"Ellie"
Flora called out to Ellie while gently rubbing her back. The little girl in her arms was still trembling with fear from the incident earlier when they entered the town.
Ellie must have felt uneasy and scared when someone suddenly threw something at her.
Even though the group of people who threw the bouquet had good intentions, Ellie, who is a timid child, probably felt as if she was being attacked by others.
After a while, Ellie, who was clinging tightly to Flora, gradually relaxed and stepped back.
"I-I'm sorry," Ellie said, her ears and tail drooping, clearly showing how scared she was.
"Ellie, no one here will hurt you," Flora said, walking over to the little girl and lifting her into her arms.
"If anyone tries to harm you, this big sister will take care of them," Flora pat her back gently before pointing to a large, white mansion.
In front of the mansion, there was a meticulously arranged flower garden, with not a single wilted flower, showing how well-cared-for the garden was.
"We're home now," Flora said. "Ellie, would you like to go inside, or would you like to take a walk first?"
"...A walk first, please," Ellie replied softly, but her tail began to sway, unlike before when it was drooping.
"Alright! Big sister will walk with you through the flowers, and then we'll go inside," Flora said.
Ellie and Flora strolled through the garden in front of the large mansion until Ellie calmed down and started to feel more cheerful. Only then did Flora lead her inside.
The interior of the mansion was much larger than it appeared from the outside. The central hall was adorned with countless paintings and artworks, and even the wall lamps were made of gold.
Ellie gazed in awe at the grand scene before her, her mouth agape.
"Is this your home?" she asked, her eyes wide with surprise.
"Yes... If you go up the stairs and walk a bit, you'll reach my room," Flora replied in a calm tone, narrowing her eyes as a group of people appeared.
"Welcome back, Miss Flora," they greeted her.
"Hmm" Flora responded coldly.
Ellie, who was curiously looking around, couldn't help but notice Flora's sudden change in demeanor.
"I've brought a guest" Flora said in the same cold tone. Ellie tugged lightly at Flora's clothes, feeling anxious about her sudden shift in behavior.
"Understood," the servants responded before dispersing.
Flora glanced at Ellie briefly before walking up the stairs.
Ellie's heart pounded with worry as Flora's demeanor changed so suddenly. She wondered if she had done something wrong to make Flora act so cold and indifferent.
When the two were alone, Ellie spoke up, "I-I'm sorry if I did something..."
"No need to apologize... I'm just upset about... never mind," Flora said, cutting herself off before tightening her hold on Ellie.
Soon, they stopped in front of a door.
"Ellie, this is my bedroom" Flora said as she slowly opened the door to reveal a spacious room. The bed was large enough for three people, with only a sofa in front of the fireplace as additional furniture.
The bedroom was rather simple, without any decorations that would be typical of a woman's room.
Flora walked over to the large bed and gently placed Ellie on it.
"Ellie, are you hungry?"
"N-no," Ellie replied, lowering her head.
"Then, how about a snack? It's lunchtime, so let's have somethings to eat might be good," Flora said before ringing a bell at the foot of the bed.
Soon, a maid entered the room without knocking.
"Do you need something, Miss?" the maid asked.
"Prepare some food and snacks for me," Flora replied coldly.
The maid bowed and left the room.
Ellie, with her keen eyes, noticed that the maid had glanced at her, but she chose to think it was just a coincidence.
"Sorry you had to see that side of me," Flora sighed.
"Are you a noblewoman?" Ellie asked.
"Yes, I'm the daughter of Count Vasselieu" Flora replied.
Ellie's eyes widened in shock upon hearing that Flora was a noblewoman.
"I-I'm sorry, if I was being rude," Ellie apologized, her voice filled with anxiety.
"I thought we were already close" Flora smiled slightly before gently pushing Ellie down onto the bed.
She leaned over Ellie, pinning her under her body.
"But now that you know I'm a noblewoman, Ellie, you mustn't disobey me, right?" Flora teased with a playful smile before lying down beside Ellie and pulling her into a tight hug.
Ellie, hearing Flora's words, tensed up.
Seeing Ellie's stiff reaction, Flora let out a small giggle.
Flora teased Ellie for a while until she finally told her she was joking about not being allowed to disobey, which Ellie had taken as an order.
Ellie, realizing she had been tricked, was angry and upset. She used her small feet to push Flora's face away when Flora tried to hug her again.
Grrr~
When her feet couldn't keep Flora at bay, she let out a growl, making Flora realize she had taken the teasing too far.
Flora had to apologize again, but this time, every time she tried to get close, Ellie would jump and run to the other side of the room.
Although the situation seemed chaotic, Flora felt it was more like a game of tag, which made her feel much more relaxed.
Not long after, the door opened again.
The maid from earlier returned, pushing a cart with food on it. She entered the room without knocking or signaling in any way.
"..."
Flora gave the maid a cold stare, but the maid didn't seem to be affected by Flora's icy gaze at all.
The atmosphere in the room became tense again, causing Ellie, despite being upset with Flora, to walk over to Flora's side once more.
After completing her task, the maid bowed and left the room.
"Flora..." Ellie spoke up. She was certain she wasn't imagining things. Flora definitely didn't get along with the people in the mansion.
Since they had entered the mansion, Flora had always responded and acted with a cold expression.
"Sorry, did I scare you?" Flora asked, turning to Ellie.
Ellie shook her head before asking.
"Do you not get along with the people in the mansion?"
"Mm... It's a long story" Flora replied before lying down on the bed.
"Ellie, go ahead and eat the food first" Flora said, resting her hand on her forehead while reminding Ellie to eat.
"Okay..."
Ellie felt worried seeing Flora like this, but she decided to let it go since Flora didn't want to talk about it.
She curiously examined the food the maid had brought. It was a circular snack with a red liquid in the center, and beside it was another triangular-shaped snack.
She sniffed the food curiously.
The circular snack had a fruity smell from the red liquid and a fragrant aroma she didn't recognize.
She hesitated for a moment before taking a bite.
Once again, her tail perked up.
As soon as she put the round snack in her mouth, a sweet and fragrant flavor burst out, and when her tongue touched the red liquid, a sour taste emerged, perfectly balancing the sweetness.
Ellie excitedly swings her arms and jumped around while eating.
This caught Flora's attention, who hadn't been paying much attention to Ellie.
She noticed the snack that Ellie had been eating—it was a 'strawberry jam cookie.'
Seeing the little girl with animal ears and a tail running around her room, swinging her arms wildly in excitement, Flora couldn't help but smile.
'Why... Why is Ellie always so adorable?' Flora thought, the sight before her making her forget all the worries that had been troubling her.
She then began to carefully feed the strawberry jam cookies to Ellie, who was happily running around her room after each bite.