There were two kinds of hierarchies within the Desmond family.
One was the social hierarchy.
The other was the hierarchy that the members of the Desmond family tacitly acknowledged.
.
In most families, the treatment one received within the household varied widely according to their social rank.
Just as it was depicted in romance fantasy novels, household members had to be mindful of the family head’s mood.
But the Villainess’ family was a bit different.
“Father! I want food!”
“What do you want to eat?”
“Meat.”“I was thinking of having fish today.”
“Argh! Meat!”
“Sigh… Prepare the meat.”
In the Villainess’s family, the hierarchy wasn’t determined by social positions but rather by who had the nastier personality.
Of course, it was also to maintain the peace within the family. The members of the Desmond family accepted this arrangement without any complaints.
The best example of this was the young lady.
The young lady called the family head “Father,” after all.
her meant having a very difficult day.
“Honey?”
“I’m sorry.”
“I didn’t even say anything yet.”
“It’s about the socks, isn’t it?”
“You’re right.”
Next up was the young lady.
“Father! Brother! What are you doing?”
“Working.”
“Work hard.”
“Let’s eat!”
“Sure.”
“Great.”
After her came the sub-head of the household, Kyle.
“Olivia. Starting tomorrow, you should wake up at 8.”
“No!”
“Okay.”
Then finally, Darbav, in that order.
.
Darbav took a deep breath, filled with worry.
The young lady’s fasting was a problem that everyone in the household had to watch carefully and with apprehension.
For someone like htly.
If the young lady continued fasting, word would naturally reach Rosanna’s ears, triggering a showdown between the top two ranks in the household.
As a lower-ranked member of lady’s health, which is why he brought it up.
Honestly, I didn’t think this was much of a problem. As the butler, I had seen the young lady skipping meals many times before.
“Why aren’t you eating?”
“We’re poor, aren’t we? We have to save money.”
“That’s true.”
But it was understandable that Darbav was concerned, having never seen this side of her before.
As soon as morning arrived, Darbav and I were standing outside the young lady’s bedroom, watching her as she dozed in bed.
“Snore…”
It was part of her morning routine to nibble on some chocolate hidden in her treasure pouch before breakfast.
ence.
“She really won’t eat? Not the chocolate or the food?”
“You must be joking. I could understand her skipping a meal, but there’s no way she’d pass up chocolate. The young lady loves chocolate more than anything.”
“I’m being serious.”
” …”
We kept an eye on the young lady as she woke up, rubbing her sleepy eyes.
“Are you awake?”
“Yeah.”
Darbav clutched the doorframe, swallowing nervously.
“Don’t worry. The young lady will eat.”
“Whew…”
From a young age, the young lady had always loved eating.
“Hehe, chocolate!”
Starting with her all-time favorite chocolate, she had the heart of an adventurer and would try anything edible, even if it was something visually shocking like insects, as long as it tasted good.
lassy eyes.
“Ricardo, let’s eat frogs!”
“Pardon?”
“Let’s sneak out and roast some frogs over a fire. They say it’s delicious!”
“What are you talking about? I’ve never even tried it myself, nor did I ever intend to.”
“Why?”
“Because it looks disgusting?”
“Yeah, but they say it tastes good.”
That’s how she managed to maintain her figure.
luttonous habits from childhood to the present.
Darbav and I silently observed the young lady.
“Snore… Air raid warning.”
Darbav commented with a serious expression.
“She’s concerned for the safety of the Empire.”
” …”
“My daughter has an incredibly strong sense of patriotism.”
” …”
I still couldn’t understand this family.
After waking her up a bit earlier, there were no more ‘air raid warnings.’ I had intentionally woken her up just slightly and then used the bathroom as an excuse to leave.
I expected the young lady to notice the chocolate cake on the table next to her bed. Remembering the young lady I knew, she would probably eat it as soon as she saw it.
“Snore… Oh?”
“Chocolate?!”
“Ugh…”
Sure enough, it didn’t take long for the young lady to spot the cake on the table. She widened her eyes and began to smile bashfully.
I whispered quietly to Darbav as the young lady glanced around the room before staring intently at the chocolate cake.
“Can you see that?”
“…Not yet.”
“She looks like she’s about to eat it.”
“Let’s wait a bit. My daughter isn’t that weak-willed.”
I raised a question to Darbav. In hindsight, I hadn’t asked why the young lady was fasting in the first place. I looked at the young lady and asked,
“By the way, Master, do you know why the young lady is fasting?”
“No, I don’t.”
“…”
“If I knew that, would I be standing here like this?”
I nodded in agreement with Darbav’s confident and passionate response.
‘He’s got a point.’
The young lady continued to wage her staring contest with the chocolate cake. With an empty gaze, she stared at the cake, occasionally sniffling.
“I’m hungry.”
But that was all she said. Even though she admitted she was hungry, she clenched her eyes shut as if struggling with herself, and seeing her suffer like that made my heart ache.
“Arrgh… I shouldn’t eat it.”
Why is she doing this?
It didn’t take long for me to find out why the young lady was fasting.
“I need to go on a diet…”
The truth was, it all started with a very healthy reason.
“I can’t put on weight…”
I finally understood.
*
Time passed.
Not a full week, but three hours ticked by.
I stood before the young lady’s bed, having brought in lunch, watching her timidly pick at her plate with a solemn expression.
“Ricardo.”
“Yes.”
“No, nothing.”
The young lady seemed troubled.
I didn’t know what prompted her to start a one-day diet, but her expression, showing the turmoil in her heart, didn’t give me a good feeling.
At first, I had wanted to applaud the young lady’s determination to diet, but after seeing her fast for an entire day, I started to worry.
While keeping weight in specific areas is a good thing (a secret I won’t share), I clamped my mouth shut and observed the young lady’s malaise.
“Sigh…”
It didn’t look comfortable.
For a young lady who lived to eat, the idea of dieting was a little heartbreaking.
I couldn’t help but worry that, if this continued, she’d end up as thin as a piece of paper, just like Darbav had warned.
Even though I supported her, cutting off food intake like this would undoubtedly hurt her health, so I picked up a fork, speared some meat, and held it up to her mouth.
“Here comes the airplane.”
“What’s an airplane?”
“It’s meat.”
“Mm.”
With her lips tightly sealed and head shaking, the young lady was determined to resist having any protein enter her body. Her steadfast resistance caused me to clench my fist.
‘Young lady…’
I gently asked the young lady,
“Why aren’t you eating? Are you feeling unwell?”
“Yes.”
-Growl.
Hmm. That doesn’t seem right.
I couldn’ain,
“Still, it’s better for your health to eat.”
“…”
“Isn’t food what gives people energy? You said that yourself before, young lady.”
“That’s true. But…”
out a deep sigh and lowering her head.
Smiling faintly, I moved the food back to the table and sat carefully at the edge of her bed.
“Young lady.”
“…”
“Young lady.”
“Hmm?”
I whispered in a soothing voice near her ear, sharing my thoughts on dieting.
“Not eating is bad for your health.”
“I’m not starving. I just don’t feel well, so I haven’t been eating.”
“Have you been feeling unwell for two days? Perhaps you should go to the hospital.”
“…I hate hospitals.”
“I heard from Master Darbav that you haven’t eaten while I was away. For an entire day, no less.”
“…”
I cautiously asked the young lady, who now had her lips trembling with a sullen expression.
“Why are you doing this? I think you look just fine as you are.”
“No. I’m fat.”
“How are you fat? You’re so pretty, with a great figure on top of that.”
“Really?”
“Absolutely.”
“Really, really?”
The young lady turned her head abruptly and spoke in a sulky voice.
“No. I’m fat.”
Judging by her deeply hurt expression, it seemed someone had said something that had affected her.
The young lady, who was usually unfazed by things, had visibly been hurt by something, and seeing her like this wasn’t pleasant. I asked in a calm voice, masking my irritation,
“Who said that?”
I buried any malice in my heart.
If someone had called her fat, I would crush that beautiful person’s life with a brick. I asked in a friendly tone, even though I was suppressing dark thoughts. The young lady, however, shook her head vigorously, dispelling my sinister intentions.
“Nobody said anything. I just felt like I’d gained weight all of a sudden.”
I tilted my head at the young lady’s dejected expression and asked again.
“I don’t think so.”
“No, really. It just felt that way.”
“Hmm…”
I decided to express my honest feelings.
“I’ve never seen anyone as beautiful as you, young lady.”
“I know.”
“You’re quite confident.”
“My mom said that pretending not to know I’m pretty would make me come off as obnoxious.”
“Hahaha… That’s right. Just like how I pretend I’m not handsome.”
“That’s a prince syndrome.”
“…”
The young lady’s unforgiving reply to a compliment made me chuckle bitterly as I swallowed dryly.
“Still, I don’t think you should diet, young lady.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re so beautiful as you are.”
“…”
The young lady clenched her fists and looked up at me.
“How beautiful?”
I made a large circle with my hand and spoke like a child.
“Thiiiiiis much.”
“Am I only that pretty?”
“No, you’re even mooore beautiful than that.”
“Pfft.”
htened as she gazed at me like an innocent puppy, eyes wide with a beaming smile.
“I get it.”
Wow. What a normal smile.
My heart skipped a beat at the young lady’s smiling eyes.
Wihtly, she opened her mouth and waited silently.
“Meat.”
“I’ll give it to you with carrots.”
“I hate carrots.”
“That won’t do.”
I started feeding the young lady by only giving her the meat with the fork. By the time she emptied the plate, she was patting her full belly with a satisfied smile, wiping her mouth.
“Do you feel better now?”
“Yeah. I guess I’m just not suited for dieting.”
“That seems to be the case.”
“I’m not going to do it anymore.”
Sitting next to the young lady, I asked,
“So why did you decide to go on a diet, anyway?”
“Well…”
The young lady turned around, reached into the drawer next to the bed, and pulled out a magazine. She used her finger to point at a picture of a woman.
“This is what I wanted to wear.”
“…?”
I smiled softly but cursed inwardly.
‘Damn it.’
The young lady was pointing at a swimsuit.
A black swimsuit with a daring design that revealed a lot of cleavage, which she shyly smiled at.
“But I’ll wear it later.”
Timing is everything in life, after all.
End of Chapter.
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