NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 2 - Praised by my aunt
“Kanan, your efforts were truly splendid.”
“For the peace of the country and the world, the dedication you have shown should be commended. You were more admirable than anyone present in that situation.”
In the townhouse of the Marquis Mercur, I received over-the-top praise from the Marquis and his wife i.e., my aunt. Apart from my generally sweet uncle, it was a rare occurrence to be praised by my usually stern aunt. Nailed it.
Yes, I am the daughter of the Viscount Moley… technically… and these two were my actual uncle and aunt. The Moley family has traditionally served as the assistant officials to the Marquis Mercur’s family. As the right-hand, they take charge of the territory in the Marquis’s absence and handle troublesome issues on-site when a responsible person needs to be sent.
“Certainly, there was a strong bond of trust, but our family connection was… well, it existed to some extent. My father and uncle had been together since childhood, as master and servant, and grew up so close that they became inseparable friends.
My uncle had a sister. She was a sheltered young lady who couldn’t even leave the castle due to her fragile health.
Naturally, my father cherished his sister as well. He would tell her about the things he saw outside, take walks in the garden on good days, and after he started moving around the territory, he would bring her souvenirs and share stories of what he had seen. Yes, the two of them naturally fell in love.
Normally, it would be difficult for the daughter of a Marquis to marry into the Viscount’s family. However, our country is somewhat tolerant of marriages with social differences, and besides, my aunt was too frail to marry outside and leave. So, it was decided that she would stay within this territory, entrusted to my reliable father, and continue to support the Marquis’ family, just as she had wanted.
So, in other words, my late mother was my uncle’s sister.
“I did it because I tried, Aunt,” I declared confidently, and Aunt seemed a bit taken aback, unable to say what she wanted to say. She always used to hold her head and say, ‘You can only do it if you try…’
“…Yes, that’s right. Yes, it’s true. You were the only one who could do it,” I could sense the danger in her words as she said it while holding her forehead and shaking her head. She would definitely give me a lecture if I got too cocky. So, I decided to shut up and stop boasting and ask her about something that’s been on my mind for a while now.
My cousin, Marianne. I remember seeing her collapse in the grand hall, being supported by her fiancé…
“Marie-chan, is she okay?”
“Yes, she is fine. Lord Valmont escorted her here, so she has calmed down quite a bit. She is resting in her room currently. Can you please go and check on Marianne too?”
“Yes. I’m worried, so I’ll go see her.”
“Say ‘I will go and see her,’ Kanan.”
I responded with a sigh to my Aunt’s nagging and started walking. Well, I’m not exactly thrilled either, but Aunt has her own strange standards. She’s trying to raise me, a member of the Viscount’s family, to the level of a Marquis’ daughter…
Aunt and Mother were close, weren’t they… I nodded to myself, deep in thought, and headed towards Marianne’s room.
I knocked on Marianne’s door. I immediately heard a voice urging me to come in, so I gently opened the door.
“Marie-chan.”
“Kanan…!”
A goddess-like beauty with fluffy golden hair, now in casual attire, came running towards me. She took hold of both of my hands and looked at me with watery eyes, filled with concern and a hint of guilt.
“Kanan, you’re the one who lifted that curse, right? …Really, how amazing…”
“Hehehe, Aunt praised me.”
Upon seeing my proud smile, Marianne regained her composure and smiled back at me.
“Well, it’s rare for Mother to praise Kanan, isn’t it?”
“I know right, Marie-chan, you should praise me too.”
“Well, thanks to you, the world was saved. Thank you, Kanan.”
“Yeah.”
Having given up on boasting to Aunt, I made sure to get plenty of compliments from Marie-chan. Marianne is very kind and sweet to me. We were very close as cousins.
“I fainted right after the Demon Lord disappeared… I’m so useless…”
“Marie-chan, you were right nearby, so it couldn’t be helped. It must have been a shock.”
“A shock… to brush off that kind of impact as just a shock, you’re really something, Kanan. …Are you okay? You must have been scared too, right?”
“Well, it was definitely a creepy experience, but I’m fine. I’m the type who can stare at gross things, like dead snakes and stuff.”
“A dead snake, that’s not something you see every day.”
“I saw quite a few when I was little.”
Marianne chuckled at my remark. It seems she has calmed down, which is a relief.
“But, Kanan, a maiden’s lips are not that cheap. Let’s at least fetch a high price, perhaps from the royal family?”
“Yeah, let’s do that.”
After all, I was aiming for a life of leisure. Marianne and I locked eyes and shared a sly grin. Our target was the royal family. I wanted to live off them for the rest of my life.
Marianne invited me to sleep together, so we prepared for bed and got into the same bed. Marianne seemed to have a few nightmares during the night. It must have been quite scary after all.
[T/N: This is unrelated but as someone who has read Christabel by Coleridge, I could never imagine two women in a medieval European setting sleeping together as something normal.]
Sharing our warm body heat, we slowly drifted off to sleep and ended up oversleeping. The next day, Aunt had a face that seemed to say, “I have no choice but to praise Kanan,” and Marianne continued to pamper me. What a fantastic situation. Wasn’t it the best?
We spent such a delightful day, and it was two days after the incident when we were picked up by the royal family in the afternoon.
After spending such a delightful day, the Royal family’s carriage finally arrived to pick me up in the afternoon, two days after the incident.