IBTMOMV - Chapter 2
Lady Rosalia's Uniform Is a National Treasure
It has been two months since I was appointed as her personal maid.
The rainy season ended, and now the harsh summer sunlight had arrived.
Promotion from maid to personal maid—if this were a normal company, I’d probably be the target of envy. But what awaited me in this world was—
“Think Soleil will quit in about a month?”
“Then I’ll put three silver coins on two weeks left.”
“I’ll go with five silver coins.”
—I had become the subject of gambling.
I raised my voice at the maids who were enthusiastically betting in the break room.
“Please don’t gamble over someone’s resignation date!”
“Oh, come on, none of Lady Rosalia’s maids last three months. We have to bet. It’s basically tradition now.”
“That’s such an awful tradition…”
Ever since I became her personal maid, the break room had been so lively it felt more like a casino every day.
When the break ended, my fellow maids rose from their chairs.
“I know every day must be like hell, but hang in there.”
I was showered with sympathetic looks and shoulder pats, but inside I was screaming—
On the contrary, every day is heaven!
Take this morning, for example—
“Soleil, tie up my hair.”
“Yes!”
Uwaaaah, Lady Rosalia’s hair is so silky smooth!!
At the dressing table, I blissfully slid a wooden comb through her locks. Her purple hair flowed through my fingers like strands of silk thread. That gloss, that smoothness, that shine—it ought to be declared a national treasure immediately.
“Your hands have stopped moving.”
“Forgive me!”
At Lady Rosalia’s voice, I snapped back to myself.
I hurriedly gathered the side hair and loosely braided it. After finishing the style, I fastened it with an aquamarine barrette. The jewel, like summer’s ocean trapped in crystal, sparkled in the morning sun.
“May I apply perfume as well?”
“Yes.”
“Then, white-flower perfume. It suits a morning after rain.”
I opened the second drawer of the dressing table and took out a small glass perfume bottle.
Spraying a mist behind her ear, a soft, elegant fragrance spread through the air. Lady Rosalia’s crimson eyes seemed to soften for just an instant—or so I thought.
“Not bad.”
“Not bad” = the highest praise!
Overwhelmed by the joy of receiving words of approval from my oshi, I headed to the closet.
Opening the doors, I took out a dress—deep jet black fabric embroidered with vivid royal blue. A satin ribbon of the same royal blue was sewn at the waist.
“How about this one for today?”
“……”
“Lady Rosalia?”
“You know, sometimes you’re oddly perceptive. It feels like you’re peeking into my mind.”
“When it comes to my oshi… I mean, I’m only doing my duty to the best of my ability.”
I coughed to cover up my slip.
“Aquamarine barrette,” “white-flower perfume,” “royal blue dress”—these were Lady Rosalia’s favorite summer combinations. Having read the HanaKimi doujin cover to cover, and thinking about Lady Rosalia’s happiness every waking moment, I had no blind spots.
By the way, when I had first become her personal maid, Lady Rosalia, often displeased, had poured water over me or slapped me. But every bit of it had been a reward, so I had never been troubled.
Since the rainy season ended, her foul moods had lessened, and such things happened less frequently.
“You could slap me more, you know…”
“Did you just say something creepy?”
“No!! Nothing at all!!”
I covered it up with a laugh and escorted Lady Rosalia to the entrance.
The next night, 11 p.m.
Carrying a teapot of hot milk, I headed to Lady Rosalia’s room. The mansion at night was wrapped in silence; only my footsteps echoed down the corridor.
I arrived and knocked lightly, but there was no response.
Opening the door quietly, I saw Lady Rosalia in one corner of the room, diligently moving her pen across her desk.
“Kingdom Year 182… Lady Astreia… as the symbol of the royal family…”
From what I heard, she seemed to be studying founding history. She was desperately reciting years and names.
Then, as if she’d made a mistake, she irritably raked her fingers through her hair.
“No, that’s wrong… This won’t do. I mustn’t make mistakes…”
Her eyes, muttering in a voice full of desperation, quivered with anxiety and fear.
She had to be perfect.
Not a single mistake was allowed.
As if to drum that into herself, she suddenly reached her left hand to her thigh and, in the next moment—pinched her own flesh harshly.
Lady Rosalia’s face twisted with pain.
“Lady Rosalia!!”
I shouted reflexively and set the tray down on her desk with a thud.
“Excuse me!”
Without waiting for her consent, I lifted the hem of her silk loungewear. The sight left me speechless.
Purple bruises dotted her pale thighs.
Some were old, some new—clear traces of hurting herself again and again. My throat tightened.
Lady Rosalia said nothing about my actions, only looked at the small silver clock on her desk and murmured vaguely:
“…Ah, it’s already this late.”
Her words were tinged with exhaustion.
Clearly, she must have been studying nonstop since returning from the academy.
I gently lowered her hem to cover the painful bruises. Holding back tears, I stood up.
“I’ll treat this later. For now, please rest.”
I poured the hot milk into a cup and set it before her. She took a sip and exhaled softly. That faint sigh of relief nearly brought me to tears again.
Two months of working as her maid had shown me—Lady Rosalia was a hard worker. To an abnormal degree.
Born the only daughter of the Valentino ducal family, expected to be a candidate for queen consort, Lady Rosalia bore a crushing weight of responsibility on her small frame.
Expectations from the royal family, demands from her father, scrutiny from society—
Lady Rosalia had met all of it with effort that scraped away at her very being.
Studying until morning, spending holidays with rotating tutors who drilled her in noble etiquette and diplomacy. Still, she played the perfect young lady at the academy, never allowed to show weakness at home. As the daughter of a duke, she could not even have friends with whom to share her burdens.
Her heart must already have been at its limit. The hidden self-harm was proof of that.
This side of her wasn’t shown in the original…
The Lady Rosalia of the original story was a villainess who wielded the duke’s authority arrogantly. To eliminate the heroine, she chose any means necessary and carried out cruel schemes without hesitation.
She was the foil meant to make the good and lovely heroine shine brighter—that was the role assigned to her.
As I applied medicine to her bruised thighs, I bit my lip.
“…Is your brother’s treatment going well?”
Startled by the sudden question, I looked up at her face.
Soleil had a sickly younger brother. Realizing that was what she meant, I quickly forced a cheerful expression.
“Yes! Thanks to being made your personal maid, my wages increased!”
“I see.”
That was all she said, before lifting her cup again.
Though Soleil’s family carried the title of viscount, their small landholding on the kingdom’s western edge meant they were far from wealthy. To earn money for her ailing brother’s treatment, Soleil had begun working as a maid in the Valentino household.
For her to worry about me…!
Though she seemed cold at first glance, the brief glimpses of Lady Rosalia’s kindness made my chest burn.
As I finished applying medicine and tidied up, she suddenly spoke, as if remembering something.
“Come to the academy with me tomorrow.”
“Eh?”
“That’s all. You may leave now.”
Without any explanation, I was ushered out.
The academy… That means I’ll get to see Lady Rosalia at school…!
And the next morning—
“You’re too beautiful!”
“Shut up.”
I was glad to be alive. No—glad to have died and been reincarnated.
I rode in the carriage together with Lady Rosalia to the academy.
Usually I only got to see her off at the mansion gate, so this was a fresh experience.
“Since tomorrow is summer break and I have a lot to bring home, I let you come. But if you’re going to be noisy, I’ll throw you out.”
“Eek! Forgive me!!”
At Elferia Royal Academy, where Lady Rosalia attended, bringing a maid was generally not permitted. Restricting outsiders was how they preserved the academy’s order. But with proper reasons and prior permission, exceptions could be made.
I tried not to anger her and stole glances at Lady Rosalia’s uniform.
The blazer, based on black, had striking red lines at the collar and cuffs. The wine-red vest beneath was tailored to her figure, accentuating her slender waist. At her collar was a deep crimson ribbon with white trim—the proof of a second-year.
The pleated skirt, edged with red lines, gave off an elegant brilliance. Her beautiful legs stretched from beneath, wrapped in sheer knee-high socks, the black lace an alluring accent.
Ahhh, she’s too beautiful! Step on me!!
“…You see me in uniform every day.”
“Even so, seeing you inside the carriage feels different—more moving!”
I clenched my fists and declared earnestly, only to receive a look as though I were an insect. She muttered, “Idiot,” and turned her gaze outside.
“…But I’m glad you came.”
“?”
I tilted my head, not understanding.
I realized the meaning behind Lady Rosalia’s words only after we arrived at the academy.
“Wow…!”
Stepping down onto the stone pavement from the carriage, I couldn’t help but exclaim.
Before me stood a grand school building of reddish-brown brick. Ivy crept slowly up the walls that bore the weight of long history, quietly telling of tradition and dignity. The arch of the main gate, supported by marble columns, gleamed with the emblem of Elferia Royal Academy—a crowned double-headed eagle.
The students who bore the kingdom’s future walked through the gates with disciplined steps.
What I had only ever seen in the story now stood before me. I was struck dumb with awe.
“It’s not such a fun sight.”
“That’s not true at all!”
I denied it, and Lady Rosalia’s lips curved faintly upward. But her expression froze into stone.
Following her gaze, I saw a luxurious pure-white carriage. On its body was a crest that immediately brought a certain person to mind.
That is…
The carriage door opened, and a beautiful man stepped down.
Golden hair like sunlight, emerald-green eyes reminiscent of a deep forest. Refined movements and a noble aura radiated from his entire being.
Alan Grancerre!
There was no mistake—he was the hero of HanaKimi.
And he was Lady Rosalia’s fiancé—the very man who would condemn her.
Author's Note
To be continued — Next time, the true nature of her fiancé Alan is...!?
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