My First Carriage Ride
The next morning, a pair of carriages had been sent to the Xiao Long manor for us. Two four-seated carriages, painted in ways I'd never seen before.
Lady Weiss and Lady Neo were there, and with Lady Yang, me, and the four knights, that made eight. I thought that was why they needed two carriages, but apparently, the knights were riding on horseback to guard us. That meant that two people would be boarding each carriage.
Why not just take one, then? When I tilted my head in confusion, Weiss gently patted my hair.
"We've got luggage, after all," she said with a smile.
While all I had was a small bag with a change of underwear, Lady Yang brought two large bags, prepared by Lady Raven.
I nodded understandingly, and Lady Weiss pet my head again.
"Ruby gets to ride with me," she announced, gently pushing me inside the carriage.
"Why does that good-for-nothing get to ride with Lady Weiss!?" I could hear Lady Yang shrieking from outside. Lady Neo and the knights frowned, but stayed silent.
When everything was loaded onto the carriages, we set off.
Lady Weiss's white hair sparkled in the light coming through the small carriage window. She is so pretty—just like an angel. While I was thinking that, our eyes met.
"What's wrong?" she gently questioned me. I quickly looked down, shaking my head. It was rude to look at people. If she'd been Lady Raven, I'd be whipped. Just the thought had me shaking.
"Oh, that's right. Have you eaten?"
I shook my head no. I'd gotten up at the same time as usual, and had been cleaning right until the carriages came. Nothing had been made for me, and even if it had, I wouldn't have had time to eat it.
Lady Weiss sighed, mumbling, "Emaciation, Inhibited Growth, Psychological Trauma, Lacerations, Bruises... You're just full of status ailments. Since I can't use [Cure] too obviously, I'll just get rid of the Emaciation first."
I tilted my head, not understanding what she said. "Cure her emaciation — [Cure]."
The moment she whispered it, I was surrounded by a faint light. I felt like I was lighter. What was that? I thought. Lady Weiss smiled softly at my confusion.
"That was [Cure], a healing Skill. If you ate while you were emaciated, you'd just end up throwing up any solid... normal food you tried to eat. Keep it a secret, okay?"
I didn't quite understand, but I knew not to talk about it, so I nodded. Then, Lady Weiss pulled out a paper bag, handing it to me.
"I had this made for you, since I didn't think you'd have had breakfast. You're hungry, aren't you?"
I could tell what it was! There was food inside the bag!
I swallowed hard as I took the bag from her. Opening it, there was an egg sandwich inside. I'm drooling... Can I eat it?
"You can eat it," she said with another gentle smile, apparently hearing my unvoiced question. Saying a simple thanks to the goddess of light, I bit into the sandwich. The sweetness of the egg spread through my mouth. It only took half of one side of the sandwich for my stomach to be full. I wanted to eat more, but I just couldn't.
"What's wrong? Are you full?" I nodded at her question.
"You can eat the rest later. I'll hold it for you until then."
Oh, that's right! I never thanked her!
"Thank you..." I quickly blurted out.
She pulled out another bag, handing that to me too. Opening it, I saw a simple cream-colored dress inside. What's this for? I tilted my head again, confused.
"That's a change of clothes for you. Would you be able to put it on when we stop to give the horses a break?"
The clothes I was wearing were rags full of holes. She must mean that I have to wear proper clothes, since I'm going to the Royal Research Institute. "Thank you..." I just kept bowing to her.
A while later, we stopped for a break. Since Lady Weiss stepped out for a moment, I took the chance to change. The silky dress was a bit big, but the material it was made of was nice. I slipped my old clothes inside my small bag.
Afterwards, I stepped out of the carriage, only to meet eyes with Lady Yang. She looked shocked for a moment, before coming up close. "What are you doing in such nice clothes!?"
"Um, Lady Weiss..."
"And JUST you!? That's not fair!"
When I tried to explain that Lady Weiss had just taken pity on me, she cut me off, turning and walking over to her. I let out a long sigh. I was always so nervous when talking to Lady Yang, even though she was my sister. I don't remember when it started. One of the knights saw me sigh, and looked down at me worriedly.
"You gave my sister nice clothes, so you must have some for me as well, right? Where are you hiding them?" she asked Lady Weiss with a smile. Our mother, Lady Raven, and Marquis Branwen always gave her whatever she wanted. Marquis Branwen was Lady Raven's father, which would make him our grandfather. But I was never allowed to call him that. Just like I was told to call my mother and sister "Lady," I was always told to call him "Marquis Branwen." He would always get Lady Yang anything that her heart desired. Toys, clothes, shoes, accessories... anything. Lady Weiss would definitely do the same.
"That was just for Ruby. I have nothing for you," Lady Weiss said with a shake of her head.
"...That doesn't make sense! I should be getting those kinds of presents, not that trash!"
Lady Yang complained and fussed, but all Lady Weiss did was sigh, staying silent. She didn't do what she asked.
I was shocked to learn that not everything went as Lady Yang willed.
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
The carriages rolled through the capital's gate before sunset.
"The capital of the Kingdom of Valeria is walled, and then the royal castle is walled even further. They call that a 'citadel.'"
Looking out the little carriage window, I could see the castle, surrounded by walls.
"Everything within the citadel is the Queen's. The Royal Research Institute is to the west. Their research covers a lot of different things. That's where they'll be researching your Skill," Lady Weiss told me.
When we got a bit closer, they checked our identification. As we neared the castle itself, Lady Weiss got out.
"I need to go make a report, so I'll be leaving you here. All you need to do is stay in the carriage until you get to the entrance to the Royal Research Institute. Someone should be there waiting for you."
"Alright. Thank you very much," I said, bowing once again through the small window.
She gave me one last gentle smile before turning and walking towards the castle. Her smile really was just as beautiful as an angel's.
From there, the carriage made a few turns before stopping completely. We must have arrived at the Royal Research Institute. Just as I was about to open the door for myself, one of the knights who had been guarding us opened it for me.
Taking care not to trip, I stepped down to the ground, looking up at the buildings before me. The one on the right was large, and the same color as the castle, while the left was built with brown bricks.
"This is the Royal Research Institute!" one of the knights told me with a smile.
A moment later, Lady Yang's carriage arrived as well, and she stepped out.
Just as the carriages and knights were leaving, two people came out of the gray building wearing white robes with red stoles. One was a woman with short dark-brown hair and glasses, while the other was a rabbit faunus woman with brown hair and eyes, who seemed quite strong-willed.
"Welcome to the Royal Research Institute. My name is Velvet, and this is Coco. What are your names?" the woman... Lady Velvet asked with a smile.
"I am Yang, daughter of Baron Xiao Long."
"I'm Ruby."
Lady Yang introduced herself proudly, while I bowed my head as I said my name. Why is she being so self-important when she's only just meeting these people?
"I've heard a little about the both of you. Which one of you is the one whose Skill needs control training?"
"Me!" Lady Yang announced loudly, looking down at her.
"Oh, so it's you. I'll be your instructor. Nice to meet you." Lady Velvet held her right hand out to Lady Yang, who slapped it away with a scowl.
Why is Lady Yang looking down at them, slapping away their hands, and just acting so self-important when we've only just met them? While I wondered that, Lady Velvet seemed shocked for a moment before laughing out loud.
"Haha... it seems you need some lessons on manners to go along with your training. This'll be fun. I'll show you to the dorm, but the rest is up to you," she said, turning and walking away.
"Why should I listen to a commoner like you!?" Lady Yang shrieked after her.
That was when Lady Coco, who had been watching quietly, finally spoke up. "Miss Velvet is the daughter of an Earl. All of the researchers here are either nobles or royalty. The trainees aren't researchers, so sometimes there are a couple of commoners mixed in, but since they have strong Skills, they all end up adopted by noble houses. It would be best for you to just assume they're all high-ranked."
"You're kidding! But she didn't introduce herself with her family name!" In general, nobles were the only ones with family names. And according to Lady Raven, nobles should look down at the masses. But the old gardener told me that nobles couldn't exist without the commoners underneath them. I didn't know who was right, or how I should treat commoners, but if Lady Velvet was going to be her instructor, I thought that she should treat her with respect, no matter her rank.
"We value achievements over rank here. So none of us use our family names," Lady Coco said with a wry smile. "You've done it now. She's gonna be extra hard on you."
Lady Yang's eyes widened at her words.
"What are you doing? Get over here already!" Lady Velvet beckoned her over from the entrance to the brown brick building. Carrying both of her heavy bags alone, Lady Yang rushed after her.
As I watched them go, Lady Coco called out to me, "You must be the one with the newly discovered Skill. Unlike Velvet, I'm an investigator, or maybe researcher... just think of me as a helper. You can call me Coco."
Lady Coco smiled at me, reaching his right hand out. I immediately took it, and we shook hands.
"Um... I'm called a 'failure' at home, so I'd like to apologize in advance for all of the trouble I'll cause you," I bowed deeply after our handshake.
"That's an awful thing to be called... and you're the daughter of a noble too, aren't you, Miss Ruby? You shouldn't bow your head so much!"
"Huh? But at home, I get whipped if I don't bow..."
"No one's gonna be whipping you here! Let's get you to your room!" She interrupted me in a fluster, before walking slowly to match my pace.
"Oh, so about life here..." As we walked, Lady Coco told me about the Research Institute. "You're gonna get your own maids. We'll also cover your clothes, shoes, food, everything like that. What else... oh, you'll get paid, too!"
"Huh...?" She was saying so much, I couldn't follow it all.
"We haven't had anyone with a new Skill in the past few decades, so it's super rare! Just know that the Royal Research Academy will take care of you, so don't worry!"
Seemingly realizing I didn't understand, she summed everything up with a smile.
"Ah, that's right! The meals here are delicious, so that's another thing you can look forward to," she said, pressing her palms to her cheeks and drooling.
"You mean I can eat every day?"
"Every day, three meals, and lots of snacks," Lady Coco said, with a shocked look.
So I can eat every day! This is like a dream! I thought I'd be getting whippings like I did back home, but if I could eat every day, I could handle that!
With hope brimming in my chest, I stepped into the brown-bricked building that they called the lodging house.
Right after entering, we turned to the left, and kept walking for a while before stopping at a door with two identical women in maid uniforms (one in white color and another in red color), in front of it. The door itself was painted black, and seemed quite heavy.
"Past this door is your room, Miss Ruby. I'll come pick you up tomorrow morning. You can ask your personal maids for details," Lady Coco said, handing me a golden key on a chain. Then, with a little wave, she headed back the way we came.
I looked down at the key in my hand. It was sparkling, just like treasure would. I could look at it forever...
"Let's get you inside." The one in white spoke up while I was admiring the key.
I nodded, stepping up to the door. I put the key into the lock, turning it. Then, after slowly pulling it out... the door opened.
"Wow... it's so big!" It was about four times the size of the sunroom at the Xiao Long manor. "I-Is this really my room? Really?"
"This is the room for those who awaken to a newly discovered Skill."
"It really is your room."
Both of the maids smiled brightly at my question.
"Now, inside you go," the one in red said, gently pushing me forward.
The room was split into five distinct spaces, with a low table and sofa near the door, making a little parlor. A bit farther in, there was a dining area with a table and two chairs. To the right of that was a compact little kitchen. To the left of the dining area were a desk and chair, along with a large, cute, canopied bed to complete the bedroom set. Between the bedroom and the hall was a door, which turned out to be a walk-in closet, filled with dresses, gowns, shoes, and accessories. Lastly, through the door on the farthest left wall was a dressing room, bathroom, and toilet.
"Am I... dreaming?"
There's no way somewhere as wonderful as this could be my room. I pinched my cheek hard, to try to wake myself up. But it hurt, so it must not be a dream.
The maids, who had been watching me with smiles, lined up in front of me.
"My name is Militiades, but please called me Miltia," the maid in red color introduced herself.
"And I'm Melanie, her twins," said the white one, both of them has long black hair and pale green eyes. She looked a bit cheerful and more energetic than Lady Militia.
"My name is Ruby. I'd like to apologize in advance for any trouble I may cause you," I said, bowing deeply.
The twins maids just blinked at me. Oh no. I bowed out of habit when Lady Coco just told me not to.
"I-I'm so sorry!"
Ah, I'm going to get punished... I braced myself for the whip, but all they did was smile at me.
"Lady Militia, Lady Melanie, you aren't cross with me?" I asked nervously. They both tilted their heads, confused.
"Why would we be cross with you? Ah, but remember that we are your personal maids. You mustn't address us as 'Lady.'"
"Yes, please just speak to us plainly!"
Having lived my life referring to everyone as "Lord" and "Lady," their response shocked me. It would be far too rude for trash like me to speak so plainly to anyone...
"Um... may, uh... can I be just a little bit polite?" I asked after a pause, to which they reluctantly agreed.
As I breathed out a sigh of relief, Militia suddenly looked serious, speaking, "We have been told about your situation. Based on that, we will need to teach you about manners, how to act like a noble, and other things a noble must know."
"In simple terms, we'll make you into a proper lady, Lady Ruby," Melanie said with a smile.
I knew that I was no good as I was, so I nodded obediently. Seeing that I agreed, their eyes sparkled excitedly.
"Now, to set you off on the path of a proper lady, we must start with your appearance."
"Which means, off to the bathroom we go!"
"Huh?"
They all but chased me into the bathroom, stripping my dress off.
"W-Wait, I can bathe myself!" I exclaimed. Both of the maids smiled at me as I tried to cover myself in embarrassment.
"No can do, this is your first step on the path to ladyhood. Leave everything to us maids."
"We'll need to get you used to this!"
There was no point in resisting... I gave up, letting them do as they wanted.
Since Lady Weiss had used Clean on me yesterday, I should have been clean already, but they still washed my hair before rubbing some kind of cream I'd never seen before into it. After letting it sit for a while, they rinsed it, and my hair went from dry to silky. It even smelled nice!
"It's just like magic..." I whispered, only to get another smile from the two maids.
After my hair was finished, they washed me with foamy soap, but it hurt a lot due to the wounds all over my body. Seeing that made both of them frown.
After I was all clean, they shuffled me out of the bathroom with a fluffy towel.
"Normally, we'd give you a massage with beauty cream, but due to your injuries, we'll focus on getting you healed first," said Militia, as Melanie rubbed some kind of minty-smelling blue liquid over my body. Apparently, it was ointment.
"We'll need to get a Healer to come use [Cure] on her," I could hear Militia whisper to Melanie.
"You're right. It's worse than I had expected."
After that, they dressed me in soft underwear and a dress made of a smooth material that I'd never seen before from the walk-in closet. I was surprised, since I didn't think they'd do that much. Next, they led me to the dressing room and sat me before a big mirror. It had been a while since I'd last seen my own reflection, but I really was ugly. My bangs were down to my nose, so I wouldn't meet anyone's gaze. I'd cut the back myself, but because Lady Raven and Lady Yang would also cut it by force as punishment, it was all different lengths. And my big, buggy silver eyes were creepy.
As Militia was brushing my hair, she stopped suddenly. "Lady Ruby... would it be alright if I evened out your hair?"
I knew that I would be out of place here otherwise, so I nodded. That prompted Melanie to pull out a cape and scissors. Militia took them, and after fastening the cape around my neck, she got to work cutting the hair on the back of my head. As the scissors snipped, the length of my hair was evened out.
"Please close your eyes so I can do your bangs."
I obediently shut my eyes, and listened to the snipping. After a while, I felt a soft brush touch my face, cleaning the bits of hair from it, then the cape was removed.
"I'm finished. You can open your eyes now."
When I opened my eyes again, I saw myself reflected in the mirror, looking different than I ever had been before. My bangs were just below my eyebrows, and the rest of my hair was just long enough to stop between my chin and shoulders. It was a very refreshing haircut. Though my eyes were still buggy, my hair should have been suitable for the Royal Research Institute now.
"Thank you very much," I said to Militia, taking care not to bow my head too low. She gave me a smile in response.
Leaving the dressing room, I could smell something delicious. I followed the smell to the dining table, and there was warm food ready on the table. Round bread, yellow soup, a colorful vegetable salad, and hamburger steak!? Everything I'd always wanted to try was out at once!
"Please, sit!" Melanie urged me to sit down as I stood there, staring. Looking closely, I realized the chair was a high one, used for children.
Being that I'd never been fed properly since I was small, I was very short. It warmed my heart to know that they'd thought of that, just for me. After I sat in the chair, Melanie pushed it in for me.
Lady Coco was right, I really do get to eat...!
"I-I'm allowed to have this, right?" I asked with a big gulp, only to get a strong nod back from Melanie.
After saying thanks to the goddess of light, I went to pick up my fork, only to realize... when the old gardener had been teaching me things, he'd told me that nobles had to watch how they ate. How do you use cutlery properly!?
"What's the matter?" Militia asked, seeing me frozen in front of my meal. "Um... I don't know how to eat properly," I replied as my stomach grumbled loudly. How embarrassing...
After thinking for a moment, Militia smiled and said, "Don't worry about that for tonight. We'll begin teaching you table manners from tomorrow on."
Hearing that, I gave her a nod before stabbing the hamburger steak in front of me with my fork. Starving, I bit into it, delighting in the juiciness of the meat. Next, I picked up the bread, biting into it... It's so soft! I lifted the soup bowl and drank straight from it... it was pumpkin soup. How long had it been since I'd last had warm soup? The carrot dressing on the salad wasn't sour, so it was delicious, too.
After eating a single bite of everything, my stomach was positively full.
Oh no... I gulped.
"Is the food not to your liking?" Melanie asked, seeing me stop again. "No, um... I'm full..."
After I said it, Melanie covered her mouth with her hand, tearing up. "We had heard about it, but you really hadn't been allowed to eat up until now, had you?"
I nodded.
"Your stomach must have shrunken," Militia added sadly.
"Alright! I'll make sure to ask the chefs to make your meals small, healthy, and yummy!" Melanie said, placing the food and cutlery on a cart before wheeling it out of the room.