I Don't Want to Become a Villainess, So I Aim at Becoming a Perfect Lady Together with the Prince! Chapter 77

The butterfly effect~ good for Yugo!

TL: clover

ED: clover

When I was self-deprecating, Luke then said in a quiet voice.

“…Everyone feels jealous and anxious. Of course, that also includes me, and she won’t say it out loud, but I’m sure Chloe is also the same.”

“I wonder about that…I feel like Chloe has no jealousy.”

Chloe is always kind. The idea of her feeling jealous of someone else is unthinkable.

But Luke shook his head.

“There is no human that hold no jealousy or anxiety. The amount may vary each person, but I think it is impossible to have none at all.”

“…You feel jealous too, Luke?”

“I think nobody envies other people as much as I do though?”

“…”

When he replied lightly, my eyes widened. Luke smiled bitterly.

“I lost my parents, lost my place to live, and I was picked up just before I died. Every day I feel grateful for my good fortune that you picked me up, Milady, but basically, there is nothing but envy in this world. I am just careful not to show it. And that’s the same for other people.”

“I…see.”

If Luke said so, surely that was the case.

“In that sense, Milady, your choice to return so that you wouldn’t show your unseemly side to Chloe is not bad, isn’t it? If you’re still feeling guilty about Chloe, I think you should calm yourself down a little and apologize to her or patch things up in some other ways.”

Every single thing that Luke said was reasonable. I nodded deeply and said to Luke.

“That’s right. There is no use regretting what I couldn’t do…yes.”

I feel really sorry for Chloe. So next time I will definitely help her. At that time, I will not run away.

“Now you only need to talk to His Highness.”

“Eh? To Al?”

My eyes widened when Al’s name was mentioned, and Luke said with unconcerned expression.

“Yes, by all means, please talk to His Highness Alan. Otherwise, when this reached his ears, I feel like he will be making snide comments at me. ‘Despite I’m the one who will become Lily’s husband, why are you the only one she turns to for consultation?’ Well, don’t you think he will say something like that?”

“…pft.”

My apologies for laughing.

But I really felt like he would definitely say something like what Luke just said.

“His Highness Alan cares very much about you, Milady. If he knows that you wouldn’t consult with him, I’m sure he would sulk.”

“I don’t think he will sulk. But…I understand. I will talk to Al.”

To be honest, I don’t want Al to know too much. I don’t want someone I love to see my unseemly parts. However, I knew that Al cares about me, and that he wanted me to consult with him when something happened, and more importantly, I felt like he would really sulk, so I decided to follow Luke’s advice.

“Please do.”

“Thank you, Luke.”

I thanked Luke seriously.

Thanks to him, I noticed that I felt much lighter.

The tea was getting a little tepid, but I reached for my cup.

“I feel like I was able to unwind a little. Just worrying about it wouldn’t solve anything.”

“Yes, being troubled and such doesn’t suit you, Milady.”

“…and what do you mean by that?”

“I wonder?”

“That was definitely not a compliment.”

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When I glared at Luke, he widened his eyes unnaturally and said, “That’s unthinkable!”

“That was a compliment for being simple and easy to understand though.”

“As I thought, that was not a compliment!”

I scowled at Luke who was smiling. My butler has a really nice personality, isn’t he.

“…Whatever. Ah, right. I wonder if I should go to the library for a change of pace.”

There is still time before dinner. Sure I can talk to Luke here, but it should be easier to switch my mood if we move to another location.

“There was a book that I was reading…yes, that’s not a bad idea.”

I remembered that there was a book in the library that I was reading a long time ago, so I got up from the sofa. Luke stood behind me.

“I will escort you.”

“Yes, please.”

“Meow~”

Noel looked up at me as if asking to be brought along. His round eyes were lovely and I felt sorry for leaving him here, but Noel had a criminal record of tearing valuable books when he was brought along to the library. So it would be better for him to stay away from the library for a while. I stroked his little head, saying, “Be a good boy, okay?” and only brought Luke along to the library.

“Oh?”

In the library that I visited for the first time in a few days were my father and Yugo-niisama. They seemed to be talking with a serious expression.

Will I be in the way if I enter now? Just as I thought so, my father noticed me and called out.

“Oh, is that you, Lily? Have you returned?”

“Yes. I’m sorry for not greeting you when I arrived. Um, if I’m in the way, I will leave…”

“No, we weren’t talking about anything confidential. You should come here too.”

“Yes, excuse me.”

I went to my father’s side as he beckoned.

However, Yugo-niisama and father. I wonder what they were talking about.

I would have guessed that my brother has been pushing for new tea ware, but recently he hasn’t held a tea party and his interest in such things has diminished. So I wasn’t sure.

As I tilted my head, Yugo-niisama asked me in a happy tone, “Are you curious?” I nodded.

“Yes.”

“Alright, I’ll tell you. I’m not saying I will do it right now, but I’m thinking of working in the castle in the near future.”

“Huh? In the castle?”

Those were not words I thought I would ever hear from my brother’s mouth, so I unintentionally asked again. Yugo-niisama affirmed it while chuckling.

“Yep. I thought that I shouldn’t stay inside the mansion forever. So I talked about it with father.”

“…”

My brother said it in a light tone, but I, who knew how surprising that was, turned to my father without thinking. My father looked at me and nodded slowly.

“It’s true. I got a consultation from Yugo. We were just talking about that.”

“He was the one who suggested it?”

“Aa.”

It became more and more surprising.

Unlike Victor-niisama, Yugo-niisama, who couldn’t find any significance in working in the castle, didn’t change his livelihood no matter how many times he was told. To think that my brother would be the one to suggest working in the castle—

When I was staring at my brother in astonishment, as if feeling a bit uncomfortable, he said.

“Well, just a moment. I also think that it was not good to stay inside the mansion forever. I noticed that, but I turned my eyes away. However, I met that cat, and my values were turned upside-down. So, I was a little bit desperate. Incidentally, I realized that I could try working in the castle which I hadn’t been able to do, no, I didn’t even want to do it.”

“Huh? So you decided to work in the castle because you were desperate?”

I couldn’t keep up with Yugo-niisama’s extreme theory.

Working in the castle because he was desperate. What kind of thinking circuit does he have to make such a conclusion?

But my brother was serious.

“Yes. Because otherwise I wouldn’t even suggest working in the castle, you know?”

“Certainly…that’s true.”

I couldn’t deny it. Because the fact that my brother suggested it was incredible and improbable.

But I can only say that this is a good start for my brother.

Because I was like that too. One needs courage to change oneself.

It’s difficult to take a step forward without some starting point. In my case that was Al, but for my brother, it was probably Noel.

My brother then said with a gentle smile.

“I can’t even believe it myself. To think that I’m going to work in the castle. I know that if I work in the castle, the number of the fun tea parties will definitely be reduced, but I’m still going to do it.”

“You haven’t held any tea parties recently though.”

“Well, that’s right. You too, right, Lily?”

“…yes.”

I nodded at my brother’s point.

The tea parties that my brother and I regularly went to just for fun.

Now I don’t even want to organize it anymore.

“Niisama…so you won’t hold tea parties anymore?”

“Hmm. It was fun, but I think I will hold back for now.”

“I see.”

“I still love beautiful things, and that won’t change, but I wanted to expand my world no matter what.”

“Your world?”

When I asked back in return, my brother nodded with a serious expression.

“Yes. Because of Noel, I thought there must be so much more beautiful things in the world that I hadn’t noticed before. I wanted to see them. But, I can’t do that as I am now. I won’t be able to see them forever if I stay in the mansion…I guess this is the main reason I decided to work in the castle.”

“Niisama…”

My brother has changed more than I thought.

Before I knew it, my brother had reflected on himself and was trying to move forward.

When I was staring at my brother with indescribable feelings, my father, who was listening, laughed happily.

“I didn’t think that having a cat would have this kind of effect to Yugo. You did well, Lily.”

“No…I didn’t do anything in particular.”

I’m happy to be praised, but I didn’t do anything.

Yugo-niisama changed with his own power and I had nothing to do with that.

My brother changed himself. Unlike me, who couldn’t even take action without Al, my brother was able to realize it on his own.