NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 203
“Wait a sec, Miss. Before you drag me along, just hear me out for a moment.”
I felt the atmosphere turning so intense that rejecting might soon be impossible, so I hurriedly clamped my hand over Lapiz’s mouth and set my reasoning into motion.
“So, Miss, even though you might have forgiven me and still consider me a friend, that doesn’t mean everyone in this household feels the same!”
“Why is that suddenly coming up?”
“Think about it, Miss. If some random stranger suddenly says she’ll be sleeping with your daughter, it would definitely raise some eyebrows! How do you think it would feel if someone who’d wronged you did the same?”
“Uh, I’m not sure. I never really thought about that…”
Ah, right. That metaphor didn’t really land well with Lapiz. What could I compare it to instead?
After pondering for a while, I tried to come up with a more fitting example to explain.
“Okay, this is just a metaphor and example, so don’t take it too seriously. Imagine one day, a girl who once wronged your mom suddenly says she’ll be staying over with her.”
After hearing that, Lapiz looked flustered, as if she was trying to recall my previous words and think it over calmly.
“That… sounds a bit, unpleasant…?”
She made a strangely displeased face.
“Exactly! Now, if I were to sleep with you, your family would feel just the same. Maybe even worse.”
As I explained this carefully, I noted that while the emotional scars and minor physical injuries would be minimal for Lapiz, her family would likely be busy picking up the pieces of what we had broken, witnessing their only daughter suffer the most closely.
So it was actually odd for her family to harbor any good feelings towards me, and the only reason I was allowed into this house was that Lapiz had wanted me here.
I tried my best to make her understand.
“…Hey, Miss. I’m really serious right now. Could we perhaps delay messing with those things for a little later?”
But then again, I wasn’t sure if Lapiz took me seriously.
She was busy putting the decorations I had haphazardly placed back in their rightful spots.
“No. These aren’t meant to be put this way. They need to go back to their original spots, so Blanca will remember how to hang them properly later, right?”
“That’s all fine and dandy, but I’m super serious here!”
After my desperate appeal, Lapiz sighed as if she had no other choice and quietly murmured.
“Okay… so you’re saying it’s hard right now?”
I really just wanted her to give up on this, but I wisely retorted that it would indeed be difficult for now.
“Fine then… I’ll hold back for the sake of Blanca and the family. But when it feels okay, you’ll definitely sleep with me, alright?”
As she said that, she extended her pinky, wanting me to make a promise. Without any options left, I reluctantly agreed.
“Sure. Later, when I’ve earned my place here.”
After I backed that up with my assurance, Lapiz seemed relieved and began adjusting my ear accessory back into place.
“I left it a bit loose since it was uncomfortable, but… W-wait, what are you doing?!”
When Lapiz tried to stick her finger into the inside of my ear, I panicked and swatted her hand away.
“Uh, I… um, I wasn’t serious, but I’ve always wondered how soft it is. Can’t I touch it?”
Lapiz, wanting to apologize out of habit, seemed to realize something as she looked at me with a strange expression.
I was about to tell her “no” as usual when it hit me that something felt off.
And then it struck me that Lapiz was on the verge of realizing something just now.
“It’s not that you can’t. But, you know, if someone suddenly sticks their hand in your ear, it’s a bit much…?”
Right now, I was in a position where I had to comply with whatever Lapiz asked. While I understood that fully, Lapiz still didn’t seem aware of her own position.
But just now, Lapiz had almost grasped that awareness.
This wasn’t ideal. She would realize it someday, but it couldn’t be now. If she did so while still immature, who knew what she’d try to do?
“Oh, so that’s how it is. Then… is it okay to just pet it?”
“Well… do as you please.”
With a somewhat unclear expression, Lapiz began to pet my hair. I was being prepped, fluffed, and played with.
I couldn’t help but think this was akin to having a pet cat, but…
Time would surely help both Lapiz and me improve our situation. That’s all I could think.
—
From the very first day, worries piled up like mountains, yet bizarrely, nothing particularly noteworthy happened in that week.
Clean, clean, wipe, wipe, throw away, throw away, organize, organize, chop, chop. It was just a repetitive cycle of simple labor and tidying up.
I knew very well that one wouldn’t assign more responsibilities to a girl who had only been here a week.
Still, it just felt too monotonous.
Maybe it’s because I held such weird fantasies about maids, but do they really not do a bit more variety in their work?
Well, given the world and my current position, I thought they might even fight or something like that.
But here I was, just dealing with clean-ups, and it became kind of dull.
No rules against using my phone at work, and nobody told me to keep working non-stop. Plus, there was no one home.
So after finishing all my tasks and enjoying a relaxed lunch, I exchanged silly texts with friends.
About what cafeteria food was being served, what was happening at the Academy, what was taught today, and what trouble someone caused. Most of it was that kind of gossip.
Just meaningless chatter, yet it was so enjoyable that I couldn’t bring myself to stop.
Besides, I knew it’d be tough to face them in person again, and during lunch hours, I had nothing to do, so chatting with my friends didn’t feel bad at all.
If anything, I was kind of looking forward to it.
-I’ll be coming over next week since there’s a holiday
I chuckled at Minho’s text and jokingly replied to bring as little stuff as possible.
While I was just lounging in my room, I heard someone come in and shot out to greet them in a panic.
This time was usually my alone time, so I was curious who could be visiting.
“Welcome back… Lady.”
It was Harane. Usually, she’d come late in the evening, so I had no idea why she was here now, but without any explanation, she handed me some bags.
As she handed me her coat, I naturally took it and stepped forward to grab the bag she was holding.
“That’s groceries, so put them in the fridge. Just hang the coat somewhere in the dressing room.”
After following her instructions and moving both the coat and bag to their places, I went to the living room where I found her sitting on the sofa with her eyes closed, as if there was something she wanted to say.
At a glance, it was hard to understand how a daughter like this came from such a mother.
Harane’s vibe reminded me so much more of her father than her mother.
Sure, she had traits from her mother, like her horns, tail, and eyes, but it was more about her overall atmosphere and attitude.
Maybe it’s because of her fair skin.
Waiting for her to speak first, she opened her eyes and asked, “So, how’s work going?”
As I met her gaze straight on, I quickly realized this wasn’t going to be a friendly call.
What should I say that’s correct? I scratched my head, but soon enough I figured that whatever I said would be wrong from her perspective, so I stopped overthinking.
“…It’s been okay so far.”
“That’s good to hear. Actually, starting today, I have some additional tasks for you.”
Additional tasks? It felt bothersome, yet strangely something to look forward to as well. What could it be?
“May I ask what it is?”
“You’ll find out if you just follow me. It’s not something we’ll do here.”
As I followed Harane, wondering about what lay ahead, I ended up at the parking area inside the mansion.
Are we going outside…? This is unexpected.
“Get in. We have quite a way to get to your Academy.”
Academy? I wanted to ask which one, but given the mood, it didn’t seem like I’d get an answer, so I obeyed and got into the vehicle.
Just sitting in the car quietly, without a meaningful exchange, we soon came to a gentle stop somewhere.
“It seems my daughter isn’t particularly interested in dressing up like her mother, so I’d like you to take on her styling from now on.”
We had arrived at the Styling Academy.
“You want me to take over your daughter’s styling…?”
In disbelief, I asked Harane, and she revealed her true feelings with a bittersweet smile, saying she wasn’t too keen on it either.
“But what can I do? Your mother has a partner already, so she doesn’t need to care about her looks anymore, but my daughter doesn’t have anyone, and still, she insists on not beautifying herself. I tried teaching her, but that failed. I can’t keep watching over her forever, so I guess I must rely on you, who she looks up to.”
Given that I would be around her daughter for a while, it seemed she had no other option.
Though Harane had a bitter expression while saying this, right now, that wasn’t what mattered.
I know nothing about styling! What am I supposed to do from here on…?