted my head in confusion, unsure what to do with it.

“That’s from a merchant guild in town. If I recall, they mostly deal in accessories and the like.”

“Oh…?”

Accessories, huh…

Not really my thing.

I wear stuff sometimes, but only because others gave them to me—and not for fashion, but to camouflage the fact that they’re Blessed Items.

Still, why would a store like that give me money?

Twenty gold coins is a pretty hefty sum…

“It’s basically their way of saying, ‘Please shop at our store using this money.’ If you’re not interested, you can just pocket it. But since their shop is based in this town, even if you don’t go yourself, it’d be best to buy something small. That way, they can say that you made a purchase from them.”

Ah… So it’s like a catalog gift.

“We’re giving you money—please use it in our shop.”

Feels like a lot of money, but I guess it doubles as a marketing expense.

“Sera, there are a few more of these as well.”

Elena showed me a few more boxes just like the first.

I now understood why I’d received money, but…

“This kind of thing didn’t happen before, right? Is this normal?”

I’ve received many gifts in the past, but I’m pretty sure this never happened before.

Must be something new this year?

“It’s not against the rules or anything, but unless a family is truly impoverished, sending cash to a minor isn’t exactly considered proper. You probably received these because you’re now an adult.”

Elena smiled as she said that, looking right at me.

Same as Seriana, I’ve known Elena for a long time.

At this point… maybe she feels more like a relative.

She’s known me since I was a little brat… when I think about it like that, it really is kind of touching.

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

Sera・Blessing・【Hideout】+1【Prayer】【Mira’s Blessing】【Wind’s Garment】 Blessed Item・【Floating Orb】+1【Shadow Sword】+1【Scarlet Bee Needle】【Fairy’s Eye】【Dragon’s Lung】【Amber Sword】【Danrem’s Thread】【Serpent’s Tail】【Ankle Bracelet】【Amber Shield】【Purple Wings】【Red Sword】【Monkey’s Arm】・8 cards

Seriana・【Area Identification】・【】・0 cards

Elena・【】・【Green Fang】【Amber Sword】・4 cards

Alec・【Strong Strike】・【Red Shield】【Fierce Horned Trumpet】・10 cards