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「So such a thing happened.」
「I didn’t really consider it before, but monsters are normally dangerous, aren’t they?」
「Lady Cielmer is always protected by Lady Ainsel, after all, so danger must feel a bit distant for you.」
「Right, that’s right! Thanks to Ain, I always feel safe, very safe!」

Ciel said cheerfully while being assisted by Luna in the bath.
Luna also has a wide smile on her face while talking to Ciel, but the fact that her hands don’t stop washing Ciel remains impressive. As expected of a Central attendant.

『However, there were times when we were in danger, you know?』
「Is that so? I’ve never felt unsafe, though? The only time I felt uneasy was when Ain was gone.」

They were praising me to no end, so I mentioned that there were actually multiple risky times for us, but it seems like Ciel doesn’t worry about them as much as I do.
It’s certainly true that Ciel didn’t seem to be anxious even back then, though.
In our battle with the first Artificial Divine Messenger, for example, that gold wolf broke through my barrier and gave us a grave injury. While we were able to heal thanks to the Song Princess’ power, it was still undoubtedly dangerous.

It was Ciel’s arm at that time, but had it been the head or the heart, I probably wouldn’t be able to heal it back then.
I probably can’t heal that even now.

As Ciel and I were talking, Luna seemed to have gotten curious, as she asked, 「Did something happen in the past?」
It sounds like she could somewhat guess what I was saying from Ciel’s response.

「There were times when we were in danger, Ain said.」
「There were such incidents?」
「Still, they weren’t a big deal, so no need to worry about it.」

Behind the surprised Luna, Mohsa was surprised as well. While Luna is the one attending to Ciel, Mohsa is also nearby as usual.
Ciel seems to not have even an ounce of worry as always; I really wish she would be more cautious of danger.
Perhaps because her lady doesn’t seem uneasy at all, Luna decided to move on and return to the topic of the academy.

「Lady Cielmer aside, your schoolmates’ first time battling with monsters must have felt dreadful for them.」
「That’s probably true. The two failed the first time, after all.」
「However, with you two watching over them, they were as safe as they could be.」
「With monsters that weak, yeah. In the first place, it was part of the lesson, so even without us, they probably wouldn’t get anything worse than light wounds.」
「The academy values the students’ safety, it seems.」
「Besides, before vacation started, the two of them became capable of fighting decently to some extent. Yes, yes, very different from their first battle.」
「You seem to observe them very closely.」
「Not really, I think?」

Ciel tilts her head, but I agree with Luna about her being very observant.
Ciel likely isn’t aware of it herself, but she tends to repeat her words when she’s in high spirits―in other words, when she’s delighted or having fun.
Ciel probably cares about them more than she realizes.
Seeing Ciel look confused, Luna had a motherly smile of understanding.

◇

「Sorry for keeping you bored, Mohsa.」
「No, I’m grateful that you spared the time for me, Lady Ainsel.
Besides, if you don’t take control occasionally, it would only serve to make Lady Cielmer displeased.」

Mohsa said, implicitly telling me that she wouldn’t feel bored. It’s our first return home after a long while, and Ciel has been in control the whole day, so I was worried that Mohsa was feeling bored, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.
It’s true that Ciel wouldn’t really be in control for our entire stay in the manor, and I can’t deny the possibility of Ciel proactively handing over control.

As Ciel fell asleep, my short chat time with Mohsa began. Mother Fii will be visiting later today, so we only have the time until then.
As we were talking, Mohsa poured tea and placed it in front of me.
I don’t know what this tea is called, but its gentle aroma is quite calming. Taking a sip, it isn’t very bitter, making it easy to drink.

「Moreover, Lady Cielmer has grown more charming in these past few months. Being able to see this growth is enough.」
「The experience has been quite stimulating for Ciel, after all. From here on, she’ll only continue to learn more and grow even more charming, you know?」
「Doesn’t the same apply to you, Lady Ainsel?」
「That’s… Who knows? Unlike Ciel, I’m not very honest about myself, after all.」

I played it off as just not being honest, but unlike a child like Ciel, who is still open to learning and absorbing new experiences, partly due to my past life experiences, I was already somewhat set in stone when I arrived in this world.
While I can’t say that I’ll remain completely unchanged in the future, I don’t think I’ll have as drastic of a change as Ciel does.

I’ve technically lived an accumulative sum of 30 years if my past life is considered, but the sad thing is that I can’t confidently call myself an adult.
I’m most definitely older than Ciel, and I’ve taught her many things until now; I was even the one practically making the most decisions in Estoque, but I still find it hard to consider myself mature.

Unlike me, who was born in a peaceful environment, far from danger, only having occasional fights with friends and scoldings from teachers―living a relatively common childhood in my old world―Ciel, who was born constantly exposed to life and death situations in a harsher world, has probably grown to be more mature than me.
In the end, it’s not the number of years you’ve lived that’s important, but the density of your experiences, I suppose.

Since she has no knowledge of my past life, I don’t know how Mohsa interpreted my words, but she responded, 「You’re a wonderful person as well, Ainsel,」 while showing me a warm smile.
Does she mean that because I’m not capable of proper scheming and deception? I can’t deny that. Certainly, from someone who knows noble society, I’m probably on the honest side. Rather, isn’t that just how most normal people would seem to her?

That said, I’ll consider this honest praise. I don’t believe Mohsa to be the type to maliciously say backhanded compliments, and, more importantly, it would be more peaceful that way.

「Thank you very much.」
「Yes, you’re a very wonderful person.」

Why did she repeat it? Mohsa seems happy about it, so I guess it’s fine.
But I’m not fine in the sense that this feels embarrassing.

「Now then, I must excuse myself now.」
「Mother should be here soon, after all. Good night.」
「Good night to you as well, Lady Ainsel.」

A minute or two after Mohsa left the room, I heard a knock from the door.

「Mother Fii, welcome inside.」
「I’ll be intruding then.」

As the door opened and Mother Fii’s face became visible, she smiled upon seeing me.
Then, she entered the room with an air of familiarity and sat on a specific chair.
I was told she wanted to talk, and I have an inkling about why. Still, it’s not an urgent matter, so I wait for Mother to initiate.

「How does it feel returning to the manor after a long while?」
「I feel a sense of security. It feels like I’ve returned back home.」
「As I thought, the feeling of having a place to call home is special to you, isn’t it?」
「Special… Certainly, that might be the case.」

It’s honestly difficult for me to see home as a particularly special place. I’ve said it to Ciel before, but it’s become natural for me to feel what I do about home.
I’ve previously moved residences due to family circumstances and for my schooling, but the new home only felt special at first; in a month, I grew familiar with it.
However, this now familiar home does feel clearly different compared to other places, and everyone likely feels this difference when they have their own home.
It’s the one place you are allowed to relax, or so they say―I haven’t had enough stress to feel that way in my previous life―but it’s undoubtedly the one place I can feel the most relaxed out of all.

That aside, I’m now curious about just how much Mother Fii knows about my past life.