The Villain's Reincarnation – Tired of Working Hard, I'm Slacking Off! The Peacefully Oblivious Slacker Avoids Ruin! - Chapter 17

“Looks like you’re ready. Here, wear this.”

What my master handed me was a hair ornament shaped like a cherry blossom—the kind that was said to bloom in the territory ruled by the Mitsurugi family.

“This is…”

“It’s like a protective charm. I’d like you to wear it while you’re here. As long as you have it, it will protect you.”

“A protective charm…”

I gazed at the cherry blossom hair ornament in my hands.

(Mother also gave me a floral hair ornament as a gift…)

“I’m here! Mother!!”

“Liona, thank you for coming. Today, I wanted to give you a present. Here, this is for you.”

The ornament my mother handed me was beautifully crafted, shaped like a delicate flower.

“Wow! It’s so beautiful!!! Thank you, Mother!!!”

“Hehe, I’m so happy you like it. Liona, come here, I’ll put it on for you.”

“Yes! Please, Mother!!”

(Mother…)

I reached up and touched the hair ornament my mother had given me, the one I still wore so preciously.

“Oh? Ah, I see, it overlaps.”

Seeing me touch my ornament, my master seemed to realize he had given me something similar.

“That’s a beautiful hair ornament. It’s well taken care of. Compared to yours, the one I gave you doesn’t quite match up. Do you want to swap it for something else?”

“Huh? No, it’s fine!”

Flustered, I quickly placed the ornament from my master beneath the one my mother had given me.

“Umm… does it look good on me?”

“It enhances your beauty even more—it suits you very well.”

“Ah, t-thank you. And… thank you for complimenting my hair ornament. It’s something very dear to me, so that makes me really happy.”

It was a strange feeling.

I had been complimented on my hair ornaments and my appearance many times before, yet I had never felt this moved.

What was different this time?

I didn’t know the answer.

“We’re heading outside now, but while we’re out, you’ll be playing the role of my maid rather than the princess’s maid. Understood?”

“Understood.”

It would be problematic for my master to be seen going out of his way for a mere maid.

So, he likely wanted it to appear as though I was simply accompanying him.

After all, it was normal for a maid to attend to her master.

And so, following my master’s lead, I stepped beyond the gates—

“Oh my, if it isn’t Lord Kaito!!”

“Dokunai… Your timing is as impeccable as ever.”

At my master’s words, a slender young man, wearing a hat and a shoulder bag, came running toward us.

“Haha, well, I’ve always been lucky. So, heading out somewhere?”

“Yeah, something like that.”

“Mind telling me where you’re off to?”

“Not this time.”

“Ahh, what a shame.”

My master and Dokunai spoke with an ease that surprised me.

I already knew my master had a rather casual personality, but seeing him interact with a commoner as if they were friends was quite unexpected.

As the first princess, I had met countless people, yet I had never encountered someone like my master before.

(Master and I are the same age… right?)

Watching them talk so effortlessly, I couldn’t help but feel the vast difference between us—not just as leaders, but as people.

This wasn’t the first time I had felt such a gap. There were many people greater than me.

Even among my peers, there were those who equaled or surpassed me. But the difference I felt with my master was something else entirely.

Seeing him talk so naturally, enjoying himself… it made him seem almost radiant.

(If only Master had been Mother’s child instead of me, then maybe—ow!)

Suddenly, a magical flick struck my forehead. I turned a glare toward the culprit—my master.

“What was that for, Master?”

“Well, you looked like you were about to start thinking negatively again.”

“Ugh…”

He was right. I had started sinking into dark thoughts once more, and I couldn’t deny it.

“Lord Kaito, no, no, no! I understand the desire to tease such an adorable maid, but actually bullying her is just cruel—”

“I’m not bullying her.”

“Oh? Is that so? Ah, but wait, I forgot to introduce myself!”

Realizing I was completely lost in their conversation, Dokunai turned to face me with a bright smile.

“I’m Dokunai, an apprentice journalist. It’s a pleasure to meet you, lovely maid with such a beautiful hair ornament.”

Dokunai flashed me a bright, refreshing smile.

“Thank you, Lord Dokunai. My name is Mary, and I serve as Lord Kaito’s maid. It’s a pleasure to meet you as well.”

I responded with the well-practiced, elegant smile befitting a first princess.

“Oh, you’re pretty guarded! As expected of Lord Kaito’s maid!!”

“Just so you know, flattery won’t get you off the hook. What exactly are you after?”

My master lightly smacked Dokunai on the back.

“Ahhh! I’m sorry, Lord Kaito—!”

“Hey, don’t just run away!”

Sensing danger, Dokunai quickly turned on his heels and made a swift escape.

“Ahaha…”

I let out a small, awkward laugh as I watched him flee.

(So there are people like that among commoners as well…)

As the first princess, I had encountered countless people who attempted to charm or tempt me in various ways.

One of the most common tactics was using good looks and flowery compliments to try and win my favor.

(Now that I think about it, Master never did anything like that.)

From the moment we met, my master never tried to gain my favor or make himself look good.

Even though our time together had been brief, he always did what he thought was necessary for the other person, rather than what would benefit himself.

After I had shamelessly sobbed in front of him, he helped me unpack, prepared a room for me, gave me fluffy, comfortable towels and soft, well-fitting clothes—all without a single complaint. He never even brought it up afterward.

It was as if he considered it completely normal, as if it wasn’t worth mentioning.

If he had wanted to, he could have easily made himself look good in my eyes.

(Ah! Now that I think about it, I haven’t even thanked him yet!)

Looking back, I realized I had never properly expressed my gratitude.

At the time, I had been too shaken, and since my master never made a big deal out of it, I had completely forgotten.

(To only realize it now… I really am hopeless…)

Just as I was about to sink into self-deprecation, I suddenly remembered my master’s flicks and barely stopped myself in time.

I turned my gaze toward him.

“That guy… he always runs away so fast.”

My master, watching Dokunai disappear into an alley, sighed in exasperation but didn’t bother to chase after him, likely because I was there.

(That was close…)

If I had been standing next to him, I probably would’ve gotten another flick.

He always made sure it didn’t hurt too much, but since he used magic, there was no warning. The suddenness of it always made my heart jump.

After giving up on chasing Dokunai, my master turned back toward me.

“I’m sure you’ve noticed by now, but I don’t carry myself with any sort of authority, so people are probably going to approach us casually like that. When it happens, I’d appreciate it if you handled it the same way you did just now.”

“Ah, yes. Understood.”

From what he said, it seemed that Dokunai wasn’t particularly special—there were probably others like him.

“Well, we got sidetracked for a bit, but let’s head to our first destination.”

“Um!”

As my master turned to leave, I called out to him.

“Thank you for helping me unpack and for everything else you did for me. I apologize for not expressing my gratitude sooner.”

“You’re welcome. I’m glad I could be of help. But don’t worry about it too much—I simply did what I decided to do.”

He responded with a gentle smile. Seeing that expression, I couldn’t help but be reminded of my mother.

“I’m so happy you liked it, Liona.”

(Mother…)

I didn’t understand why, but for some reason, I kept seeing my mother’s image in my master.

“Do you have anything else you’d like to say?”

I shook my head.

“Then let’s go.”

“Yes, Master.”

And so, we set off once more to continue our inspection of the town.