Chapter 3: I Tried Fattening Up the Heroine.
The opulent dining hall of the Aegrid Estate was enveloped in its usual silence. However, that day was a little different.
At the center of the long table sat the mother and daughter who, until yesterday, had been suffering in a back alley.
Because Serios, the master of the estate, had brought them back, the attendants showed bewilderment, but they looked at the mother and daughter with pity, as if he had picked up people like pets.
We were gathered around the long table before me.
“All this food… Are we really allowed to eat it?”
Liese’s mother, Maria, gazed at the lavish dishes spread across the table with a bewildered expression. Yeah, she’s ridiculously beautiful.
She looked like a grown-up version of Liese, possessing a slight air of maturity.
On the table were roast chicken, freshly baked bread slathered with butter, soup, and an assortment of fresh fruits. All luxuries that would never normally grace their table.
“Of course. As long as you’re sitting here, you’re my guests. Eat.”
I declared as if it were a matter of course and picked up my fork.
However, the Maids and Butler waiting nearby were wide-eyed.
“Lord Serios… saying something like ‘Eat’ in such a gentle tone…”
“That arrogant Lord Serios, speaking so calmly to someone…!”
Normally, when ordering the Butler or Maids, Serios would adopt an overbearing attitude.
Cold words like “Put it there,” “Hurry up,” or “Can’t you hear what I’m saying?” were constantly thrown around, and everyone was terrified of him. However, while the manner of speech might be Serios’s, the person inside is me, so differences inevitably emerge.
“Still dissatisfied with something?”
Seeing the mother and daughter hesitate to reach for the food, I furrowed my brow slightly.
“I thought this might be too heavy for someone sick and malnourished, so I had some easy-to-digest soup prepared too. Can’t you even eat that?”
“N-Not at all! Thank you very much!”
Liese hurriedly took a sip of the soup. In that instant, her face filled with surprise.
“…Delicious…”
Seeing this, her mother also timidly brought a spoon to her lips. And then, tears welled up in her eyes.
“This is the first time I’ve ever eaten something so warm and gentle-tasting…”
At this sight, the Maids’ gazes softened. But they still seemed bewildered by the change in my attitude.
While watching the mother and daughter continue their meal, I spoke to the Butler.
“Arnaud, I had this food prepared on my orders. There’s no issue, is there?”
“Y-Yes, Lord Serios. There are no problems whatsoever. Everything is as per Lord Serios’s command!”
“Also, regarding the heavy taxes I’ve been imposing, reduce them by half. It seems like a poor harvest this year, and if we collect taxes as they are, the residents won’t be able to make ends meet.”
“Huh?”
“Did you not hear me?”
“No! I’ll get right on it!”
The Butler, Arnaud, bowed deeply. I could feel a “respect” in his movements that was different from before.
I don’t know just how cruel Serios had been, but I couldn’t help but let out a small sigh.
“I see. However, Arnaud. From now on, be a little more flexible. If anyone is in trouble, consult me immediately. Also, let the Maids rest. Fina, in particular, seems tired lately.”
The way she trembles every time I speak to her is honestly hard to bear. She must be terrified of me.
But at my words, Arnaud’s eyes widened again.
“Lord Serios… saying such things…?”
However, while hiding his surprise, Arnaud bowed deeply once more.
“Understood, Lord Serios. I shall act accordingly from now on.”
The Maids waiting in the hallway covered their mouths and whispered to each other.
“I wonder if something happened to Lord Serios…”
“But his expression seems a little softer today.”
“Could it be that picking up that mother and daughter caused some change of heart…?”
The attendants will probably get used to it eventually.
♢
For about two months after that, the mother and daughter came to live at the Aegrid Estate.
It’s hard to believe that on their first day, we started by simply getting them into a bath.
“Hey, you Maid over there. Get these two into a bath, and prepare new clothes and a room for them. Also, prepare some easy-to-digest soup.”
“Y-Yes, sir!”
“Fina, help them get settled so they can rest in their room.”
“Understood.”
That scene from the first day astonished those working at the estate.
But now, thanks to my instructions, nutritionally balanced meals were delivered daily, and the mother, Maria’s, strength recovered visibly.
Her emaciated and dirty appearance gradually became rounder and rosier, her skin taking on a healthy color. At the same time, Maria’s chest became rounder and quite voluminous.
Her daughter, Liese, was also skin and bones and couldn’t be called a beautiful girl, but she grew taller and filled out. It seems her growth had merely been stunted due to lack of nutrition.
“How are you? Feeling alright?”
I went to Liese and her mother’s room to check on them.
“Lord Serios! P-Pardon me!”
“You must be tired from taking care of your mother. Are you eating properly yourself?”
The Liese I’d seen in the game was a more dignified woman who kept everyone at arm’s length. She was a talented woman, and as a scholarship student at the otome game’s academy, she would captivate royalty and nobles with her strength and wisdom.
She would compete with other rivals and find true love.
But the Liese before me now, rather than appearing dignified despite her bewilderment, just nodded vaguely.
Her complexion was gradually improving, and a little color had returned to her cheeks.
“It’ll be pointless if you collapse. Take care of yourself a bit.”
At my words, Liese looked surprised.
“Lord Serios… you truly are a peculiar person, aren’t you?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“When I first met you, I thought you were a bit scary. But… I never imagined you could be this kind.”
I turned my face away slightly at Liese’s words. I sighed, as if to brush something off.
“Don’t worry about it. It’s just that I’d be troubled if you two died.”
“Why would you be troubled, Lord Serios?”
“It’s nothing. Just get better.”
I brusquely patted Liese’s head and left the room.