Young Lady Albert Is Courting Disaster: Volume 5, page 1
Table of Contents
Cover
Characters
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Epilogue
The Crybaby Lady’s Point System
Beneath the Starry Sky
Afterword
Bonus High Resolution Cover
About J-Novel Club
Copyright
Prologue
Mary Albert started her day late.
They were having a long vacation at college, so by the time Mary finally got out of bed, the sun was already high up, and the clock by her bed indicated it was almost noon. This was quite unbecoming of a lady her age, and when the maid came in to bid her good morning, she smiled wryly at Mary.
That expression made Mary feel awkward, as if she were a child who’d overslept. She glanced aside with a huff, and her slightly disarranged hair swayed.
Although she’d vacated her bed, there was still another mound under the covers. The mound moved up and down gently in time with the quiet sounds of breathing. Golden locks peeked through the gaps in the covers. It was almost as if someone else was sleeping in the bed.
The maid was completely unperturbed by this sight. “So it happened last night too?”
“We lost the defense,” Mary responded. “Gracious! To think she’d just barge in like that so late last night and kick up a fuss about a sleepover. I can scarcely believe she’s our princess! She’s utterly disgraceful and bothersome, and I didn’t get a wink of sleep because she was in the way.” She scoffed at the mound (which was, of course, Alicia) while she complained.
The maid giggled at her words. “Indeed, I can tell you didn’t sleep very well,” she said, referring to the way Mary had stayed in bed until noon.
Having such a thing pointed out to her, Mary directed her anger at the bed, where Alicia was sleeping. Despite her harsh glare, however, the mound continued peacefully rising and falling.
Even though Alicia usually showed up first thing in the morning, now that her nocturnal assault had been a success, she was sleeping soundly atop someone else’s bed. How maddening!
“If our princess lives by the peasantly schedule of waking up when the chicken crows, then I live by my own schedule as well,” Mary proclaimed. “If morning comes when the chicken crows, then I say morning comes when I wake up. So right now it’s morning, and I started mine early!”
“Indeed, you’ve woken up very early, Lady Mary,” the maid said by way of appeasement. “Now, what would you like for breakfast? Or would you prefer lunch?”
Mary paused. “Lunch, please... Let’s say that I was in my room reading all morning, and I got so absorbed in it that I forgot to have my breakfast.” As she devised her oversleeping cover-up plan, she finished changing clothes and seated herself at her dressing table.
Giggling again, the maid stood behind Mary and gently scooped up her hair. Mary’s bed hair was worse than usual due to her oversleeping, but it wasn’t on the level of drills. The maid started to comb through it.
“What kind of hairstyle would you like today, Lady Mary?”
“Since it’s a bit hot, I was thinking of a braided updo so I can keep cool.”
“Braided updo...? That would be fine, but...”
Wondering why the maid’s voice had suddenly lowered, Mary tried to gauge the woman’s appearance through the dresser’s mirror. The maid seemed to be struggling to find the right words, her expression troubled.
Perhaps there was some issue with Mary’s request? But it wasn’t as if the maid was contending with the steel drills of the past, which wouldn’t have accommodated even the slightest hairstyle change. (This brought up an abominable memory of when the maid had tried to braid Mary’s ringlets once, but they’d entwined around her fingers instead and had caused her to scream, “Oh no! I’m trapped...!”)
But all of that was history. Now Mary’s soft, gently swaying silver hair was well under control, whether it was being combed or braided.
“Is there a problem with having it braided up?” she asked the maid.
“No, it’s not an issue with the hairstyle itself...but it will expose the nape of your neck,” the maid said gravely.
The amount of question marks floating around Mary increased. Indeed, her neck would be exposed—there was nothing unusual about that. She raised her hand to her nape, wondering what on earth the issue could’ve been. If anything, during her ringlet era, Mary often used to experiment by moving the ringlets around to try and get a nice breeze on her neck. (Although, the ringlets had been more like a heat-retaining wall.)
“What’s wrong with my neck being exposed?”
“It captivates Adi so much that he misses his footing and runs into walls. We refer to this as number seventy-five.”
“Ah, that would explain why he sometimes trips even if nothing’s in his way, gets caught in the door, falls into pits, or gets his head caught in a piece of cloth set up in the gap between the door and the wall.”
“We call those latter scenarios number fifty-eight.”
“I see... So the traps set up by my brothers are called number fifty-eight,” Mary surmised, to which the maid nodded in affirmation.
Mary already found it bothersome that matters pertaining to Adi were referred to as number seventy-five, but she felt all the more regretful to find out her brothers’ antics had a designation too. She expressed her appreciation for the servants’ efforts, and then grumbled, “I do wish they’d finally start acting like grown-ups.”
Or at least, she wanted them to stop setting up traps all over the mansion.
“Father should give them a good talking-to. It’s a shame he spoils us so much.”
“His Grace treasures his family greatly, so he wouldn’t do anything harsh,” the maid replied, chuckling at his compassionate nature as she combed Mary’s hair. The conduct she described might’ve been unexpected of the head of a distinguished noble family, but it was terribly fatherly.
The maid split Mary’s hair evenly, neatly braided it up, and attached a light-blue ribbon as a finishing touch. She then patted Mary on the head as if to soothe her anger, and Mary felt the frustration that had risen up in her chest slowly fading away in response.
“All done, Lady Mary. As there are a lot of visitors today, I tied your hair a little tighter than usual so it won’t come apart. Please let me know if you feel any pain,” the maid said once the ribbon was in place, looking at Mary through the mirror.
Mary’s hair was braided beautifully, and each time she moved, her hair and the ribbon fluttered elegantly too. Normally, she would’ve smiled at the sight and thanked her attendant. But today, the maid’s words rang in her head.
“So there are lots of guests today too, huh...?” she murmured with a sigh, her shoulders sinking.
Anyone would’ve sighed if they were forced into a busy schedule right from the moment they first got up. Still, at least she’d been able to sleep until almost noon... That thought made her picture her father and brothers, who’d likely been preoccupied since morning.
Had nobody come to wake Mary up because they wanted to let her rest during her holiday? Or were they spoiling her? Or was it because Princess Alicia was here too? Whatever the case, if there were lots of visitors today, then Mary also had to play her part and entertain them.
Steeling herself, she took a moment to make sure her hair and outfit were looking good, and then turned towards the mound in her bed. Swiftly, she threw off the covers to find the still-dozing Alicia lying there. Mary lifted her index finger, and...
“It’s about time you start acting more princessly!”
...raised her voice, while at the same time poking the birthmark right next to Alicia’s belly button.
Alicia let out a high-pitched (and extremely idiotic) shriek and sprang up. She hurriedly covered her stomach and glanced around in confusion. Upon spotting Mary, she seemed to realize what had happened, and her expression lit up.
“Good morning, Lady Mary!”
“Here’s your good morning shot!” Mary responded, mercilessly flicking Alicia’s forehead.
Alicia’s hands, which had been on her abdomen, quickly moved up to cover her forehead instead. She puffed out her cheeks, looking displeased to have Mary enact violence upon her from the moment she woke up.
But Mary was more within her rights to be dissatisfied than Alicia. “How many times do I have to tell you to cease your nocturnal assaults? All your talk about sleepovers and pajama parties is just vulgar! Don’t you have any self-awareness as a princess?!”
“Those are two separate matters. My self-awareness as a princess and sleepovers go to different stomachs!”
“Don’t word it like sleepovers are some kind of dessert! Goodness, I can’t believe a country hick like you is supposed to be a princess,” Mary huffed, casting Alicia a dubious glare. “Could it be that you’re not actually a royal?”
“What?!” Alicia exclaimed in shock, her eyes growing wide and her hair swaying. Those purple eyes and golden locks were traits only the royalty could inherit, so Alicia was without a doubt the princess—the same princess who’d been abducted by a fortune teller when their prediction that the king and queen would have a son failed to come true.
However, that wasn’t the point of Mary’s complaints.
“I have some doubts. Are you truly
“How cruel, Lady Mary! I am definitely my mother and father’s actual child!”
“No, I doubt that. You think it’s morning when a chicken crows, and you charge-attack like a wild boar. Your parents are obviously a chicken and a boar!” Mary determined, pointing a finger at Alicia.
Alicia gasped in astonishment. Her pupils and body were quivering, and her hair shook from the movement as well. “But...if my parents are a chicken and a boar...which one is the mother?”
“I don’t know, but if it’s the chicken, that means you came from an egg.”
“An egg...? So I hatched?!” Alicia whispered in a trembling voice, hugging her own body tightly. She cast her gaze aside, her shapely lips shut in a hard line. Her eyes were swimming with doubt, her brows were slanted down, and she looked awfully fragile.
Seeing the other girl like this, Mary let out a sigh and closed her eyes for a moment. “I can’t keep up with you,” she muttered, flicking Alicia’s forehead again. This signified the end of the charade. “I’m leaving now, and you should get out of bed too. I bet you plan on taking your lunch here? Go have a seat in the next room over.”
“Unfortunately, I’m very busy today, so I’ll have to head back to the palace right away,” Alicia answered.
“My, is that so?”
“Yes... I’m really sorry that I can’t take you up on that invitation...” She hung her head dispiritedly.
“I see...” Mary said, and then screeched, “Why are you making it out like I invited you?! If you’re so busy, don’t come to stay at someone else’s house in the first place!”
With that, she once again attacked the other girl’s forehead.
Chapter 1
That same day, Albert Manor was overflowing with visitors. Or perhaps it’d be more accurate to say, “today as well.” Or even, “it’s been happening constantly lately.”
The guests consisted of those who lived far away and weren’t on particularly close terms with the Alberts, and those with whom they’d only had a casual relationship until recently. There were even those with whom the Alberts had never spoken before, using their friends and contacts in order to pay a visit to Albert Manor.
The Alberts had also been receiving twice the usual amount of invitations to parties, and they’d even had to free up a room in the estate to accommodate all of the gifts they’d been given.
Leaving Alicia behind in the bedroom, Mary walked around Albert Manor. She noticed a few maids rushing about, and when she asked them what was going on, they hurriedly informed her about today’s visitors.
Apparently, someone had arrived without prior notice, saying, “I know you’re probably busy, but I thought I’d at least stop by and say hello.” It seemed that despite keeping a low profile, this person had no intention of backing down.
In fact, they’d probably visited because they knew the Alberts were busy. They must’ve thought that they might as well show up and see what happened, as they knew the Alberts couldn’t just coldly ignore them. The individual’s forceful methods were nothing praiseworthy, but it might’ve been a wise plan considering the current state at the mansion.
“Is that person hoping to see my father, or my brothers?” Mary inquired.
“It seems like anyone’s fine. They just insisted that they wanted to greet somebody...”
“I see, so they’re pushy and don’t care about how rude they come off. Yesterday, father said he had some research to do, so I’ll bet he’s in his study. My brothers should be in their room around this time, if they haven’t already been caught by someone,” Mary said with a shrug as the maid thanked her. “I do hope they haven’t been caught, though...” she murmured under her breath with a hint of concern.
The head of House Albert and his sons were already plenty busy, even more so now that they were in constant demand by all these recent visitors. Catching a hold of any one of them was a nigh impossible task at this point. However, the Alberts couldn’t just neglect the guests, and a lot of the manor’s servants had been prowling the place lately in anxious search of them.
“I do need to get someone...” the maid said.
“If you can’t find anyone else, then feel free to present the princess in my room,” Mary suggested. “She claims she’s busy, yet she still carries out her nocturnal assaults. She’s the perfect sacrifice.”
“Goodness, no! I couldn’t be so rude towards Lady Alicia! However...a sacrifice might be a good idea. But rather than sacrificing Lady Alicia, Lady Mary might make for a better—”
“Don’t you turn this around on me!”
Hearing the maid conjure up such unsettling schemes out of desperation, Mary made her displeasure evident. She then quickly retreated, as she didn’t want to risk the maid going through with her plan. Mary escaped to a certain place, putting on a nonchalant facade as she walked through the mansion, to avoid being asked to do anything troublesome.
⚜
The servants’ canteen had another alias: Mary’s evacuation shelter.
It was almost lunchtime, so this cafeteria-slash-kitchen was all the more busy, with the chefs rushing to and fro. There was no way they could serve leftovers to an illustrious family like the Alberts, but because each member of the house was so busy, they often shifted their mealtimes around. As such, the chefs were locked in a constant battle against time.
That was why nobody paid Mary any attention (though perhaps that in itself should’ve been questioned to some degree). This busyness was exactly what she’d been hoping for, and she smirked to herself. “Nobody’s going to find me here! They’d never guess I’d be in the servants’ canteen!”
“There you are, milady.”
“I’ve been found in a flash!” Mary exclaimed in shock, turning around. “Why?!”
Adi gazed back at her with wide eyes. “Why...? I mean, this has always been the place you’d escape to.”
“O-Oh, is that so?”
“Yes,” he affirmed. “Just the other day, you said, ‘That Alicia’s even more excitable than usual... I can’t handle it. I shall retreat at once!’ and then ran over here.”
“But she anticipated it, intercepted me, and hugged me anyway,” Mary said, pressing a hand to her forehead. What a tragic incident that was...
Even as Mary had made her escape to the canteen, Alicia was already waiting for her with both arms spread open. Poor Mary hadn’t even had the chance to put up a fight before those arms enveloped her, and the croquettes she’d eaten as Alicia clung to her tasted saltier than usual.
Mary narrowed her eyes at the memory. It made her want to go back to her bedroom just to smack Alicia’s forehead one more time. When she told Adi as much, he gave an apology for the failed defense during last night’s battle. He could never have imagined Alicia would show up at such an hour, and with such fervor... His expression was full of regret as he despaired over his inability to defend his wife’s peaceful sleep.
“It’s all right, Adi,” Mary said to comfort him. “I avenged us by prodding her in the stomach this morning. I wish you could’ve heard the sound she made!”
“You may have taken your revenge, my lady, but please rest assured: next time, I will carry out a successful defense,” Adi declared. “Once that is completed, we should be able to seal off Alicia with a secret ritual...!”
“Huh? Once what is completed?! What secret ritual?!” Mary shrieked, terrified of this battle for the sake of protecting her good night’s sleep.
Seeing this, Adi let his suspicious grin fade away as he snapped back to his senses and patted her on the arm reassuringly. Touched by the gesture, Mary calmed herself down by deciding perhaps this was something she could accept after all. She had no idea what Adi meant by “that,” but everything he did was always for her sake. Though his unsettling choice of words piqued her curiosity, her trust in him won out in the end.
“Since it’s your idea, I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Mary concluded. “It’ll be a counterattack against Alicia, right? But...she does seem to have some moderation, since she always quietly goes back home if I’m in your room,” she pointed out, to which Adi nodded in agreement.
Although they were married, Mary and Adi still stayed in separate rooms. Mary slept in the main estate, while Adi in the dormitories. Things had always been this way, so it was hard to tell when they’d change.
