Chapter 113: Infirmary Visit (IV).
The atmosphere between them suddenly became awkward.
Analissa notices that Lady Serene was really trying her best to show her worry and care for her in… her own special way.
"Lady Serene." (Analissa) gave the lackey a smile. "Even if we are not friends as you say, I still want to thank you for visiting me. It's very sweet of you to bring all of this for me."
The heroine looks at her again, the proud and ever stubborn, arrogant facade that she was used to mask was slowly being lowered down.
The lackey slightly scratches the side of her face and could barely say anything for a moment thinking that is it okay for being happy hearing a mere commoner say good things about her?
"Ahem-!" She coughs before laughing and placing a hand at her chest. "Indeed, you should be grateful that I- visited you, commoner. I know that you must not make much so I will be generous and if you need medicine tell me and I will have my servants buy it for you."
Lady Serene Sinclair is included in one of the most influential families in class 1-A after all.
Whatever the commoner girl wants she doesn't mind buying it for her and it wouldn't hurt her bank.
"Um…" The Japanese streamer hearing that she offered to buy things for her suddenly made her remember that these noble girls seem to never hesitate on spending when it comes to spoiling someone.
'Now that I think about it Lord Ein is the only one who thinks of earning money instead of spending it.' Is what Analissa thought, imagining a smart Einsel just casually giving his cheeky smile.
Little does she know that on the first day of the festival on their event at the marriage booth he had used all of his money to bribe the third year seniors of class 3-B just to schedule a private wedding.
He's broke and an impulse buyer.
"T-There's no need, Lady Serene. I'm just happy that you were worried about me and came to visit. That's more than enough." she said with a side of a nervous chuckle.
Lady Serene frowns, still a little confused on what's the whole deal with this blonde headed girl.
She thought anyone would've been ecstatic to have someone offering to buy something for them.
"I wasn't worried about you, it's just nobles never forget to repay back their debts and favors! I don't care or even think about you often! It's just-" (Lady Serene) hides her hands on the side that were turned into fists.
The lackey blames herself as to why the commoner got hurt.
If it weren't for her then…
"I wanted to see if you're okay." (Lady Serene) started. "The whole class hasn't forgotten what you did, you saved the play. My father and my older siblings came to attend. It meant the whole world to me."
For once… her siblings didn't tease her and even complimented her work on the play.
And her father was always happy to see her thriving.
Her stepmother on the other hand… didn't attend as expected.
Lady Serene didn't tell her that day of how thankful she was to her personally.
When she saw her risk her life again, this time she felt that there would be no more excuses.
"And not only that, you saved my best friend. I saw you risk your life to save her." (Lady Serene) takes a deep breath and stares at a star struck Analissa Blanchet straight in the eye. "How could I not visit you?"
Lady Serene wanders off into the window thinking, before turning back her gaze at the blonde girl.
"I've treated you horribly too now that I think about it." She suddenly felt a pang of guilt afterwards. "I'm sorry for how I treated you these past few months in class. I will try being… less harsh with my words."
The Lackey realized that she was staring at Analissa Blanchet for too long and she felt her ears turning a little red, almost matching her hair color.
"And I… wanted to say thank you for everything you've done for us." she mutters slowly just enough for Analissa to hear and keep her dignity intact. "T-That is all and I won't repeat it again!"
"...!"
Analissa Blanchet couldn't say anything after hearing the sweetest speech she has ever heard.
"I… um… it's really no problem Lady Sinclair." (Analissa) doesn't know why but for some reason her face was also turning a little red from her thank you confession. "I would do it all over again if I was given a chance."
'I really wasn't expecting for Lady Serene to just come in and say all of this. It's very unlike her but it seems she's also changing along with the villainess.' (Analissa) deduced that the world is having some sort of balance thanks to her meddling with the story. 'Lord Ein, Lady Evelyn and now Lady Serene… these people were well known to be antagonists in the original game.'
Some of the good choices she made had good consequences at least.
Lady Serene nods, she covers her mouth and clears her throat. "Well that's all I wanted to say. I should get going before um… my tea at the dorm gets cold."
Analissa raises a brow at her statement, she should get back to her dorm before her tea gets cold?
"Did you ask your maid to brew tea for you before you left?" She asks.
Lady Serene bites her lip, obvious that she was lying but still went through wanting to go back to her room before Evelyn Alarie comes back.
"Yes… that is why I should get going. My elder sister always said that good tea is best enjoyed hot." She explains rather in great detail, fixing her uniform rather clumsily.
Analissa pointed out the elephant in the room. "I know that you probably waited for Lady Evelyn and the rest to leave before trying to visit me right?"
"I was not-!" (Lady Serene) was embarrassed that she got caught.
"Are you sure you don't want to wait for her to come back? I think she'll come back pretty soon but I'm not sure."
"N-No, that will be just fine. I needed to go back to my dorm anyway-!" She was about to leave but realized something feels off, how come this girl doesn't know when Evelyn will be coming back. "Hold on… do they know that you're awake?"
"Not really, I just kind of woke up when you came in so I didn't have the chance to talk to anyone." (Analissa) gave a little white lie, she did talk to Liara but for anyone that came to visit her that day definitely none. "Lady Evelyn will be back. I plan on talking to her when she does. Why not stay a bit longer and talk with her properly? I won't mind the company."
The Lackey gave an uncomfortable look in her face as she bit her lip slightly, thinking it over. She really wants to talk to her bestfriend, but if the commoner girl would be in the same room as them she would rather swallow all of her feelings.
It would be embarrassing.
"Hngh… I really can't."
"Oh, please stay with me!" (Analissa) frowns, trying to beg once more, it would be nice if she got to know Lady Serene more that she's giving the chance to open up.
Lady Serene shushes the loud blonde girl immediately looking behind to check the door worried that someone might've overheard and misunderstood. "Shhh! Not so loud you imbecile! You might think thatI really can't talk to her right now, I'm not ready. I can't face her just yet."
The Japanese streamer quit pestering her after that.
"Oh…"
"Sigh… and besides you have to understand we're not exactly close. Evelyn knows that I'm not taken with you yet, which she's right. We're not exactly there yet."
"And I thought you were growing soft on me, Lady Sinclair." (Analissa) jested, gently scratching the side of her ears thinking that there should've been at least a chance of her friendship progress with the villainess' lackey after the festival.
It seems that Lady Serene is still… sort of the same.
Lady Serene walks over crossing her arms before observing the girl for a moment.
She sees those beautiful blue eyes that anyone can easily fall in love with, adorable features and her face structure is something not to dislike at all.
She dreaded why she's been having a lot more thoughts about the commoner after the dueling competition.
"Hmph, listen, commoner- you're cute." (Lady Serene) holds out her hand, going a little near her forehead before flicking it.
"Ow!" (Analissa) held her forehead a little surprised at the sudden action and the compliment made her mind stop working. 'Wait she thinks I'm cute?! W-Well… that's new.'
"But not that cute. You must always remember your standing, your charm is tempting but I could never imagine being friends or anywhere close with you." (Lady Serene) scoffs and ignores the heroine completely out of embarrassment mixed with pride.
Analissa was really trying not to show her smile hearing the lackey pouring out of her feelings, 'I don't know if I should feel embarrassed, glad or even offended with what she said but even in the original game she's still the same.'
"A commoner can never be seen being with someone like me. I am different from my family, you may not be able to understand." (Lady Serene) seemed so well guarded, she wanted to end it at that but knowing the Japanese streamer's curiosity to know more about the world and its growing characters she wanted to know.
Analissa's eyes gleamed as she carefully reached out to hold Lady Serene's hand boldly. "Lady Serene, I want to be friends with you and I want to understand. Whatever you may say I will keep it close and reveal it to no one."
The Japanese streamer closed her eyes for a moment before turning to look at the lackey's beautiful and bright ruby eyes.
"You have my word and I swear on my life… I would really like to be your friend." As Analissa said that she revealed her grinny wide smile striking the girl right with an arrow in her chest.
"...!"
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Lady Serene felt her heart racing, like a thundering drum she would always hear on the farm. A beating rhythm she was not used to, no one has ever made her feel this way and it scared her.
"Y-You're so… stupid… careless… and… foolish!" She quickly retracted her hand, losing her fixed manner. "Y-You think I'll just reveal my story to a commoner like yourself?!"
Analissa shrunk back to the bed thinking that she just blew everything with the lackey.
"Fine I will sit and explain to you why we cannot be friends or even more than that." (Lady Serene) was bought by her puppy eyes and that stupid big smile of hers that she decided that maybe staying in the infirmary for a few more minutes just to educate the commoner wouldn't hurt. "Hmph, to show you my gratitude for saving my bestfriend I will not require you to sign a contract spell to keep your promise of telling my tale to no one."
The Japanese streamer's eyes went wide with what she said, the lackey was going to open up to her- a sign that she's giving her a chance!
"I'll start from the beginning. I am what people would call a half-blood but I suppose in the common tongue you would know it as the term… dirty blood." (Lady Serene) takes a deep breath as she continues her story and the reason why she is not giving Analissa Blanchet a chance to be her friend. "My mother was once a hired farm hand for the Sinclair family. A proud lineage that really cares about their reputation he was assigned to the agricultural department. However my father fell in love with her when he visited the countryside despite getting married and having me."
Analissa who was hearing this was having question marks all over.
Her braincells were scrambling with their own thoughts but they all agreed on one thing, 'What the fuck? I forgot that high ranking nobles cheating on their partner is considered normal or alright in this world.'
The Japanese streamer felt a little angry and disappointed hearing that after all being a modern woman her morals, rules and experiences are different to a medieval but she just let her continue.
"I… lived in a quiet farm in the province. I even had a pet piglet that I loved dearly. We played everyday and I would run around the grass barefoot and the adults would let me." She smiles fondly at the memory. "My mother and I would run side by side, you would've loved her."
Analissa catches that smile and wants to give the little girl a hug. The makers of this world were really loving punishing their own characters for fun.
"Everything was going well until… My mother died when I was six. I remember when she left to join the light goddess- a servant came to drag my arm away and told me I would leave the farm to become a proper lady of the Sinclair family." (Lady Serene) saying that, she suddenly straightened her posture. "I changed the way that I dress, they told me the way that I talk with a commoner's accent is… they said a few more hurtful things and I… cover my freckles with makeup."
The Lackey's hand reaches the side of her cheeks, revealing a spot of her freckles.
"I was told to hide them for it was not the standard of beauty, even until now."
Analissa covers her mouth in shock, 'S-She has freckles?! And she has to cover it with makeup but freckles are so cute!'
"Everyone was already teasing me for being a half-blood. If they saw me with you then it'll only give both of us trouble. So I suggest you stop trying to be friends with me." Lady Serene's expression remained stern, her brows slightly drawn together as she forced herself to hold the other girl's gaze.
Yet her eyes betrayed her.
"You don't need to be all around that." Her fingers curled tightly against the fabric of her skirt, as though holding herself back from reaching out and taking back every cruel word she had just spoken. "You don't want a half-blood girl to be friends with you, I'm aware of my harsh words and horrible temper… but I think… I… it was my means of protecting myself in my house."
Analissa felt her heart breaking for Lady Serene's story, now she wanted to become her friend even more.
"...I'm only telling you this for your own good," she muttered, turning her face aside. Her voice had softened despite herself. "So don't make me regret warning you, you'll only get hurt if you stand by next to me."
She mutters in a low voice, "Just look at what I did to Evelyn… I hurt her with my words."
The lackey who has only had one real friend in her life never thought that it would turn like this at some point, where one would hurt the other and no one knows how to talk about their own feelings.
In the end they just plan to leave it on time.
However, that kind of ending doesn't fit Analissa's style.