NOMAMWTM Chapter 17

The two who'd been hesitating, saying they were servants, sat down when Charlotte repeatedly invited them.

"Tom, ma'am."

"I'm Jeina."

They didn't run away when she spoke to them.

There was no sign of it, and they weren't afraid.

Even Tom, who'd been trembling, seemed to calm down when she spoke to him.

It was truly a normal reaction.

Charlotte was inwardly moved.

The people in this estate ran away when she spoke to them, apologized, and only banged their heads saying they'd committed a mortal sin.

Who was it again—she couldn't quite remember the face, but on the day she'd first brought Nero, there were maids who'd run away and never returned when she asked them to bring water for him.

After seeing only people like that, witnessing such a normal reaction almost brought tears to her eyes.

"...Mm, mm."

Charlotte, whose mood had improved tremendously, wanted to become close with them and began asking various things.

"How long have you worked here?"

"Do you know where Michael went?"

"Where are you from?"

Tom and Jeina answered her questions sincerely.

Jeina was a woman born from the marriage of servants here, so she'd spent her entire life in this place. Tom said he was from a rural village near the capital.

She'd thought they'd both been working here for ages, but surprisingly Tom had entered the estate only recently.

Despite that, unlike the others, he didn't fear her and spoke properly—a hundred times better than the other servants.

They went on to say they didn't know exactly where Michael had gone, but he was incredibly busy. It seemed there was some problem inside the estate.

"I see."

Charlotte felt a twinge of guilt toward Michael for having strange thoughts again.

The faint unease remaining in one corner of her heart had long since vanished.

Michael, who'd briefly surfaced in her thoughts, soon faded, buried by the fact that she was conversing with new people.

When Charlotte asked various things, Tom and Jeina began to open up as well, and the conversation gradually deepened.

Surprisingly, Tom, who'd trembled at first, was quite talkative.

He became increasingly accustomed to the lumps—even when they started rolling around on the table, he no longer flinched.

Charlotte, who'd never had this much conversation with people since coming here, felt better and better.

"So then..."

How much time had passed? Charlotte, who'd been listening as if entranced to the story Tom was telling about something popular among the capital's noble ladies, suddenly looked down.

Nero, who'd been sitting quietly in her arms, shifted his body as if wanting to climb onto the table.

Since there didn't seem to be any problem with letting him up, she pushed aside some of the lumps rolling on the table and released Nero.

She failed to notice the lumps she'd pushed changing direction sharply and rolling toward where Jeina sat.

Or the way Nero's red pupils suddenly split vertically with a flash of light as he hopped onto the table.

And then, suddenly, truly without any warning at all—

Nero abruptly leaped across the table and lunged at Jeina.

"Nero!"

Charlotte shot to her feet in shock.

"Kyaaaah!"

From somewhere in that fist-sized body came enough force for the baby rabbit to spring up and latch onto Jeina's face.

Jeina jerked up in surprise, staggering backward one step, two steps, flailing in the air.

With her movements, the lumps that had been rolling nearby scattered away with soft sounds.

"Jeina, are you oka— Nero!"

Beside Tom, who seemed frozen in shock, Charlotte likewise stood with her mouth open, not knowing what to do before she snapped to her senses and rushed toward Jeina.

"Nero, did he eat something wrong? Let go!"

Though he was a baby pig-rabbit who'd bite fingers without mercy if disturbed while eating grass, until now Nero had never once acted fierce without reason.

"What are you doing!"

Charlotte shouted as she hurriedly pulled Nero from Jeina's face.

Nero, dangling by his scruff from her hand, struggled.

"Are you okay, Jeina?"

Charlotte urgently examined Jeina's face.

Fortunately there wasn't a single scratch. He'd only clung to her face but hadn't bitten or torn at her.

Jeina, who'd shown little expression change while chatting until now, had a dazed look on her face, as if quite startled.

"Does it hurt anywhere?"

"......"

The maid couldn't readily answer and blinked vacantly.

"I'm sorry, Nero isn't usually like this..."

Charlotte apologized with a tearful expression.

She'd just met properly normal people for the first time besides Michael, was just starting to have fun, wanted to grow closer—and the atmosphere had become a complete mess in an instant.

Nero, meanwhile, struggled as if he'd done something praiseworthy and should be released.

The moment her terrifying gaze naturally turned toward the rabbit—

"Hi, hic!"

Jeina suddenly drew in a sharp breath and collapsed to her knees.

All the lumps on the floor scattered away to other places.

"Je, Jeina? Are you okay?"

Had she been that startled? Charlotte didn't know what to do as Jeina's complexion gradually paled.

"Hieek, huk, hic, cough! Cough, cough!"

Still collapsed, Jeina gasped roughly, then choked and began coughing.

"Jeina...?"

What should I do? Charlotte, who'd been stamping her feet, bent down in front of the maid. At that moment, the maid's face paled even further.

"Cough, cough, cough, cough! Y-yes, huk, yes?"

Tears welled in Jeina's eyes as she coughed continuously.

Even the lumps that had scattered around when she'd collapsed seemed to feel sympathy and gathered around her one by one.

Very fortunately, right after that she gasped several times and calmed down.

Though the scene might have looked a bit strange—however suddenly a rabbit had pounced—it didn't register in Charlotte's awareness, her soul already swept away by the sudden situation.

Nero, still being held, made another fierce attempt at rebellion.

She gripped Nero firmly and let out a deep sigh of relief that Jeina had calmed down.

"Are you okay?"

"...Cough, ah, yes."

Jeina returned to her impassive expression and nodded.

"I'm sorry for the commotion."

"No, I'm more sorry. I'll hold him properly now."

"Yes, please do."

Charlotte felt genuinely relieved that Jeina didn't reject her or show a cold attitude.

Thinking that her extreme surprise must be because she wasn't used to animals, or perhaps she was sensitive to fur, though not as severely as Maria.

A very slight sense of something off flickered past, but she didn't think deeply about it.

"...Wow, that was startling."

"You're telling me."

Tom, who'd been frozen, opened his mouth, and Jeina, seemingly fully recovered, responded to him, causing the stiffened atmosphere to thaw once more into lukewarm relaxation.

Thanks to the two who kept her company into the evening, the day passed quickly.

When the window outside darkened, they rose, saying their shift was almost over.

Charlotte, who'd been having fun for the first time in a while, felt disappointed but soon saw them off.

Tom left the room, and Jeina, following behind him, paused just before stepping out the door.

"Madam."

"Mm?"

Charlotte, who'd been sitting on the sofa firmly holding Nero in case he caused another incident, looked up.

Jeina, with lumps hanging on her shoulders, stared directly at her.

Just as she had when bringing the mother-in-law's letter.

When Charlotte blinked, Jeina's gaze dropped slightly lower to look at Nero.

"Let the rabbit go."

Then a voice like a whisper, somehow scratching at the throat.

"Have a good night."

Thunk.

"...Huh?"

She reacted belatedly only after Jeina had closed the door and left.

Caught off guard by the unexpected words, strength left her hands.

Nero, seemingly knowing he'd been insulted, shot out like lightning and frantically scratched at the door.

Scratchscratchscratchscratchscratch!

The lumps rolling on the floor, perhaps disliking that sound, rolled toward Nero.

"...Hey."

Charlotte, coming to her senses shortly after, narrowed her eyes sharply.

The lumps hesitated. Nero stopped scratching the door and glanced back at her.

She approached the door and grabbed the rabbit's stubby scruff, lifting him up again.

"You stupid rabbit."

She shook the baby rabbit back and forth.

Given how Jeina had said those words at the end, she must have been quite startled even if she'd looked okay.

This was Nero's first accident—had he caught the playful streak from the lumps?

Just as she let out a deep sigh of frustration—

'The rabbit is quite cute, isn't it?'

"...Mm?"

Suddenly, the words Jeina had said when they first met flashed through her mind.