Extra Story: Chris’s Reflection and Tribulation
It was the day after Chris returned from the imperial capital. She had originally planned to talk to Reed when she got back, but Chris was bedridden from exhaustion. Because of that, they had a meeting the next day, just the two of them, and it went well at first, but at the end, when he said something and she pursued it for an answer, Chris’s mind went completely blank. Shockingly, Reed had mischievously entered her room while she was sleeping alone and watched her sleeping face.
When she heard about this, she was embarrassed that he had seen her sleeping face, but the fact that this man had come into her room where only Chris was made her flustered, and she rushed back to the company in a rush.
“Welcome back, Lady Chris.”
“….I’m back, Emma.”
When Chris got back to the company, Emma came out to welcome her. Emma was a cat beastman with black hair and eyes, cute ears and a tail on her head that were characteristic of a cat. She had been with Chris since her time at Saffron Trading Company, so more than just a servant, she and Chris had a relationship like family.
Emma had gone with Chris to the imperial capital, but on the way back she returned to the company ahead of Chris, saying she would check on work that had piled up while they were away.
“I was surprised to get word from House Baldias that you had collapsed. Are you alright?”
“Sorry for worrying you. I’m fine now. Full of energy.”
She looked at Chris worriedly, but her expression relaxed with relief at seeing Chris was okay.
“I heard you were resting in the guest room at House Baldias. You must have gotten quite a bit of rest from the exhaustion of the imperial capital?”
At the words “resting in the guest room”, Chris blushed remembering Reed seeing her sleeping face, and became flustered.
“Wha!? Um, yes….right.”
“Lady Chris? What’s the matter? Your face is bright red.”
Seeing her state, Emma worried that her health hadn’t returned after all, and approached to peer at Chris’s face.
“W-What is it?”
Desperately trying to hide her fluster from Emma, Chris averted her eyes sideways with a red face. But that act of averting only her eyes drew suspicion that something was up.
“….Lady Chris? What happened at House Baldias? Please explain!!”
“No, well….”
“I won’t let up until you tell me!!”
From long experience with her, Chris knew that once Emma was like this she really wouldn’t let up until told. For some reason, whenever she showed even a hint of worry on her face, Emma wouldn’t let up until she confessed everything. Chris had asked before why she was so persistent about it, and at that time Emma answered:
“Because you tend to keep it all inside, Lady Chris. So if I don’t ask, you’ll break down, won’t you?”
While appreciating her concern, Chris wished she’d stop not letting up until she confessed. But it was too late once caught. Chris hung her head and resigned herself to tell Emma what happened at House Baldias. That while resting alone in the guest room, Reed had snuck into the room by himself and seen her sleeping face as a prank. And she had gotten heated up from embarrassment and shame when she heard about it. Hearing the story, Emma looked amused, but at the end about her “getting heated up” she seemed to have a fed up expression. After finishing the whole story, a short silence flowed. Then, as if to break the silence, Emma slowly said.
“Lady Chris, why did you get so heated up?”
“Huh?”
Chris was stunned by Emma’s words. Why did she get heated up? Not understanding Emma’s intent with the unusual words, Chris just repeated it as is.
“Because, I mean, it’s not proper by social norms and men and women relations for a man to come alone without accompaniment into a room where a woman, I mean me, is sleeping alone….right?”
Though Chris intended to spin the words slowly and carefully, she was becoming unsure herself if what she was saying was right. Hearing her words, Emma’s expression grew more and more fed up, and when she finished listening she heaved a small sigh and admonished Chris as if teaching her.
“Yes, I’ll say outright it was mischief for Lord Reed to enter the room alone and see your sleeping face. However, I believe there’s no need to worry about it to that extent.”
“Huh….Why?”
Chris was surprised by Emma’s words but she continued speaking heedlessly.
“Lady Chris, think carefully. Lord Reed is still a child, isn’t he? To say this and that about your sleeping face being seen by a child is going too far!!”
“….!!”
While Emma wanted to use a stronger word than “too far”, this was about as far as she went. In contrast, Chris was struck by Emma’s words, her whole body turning bright red from embarrassment rather than just her face. Then she clutched her head in her hands. Seeing Chris realized, Emma now watched her with an amused smile and pressed on.
“But I wonder, if you saw Lord Reed as an adult man, perhaps your actions were appropriate.”
Emma finished speaking and showed a grinning smile at Chris. At her words and grin, she got oddly flustered and hurriedly shot back.
“No!! I wasn’t seeing Lord Reed as a man….Ri-Right!! I just momentarily forgot he was a child because of his mature behavior when talking, and acted like that!!”
“….In other words, because Lord Reed’s behavior was no different from an adult, interacting with him you forgot he was a child and temporarily viewed him as a man….is that right?”
“Wha….!!”
Chris had dug her grave even deeper and was left speechless. Certainly Reed behaved unlike a child and most of all valued Chris, an elven woman, highly in a position that’s harsh for women in any country. Especially as a woman merchant of a race that isn’t a country’s main one, she should be looked down on right away normally.
When becoming independent from Saffron Trading Company, that was the main concern from those around her too. But Reed believed in her without minding such things. And he even granted Chris an audience with the imperial family. With this incident, Christy Trading Company was able to establish a firm position within the Empire. There was still far to go, but it could be said they had reached a milestone as a company. When discussing with Reed who gave her that chance, how had she viewed him? When Chris asked herself that, she was struck and hung her head.
“I guess…talking with Lord Reed many times, I had forgotten he was a child. So I must have acted like that. Thinking I did such a thing, I can’t say anything even if told I’m “too far”.”
“You acknowledge you are “too far” then?”
She had blurted it out before she knew it when Emma heard her. It was too late already. Emma continued speaking with a wide grin.
“There are adults who are childish. From my view too, Lord Reed’s behavior is quite mature, so I can understand forgetting he is a “child” after interacting with him. However, I feel your actions went a bit too far, Lady Chris.”
“Ohh….You’re right. I wonder how I should apologize to Lord Reed….”
Now that she had calmed down, Chris regretted what she had done, though late.
“I shouldn’t let my emotions rule me….”
Chris muttered, rested her forehead on her hand, and started pondering how to apologize to Reed. At that time, she suddenly recalled she had forgotten to tell Emma the important discussion she’d had with him. So Chris lifted her face and turned her gaze to Emma.
“Oh, I forgot to mention, the names for the conditioner and skin lotion are changing.”
“The conditioner and skin lotion? Understood. What will the new names be?”
Hearing her words, Emma smoothly took paper and pen from the desk to note down the new product names.
“….The skin lotion will be [Christy].”
“Pfftt!!”
Not expecting that product name at all, Emma unintentionally spat out. She would never have imagined the skin lotion would take the name of her mistress, Chris. Seeing her spray, Chris showed a wry smile.
“….Not me right? Lord Reed’s one word so….”
“C-haha, I see. Then what about the conditioner?”
Watching Emma holding in laughter as if it didn’t concern her, Chris wondered what expression she’d make when she heard the conditioner name, so with mischievous intent she slowly told her the product name as if getting back at her.
“The conditioner name is….Rinse Christy Emma.”
“….Huh?”
In an instant Emma made a face like a pigeon that had been shot with a pea shooter.
“Good for you too, right Emma? Yours will also resound in the world like mine?”
“….I decline.”
While she somehow understood it tying into advertising for the company with Chris’s name, Emma was just a servant.
She didn’t comprehend the meaning of her name being used. Plus, unlike someone’s name, having her own name whispered everywhere was embarrassing. Desperately Emma requested to decline, but Chris denied as if insisting stubbornly to get back at her.
“Lord Reed’s one word, right? It’s already decided.”
“But….”
At those words, the cat ears on Emma’s head drooped down [fuzzily].
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