Chapter 229: She Is Not 'This Girl'

Hooked — that word dances inside my heart.

"Duchess, I believe Lily is older than Your Grace. She is older than Her Majesty the Queen."

At my words the Duchess and the maids held their breath. Did the sound in the room disappear? Did I hear high laughter inside Lily’s heart?

"R-really?"

The Duchess says with a face that finds it completely unbelievable, so

"Please ask Lily her age. May Lily approach your side?"

At my question the Duchess, while showing agitation, answers immediately,

"Yes... come."

Receiving that, Lily approaches the Duchess’s side with a soso and, beside her ear yet so that the maids can also hear, says,

"I am forty-four years of age."

"""Eh!!"""

The three froze. And they are staring hard at Lily’s face. The expressions of the three are strange. The Duchess stretches out a hand and is stroking Lily’s face. With her fingertips she is poking the cheek and checking the rebound elasticity of the skin.

Lily rolls up a sleeve, swings her upper arm, and tries to show the sway of the flesh, yet it does not wobble puripuri. The face of Lily glancing sideways at me is so happy! She is trying to keep a blank expression yet a grin is leaking out.

"If it is all right, may you also look at the legs?"

When Lily says that,

"Yes, they say age begins from the legs..."

the Duchess, who has regained some composure, answers.

Lily turns this way and, rudely, points her buttocks toward the Duchess. Then she gathers up her skirt. There sits the thing I was shown this morning. Are string panties something all right to show? No, she will not show that far, ahaha.

"My!?"

The Duchess is surprised. The maid who looks somewhat older than the Duchess standing beside her has raised the corners of her eyes and is staring fixedly. She is not looking at Lily’s string panties, right. She is looking at the degree of sag at the base of the legs, I suppose. Of course even I, if I compare the Lily of when we met and the Lily of now, would be surprised! I would absolutely not think they are the same person!

"Are you truly forty-four..."

The Duchess asks Lily in a voice that seems squeezed out.

"Yes. I have no reason to deceive all of you regarding my age."

Lily answers in a tone mixed with happiness she cannot hide. At the corner the temple of the still-young maid who looks around thirty is twitching hiku hiku. Perhaps this maid is a little younger, around twenty-five? Realizing that a woman nearly twenty years older than herself has an appearance that does not differ from her own, is she angry? That the appearance of a woman close to her mother’s age does not differ from her own is something that cannot be forgiven, isn’t it.

"Shall I also show my chest?"

At Lily’s words that have gotten carried away the Duchess does not utter a word. The Duchess’s face is severe. It feels as if a pitch-black aura is welling up from her body. The inside of the room is growing darker and darker and the pressure seems to be strengthening. In the darkness the Duchess’s eyes are blazing brilliantly.

"Vélez-sama, s-stop, please!"

With a scream-like voice from the older maid the black aura inside the room vanished in an instant. Lily is sweating heavily. The two maids also wear suffering faces. Could this mean mental magic was being used? That the sisters Her Majesty the Queen and the Duchess can both use mental magic... is frightening; I do not want such a person for a wife.

The Duchess only started for an instant and immediately returned to a face as if nothing had happened and said,

"I understand. Yet I cannot suddenly believe such a thing. Yes... shall we try a little? Elle, you try it. Your age is about the same as this maid’s."

The Duchess addressed the older maid. The maid called Elle is blinking her eyes. Accompanied by an expression mixed with anxiety and expectation.

"In my elder sister’s letter it was written that the medicine does not keep, so Robin-sama always stored it in his own mana bag and carried it to my elder sister. Is that true?"

The Duchess asks with a face from which one might hear the grinding of teeth giri giri giri.

"Yes, exactly so. Because it deteriorates immediately after being made I stored it in my mana bag immediately after making it. Inside my mana bag time seems to stop and it did not go bad. What happens if it is stored in another person’s mana bag I do not know because I have never tried it. After all it is a precious medicine and I cannot make much."

When I say it plausibly the Duchess nods with a face of "Is that so." What a good flow.

Thereupon I respectfully ask,

"Anticipating such a thing I have brought two wineglassfuls of the medicine. If it is all right would you drink it?"

While putting one hand into the mana bag and taking a pose of "I can take it out at any time."

The Duchess’s eyes glitter gira! The color of the eyes has become eerie again. The area around the eyes and mouth has risen and she has taken on a face exactly like a witch.

"Fine, take it out. If I feel some effect after drinking I will pay the money!"

""Mariska-sama!""

At the Duchess’s words the two maids raised their voices.

"If there are only two cups Elle and I will drink."

The younger maid is casually cut off. That maid is wearing an extremely regretful face. Feeling as if resentment might be held I say,

"Um, Duchess. Would it not be better to divide the second cup in half and have both maids drink it?"

""Eeeeh—!?""

Voices rose simultaneously from the two maids. The older maid called Elle clearly in a reluctant voice, the younger maid in a happy voice.

The Duchess thought a little and said,

"Then let us do that. Robin-sama, would you take out the medicine?"

"Yes, then."

I say and take out two wine glasses. As usual they contain a milky-white liquid. The Duchess peered into them intently. Duchess, aren’t your eyes glittering eerily? Somehow with the Duchess’s magic eyes the efficacy seems about to be blown away.

The younger maid who had hurriedly gone to fetch wine glasses returned carrying them. When I pour so that it becomes half each both make subtle faces. They are probably thinking it is not equal amounts. The Duchess, regardless of such things, drank with a gui. In one gulp gokuri!

"Uh!? Bad..."

Is this the sudden impression. Well, it cannot be helped; I have never drunk it myself.

"They say good medicine is bitter to the mouth. This cannot be drunk unless one endures the smell and taste!"

The experienced Lily speaks forcefully. While frowning the Duchess nods. Does making such a face mean she has never drunk that of the Duke? Because mine and the Duke’s may not necessarily have the same taste and flavor I cannot say anything.

The portion the maids drink was divided into the glasses that had been fetched. Equal division is difficult, so the younger maid divides and the older maid chooses the one she likes. The two, unlike the Duchess, do not drink in one gulp; they smell it and hold it in their mouths. They are tasting it.

The maid called Elle, perhaps because she had heard the Duchess’s comment, made a bitter face yet somehow swallowed. The younger maid smelled it, said "Eh?", held it in her mouth and after drinking murmured "What was this taste again?" This is an experienced person! Even if you understand do not say it.

After a period of silence the Duchess places a hand on her cheek and says in a slightly ambiguous tone,

"I feel as if my body has begun to grow warm..."

"Normally it should not take effect so quickly, yet perhaps the compatibility between the Duchess and the medicine is good. For me it took more time."

As expected Lily says skillful things.

"My, is that so?"

The Duchess looks happy. The two maids, unable to recognize the effect themselves, show no change in expression.

There is no point in waiting too long so I ask,

"Duchess, what will you do?"

"After all I will have Elle drink it. If I have her drink two or three times the effect should become visible. In my elder sister’s letter it was written that drinking once every ten days is fine, yet what shall we do?"

the Duchess says, yet Her Majesty the Queen wrote that once every ten days is fine!? She herself was drinking every day, was she not!? And for her younger sister she says once every ten days. Hmm? Does this mean that rather than having her younger sister drink it she is thinking of having others drink it and selling high so that my purse is also enriched? The words "You are a schemer~~" are dancing inside my head.

"Then shall I bring the medicine here once every ten days?"

When I ask the Duchess thinks a little and says,

"No, let us have Elle call at the ambassadorial residence from this side. It would be rude to have the ambassador of a country specially deliver a maid’s medicine. If possible, would it be possible to show us the place where the medicine is made? Are you making it alone?"

Ooooh, what a happy flow this has become.

"I am making the medicine together with Lily. Showing it is fine, yet we must have Elle-sama promise absolutely not to speak of the manufacturing method outside; is that possible?"

The Duchess makes a face of "That is only natural, isn’t it?" and says,

"Yes, it is fine. If I seal Elle’s mouth she will absolutely not leak it to anyone. Elle has served me since I was a child and came with me from the Marie Kingdom. She knows me so well that one could say she is my other self. Therefore I will make her keep the promise absolutely. It is fine!"

The Duchess asserts. This is a happy development! How the maid called Elle, a woman of age appropriate to her years, will grow younger is something I cannot help looking forward to. By all means I must have her drink the medicine directly with that mouth!

Pretending not to see the face of Lily who understands my thoughts and looks as if she has bitten a bitter insect I reply in a voice that may be called a cheerful acceptance,

"Then there is no problem. Because you drank only half the prescribed amount today please come in five days. I will be waiting."

Elle performs a curtsy toward me and replies,

"Please treat me favorably, Robin-sama."

Fufufu, I will be waiting, Elle-san!