Tensei Arasaa Joshi – 003 | Sousaku – 創作

003 – A family (?) with issues

Chapter 1: The Royal Capital and My Family Home

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When Rosa is off or taking a break, two maids named Daisy and Laila, who usually work in other departments of the mansion, often take turns looking after me on a shift system.

Daisy is a seventeen-year-old girl from a wealthy merchant family.
Laila is the daughter of a viscount and is eighteen years old.

It seems that the daughters of wealthy merchants and low-ranking nobles would become maids in high-ranking families, learn proper manners, and then marry into prestigious families to enhance their status.

I see. It seems to be the case.

Both girls are cheerful, as you would expect of teenagers.
Having been raised with a lot of love, they are honest and straightforward.
Although they have been carefully selected by the marquess family for their character and high abilities, they are good-natured, lovely, and innocent young ladies who have only known the beautiful side of life.

As a woman in her thirties from 21st-century Japan, who is well-versed in information and reality, but still has the innocent appearance of a young girl, I ask questions with sparkling eyes (relative to my own standards), and people respond with a smile, saying, “You're very curious,” and kindly explain various things to me.

I am grateful.
Girls are best when they're honest! That's what this oba-chan thinks too! !
This oba-chan's troubled feelings seem to be washed away by the smiles of cute girls!
Excitedly extracting information…… I mean, collecting it.

Daisy is teaching me about the lives and jobs of commoners, the various roles of commoner women, and the customs and traditions of the town.

It seems that commoners start working as apprentices in earnest at a young age (around ten years old).
At the age of fifteen or sixteen, they begin to be entrusted with a certain amount of work as craftsmen, or they get married……or so she says. Well, I guess they are considered adults.

Legally, both commoners and nobles seem to become adults at the age of 18, but it's not like there are penalties for breaking that rule or anything. Apparently, there are no particularly strong restrictions, and marriage and drinking alcohol do not seem to be related to age.

Fifteen……
At an age when you're likely to steal a bike (or a horse I guess?) and take off, you're already considered an adult here.

Oh dear. Life sure flies by fast. I look into the distance, thinking how hurried life is.

Even though I'm over 30, I have a steady job (maybe) and I'm not married (that's for sure), so I've been pretty free to do whatever I want…… Is what I'd like to say.
In the Japan of my previous life, not only were people in their mid-30s not getting married, but the number of people who were even older and still unmarried was increasing.
It wasn't as if Magnolia was particularly behind the times; it was an era when it wasn't unusual for people to choose to live together without getting married, or even to remain single for life.
The era of diversity in lifestyles and marriage.

Sure, the majority of people got married at a reasonable age.

That's why Magnolia wasn't in a hurry at all, and was enjoying her life in her own way, with her work and hobbies. That's right.

But at this point, is it really time to settle all the debts of the past at once……?
All I can do is sigh.

I asked Laila all sorts of questions about the life and customs of noblewomen.
The scope of education and knowledge necessary, and other things.

Since she likes music, she showed off her singing talent and taught me how to read simple sheet music.

It seems similar to Earth's, which is reassuring, but I wonder if I will be able to play the instruments of this world.

……The instrument I was best at (meaning the one I practiced the most) was the flute. In elementary school, I played the soprano flute. After that, I switched to a slightly larger alto flute.
I also had to practice the school song many times in the elementary school marching band. The nostalgic “El Condor Pasa” and the comical “Little Brown Jug” are also included.
Even now, my fingers still remember how to play Amaryllis and Kokiriko-bushi.
……Does the flute exist in this world?
Even if there were, would it be a musical instrument that an Ojou-sama could play as part of her education……?

There were many amazing musicians in Japan, and Magnolia was a big fan, especially the group that played the theme song for an educational program she loved as a child.

I don't think it's a musical instrument that an Ojou-sama here normally plays.
But the flute sounds like something an Ojou-sama would play.

(……If I had known this would happen, I should have taken music lessons when my mother told me to……)

Magnolia, who loved physical activity in the distant Japan, was told to choose between piano and swimming, and she chose swimming without hesitation.
Ugh……It is well said that arts save lives.
Playing instruments is out…… I'm not good at singing either. It's too hard (cry).

And. Although the legal age of adulthood is 18, as mentioned earlier, it seems that it is perfectly acceptable to marry before that age, even for commoners. It seems that there are many cases where the wedding is held much earlier than planned due to family circumstances.

In terms of the law, I would have preferred it to have a little more authority. What's the point of this law?

It was rare for a noblewoman to work outside of her role as a lady's attendant, so she would either “graduate from the academy and get married,” “graduate, work as a lady's attendant, and then get married (as in Laila's case),” or “not attend the academy, receive an education at home, and then get married".
In very rare cases, “educated in a convent and married” means that the person was abandoned or hidden by their family, or was left alone for some reason... In other words, they were considered to have some kind of flaw.

The only exceptions seem to be those who excel in their studies at the academy and are selected to become court ladies through examinations, or those who become court ladies or maids through family connections and seek marriage partners of a higher rank than their own family.

……Wow, it's a world where marriage is ever-present.

If it's a world where it's quite difficult for women to become independent, then I guess it can't be helped. The same is true for the Earth: different countries and eras have different ways of thinking and different common sense.

What if I get married before I develop the ability to run away?
I don't want to think that I'll be thrown out in my teens (or even younger, in single digits). Even if the world allows it, it's a crime to Magnolia. Being caught up in a war between noble mothers-in-law, or becoming the wife of a lolicon old man…… It's nothing but terror.
It's too much (teary eyes).

I told Rosa that I want to learn good manners so as not to embarrass my parents, so I am learning the basics.

……I don't know how to explain it. When I asked various questions, she seemed uncomfortable and continued to act suspicious. The original Magnolia was apparently a quiet, gentle child.

Indeed, as expected of someone who was spacing out, my memory is vague and full of holes, leaving me at a loss.

Perhaps it is because she has taken care of me the most, that when my memories of Japan resurfaced, Magnolia seemed different to her from how she used to be. She often stared at me as if she wanted to say something, hesitated, or asked me to clarify the meaning or reason behind my questions, so I decided to stop asking her questions.

In order to avoid making careless mistakes, it is better to stay away from things that are likely to cause them.
Might as well replace it with something else that is necessary and streamline the process—it's better to avoid hassle and save time.

Originally, in-depth content was often taught by private tutors, but the basics were sometimes taught by nannies, head maids, and other individuals who were closely involved with the household and the children they were teaching.
If you were to find yourself in a situation where you are being asked to pay back living expenses labeled as child support, it is best to have as little debt as possible.

Having worked for the marquis family for so long, Rosa should know all about that. Probably.
Seeing her look suspicious at me, I repeated, “For the sake of the family～, for the sake of my father～, for the sake of my mother～,” offering reasons that would be easy for her to accept.

Originally, she was a maid for my grandmother (my father's mother) who had moved to this house, and it seems that several veteran servants who were familiar with the house remained here when the mansion was transferred. It's probably due to personal circumstances or to support the new head of the family.
So, when I explain that I don't want to cause trouble by mentioning the name of the head of the family, they seem to feel relieved and smile.

――I think that educating children is important for building a strong family. Whether you are a boy or a girl.
……Children, especially girls. I think it's better to consider this world, where people's possessions are treated like their father's belongings, as a place where moral harassment is common, so that the wounds to one's heart and wallet will be less severe.

It's such a pity that despite being reborn into a life fit for a princess, things have turned out so difficult.
For the past month, I've been sighing a lot, which I don't think is good…… but I guess it can't be helped.
(I've done nothing wrong!)

＊＊＊＊＊

Then, occasionally, I would call my brother over and we would have a little tea party while eating snacks.

Since it was considered strange for siblings who had never interacted before to start spending time together, I flattered my brother by saying I wanted to practice manners and asked him to teach me, convincing the maids around us.
While enjoying tea and sweets, I listen to his bragging and showing off.

At the same time, I try to find out about his studies by asking him about his manners and what he is learning. You can call me a little jerk for all I care……It was childish manipulation to win my brother's favor and gather information.

He seems to have started studying seriously about two years ago, and when I looked at his textbook, it contained letters similar to the alphabet and Greek letters.
The numbers are also mostly Roman numerals. And the system is decimal.

――――Feeling a strange sense of unease, I nodded slightly, thinking that it would be easy to remember.

My older brother doesn't seem to be very good at studying, and says he prefers physical activities such as sword fighting and dancing. I get it. Many boys in Japan liked gym class.
Seeing his clumsy handwriting at the age of nine, I wondered if he would be okay as the successor! ? I couldn't help feeling uneasy, but the Gilmore family has served the royal family for generations as warriors, so it seems that our father, who is a civil servant, is unusual.

In any case, this is...... I vaguely recall learning about literacy rates of the past in history class, comparing them to Japan's temple school system... I remember some vague numbers from other countries, and I wondered if nine-year-olds overseas (?) were like this, assuming they had the same standard of living and culture as here. I forced myself to accept it.
At the same time, Magnolia thought that commoners who were merchants and low-ranking nobles who served as servants in mansions might be better at using letters and calculations in everyday life.

Anyway, I have to memorize the characters.
While asking Daisy and Laila, “What does this mean?” and “How do you write this?”, I learn words related to everyday life.
Just asking around isn't enough to get all the info I need, so I want to be able to learn on my own as much as I can.

It's a warrior family, so I don't know how much I'll find, but since this is a noble's mansion, there should be some history books about the country.
Even though they are a family of brainless muscleheads, I wish they had a library in addition to the exercise room and training grounds…… Otherwise, Magnolia's plan to study on her own will be greatly disrupted.
When I am with Rosa, I repeat the words I have memorized over and over in my head to commit them to memory. Secretly tracing the letters with my finger.

I think that as long as I can do the four basic arithmetic operations and simple geometry, which is probably what is considered basic math on Earth, I should be fine.
Based on what I've heard so far, I don't think that quadratic functions and calculus are used in everyday life. Well, in Japan, unless it's work-related, I never used progressive equations or calculus in my everyday life.
Unless there is something unknown specific to this area, there is no need to learn it now. As long as I remember the numbers, I should be able to manage somehow.

How about swordsmanship? Should I learn at least some self-defense?
Watching my older brother practice sword fighting from the window, I memorized a few moves and practiced muscle training and swinging a wet towel during the night and early morning when the maids were not around.

“A child who is useless may be discarded without warning……” As this thought crossed my mind, I felt tears welling up in my eyes due to my unstable state of mind and position, and I hurriedly bit my lip.