#004 Morning Starts with a Performance
Merilda repaired my maid uniform. She only fixed the torn parts that had become shorter because of the dog.
Thanks to her, I could feel somewhat comfortable, liberated from the cumbersome maid uniform.
“Is it really okay to wear like this?”
It felt somewhat empty when considering the effort she had put into getting used to the long skirt.
“Of course, a neat appearance is important, but, first and foremost, Amber, it’s more important to make sure you can work smoothly. And it’s better than pouring tea for the young lady like last time.”
“···.”
There was nothing wrong with Milda’s words, so Amber just smiled awkwardly.
***
The daily life of the exclusive maid was endlessly busy. Rising early, completing personal grooming, and the first task was to wake up Miss Ruby.
Already not a morning person, I felt awkward just waking up early. As soon as I opened my eyes to the chirping of birds, I blinked and checked the time.
‘···What time is it now?’
As I looked at the numbers pointed by the hour and minute hands, I flipped the blanket and got up.
‘I’m late···!’
I should have gotten up 30 minutes ago, but there was only about 10 minutes of preparation time left. After preparing at the best possible speed, I ran towards Ruby’s bedroom.
‘Luckily, I barely made it on time···.’
Knocking and gently opening the door, I heard the sound of a piano from inside.
‘Was she already up?’
When I opened the door, I saw Ruby playing the piano placed on the side of the room. Even though I entered, her gaze remained fixed on the sheet music, seemingly completely ignoring me.
‘···Should I wait a bit.’
Feeling like I shouldn’t disturb, I waited for the performance to finish. Playing the piano with emotionless eyes and tapping the keys with her pure white hands naturally captivated my attention.
Come to think of it, I remembered that in the game, Ruby’s ability to play musical instruments was quite high. It wasn’t comparable to the protagonist’s abilities, but among the main characters, it was remarkably high.
After finishing the performance, Ruby noticed me and met my gaze.
“···.”
I greeted her silently, following the predetermined manual.
“Miss, your meal is ready at the restaurant.”
“···Yes.”
Ruby responded briefly with a ‘yes’ and resumed playing, a different piece than before.
“···Come at your convenience to enjoy the meal.”
Feeling awkward, I quietly closed the door and left, thinking it might be better not to stay here.
As I headed to the restaurant, I saw Merilda tidying up the glasses. She looked at me with a slightly curious expression and asked,
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“Did you greet the young lady, Amber?”
“I suggested she have her meal, but she seemed busy with her performance, so I just came out.”
“The piano, right? These days, the young lady seems dedicated to playing all day. She’s planning to represent the Sarka family at the upcoming concert next month.”
“What? Family representative? But she’s not even 13 yet…”
“Hmm? Is that strange?”
Come to think of it, it wasn’t really surprising. I recalled that the elite members of influential families in this game learned music as a mandatory skill as soon as they started speaking.
“By the way, does the young lady usually speak so little?”
The only conversation I had with her during my stay in the mansion was the morning greeting just now.
“She tends to be reserved. Even with me, who has been her exclusive maid, we’ve hardly had any conversations beyond what’s necessary.”
“···Could it be that she dislikes me?”
“I don’t think so. After all, it was the young lady who chose you. I believe she just needs some time.”
I was worried about how Ruby would treat me, but now I felt a bit disappointed that she wasn’t showing much interest.
“Moreover, unlike me, who has a significant age difference, you and the young lady are of the same age, aren’t you? I believe you two could become good friends.”
‘…Friends.’
In the game, the only beings she could consider as friends were the villainous extra women who followed Ruby closely.
Though they were nobles, they were nothing more than villains attached to Ruby, seeking to absorb the byproducts of power, born into unremarkable families.
***
Originally, there was nothing to do as it was the young lady’s mealtime, but Merilda’s words continued to bother her.
‘Surely we can become close friends…’
She didn’t know how to become friends with such a stiff noble young lady, but she decided to make an effort.
Once again, she went to the young lady’s room, knocked, and opened the door.
“Excuse me, young lady.”
Ruby still didn’t pay attention to me and was engrossed only in playing.
As I quietly waited in the corner until the performance ended, Ruby finally looked at me and asked.
“…What?”
Although I was momentarily surprised by Ruby suddenly speaking to me, I calmly brought up what I intended to say.
“If it’s not intrusive, may I listen to the young lady’s performance here?”
Ruby, who had been silent for a while, nonchalantly nodded and said.
“…Do as you please.”
“Yes.”
After receiving Ruby’s permission and awkwardly standing next to the piano, she stopped playing and stared at me.
“…Are you going to keep standing there?”
From the slightly shifted position on the long chair, it seemed like an invitation for me to sit beside her. Sensing that I shouldn’t refrain from taking a seat, I quickly sat down next to her.
“Excuse me.”
“…”
Once she confirmed my presence beside her, Ruby resumed playing.
We sat close together, with only about the width of a finger between us. I sensed a subtle fragrance of sophisticated perfume and a pleasant soap-like scent from her.
The eyes with a hint of red light shining through her long hair were charming.
Her small but lovely fingers moved busily, playing the melody. Now, unlike the Ruby in the game with sharply cut nails painted in black, I noticed neatly trimmed nails.
In the romance game, she, at 17, used to always paint her sharply cut nails in black, but it seemed she didn’t have such a preference when she was younger.
The piece Ruby was playing now had a classical and elegant feel. Even just by looking at the densely packed notes on the sheet music, it was evident that it was quite a challenging piece for a child to play.
“Hmm.”
After finishing the first piece, Ruby took a brief breath.
“Impressive, miss.”
As if waiting for my admiration, she looked a bit surprised and then spoke to me.
“…It’s a piece I’ll perform at the concert next month. Still far from enough.”
‘Far from enough?’
To my ears, her performance was so perfect that it could be mistaken for a recording, but she didn’t seem to think so.
“Miss, your performance is truly excellent.”
Upon hearing this, Ruby looked down at the keyboard and asked me.
“…So, how did I look when I played?”
Ruby added an explanation when I asked about the ambiguous question.
“Expressions or gestures, things like that. How were they?”
“Uh…”
I recalled her appearance when she played. She was incredibly beautiful and lovely, but somehow…
“…A bit stiff, I guess.”
“…”
I made a mistake.
The thought that I only kept in my mind slipped out unintentionally.
Upon hearing my response, Ruby stiffened her expression and remained silent.
“I’m sorry…! I didn’t mean to upset you…”
“You’re right.”
“…Huh?”
“…I also found it uninteresting. The piece I just played.”
She said that and pushed the sheet music aside. Then, she placed her fingers on the keys once again.
“What’s this? Why the sheet music…?”
I thought she was going to play the same piece without the sheet music, but this time a completely different introduction flowed from the piano.
Unlike the previous piece, which felt clean and refined, this one had a relatively free melody that danced without imposing any restrictions on the rhythm.
She played with a lively and nimble touch, yet the balance never faltered. Although I don’t know much about music, there was no doubt that it was a piece that anyone would consider good.
“This piece feels completely different from before, doesn’t it?”
As I thought that and glanced to the side, I noticed Ruby’s focused expression as she played.
Basking in the sunlight streaming down, she immersed herself in playing the piano, looking remarkably beautiful.
The glint in her previously dark, red eyes, now reflecting light, made her appear like a girl of her age.
‘…Beautiful.’
Above all, she seemed more lively than usual at this moment.
It felt like she wasn’t just moving her fingers like a pale doll but genuinely enjoying the act of playing.
“How was it?”
“…Beautiful.”
Although it had been a while since the performance ended, I found myself staring at her, reflexively giving that answer.
“What did you say?”
Ruby seemed slightly surprised by my reaction.
“It was beautiful. Both you and the performance.”
“That’s an unusual compliment to hear. Thank you.”
I was surprised to see her expressing gratitude. This woman knows how to be thankful.
“…Personally, I liked this piece much more than the one you played for the concert first. Why didn’t you participate in the concert with this piece?”
As I said that, Ruby lowered her head with an uncertain expression.
“…This is a composition of mine. To get a high score, it’s better to play well-known pieces.”
“Is that so? That’s a shame.”
“A shame?”
“I genuinely think that the piece you created deserves to be heard by others, not just me.”
It was sincere. I thought it was an excellent piece, far beyond being just a composition.
Ruby, who had been seriously considering my words, nodded at me.
“Alright. Then I’ll try performing at the concert with this piece.”
“Really?!”
I didn’t expect her to actually accept my opinion.
“To tell you the truth, I’ve been thinking about it for a few weeks now. If you’re saying it like that, maybe I should give it a try.”
I couldn’t help but worry that I might ruin Ruby’s concert for no reason.
“…And I heard that Dia is also participating in this competition. Maybe this is a good choice after all.”
After hearing Ruby’s words, I froze.
“…Wait a minute, Miss.”
I widened my eyes and asked.
“Did you just say someone else is participating…?”
It sounded like a name I couldn’t just overlook. She looked at me curiously and answered.
“Dia. She’s the heiress of the Osteon family.”
Dia Osteon.
She was none other than the protagonist of this game.
“So, the two of them will be competing in this concert…?”
In the otome game I was transmigrated into, [Lesbian Magic Chronicles], the protagonist Ruby and I had a unique childhood connection. The two heiresses of renowned families occasionally interacted, like rivals.
Before the concert, the two of them had maintained a relatively good relationship, but after the concert at the age of 13, their relationship deteriorated rapidly.
Because the upcoming concert was actually Ruby Sarka’s ability awakening event.
“Ruby clearly lost to Dia at a concert when she was young and awakened her fire magic… In this world, women naturally awaken their magical abilities during adolescence, and the stronger their magic power, the stronger the recoil when awakening their abilities.
Ruby, who was shattered by Dia at the concert, awakened her fire magic ability during the award ceremony due to the sense of loss. Unintentionally, she set the concert hall on fire and ended up with a large burn on her face.
The memory of that moment remained as a trauma, and along with it, she developed a twisted personality and harbored resentment towards the protagonist, Dia.
Ruby looked at me and spoke more seriously than usual.
“No matter what happens at this concert, I will defeat Dia. Surpassing her is my goal.”
However, I couldn’t hear any words in my head.
“…Ruby, you must not participate in that concert.”
For her sake, I had to stop Ruby from participating in the concert.
Ruby finished practicing and got up from her seat first.
“…I’ll go to the restaurant now. Thank you for listening.”
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“Yes, you’ve worked hard.”
She tilted her head slightly as she looked at me and asked,
“Your name… was it Amber? Right?”
“Yes, I’m Amber.”
“…I see. Got it.”
Casually turning around, she added one more thing.
“Amber, your skirt is riding up.”
“…What?”
As Ruby spoke, I turned to look at my buttocks, and indeed, my skirt was slightly caught on the front strap, revealing my panties.”
When the skirt was long, it seemed impossible, but now that the hem reached just above the knees, accidents like this were bound to happen.
“···!”
Hurriedly pulling it down, face flushed, Ruby followed suit.
‘No way, right from the beginning···?’
Oh, she wanted to die from embarrassment.
