015 Nan Si's Jealousy

At this moment, Nansi was like a restless little beast, eyes red and teeth clenched; her expression wasn’t exactly ferocious, but it was certainly far from pleasant. Lady Bitrei, upon seeing her, sighed softly and pulled her closer, patting her back as she murmured, “There, there, my precious darling, don’t fret. Even if she’s in the spotlight for now, that doesn’t mean she’ll always outshine you. No need to get worked up—remember, you still have your entrance exam soon.”

Her mother’s words struck Nansi’s most vulnerable spot—indeed, she still had the exam ahead. Her number was well past a hundred, but if she didn’t compose herself now and failed the entrance test, the humiliation would be immense.

Taking a few deep breaths, Nansi eased herself from her mother’s embrace. She clenched her hands, her right fingers digging hard into her left arm until pain finally subdued her jealousy. Only then did she catch her breath, lower her eyes, and resume her usual air of refined grace.

Lady Bitrei, noticing this, frowned slightly, not entirely satisfied. “Next time, use another method. Don’t leave marks on yourself.”

“Yes, Mother.” Nansi replied with a sweet smile.

Lady Bitrei scrutinized her closely. Seeing her face betrayed no trace of emotion, she nodded in approval and continued to counsel her: “Nansi, no matter who recommended that mongrel from the Brentor family, never forget her mother’s disgrace. She’s a child who grew up without proper parental guidance—how could she compare to you, who’s been so carefully raised? Besides, did you notice she was wearing mourning attire? Even if she enters Saint Alberta, she’ll still be in mourning and won’t be allowed to join many academy activities. That gives you the perfect opportunity to befriend other talented young ladies from good families. No matter what, you’ll always be ahead of her, won’t you?”

Nansi listened to her mother’s admonitions, nodding gently and lowering her gaze in modesty, her lashes fluttering like a butterfly’s wings in the wind—an image that aroused pity. She murmured shyly, “Mother, you’re right. I was too hasty.”

With a soft sigh, Lady Bitrei stroked her daughter’s cheek. “Nansi, my dear, since childhood you’ve excelled in looks, talent, and wit. But your temper is too impatient—if you don’t learn to curb it, you might suffer for it one day. Always consider matters from every angle. Don’t rush to the front alone. Learn to make use of the resources around you, understand?”

Nansi nodded thoughtfully.

Only then did Lady Bitrei seem satisfied. “That’s better. Don’t panic or act rashly when things happen… Still, today’s incident is odd. Teresa wore mourning veils, as if in mourning for her mother, but no one returning recently from Narenstein said a word about Renee’s death. It’s strange… And even if Renee has passed, shouldn’t Teresa’s legal guardian be Jeff? Why is it Lady Aubrion?”

Listening to her mother’s musings, Nansi’s mind turned quickly and she said at once, “Mother, why not send someone to ask Aunt? Teresa is only ten—how could she leave her closest kin? No matter how close the Aubrion family is, blood relations are always stronger, aren’t they?”

Lady Bitrei laughed, tweaking her daughter’s pretty nose. “Oh, you! I was just telling you not to be so blunt, and now you’re scheming already? But it’s good—if we can have her sent back to Narenstein, that would be best—out of sight, out of mind.”

☆☆☆

Teresa had no idea anyone was plotting against her. The entrance interview was hardly difficult. Though her mother had raised her with both patience and discipline, and Teresa could be unruly at times, when she needed to, she was every inch a proper young lady. With Betty by her side, the whole process took barely ten minutes before she passed the exam. As they left by a side door, escorted by staff, Teresa couldn’t help but sigh—privilege really was a useful thing!

Once the carriage left Saint Alberta Academy, Teresa changed into lighter clothes at a tailor’s shop in the northern part of Cervantes City before setting out again. This time, their destination was clear—the old manor!

Today was Teresa’s day of “service.”

“Mumu, I’m here! What are we doing today?” Teresa’s smile was as radiant as a summer bloom, cheerful and bright even amid the deep green shadows.

Mumu, in his lynx form, looked up at her brilliant smile, then silently lowered his head and leapt out in front to lead the way. Teresa didn’t mind his coldness, simply grinned wider and followed. After only a few steps, a gust of hot air swept up behind her. She shifted slightly aside as the warmth curled around her cheek and shoulder—she didn’t need to look back to know Chuchu had arrived.

“Chuchu, Chuchu, Mumu, Teresa is mine today, all mine~” Chuchu hopped on Teresa’s shoulder, declaring “sovereignty.”

Mumu stopped, glancing back. “You said the same thing last time.”

“I did not,” Chuchu retorted, eyes wide, but utterly unconvincing—when Chuchu was being evasive, he always forgot to preface his sentences with his signature “Chuchu.”

Mumu ignored Chuchu’s feeble protest, gave a glance with emerald eyes, then turned around and led the way again in silence.

Chuchu, aggrieved, chirped and fussed on Teresa’s shoulder until Teresa promised, “Alright, Chuchu, stop making a racket. Tomorrow I’ll come again and help you tend your herb garden, how’s that?”

Pleased with her answer, Chuchu rolled twice across Teresa’s shoulder and then fluttered away. As soon as he left, Mumu spoke: “Don’t spoil them too much.”

Teresa replied with a laugh, “It’s not really spoiling. I don’t have much else to do anyway, so coming to help out is no burden. But once Saint Alberta starts, I probably won’t have so many free days like this.”

She paused, not finishing her thought, but Mumu gave a soft snort. “Cunning little one, just say what you mean. If you want to split your service into days, say so—no need to dance around it.”

Teresa chuckled, scratching her head. “Mumu is so clever! If it’s alright, I’ll count my service hours by the day—a week’s worth adding up to two days should be enough, okay?”

Mumu’s clear cat eyes flicked over her, then turned away again. “As you wish.”

They continued together and soon reached the main house. Through the projecting corridor, they entered the wooden structure. Mumu led Teresa into a large study. “This is Library Three. Most places in the house are cleaned by the ‘Fuballs,’ but these studies and the master’s laboratory are off-limits to them. Normally, the daily cleaning spells are enough, but the master was away for a while, so the studies have been neglected. It’s not urgent, but the young master will be coming for his studies soon. So, for now, help tidy this library whenever you have time.”

The so-called “Fuballs” were plump, fluffy little magical creatures, about the size of an adult’s palm. Industrious by nature, they were perfect for cleaning and simple chores. Few could afford them, as they were picky eaters and dined only on special food. In high society, hiring Fuballs had become a status symbol, a matter of social one-upmanship.

After asking Mumu about the important points for cleaning the library, Teresa rolled up her sleeves, whistled a tune, and set to work, cheerful as could be. In truth, cleaning the library wasn’t hard despite its size, because it was equipped with a full suite of maintenance devices—crafted by Master Mu. Teresa only needed to check each area, place the cleaning devices where needed, and monitor that everything was spotless.

It was a tedious but easy task, and Teresa was delighted to clean while browsing the library’s books—she’d already asked Mumu, and knew the old manor’s forbidden areas were protected by special spells. She couldn’t enter them even if she wanted to, so anywhere she was allowed to go, she could do as she pleased. She could use any book from the accessible libraries, though she could only take one out of the manor at a time.

Teresa didn’t know exactly how many libraries the old house held—she was sure there were at least four. Libraries Three and Four were open to her, while the other two were off-limits. The third library, which she was now cleaning, contained a wide variety of general books: astronomy, geography, literature, art, religion—nothing was left out. Library Four was much smaller and held only introductory alchemy texts. Teresa had little interest in the fourth library, but adored the third—through its books, she could gain a clearer understanding of this magical world!