Young Lady Albert Is Courting Disaster: Volume 2, page 1
Table of Contents
Cover
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
In the Middle of the Party
Afterword
Color Illustrations
Bonus High Resolution Illustrations
About J-Novel Club
Copyright
Prologue
Once every few years, Mary had a perm done to straighten her hair.
But uncoiling her stubborn drill-like curls was no easy feat, and no matter how skilled the hairstylists she’d have summoned were, and no matter how long they battled her hair, the post-treatment results were always nonexistent. Such was the terrifying power of her ringlets that many hairdressers yearned to quit while they were ahead, and the beauty salon she frequented had even given her locks the unfortunate nickname of the “Stylist-Killing Steel Drills.”
And yet Mary kept trying, for she may have been an eccentric, but even she yearned to have the gently wavy hairstyles that her peers sported. Especially now that she was about to enter her second year of college, her desire for light silver waves that fluttered in the breeze just like her mother’s only intensified.
Her tightly coiled drills waggled around, (this particular phrase was a favorite of Adi’s to use. In addition, whenever her ringlets were being particularly stubborn, he’d say things like, “Wobbly, aren’t they?” or, “Oh, they’re lurching about more than usual today.” Even at college, he still spoke as he pleased.) and along with her dress, they made her look all too childish. That may have been passable during high school, as the style made her look like a noble daughter, but in college, it was simply unacceptable.
So though she knew it was useless, Mary still tried to get a permanent straightening treatment. She dreamed of the day she’d finally be rid of the curls once and for all. However, it was difficult to pinpoint whether this was a case of her not knowing when to give up, or whether her ambition was in fact heroic and commendable.
“I’m sure it’ll work this time, Lady Mary. Worry not!” the hairstylist assured her, combing her hair to help it dry.
How many times have I heard that one before? thought Mary, but out loud she said with a smile, “Yes, I have high hopes.” Her losing streak was in the double digits by now, but she couldn’t be disrespectful to the stylists who pulled out all the stops for her sake.
After all, they couldn’t throw in the towel now, not when so many of their compatriots had been dealt an honorable death by those Stylist-Killing Steel Drills of hers. The remaining hairdressers inherited the will of the ones who had been lost. Mary’s eyes involuntarily filled with tears as she pictured the retreating figures of the lost ones, entrusting their dreams to the survivors: “Please, defeat those drills someday...”
(To be clear, none of the hairdressers who’d been defeated by her curls had lost their jobs as a result, nor had they left their places of work. Her main attendant was either excluded due to her fear of Mary’s ringlets, or had refused this challenge that cropped up once every few years and worked as normal. It was just that a little exaggeration could lead to great joy if they someday actually succeed, and this was no more than a charade to let their frustrations out at losing to Mary’s hair.)
“It’s all done, Lady Mary.”
“Ah, already?”
“Yes, indeed...” The stylist gulped, and based on the volume of that sound alone, one could easily guess their anxiety.
None could blame the stylist for that. Typically, the moment hairdressers uttered the words, “It’s done!” Mary’s hair would promptly curl right back up. The movement was so vigorous that one could practically hear the rrrumble of the drills, as though they were laughing in mockery at all the stylists’ efforts.
Somewhere in her heart, Mary was ready for the same thing as always to happen, and so she calmly awaited the inevitable...
...
...
Her gentle silver waves didn’t budge an inch, and both Mary and her stylist—and in fact, the entire salon—were completely silent.
“Let’s give up on the impossible and go find something to eat, milady!” It was Adi who broke the silence, with his usual insolent remarks that ill befit his rank, as he entered the salon. Yet soon he tilted his head at the strange atmosphere inside. He wondered what was going on—attempts at straightening Mary’s hair always ended in failure, so that alone shouldn’t have led to such silence.
Sensing something was amiss, Adi looked around the salon in search of Mary. One girl, with gently swaying wavy hair, caught his eye.
His mouth fell open in shock. Seeing this, Mary smiled as she haughtily rose to her feet and slowly approached him, her silver locks lightly fluttering around her shoulders. She looked up at him with a proud smirk. Her hair had swayed. Not waggled—swayed!
“M-My lady...”
“What do you think, Adi?”
“What do I...?”
“My, there’s no need for you to be that shocked. Though I admit, I’m a little surprised myself.”
“Are you okay?!” he shouted suddenly.
“What?!”
“Did you chop them off?! Does it hurt?! Someone call the doctor!”
“Yes, we need a doctor! For you!” Mary responded angrily to his incredibly insolent exclamation. Their usual banter had a soothing effect on the rest of the beauty salon, and the stylist who’d been frozen in a stupor came to their senses and gazed at Mary’s hair with satisfaction.
The beautiful hair Mary had inherited from her mother swayed gently. The locks that had up until now caused her so much torment with their mocking displays of dominance fluttered meekly in the breeze flowing in from the window.
Indeed, her ringlets usually didn’t flinch at a slight breeze, and everyone knew the spring winds had come the day her curls would finally start to swing. (“Your hair is swishing, milady. So it’s already that time of year,” Adi would say with great emotion, at which Mary would scream and stomp on his foot. Such was their way of greeting the arrival of spring.)
“This hairstyle really suits you, Lady Mary,” said the stylist.
“Thank you. Your skills have improved a great deal. Ah... What a long, long battle this has been.”
Out of consideration for the hopes of all the compatriots who had battled her hair countless times and lost, Mary patted the hairdresser’s shoulder in appreciation. The fight against her hair had been so long-lasting that even the rest of the salon’s staff gazed upon the scene with tears in their eyes.
No matter what they’d tried—going as far as to squander half a day away and call in hairstylists from abroad—not a single person had been able to eliminate her drills, by hook or by crook. That was why everyone felt so moved by the sight, and some even wiped at the corners of their eyes with their handkerchiefs.
The same was true for Mary herself. She was excited beyond belief, tugging on Adi’s arm. “I’m going to show this off to everyone!”
“To think that there’s actually a blackguard capable of unscrewing your drills...”
“You’re the only blackguard present in this salon! Anyway, time to get back to the mansion. People need to see my new hair!”
“What?! Is it even safe for you to go outside with your drills unequipped?!”
“I believe so. At any rate, I’m perfectly capable of lopping a certain very rude someone’s head clean off!”
“W-Well then, let’s depart! I’m sure this will be a shock for everyone!” Adi urged, tugging on Mary’s arm in turn.
Mary sighed in response. Unable to hide her silver waves, which swayed with each of her steps, she felt a little bashful.
Eventually, they made it back to Albert Manor, where she intended to reveal her new hairstyle, but...
As expected, she was greeted with words like, “Who are you?” and, “Lady Mary, perhaps you should lie down for a while?” Finally, everyone’s concern culminated in someone shouting, “Did you lose the drills somewhere on the way? We’ll begin a search at once!” The most cruel person of all had even said, “Wow, so you can still move around, even without your main body part!”
Faced with such language, even Mary took some damage (and it was certainly not because she’d lost some of her defensive capabilities along with her drills). By the time she’d completed a single lap through the mansion, her shoulders had visibly drooped, and a sense of gloom followed her about. Her excitement had all but dwindled away, and her eyes were a little teary. Even Adi felt a pang of guilt at the sight. He’d thought at least one person would praise her or send her their compliments, but everyone had acted the exact same.
“Y-Your Ladyship, they’re simply playing off of each other in jest. They don’t actually mean any of what they say.”
“I know that! Even when the security guard saw me, he said, ‘Oh, I see you haven’t arrived in full yet!’ What’s that supposed to mean?! If he’d actually meant it, I’d slap him with a pink slip right this moment!”
As Mary screeched in open rage, Adi tried his best to pacify her. But just as if he’d been trying to soothe an angry animal, his actions had the opposite effect, and Mary only glared at him with even greater discontentment.
But then she exhaled a breath, somehow managed to calm herself, and suddenly reached out to grab Adi’s hand. Her anger vanished into thin air, and she smi
Adi’s shoulders jerked in surprise at seeing her act in such an unusual manner. “M-My lady?”
“It’s okay. I know how you feel, Adi.”
“Wha— You mean...?!”
“You were the very first person to say such rude things to me! You should get the pink slip much sooner than the security guard!”
“You’ve lost your mind along with your drills!”
“Are you seriously choosing that as your last words?!”
While Mary screamed threats about firing him (perhaps it was actually a point of concern that even after what he’d said, she still wasn’t serious about it), Adi smiled to distract her and reached out his hand to touch her hair. But he stopped right before his fingers could make contact. The pair’s humorous exchange faded out as Adi’s expression shifted to an affectionate look. Even so, he hesitated, peering at Mary’s face with a slight frown.
“May I...touch your hair?”
“Y-Yes, I don’t mind.” Mary nodded, seemingly on the verge of questioning why he’d need to ask for permission in the first place.
With that, Adi softly caressed Mary’s gently curled silver locks. He was as careful as though he were touching a porcelain doll, and Mary couldn’t help letting out a quiet laugh, as if his touch tickled her.
“It really suits you... It looks truly beautiful.”
“M-My, is that so? Thank you.”
Adi looked pleased, as if he were complimenting something that belonged to him, to which Mary responded with another bashful smile. Hearing such direct praise embarrassed her, even more so when he was touching her like this. For some reason, his words seeped right into her heart.
He stroked her hair with the backs of his fingers, sometimes wrapping a lock around them. His cherishing touch was ticklish, yet pleasant. But a part of her was still embarrassed. It was a difficult emotion to put into words, and Mary’s eyes narrowed. What was this sweet, numbing sensation that she’d never tasted before? Intoxicated by this unknown feeling, Mary turned her gaze towards her own hair.
There was no trace left of her once-firm drills. It was a change drastic enough to shock anyone. (Though in actuality, her hairstyle hadn’t changed that much. The reactions of those around her towards her (deceased) drills had been so strong that even she had become convinced that it was a major change.) With this... thought Mary, letting out a careless laugh as she pronounced:
“With such a change, when I go to study abroad, perhaps no one will even realize that I am Mary Albert!”
Uh-oh, she thought immediately after, but it was already too late.
At her words, Adi’s hand—and his whole body, in fact—stilled with an almost audible freezing sound.
***
“Why?! Why are you going off by yourself to study abroad, milady?!”
“Because there’s a seminar I’d like to take at that college. And the program has a limit of only one student.”
“That’s so cruel, Lady Mary!” cried Alicia. “Lord Patrick, you knew all along too! Why didn’t you tell me?!”
“Why, you ask? Because I knew things would turn out like this,” Patrick replied flatly, taking a sip of his tea. He cast a glance at Mary, and with his eyes alone, he seemed to reproachfully ask her, “Couldn’t you have broken the news any other way?”
Feeling his criticism, Mary bemoaned her own carelessness as the other two raised an uproar. She’d ended up spilling it by accident, whereas she’d planned to calmly explain all the details in some quiet place. She had intended for Adi to be accompanied by her father at the time too, but in the end, she’d gotten more excited over her de-drilling than she’d realized.
Alicia and Adi both glared at Mary and Patrick. Alicia’s pout was so intense that the thought she was this nation’s princess was almost headache inducing. “Cease that disgraceful display!” Mary scolded angrily before she could stop herself, but Alicia didn’t reply, and in fact, her cheeks puffed out even more.
Unable to withstand such a sight, Mary sighed and placed her teacup back down onto its saucer with a clink. “Listen, I may be going abroad, but it’s just for one year. Besides, the country I’m going to borders ours, so traveling between the two won’t take that much time. I’ll be sure to visit frequently, so stop making such a ruckus.”
“But to think you won’t be here for a full year, Lady Mary... If it’s only a day trip away, why not live at home and commute to the college instead?”
“Absolutely not! That’s more trouble than it’s worth,” protested Mary. “I refuse to cross the border every day just to commute to school.”
In response, Alicia’s cheeks puffed out yet again. In her desperation, she began downing her tea. She was a far cry from an elegant princess, and Mary frowned at the sight. Recently, Mary had begun to think Alicia was starting to resemble a princess a tiny bit (truly, the tiniest bit), and just as she had started to consider reevaluating her in a slightly more positive light, Alicia went and did this. That pout overturned every single bonus point she’d gained until now.
This time Adi, who’d received the baton pass from Alicia, looked at Mary with a serious expression as he spoke up. “In that case, please jump into the horse carriage the moment lectures end for the weekend and return home right away. As for the trip back to the college, please depart at the last minute so that you just barely make it in time for the first lecture. If you do so, I’ll consent to you going abroad.”
“That’s way too strict! And why should I need your permission in the first place?!”
“Then please let me...!”
Please let me go with you, Adi had intended to say, but swallowed his words back down.
Or rather, he wasn’t able to say as much because Mary suddenly got to her feet and smooshed his cheeks with both her hands. The gesture was too gentle to be called a proper slap, but both Alicia and Patrick, and of course Adi with his face being squeezed, all stared at her with wide eyes.
Only Mary’s expression remained serious as she stared down at Adi with eyes that seemed to say, “I won’t let you say another word!”
“Adi, why do you think I went out of my way to make sure everyone thought of me as a troublesome noble daughter who needed her servant to take care of her, even at school?”
“Because...I wanted to attend Karelia Academy.”
“Exactly. You have things you want to study here, and I have things I wish to study elsewhere. So you should know what the right thing to do is,” Mary told him as though she were admonishing a child.
“You’re right...” murmured Adi with a troubled expression as his eyebrows arched down.
Mary let out an exasperated sigh at his childish attitude. She released his cheeks and was about to draw her hands away, but this time, he clasped them himself. Now Mary looked at him in surprise, and his previously frail rust-colored eyes stared at her fixedly.
“Adi?”
“Then at the very least, please promise me you’ll look after yourself when you’re away. The thought of you someplace where I can’t reach you is enough to make me feel ill at ease.”
Instead of the boisterous protests, Adi gazed at Mary intently with an earnest expression as he pleaded with her. Mary’s breath caught in her throat at this sudden transformation, and she hurriedly cast her eyes aside. He often threw her off-kilter, but there was something different about it now, and she wasn’t sure how to respond.
She’d always known she was weak to his smile, but the way he’d look at her so intently on occasion had started to have much the same effect on her. She couldn’t stay composed when she looked into those rust-ringed pupils; it felt like her heart tightened and went all tingly.
Sensing the unrest within herself, Mary quietly cleared her throat and gently extracted her hands from his, brushing her own hair with her fingers instead. The silver waves fluttered calmly. Her mannerisms were perfectly befitting that of a noble daughter.
“R-Right, of course... I understand. We’ve always been together, so it’s not surprising you’d be worried over the idea of us being apart for a year. I’ll make regular trips back home, so rest assured.”
“In that case, please get in the carriage first thing in the morning on weekends, and travel back at the last possible minute.”
