I’ll Never Set Foot in That House Again! Volume 1 Read online

  “Why does that good-for-nothing get to ride with Lord Glen!?” I could hear Lady Margaret shrieking from outside. Lady Adeline and the knights frowned, but stayed silent.

  When everything was loaded onto the carriages, we set off.

  Lord Glen’s hair sparkled in the light coming through the small carriage window. He is so pretty—just like an angel. While I was thinking that, our eyes met.

  “What’s wrong?” he gently questioned me. I quickly looked down, shaking my head. It was rude to look at people. If he’d been Lady Medisina, I’d be whipped. Just the thought had me shaking.

  “Oh, that’s right. Have you eaten?”

  I shook my head no. I’d gotten up at the same time as usual, and had been cleaning right until the carriages came. Nothing had been made for me, and even if it had, I wouldn’t have had time to eat it.

  Lord Glen sighed, mumbling, “Emaciation, Inhibited Growth, Psychological Trauma, Lacerations, Bruises... You’re just full of status ailments. Since I can’t use [Cure] too obviously, I’ll just get rid of the Emaciation first.”

  I tilted my head, not understanding what he said.

  “Cure her emaciation — [Cure].”

  The moment he whispered it, I was surrounded by a faint light. I felt like I was lighter. What was that? I thought. Lord Glen smiled softly at my confusion.

  “That was [Cure], a healing Skill. If you ate while you were emaciated, you’d just end up throwing up any solid...normal food you tried to eat. Keep it a secret, okay?”

  I didn’t quite understand, but I knew not to talk about it, so I nodded. Then, Lord Glen pulled out a paper bag, handing it to me.

  “I had this made for you, since I didn’t think you’d have had breakfast. You’re hungry, aren’t you?”

  I could tell what it was! There was food inside the bag!

  I swallowed hard as I took the bag from him. Opening it, there was an egg sandwich inside. I’m drooling... Can I eat it?

  “You can eat it,” he said with another gentle smile, apparently hearing my unvoiced question. Saying a simple thanks to the earth god, I bit into the sandwich. The sweetness of the egg spread through my mouth. It only took half of one side of the sandwich for my stomach to be full. I wanted to eat more, but I just couldn’t.

  “What’s wrong? Are you full?”

  I nodded at his question.

  “You can eat the rest later. I’ll hold it for you until then.”

  Oh, that’s right! I never thanked him!

  “Thank you...” I quickly blurted out.

  He pulled out another bag, handing that to me too. Opening it, I saw a simple cream-colored dress inside. What’s this for? I tilted my head again, confused.

  “That’s a change of clothes for you. Would you be able to put it on when we stop to give the horses a break?”

  The clothes I was wearing were rags full of holes. He must mean that I have to wear proper clothes, since I’m going to the Royal Research Institute.

  “Thank you...” I just kept bowing to him.

  A while later, we stopped for a break. Since Lord Glen stepped out for a moment, I took the chance to change. The silky dress was a bit big, but the material it was made of was nice. I slipped my old clothes inside my small bag.

  Afterwards, I stepped out of the carriage, only to meet eyes with Lady Margaret. She looked shocked for a moment, before coming up close.

  “What are you doing in such nice clothes!?”

  “Um, Lord Glen...”

  “And JUST you!? That’s not fair!”

  When I tried to explain that Lord Glen had just taken pity on me, she cut me off, turning and walking over to him. I let out a long sigh. I was always so nervous when talking to Lady Margaret, even though she was my younger sister. I don’t remember when it started. One of the knights saw me sigh, and looked down at me worriedly.

  “You gave my sister nice clothes, so you must have some for me as well, right? Where are you hiding them?” she asked Lord Glen with a smile.

  Our mother, Lady Medisina, and Marquis Ackroyd always gave her whatever she wanted. Marquis Ackroyd was Lady Medisina’s father, which would make him our grandfather. But I was never allowed to call him that. Just like I was told to call my mother and sister “Lady,” I was always told to call him “Marquis Ackroyd.” He would always get Lady Margaret anything that her heart desired. Toys, clothes, shoes, accessories... Anything. Lord Glen would definitely do the same.

  “That was just for Chelsea. I have nothing for you,” Lord Glen said with a shake of his head.

  “...That doesn’t make sense! I should be getting those kinds of presents, not that trash!”

  Lady Margaret complained and fussed, but all Lord Glen did was sigh, staying silent. He didn’t do what she asked.

  I was shocked to learn that not everything went as Lady Margaret willed.

  ＋＋＋

  The carriages rolled through the capital’s gate before sunset.

  “The capital of the Kingdom of Chronowize is walled, and then the royal castle is walled even further. They call that a ‘citadel.’”

  Looking out the little carriage window, I could see the castle, surrounded by walls.

  “Everything within the citadel is the King’s. The Royal Research Institute is to the west. Their research covers a lot of different things. That’s where they’ll be researching your Skill,” Lord Glen told me.

  When we got a bit closer, they checked our identification. As we neared the castle itself, Lord Glen got out.

  “I need to go make a report, so I’ll be leaving you here. All you need to do is stay in the carriage until you get to the entrance to the Royal Research Institute. Someone should be there waiting for you.”

  “Alright. Thank you very much,” I said, bowing once again through the small window.

  He gave me one last gentle smile before turning and walking towards the castle. His smile really was just as beautiful as an angel’s.

  From there, the carriage made a few turns before stopping completely. We must have arrived at the Royal Research Institute. Just as I was about to open the door for myself, one of the knights who had been guarding us opened it for me.

  Taking care not to trip, I stepped down to the ground, looking up at the buildings before me. The one on the right was large, and the same color as the castle, while the left was built with brown bricks.

  “This is the Royal Research Institute!” one of the knights told me with a smile.

  A moment later, Lady Margaret’s carriage arrived as well, and she stepped out.

  Just as the carriages and knights were leaving, two people came out of the gray building wearing white robes with red stoles. One was a man with brown hair and glasses, while the other was a woman with blue hair and red eyes, who seemed quite strong-willed.

  “Welcome to the Royal Research Institute. My name is Mirabel, and this is Tristano. What are your names?” the woman...Lady Mirabel asked with a smile.

  “I am Margaret, daughter of Baron Eucharis.”

  “I’m Chelsea.”

  Lady Margaret introduced herself proudly, while I bowed my head as I said my name. Why is she being so self-important when she’s only just meeting these people?

  “I’ve heard a little about the both of you. Which one of you is the one whose Skill needs control training?”

  “Me!” Lady Margaret announced loudly, looking down at her.

  “Oh, so it’s you. I’ll be your instructor. Nice to meet you.”

  Lady Mirabel held her right hand out to Lady Margaret, who slapped it away with a scowl.

  Why is Lady Margaret looking down at them, slapping away their hands, and just acting so self-important when we’ve only just met them? While I wondered that, Lady Mirabel seemed shocked for a moment before laughing out loud.

  “Haha... It seems you need some lessons on manners to go along with your training. This’ll be fun. I’ll show you to the dorm, but the rest is up to you,” she said, turning and walking away.
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  “Why should I listen to a commoner like you!?” Lady Margaret shrieked after her.

  That was when Lord Tristano, who had been watching quietly, finally spoke up. “Mirabel is the daughter of an Earl. All of the researchers here are either nobles or royalty. The trainees aren’t researchers, so sometimes there are a couple of commoners mixed in, but since they have strong Skills, they all end up adopted by noble houses. It would be best for you to just assume they’re all high-ranked.”

  “You’re kidding! But she didn’t introduce herself with her family name!”

  In general, nobles were the only ones with family names. And according to Lady Medisina, nobles should look down at the masses. But the old gardener told me that nobles couldn’t exist without the commoners underneath them. I didn’t know who was right, or how I should treat commoners, but if Lady Mirabel was going to be her instructor, I thought that she should treat her with respect, no matter her rank.

  “We value achievements over rank here. So none of us use our family names,” Lord Tristano said with a wry smile. “You’ve done it now. She’s gonna be extra hard on you.”

  Lady Margaret’s eyes widened at his words.

  “What are you doing? Get over here already!” Lady Mirabel beckoned her over from the entrance to the brown brick building. Carrying both of her heavy bags alone, Lady Margaret rushed after her.

  As I watched them go, Lord Tristano called out to me, “You must be the one with the newly discovered Skill. Unlike Mirabel, I’m an investigator, or maybe researcher... Just think of me as a helper. You can call me Tris.”

  Lord Trista—Tris smiled at me, reaching his right hand out. I immediately took it, and we shook hands.

  “Um... I’m called a ‘failure’ at home, so I’d like to apologize in advance for all of the trouble I’ll cause you,” I bowed deeply after our handshake.

  “That’s an awful thing to be called... And you’re the daughter of a noble too, aren’t you, Miss Chelsea? You shouldn’t bow your head so much!”

  “Huh? But at home, I get whipped if I don’t bow...”

  “No one’s gonna be whipping you here! Let’s get you to your room!” He interrupted me in a fluster, before walking slowly to match my pace.

  “Oh, so about life here...” As we walked, Lord Tris told me about the Research Institute. “You’re gonna get your own maids. We’ll also cover your clothes, shoes, food, everything like that. What else... Oh, you’ll get paid, too!”

  “Huh...?” He was saying so much, I couldn’t follow it all.

  “We haven’t had anyone with a new Skill in the past few decades, so it’s super rare! Just know that the Royal Research Academy’ll take care of you, so don’t worry!”

  Seemingly realizing I didn’t understand, he summed everything up with a smile.

  “Ah, that’s right! The meals here are delicious, so that’s another thing you can look forward to,” he said, pressing his palms to his cheeks and drooling.

  “You mean I can eat every day?”

  “Every day, three meals, and lots of snacks,” Lord Tris said, with a shocked look.

  So I can eat every day! This is like a dream! I thought I’d be getting whippings like I did back home, but if I could eat every day, I could handle that!

  With hope brimming in my chest, I stepped into the brown-bricked building that they called the lodging house.

  Right after entering, we turned to the left, and kept walking for a while before stopping at a door with two women in maid uniforms in front of it. The door itself was painted black, and seemed quite heavy.

  “Past this door is your room, Miss Chelsea. I’ll come pick you up tomorrow morning. You can ask your personal maids for details,” Lord Tris said, handing me a golden key on a chain. Then, with a little wave, he headed back the way we came.

  I looked down at the key in my hand. It was sparkling, just like treasure would. I could look at it forever...

  “Let’s get you inside.” The light brown-haired maid spoke up while I was admiring the key.

  I nodded, stepping up to the door. I put the key into the lock, turning it. Then, after slowly pulling it out... The door opened.

  “Wow...it’s so big!” It was about four times the size of the sunroom at the Eucharis manor. “I-Is this really my room? Really?”

  “This is the room for those who awaken to a newly discovered Skill.”

  “It really is your room.”

  Both of the maids smiled brightly at my question.

  “Now, inside you go,” the dark-brown-haired maid said, gently pushing me forward.

  The room was split into five distinct spaces, with a low table and sofa near the door, making a little parlor. A bit farther in, there was a dining area with a table and two chairs. To the right of that was a compact little kitchen. To the left of the dining area were a desk and chair, along with a large, cute, canopied bed to complete the bedroom set. Between the bedroom and the hall was a door, which turned out to be a walk-in closet, filled with dresses, gowns, shoes, and accessories. Lastly, through the door on the farthest left wall was a dressing room, bathroom, and toilet.

  “Am I...dreaming?”

  There’s no way somewhere as wonderful as this could be my room. I pinched my cheek hard, to try to wake myself up. But it hurt, so it must not be a dream.

  The maids, who had been watching me with smiles, lined up in front of me.

  “My name is Gina,” the maid with light brown hair braided on one side and slightly droopy eyes introduced herself.

  “I’m Martha,” said the other one, whose dark brown hair was in a ponytail. She looked a bit younger and more energetic than Lady Gina.

  “My name is Chelsea. I’d like to apologize in advance for any trouble I may cause you,” I said, bowing deeply.

  The two maids just blinked at me. Oh no. I bowed out of habit when Lord Tris just told me not to.

  “I-I’m so sorry!”

  Ah, I’m going to get punished... I braced myself for the whip, but all they did was smile at me.

  “Lady Gina, Lady Martha, you aren’t cross with me?” I asked nervously.

  They both tilted their heads, confused.

  “Why would we be cross with you? Ah, but remember that we are your personal maids. You mustn’t address us as ‘Lady.’”

  “Yes, please just speak to us plainly!”

  Having lived my life referring to everyone as “Lord” and “Lady,” their response shocked me. It would be far too rude for trash like me to speak so plainly to anyone...

  “Um... May, uh... Can I be just a little bit polite?” I asked after a pause, to which they reluctantly agreed.

  As I breathed out a sigh of relief, Gina suddenly looked serious, speaking, “We have been told about your situation. Based on that, we will need to teach you about manners, how to act like a noble, and other things a noble must know.”

  “In simple terms, we’ll make you into a proper lady, Lady Chelsea,” Martha said with a smile.

  I knew that I was no good as I was, so I nodded obediently. Seeing that I agreed, their eyes sparkled excitedly.

  “Now, to set you off on the path of a proper lady, we must start with your appearance.”

  “Which means, off to the bathroom we go!”

  “Huh?”

  They all but chased me into the bathroom, stripping my dress off.

  “W-Wait, I can bathe myself!” I exclaimed. Both of the maids smiled at me as I tried to cover myself in embarrassment.

  “No can do, this is your first step on the path to ladyhood. Leave everything to us maids.”

  “We’ll need to get you used to this!”

  There was no point in resisting... I gave up, letting them do as they wanted.

  Since Lord Glen had used Clean on me yesterday, I should have been clean already, but they still washed my hair before rubbing some kind of cream I’d never seen before into it. After letting it sit for a while, they rinsed it, and my hair went from dry to silky. It even smelled
nice!

  “It’s just like magic...” I whispered, only to get another smile from the two maids.

  After my hair was finished, they washed me with foamy soap, but it hurt a lot due to the wounds all over my body. Seeing that made both of them frown.

  After I was all clean, they shuffled me out of the bathroom with a fluffy towel.

  “Normally, we’d give you a massage with beauty cream, but due to your injuries, we’ll focus on getting you healed first,” said Gina, as Martha rubbed some kind of minty-smelling blue liquid over my body. Apparently, it was ointment.

  “We’ll need to get a Healer to come use [Cure] on her,” I could hear Gina whisper to Martha.

  “You’re right. It’s worse than I had expected.”

  After that, they dressed me in soft underwear and a dress made of a smooth material that I’d never seen before from the walk-in closet. I was surprised, since I didn’t think they’d do that much. Next, they led me to the dressing room and sat me before a big mirror. It had been a while since I’d last seen my own reflection, but I really was ugly. My bangs were down to my nose, so I wouldn’t meet anyone’s gaze. I’d cut the back myself, but because Lady Medisina and Lady Margaret would also cut it by force as punishment, it was all different lengths. And my big, buggy purple eyes were creepy.

  As Gina was brushing my hair, she stopped suddenly. “Lady Chelsea... Would it be alright if I evened out your hair?”

  I knew that I would be out of place here otherwise, so I nodded. That prompted Martha to pull out a cape and scissors. Gina took them, and after fastening the cape around my neck, she got to work cutting the hair on the back of my head. As the scissors snipped, the length of my hair was evened out.

  “Please close your eyes so I can do your bangs.”

  I obediently shut my eyes, and listened to the snipping. After a while, I felt a soft brush touch my face, cleaning the bits of hair from it, then the cape was removed.

  “I’m finished. You can open your eyes now.”

  When I opened my eyes again, I saw myself reflected in the mirror, looking different than I ever had been before. My bangs were just below my eyebrows, and the rest of my hair was just long enough to stop between my chin and shoulders. It was a very refreshing haircut. Though my eyes were still buggy, my hair should have been suitable for the Royal Research Institute now.