Declaration of a Maid
After that, my personal maid, Sarah, helped me change, even though I was practically a hollow shell.
Though this sort of help might be typical for a five-year-old noble lady, it just feels like nursing care to me at the age of eighty-two. Sarah, I’m sorry.
And then, I headed to the dining room for dinner.
My parents and brothers were already seated at the table, waiting for me.
“I’m terribly sorry to have kept you waiting.”
I greeted them with a graceful curtsy.
Even though I’d only ever seen this gesture in movies, my body moved on its own.
Reincarnation really is something.
Father, Mother, and Brother Noel gave me warm smiles. Brother Gene, on the other hand, seemed to remember the incident from earlier and began trembling again.
“It’s fine. Take your seat.”
When Father urged me, I headed to my seat, and Gray, the butler, pulled out my chair.
Once I was seated, dinner was brought in.
Excited to experience my first meal in this other world, I eagerly waited. Soup, salad, a chicken steak for the main course, and bread were served.
Oh, it’s surprisingly normal.
But it’s been a while since I’ve had chicken steak, given that an old woman’s teeth wouldn’t exactly handle it well.
“Thank you for the meal.”
With that, I began eating… Huh? Why is everyone frozen in place again?
I didn’t say anything strange, did I?
Saying a few words before eating is standard, isn’t it?
Looking around with a puzzled expression, I noticed everyone was startled and resumed eating.
What was that pause about?
Oh well, let’s eat.
To be honest, the meal… wasn’t good.
It made me realize just how fortunate I was with food in my previous world.
Even the meals my grandchildren made as surprises were probably tastier than this.
The soup was bland… I could tell it was packed with vegetables.
Potatoes, carrots, onions…
So, it’s the same in this world. That’s actually quite touching.
But still, it’s bland.
It feels like they just boiled everything and served it as is.
Just adding consommé would make a difference—does it not exist in this world?
The salad consisted solely of lettuce… just green everywhere.
With just a sprinkle of salt on top—am I a bug?
Surely, they could add a bit more, right?
Even my youngest grandchild would throw in a cherry tomato.
Color is important, you know.
The main dish was chicken steak. It tasted like breast meat.
Yeah, it’s dry.
It’s going to sap all the moisture out of my mouth.
If they’d just dusted it with a bit of flour before frying, it would’ve been more tender and juicy. Such a waste.
And the bread… It’s hard.
It’s practically a rock, like pumice.
At eighty-two, my dentures might break, wouldn’t they?
If my five-year-old baby teeth broke, that’d be terrible. People in this world must have sturdy teeth.
Ah, I noticed everyone else dipping their bread into the soup.
My grandchildren often dipped their chocolate cookies in milk like that too.
I couldn’t finish the meal.
I feel genuinely sorry for whoever cooked it.
I know I shouldn’t waste food, but I just couldn’t do it.
After the meal, we moved to the living room for tea time.
Father had whiskey, Mother had wine.
My brothers had tea, and I had hot milk.
Once we had settled, Father brought up that particular subject.
“Joan, about the baptism ceremony—”
In the middle of Father’s words, I placed my hot milk down, stepped off the sofa, and immediately went into a “full prostration”.
““““Huh?””””
“I won’t ask to be a lady’s maid. I’ll settle for being a lowly servant, so please let me stay in the Lampail family!”
““““Huh!?””””
Oh, from that reaction, does this mean they’re going to cast me out?
I couldn’t raise my head due to the tears and snot.
A gentle floating sensation and the scent of whiskey and ink told me that Father had picked me up.
Seeing my tear-streaked face, Father gave a slight chuckle and used his handkerchief to wipe me clean. I felt so bad for him.
I’ll wash it and return it later.
Father then carried me to the sofa, set me on his lap, and began gently patting my head.
It’s one of five-year-old me’s favorite things, but it feels embarrassing for eighty-two-year-old me.
“Why did you think of such a thing?”
Father asked me gently.
Mother and my brothers were also waiting patiently for me to explain.
“Well… it’s because… I’m a… Null attribute… I don’t have any of the five attributes like my brothers… I thought… my presence… would bring shame to the Lampail family…”
I slowly explained my reasoning, trying not to cry.
“Listen carefully, Joan. Even if you're a Null attribute, you’re an irreplaceable part of our family. That won’t ever change.”
Father said as he hugged me tightly.
“So… I can stay here?”
I asked timidly.
“Of course.”
Father hugged me again.
That alone made me feel at ease.
“You’re my precious, beloved daughter.”
Mother embraced me too.
My vision blurred with tears again.
Brother Noel came over and gently stroked my cheek.
“My adorable little sister is only Joan.”
Whoa, easy there, big brother. That’s a bit much for me to handle.
Oh? Now that I look closely, he resembles that handsome actor my eldest grandchild likes.
Brother Gene also came over, pinched my little nose, and said,
“You look all messed up from crying. You’re prettier when you’re smiling, you know?”
He then turned away, perhaps embarrassed by his own words.
Oh, is he playing the tsundere role now?
This makes my heart skip a beat too. Like my email friend once said, is this what they call “gap moe”?
He reminds me of my second grandchild. Quite the awkward one.
After that, I ended up falling asleep on Father’s lap, exhausted from crying.
What do you think about this chapter?
