Chapter 15: Her story, part 1.

Translated and Edited by: luccayn.
Enjoy!

“I won't apologize. I have no reason to do so,” only when this firm refusal parted my lips, had she finally looked at me. Rather, she ought to be the one to justify her lateness. “I was told that the carriage prepared for you by the Count of Camel was fully prepared to leave on time. The reason for your postponement was, most likely, due to you oversleeping and spending too much time dressing up. Shouldn't you be the one to offer words of apology?”

Before the carriage ferrying Lulu had arrived here, I already had an explanation from the Count of Camell on her lateness, his apologies, as well as a probable reason. If she'd behaved properly and arrived on time, I wouldn't have had to waste any time.

“My God, I can't believe it! It takes time for a woman to get ready, don't you know? And yet you're blaming me?”

“The fact that you were late and women take time outfitting are two separate issues. If you hadn't overslept, to begin with, you would have made it on time, wouldn't you?”

“No one has been waking me up lately. The squires are slacking off on their work, so I have to do it alone.”

This fact was most certainly due to her new commoner status. Since she had been expunged from the nobility's records, she no longer had any relationship with the Count of Camell and was no longer recognized as a guest. Lulu was treated accordingly.

“…But today, you were asked to wake up on time.”

“That's rubbish! I don't have any help to do my hair, or change my clothes, or even put on my makeup! How, then, would it be possible for me to get here on time? I had no choice but I still made it all by myself. Isn't that amazing?” She huffed. “Oh, but it was grueling with all those useless squires. This dress might have a pretty tint, but I would rather wear something with more laces. As soon as I pointed it out to my escort, she said it was the only dress they had available. I even ordered to replace it but to no avail.” She kept going. “Don't you think my hair clip and necklace are too dull to suit me? I need more glamour. The same goes for my shoes and everything else. Her attitude was bad enough. But even though I had asked my father to fire her, nothing happened! My mother and sister are also like that. Completely unreliable.”

Her exchange honestly stumped me. So much so, I involuntarily turned my gaze to the wall lining the other room, where my—and her—voice could be heard from. I verified it before the meeting, but I wanted to double-check it. She must've been briefed about her own situation, right?

According to what I was told, she had been given a thorough and detailed explanation of the reasons why she was expunged and what would happen from then on. They had started from the careful explanation of what holding a noble title entailed, and it was all told from the steward that had served the Camell house for many, many years. Hence, she was verbally told as such numerous times.

With that said, she must've known about her current status as well, namely the fact she is a commoner now. Thus, she was not a guest, just a commoner here on duty. Naturally, there was no need for a squire to assist her daily needs, and she had no authority to require such. Why, oh why doesn't she understand that, then?

Her every word came from a higher place than myself, her former fiancé. With the way she treated me now, I could infer it wasn't easy to switch from one thing to the next as it had become a habit of hers to talk down on me.

Still, even if looking at the world with a glass-half-full perspective, wasn't she crossing a few lines? I mean, she never listened to me, but I wondered if she had always been this bad… Hindsight is lovely, isn't it?

“Hey, are you listening to me? Are you implying I'm in trouble?”

—As I thought back to everything that's happened so far, I started to feel things were bad from the start.

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