PLML 07

CHAPTER 7: I Don’t Want to Wake Up in the Morning

“Good morning! I’m Elli Magrace, your maid starting today! I look forward to serving you, my lady!”

…Huh? Who are you?

Just as she was waking up, Jayna saw a brown-haired girl with braided pigtails beaming at her. Dressed in a black maid uniform and white apron, and judging by the introduction, Jayna quickly realized this girl was her maid.

Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Jayna sat up groggily. Elli, as if she had been waiting for this moment, handed her a bowl of wash water.

Her mind was still fuzzy from just waking up.

After washing her face, Jayna felt something was off. The room was way too dark for morning. Outside the window, the blue-tinged sky still held the remnants of night.

“Elli, what time is it?”

Elli responded with a bright smile and a voice full of cheer.

“Yes, my lady! It’s six o’clock!”

Six o’clock.

Jayna blinked in disbelief and echoed her words.

Six in the morning. The time when only the most diligent students get ready for school and workers with long commutes prepare to leave. Jayna, who valued her sleep above all else, had never woken up at six in her life.

“Elli, could you kindly tell me why you woke me up?”

Elli looked puzzled, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“Because it’s morning, of course! You should go for a walk and start your day feeling refreshed!”

Jayna was too stunned by the absurdity of that answer to respond and simply flopped back onto her bed.

She was too tired to care why she had slept alone instead of with Theorise, or where this Elli girl had suddenly come from.

“My lady?”

“Elli. Six o’clock is not morning.”

“…Pardon?”

Jayna waved her hand dismissively, gesturing for her to leave.

“I’m going back to sleep. You can go now.”

Thankfully, Elli left without protest. As soon as she was out, Jayna locked the door and closed the curtains, diving back under the covers.

“Mmm…”

Jayna awoke to sunlight piercing the thin curtains.

Why are these curtains so flimsy?

The white, hotel-like curtains were practically useless. Jayna yanked the blanket over her head in protest. It was stifling under there, but better than having her sleep ruined by sunlight.

I need to ask Elli to get me some blackout curtains. Thick ones that don’t let in any light.

Lulled by the chirping birds outside, Jayna drifted back to sleep.

Knock knock—

“Jayna.”

Theorise’s voice pulled her awake again.

She couldn’t even muster the energy to reply, let alone get up. Whatever time it was, it wasn’t time for her to be awake.

Jayna stuffed a pillow over her ears.

“Jayna Blake…?”

His voice carried a strange hint of worry—and then silence.

Did he leave?

The quiet that followed was blissful. Jayna hoped no one else would try to wake her.

BANG!

A deafening noise jolted her upright. Below the sunlit window, the door lay crumpled like paper.

What? Is this a dream? Why is the door… over there?

Still groggy, Jayna blinked at the sight. Then Theorise’s face appeared, unusually serious. Homel followed him in, smiling politely as he bowed.

“Jayna, are you alright?”

Not exactly a “Good morning.”

Alright? What do you mean?

Jayna gave Homel a confused look, silently begging for an explanation. He quickly provided one.

“His Grace was worried since you hadn’t woken up.”

“I feared something might’ve happened to you. If anything were to go wrong… I…”

From anger fueled by sleep deprivation to stunned silence—Jayna’s emotions did a full 180.

Even with bed hair, how was he still so handsome? And those worried eyes… she couldn’t bring herself to yell at him.

“I’m fine. I was just tired from yesterday’s outing. Theo, what time is it?”

“Nine o’clock.”

“…Oh. Right. Ha. Ha. Ha.”

“Is something wrong? You don’t look well, Jayna.”

“No, I’m fine. Totally fine. There’s nothing wrong with a person waking up at nine. Right?”

Jayna forced a smile through clenched teeth. She held back the urge to ask Don’t any of you sleep?

“We’ve prepared breakfast in the dining room. I’ll be waiting.”

Theorise left. Homel followed, carrying the shattered door. Jayna waited for their footsteps to fade before pounding her pillow in frustration.

“My lady…?”

Elli had returned, startled by Jayna’s outburst. Jayna quickly dropped the pillow and put on a serene smile.

“The pillow was too high, dear. I was just fluffing it.”

“Oh! Let me take care of that for you!”

Jayna let her handle it. While Elli fluffed the pillow, Jayna got dressed.

I already washed my face earlier, so…

She dabbed water on her fingers and did a quick cat-wash before heading to the dining room.

“You’re here.”

What the hell?

Jayna silently cursed under her breath at the ridiculous spread before her.

How is this breakfast?

Freshly baked bread, steaming soup, perfectly cooked steak, mysterious fried dishes, six types of salad, and even pudding and cake for dessert. It looked more like a five-star hotel buffet than a morning meal.

“How did you make all this?”

“We don’t have a chef yet, so I prepared it myself. I’ll have a proper breakfast ready next time.”

“Wait, wasn’t there only water in the kitchen yesterday?”

Homel answered as if it were obvious.

“I prepared everything overnight. A house steward who can’t even manage breakfast for his lady is no steward at all.”

Jayna gave up thinking. A maid who wakes you at six, a husband who breaks down doors at nine—none of this was normal.

Fortunately, the food was delicious. Aside from the absurd amount, it was a perfect breakfast.

After eating, Jayna returned to her room and dove into the freshly made bed.

At least I can enjoy a nice idle life here.

A luxurious breakfast, a spotless room—life wasn’t bad. Except for being woken at the crack of dawn and the occasional door smashing.

She could talk to Theorise about setting better wake-up times later.

Hugging the blanket, Jayna reveled in her freedom.

Since I went out yesterday, I’ll just lie around doing nothing all day today.

…Unfortunately, that plan didn’t even last 30 minutes.

“…What did you just say?”

Jayna’s eyes trembled as if shaken by an earthquake. Her gaze wasn’t on Homel himself, but the mountain of books in his arms.

Expression grim, Homel adjusted his silver-rimmed glasses and repeated,

“You have to study.”

Study.

Jayna hated studying. If asked to name her top three hates, she’d confidently say:

1. Waking up early
2. Studying
3. Exercising

Her dream job? A rich bum. Her hobby? Lying in bed. Her dream ending? Being locked away in luxury, living a lazy life forever.

And now he wanted her to study?

Jayna racked her brain. Did the original Jayna in the game ever study? She couldn’t remember a single scene. All she did was go to parties, exchange passive-aggressive comments with noble ladies, and go on dates with the male leads.

So why this?

Feigning calm, Jayna asked,

“Study… what, exactly?”

As if he’d been waiting, Homel laid the books on the desk.

History of Akrana
You Too Can Be the Belle of the Ball
101 Ways to Be a Perfect Duchess
Basic Knowledge Every Human Should Know
Textbook of Etiquette

Every title made her cringe.

“Don’t tell me… I have to read all of this today?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Homel smiled like a professor assigning a massive midterm project.

“Homel, how am I supposed to read all this in a day?”

“His Grace memorized twice as much in a single day.”

“Well, that’s because Theorise is a natural-born genius!”

“You have a keen eye. His Grace truly is remarkable. The thesis he wrote at age fourteen was a masterpiece.”

Homel closed his eyes in fond nostalgia, looking like a proud father. There was no reasoning with him.

Help me, Theorise…

Jayna stood to find him, but Homel immediately blocked the door.

“Where are you going?”

“I, uh… I thought I’d study in my room.”

“Your room is being cleaned. Please study here today.”

“Ah… suddenly I feel parched. I’ll go get some—”

“I’ve already asked Elli to prepare some focus-enhancing tea.”

He left no room to escape.

Defeated, Jayna slumped into the chair. Just looking at the stack of books gave her a headache.

No. No no no. I hate studying. Why am I studying here of all places?!

With no other choice, Jayna opened a book.

White pages. Black letters.

She skimmed through the pages without absorbing a thing.

I’ll just pretend to study. Then later, I’ll tell Theorise I don’t want to. He likes me, so he’ll probably say I don’t have to study at all…

As if reading her mind, Homel smiled and said,

“All of this was discussed with His Grace. As the duchess, it’s only right to have a basic level of education, don’t you agree? Starting tomorrow, there will be simple tests. So please, do memorize each word thoroughly.”

AAAHHHHH!!!

Jayna screamed internally.

Homel wasn’t a ghost—he was a demon.

(To be continued…)