Chapter 8: The Things I Can Do

T/N: This is what the automaton looks like in the manga

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“……. Haah….”

Turned out the duke was not pleased with me. But of course, if he were to say that,”we live in a different world”, I couldn’t say anything else but ,”you’re right.”

I looked down at the necklace adorning my neck, the necklace made a clinking sound when I fiddled with it. 

However, I couldn’t leave this residence because I couldn’t remove this cursed necklace yet. 

I thought I was finally able to make something delicious but…. It turned out my taste bud was wrong. Later on, I needed to apologize properly and asked for permission to stay in this mansion…

I restlessly ate up the rest of the food and tidied the plate. 

“…… I even had you to help me… I’m so sorry.”

『It’s alright. Please don’t be discouraged…. One day you’ll see that master is actually a very kind man.』

I couldn’t stop myself from rubbing my eyes when I heard words of comfort coming from Bhadra, the automaton. My tears, which had threatened to flow at any given moment, immediately halted from surprise. 

『It’s just, right now he has become distrustful of women because of that disgusting curse.』

“….But he told me to leave this mansion….”

『My lady… Can you really cast a curse to our master?』

“No! Things like curses are definitely impossible for me…”

『Then there’s no problem. Tomorrow and thereafter, you may continue to serve master whole-heartedly.』

“Y-Yes…”

『But from now on, can you use normal ingredients when you cook?』

“I understand.”

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Thanks to the intervention from Bhadra-san, the automaton, I was able to continue staying in this mansion. 

But… What kind life does a normal daughter of a noble family usually live….?

As for my sister, she’d put on a gorgeous dress and then call her friends to play card or board games together or play in the rivers and hold tea parties… I could see she had interacted with various people, deepening her relationship with them but as for me, I didn’t have anyone I could call as a friend nor did I have any tools for entertainment purposes. 

In the end, I asked Bhadra-san, the automaton, if I could continue helping around the house just like what I had always done back in my parent’s house. I cleaned up the mansion from the marine products that had fallen off of the master’s skin and while I was at it, I washed the things that looked delicious in salt water thoroughly and then dried it. 

Rather than having nothing to do and ending up feeling bored, I felt more comfortable if I could move my legs and hands,so I could have something to do to occupy my mind. Besides Bhadra-san, the automaton, she had smooth and slippery fingers so she was having a hard time grabbing those slimy marine products that kept on shedding from the duke’s skin due to his curse. The duty of cleaning the marine products in the mansion was perfect for me. 

『Miltia-sama, you’ve been a great help to me for helping me with the cleaning.』

In the past few days, I’ve made a good impression on Bhadra-san, the automaton, that she had started calling me by my name. Especially my cleaning skills. I couldn’t stop myself from smiling after I realized she had acknowledged my cleaning skills. 

『It feels great to have a clean room.  Well then, can you please take care of master’s bedroom too from now on?』

“Yes, certainly.”

『Master’s bedroom is… His bedroom is far dirtier than any of the room in this residence.』

You could easily recognize any path the duke had taken. He always left behind a trail of things like a lump of filth, fragments of his skin, wharf roaches and…. Various other secretions as a result of the curse. It seemed his bedroom, the place he dwelled in the most, was left in a terrible state. 

After receiving direction from Bhadra-san, I was somehow able to reach the duke’s bedroom. 

As per the courtesy between nobles, I knocked on his door three times. But… There was no response. 

…Maybe he’s not in his room?

This time, I followed the manners befitting of a menial servant toward their master and knocked five times. These five knocks were a signal for a message saying 「we’re going to come to clean your room」.

If there was still no response even after knocking five times, it was safe to assume the room was unoccupied and we were allowed to enter to clean it. I waited for a while and yet, there was still no response. 

“………Pardon my intrusion.”

When I opened the door with an audible click, I saw the room was indeed in a terrible state. 

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T/N: Now I’m imagining MC collecting all the sea creatures and then sorting them into edible or not edible categories ╭( ･ㅂ･ )ﾉ⌒◎