Resetting Lady

“That’s not it.”

“Alright…”

But this time, the muffler that Donna picked up really didn’t suit her, so Carynne just stopped her for that reason. It looked like an old woman’s muffler, but still, Donna didn’t let go of it.

“No way, are you really going to pick that…?”

“Huh? Ah, doesn’t it look good though?”

“It doesn’t. At all.”

“Actually, why don’t we give it to Missus Deere?”

“Who?”

“Huh?”

“No, it’s not like that… Milady, it’s Missus Deere.”

Who the hell.

Carynne was confused.

The moment Donna asked why she didn’t know who it was, Carynne’s face turned red. She flitted through the characters in her mind—the manor’s servants, the townspeople she knew, even people in high society Donna didn’t know. But there was no one named Missus Deere.

Seeing Carynne being flustered, Donna laughed as though to tease her.

“Oh, Milady. She was your private tutor for about eight years.”

“Private… tutor?”

She couldn’t remember. Donna was more surprised to see Carynne’s flustered expression.

“Missus Deere… That, the etiquette and dance tutor Milady had… I don’t really know much about it, but… She taught Milady this and that. Do you really not remember?”

“Ah, ahh. Ah.. Missus Deere.”

“Yes, yes. I thought Milady came here on purpose because the missus lives nearby.”

There’s no way she just didn’t remember. Carynne didn’t have that memory. She was a little taken aback because she had lived as 「 Carynne 」 for over a hundred years, but it was only one year that was repeated to no end.

A private tutor. She knew that a tutor’s room was connected to a child’s room, but it was empty for such a long time, so there was no need for her to go inside it.

But even more than a hundred years ago, there was no such thing as a tutor for 「 Carynne 」. No, after she had become Carynne.

There was no way that a fief lord’s daughter would only live with a maid and without a tutor. Like men, women were taught liberal arts, though they wouldn’t pursue further studies in a monastery or in a university. These were things that Isella or maids like Donna could not teach.

“It hasn’t been that long, but it feels weird because the person who’s always been there isn’t there anymore. Milady also saw her every day, right?”

“Yeah, it’s been about a hundred years.”

“Pardon?”

Watching as Donna laughed, Carynne further said that it’s no wonder that she didn’t remember. But of course, Donna just continued laughing and said, ‘Certainly.’

In one hundred years, Carynne had never heard Missus Deere’s name. She left the Hare manor before she turned seventeen, and she never went into this store with Nancy.

For Donna, it was just a few years ago, but for Carynne, it was more than a hundred years ago. In fact, she never experienced it.

Even though the tutor had been in the manor for eight years, she wasn’t mentioned again because she wasn’t an important character.

Carynne couldn’t help but admire how beautiful an unpredictable life was.

A novel was just a novel. The numerous encounters and the countless events weren’t normally important, but they took precedence in Carynne’s life.

She hardened her expression so that her excitement wouldn’t seep through.

“Right, then what would be good to give her?”

“She’s still young, so wouldn’t pink be good?”

“Really?”

Carynne asked about Missus Deere while choosing one thing or another, saving her words. Donna chatted a lot about the tutor just as she should, but Carynne gleaned less information that she thought she would.

Missus Deere was a friend of Carynne’s mother. She was previously middle-class, and she worked as Carynne’s tutor for eight years. Like with most tutors, she was of a different stature compared to the maids, so she mainly spent time with Carynne and the fief lord and madam.

It’s said that after Carynne’s mother passed away, the tutor quit her job and received a pension for her daily living. Also, she had a particularly bad relationship with Nancy.

“Milady, did you hear that Nancy was a gypsy before she became a maid?”

“Um… I think I did…”

“So the missus tried to kick her out because she thought that Nancy was dirty.”

“Oh my goodness.”

“That’s why… Oh, why don’t we just go next door?”

Of all things, Carynne was stiff, and she felt a little nervous. She didn’t know anything about this person she supposedly saw every day for eight years, so she couldn’t prepare for anything. She would look odd. However…

While hesitating because she couldn’t think of a good excuse, fortunately, Borwen came into the store right then. It’s time for the circus act.

* * *

“It’s really ugly.”

“Isn’t it?”

“Donna, be quiet.”

Ignoring Borwen’s words, Carynne eagerly talked to Donna about the ape and commented on its ugliness. She couldn’t believe that there was such an ugly animal.

Carynne had never been to the circus during this ‘outing’ scene.

When she went out with Nancy, it wasn’t during this day, so back then they would watch either band performances or street musicians. She didn’t go to a hatter’s shop, nor did she go to the circus.

She still thought that it was a good thing to kill Nancy, but in the next iteration, she decided to come here again with Nancy because it was just so exciting. Wasn’t it a pretty fun sight to see? Nancy should see this, too.

“Nancy… Nancy would like this kind of thing too, right?”

“Pardon?”

“I’m talking about Nancy.”

“Would there be anyone who’d hate watching this? Oh, but I don’t know about Nancy. She’s a gypsy by nature, so maybe she’s done this before?”

“How about we enjoy watching quietly?” Borwen commented.

“I’m done, tsk,” Donna replied.

Come to think of it, there wasn’t much Carynne knew about Nancy. Right. Had she ever done something like this?

Even so, rather than a maid’s uniform, it was difficult for Carynne to imagine Nancy wearing revealing clothes alongside the other women, performing tricks in the air. She’s always worn the same maid’s garb.

A woman with platinum blond hair smiled and waved her hand. Her face shone with thick makeup, but Carynne shifted her gaze towards the woman’s firm muscles. She tried to imagine what the woman’s face would look like under the makeup.

Then the woman threw herself into the air. The height was perhaps three stories above ground, but there no hesitation could be seen from her.

She threw herself like that before. It was also about that high. She prayed for a quick death. The woman was now fluttering. Her form, as she was falling, was very beautiful. She’s smiling. As the woman fell, Carynne cried.

“Kyaaa!”

Thud.

Soon after one rotation, the man who was waiting at the bottom caught her and flung her right back up. She shone, like a white bird. Again, someone from above caught her as well.

Carynne had been falling endlessly. What awaited her at the bottom wasn’t revival, but the stench of filthy blood and the terrible expectation of a book being closed. There was no hand to hold. She only fell endlessly.

“I really thought she’d fall.”

“Me, too.”

Actually, she really did expect it. May your neck be snapped, may the tragedy begin anew.

The 「 inciting incident 」 would happen today anyway. Then, wouldn’t it be alright if she fell? Carynne was disappointed. And she felt the unfamiliar emotion of jealousy towards the circus—for people to see death right before their eyes, to hear their laughter mixed with her own.

“…Ugh.”

Don’t think about it. Just enjoy the sight in front of you.

It’s her first time seeing this, so it’ll be a shame if she didn’t revel in the sight. Unlike the previous loop, Carynne was able to sit here in the best seat, enjoying the show with drinks because she was on an outing with servants this time. She didn’t run away.

“You can’t drink something that strong during the day. And especially you, Donna, you still have more work to do once we go back,” Borwen scolded.

“Uwah… this… is too…”

“Then I’ll settle for a beer,” Carynne said.

“Alright.”

Borwen called a passing employee, from whom he got a full glass of beer.

“What about me?” Donna asked Borwen.

“No.”

“Haha…”

“Next, the pride of our circus! Please give a warm round of applause!”

“Wow…”

“What’s that?”

Cheers roared around them, and accompanying it was a dull, heavy sound.

A strange animal entered.