1. To the Sargent Margraviate

While we were waiting for the Spirit Tree to finish growing so we could get a cutting from it, I focused mainly on manners lessons. “Former” or not, I couldn’t make any mistakes when meeting with the former Emperor of Radzuel.

I’d gotten my curtsey to an acceptable level, and I practiced table manners every day at mealtimes, so I was fine there, but carrying on a conversation using proper noble lady language was difficult... My teacher gave me points for effort, but half a month wasn’t enough for them to give me a passing grade. In the end, we decided that I’d just have to try not to speak much...

＋＋＋

The day before we left, we had a send-off party in my lab. The fact that we were being sent to Radzuel to plant a cutting of the Spirit Tree was top-secret, so only a few people knew. Publicly, we were telling people that I was headed to the Sargent Margraviate to greet my new family. Lord Glen would be accompanying me to see about the miasma near the border, and to give my adoptive father proof that I’d become a research fellow.

“I didn’t expect that I wouldn’t be able to go with you...” My adoptive brother Marx, Deputy Commander of the Second Order of Knights, was sulking in the corner. My birth mother and my adoptive father were siblings, so Brother was also my cousin. It turned out that he was being sent on a mission that only he was suited for, and wouldn’t be able to take a vacation or accompany me.

“Though I would feel quite relieved if you could accompany me, Brother... There is nothing we could do...” I said, trying to stick to my ladylike speech, only to get a sad look back.

“Chelsea is becoming a lady...”

“Your sister’s gonna start hating you sooner or later if you don’t acknowledge her efforts.” For some reason, Lord Tris’s comment sounded really sure. He might have had a sister.

“Oh, no! I understand Chelsea is trying her best! It’s a bit lonely that she’s speaking so formally... But it’s a good thing!” Standing up, Brother gave me a grin. I pretended I didn’t notice it twitching.

“I wanted to go, too, but I couldn’t leave the field to anyone else.” Lord Tris sighed.

“Thank you very much. It’s thanks to you that we can go without worrying,” I said, trying to give him my best smile.

His cheeks went red, and he smiled. “...I’m really glad you’ve learned to smile, now.”

He said something, but I didn’t hear it through the knock at the door. In came my maid, Gina, pushing a cart. We already had tea and all sorts of sweets spread out on the table, but she seemed to be bringing something else.

“I’ve brought your favorite cake, Lady Chelsea.” Looking closer, I realized it was the trifle cake that I loved. The cake with custard and cream on top of fluffy sponge cake, with lots of different fruits, was always delicious, and I could remember smiling as I ate it.

“If you want more cake, you’ll need to come back home soon!” my other maid, Martha, said jokingly as she poured us our tea.

Though both Gina and Martha were my personal maids, they hadn’t been told about my mission. Because they only thought I was going to visit my family, they were staying here.

«Since everyone is here, you should begin.» Kitten Ele spoke up from his spot curled up on the sofa with a yawn. Normal people could only hear his voice as meowing, so Gina, who loved cats, jumped.

“You’re right. Since we’re all here, let’s hope for a safe trip for Chelsea...and get eating!”

At Lord Glen’s prompt, everyone took their seats and started eating the cake and sweets. After saying a prayer to the earth god, I started eating my slice of trifle cake. The fluffy sponge cake, two creams, and the sourness of the fruits all went together so well, and it was delicious! I couldn’t help but smile. After two, three bites, I realized everyone was staring at me.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, completely forgetting to talk like a lady...

“You look like you’re really enjoying it...” commented Lord Glen.

“I’m happy you can eat more, now,” said Brother with a smile.

“Strawberries are best left for last. You’re just like me!” Lord Tris grinned.

I went red. “It’s embarrassing to be watched as I eat...!” I said, puffing out my cheeks, only for them all to look at each other and laugh.

＋＋＋

The day we left, the weather was beautiful, with not a cloud in the sky.

“We’ll be awaiting your return.”

“We’ll be waiting, okay?!”

My chest felt warm as Gina and Martha saw me off at the carriage. They’re waiting for me... I was so happy I couldn’t speak, so I just nodded at them. They must have realized what I was thinking, so they smiled back.

Then, Lord Tris appeared. He was holding a paper bag the size of both of my hands.

“I got these from the head chef,” he said, showing me the contents. “Cookies, caramels, and candy. He made them just for you.”

“Thank you very much. I’ll take care to enjoy them,” I thanked him, bowing a little.

“The cookies’ll go bad soon, so you should eat them first.” He gave me a smile.

“We should leave shortly.” Lord Glen, who had been talking to the coachman, spoke up.

“Alright.”

Taking his hand, I stepped inside the carriage. Ele was already inside in his kitten form.

“I’ll see you all,” I told the three seeing me off, and gave them each a smile.

“Please have a good trip.” Gina and Martha both bowed as they spoke simultaneously.

And Lord Tris...

“I’ll be looking forward to the souvenirs!” he said, waving his hand.

I waved back at them as the carriage started moving. We were leaving through the fortress’s side gate, and heading through Count Mogridge’s territory first. After that, we’d go through a few different territories before reaching the Sargent Margraviate in ten days.

In the four-seater carriage, there was a wooden box that would be a bit too long for me to hold on the front side, so I sat directly beside Lord Glen. Ele was curled up on top of it, sleeping.

“What is this box for...?” I asked.

Lord Glen nodded and replied, “It’s the cutting branch.”

Since the Spirit Tree, my Skill, and our mission were all top-secret, I’d been told ahead of time to be careful when I spoke while we were traveling. We didn’t know exactly how much could be heard outside of the carriage, so he didn’t mention the Spirit Tree at all.

“It’s smaller than I thought it would be.” Compared to the seed that I’d planted outside of the Research Institute, that one had grown to be just as tall at five stories. I thought that the branch for the cutting would be bigger than I was, but it seemed that I was wrong.

While I looked at the box, Ele woke up. «So we’ve finally left... I will have to stay with this box until we plant the cutting. I hope that it is sooner rather than later...»

“Why can’t you leave the box?” I asked, confused, only to get a yawn in return.

«I’m constantly using magic to keep the branch safe and from drying out, so I cannot leave it.»

“Keeping it fresh, huh... We didn’t use any of that magic,” Lord Glen grumbled, putting a hand to his chin.

«Ah, that’s right. There is something I must give you.» Ele, still in his kitten form, used his front paws to open the lid of the box. I could see the branch inside, but...

“...It doesn’t look much like a branch...” Rather than a branch, it looked like a rolling pin made of glass, sparkling.

«Spirit Trees are not normal trees. Everything about them is unique.» While I was nodding in understanding, Ele pushed both of his paws towards the branch.

“...Eh?!” His paws were inside the branch...

Lord Glen was shocked too, because his mouth was wide open, with a hand over it. As we blinked to make sure we were seeing things right, Ele pulled his paws out of the branch. In them was a sparkling, glass-like bracelet.

“What was...that?” Lord Glen asked, careful not to say much.

Ele pointed at the branch with his paw as he answered. «The Spirit Trees are connected to the Spirit World. I only took out something that I had put inside.»

On the old scroll, it had been written that the Spirit Tree birthed Spirits, but the truth was that they came from the Spirit World, which was on the other side of ours.

«I only put my hands inside, because I cannot leave the branch, but I can go back and forth from the Spirit World.»

“So you can still use branches that have been cut off to do that...”

“I thought you wouldn’t be able to go back once you came...”

Ele shook his head at us as we muttered.

«I give this to you, Lady Chelsea,» the kitten said, handing me the bracelet. «It’s made from a branch of the Spirit Tree. Wear it as a protective charm.»

“Thank you,” I said, slipping it onto my left wrist without thinking. But suddenly, it shrunk with a swish, fitting right around my wrist. I shook my arm in shock, but it wouldn’t come off. “Huh?! I can’t take it off... Is it cursed?”

Lord Glen looked closely at the bracelet from his spot beside me as I sat there at a loss. “I’ve appraised it, but it’s just a bracelet to keep the miasma away. No curse at all. It also has something called an ‘Everything Storage Function,’” he told me, whispering in my ear so that the coachman and the guard knights outside wouldn’t hear.

“What does it do?” I said, trying to be unspecific.

Ele answered as he pushed the box’s lid back into place. «The bracelet is connected to a personal storage room for you in the Spirit World. Anything you want to be stored will be sent to the room at your request.»

“So it’s the Spirit version of an Item Box...” Lord Glen mumbled.

«Similar, yes.»

“What is...an Item Box?” I asked quietly.

“An extra-dimensional spot where you can put things in or take them out. You can take whatever you want inside or out, no matter the size or weight. But time stops inside, so you can’t put anything living inside.”

“Is that how you sometimes pull things out of nowhere?”

Lord Glen stayed silent, giving me a cheeky smile and a nod.

«Try putting the bag of sweets in your hand inside.»

Following Ele’s directions, I looked at the bag and whispered, “Please take this.” The moment I did, the bag disappeared.

«There are Spirits assigned to your storage room in the Spirit World. They’ll always be waiting for you to call them, so please use it every now and again.»

There are Spirits assigned to me?! I looked at the bracelet in shock, and it glittered back at me.

«The Spirits taking care of your belongings are too low ranked to come to this world, so they’re looking forward to you leaving things with them.»

Spirits have ranks?! And if they’re looking forward to looking after my things, I’m gonna have to put things inside often.

“How do I get things out?” I asked.

«Think of the name and quantity of what you want to withdraw, and either whisper or think that you want it back. Then, it will fly out. But unlike an Item Box, please don’t put in things that will rot after a long time left alone. The Spirit World runs at the same time as this world.»

I nodded, then whispered again, “I’d like the sweet bag I just put in back.”

The moment I did, the paper bag appeared...and almost dropped to the floor before Lord Glen caught it.

“Thank you.”

“Good thing your cookies didn’t break,” he said, smiling.

«I told you that it would fly out...» Ele shook his head at us, but no one would expect it to fly out of nowhere! «I’ll be resting more. Since I’m constantly using magic, I need more rest than normal.»

With that, he curled back up on the box and fell asleep. I saw the bag with my book out of the corner of my eye, so I thought that I’d like for them to take it. It still surprised me when it disappeared.

“The bracelet isn’t only pretty, but has an amazing function, too, huh.”

“Yeah. It’s handy, and a beautiful bracelet...” For some reason, Lord Glen looked like he had mixed feelings.

＋＋＋

Because we’d practiced staying at inns before, our trip went smoothly, without any incidents. Normally, when nobles went on trips, they’d get a warm welcome in the territories they passed through, and would buy lots of different things in the territories, villages and towns as thanks.

“They want richer nobles to do lots of shopping and help with the development of the region.”

However, we weren’t getting that kind of welcome on our trip. The reason being that I hadn’t had my debut into society yet. Sometime in between awakening your Skill at twelve, and becoming an adult at fifteen, you’d debut into high society. Until then, you wouldn’t publicly meet with other nobles. And since Lord Glen was headed to the Sargent Margraviate on a royal job, he was refusing all of the welcomes by saying he was in a hurry.

“I’m fine with doing some shopping in town, but I don’t like getting greeted like that,” he explained with a strained smile.

On the afternoon of our tenth day of travel from the capital, we reached the main town in the Margraviate’s territory. The town was filled with brown-bricked houses, and I couldn’t get enough of the difference in mood from the capital. Margrave Sargent’s manor was on the west side of the town. It was called a manor, but it was big like a castle, and about the same size as the Research Institute and the lodging house combined.

As I got caught up looking at it through the little carriage window, we stopped in front of the entrance. The door opened, and Lord Glen stepped out first. Then, he took my hand and helped me down.

Ele didn’t move from his spot on the box with the Spirit Tree cutting, as he said he wouldn’t. The guard knights said they’d carry him inside with the box, so we headed for the entrance hall. There, lots of people like maids and attendants were lined up to greet us.

“Welcome to the Sargent Margraviate. Though it’s a small manor, please take the time to relax here.”

In the middle of all the people was a tall man with pale golden hair and the same purple eyes as mine... My adoptive father and maternal uncle, Lord Jamesfort, the current Margrave Sargent. He bowed to Lord Glen.

“Thank you,” Lord Glen replied, with a fake smile I didn’t see often. Then, he glanced my way and shot me a gentle smile before whispering, “See you later.”

Since he had to act like a royal from now on, we’d be moving separately. He said that we’d have to act by the book, because we weren’t sure who was watching.

My adoptive father glanced at me too, and smiled. Then, as Lord Glen started walking, he joined him and walked inside the manor. As I watched them go off, Lady Ariel, my adoptive mother with her glossy black hair and black eyes, quickly walked over, standing directly in front of me.

“Welcome home, Chelsea.”

“T-Thank you, Lady Sargent,” I said, giving a very nervous curtsey.

She tilted her head, troubled.

“You’re our family now, so you don’t need to act so formal. And since we’re family... Can you call me ‘Mother’?”

“O-Okay...Mother.”

She smiled softly and gave me a tight hug when I called her ‘Mother,’ and the servants watching all smiled too.

“You must be exhausted from the long carriage ride. I’d like to tell you that you can rest, but you should meet your grandmother and grandfather first!”

“Alright.”

She led me inside the manor, and then even farther inside.

“Deeper into the manor is where we live as the Margrave’s family. The front is where the people involved in the management of the margraviate work, and guest rooms.”

The area when we first entered was decorated with vases and paintings, and looked really extravagant. But the farther in we got, they all disappeared, changing into cute furniture and colorful flowers. It looked like the inner section was decorated to the family’s tastes.

When we got to the sunroom in the deepest part of the manor, Grandfather and Grandmother looked at me in shock. Grandfather had the same pale gold hair and purple eyes as my adoptive father, and Grandmother had green eyes and the same light pink hair as me. I really feel like I’m related...!

Still looking shocked, they rushed up to me, touching my head, cheeks, and shoulders. I froze, since I hadn’t expected that.

“Mother, Father, you’ve surprised poor Chelsea,” Mother chided them.

They came to their senses and stopped touching me, but then just started staring at my face.

“I’m sorry, I just didn’t think you’d look so much like Sophia... I’m Jakefort. You can call me Jake.”

“Welcome, Chelsea. I’m your grandmother, Emma.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Grandfather Jake, Grandmother Emma,” I greeted them with a curtsey, and they smiled.

It wasn’t weird for me to introduce myself to family with a curtsey, was it...? Nervous, I looked over at Mother, but she was smiling too. I’m glad I did the right thing! They urged me to sit down on the sofa, so I did. Huh? The fabric on this sofa is so silky!

As I ran my hands over the sofa fabric, Grandmother whispered, “She’s nothing like her on the inside.”

“Her” was probably comparing me to my birth mother. Mother had told me that my behavior was similar. What did she mean by saying I wasn’t like her on the inside?

“Um... What kind of person was my birth mother?” Mother had told me to ask them about her, so I did. They smiled gently back.

“Hmm... To put it simply, she was a tomboy,” said Grandfather.

“‘Tomboy’ doesn’t cover half of it. She’d chase after her brothers, climb trees, swing swords... She was nothing like a noble lady,” sighed Grandmother.

“She was always wearing the same shirts and pants as her older brothers.”

“There was no choice. If you put her in a dress, she’d come back with it ripped and covered in mud.”

My jaw dropped in shock. They’re talking about when she was little... Right? It seems she was lively...

“She went off with them exterminating monsters when she became an adult, didn’t she?”

“I wanted her to act more ladylike, but she was very strong...”

Wait, wait... She was still like that as an adult? Rather than lively, that’s... Um... I stopped understanding, just blinking more.

“I told her to go to some tea parties as an adult, but...” Grandmother sighed again.

“Oh yes, she’d go to them dressed as a man,” Mother chimed in.

With that, the image of my mother in my head shattered. It was my fault for building her up as some sort of holy mother when I didn’t have any memories of her, but to think she was that...lively. I didn’t know she was that much of a tomboy.

“Ah, um, Sophia had two Upper-level Skills. She was a very smart girl.”

“Yes, she could do anything. She’d cook, clean and do laundry, just like the maids.”

“She always said that she could marry into any family.”

When they noticed my stunned look, Grandfather, Grandmother, and Mother all rushed to tell me her good points. But my mental image had already been destroyed.

“T-That’s right! We’ve got portraits of her!” Grandmother rang a bell, and a maid came with the portraits. “This is her at three years old.”

A little girl with the same light pink hair and purple eyes as me stood in a cute dress, smiling with her chest puffed out.

“This is from when she was eight.”

The little girl was smiling happily in riding clothes.

“This is her at twelve, after awakening to her Skills.”

The girl, taller than me, smiled in men’s clothes.

“Here’s her after she became an adult.”

All of the portraits of her as an adult had her wearing gowns and grinning fearlessly.

“She’s smiling in every portrait... She must have been really happy.” I murmured. Hearing me, both Grandfather and Grandmother looked like they were about to cry.

“Will you tell us about how you’ve lived up until now, Chelsea?” Grandfather asked.

After drinking the rest of my tea, I slowly told them all that had happened. ...I probably shouldn’t have gone into such detail. By the time I realized that, Grandfather had left the room in a rage.

“You’ve lived a hard life... I’m sorry we couldn’t save you sooner. We’ll do our best to protect you from now on,” Grandmother said, moving to sit beside me before hugging me tight and stroking my hair.

“Thank you.” I tried to give her my best smile, and hugged her tightly back.

After a while, Grandfather came back to the sunroom, looking slightly refreshed.

“This is your home. You can do whatever you want while you’re here.”

I gave a strained smile in response, and Grandfather pet me on the head too.

“Is there anything you want?” Grandfather asked.

“U-Um...” I had lots of clean, pretty clothes, and I ate yummy things every day. I couldn’t think of anything else I wanted.

“Would you like me to do upsies with you?”

“What are upsies?”

All three of the adults looked sad for some reason when I asked that.

“I would pick you up like this...” Grandfather mimed lifting something up high and putting it down a few times. I remembered seeing Margaret being played with like that when we were little. But that was for little kids.

“That’s a bit...” I knew that my height made me look younger than twelve, and I was a child compared to Grandfather, but I wasn’t THAT young, so I shook my head.

“Oh Jake, your bad habit is showing again,” Grandmother admonished him, moving between us. “You should rest for the rest of today.”

Grandfather looked really dissatisfied.

“Thank you.” After thanking Grandmother and bowing to Grandfather, I left the sunroom with Mother.

“I’ll show you to your room,” she said.

“Okay, thank you very much.”

“Oh, dear, you don’t have to be so formal with family.” She gave me another tight hug.

I wasn’t sure what to do. I’d studied how to talk like a proper lady, but I didn’t know how you were supposed to talk to family...

Mother showed me to a room on the second floor, and I saw nothing but flowers when we opened the door. The sofa, bed, curtains, carpets... Everything was flower-patterned. The well-used looking chest and the closet both had flower decorations. Even the drawer pulls were shaped like flowers.

“This was your mother’s room, and now it’s yours. We left the furniture the way it was and bought all new things, but if you want another pattern, just tell us and we’ll have it changed,” Mother explained, giving me a smile.

My birth mother’s room...but now it’s mine. I smiled naturally at the thought that I had another place to call home other than my room back in the lodging house at the Institute.

“Thank you for the wonderful room.”

“I’m glad you like it. There’s still time until dinner, so you should rest for now.” Saying that, Mother left the room.

Besides myself, there was also a maid here who started making tea for me. I sat down on the sofa and looked around. Everywhere I looked was covered in a floral design. I’d heard that my mother was a free and lively person, but she might have also liked cute things. It feels kinda weird... It’s not nostalgic, but sort of warm... I can’t explain it.

Letting my guard down, I accidentally let a big yawn slip. The maid making my tea pretended she didn’t see it.

“I might have a nap...” I muttered to myself. Laying back on the sofa, all of the fatigue from the long trip put me right to sleep.