''Whew...''

It had been the fifth time the butler sighed. Although he was relatively young for a butler, his competency and decency were verified, so I felt quite bad. But there was nothing I could do.

After all, the precious lady of this house had been mistreated for God knew how long.

The man sitting across me while sweating profusely was Albert Blois, the head butler of the Orleans Marquisate. As it was, he held a position similar to that of a slave in this house.

Not that kind of slave. Like... corporate slave.

He was seriously overworked, basically doing all the work in the Marchioness's stead, which explained the reason he didn't notice Lyra's mistreatment going on.

In the story, he was the only one treating Lyra decently, so I could probably trust him to some extent.

''Butler, can I trust you to handle my sister's subordinates?''

Putting down the teacup, I asked with a soft voice. Perhaps because he wasn't a bad person, his face was ridden with guilt.

''Of course, my lady. Once again, I apologize for neglecting her—''

''Stop apologizing to me.'' I cut him off. ''Do it to Lyra instead.''

''...Understood.''

''Butler, I believe you don't harbor ill intentions, so please don't blame yourself. And... please pay attention to your health.''

His dark circles were seriously bad.

''Thank you, my lady.''

''...''

Somehow, Albert's wry smile as he left the room lingered in my mind for a while. As I turned to the window, there was still no moonlight present.

[The sky is ominous today.]

''I agree.''

At least I had Lucy to accompany me, I suppose. This mysterious-looking chibi lamb... was surprisingly nice to me, who had taken over Cecilia's body a while ago. Well, it wasn't as though the original Cecilia was a likable person.

[Should we move now?]

''...No. I'm sleepy.''

[You lazy bum... are you serious about your goal?]

''I am.''

No, really. There were still a few months until the story started, and my mission until then was to get closer to Lyra. By this time, that small girl must have fallen asleep already.

There was no point in staying up.

So, I tucked myself into the quilt and closed my eyes.

Hopefully, I would meet Charcoal again.

----------------------------------------

While drifting in the dreamland, I felt something irritating my eyes, accompanied by a faint voice resonating somewhere.

''—lady.''

''My lady, please wake up.''

Lifting my heavy eyelids, I saw sunlight washing over my bed. To my left, there was Mary, whose lower body had also been hit with the beam, in turn blurring her face above a bit.

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''Mhm...!''

As I was stretching out after a nice rest, I could feel my maid's gaze as if she just saw something absurd. Following her eyes, I reached my own chest. Since I only wore the bare minimum when going to sleep, it was now plainly visible.

It seemed these 'monsters' made her jealous.

''Have they prepared breakfast?'' I asked regardless.

''Ah... yes. Please allow me to wash your face.''

''Do my body roughly as well. I need something refreshing.''

''...Understood.''

Letting my maid drag my lethargic body to the bathroom, I closed my eyes and began to outline my plan for the day. Since it was a Sunday, Lyra wouldn't have any lessons, so I could try to spend more time with her.

''...''

Mary's hands were trembling, though. Was she not used to serving a lady?

Either way, not having to do most stuff was great. I used to live alone, so I was busy taking care of myself the most.

The subsequent breakfast was delivered to my room since the Marchioness and my mother had gone out on a date. I wonder if the four of us would ever eat a meal together. Even then, I didn't think it would be a pleasant experience.

Fortunately, the kitchen didn't dare to mess with me. Thank you, Albert.

After finishing that, I immediately set out to find my little sister. In the story, the mansion section of the map wasn't exactly prohibitive, so there were many places Lyra could go.

Of course, this was now a reality, so I should expect some anomalies.

''Oh.''

Soon, I found her in the garden. She was standing under a tall tree, looking up at a cat chilling on a branch. Weirdly enough, her own pet, the small dragon, was seemingly doing yoga on the grass.

The sight of a chubby lizard stretching was comical.

As I attempted to approach Lyra, the dragon firmly blocked me.

[Hey, who are you?]

Her tone was a bit rough, and her squinted purple eyes definitely showed hostility. Against this almost too cute defender, I patiently crouched down and flashed a smile.

''Hi, I'm Cecilia, Lyra's big sister.''

[You are...?]

Oh? Did Lyra talk about me to her?

This was a good sign... right? I was also afraid that Lyra was too gullible.

''Mhm. And this guy on my shoulder is Lucy. What's your name?''

[Lucy's here~!]

With her momentum noticeably decreased, the dragon nevertheless was cautious, especially against Lucy.

[Amethyst.]

After whispering some sweet words into Amethyst's ears, she finally let us pass. As I walked to Lyra, I could still feel her intense gaze, though.

''Do you like cats?''

''...''

Like before, Lyra's little black eyes were focused on the cat. It took a while for her to turn to me and nod. She was a child of few words, and her timid demeanor seemed somewhat pitiful. She was pitiful.

I wanted to stroke her head.

''Do you want to pet it?'' I followed Lyra's gaze, reaching the perched black cat on the tree. ''I can bring it down for you.''

Then, my little sister's cute face turned to me, bearing a mysterious look.

''...It's hurt.''

''Hm?''

''The cat is hurt.''

''Oh, what?''

I was genuinely surprised.

I didn't notice anything wrong with it... was this the true protagonist's power?

In any case, I couldn't leave the cat alone if it was injured, so I had Lucy bring it down as gently as possible. It was quite obedient for some reason.

''Lucy, can you heal it?''

[Sure.]

''Ah, I forgot to introduce you. This is my Soul Guardian, Lucy.''

''...Mhm.''

Lyra also took great interest in Lucy, but of course, the cat in my arms was cute. I couldn't believe I was still normal a bit ago, and now I was watching a magical chibi lamb massaging a cat's belly.

[Its mana circuit got a bit stuck. It's fine now.]

''Thanks, Lucy.''

Noticing Lyra's eager eyes, I brought the peaceful cat toward her. With her eyes sparkling, my little sister nested the cat in her tiny arms, perking her lips like a happy baby bird.

It was diabolical.

How could someone be this cute?

After smiling foolishly at the scene for a while, I naturally raised a question.

''Do you want to keep it?''

''...''

Now that we had a lot of servants, I wouldn't worry about losing time taking care of it. Besides, mental support was important in this stressful world. As if sensing my intention, Lucy glared at me suspiciously for a moment.

''I can...?''

''Of course, you can. You are the lady of this house, after all.''

Lyra's eyes widened a bit when I mentioned her position; then, they returned to normal again. A rare pink tint appeared on her face, and she nodded.

Instinctively, I reached out my hand but stopped midway.

''Ahem.''

I couldn't discern the emotions inside those eyes, which were fixed on my hand.

''Let's name it Charcoal Jr.'' I tried to change the subject, smiling like usual.

''...Why Jr.?''

Because it was disrespectful to see this one as a replacement for Charcoal, even if they looked quite similar.

''Because it is small?'' I blurted out.

''...''

''...''

''...Okay.''

It was quite awkward.

Nevertheless, we gained a member today, which was Charcoal Jr., the obedient void cat.

''Lyra, do you have any plans today?''

''Not... in particular.''

''Then, do you mind having a tea party with me?''

''Why?''

Oh. It seemed Lyra didn't mean to ask that, which was evident in her diverting her eyes in panic.

''Sisters are naturally close, so is there something wrong with spending time together?''

Lyra seemed a bit flabbergasted for some reason, but she eventually agreed to spend some time with me. I was, for once, thrilled by this opportunity.

After all, who could reject such an adorable little sister?