“I-I’m sorry, Lady Bellady! The seasons changed, but there wasn’t any new furniture, so I just replaced a few things at my discretion…!”
“It’s fine. I’m not blaming you. With Mother being ill, there was neither time nor room to shop for new pieces.”
In this society, it was customary for the mistress of the house to redecorate the estate with each changing season.
Among high-ranking nobles, it was even seen as virtuous to dispose of anything once used and replace it entirely.
“Seasonal decorating,” they called it—mostly just switching out things like curtains, carpets, and decorative fabrics.
Mother had always found it to be a hassle, so our estate usually looked more or less the same regardless of the time of year.
Still, in the past, she made sure the color palette at least matched the season…
“But ever since Meldor said he liked black, everything’s been gloomy all year round.”
And last year, Mother collapsed. So of course, redecorating was the last thing on anyone’s mind.
As a result, despite it being early summer now, the mansion still looked dull and dreary.
I glanced around the parlor draped in dark browns and shook my head.
“The house already feels so heavy… Having this kind of interior just makes it worse.”
This was the perfect time to fix it—to brighten up the estate in a way that felt fresh, cheerful, and ready for summer.
“Let’s do a total overhaul—so sweeping that the staff won’t even have time to mope.”
I ran my finger along a line of new arrivals in the catalog.
“From here to here. Order everything. We’re going to completely transform the mansion. Match the quantities—don’t leave anything out.”
As soon as I finished speaking, Robber opened his mouth.
“But! You can’t place such a large order without permission from the Duke or the Young Master—urk!”
“Of course, Lady Bellady!”
Emily, who had been working by my side for years, stomped Robber’s foot with her heel and smiled sweetly at me.
“If we place the order quickly, everything should arrive within a few days.”
“Good. And Robber.”
Still grimacing from the pain, Robber blinked in confusion.
“Y-yes?”
I tilted my head slightly and looked at him.
At my gaze, Robber—still on the younger side—visibly flinched and dropped his head.
“Didn’t your father Charles teach you anything? What happens when you raise your voice in front of me?”
“T-that’s…”
Two years ago, Charles, the mansion’s head butler, retired due to illness.
There was some debate over who would succeed him, but at Charles’s earnest request, Mother appointed his son—Robber—who had been working as an assistant butler.
Robber had primarily worked with Father and Meldor, so naturally, he catered more to their preferences than mine.
Until now, I had tolerated his slight insolence toward me, but that ended today.
“If you want to work as the head butler of this estate, you need to learn to read the room. The mistress of this house is gone. So who do you think will take over responsibility now?”
“Well…”
“Father? He’s too busy with outside matters to concern himself with the estate. Meldor? That boy can barely keep up with his sword lessons—what could he possibly manage?”
The more I spoke, the paler Robber’s face became.
“Say it.”
I dropped my smile and spoke in a commanding voice.
“Who’s going to be in charge of this estate now?”
“…Lady Bellady.”
“And if I say I’m ordering furniture for redecoration, whose permission do I need?”
“N-no one’s! I was completely out of line—please forgive me!”
Only after he got that far did I ease up.
I took the catalog Emily had been holding and began flipping through it slowly.
“Good. Then get the laborers ready, Robber. As many as possible.”
“Yes, Lady Bellady!”
“Emily, inform the maids as well.”
“Yes, Lady Bellady.”
“I’m tired. You’re both dismissed.”
They bowed and left the parlor.
Through the closing door, I caught a glimpse of Robber sniffling while Emily patted his back.
“You were scarier than the Duke for a moment, Lady Bellady…”
“It’s alright, Robber. As long as you’re careful, Lady Bellady won’t scold you again.”
As the door shut completely, I sank into the sofa.
“Gaining the staff’s loyalty, huh…”
The estate’s servants were overseen by the head maid and two butlers. To take control of the staff, I had to first manage those three.
Emily, who had worked by my side for a long time, was already as good as mine…
“Which just leaves Robber.”
He didn’t appear in the original novel with any significance. So unlike Zeplin, I had no background information on him.
Still, it wasn’t a problem.
“Winning over people like Robber is easy enough.”
I was certain.
Soon, every servant in this mansion would act exactly as I pleased.
✦
A few days later, the furniture I ordered arrived at the estate.
“That sofa goes to the parlor on the 4th floor.”
“Yes, Lady Bellady!”
“This tablecloth—take it to the dining room.”
“Yes, Lady Bellady!”
“Where’s the curtain for the 3rd-floor hallway?”
“H-here it is!”
“Good. Everyone move quickly!”
“Yes, Lady Bellady!”
I moved confidently among the mountain of crates, calling out instructions and directing the placement of every item. The servants, now countless, bustled about to carry everything out.
Thanks to all the commotion, there wasn’t a moment to dwell on Mother’s absence—and I wouldn’t allow them the time even if they tried.
“If we finish within three days, you’ll all receive a bonus!”
“Yes, Lady Bellady!”
The sparkle in the servants’ eyes returned the moment I mentioned “bonus pay.”
They worked even faster, unboxing and arranging with renewed determination.
Surrounded by chaos and movement, I watched them rely on my every word—and felt an odd sense of satisfaction.
“Hah… Just like at the hunting competition… Maybe I’m made for this.”
If I gave the orders, people obeyed. They moved, they acted—and I loved seeing it.
Before regaining memories of my past life, I’d never issued orders like this. I always kept quiet, walking on eggshells around my family.
Maybe that’s why this moment felt so thrilling.
“So this is why people chase power.”
My father must live every day steeped in this exact feeling.
Coincidentally, both Father and Meldor were away from home that day.
As the saying goes—when the lion is away, the fox becomes king.
And right now, I was that fox, ruling this house in his absence.
“If being a fox feels this good, how amazing must it feel to be the lion?”
With that thought, I headed toward the annex to oversee the next stage.
In the annex stood the massive glass greenhouse Mother had loved most in her life. Father had once filled it with flowers from across the continent just for her.
The centerpiece was a crystal pillar adorned with a magical sapphire imbued with preservation magic.
Thanks to it, the flowers bloomed in full color all year round.
“Why is it that every noblewoman in fantasy novels loves flowers so much?”
Personally, I liked gemstones more—like that sapphire embedded in the pillar.
If I were Mother, I wouldn’t have settled for a greenhouse. I’d have turned this whole annex into a treasure vault.
“…Actually, that’s not a bad idea.”
This greenhouse had always been an exclusive space, accessible only by Mother’s invitation.
Naturally, Meldor spent far more time here than I ever did.
And thinking about that made my stomach turn.
“A space filled with their memories together…”
It wasn’t just a symbol of affection. For me, it was also a place of deep hurt.
I remembered it vividly.
It had been early summer, just like now—lush and green.
Mother had invited both Meldor and me for a tea party in the greenhouse.
As always, she stepped away for a moment, and Meldor immediately picked a fight.
“Your hands are so clean. Must be nice.”
Just as he said, my hands were spotless from never having trained harshly.
His, meanwhile, were rough and scabbed from all the running and sparring.
That’s still true even now.
“He’ll never understand what these clean hands meant to me.”
Normally, I would’ve brushed him off, but that day, I was in a foul mood too.
So I ignored him—and that seemed to set him off.
“You think you can just ignore me?! Fine, let’s see you try this!”
For the first time, he cast a spell at me.
It wasn’t powerful, but it was still the first time he’d used magic against me in anger.
Luckily, I knew basic magic myself and instinctively deflected it. We both ended up a little bruised.
He had a scratch on his ear.
I had a magic bruise on my arm.
“He looked so stunned, even though he started it.”
Thankfully, the greenhouse wasn’t damaged.
Relieved, I turned to glare at him—and he stood frozen, clearly realizing he’d crossed a line.
Then someone rushed over to us.
Meldor!!
Mother, horrified, dropped her flowers and rushed straight to him.
“Oh no, you’re bleeding! Meldor, are you hurt anywhere else?!”
“I… um…”
Meldor hesitated and just looked at me.
I sighed and spoke to her.
“Meldor used magic on me. I blocked it, and it turned into this.”
“Bellady!”
She hugged him tightly and yelled at me.
“How could you, as his sister, let your brother get hurt?!”
“He attacked me first. I was just—”
“He’s still a beginner! How dangerous could his magic possibly be?!”
I’d rather not remember the rest. She said things like:
“No matter the situation, you must always protect your younger brother.”
Even at your own expense.
Mother loved me in her own way, unlike Father.
But her priorities were always clear.
And I never came first.
She only ever got truly angry about one thing:
When Meldor got even the slightest injury.
In those moments, it was like I stopped existing.
“Nothing ever hurt more than that.”
That day, she treated Meldor’s ear and threw me out of the greenhouse.
The last thing I saw before the door shut—
Was Meldor in her arms, staring directly at me.
After that day, he never hesitated to use magic on me again.
