Trying to get my bearings back together, I signaled Mimi, who was anxiously looking at me from behind.
“The medicine is a little strong. Can you hold onto Mickey for a second?”
Mimi looked at me fearfully. “What…?”
“Trust me, Mimi.”
I smiled at her reassuringly. Mimi held Mickey’s arm tightly , still looking anxious, not the least soothed by my words. As I pulled out a blue medicine bottle from my arms, I could see her eyes shaking. My trembling hands, in which I was holding the medicine bottle, didn’t make me look trustworthy.
“Ah, this?” I lightly mentioned, “it’s because I stopped drinking.”
I smiled awkwardly as I explained the reason, but it must have been a shocking statement for Mimi. Regardless, I poured the blue medicine I had made myself, inside Mickey’s mouth. Mimi looked at me dumbfoundedly as she saw Mickey panicking and having a fit, even though I only gave him one drop.
“M-Miss!”
“It’s fine. It’s only because the medicine is bitter.”
“B-but—”
Mickey’s complexion soon turned blue and the white of his eyes appeared.
“Cough!” he gasped and squirmed.
Seeing him suffering as if he drank poison, Mimi shed tears and stared at me bitterly. Even so, she was smart enough to not let go of the arm she was holding tightly in fear that her little brother might harm himself from the pain.
I’ve seen Mimi like this hundreds of times. No matter how much Mimi cursed next to me, I only had to ignore her. Mimi never let go of Mickey’s hand.
‘He’s very dear to her.’
Is it because she lost her parents early and raised her younger brother like a son? Perhaps, even more so because she was desperate not to lose her only family left.
In my previous life, I could not understand her well because I was an orphan without siblings. However, I felt strange when I saw Mimi and Angel showing affection towards their siblings; it must have been envy.
Mickey’s seizure disappeared after I forcibly made him drink all the blue medicine in the bottle. Despite this, he was far from looking well because the next moment, his body became limp.
“Miss!” Mimi looked on, horrified. “How… How can you do this?!”
After knowing the truth she stopped resenting me, but now, Mimi shouted at me if she were accusing me of all her misfortunes.
Drenched in sweat, Mickey’s condition was not much different from before taking the medicine. If one were to take a closer look, he was now sleeping comfortably, but it didn’t catch Mimi’s frenzied eyes. In her sight, he was still suffering, as if he were on death’s door.
“It’s painful, but it’s effective medicine,” I explained simply.
“You want to tell me that… you didn’t mean to kill my brother? We’re… we’re not the Countess’ toys!”
I nodded calmly at Mimi’s angry outburst. I slowly got up from my seat. Mimi called me ‘Countess’ instead of ‘Miss’. Gone was the friendly tone from her voice, as if she was drawing a line.
Putting two bottles of clear blue potion on the table, I said, “When he wakes up, give him one bottle, and he’ll probably be fine, but I’ll leave another bottle just in case. Keep it as a reserve.”
Mimi, of course, did not believe me. She seemed to think that I had played a horrible prank on her brother, giving him strange medicine.
I sighed deeply as she glared at me venomously. It was a reaction I was all too familiar with. Nevertheless, Mickey will open his eyes soon, and he won’t be sick anymore.
It was only one day that I watched this child’s condition, so I didn’t know the after effects he would have. Therefore, as a countermeasure, I left one more bottle of medicine. When she sees his condition improves, she probably won’t throw away the medicine, right?
Mimi angrily rebuked my attempts to help. “Don’t talk like you’re helping me! I… We! In the first place, Countess..!”
“Of course, it’s my fault. Still, I gave you medicine for old times’ sake. Make sure that he drinks it when he wakes up. It’s expensive, so don’t throw it away.”
I turned my back and waved goodbye. Mimi glared after my retreating figure. I helped people, but rather than receiving gratitude, I was turned away with enmity.
Still, I was relieved because he would not be returning to his pitiful state. I could have explained it better to Mimi, but a drunk Countess with zero credibility will constantly be misunderstood.
In fact, would anyone believe me if one day I suddenly said to them I’d change my pathetic ways?
Trust can be lost in an instant, but building it again takes countless attempts. An explanation was futile, and a little annoying too. After all, even if I had explained so much in my past attempts, Mimi still screamed and kicked me out of the house.
Not wanting to pay attention to such trivial things anymore, I stretched my tired limbs. “Phew, I’m done with urgent matters.”
The sun had risen completely and there were quite a few people passing in the streets. Before returning to the mansion, I headed towards the store I often visited.
Jingle~
Watching the dusky sunlight become bright, I waved to Las, who opened the store early in the morning.
“Miss?!”
Seeing Las, his rough face covered with a full, bushy beard, with his eyes wide open like Angel, made me nauseous.
“What’s with that expression? I feel sick to my stomach,” I muttered.
“Stomach? Did you drink again yesterday?”
‘No, rather, it’s from the look on your face.’ I felt dejected. Las had responded similarly like Angel. It made my face flush out of embarrassment.
