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『とある屋敷のメイドの日記より抜粋』
今日もようやく長い一日が終わった。この屋敷で働き始めて今日で三年になるが、ここの仕事は本当に辛い。旦那様と奥様はお優しいのだが、お嬢様がとても厳しく、理不尽な方だ。気に入らないことがあればすぐに怒鳴り、殴ってくる。こちらは手が出せないのをいいことにやりたい放題だ。
そんなお嬢様は、今日は様子がおかしかった。優しくなったとか、怖くなったとか、そんな意味ではない。純粋に、おかしかった。
起床から就寝まで、ぶつぶつと独り言を言っているのだ。何かしてしまったかと不安に思っていると、突然叫んだこともある。だがその叫びは私たちに向けられたものではなく、すぐに我に返ると私たちの視線から逃れるようにそっぽを向いていた。
今までの傾向にはなかったものだ。何かしらの反応を期待されていた場合は応えられなければ責められる。本当に触れてほしくない時に触れてしまうと、それもやはり責められる。私たちは相談の結果、今日のお嬢様の奇行には触れないことにした。
その後も、その日一日、お嬢様に奇行が目立った。ずっと独り言を言っているし、突然叫び出す。私たちは気が気では無かったが、呼ばれた時にいつでも応えられるようにするだけで精一杯だ。
結局のところ、お嬢様は何も言うことなく就寝した。終わってみれば、奇行以外はいつもより平和な一日だった。
華美な装飾品が並ぶ広い部屋。その部屋には多くの調度品が並ぶ。これは全て、この部屋の主がほとんど無理矢理集めたものだ。人を騙して、己の立場を振りかざし、時には父の権力に物を言わせて集めたものがこの部屋には並んでいる。
その部屋の隅、大きなテーブルに突っ伏しているのがこの部屋の主だ。長い金髪に豪華なドレスを着た女で、年は十代前半に見える。その女は疲れ切った表情で、ぶつぶつと独り言を呟いていた。どうしてこんなことに、本当にうるさい、といった言葉が続く。
――まあまあ、落ち着きなよ。
彼女の頭に響くのは、若い女の声だ。この声は彼女にしか聞こえることがなく、今日一日、突然聞こえ始めたこの声に振り回され続けた。
――ねえ、無視しないでよ、リリア。
リリアと呼ばれた女は目を見開き、勢いよく立ち上がった。
「いい加減うるさいのよ! これはだめ、あれもだめって! あんたに命じられる筋合いはないわよ!」
――いやいや、命じてないよ? 忠告だよ。
その声は、リリアがどれだけ怒っても調子を崩すことはない。それどころかどこか楽しげですらある。
「だいたい何度も聞くけど、忠告って何のことよ。それがまず意味が分からないわ」
――それも何度も言ってるよ? このままだと、リリアは破滅しちゃう。没落しちゃうの。私はそれを防ぐために、貴方を助けるために来たんだよ?
「はっ! 没落? 笑わせないでほしいわね。私は何も悪いことはしていないでしょう。それに、公爵家がそう簡単に潰されると思っているの?」
彼女はこの公爵家の長女だ。王家と家族を除く誰もが自分の顔色を窺う。少なくとも同年代なら王子に次ぐ権力者だ。
そんな自分が、公爵家が没落するなど考えられない。
「だいたい、どうして貴方にそんなことが分かるのよ」
――どうして? えっと......。私は天使なのです、未来が見えるのです。ありがたがれ。
「さてと、明日は何しようかしら」
――無視はひどいよ! 確かに天使ではないけど、でも未来はちょっとだけ分かるよ。
ずっと飄々としていた声だったが、その一言だけは真剣味を帯びていた。リリアは内心で驚きながらも、それを表情にはおくびにも出さずに言葉を紡ぐ。
「それだけ言うなら、何が予言してみせなさい。それが当たれば、そうね。貴方の言うことを信用してあげるわ」
絶対に無理だとリリアは断言できる。この声は得体が知れないが、それでも予知ができるようなやつではないだろう。だが声は、リリアの言葉に嬉しそうに笑った。
――本当? 約束だよ。それじゃあね......。
声は何かを考えているのか、少しだけ黙り込んだ。ようやく訪れた静かな時間に小さく吐息を漏らす。そのまま待っていると、やがて声が言った。
――それじゃあ、二年後の予知。時期は春先、かな。
「ずいぶんと先ね。言っておくけど、あの時はこう言った、というのは認めないわよ」
――うん。いいよ。だって、間違えようがないから。
そこまで言うほどのことが、二年後に起きるのか。リリアは純粋にその内容が気になり、続きの言葉を待つ。声は咳払いをすると、言った。
――二年後の春。上級学校に入学後、王子の逆鱗に触れてしまい、嫌われてしまうでしょう。
「な......っ!」
リリアが大きく目を見開く。この国の第一王子とは婚約者だ。その王子から嫌われてしまうなど、どういうことか。
「言っていいことと悪いことがあるわよ......」
リリアが声に怒気を込める。だが頭に響く声には通用せず、やはりどこか楽しげだ。
――分かってるよ、そんなこと。リリアにとっては当たらない方がいいんだし、怒る必要はないよね?
確かに、とリリアは思う。この予言は当たらないと自信を持って言える。そして当たらなければ、この声はきっといなくなるだろう。リリアは分かったと頷いた。
「それじゃあ結果が分かるまで黙っていなさい。いいわね?」
――ええ、寂しいよ......。でも、うん。そうだね。私の言葉を気にしすぎて流れを回避されても困るし、黙っておくね。
その言い方に、少しだけ引っかかるものを覚えた。しかしその違和感を気にすることはせずに、続ける。
「それじゃあ、さようなら。もう二度と出てこないでよ」
――ひどいなあ。うん、分かってるよ。さようなら。また二年後にお話ししましょう。
リリアが不愉快そうに顔をしかめると、声は笑い声を上げて、そして聞こえなくなった。
その後、一日聞こえ続けた不可解な声は一切聞こえなくなった。しばらくは声の言葉を気にしていたが、一ヶ月もするとそんな声があったことすら忘れていた
そして二年後の春。
Prologue
From a certain estate's maid's diary.
Today was another long day that couldn't have ended sooner. It's been three years today since I started working at this estate, but the work here still feels just as harsh. The lord and lady here are kind and gentle people, but mistress here is a relentlessly unreasonable person. While yelling at the slightest displeasure, her fist would be the next thing to follow. I'm just a nice maid girl who can only smile politely while receiving such abuse.
Such a mistress was for some reason acting quite strange on this day. Not to say that she suddenly turned nice, or timid. It could only be described as... "strange".
From the instant she opened her eyes till the moment she turned in for the night, she was incessantly murmuring strange things to herself. As I was staring puzzled and worried at such a sight, a sudden shout would escape her lips. And even more strangely, such a shout was not actually aimed at us maids this time, and the mistress seemed to suddenly come to her senses and turned away as if escaping from our glances.
It was as if the girl before today was a lie. If the case was that we had failed to meet some sort of expectation, we would surely be blamed. If we touch upon something that we shouldn't be getting involved with, we would also be blamed. Thus, after much consultation, we maids decided to not get involved with the strangeness of the mistress's behaviour today.
And so, for the whole day, the mistress's strangeness only stood out more and more. Always talking to herself, suddenly shouting out. We maids, trying to pay no mind to such things, it took our utmost simply trying to respond normally when called upon.
At the end of the day, the mistress simply quietly went to bed without uttering another word. Looking back on it, other than the eccentric behaviour, today was certainly much more peaceful than usual.
In a room lined with extravagant decorations, the s.p.a.ce was filled with various furniture. All of this was forcibly gathered by the master of the room. Through trickery, threats, and sometimes calling upon father's authority, all of these things were taken and collected in this room.
At a corner of this room, the master here was in fact fallen prostrate on a large table. Sporting long blonde hair and an extravagant dress, a girl who looked no more than fifteen years of age sat exhausted at the table. With a drained expression plastering her features, she seemed to be grumbling, muttering about something all by herself. Things like "why did this have to happen" and "it's really so annoying" escaped her incessantly moving lips.
--Well, well, let's calm down okay?
What resounded in her head was the voice of a young woman. This voice that could only be heard by the girl, had for the entire day been unceasingly brandis.h.i.+ng her suddenly new found vocals at the girl.
--Heey, don't ignore me, Lilia.
Lilia confronted the girl calling out to her, and furiously stood up.
"Enough is enough! You can't do this, or you can't do that! Who gave you the right to tell me what to do!"
--No no, I wasn't particularly giving you orders right? It was simply advice.
The voice, no matter how enraged Lilia became, continued to keep a calm tone of conversation. On the contrary, the voice seemed to be quite cheerful.
"In the first place, what is your advice even supposed to mean? I've asked you countless times, but I still have no idea!"
--Haven't I answered that question every time you've asked me? At this rate, you are walking towards your own destruction you know. Meaning total ruin yeah? I'm here to defend you from such a future, and save your neck you know?
"Ha! Ruin? Don't make me laugh. I haven't done anything wrong right? Besides, how could a duke's clan fall so easily?"
The girl was the eldest daughter of a duke's family. Other than the royal family, anyone would think twice about confronting their influence. At the very least in the current generation, their power was second only to the crown prince.
In such a scenario, it was unthinkable for the duke's clan to collapse.
"Why do you even proclaim to know of such things anyways."
--Why? Well... I'm an angel who can see into the future. You should be grateful.
"Well, I wonder what my plans for tomorrow are."
--Ignoring me, how could you! Okay okay I'm not actually an angel, but I really can see a little bit of the future you know!
She may have had an aloof character, but that one line was tinged in seriousness. Lilia was surprised deep inside, and it also showed on her disgusted expression at her own next words.
"If you insist on it that much, then at least show me some sort of evidence that your predictions are accurate. If you can prove it to me...well, I'll be able to have a little confidence towards this voice in my head."
Lilia a.s.sured herself that such a thing was indeed impossible. Certainly this voice was a strange ent.i.ty, but even so something like foresight should be impossible. However, the voice was delighted at Lilia's words and laughed.
--Really? It's a promise okay! Here we go...
The voice, seemingly deep in thought about something, fell silent for a while. A small breath leaked out after a long awaited respite from all the noise. While waiting like that, before long the voice returned.
--Here I go, a prediction of two years from now. The season is the beginning of spring, probably.
"That's quite far into the future. I'll say this now but, saying I told you so later on will not make me recognise your ability."
--Yeah, okay. After all, there shouldn't be any problems.
Insisting so much on such a thing, will it really prove true come two years? Lilia was innocently interested in hearing about it, waiting for what came next. The voice cleared her throat and said this.
--During the spring of two years into the future, entering your senior year of schooling, you will experience the wrath of the crown prince, earning his hatred.
"Wha-...!"
Lilia's eyes widened in astonishment. The crown prince was her fiancee. To become hated by the prince, what could be the meaning of this?
"There are limits to nonsense you know..."
Wrath entered Lilia's voice. But the voice that resounded through her head paid it no heed, and seemed to be enjoying herself after all.
--Of course I understand that. It would be great for you if it turned out false, so there's no need to get angry right?
It was certainly so, thought Lilia. She had confidence that nothing would come of this prediction. And when it does prove false, this voice will definitely go away too. Lilia nodded in agreement.
"Well then, until we find out the result, please do be silent, agreed?"
--Alright, though I'll be quite lonely... But, well. Of course. It'd be troubling if my words were simply ignored all the time, so I'll be quiet.
The way those words were said seemed to catch something in her mind, but instead of dwelling on that uncomfortable feeling the conversation continued.
"Well then, farewell. Please don't ever come out again."
--Hey that really hurts. Well, I get it. Good bye. Let's speak again in two years' time.
Lilia frowned at the unpleasantness of the parting laughter of the voice, as it fell silent.
After that, the mysterious voice that followed her all day could be heard no longer. The words of the voice continued to bother her for a while, but in just a month the very existence of that voice was forgotten.
And so the spring of two years later came.
Haunted Duke’s Daughter
取り憑かれた公爵令嬢
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/haunted-dukes-daughter/
Comedy Fantasy Romance School Life Shoujo Slice of Life Supernatural
Broken Engagement Character Growth Determined Protagonist Different Social Status Female Protagonist Friendship Hard-Working Protagonist Heartwarming Loyal Subordinates Maids Nobles Otome Game Possession Royalty Second Chance Servants Sharing A Body Sword And Magic Unrequited Love Villainess Noble Girls
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n5708cr/
龍翠