Volume 1 Chapter 7 Mean Villainess, Piling On
I think piling on is an important thing.
"Lady."
"Rolus, good morning."
"It is I, the servant, Lady. Good morning... what are you doing here?"
We were in the kitchen.
I had woken up earlier than Rolus and, after finishing breakfast preparations with the cook, borrowed a corner of the kitchen.
"I'm waiting for the cookies to bake."
I had a feeling from the sweet aroma wafting through the kitchen, but I glanced at Rolus, who looked like he wanted to say otherwise, and I couldn't help but smile.
"I thought I'd try to bait him."
"Bait him?"
Rolus tilted his head, repeating my words.
"After how obsessed he was with the yakisoba bread, it's worth a shot to try and lure him with food."
"Are you talking about him from yesterday?"
I nodded at Rolus's words.
For the sake of my Spell-ology textbook, I absolutely needed to get closer to Rudger.
Even if I set aside the fact that he was my target, yakisoba bread was a decent bait, but I had no idea how effective it would be.
Therefore, I had to launch a series of attacks as well.
"So, cookies. If they are too extravagant, he might be put off, so I think cookies are just right."
As I took the perfectly baked cookies out of the oven, I remarked on how well they turned out and how delicious they smelled.
Hehe, while chuckling softly, I used the wind technique from the Healing Magic textbook I had read in preparation to cool the cookies down.
"..Oh no, Rolus! Take a look at this!"
I caught Rolus's attention, who had been looking off in disbelief at my actions, and pulled his face closer.
He came over, still somewhat confused about the situation, and I grabbed his chin and tossed a cookie into his mouth.
"Huh?!"
"Oh dear, how naughty of me to throw a freshly baked cookie into your mouth like a demon!"
Just now, my hand moved on its own!
"..Young lady."
"..Freshly baked cookies are really delicious, right?"
I averted my gaze from Rolus, who was looking at me with a resentful expression, and took a bite of the warm cookie myself.
It had cooled down enough so he wouldn't burn himself, but it was still warm.
After that exchange, we're currently in the carriage on the way to school.
Rolus only brought a sandwich for breakfast, nothing else.
It seems he has learned that he gets fed by me.
But don't worry; I have the ability to learn too.
I know just when Rolus will start to refuse.
"Here we go!"
"Mmm!?"
Rolus's face says, "Why am I being fed this when I didn't bring anything!?" It's pretty amusing to see.
"I made some sandwiches while I was baking the cookies. It's a jam sandwich. I wonder if it's good?"
"..."
"Isn't it nice that a servant gets to prepare a meal for their master?"
I smiled and tilted my head, and even though he was chewing, Rolus frowned.
"If you didn't want to trouble me, you should have brought your own sandwich. Understand?"
He made a slightly dissatisfied face but nodded quietly while still chewing.
"I don't get what you're so unhappy about, but you are eating dinner properly, right?"
"Of course, lady. The food is prepared by the master of the house for the servants. Breakfast and lunch prepared for the lady are not for someone like me to eat."
"..By that logic, the jam sandwich you just ate was made by me for you, so it's fine for you to eat it."
"With all due respect, lady, although it's food prepared by the master, it is not made by him. It would be too much for a servant like me to have you make something for me."
"Hmm. I wanted you to be a little happy since I went through the effort of making it."
When I said that, Rolus's eyes widened for just a moment before he bowed his head toward me and stopped moving.
It seems he is reflecting on his actions.
"..We're almost there. You should lift your head up now. I'll pet you. And, you know it, but you're buying yakisoba bread no matter what today. Here's the money. So let's meet at the cafeteria."
"Understood."
I get off the carriage and part ways with Rolus, heading to my classroom.
Waiting there was a fidgety Rudger, clearly excited about the yakisoba bread....
This morning, he had been glancing my way, and even during class, he kept stealing looks at me, but around the end of math and history, he must have lost his patience and came closer.
"Hey, are you really going to get it for me?"
He asked with genuine eagerness.
"Yeah, of course. I command Rolus to absolutely buy it, so you don't have to worry."
But for some reason, that sparkle disappeared from his face.
"Commanded, huh..."
It seemed the word "commanded" stuck in his mind.
"Rolus is my servant, after all."
"...So, nobility really does use their attendants like that?"
"Well, yeah. I'm not shy about making Rolus do things he doesn't like."
"But an attendant is still an attendant, not a slave."
Just as Rudger was saying this, a mismatched giggle interrupted us.
"Leve?"
The giggling voice belonged to Leve.
Without paying attention to the puzzled looks from me and Rudger, he continued to chuckle.
"Sorry, sorry. It was Rudger. Why don't you join us for lunch today?"
"..Huh?"
Rudger, who didn't understand why Leve was laughing──neither did I──looked confused and let out a silly sound.
"Since we're talking about bread, if you're okay with it, how about joining us?"
I don't know why Leve invited him, but I can also give him cookies, so him coming along would be helpful for me.
"Ah, yeah, got it."
In the end, Leve and I managed to convince him to join us for lunch.
Spell-ology's textbook operation was not something I taught Leve, but perhaps he might have caught on.
The long-awaited lunchtime for Rudger has finally arrived.
Following the lead of Rudger, who has started walking ahead, Leve and I walk side by side.
There's no need to rush; Rolus, holding a yakisoba bread, isn't going anywhere.
He's quite diligent.
"Did you manage to buy it?!"
Rudger rushes over to Rolus, who is standing at the entrance of the cafeteria.
"Yes."
"Ohhh! Thank you!"
"No, it was Lady's order."
Although Rudger should have been beaming while receiving the yakisoba bread, his expression slightly clouded at the word "order."
"..Are you not unhappy about it?"
Perhaps he dislikes the image of a commoner being ordered around by a noble.
"It's my job."
Seeing Rolus respond without changing his expression deepened the furrow in Rudger's brow.
It was Leve once again who changed the not-so-great atmosphere.
"Well, standing around and chatting isn't great; let's have lunch."
Leve patted Rolus and Rudger on the shoulders, guiding them to a window-side seat.
I thought to myself that Leve is quite caring as I followed the 3 of them.
After sitting down, while Rudger gazed at the yakisoba bread with sparkling eyes, I naturally started sorting out my portion and Rolus's.
Rolus was mumbling something, but I decided to pretend I couldn't hear him for now.
After Rudger had enough of admiring the yakisoba bread, he suddenly looked at me with a puzzled expression.
"Are you two using one lunchbox?"
"No, that's not it. I asked the cook to pack a little bit of various things for us, but it seems that making small portions is tough for the cook, so Rolus is taking care of the leftovers."
Upon hearing this, Rudger frowned, wondering what I was talking about.
"Elena is quite the spoiled one. Apparently, she sometimes forces Rolus to eat when he doesn't want to."
"That's right. If he really resists, I wouldn't hesitate to stuff it into his mouth."
Rolus shot a reproachful glance at Leve and me, as if he could relate to that experience.
By the way, the reason I'm forcing it into his mouth is because not only the breakfast sandwich, but also the dessert is a game.
Since I want to do my crime properly, I'm watching he closely.
Anyway, Leve leaned against Rudger, lowering the volume of his voice slightly and pointing to his lunch box, "By the way..."
"Elena is mean because the more Rolus likes it, the more she wants to make him eat it. That's why it's filled with so much of Rolus' favorite..."
"..It's just..."
"It's mean. Since she believes that she's mean, she's mean. It's never kind."
Leve shook his head seriously.
Rudger looked puzzled and then skeptical, but then shrugged in exasperation and started laughing.
"You two are strange."
While saying that, I added,
"Making him clean up leftovers is kind of mean, don't you think? Oh, I just remembered—I made cookies this morning. Have some after your meal."
I placed the cookies I baked this morning in front of Leve and Lutger.
Ludger, who had been staring at the yakisoba bread with sparkling eyes earlier, now looked at the cookies with the same glittering gaze.
"Is it okay!?"
He took the bait!
"Go ahead, I've tasted them and I think they're fine. Hey, Rolus..."
"Yes."
"Did Rolus eat it too?"
In response to Rudger's question, Rolus didn't answer and averted his gaze.
"That's because... I'm mean, so I twist a freshly baked, hot cookie into Rolus' mouth like a demon..."
"Freshly baked food is the most delicious..."
Leve patted Rudger's shoulder, once again shaking his head seriously.
Don't say it, he seemed to be saying.
This is how I succeeded in becoming friends with Rudger.
I also became friends with Leve, and we promised to play games together when we have time.
I'll be able to see the Spell-ology textbook, and we'll be able to play 4-player games.
I decided in my heart to regularly give Rudger yakisoba bread as a token of gratitude.
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