Life of Change

Makila had been very clear with my sister about her punishment, and what would happen if she did something she shouldn't have. And now it was just Makila who had returned home to confront Sarka who, in her eyes, had done something she shouldn't have.

Well, that might be a bit wrong. Makila is not one to strike first and ask questions later. She's very reasonable, and that's something I like about her.

I've seen Zenya have a few accidents that would have made any mother in my former world pull out the chancla right away.

Makila first observes, listens, analyzes, and then acts, so I was sure she would act reasonably, listening first to what they both had to say before making any decisions. Fortunately, that seemed to be the case this time... at least partially.

We had moved to another room, this time, one that Makila usually uses when meeting with a guest, known or not.

It was a fairly simple place, with not many decorations, just enough to imply that she had a high position in the family, but not so much that it seemed opulent or that there was excessive spending. It was a fairly typical living room, with the furniture necessary for more personal gatherings—a pair of beautiful sofas facing each other with your typical tea table in between. Makila sat solo on one, while my sister and her girlfriend were opposite.

And, surprisingly enough, I was alone on one side of the couch Sarka was on, with the armrest behind my back. The conversation was too important for me to be in the middle - but they didn't want to take me out for some strange reason. Luckily, I was a baby who knew how to behave, so I was allowed to be alone on the side.

Of course, there was a maid near me. They were confident that nothing would happen, but it never hurt to be cautious.

Normally I would have preferred to be on Sarka's or Makila's lap, but this time I had no complaints about staying in that place. It wasn't because I refused to be in front of Makila's angry gaze or near her. No, it definitely wasn't because I was afraid....

...

Anyway.

No one had said a word since Makila arrived and I very much doubted that either of the two young women would take the initiative. The two girls stood side by side, looking down at the floor and looking rather uncomfortable as they met Makila's inquisitive gaze.

"So," Makila spoke suddenly, causing both girls to jump in surprise. She then continued in a serious and authoritative tone. "I want a detailed explanation of what's going on. Right now."

Makila had her arms crossed, sitting with her back straight and gazing at Sarka as she waited for an answer that might satisfy her.

Sarka stood silently playing with her hands, a complete nervous wreck. She was scared. Quite a bit.

Luckily her girl seemed to be doing better, and seeing how Sarka was feeling, she decided to stand up and take the initiative.

"I-if I may." She stammered as she felt Makila's gaze settle on her, like an eagle that had chosen its prey and was about to swoop down to capture it.

Despite that, the girl stood her ground, taking that intimidating gaze head-on. "I deeply regret my manners in not introducing myself properly. Nisire Burmont, daughter of Eleas Burmont, presents her greetings to Madam Fiana."

Makila nodded in response to the girl's formal greeting, revealing just a hint of satisfaction in her expression.

"Please excuse my unexpected visit. An emergency has arisen that required me to meet with Lady Sarka immediately."

"And, what might this emergency be?" Makila inquired in a serious tone. Her expression indicated that she would not admit lies or half-truths, something that caused the tan-skinned girl to shudder.

"First of all, I'd like to tell you about my relationship with her, may I?"

Makila narrowed her eyes, but quickly nodded, giving her silent approval.

Immediately, Nisire took Sarka's hand, who had kept her attention on the girl as she bravely presented herself to Makila. My sister was taken by surprise but seemed to understand her lover's motive with that action alone.

"I've met your... uh..." Surprisingly, the girl could only utter those few words before stopping with a confused expression. A clear blush began to tinge her face as she went completely blank.

Makila seemed to somehow understand why the girl had stopped and blushed. She brought a hand to her head, arranging a lock of hair, as she let out a sigh and immediately answered the unasked question.

"My daughter. You can refer to her as my daughter."

Huh?

"I-I understand. So, to pick up on what I was saying. It's been almost a year since your daughter and I met. While it has been little, I have come to feel a very strong connection to her, to the point that I can no longer imagine my future without her." Nisire said, her lips lifting into a proud and joyful smile, lowering her gaze to my sister and squeezing the hand she held. In that small moment, you could perfectly feel how much this girl had fallen in love with my sister. And that made me happy.

Makila seemed to have that same thought, though it was less visible to the rest. Her posture had relaxed, her gaze softened, and even a very small, barely visible smile had formed on her lips.

"I know I may sound naive or even fanciful in saying this, but I feel that it was fate that brought us together. That's why... uh... that's why..."

Nisire paused at last, not knowing how to finish her words. Her face had begun to blush again, as had Sarka's, who was still holding her girl's hand tightly. Makila, noticing all those signs, seemed to have easily understood what kind of relationship the two of them had at the moment, though she showed no further reaction than narrowing at the tan-skinned girl.

Seeing that her girl was too caught up in her nervousness, Sarka finally decided to step forward, standing up and directing her gaze towards Makila.

"For that reason, Makila, w-we... want to get engaged."

The 3 of them had fallen silent, with the 2 younger ones holding Makila's serious gaze for what seemed like an eternity.

Makila seemed to be testing the seriousness of her words, finding a crack in their expressions and seeing if they could hold their own against her. The tension in the atmosphere remained high until it was broken by Makila's soft laughter, who smiled in a satisfied way.

"So that's the way things are. Though I already knew most of it."

"!?"

"M-Makila already knew!!!?"

"Of course, I knew about it. Lara, do you think you were doing things in secret?"

"I... I thought I had managed to keep the escorts and servants silent..."

Makila gave an exasperated sigh upon hearing Sarka's words. She looked disappointed, though not overly so as if it was just something funny to her.

"Lara... I am the one who manages all the family servants. My orders take priority over everyone in the mansion except for your mother and father, it's not hard to figure out what my daughters do when we're not watching them."

"..."

Sarka had to keep quiet at those words, there wasn't much she could say in the face of that logic.

And that also clears up one of my biggest doubts about Makila. In the end, I wasn't wrong when I first saw her. Even though she was part of the family, she was the head maid. Or something like that.

Unfortunately, that was the only thing I could clarify. This situation further increased my confusion about her. If she had the right to call us her daughters, then what was her real position in the family? What did it really mean to be a Makila?

"Anyway." Makila raised her voice slightly, returning to her serious tone of the beginning. Sarka and Nisire reacted immediately and tensed under her gaze. "This doesn't answer my question."

"Y-you're right. So..."

Nisire proceeded to relate to Makila everything she told Sarka earlier. Specifically, her position and the situation with her father and her intentions to contact them for that purpose.

She was very specific in saying that she was not going to let her father try to take advantage of Sarka, she was not going to let her get hurt in any way.

Makila seemed very satisfied with those words, but there were still things she needed to discuss about it.

"I see. I understand the situation. So, Lady Burmont, what you want is for us to advocate for you and announce you as our daughter's betrothed, is that not correct?"

"That would be incredibly wonderful...but no. That's not my goal."

Makila raised an eyebrow, confused by the girl's words of rejection. Something that also happened with Sarka, who seemed even more confused about it.

Before either could ask, Nisire cleared her throat and resumed her words.

"It's not that I don't want your help in this situation. I know perfectly well that with Madam Fiana's words alone this would be resolved immediately. It's just... what I need is not for you to solve it for me. What I need is for you to help me figure it out for myself." The tan-skinned girl looked towards Sarka with a worried expression, biting her lip slightly, as if hesitating to utter her next words for fear of what opinion my sister might have. "I'm not a smart person, and I'll always be the first to admit it, and... I'm actually a rather coward." Nisire paused to breathe for a moment, letting her words sink in for Makila, and for my sister as well. Her expression let me see how difficult it was for her to reveal all this.

"But I don't want others to solve my problems for me, at least not without first facing them myself. My mentor used to say that I should fight my own wars without fear, but he also said that, on the battlefield, it is not the lone soldier who wins the war, but the one who knows when to turn to his superior to strategize and achieve victory. So..." the girl frowned, internally battling her pride and her need to find an answer.

Finally, after a long silence, she seemed to conclude. She leaned over as far as she could and in a loud voice, pleaded to Makila.

"Madam Fiana, please give me advice about what I should do. I don't want what's between Sarka and me to be lost because I wasn't good enough to protect it."

Makila looked at her impassively for a long while. I could tell from the look on her face that she was thinking deeply about the situation.

Sarka, meanwhile, was looking at the ground with a hesitant expression. She seemed to want to be part of the conversation and support her girlfriend, but she didn't know what to do or say.

Suddenly, Makila spoke up.

"Lara, take your sister and get out."

"!?"

Sarka was taken by surprise, as was I. Why did she suddenly want us both to go out?

"B-but..."

"It's okay Sarka, I think I know what Madam Fiana is thinking."

My sister didn't look convinced. Her eyes reflected a desire to disobey the order and stay until the end, but Nisire gave her a confident look and a nod. Sarka couldn't say anything else.

"...I understand."

Sarka stood up from her place and taking me in her arms, headed for the door. She gave one last glance back, still doubting if she should leave, but Makila nodded reassuringly and Nisire gave her a wry smile, somewhat calming her down.

We both left the place, Neth, of course, behind us. A personal maid should always be next to her lady.

We did not stand in the hallway for long. Sarka, although nervous and a little sad to be left aside, decided it was best to wait in the "greenhouse" where we 3 sisters met last time.

…

…

There was a deathly silence at the table. Sarka was lost deep in thought, and in her expression you could tell how worried she was that her girlfriend was alone with Makila, talking about who knows what.

Behind her was Neth, who, although looking expressionless as always, had her antennae twitching constantly, revealing that she was equally, if not more worried than her lady.

For the first time since I've been with my sister; or anyone in my family in general, I'm sitting in a chair by myself.

By myself.

Very lonely.

That was the level of concern they both had. Fortunately, I had armrests, so there was no worry that I was going to fall, and Neth, although she seemed distracted, was keeping an eye out in case something happened to me.

"Neth..." spoke my sister suddenly, her voice soft and concerned. "What do you think Makila is talking to Nisire about?"

The maid was silent for a while, carefully contemplating her answer. "Considering she's Madame Fiana... she may be interrogating her."

"Interrogating?"

"Yes. Madame is, as the young lady knows, quite meticulous about non-family members and servants. And, taking into account that Lady Nisire aspires to an engagement, she will want to press her until she gets her to let her true thoughts out."

"S-she'll be all right?"

"Don't worry, young lady. Even I could tell that Lady Nisire had been recognized by Madame Fiana. Trust your Makila and Lady Nisire."

"..."

My sister did not respond, but merely nodded and continued in silence.

...

A couple of hours passed before Sarka finally couldn't bear to sit quietly and do nothing.

Just as she was getting up from her place, a servant girl, another one of those I had never seen around the mansion, arrived at our place. Behind her, Nisire with a hard-to-read expression.

"Nisire! What happened? What did Makila say? Is she willing to help you? Did she turn you down? Should we look for another solution?" As soon as she saw her my sister ran towards her, throwing as many questions at her as she could.

"C-calm down Sarka, that's too many questions at once." Replied the tan-skinned girl, panicking, not knowing what to do in the face of such an indiscriminate attack. "Madam Fiana just asked me a few questions and then we discussed a few things."

"Really? She didn't push you too hard?"

"Well... I can't say it wasn't... complicated. But she was much nicer than I expected. And understanding, too. But, let's leave that for now, there are some things we need to talk about."

At that proposal, Sarka nodded and returned to her chair at the tea table. Nisire took the chair next to my sister, staying between her and me.

Suddenly she noticed my presence and smiled sweetly at me, going so far as to gently stroke my head, making me smile with satisfaction.

Neth, like the good servant she is, poured her a cup of tea, quickly retreating behind me, instead of placing herself near Sarka, her mistress.

The girl sipped her tea quietly, visibly enjoying the taste and aroma, and relaxing the instant the liquid went down her throat.

A solemn silence took over as my sister's girlfriend let out all the tension that seemed to have built up in her shoulders.

Unlike her, my sister looked anxious to ask what happened when we left but hesitated whether she should speak up when she saw how much her girl needed that moment of peace.

Before long, Nisire's expression looked much more relaxed and calmer, allowing her to finally begin the conversation.

"My Lady." She began. Her words somehow brought a twitch to my sister's face. Something about her girl's voice sounded... different. "I'm sorry it took me so long, but the conversation I had with Lady Fiana was... enlightening."

"Nisire?" asked Sarka, a little panicked, her voice almost cracking. I could see in her eyes that her girlfriend's words had made her very anxious. She almost looked frightened.

"Calm down. It's not what you seem to be thinking." Sarka let out a sigh of relief, the fear expelled from her mind. "Although... it's not very good news either. Let me explain."

At first, the conversation between Nisire and Makila had been a real interrogation. Makila attacked her with questions about her daily life, her political stance, her family, current and future goals, among many others.

Once Makila was satisfied, they moved on to the important part of the conversation.

"Madam Fiana told me 2 things. The first was that she admired the fact that I wanted to figure things out on my own and that my stance on seeking advice was admirable. But..." Nisire paused, inhaling deeply before continuing, her tone a bit distressed. "She said I was being too naive."

"Naive? But wasn't it wise to have asked someone with more experience for advice?" Sarka asked, tilting her head to the side in confusion.

"That was what I thought too, but her words convinced me that she was right. Sarka, was it really wise to come here to ask your family for advice on how I should solve my family's problems?" Nisire kept that question in the air, not waiting for an answer. One for which my sister couldn't say anything even though she had said it had been a good choice. "I said things that should be kept within my own house. I revealed the plans, management, and behaviors of a newly appointed earl, to a family that, not only is more powerful than my own, but could very well, and should, make use of such information to profit from us. No, I was too overconfident, foolish, and naive. In my innocence, I revealed things that could put my father, and therefore my family, at a distinct disadvantage... and dangerous situation." Nisire clenched her fists tightly, frowning, frustrated as she realized the mistake she had made.

From my point of view, having been an adult and having lived through a lot of difficult experiences, I can agree with Makila. And I must also admit that, although I listened carefully to Nisire when she came and revealed all that... I never really considered the consequences of her actions.

Even though my mind is the mind of an adult, I have lived my fair share of years in a very harsh environment, with constant work conflicts and unreasonable demands, not being able to see something so obvious, was...

I felt ashamed of myself.

Sure, you may think that, at the end of the day this is not even my problem, but my sister's and her girlfriend's (especially her girlfriend's), so I shouldn't feel bad for not realizing it, but is it really?

It is foolish to think that just because it is not my problem, I can be forgiven for not thinking about it. The experiences that shape who you are and will be in the future do not come only from what affects you directly. Many times, you learn, improve, and overcome situations by understanding and resolving the situations of your acquaintances. In my previous life, I managed to overcome difficult moments thanks to the fact that some of my acquaintances had gone through similar situations, and in some cases, I even lent a helping hand.

Thanks to that I improved in many aspects, both in my work and in my daily life. And just at this moment, I felt incredibly foolish for not having analyzed a situation that I could have understood the first time around if it were my previous life self.

I looked up at my sister and saw that she, too, looked angry and embarrassed. She was biting her lower lip in frustration.

"But." Nisire resumed, drawing our attention to her again. "Thanks to that, I have now understood what I must do. But, before that, I must mention the second thing Lady Fiana told me." The girl immediately erased her downcast expression, replacing it with a more cheerful one. She took the last sip of her tea and carefully placed the cup on the table.

Sarka clasped her hands together anxiously, noticing the sudden change in her girlfriend's attitude. She seemed to realize that her next words seemed to be good news, but still, there was a faint hint of fear in her eyes. One that I assumed was due to fear that she was going to be asked to end their relationship.

"Madam Fiana told me that she had seen my way of acting, my determination, and..." the girl stopped while a blush was painted on her cheeks. Something that did not go unnoticed by my sister, who smiled seeing such a reaction. "My love for her daughter... *cough* she told me that she decided to take our side, but that she couldn't give an answer for sure until she had spoken to your other parents."

Sarka rose from her chair in surprise. Her eyes were wide open in shock.

"You're telling me that Makila offered to mediate for us with my parents?"

"That's what I'm saying, yes. Uh... although... there's more to it."

"More? What do you mean?"

Nisire put a hand behind her head, stroking that area, looking reluctant to utter her next words. This time, her silence, and thus her hesitation to speak, lasted a while longer, leaving my sister too concerned to maintain said silence.

"Nisire! What's going on, what else is in all this?"

The tan-skinned girl kept her gaze away from my sister and refused to utter a word despite the urgency in Sarka's tone.

"Nisire! Tell me! What happened?" Demanded my sister loudly. Her eyebrows drew together in an expression of clear anger at her girlfriend's silence. She knew there was something she wasn't going to want to hear, but she needed to know all the same.

Nisire closed her eyes and sighed in defeat, with no choice but to indulge my sister and answer her question.

"Madam Fiana, after reprimanding me so harshly for my actions, promised me that everything we had discussed today would remain just between us. A gesture of good faith, and gratitude."

"Isn't that a good thing, why doubt...?" My sister's question was half-asked, as she saw her girl slowly deny and give her a conflicted look.

"No favor is free. Madam Fiana and I agreed. I can't give you the details, but I want to ask you to trust me for now." Nisire stood up, stroked my hair, gave me a small smile, and then went straight to Sarka, whom she gave a tight hug and, to her surprise, a deep kiss.

Unexpectedly, or so I think, Sarka not only accepted it easily, but got excited (maybe a little too excited), and it ended up being a much longer and more grown-up kiss than I would have expected from my sister.

Perhaps there were some naughty hands involved, but my eyes were half obstructed by the gentle hands of a maid I had forgotten was with us.

A significant amount of time passed in which some rather... suggestive sounds were heard before Neth had to separate them by clearing her throat.

They both took a few steps away from each other, with very flushed faces and their clothes somewhat... disheveled.

"S-sorry, I guess I... got a little carried away."

"It's okay my la... Sarka. I... I really needed something like this." Nisire said, causing my sister to blush even more. Beyond humanly possible... though we weren't human...

The girl took a deep breath for a few seconds before taking my sister's hands and looking her straight in the eyes.

"Sarka, do you trust me?"

"What, what's wrong, why are you asking me that?"

"Do you trust me?"

"O-of course I trust you. What's wrong?"

"Then please, I need you to keep doing it. No matter what, please believe in me."

"N-Nisire, you're scaring me. What do you...?"

The girl released her grip and knelt on one leg in front of my sister.

"Do you remember the promise I made you in the mother's embrace?"

Sarka opened her eyes wide, realizing what her girlfriend was referring to, and nodded immediately.

"Then believe in that promise and wait for me."

"Wait for you? Nisire... Nisire, what do you mean...?"

Without giving her time to complete her question, the girl stood up, gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, smiled at her, and turned to leave. Sarka quickly raised her hand to stop her but froze before she even raised it fully. She lowered it immediately and watched as her girl walked away, leaving with a sad smile and a wave of her hand. Her footsteps echoed as she walked away, passing through the door without a backward glance.

Silence dominated the place for a long time until it was broken by the sound of a chair. My sister slowly sat down and stayed there, not moving except to cover her face with her hands. There was no sobbing, but her body trembled profusely, accompanied by the sound of her breathing, inhaling and exhaling deeply.

...

...

"I must trust her, mustn't I?" asked Sarka, finally coming out of her stunned state.

"Yes, my master," Neth replied, slowly approaching Sarka.

"I must trust her, right?" she repeated her question.

"Yes, my master." Reiterated the maid, standing only a couple of steps away from my sister.

"I must trust her, right?" she asked one last time, with more force in her tone.

"Yes, my master," Neth replied one last time, her voice as firm as her respect for my sister was high.

The maid stood by Sarka's side. She did not move an inch, did not say or ask anything. Her duty was to wait for her master's orders no matter how long it took her to utter them.

And so, she waited and waited. She waited for what seemed like hours, but it was only a few minutes.

"I'll trust her then." My sister said with determination in her voice. She rose from her chair, her expression much fresher and free of doubt. She looked at me, putting on a genuine and sincere smile. "Neth, bring more sweets, my little sister deserves something delicious. She's been lonely and bored for a long time, she deserves to be pampered, don't you think?"

"Of course, my young lady. I will comply immediately." Said the maid with a beautiful smile. She turned around and started gathering different kinds of sweets for me. Sarka took me in her arms and, for the rest of the afternoon, I ate as much as I wanted without hindrance.

That fateful afternoon... I had a terrible stomach ache. But it was worth it.