Tensei Arasaa Joshi – 002 | Sousaku – 創作

002 – A few days have passed

Chapter 1: The Royal Capital and My Family Home

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A week has passed since I woke up.
After a long, long dream, I'll wake up in my usual small but comfortable room――――That's what I thought every day. However, there are no signs of this happening yet.

Here, everyday life is extremely ordinary, with every minute and every second passing by as a matter of course.

Magnolia Gilmore was, as far as I could remember, three years old.
The first person I met in this world was a maid, so I assumed I was an Ojou-sama, and as I searched my memory, the name 『Gilmore Household』 came to mind. (TLN: In reality it says "Gilmore duke/marquise house", Duke and Marquise have the same pronunciation but different writing, she mentions only the spelling)

Household……Is it a duke or a marquis?
The three-year-old Magnolia doesn't seem to understand, but either way, it seems like they are very important people.
However, if we consider it based on the same classification standards as Earth.

If it were a ducal family, it might be considered extended royalty by Earth standards. It makes me shiver.
She's more like a princess than an Ojou-sama. I don't understand.

There is a phrase that says “Japan is a nation of middle-class families,” but no, in reality, there is a considerable gap between the rich and the poor in modern Japan.
Of course, there is a gap between the rich and the poor, but there is also a privilege gap that is sometimes visible and sometimes invisible, peeking out in everyday life and occasionally in the news.

People who live in large mansions in an upscale residential area.
The story of incredibly wealthy people who throw lavish parties in penthouse apartments in high-rise buildings, opening bottles of wine worth hundreds of thousands.

An upper-class, luxurious, marvelous life? (What's that?)

Then there's news about children who can only eat school meals because they are poor.
People who cannot go to the hospital even when they are sick because they do not have health insurance.
Articles about families living day-to-day on a tightrope.

A humble, poor life.

People falling as if entangled, before realizing it. There are cases where people are wrongfully accused of crimes for no apparent reason.
Those who belong to the privileged class can get away with almost anything, as they are not punished. They hold special positions and power behind closed doors.

Although there are no obvious class distinctions in Japan, there are clear differences in social status.

To be honest, Magnolia's former home was far from luxurious... It was a genuine, traditional (?) middle-class home, where my mother, an average middle-class woman, ran the household while practicing various money-saving techniques she had seen on TV and in magazines.
So I don't understand the life of the aristocracy at all.

It reminds me of a historical manga I read long ago, set in Europe.
Masquerade balls, duels, pandemics. Poison and sword. War and religion. Evolving ideas.
Feudal society, guilds, manorial system.
Crusaders, knights, and absolute monarchy.
Or perhaps a vast harem. A web of intrigue, light, and shadow――――

Yeah, that's only in manga, movies, and novels.

It probably varies depending on the era and country, but in reality, I have no idea.
All that comes to mind are keywords from the ancient 『pseudo-Europe』.

……What's more, this probably isn't Earth.
All I can do is sigh.

Speaking of things that appeared, I was startled for a moment by the knife and fork that appeared, but I managed to get by with my patchwork manners, which I had pulled out of my memory of reading a manners book in the past, and I breathed a sigh of relief on the first day I woke up.

I was glad that I was a toddler and not an adult.
Even if I don't know anything, I can learn it as I go along―――― That is, if this lifestyle continues.

Whether it was automatic translation or something else, I thought she could read because she could speak, but Magnolia had no memory of 『letters』. It seems that she hasn't learned them yet.

The world of Magnolia is small.
I mostly stay in my room and occasionally take a walk in the garden.
Perhaps because I am still young, I do not participate in any lessons.

(They're rich, but maybe they're not very enthusiastic about their children's education.)

I shake my head in wonder when I think about how some Japanese families start their children in private lessons from zero years old.
Even children from ordinary families seem to be able to write their own names by the age of three.
Does this world not provide early childhood education?

To be honest, I'm not saying it's too boring because I can't watch TV, but it would be really helpful if there were picture books, coloring books, or something like that……

Although the Magnolia in Japan did not attend early childhood education, I remember being raised relatively strictly, and by the time I was two years old, I could write my own name, my family's names, and certain words in hiragana and katakana, and I could even read simple picture books on my own. I remember picking picture books from a small bookcase and tracing the words with my finger.
Of course, since we are talking about young children, it is often the case that those who are not interested will not even glance at it.

As a member of the aristocracy, I assumed I would have received an education befitting a noble from a young age.

It's not that I particularly enjoy studying.
But it's pretty tough to just sit around doing nothing in such a luxurious room.

And about my family in this world.
My father is Gerald Sylas Gilmore. Twenty-nine years old.
He is younger than me (in terms of his mental age).

……I felt a vague sense of familiarity with the name, but I figured it was probably because he was my father, so of course I would have heard his name before. That makes sense.

In Magnolia's memory, he had light blond hair and gentle brown eyes, and while managing the territory, he also served as a civil official in the castle. He seems to be quite a hard worker.

My mother is Wisteria Gilmore. Twenty-six years old. So young.
She is a fashionable lady with brown hair and beautiful deep blue eyes.

I wonder why I remember my mother less than my father. I don't say that childcare is a woman's job, but in reality, mothers are inevitably more involved. This is even more so in the case of infants.
However, I know nothing about her other than her name and face.
Is it because we're nobles? Could it be that Magnolia is a daddy's girl?

And then there's one other person.
Magnolia has a brother six years older than her, named Bryan Chris Gilmore. He's the eldest son of the Gilmore family.

He is a handsome nine-year-old boy with blond hair inherited from our father and lapis lazuli-colored eyes resembling our mother's.
He is a natural blond with blue eyes. The colors of a prince.

His bold expression, which is slightly more wild than our parents' elegant appearance, may be a trait inherited from our grandparents, something that the Gilmores may have originally possessed.

……However.
I haven't seen any of them this week.

Are family relationships among the aristocracy really this impersonal……?
Since I had nothing else to do, I read 『The Life of the Aristocracy』 that my history-obsessed classmate recommended. Rummaging through my memories.
……I recall that during busy social periods, it can be weeks before you see each other, right? Does that include every one of them? ?

Well, it's good in the sense that there are no visible issues.
Even though there is someone to take care of me, I feel that I am being neglected, and as someone who is already an adult, I am concerned about the emotional development of children.

As someone in her late thirties, I'm fine with being ignored by strangers in my current vulnerable state. To be honest, it's actually helpful.

But I think the 『three-year-old Magnolia』 must have been lonely.
In 21st century Japan, it would be like those parents that spend money on the kids, but they still neglect them.

I was curious, so I asked Rosa about it three times, but......
"Your father is busy with work. Your mother is at a tea party (or evening party)……"
I stopped asking because the answer was always the same.

……The term “corporate warrior” is obsolete... And knowing the modern (?) term “corporate slave,” I can still understand that work is important, so I can give them the benefit of the doubt. However, if she has time to go out to tea parties and evening parties (well, maybe she has obligations as aristocrat and reasons she must go), I think she must have at least enough free time to come and check on her children.

I suppose it's tough for a wife to be solely responsible for keeping up with relatives and neighbors (?), but……
Are they both busy from morning till night? Don't they even have a few minutes to spare?
That's definitely a lie!

And then there is my older brother.

Looking out the window, I see a boy energetically practicing swordplay.
It's hard to tell from a distance, but you can see that he's wearing good quality clothes.

Magnolia wore a light green dress with a white round collar, but it was made of coarse cotton or linen.
It's easy to move around in, so I have no complaints.
You might say that it's because I'm small and I'll get it dirty, but I think it's rather plain for something a 『princess』 would wear. Compared to nightgowns, it is quite stiff.

The contrast with the luxurious furniture in the room is striking.
Probably the curtains hanging on the window are made of higher quality fabric.
Probably, the maid's uniform, which was made to be durable, is of better quality in terms of fabric and tailoring.

I don't know if Magnolia was going to wear them when she went out or if there was no choice but to make them, but there were two frilly, luxurious dresses that didn't look like they had ever been worn (judging from the fabric, they were probably for spring/summer and autumn/winter) and several simple dresses.

They are all neatly stored in a large walk-in closet.
Seeing them, Magnolia crossed her arms.

……Financial difficulties?
Or,

"Am I being shunned? "

＊＊＊＊＊

――――And then.
A month has passed since I woke up.
The dream still hasn't ended. Let's ommit the rest.

――――I feel like I have to consider the possibility that this might actually be reality.
No matter how far-fetched it may be, it does seem realistic in the realm of common sense.

Yes, because the world is always full of mysteries.

I've seen my brother several times since then (he's a lively boy, almost to the point of being annoying), but I haven't seen my parents once.
This is definitely unfriendly territory.
In order to respond appropriately, it is necessary to thoroughly organize the current situation.

Seeing Rosa answer Magnolia's various questions with a suspicious look, I felt a sense of panic.

I distributed my questions to other caregivers to a reasonable extent so that it didn't seem unnatural.
Sometimes I eavesdrop on the servants' gossip, pretend to be lost, and search around the mansion, or mingle with the servants while pretending to take a walk in the garden.

It complemented Magnolia's memories and added new knowledge.

To conclude, this world is not Earth.
……At least, it's not the Earth of the 21st century.

First, there is the country of Askald.
It seems to be the name of this country, but I've never heard it before.

I don't have a comprehensive grasp of all the countries that are members of the United Nations, but it seems unusual that I have no recollection of a country with a certain level of cultural development.

And, when is now?
When I asked, they answered by something that wasn't the japanese era calendar or the gregorian calendar.

There is no television, radio, or internet... In fact, I don't think there is even electricity.
The light sources in the room are candles and lamps. I'm surprised.
This is the mansion of a nobleman in the capital city of the country.

There are no trains, buses, or cars.
Only horses or horse-drawn carriages. Or on foot.

It's so lacking in everything that it's reminiscent of a hit song by a famous singer from Tohoku in the old days.

Changing the subject.

Based on the clothes they wear, their names, and their lifestyle, I wonder if they are from some country in the modern or medieval European era.

It's like a combination of languages from various countries around the world, such as English, German, and French.
Although I understood it immediately upon waking up, it is possible that it was automatically translated, so even though it is a completely different language (Askaldian?), it may have been converted into a language that Magnolia can understand, allowing me to hear and speak it……

And then there's social status.
It seems that there are commoners and nobles after all.

It's not quite as extreme as “disrespect means immediate execution,” but there seems to be a significant difference in social status.
From the perspective of modern Japanese people, it seems like a difficult world to live in.

And the Gilmore family was a marquisate.
It seems that they come from a prestigious family.

Apparently, my grandfather distinguished himself in battle and was rewarded with more titles and lands. When my grandfather accepted the appointment, he transferred the title and estate of the original Gilmore family to my father, who was the eldest son, so he is now the head of the family.

As expected, juggling the duties of a feudal lord and castle duties seems to keep him quite busy.
Even so, he seems to go out socially with my mother, and is known in public as a loving husband.

My mother is also from a prestigious earl's family and is said to be a woman who loves socializing.
She was apparently quite a beauty (even now, in my vague memory, she was beautiful), and in her youth she was one of the three flowers of society? Three famous flowers? Apparently, she was one of those people.

The Ojou-sama (the true and genuine one) who was praised like a butterfly or flower probably enjoys being fawned over more than taking care of her family and children.
Everyone likes to be praised. If you have a strong desire to show off, then even more so.

Perhaps in this world, it is normal for noblewomen to devote themselves to socializing, so I am hesitant to comment.

I don't know much about the lifespan of this world, but I'm sure I'm still relatively young.
There are people in every world who prefer to hang out with their friends rather than do things at home that won't get them any praise.

Surprisingly, my brother and parents seem to be getting along reasonably well, because my brother bragged a few days ago that my mother gave him some rare sweets.
……Without even bothering to share with his little sister or show any consideration, he acts like a child trying to assert his dominance.
So this guy isn't an ally either, I guess……

Where's the guy who said that brothers adore their sisters on Earth! ? Show yourself!

Education is said to be provided by each family, but many children of the nobility enter the Royal Academy in the capital at the age of thirteen and graduate at the age of eighteen. Three years in the first stage and three years in the second stage. Is it similar to middle school and high school on Earth?
Within the Royal Academy, there is something called a 『specialized department』, which is like a research institute that combines a university and a graduate school. Researchers remain in the specialized department of the academy, where they conduct research and teach.

In a world without compulsory education, there are apparently quite a few people who do not work at the castle and girls who do not enroll at the academy.
Before entering school, or during early childhood, families hire teachers to teach their children the necessary basics.

People from a certain social class spend a lot of time from an early age learning manners, music, dance, and foreign languages, which are necessary for socializing.

I haven't met them yet, so I don't really know what my parents are like.
It seems like I should consider leaving here as soon as possible.

There's a suspicious smell in the air.
It seems like I'm being completely ignored.

I've heard that in the old days, noblewomen were mostly treated like family property (whether that's true or not, I don't know).
From the perspective of a family that doesn't seem to have much love, they only care about the benefits for the family, and if I'm not careful, I could end up being married off to someone crazy……

Considering how little child support Magnolia is getting, if she spends too much money, there's no telling what I'll be asked to pay back.

For now, my food, clothing, and housing are being provided for me.
……In this uncertain situation, it is truly appreciated that basic income is being provided.

Yeah.
I engraved in my childish mind that self-reliance must come early in this world, which seemed like it was hundreds of years behind the world I had left behind, and that time was finite.