Free Web NovelSunlight streamed through the sheer curtains into the room, casting warm spots of light on the floor.
Pavela opened her eyes.
The ceiling was white, adorned with delicate plaster reliefs—entwined vines and blooming roses.
It was not the mottled iron sheets of a hangar, not the gloomy sky above a crater, nor the grey concrete of the Punishment Camp dormitory that was always seeping with water stains.
She blinked, letting herself adjust to this fact.
This was her third week at the Schwartz Family mansion.
Or was it the second?
The recent days had been too peaceful, so peaceful that it gave her a sense of unreal trance.
Birdsong drifted in from outside the window.
Not the hoarse cawing of crows—the sound made by those flocks of black birds that pecked at corpses on the battlefield.
But rather some small bird whose name she could not name, its voice crisp and melodious, as if it were singing.
There was the scent of flowers in the air.
It was roses.
And a faint smell of toasted bread, drifting from the direction of the end of the corridor.
The kitchen was preparing breakfast.
Pavela lay on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling for a while.
This was a peaceful morning.
No artillery fire. No alarms. No one rushing in to tell her that the enemy had broken through and that she needed to get into her mech immediately.
Only sunlight, birdsong, the scent of flowers, and the smell of bread.
— "Morning Status Report" —
— "main personality Stability: 74% (Increase of 3%)" —
— "Note: It is recommended that the host continue to maintain the current pace of life. A regular routine is conducive to the recovery of mental state." —
Pavela rolled her eyes in her mind.
Regular routine.
It sounded as if she were a pet that needed to be fed on schedule.
However, she had to admit that the system had a point.
Life these past few days had indeed made her feel much better. The screaming of those souls had become more distant, no longer buzzing in her mind at all times like before. Nightmares still occurred, but the frequency had decreased, and she no longer woke up drenched in cold sweat.
Pavela closed her eyes, recalling the events of the past few days.
The day after the banquet ended, the gates of the Schwartz Family were flooded with various visit requests and invitations.
Pavela von Schwartz—this name had become the hottest topic in the Victorian social circle.
The mysterious adopted daughter brought back from the battlefield by the "blood rose" Eleanor von Schwartz.
No one knew her origins, no one knew her past; this sense of mystery was enough in itself to make those bored nobles excited.
Various tentative invitations poured in—tea parties, luncheons, garden parties, concerts... Pavela felt a headache just looking at those stacks of gold-stamped invitations.
But not a single one of these invitations reached her hands.
Marquise Schwartz blocked all the invitations, using the excuse that "the child needs quiet rest and adjustment."
Not only that, but the Marquise personally attended a few important tea parties.
Pavela did not know what the Marquise said at those tea parties, but the effect was immediate—those overly "enthusiastic" probes quickly disappeared.
Replacing them was a tacit understanding: Pavela von Schwartz was the recognized daughter of the Schwartz Family, and any overstepping investigation would be regarded as disrespect to the Schwartz Family.
The Marquise...
Pavela still hadn't fully figured out that woman even now.
Her attitude toward Pavela remained cold and scrutinizing; she never said a word more than necessary when they met. Yet, she used her actions to hold up a protective umbrella for Pavela, preventing those prying gazes from daring to overstep.
Was this a form of... protection?
Or simply maintaining the family's reputation?
Pavela couldn't figure it out, so she simply couldn't be bothered to think about it.
Regardless, the result was good.
She could now stay quietly in the mansion without having to deal with those social occasions that gave her a headache.
Sleeping until she woke up naturally every day.
Eating carefully prepared food.
Sunbathing in the garden.
Occasionally chatting with Eleanor, listening to her complain about the boredom during her recovery.
Occasionally being pulled by Irene to listen to her talk endlessly about things at the academy—that girl seemed to have endless energy and topics.
Pavela sat up and stretched.
She felt that her injuries had healed quite a bit.
Her ribs didn't hurt anymore—not the kind of "enduring without crying out" lack of pain, but truly not hurting. The fracture in her wrist had also healed; she had tried doing a few push-ups yesterday, and it was completely fine.
The recovery speed was a bit abnormally fast.
The military doctor said she needed at least two months of rest, but now, only a week or so later, she already felt she could go to the battlefield.
Pavela threw off the quilt and stepped her feet onto the soft carpet.
The sunlight from outside the window shone on her, warm and soft.
She couldn't help but sigh.
"What a wonderful day..."
...
Then her bedroom door was pushed open with a bang.
"Pavela!!!"
A golden figure rushed in with an unstoppable momentum.
Pavela's body reacted instinctively—she jumped away from the bedside, pressed her back against the wall, raised her hands, and assumed a defensive stance.
Then she saw who the person was.
Victoria von Hohenheim.
That Marquise's daughter with blonde hair and blue eyes, who revealed two little fangs when she smiled.
She was wearing a goose-yellow casual dress, and her hair was not intricately pinned up like at the banquet, but simply tied into a ponytail with a ribbon; she looked as if she had just run over from somewhere.
Behind her, a maid of the Schwartz Family was chasing after her with a panicked expression—
"Miss Hohenheim! Please wait! Miss Pavela might not have— "
"She's awake!"
Victoria interrupted without looking back, "I saw the curtains move!"
Further behind, Cecilia von Lindberg was walking over unhurriedly.
She was wearing a light purple casual outfit, her black hair neatly draped over her shoulders; upon seeing Pavela's gaze, she nodded slightly as a greeting.
"Sorry," Cecilia said, with not much apology in her tone, "I didn't stop her."
Pavela slowly lowered her hands, recovering from her defensive stance.
She looked down at herself—still wearing pajamas, hair messy, and likely still having a pillow crease on her face.
She then looked at the excited Victoria.
"...Why are you here?"
"To see you!"
Victoria said righteously, "You've been missing for a week! You didn't even reply to the letters I sent you! I thought you had been locked in a dungeon by Marquise Schwartz!"
"First of all, there is no dungeon here," Pavela smoothed her skirt, "Secondly, I received your letters."
Victoria's eyes lit up: "Then why didn't you reply?"
"Because you send eight letters a day," Pavela said expressionlessly, "I can't reply to them all."
"Eight letters isn't that many!" Victoria said dissatisfiedly, "One in the morning to ask if you're awake, one in the late morning to ask what you're doing, one at noon to ask what you're eating, in the afternoon—"
"That is exactly why I didn't reply," Pavela interrupted.
Cecilia walked into the room, smoothed things over with the maid outside, and closed the door.
"I also think eight letters is too many," she said calmly, "But Victoria insists that this is normal concern between friends."
"Yes, this is normal concern!" Victoria insisted.
Pavela gave up on the argument.
She walked silently to the vanity, picked up a comb, and began to /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ tidy her hair.
"...How did you get in?"
"We came in through the front door," Cecilia said, "Your family's butler said the Marquise and Miss Eleanor were both out, and originally wanted us to come back another day. Then Victoria said she was your best friend and wouldn't leave without seeing you."
"We've only known each other for a week," Pavela pointed out.
"Friends at first sight!" Victoria said without a care.
Pavela looked at Cecilia.
Cecilia shrugged: "I'm just here to ensure she doesn't do anything too out of line."
"Thanks."
"You're welcome."
Victoria had already started looking around Pavela's room.
"Wow, your room is so big! Even bigger than mine! This bed is so soft! What is the material of these curtains? So high-class! This—"
"Victoria," Cecilia's voice came from the side, "Don't mess with other people's things."
"I'm just looking!"
Pavela put down the comb and took a deep breath.
She felt her blood pressure rising.
Pavela suddenly missed the days when she had no friends.
At least it was quiet.
"You..." she started, "Have you had breakfast?"
Victoria's eyes lit up instantly.
"No! We specifically came on empty stomachs! Heard that the desserts made by the Schwartz Family's chef are especially delicious—"
"I didn't invite you to stay for breakfast."
Victoria's expression froze.
"...Huh?"
"I was asking if you had eaten," Pavela said expressionlessly, "This is out of concern, not an invitation."
Cecilia coughed lightly, the corners of her mouth twitching slightly as if she were holding back a laugh.
Victoria widened her eyes, wearing an expression of having been betrayed.
"Pavela! You can't treat your best friend like this!"
"We've only known each other for a week."
"We hit it off immediately!"
Pavela sighed.
She knew she couldn't win against this chatterbox.
"...Fine, stay for breakfast."
Victoria's expression instantly shifted from "betrayed" to "ecstatic."
"Great! I knew you were a good person!"
Her standards for judgment were just too low.
Pavela thought silently as she walked towards the wardrobe to change her clothes. freewebnovel.cσ๓
"You two go out first," she said. "I'll talk after I change."
"I can help you—"
"Out."
Victoria was pulled out of the room by Cecilia.
The moment the door closed, Pavela leaned against the wardrobe and let out a long breath.
...
Fifteen minutes later, Pavela and her two "uninvited guests" sat in the breakfast room of the Schwartz Family.
Sunlight streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting warm spots of light onto the snow-white tablecloth.
The table was filled with various foods—freshly baked croissants, golden-fried bacon and eggs, thinly sliced ham, colorful jams, a pot of steaming black tea, and several small, exquisite desserts.
Victoria had already started digging in.
"Mmm—so delicious—what flavor is this jam—"
"Raspberry," Pavela said.
"I'm going to have some more—"
Cecilia used her knife and fork to elegantly cut the bacon, her movements as standard as a textbook demonstration.
"Sorry for the sudden visit," she said. "We should have sent a calling card in advance, but Victoria insisted that'surprises are more fun'."
"I understand," Pavela said. "...I suppose."
In truth, she didn't really understand.
In her experience, suddenly breaking into someone's home usually meant an attack or a search.
But perhaps this was just what friendship between young noble ladies was like?
"Cecilia, don't you want to try this!" Victoria held up a piece of bread covered in jam. "It's super delicious!"
"No, thank you."
"Just take one bite—"
"I'll get some myself."
Pavela drank her black tea in silence, watching the two of them interact.
Victoria was as passionate as a ball of fire, while Cecilia was as calm as a pool of water.
Yet they were clearly very good friends.
"By the way," Victoria suddenly put down her bread and looked at Pavela, "what have you been doing these past few days?"
"Resting."
"Just resting? Isn't it boring?"
Pavela thought for a moment.
"...Not boring."
She was certainly not bored.
Being able to lie down quietly, without worrying about enemy attacks, without worrying about tomorrow's missions, and without worrying about dying at any moment—this kind of life was practically heaven for her.
But she knew Victoria wouldn't be satisfied with this answer.
Sure enough, Victoria wore an expression of disbelief.
"You are really strange!" she said. "Don't girls your age want to go shopping? Don't you want to see an opera? Don't you want to attend tea parties?"
"No."
"Why!"
"Because it's tiring."
Cecilia put down her knife and fork and wiped the corners of her mouth with a napkin.
"Victoria, Pavela has just returned from the battlefield," she said gently. "She might need some time to adjust."
Victoria's expression shifted.
"Ah... sorry, I forgot."
"It's okay," Pavela said.
She didn't actually mind being asked about these things that much.
She just really didn't want to explain why she had absolutely no interest in the activities that normal girls enjoyed.
"Then—" Victoria leaned in closer, her voice dropping. "Can you tell me about things on the battlefield?"
Pavela raised an eyebrow: "You're interested in that?"
"Of course!"
Victoria's eyes sparkled. "Our family also rose to prominence through military merit, but very few people join the army now. I've always been curious about what the battlefield is like, but mother won't let me ask—she says those aren't things a lady should care about."
Things a lady should care about.
Pavela recalled the bloody scenes in the Punishment Camp.
Those were indeed not things a lady should care about.
"The battlefield..." she chose her words carefully. "There's nothing romantic about it. It's just a place where people desperately try to stay alive."
Victoria's expression turned serious.
"Then how did you survive?"
Pavela fell silent.
She thought of the landmines she had laid, the enemies she had killed, and all the means she had used to survive.
"By luck," she finally said. "And a little bit of..."
"A little bit of what?"
"A little bit of being unscrupulous."
Victoria widened her eyes.
Cecilia didn't speak, but her gaze became more focused.
Pavela picked up her teacup, using the act of drinking tea to cover up her mistake of taking the conversation too deep.
"This isn't something to be proud of," she said. "So I don't really want to talk more about it."
"I understand," Victoria nodded, her expression unexpectedly mature. "Sorry for asking a question I shouldn't have."
She was more understanding than she looked.
Pavela silently revised her assessment of Victoria in her heart.
"But!" Victoria's mood quickly recovered. "Since you've left the battlefield now, you should properly enjoy a peaceful life!"
"...I am enjoying it."
"Hiding at home eating and sleeping isn't called enjoying!" Victoria slapped the table. "That's called escaping!"
Pavela was stunned for a moment.
This girl was occasionally quite sharp.
"True enjoyment," Victoria stood up, hands on her hips, striking a pose as if to say 'I will save you,' "is going out to play! It's going shopping! It's doing fun things with friends!"
"Such as?"
"Such as—" Victoria's eyes lit up. "Let's go shopping today!"
"No."
"Why!"
"Tiring."
"You—"
Cecilia coughed lightly.
"Victoria, Pavela might still need to recover from her injuries. Forcing her to go out isn't very good." frёewebηovel.cѳm
"She looks like she's almost fully recovered!"
"This..." Cecilia looked at Pavela. "Pavela, how has your injury been recovering?"
Pavela opened her mouth, just about to say it wasn't fully healed to escape the shopping invitation—
"Hello, everyone."
A voice came from the restaurant doorway.
The three of them turned their heads simultaneously.
Irene stood at the doorway, wearing a red casual dress, a bright smile on her face.
"My sister asked me to come and see what you were doing," she said, walking into the dining room. "I didn't expect you already had guests."
Her gaze swept over Victoria and Cecilia.
"The young lady from the Hohenheim house? And the one from the Lindbergh house? Are you Pavela's friends?"
"Yes!" Victoria answered enthusiastically. "We are Pavela's best friends!"
"We've only known each other for a week," Pavela added expressionlessly.
"We hit it off immediately!"
Irene laughed.
"It seems Pavela is very popular."
She walked over to Pavela and said as if nonchalantly, "By the way, I just heard you talking about some injury being healed?"
Pavela had a bad premonition.
"I didn't say my injury—"
"Great!" Irene clapped her hands. "Since you're better, we can do so many things! I've always wanted to take you to see the fun places in Victorian, but my sister said I had to wait until you were healed. Now you're finally better!"
"Wait, I didn't say—"
"I want to go too!" Victoria raised her hand. "I can take you to the best candy store! And the best tailor shop! And—"
"I can be the guide," Cecilia said calmly. "I am quite familiar with the layout of Victorian."
Pavela's mouth opened, but no sound came out.
She looked at the three expectant young ladies in front of her, feeling as if she had fallen into some kind of trap.
She clearly hadn't said anything.
Why did things turn out like this?
"Then it's settled!" Irene announced cheerfully. "This afternoon, we're going out together!"
"Wait—"
"No objections allowed!"
Pavela closed her mouth.
She recalled an ancient battlefield rule—
When you are surrounded by superior forces, do not waste energy on futile resistance.
Conserve your strength.
Wait for the next opportunity to escape.
She sighed and picked up her teacup again.
This is what a peaceful life is like.
