の兄弟(仮)ということになる。
自分に近親相姦の趣味はない。
彼らも来るかもしれないとなると、余計面倒に思えて来る。
の言い方だと、悪戯が原因で子供が出来ても、恐らく認知されないのであろう。
それどころかとっとと尼寺に捨てられそうだ。
母娘揃って同じ境遇に陥るなんて、絶対御免被りたい。
――花の宴で皇子に近付くべからず、よし覚えた!
自身の脳に注意事項を焼き付けたところで、次に気になるのはこの簪の素性だ。
「この簪は、どなたが用意したもので?」
初めは太子殿下が買おうとなさっていたが、宮女に簪を贈るなぞ誤解の元だろう」
確かにそれはそうだ。太子に囲われる宮女という噂が立つのは、雨妹だって嫌である。
――でもこれって、立彬様が自分で選んだのかな?
改めてまじまじと見ると、派手でなく、かといって地味でもなく、適度に可愛く品のある簪である。
これを立彬が選んだとしたら、なかなかいい趣味をしているではないか。
この贈り物選びの巧みさがあれば、宦官でなければさぞかしモテることだろう。
宦官であることに疑いがあるのは、今は置いておくとして。
さて、この簪が立彬からの貰いものであるのはわかった。
であれば次に気にするべきことは、簪とはどう使うのか、ということだ。
「私、こういうの使ったことがないんですけど」
なにせ前世でもあまり身近ではなかった装飾品だ。
雨妹が簪をどうすればいいのかわからず、ただブラブラ振っていると。
「......仕方ない、かしてみろ」
立彬が雨妹の手から簪を取り、頭巾を外して髪を勝手にまとめ直し、簪をさす。
「こんなものだろう、やはり赤い花で正解だったか」
飾り終えた立彬が、一歩離れて出来栄えを確認する。
短時間でしてしまうとは、以前も思ったが髪をいじるのが上手い男だ。
そして、やはり立彬自身で選んだ簪らしい。
――なんていうか、そつのない人だなぁ。
それはともかく、完成したのなら雨妹もどうなっているのか見たくなる。
「見たいです! どこかガラスないかな?」
「ここに鏡がある」
雨妹が姿が映る場所を探そうとすると、小さな手鏡を差し出された。というか手鏡を持ち歩いているとか、用意が良いにも程がある。
ともあれ、早速鏡を覗き込むと。
――あ、なんか私可愛い!
赤い花が髪に映えて、ぐっと華やかな雰囲気になっていた。
雨妹は様々な角度から鏡で頭部を見て、口元を緩める。
皇子に選ばれようとお洒落を頑張る気になれなかっただけで、自分だって可愛い格好をすれば嬉しいのだ。
鏡を見ながらクルクル回る雨妹を見て、立彬がポツリとつぶやく。
「......意外に女らしいところもあるのだな」
そんなこともあった後。宮女たちは皆、花の宴に向けて大忙しだった。
もちろん雨妹だって例外ではなく。
後宮中をピカピカに磨き上げ、庭園に設置するテーブルセットを物置から出して磨き上げ。
とにかく磨き上げ作業ばかりが待ち受けていた。
後宮には氷を利用した冷蔵庫があるが、それは容量は大きなものではない。
なので新鮮な食材を使う料理は当日の早朝から作るのだが、保存が効くものは数日前から作っておくらしい。
なので台所はここの所ずっと遅くまで明かりが灯っていた。
こんな風に、準備要員の宮女がヘロヘロになって走り回った、花の宴当日。
雨妹は部屋で、物置から拝借したちょっと歪んだ鏡を前にして戦っていた。
「うーん、難しい......」
戦っている相手は、立彬から貰った簪だ。特別に着飾ったりせずとも、髪だけでもなんとかせねばと試行錯誤しているのだが、なかなか上手くいかない。
――こればっかりは慣れかなぁ。
もう面倒だから簪は諦めようかと、雨妹が本末転倒気味な思考に陥りかけていると。
、いるかい?」
そこへ、美娜が訪ねてきた。
阿妹ったらまさか、素の顔で宴に出る気じゃないだろうね?」
「え、このままで行く気ですけど?」
化粧品なんて持っていないのでどうしようもないではないか。
そんなことを考える雨妹に、美娜がくわっと目を見開く。
「それでいいわけないだろう!」
そして靴を脱いで部屋へ入って来ると、雨妹を鏡の前に座らせ、床に木箱を置く。箱のふたを開ければ、中に入っているのは化粧道具だ。
「ほら、じっとして!」
美娜はそう言って雨妹を押さえつけ、顔におしろいを施し出す。
If they were the crown prince's brothers, then that would mean they were also Yui Mei's (provisionary) brothers.
She was not interested in committing incest.
They would also possibly come, so she began to think that it was truly a bother.
Moreover, with the way Libin said it, even if she was assaulted and a child was born, it probably would not be acknowledged.
Rather than that, they would be thrown into the nunnery.
For her to fall into the same predicament as their mother and daughter - she would absolutely not let that happen.
'Do not go near the princes during the Cherry Blossom Viewing Banquet, alrighty, I'll keep it in mind!'
After burning that warning into her brain, the next thing she was bothered about was the origin of the hairpin.
"Who prepared this hairpin?"
"I did. The crown prince wanted to buy it for you, but him sending a hairpin to a court lady would cause misunderstandings."
Yui Mei also didn't want to raise rumors that she was a court lady involved with the crown prince.
'But did Libin-sama choose this hairpin himself?'
When she scrutinized it again, it was not ostentatious, but it was not plain, either; it was a cute but elegant hairpin.
If Libin chose this, then he had great tastes.
With that clever way of choosing gifts, if he was not a eunuch then he would certainly be popular.
There were doubts about him being a eunuch, but for now, she set them aside.
And so, it was now clear to her that Libin was the one who gave it to her.
Then the next question would be how to use this hairpin.
"I have never used this kind of thing, though."
At any rate, it was not an accessory that was readily available in her previous life.
Yui Mei did not know what to do with the hairpin, and was just idly swinging it.
"....Can't be helped then, hand it over."
Libin took the hairpin from Yui Mei's hand, then he removed the kerchief, and he arbitrarily fixed her hair and inserted the hairpin.
"It's like this, as expected, I was right in choosing the red flower."
After arranging her hair, Libin took a step back and checked the result.
She already thought about this before, but he was a man skilled at fiddling with hair, arranging it in such a short time.
And apparently, Libin did choose the hairpin himself.
'How should I say this, he's a person with no slip-ups.'
Anyway, Yui Mei also wanted for herself to see how it was after it was done.
"I wanted to see it! Is there a mirror somewhere?"
"There's a mirror here."
When Yui Mei tried to look for a place that could reflect her appearance, he handed her a small hand-mirror.
Anyhow, she hurriedly peered into the mirror.
'Ah, I look cute!'
The red flower was set off by her hair, giving her a gorgeous ambience.
Yui Mei smiled as she looked at her appearance in the mirror from various angles.
She did not have any intention of dressing up to be chosen by the princes, but she would also feel happy when she looked good.
While looking at Yui Mei circling around as she looked in the mirror, Libin softly mumbled.
"...Unexpectedly, you also have a feminine side to you, huh."
All the court ladies became very busy as the Cherry Blossom Viewing Banquet approached.
Of course, Yui Mei was not an exception.
She polished the interior of the Inner Palace until it was sparkling, and she took out the tables and chairs that would be placed in the garden and polished them too.
In short, only polishing jobs were awaiting her.
There was a refrigerator using ice in the Inner Palace, but its capacity was not huge.
That was why the dishes that would require fresh ingredients were to be made on the day itself early in the morning. However, foods that could be preserved were already prepared a few days prior.
That was why the kitchen lights were still lit late into the night.
In this manner, all the court ladies involved in the preparation run around until became completely exhausted, and the day of the Cherry Blossom Viewing Banquet finally arrived.
Yui Mei was inside her room fighting in front of the slightly warped mirror she had borrowed from the storage room.
"Hmmm, so difficult."
Even if she did not plan to dress up especially, she wanted to do something about her hair, so she had been trying to arrange it through trial and error, but it wasn't going well.
'Will I get used to this at this rate?'
Yui Mei was about to give up on the hairpin because it was too troublesome, and she was overwhelmed.
"Ah Mei, are you there?"
Right at that time, Mei Na came to visit.
"I was worried so I decided to take a look, and there you are. Yui Mei, don't tell me you plan to go to the banquet with your bare face."
"Eh, I plan to go as is, though?"
It couldn't be helped since she didn't have any cosmetics.
Mei Na's eyes widened in disbelief at Yui Mei who had those thoughts.
"There's no way that would be okay!"
Afterward, she took her shoes off and entered the room, then she seated Yui Mei in front of the mirror. She put the box she was carrying on the floor, and when she opened the lid, there was a make-up kit inside.
"Alright, be still!"
Mei Na pressed Yui Mei down as she said that, then she started to put face powder on her.
Housekeeper of the Hundred Blossom Palace
百花宮のお掃除係～転生した新米宮女、後宮のお悩み解決します。
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/housekeeper-of-the-hundred-blossom-palace/
Fantasy Romance Shoujo Slice of Life
Adapted to Manga Ancient China Complex Family Relationships Different Social Status Female Protagonist Imperial Harem Love Interest Falls in Love First Reincarnated in Another World Royalty
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n4104ev/
黒辺あゆみ