Sunlight filtered through the clouds, bathing the land in its glow.
A new day was supposed to begin with the crisp, clear calls of morning birds. That's how it should have been.
But the birds at Alice's place... were a bit noisy.
"Hey, little girl, put that piece of bread right here in front of me." No sooner had Alice descended the stairs than she heard Robin's shrill voice ordering Charlotte about.
Somehow, Charlotte, who couldn't understand Robin at all yesterday, had woken up this morning able to comprehend him perfectly.
At first, Charlotte thought the legendary imaginary friend that only lonely people possess had come for her.
Fortunately, Sigmund had keenly spotted the oddity, saving Charlotte from further embarrassment.
"I mean, why should I listen to you, a bird?" Charlotte crossed her arms, putting up a strong opposition.
"Because I'm your se-ni-or, who's been around for a long time," Robin retorted, seeming tired from flapping his wings, he landed on the dining table and looked up, seeking credit. "Besides, I was the one who showed you to your room yesterday."
Hearing this, Charlotte suddenly became flustered and stammered.
It seemed she still had some memory of last night's events.
She had been asleep, was woken by Sigmund, and followed Robin to her room. While his contribution was practically negligible, Robin had, in some way, helped her.
So, fighting back tears of frustration, she reluctantly arranged the bread for Robin.
Sigmund, watching from the side, seemed thoroughly amused.
Noticing Alice had come down, Sigmund stepped forward. "Miss Alice, thank you for letting us stay last night."
"We've already tidied the room," Charlotte also turned, her chin slightly raised as she looked at Alice, though she shyly averted her gaze before even finishing a single sentence. "Th... thank you for taking us in last night."
She then pushed a loaf of freshly baked bread forward. "I bought this this morning. Please... help yourself."
Alice nodded, took her seat, and began eating breakfast.
The others also started eating the bread.
The morning meal passed in a wordless, yet relaxed atmosphere.
"Do you have any plans for today, Miss Charlotte?" Alice asked, carefully wiping crumbs from the corner of her mouth.
Startled at being addressed, Charlotte flustered for a moment before replying after some thought, "Sigmund and I plan to go out today to find those textbooks for you."
"You can start with the basic textbooks for now."
"We were planning to find every available one on the market for you today."
"As I recall, Walpurgis Royal Academy of Machinarts doesn't forbid students from leaving the campus, does it?" Alice looked strangely at Charlotte. "You should have plenty of time."
Hearing this, Charlotte became visibly awkward and hesitant.
After the incident, only Sigmund was by her side. Her father, who had gone abroad for work, was missing without a trace. Her mother and younger sister were also nowhere to be found. If she entered the academy, Sigmund wouldn't be able to come out. If she had to search for textbooks later, she'd have to do it alone...
"Co... cooperation requires showing sincerity, of course! Besides, you already gave me the Magic Circuit first."
The young girl was trying her absolute hardest to hide the fact that she felt uneasy going out alone.
But...
"You aren't... feeling very insecure without Sigmund by your side, are you?" Alice nonchalantly ripped away Charlotte's fig leaf.
Charlotte's face instantly flushed a deep red, the blush spreading across her cheeks making her look quite adorable.
"I... We'll go find those textbooks for you right now!" Embarrassed, Charlotte scooped up Sigmund and hurried towards the door, pausing abruptly halfway there.
"J... Just call me Charl," she mumbled, her head hung low, in a voice barely above a whisper.
"We've only known each other for half a day," Alice found this even stranger.
"Shut up!"
Blushing with a mix of shame and indignation, Charl bolted out the door in a rush.
She wasn't very good at handling sudden kindness.
The heavy, rapid 'clomp, clomp, clomp' of her footsteps faded into the distance, contrasting sharply with the surprisingly soft 'click' of the closing door.
Silence gradually reclaimed the room.
"..."
A shame there's no black tea.
With a sense of regret, Alice got up to clear the table.
Nearby, Robin lay sprawled on the dining table, a wing draped over his round, full belly.
"You ate too much," Alice stated, her tone leaving no room for doubt.
"That little girl bought some really good bread," the robin chirped, laid on the table. "The crust was perfectly crispy, and the still-warm butter provided an unparalleled delight."
He bent a feather, placed it near his beak, and made a clicking sound with his tongue. "Nice."
"If you make that noise again, I'm sending you back to be remade," Alice responded coolly to his antics, turning and walking out of the sunroom without looking back.
"My apologies, Miss Alice!" Robin promptly apologized, hastily fluttering his wings in an unsteady attempt to catch up.
That wobbly flight posture... he really had eaten too much.
Leaving the sunroom, Alice headed towards the west wing of the mansion, where her bedroom was located.
There was something she needed to confirm. Her exploration of the west wing last night hadn't been finished.
The three major Ploys she had found last night were intact.
Ploy Kickshaws—fairy-tale monsters themed around children's stories, serving as Alice's primary familiars and her main means of combat.
Alice quickly confirmed that among the remaining Ploys, only the one-time use 'Diddle Diddle' hadn't been found yet; all the others were accounted for.
Furthermore, in one room of the west wing, Alice had found materials that didn't exist in her memory.
They were materials for making a ball-jointed doll.
As her footsteps ceased, Alice stopped in front of that very room.
Although her intuition told her that nothing in this mansion posed a danger to her, facing the unknown, she still chose to be prepared before exploring.
Once Robin had produced his toy-like short sword, Alice pushed open the door before her. Sunlight streaming through the window made the room brilliantly bright.
There was no bed inside. A large work desk pressed against the wall and two vintage suitcases comprised the entirety of the workshop.
Alice stepped into the room, her soft footsteps halting beside the work desk.
Lying prominently on the desk was an unfinished doll.
Though 'unfinished' wasn't quite accurate; it simply lacked an abdomen. The upper and lower halves of the doll were separated.
The doll was dressed in Gothic-style clothing, with a black outer skirt and a white inner petticoat. Long silver hair concealed its hollowed-out back. Ruby-like pupils seemed to gaze towards Alice as she approached.
Even though it was an expressionless wooden doll, Alice read a sense of sorrow on its face.
Does the System have such tastes?
Alice bent down, lifted the clothing, and carefully observed the separation point between the upper and lower body of the silver-haired doll.
There were no breakage marks. Were the upper and lower halves from different individuals?
Tracing the path of the Magic Circuits inside the doll, she confirmed the upper and lower halves indeed belonged to the same individual. But the abdomen was missing, almost as if it had never been made in the first place.
Alice surveyed the room again, searching for the doll's missing abdomen, but found nothing.
Pulling open the desk drawer, she found several odd items inside.
Materials for doll-making, a single Magic Circuit, and... a manual.
Perhaps the title of the manual was too familiar, or perhaps she was simply too shocked, Alice's eyes widened slightly, and she unconsciously read the name aloud.
"'How to Make Your Very Own Rozen Maiden.'"
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.