Chapter 4 - A Small Request

"Once again, please!" Mio said while threatening our family's doctor with a kitchen knife.

 After that horrific incident, Mio lost control a little after seeing me standing in the middle of a pile of black wolf corpses and dragged our family doctor out of his office to my room.

 Yes, for the second time, I received treatment from this doctor.

 Yulia, a female doctor was assigned to monitor Marquess Rommel's health condition.

 "Mio, calm down... I'm fine" I said to calm Mio down from her panic.

 "B-But.. but.. but..!!" Mio was still drowning in her anxiety.

 How can I calm a woman who is panicking like this? Mio is not usually like this.

 Is this because she likes me too much?

 I shook my head a little because of Mio's behavior.

 "Lily-sama!"

 "Lily-sama!!"

 Mio and Yulia shouted at the same time.

 "Even though Lily-sama's body looks healthy, don't move too much like that!" Yulia said to warn me.

 "It's okay, I'm not even hurt at all" I even got out of bed and did a small movement to show that I was okay.

 "Lily-sama!!" this time Mio hugged me and carried my body back to bed.

 "Rest on the bed until you recover!" Mio said.

 But.. how can I recover if my body is not injured?

 "Today is a full rest until dinner!" Mio continued.

 I could only accept her actions. Who would have thought she would be this firm when I was injured? This is the first time I've seen this side of Mio.

 It seems like she still has another side that I haven't found.

 Unconsciously, I smiled and accepted Mio's order to rest on the bed until dinner.

 "Then, I will prepare medicine for Lily-sama" Yulia stood up and rushed out of my room.

 Now, there was only me and Mio. Her sad and worried facial expressions blended. Mio stroked my hair to give me a sense of security.

 Mio.. how worried are you?

 Unconsciously, my hand stroked her hair.

 "L-Lily-sama..." Mio suddenly cried.

 An uncomfortable feeling appeared in my chest. It was so tight and painful. There was no way I had an internal injury, right? Even the physical wounds from fighting the black wolf healed quickly.

 So.. what is this pain?

 Now, Mio stopped stroking my hair and started hugging me tightly. This hug felt very comfortable and calming. Until it made the pain in my chest slowly disappear.

 Uh, what is this illness?

 "Lily-sama.. Uuu.." Mio held back her tears.

 "I thought, Lily-sama would leave me.. just like the previous Marchioness."

 I felt water wetting my neck.

 This was not ordinary water.. these were tears shed by Mio.

 What did I just do?

 I dared myself to stroke her hair, now the tears turned into small sobs that could not be stopped anymore.

 Mio cried without hesitation while hugging me tightly.

 Just because of a problem like this, she cried?

 But.. it seems like I was also wrong.

 "Mio.. sorry if I made you cry."

 Mio held back her sobs when she heard my words.

 "N-No.. T-This is not Lily-sama's fault, this is my fault for letting Lily-sama experience a bad incident like that."

 "Bad incident?" I said unintentionally.

 "Now Lily-sama must be afraid to leave the room, right?" Mio replied.

 "I will be responsible for taking care of Lily-sama's needs so that she stays in the room forever!" Mio continued enthusiastically.

 Why is she so enthusiastic about this?

 Moreover.. why do I have to stay in the room forever?

 "Etto.. Mio... I want to ask for your help."

 "Whatever it is! I will try to make it happen!"

 "I want to learn the art of swordsmanship!"

 Hearing my request, Mio froze. Her pupils suddenly tensed up and her facial expression was blank.

 "Um... Mio?" I tried to wake Mio up to come back to her senses.

 "L-Li-Lily-sama.. I think I misheard... What did Lily-sama ask for?" Mio stuttered.

 "Learn the art of swordsmanship?" I answered.

 "Sob.. Marchioness-sama... Lily-sama has thrown away her life's hope. Forgive me.." Mio replied with a voice filled with sobs.

 "Etto.. Mio?"

 "Lily-sama.. hang in there!"

 I don't know what happened. It seems like this matter is quite complicated.

 All day long, my activities were just staying on the bed and waiting for dinner. Mio accompanied me all day to make sure I got enough rest.

 Amazing dedication, but... I'm not hurt!

 Ever since my desire to learn swordsmanship and this little incident, Mio has been a bit touchy and has made physical contact that bothers me quite a bit.

 Sometimes she hugs me, smells my hair, and even sniffs my clothes.

 I don't mind all of that as long as Mio is happy, it's just that...

 Her attitude made her look like she was wearing a mask, namely... a mask that came off when it was just the two of us and a mask that was worn when she was on duty as a Maid.

 Throughout the day, I had to hold back my embarrassment when Mio did such activities.

 When dinner was about to arrive, a Maid knocked on my door. Mio who had been hugging me all day also put on her mask and acted like a normal Maid.

 "Lily-sama, Marquess Rommel awaits Lily-sama's presence."

 "Why?" were the only words that came out. It was unusual for that person to invite me to dinner together after having a new family.

 "..."

 The Maid did not answer my question.

 Whatever it was, I could only feel that a problem was about to arise.

 But... if I refused. Other problems would increase. I dared myself to accept that person's invitation.

 Even though my body was very reluctant to accept her invitation.

 My preparations for dinner were a little late, that was because I had to make sure my heart was not hurt when I saw the harmony of the new family before my eyes.

 For about 3 seconds I stood at the entrance of the dining room.

 When I opened the door, my step-twin half-sister and my stepmother were enjoying dinner.

 And.. the person called Father was staring at me sharply.

 "You seem fine," the person said in a cold tone.

 "I heard... you were attacked by a black wolf? But it turns out you weren't hurt at all? That's very interesting-" the person started to speak.

 The person started asking questions non-stop, this was the first time he had spoken to me.

 But, all I heard was a cold tone and stupid questions that made me daydream.

 "Hey! Are you listening to me?" asked the person.

 The question managed to wake me up from the little daydream in my head.

 Wait!

 Did he forget his own child's name?

 Am I his child or not?

 "Sorry, I didn't hear what Marquess Rommel asked but.. I'm glad it happened or... sorry if it doesn't match your wishes."

 Hearing the answer that came out of my mouth, he fell silent and walked towards me.

 "What do you want?" he asked me.

 "Eh?" I was surprised.

 "As I said, it was my fault for not controlling the wild animal population in the forest. So.. is there anything you want to make up for this stupid father's mistake?"

 "..."

 "You can ask for anything, clothes, jewelry, toys, or other things."

 "Really?" I said to make sure.

 "Of course! Tell me what you want."

 "I want a sword!" I replied without hesitation.

 "Eh? What?" hearing my request, Marquess Rommel was surprised.