I spent the day leisurely basking in the sun, and in the evening, I helped prepare dinner. However, when I went to the dining room to eat, nobody came, so I enjoyed my meal with the servants.

The next morning, things started to get noisy again.

“—Neria, what is the meaning of this!? Why would anyone refuse to ask your hand in marriage!?”

Something fun happened today as well.

By the way, I slept in the same room as my sister. When we both tried to sleep in the same bed, a servant brought another bed from the guest room.

As for why I didn’t use the guest room like my sister suggested, that was because it’d be boring.

In any case, since Papa came to my sister’s room first thing in the morning, it meant that I was also present.

“E-even if you ask that…”

“The other party stated the reason behind their refusal in the letter. Apparently, there were some issues with your behavior and grades. How could this be? Haven’t you been scoring straight A’s until now!?”

Well, Cecily does.

Yesterday, Papa rushed to contact a potential suitor for the arranged marriage, but he must’ve been rejected. I guess the other party heard about Neria’s recent decline from their son who returned home like we did.

It was funny, so I kept quiet, but Papa glared at me for some reason.

How awful.

However, it seemed that Papa wasn’t going to let my sister get away with it.

“Show me this semester’s report card.”

Uh-oh, Sister, you haven’t shown it to him?

Well, not like I had shown him mine, either. I would if he asked, though. Mine was the report card of the top-ranking student of the semester.

…Still, I wonder what happened to the report card of a certain older sister who lost her ghostwriter?

I want to see it. I want Cecily to see it too.

[Nora, please be quiet.]

Although Cecily’s kindness towards her sister could be seen as a virtue, to me, it was just a flaw. I agreed with her, though. As Papa forcefully rummaged through her belongings, Cecily’s older sister began to tear up. There was no point in cornering her even further.

Sure enough, the moment Papa found Neria’s report card, which had been hidden in the trunk, he was fuming.

“W-what is this!?”

Ahaha, not my problem!

So, I decided to go on with my day.

All right, what should we do today?

I was planning to stay here for about two weeks, but I couldn’t think of anything to do.

Hmm, then, Cecily, why don’t we explore the mansion today—

—I spoke to Cecily, but she tugged at my hair, pulling me back to her sister’s room.

Are you worried about her?

[I am. I-I wonder what’s going to happen to Neria…]

She was hoist by her own petard.[1] Or does Cecily want to continue being her slave?

[…Nora, you sometimes use difficult words. Is that an old idiom?]

Leave me alone. I’m an 800 year old woman, what do you expect!?

Changing the subject was probably her way of answering.

So, I responded with a lighthearted comment and started strolling around the mansion. I went to the kitchen, the warehouse called ‘Cecily’s room,’ the dining hall, and then my sister’s room.

I went there many times.

Afterwards, I went to several guest rooms and Papa’s office. Finally, I looked around Papa’s room and Mama’s room.

Your parents sleep in separate bedrooms. As expected, are they not on good terms?

[Hmm, while I wouldn’t say that they’re on good terms, the marriage between my parents was political in nature. It was mostly arranged by my father through money and authority. My mother hailed from a house well known for producing excellent magicians.]

Hee…

Just as I was about to continue the conversation, I suddenly noticed that the door to Mama’s bedroom was ajar. Apparently, Mama was peeping from somewhere inside the room.

Is she looking at me? No, rather than me…

Mama seemed to be looking at Neria’s room from across the hall. The commotion still had yet to subside.

Cecily seemed to notice as well. As she spoke to me inwardly, her voice was quieter.

[I’ve only heard it from her once, but there was something that mother really wanted to accomplish. Back then, however, the position of women was weaker in the society, so she had no choice but to follow the path her parents had decided for her.]

What are you talking about? The Great Sage of the previous era was a respectable woman!

…Although, well, I also pursued the path of the great sage because of the advice of those around me, so I probably shouldn’t be saying anything in regards to independence.

Should we head somewhere else?

I felt bad for Cecily, but I found her mother annoying.

As expected, Anita was amazing. She did her best to follow the path she wanted. Maybe she was right. I’d have had more fun crashing at her parents’ house.

As I was thinking about that, I spotted a surprisingly sturdy door a little further back.

Cecily, what is that room?

[My father always forbade me from entering that specific room.]

Ooh, I’ve been looking forward to something like this!

Relentlessly, I tried turning the doorknob, but it wouldn’t budge.

…Uh, let’s see, it’s sealed by magic. The technique is fairly simple, though.

So, Cecily has never stepped inside before?

[I… Until recently, I could barely use magic.]

Hmm…

Does that mean there are things that he didn’t want Cecily to see?

—I’ve been looking forward to stuff like this!

---

[1] The original text is ‘It’s rust from the body’ (身から出た錆): It is said that this word was born from the appearance of caring for the blade of the sword. Rust adhering to the sword can be removed by sharpening it with a whetstone if it is on the surface, but if it is caused by neglect and deep care, it cannot be dealt with, and the rust born from the blade will rot the blade itself and make it irreparable.

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***T/N: Nora and the Chamber of Secret

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