Chapter 44 – #11_It Can’T Be Just Me (2)
#43
1.
The twins’ morning begins at 6 AM, in the same bed.
The sound of birds chirping outside the window.
They rise with the smell of the cypress firewood, which had burned all night in the fireplace, now reduced to ashes and crackling.
“Good morning, Odette.”
“Good morning, sister.”
Odile and Odette got out of the spacious bed and stretched.
They showered in the morning sunlight streaming through the skylight, loosening their bodies like two flexible cats rolling around on the bed. The stiffness that had settled in overnight was bound to disappear.
A novice witch’s spirit is incomplete.
They age, unlike witches whose time is completely stopped, because they only inherit the vessel of the mark.
Therefore, they grow, age, and require sleep.
Thus, the twins always went to bed at 11 PM and woke up at 6 AM.
After stretching languidly for a while, Odile glanced at Odette.
“Did you sleep well?”
“No, not at all. How about you, sister?”
“Same here. I think I only fell asleep when the moon was passing the second window.”
It was very unusual for the twins, who usually fell asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillow.
But they weren’t bold enough to sleep soundly with such a big event looming.
“You know, right?”
“That today’s the day?”
The twins exchanged glances and slowly nodded.
-Bang!
“Good morning, Lady Odile. Did you sleep well, Lady Odette?”
“Good morning, Galina.”
“Good morning, Head Maid Galina.”
The woman who entered as the door opened was an old woman with thick glasses, Galina.
She had been serving the Jemina family since before the twins were born.
Galina, an old servant who had cared for Odile and Odette since they could barely walk, was one of the people Odile and Odette feared most, despite her plump figure and sharp demeanor.
“You two are very energetic this morning.”
“I had a good dream yesterday!”
“Me too!”
Behind Galina, who was exchanging casual morning greetings, four maids hurried past.
One of them opened the curtains of the 18 windows, while another collected the sheets from the bed where Odile and Odette had been tossing and turning all night.
The remaining two put slippers on the twins’ feet, which were dangling from the bed, and then brushed their tangled hair from the night before.
They would have to brush it again after showering anyway.
The witches of the Jemina County were not allowed to lose their dignity even when walking down the hallway.
They had heard so much about maintaining their dignity since they were young, but they always found it annoying.
“Are there any special requests for today, or were there any inconveniences last night?”
Galina asked, puzzled by the twins’ unusually energetic appearance.
Odile, who had made eye contact with Odette, stepped forward.
In such matters, Odile was the action leader, rather than the timid Odette.
“Head Maid! I have a favor to ask.”
“What is it? Lady Odile, I’m saying this out of concern, but requests like riding without a saddle in the Mendel Hills, having a picnic in the terrifying Pammel Swamp, or visiting Border Town are not allowed. Today is the day of your academy class at 4 PM. You haven’t forgotten, have you?”
“Of course not.”
Odile fidgeted with her hem for no reason and then opened her mouth.
“Actually, I want to treat Professor Amelia to tea today.”
“Excuse me?”
Galina’s wrinkled eyes widened behind her thick glasses.
Odile flinched, feeling guilty for no reason.
Here, Odette took over the explanation.
“No, well… the professor works so hard teaching us. We just want to offer her some tea so her throat doesn’t get scratchy during lectures.”
“Ah, ah, ah…!”
Galina spread her arms towards the sky with an exaggerated gesture like a stage actor, then rushed over with a terrifying force and hugged Odile and Odette.
“Lady Odile, Lady Odette. When did you two grow into such exemplary students? This Galina is overwhelmed with joy at seeing how much you’ve grown.”
“Uh, is that… so?”
“Y-yes, of course. This much is only natural.”
Galina, unaware of the twins’ dark intentions, was lost in joy, stroking the back of Odile and Odette’s heads for a long time.
She was as happy as if she had seen her own children grow up, seeing the usually mischievous twins become so mature.
“Then I will brew the tea myself. Should I put it in a thermos?”
“Yes, please do.”
“Yes, then you two should go take a bath.”
The twins were led to the bathroom by the maids.
2.
In fact, the twins’ daily routine doesn’t change much.
First, they are guided to the detached bathroom as soon as they wake up.
They are bathed by a total of four maids, two for each of them.
The Jemina family, a noble family even among witches, has over 50 servants.
Odile and Odette didn’t have to lift a finger even when showering or changing clothes.
Everything was done for them.
While Odile sat on a bath chair made of amethyst, warm scented oil was poured over her head.
Pechya, one of Odile’s personal maids, poured the oil on Odile’s head and body, and then slowly brushed it out with a wide-toothed comb.
At her feet, Lena, another personal maid, sprinkled water on Odile’s instep and asked.
“Lady Odile, is the water temperature okay? Please tell me if it’s too cold or too hot.”
“Yes, it’s warm.”
Pechya, who had been diligently brushing, ruffled Odile’s hair with her hand.
“Oh my, Lady Odile, how can your hair be so beautiful?”
“Pechya, please refrain from calling me cute now. I need to become a proper lady.”
“But you’re so cute! Isn’t that right, Lena?”
“Yes, it’s a very impertinent thought, but every time I attend to Lady Odile, I want to put her in my bag and take her home. My parents, grandparents, and siblings would all love her.”
“They’d all be surprised that I brought home such a big doll, wouldn’t they?”
“What are you talking about! They’ll all tremble before my dignity and charisma, Odile.”
Petya and Lena giggled, showering Odile with affection to their hearts’ content.
At first, the maids had all been afraid of Odile and Odette.
But as soon as they realized that the twins, despite their seemingly prickly exteriors, were harmless mistresses, they began to dote on them as if they were puppies.
Especially when they were in a place like the bathroom, where no one else was around, Petya and Lena were always eager to play pranks on Odile.
They knew they would be in big trouble if the strict head maid, Galina, caught them acting like this.
It was the same for Odette.
Among the maids, if Odile was seen as the prickly but cute younger sister, Odette was the kind and innocent younger sister they wanted to protect.
“Masha, there’s something I want to ask you.”
“Yes, Lady Odette, please ask me anything.”
Masha smiled brightly as she massaged the back of Odette’s neck.
“Heeuuuung….”
Odette, leaning halfway back, shivered with pleasure at the refreshing sensation.
“There was a book I took before, you know.”
“Ah, the ‘First Night Guide’?”
“Is there perhaps something more… more… more…”
“More, more, more?”
Odette asked, shrinking back shyly.
“I was wondering if there was anything more detailed…”
She knew it was something embarrassing to talk about.
Seeing Odette fidgeting and rubbing her knees, Masha twisted her body and called out to her colleague, Vera.
“Did you see that? Did you see that? Look at how Lady Odette is talking. It’s like a puppy talking, what should I do!”
“Masha, Lady Odette is at an age where she’s bound to be interested in such things.”
“It’s not like that!”
“Lady Odette, your face is redder than a spring strawberry. I want to pinch it.”
“Euuuugh… please don’t pull my cheeks.”
Masha, who had been gently stroking Odette’s scalp, whispered in her ear.
“Actually, I recently got my hands on a sensual book that’s been circulating in Tarot Town.”
“Hey! Masha! That’s not something you should show Lady Odette yet!”
“What’s the big deal? Vera, we’ve already read it several times. Lady Odette needs to know these things too. We can’t keep overprotecting her forever.”
While Odette was looking bewildered, Masha and Vera continued their debate.
“What’s it about?”
“It’s about a witch who becomes curious about the feeling of love and has a sweet rendezvous with a handsome milk delivery man. Would you like to read it, Lady Odette?”
“I don’t know just from hearing that.”
Vera, who had been watching them carefully and focusing on the situation, also wanted to join in on the fun conversation and began to whisper.
Originally, this kind of gossip was more fun than backbiting.
In a boring world without many things to do like in modern times,
sexual conversations were always a point of interest for young maidens.
“Well, there’s this…”
“The milk delivery man and… heeek… from behind?”
Whisper, whisper.
“Yes, and then with his younger brother…”
“With his younger brother…? In the same bed…? So, two men and one woman…?”
Whisper, whisper.
“Yes, yes! And then the witch becomes the milk delivery man’s maid… and spanks her bottom!…”
“How can you say such blasphemous things!”
While Odette was shocked by the bizarre storyline, the bath was over.
Odile looked at Odette’s unusually flushed cheeks with a puzzled expression.
3.
After the bath, it was time to get dolled up.
The twins moved to the dressing room and sat in front of the vanity. The maids carefully brushed the twins’ hair, which had been magically dried to a fluffy texture.
After tidying their hair, they used a moderately heated iron rod to curl the wet side hair into rolls and added generous volume to the front hair, completing the elegant hair setting.
Now it was time to put on their dresses.
Before that, the head maid entered the twins’ dressing room, which was decorated like a dollhouse.
The maids, who had been chattering away with silly small talk, shut their mouths like clams.
In fact, what they feared more than their apprentice witch was the tiger-like Galina.
“Since Lord Jemernai is out today, we will skip the morning greetings.”
“Where did he go?”
“I haven’t heard the details, but it seems he went to personally investigate the ‘Youngsan’ because there’s some magical interference there.”
“Youngsan?”
“Yes, anyway…!”
Galina clapped her hands to get their attention.
She knew that if she kept up with the twins’ ever-changing conversation topics, they would run out of time.
“As I mentioned, today from 8 to 10 is Mr. Kelvin’s piano lesson, from 10:30 to 1 is the potion-making practice lecture by the Aurelian witch invited from the Emerald Tablet, and then lunch.
After lunch, from 2 to 3, there is a tea time and book club with Ms. Hathaway.
From 4 to 7, you will attend classes at the academy as scheduled.
You need to have breakfast, so there’s no time. Let’s hurry.”
“Galina, can’t we skip the book club? I haven’t read a single book. Ms. Hathaway is so frustrating.”
“Ugh, I hate studying so much…!”
Masha and Vera stopped Odette, who was about to lie down on the floor as soon as she heard the grand schedule, and pulled her up.
“You can’t! If you are to inherit the name of the great Jemernai Count, you must be more refined than any other apprentice witch.”
“But if you exclude the weekends, we have classes for more than 8 hours every day? And do you know how much homework Professor Amelia gives us?”
“That’s right, Galina, this is mental child abuse.”
“Tsk!”
As soon as Galina glared at them, the twins became quiet.
Inviting famous figures from various fields to the mansion for lectures.
This was the twins’ daily routine.
When they woke up in the morning, they were excited about playing pranks on Professor Amelia.
But after hearing the suffocating schedule, the twins became gloomy.
“Since when have Lady Odile and Lady Odette been children? You are both respectable noble ladies. Hurry, move to the dining hall. And Petya!”
“Yes!”
“It’s not good to keep having private conversations. Lady Odile, it’s good to maintain a close relationship with your maids, but please act in a manner befitting your status!”
“Yes….”
It seemed like it was going to be a very tedious day until they went to the academy.
