Secret
Six days had passed since the start of the new year, and tomorrow was the New Year's party.
Unlike the private gathering on New Year's Eve, this was a party where other nobles were invited. Because of that, the servants were cleaning even more thoroughly than usual.
I wonder who will be coming tomorrow?
Thinking about that, I found myself with nothing to do and headed toward the kitchen.
Morning tea time had already ended, and at this hour, I figured everyone would be free. But when I arrived, the kitchen was empty.
Huh? No one's here. Where did they go?
Oh well, I guess I'll look around and see if I can find someone.
Next, I headed to the servants' dining hall.
But it was empty as well.
Hmm, is everyone busy?
Alright! Let's keep going!
Thinking that surely someone must be around, I made my way to the living room.
There, I found Will dozing off and Lindsay reading a book.
"Oh my? Little Joan, what’s the matter?"
Grandmother closed her book and spoke to me.
"Nothing in particular, but everyone seems busy..."
"Hehe. So no one is keeping you company."
She said with a knowing smile, and I silently nodded.
"Well then, why don't you sit with me and chat? Come here."
With a beaming smile, I sat down beside my grandmother. Looking over, I noticed that her teacup was empty.
"Grandmother, would you like something to drink? Let’s see... I have limon honey, ripple tea, and mirange tea."
Checking my storage, I asked her.
"Then, I'll have some ripple tea. Hehe, Little Joan, your storage really is like a treasure chest, so many things come out of it."
"Hehe. Oh, Grandmother, who will be coming tomorrow?"
"We haven’t invited that many people. If it were in the royal capital, that would be one thing, but since this is the Margrave’s territory, inviting too many people would be inconsiderate. So mostly the nearby counts, viscounts, and barons. Also, some former and current Monster Subjugation Unit members, and some former Mage Corps members."
"The people from the Monster Subjugation Unit—are they Grandfather and Father's colleagues?"
"Yes, that’s right. And the Mage Corps members were Margaret and Julietta’s former colleagues."
"Wow, I’m looking forward to meeting them! Do you think they’ll tell stories from when they were in the corps?"
"I think they probably will... But is that something you want to hear about?"
"Yes! In my past life, monsters were purely fictional creatures."
"I see. Is that part of why you wanted to become an adventurer?"
"Ah, yes. I do admire them. Also, I want to know how strong I am."
"Your strength? You mean in terms of power?"
"Yes. In the Adventurers' Guild, rankings are determined by strength, right? I thought that if I ranked high enough, even as someone with the Null attribute, I wouldn’t be treated unfairly."
"!! My, Little Joan, you really do think far ahead."
"It's not exactly thinking ahead... I just want to do what I can and what I want to do now. I don’t know what the future holds, but I don’t want to regret not trying."
"Even if it leads to regret?"
"Mm... But if I don’t take action, I won’t even know if it was a mistake. I’d rather regret something I did than regret not doing it. That way, I’ll know how to act in the future."
"I see. That’s certainly one way to think about it. Say, Little Joan, can I ask you something?"
"What is it?"
"In your past life... How old were you when you passed away?"
"Eh... Wh-why do you ask?"
"Well, it’s not just about cooking and cleaning. Your way of speaking, your way of thinking... I know you’ve mentioned having a family, but you seem very composed, so I got curious."
"Ahh, you’re curious, after all. Will you keep it a secret from the others?"
"Oh? Why?"
"I think they’d be really surprised."
"Alright, then. It will be our little secret."
Saying that, Grandmother put a finger to her lips and winked.
"Yes, please keep it a secret. Grandfather, you too."
I turned my gaze to Grandfather, who had his eyes closed.
"Oh ho, so you noticed? Since when?"
"Around the part where we were talking about adventurers. Your eyelids were twitching."
"Hahaha, so from the very beginning. Well, then—how old were you?"
"… I was 82 years old."
“"!!”"
"See? Surprising, isn’t it? Please keep it a secret, okay?"
"Hehehe, well, no wonder you seem so composed."
"That’s true. No wonder your cooking and alcohol are so good. Hahahaha!"
"Little Joan, while we're at it, what was your family like?"
"My husband passed away before me, and I had a son and his wife, along with three grandchildren. Before I passed, I had caught a cold and was bedridden. I said goodnight to my grandchild... and then, just like that."
Tears welled up in Joan's eyes.
"I see. So that’s why you scolded Abe and the others when Anny caught a cold."
Lindsay gently embraced Joan as she spoke.
"Yes. I think in my case, old age also played a part. But still, I was worried because they were taking colds too lightly."
"Yes, Little Joan, you weren’t wrong. It’s okay."
She gently stroked my back.
"Thank you, Grandmother."
"But to think you were older than us... That’s quite the surprise."
"That’s why I kept it a secret. Please keep your promise, Grandfather."
"I know. But why are you especially warning me?"
"Mm, just a feeling. A woman’s intuition? Grandfather, you seem like the type to let something slip... and then laugh it off."
"Oh my, Little Joan, you’re absolutely right. Hehe, is this what they call a woman’s intuition built over years of experience? Impressive."
Even Grandmother said so, making Grandfather avert his gaze.
After that, the three of us enjoyed tea together and spent time chatting about trivial things.
Having shared my age with the two of them, I felt like a small weight had been lifted from my shoulders.
What do you think about this chapter?
