—63 days remaining.

“Then, let’s start with these rag!”

From early morning, I was dubiously stared at by my parents.

I wonder why?

Yesterday, didn’t we agreed to this?

Or, could it be, they don’t know what I’m referring to!?

“Rags are tools for immediate cleansing, these thick pieces of cloth are then immersed in a bucket of water!”

Honestly, it would be quicker to just show them how to do it. I crawled on all fours down the hall with a rag while staring intently at the floor. It was to the point that I could identify each grain in the wood. After I had reached the end of the corridor, I moved a little and turned around.

While wiping the pleasant sweat, I looked at them with a light smile—

“—Let’s do it together!”

“…Uh, Lelouche?”

“What is it, father?”

What’s wrong?

My mother seemed about to faint. My father supported her by her shoulders. As I tilted my head, my father spoke slowly, as if mincing his words.

“…Why do we have to clean?”

“…Eh? For the time being, we should focus on training your legs.”

As I said yesterday, it was for training. That said, it actually had other purposes as well.

I simply wanted them to attain enough vitality so they could live together even after our family fell into ruin. As such, to improve their housework ability, I was going to make them clean for the time being. Afterwards, I planned for the cooks to teach them how to make breakfast. During the day, I’d teach them how to do chores…

…Then, from the evening, I’d help them prepare supper.

We’d do everything together, starting from cleaning.

Once they gotten used to it, it would be time to advance to my main goal—

“—Oh, I’m sorry! I forgot to mention the other day, but I’ve made some arrangements! It seems that both seeds and fertilized will arrive within next week!”

““Seeds!?””

“That’s why, until then, I’d like for the three of us to clean together so we can build up our physical strength! Oh, I’ve also had the maids do the sweeping and cleaning in advance. But starting from the day after tomorrow, we’ll start doing the cleaning ourselves!”

“B, but why…”

“See, if we clean with these rags, won’t we be repeatedly crouching down and standing? It’s just right for training our legs! Sweeping is also a training of insight, because we’ll be looking for dust! It’s a necessary endeavor! The act of getting rid of dust will surely help in the fields. It’s important to be able to identify even the smallest of changes.”

“…”

I wondered what was wrong with them.

Even though I was so enthusiastic, the two showed complicated expressions.

I felt kind of embarrassed but… could it be?!

Is it because I’m dressed as beautifully as usual?

I was wearing my usual indoor garments, though…

It was actually difficult to wipe the floor, but I had grown quite used to it.

“Let’s do our best together!”

When I took my parents’ hands and smiled, they finally nodded.

“I, I understand…”

Well, everything would be confusing at first. But I was sure, soon they’d start having fun! They were my parents after all!

—50 days remaining.

My assumption was correct.

About my father, in particular. After all, he was the same man who managed to win the hand of the ‘Foreign Beauty’, and even managed to make the king acquiesce. Once he became immersed in something, he’d see it through.

“Lelouche, what do you think about the soil?”

“Wow, as expected of father! It has become much softer!”

A field was created in the corner of the mansion. With a towel wrapped around his neck, my father wiped his shiny, sweaty, head. He was also holding a hoe.

Even though he looked tired, my father still managed to laugh.

“Haha, at first, I was surprised. It’s fun moving your body with the entire family. It’s also nice being around the maids and the gardeners these days… Now, if only Rufus were here…”

—That was right.

Our family consisted of four, including Rufus. There were no days when I didn’t miss him. Regardless, as long as it didn’t spell the demise of my parents, or my little brother living in isolation for the rest of his life—

—I smiled.

“…I’m sure we’ll be able to meet Rufus once he has completed his studies. At that time, I want my mother to cook the vegetables grown by father. I want him to taste it by all means!”

“That’s a great idea! Although, what if we just send it to him? I can’t send him any money due to his master’s pride, but homegrown vegetables should be okay, right?”

“That sounds like a plan!”

That was indeed a loophole. As expected of my father! The vegetables would surely improve his diet. The gift was humble, and in a good way. It surely wouldn’t cause him any discomfort. Like I said, while our first homegrown vegetables might not be the best, they would still be appropriate as a gift.

…However, would it possible to see it through to that stage?

My father also shared the same sentiment.

“But, these potatoes we’ve planted didn’t sprout at all. Shouldn’t they have grown by now?”

“Well, they should have…”

I pretended to be worried and concealed my mouth.

Fufu.

Although I was impressed by my father’s idea earlier, I just realized that we hadn’t had a father-daughter conversation in many years.

“I have an idea. Let me consult with someone who is knowledgeable about this.”

At that moment—

“—Breakfast is ready!”

Mother peeked out from the mansion. My mother also helped with farming, but she seemed to be more interested in cooking. She seemed to enjoy making different things. At that time, she wanted to try her hand at making sweets.

Towards her homely appearance, my father grew even more mellow…

Even now, he answered with a truly happy expression—

“—I understand!”

For now, everything was going well.

Only had half of the time remained.

---

***T/N: She’s going to spent the remaining of her days to make herself and everyone else around her self-sufficient…

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