The Adopted Princess Hopes to Escape the Genre - Chapter 18
“How should I report this?”
“R-report?”
Mari and Anna misunderstood my words as a threat to report them. They immediately prostrated themselves on the floor, bowing their heads in panic. Their extreme reaction made me grimace, and I was about to tell them to get up when I remembered their earlier conversation. Feeling annoyed, I added,
“This is why you shouldn’t say things behind someone’s back that you wouldn’t say to their face.”
“We’re sorry, Miss! Truly sorry! Please, don’t report us….”
“Waaaah!”
Money clearly had a way of bending knees. Eventually, Anna even broke into sobs.
‘What should I do with these two?’
The proper course of action would be to punish them thoroughly to establish my authority and eliminate any potential bullying at its roots. But right now, I just didn’t have the energy for that.
All excuses aside, the real reason was simple: it was too much trouble. Caring about anything beyond my bed was just exhausting. Sprawled out on the mattress, I lazily waved my hand, signaling them to leave.
“No matter how much you dislike me, what can you do? I’m already adopted into the Delphinium family, and the people who actually became my family have no complaints.”
“…….”
“Unfair? Life’s always been that way. There’s no such thing as a fair world.”
“…….”
“I won’t tell the Duke about this. So let’s see each other often, Mari, and Anna.”
The trembling maids listened to my words, bowed their heads, and quickly exited the room.
You’ve got to keep at least a couple of petty villains around to add tension to the loose romance narrative.
After they left, I remained sprawled on the bed, unable to muster the strength to move a single finger. I felt lethargic and drained.
My body felt heavy. It should be fine to sleep a little longer.
After briefly organizing the events that had just occurred, I closed my eyes once more. Curling up on the bed against the morning chill, I quickly fell back into the comforting warmth of sleep.
I was deep in the middle of a dream when the sound of knocking disturbed my rest.
Knock-, knock-.
Knock-, knock-.
‘Ugh, who is it now? I can’t even be bothered to respond….’
“Lassetia, it’s your eldest brother.”
“…….”
“May I come in?”
“No.”
Clatter-.
“Forgive me for coming in without a response. I thought you might want me to come in but were unable to answer, so I decided to enter anyway.”
“Mm…”
Someone gently pulled the half-fallen blanket back over my body. That person perched on the edge of the bed, tidying my messy hair as they softly urged me awake.
“Lassetia, it’s time to get up now. The sun will set soon. If you don’t wake up and move around, we won’t be able to buy everything we need.”
A cool hand touched my face, and my eyes slowly fluttered open. Standing before me, with his usual stoic expression, was Theodore.
“Uh… Theodore…”
“Brother.”
“Why are you here…?”
Seeing an unfamiliar man first thing upon waking startled me internally, but Theodore, unfazed, kept harping on about being my brother.
“As I mentioned earlier, I strongly desired to come into this room. But I also thought you might be unable to speak, so I didn’t wait for a response before entering.”
Is this a joke? In what world does that make sense?
“Uh… Theodore-oppa…”
“Yes. I’m your…”
“Even so, is it really okay to enter your silent sister’s room like this without permission?”
Theodore’s eyes widened slightly at my reproach, then drooped as he appeared to sulk. He looked like a puppy being scolded by its owner.
“Brother, answer.”
“No…”
“Then what should I do next time if there’s no response?”
“It could be an emergency, so I should go in and—”
“No.”
“Maybe use a projection magic stone to check the situation inside first—”
“…….”
This lunatic.
