I Was Reincarnated as the Villain in an Eroge, but I’ll Live Honestly ~Because the Protagonist Was Useless, I Ended Up Making the Heroines Smile and Somehow Built a Harem~ - 19

Chapter 19: Flora’s Story (The Turning Point)

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When I first met Noah-sama, what I thought was whether he was really such a bad person as the rumors claimed. Perhaps it was because the maids were working in such a relaxed atmosphere, but Noah-sama looked like an incredibly kind person to me. I felt that if it were this person, he would never laugh at any concern I brought to him. At least, that was how it felt to me.

Even though he was only fourteen, his features were very well defined, and I couldn’t help thinking that he would surely be very popular in the future. Part of it was that he resembled my younger brother just a little, but more than anything, it meant that his first impression was that good.

The wariness I had developed because of the incident with Abel-sama gradually melted away each time I spoke with him. Of course, he listened seriously to my story, but more than that, the single sentence he said—telling me that it couldn’t be helped that I had run away from Abel-sama’s mansion—soaked deeply into my heart.

On top of that, he even introduced me to a doctor for my father and let me take an advance on my wages. Under normal circumstances, that would have been unthinkable. I was certain that I would never forget the words Noah-sama said: “Make sure your whole family eats until they’re full. You’ve worked so hard all this time, Flora, so I think you deserve at least this much as a reward.”

There was no night service, and the working conditions were so good that I suppose my happiness just overflowed. Normally, I don’t think I would ever have done such a thing, but before I knew it, I ended up hugging Noah-sama. His face turning bright red at that moment was just unbelievably adorable, and if Layla-san hadn’t stopped me, I might have kept hugging him the whole time.

And that was how it was decided that I would work at Noah-sama’s mansion.

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It was not long after I started working under Noah-sama.

I was listening to stories about Noah-sama from my coworker, Canaria-san—the very person who had introduced me to him when I came here out of desperation. I had also asked Layla-san, and she told me, “Back then, Noah-sama was very mischievous, but even that was cute in its own way.”

Well… I could tell that Layla-san absolutely adored Noah-sama, but since her opinion was quite biased, I decided to ask someone who could give me a more objective perspective.

“Yes… He really was just like the rumors said. Yes.”

Canaria-san narrowed her eyes, speaking as if she were recalling those days.

“Fufu… If you look at him now, it’s hard to believe, isn’t it?”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, it was truly terrible. I can’t say it loudly, but he was like a textbook spoiled noble, I suppose? There were many times when he hurled verbal abuse at me as well.”

“R-really…? Looking at Noah-sama now, it’s hard to believe.”

Perhaps my wide-eyed reaction was amusing, because Canaria-san let out a small smile. Even so, I didn’t sense any resentment or anger in her expression. Perhaps she had already forgiven him. It seemed my question showed on my face, because she explained it to me.

“This is something I heard from the head maid, but she said that mistakes shouldn’t be shackles that stop one’s steps. They should be seeds that nurture the heart.”

As if reminiscing about that time, Canaria-san spoke while gazing at some distant place far away.

“Certainly, what Noah-sama did wasn’t good. But if you trace it back to the source, isn’t the real problem his parents, who irresponsibly left him on his own? Children are always making mistakes. I believe what they really need is the experience of being helped unconditionally by the adults around them.”

“Canaria-san…”

“When someone helps you without asking for anything, without taking anything from you… That accumulation of experiences is what makes people kind, I believe.”

I thought she was absolutely right. From a young age, he had been living in such a large mansion with no friends, and being almost estranged from his parents. Just imagining myself in that situation made my breath catch in my throat. We were poor, but I had a family, and I was happy. Noah-sama was wealthy, yet lacked the happiness that should have been there as a matter of course.

As my chest tightened painfully, anger toward Noah-sama’s parents welled up inside me. As for me, Canaria-san continued speaking with a gentle smile.

“Because he has experienced being forgiven, that’s why Noah-sama was able to help you unconditionally as well, don’t you think? Yes… I respect Noah-sama for regretting his past and still trying to change, and if there’s anything I can do, I want to help in any way I can. I’m sure there are others here at the mansion who still work with those same feelings.”

As she concluded, Canaria-san wore a very gentle smile.

“I need to work harder and harder for Noah-sama too… Ah, that’s right! I’ll go to Layla-san now and ask for even more work!”

I had to repay the debt and gratitude for Noah-sama saving my family. Even if only a little, I wanted Noah-sama to be able to feel proud of who he was now. In a few years, Noah-sama would be enrolling in the academy as well. I wanted him to have as enjoyable a life as possible.

It was a day when I came to like Noah-sama even more. But of course, things never go quite that smoothly.

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After Layla-san shared some of her work with me, I became extremely busy. Even so, Layla-san was carrying several times more work than I was. When I went to consult her about work and learned just how much she was handling, I was honestly shocked at first. To think she had been calmly managing all of that on her own…

Of course, I wanted to be of use to Noah-sama, but I also wanted Layla-san to be able to take it easy. With only that thought in mind, before I realized it, I had taken on so much work that even I couldn’t handle it anymore. And then, while I was cleaning Noah-sama’s room…

“…You’re sweating a lot. Are you okay? Are you working that hard?”

Saying that, Noah-sama spoke up out of concern for me. And yet, I wonder why. I hadn’t noticed at all that I was losing sight of everything around me, or that I was pushing myself far too hard.

“Huh? Oh, this? Please don’t worry about it. I’m fine.”

“No, that’s not what I mean… I mean, aren’t you overdoing it?”

Noah-sama had probably seen through the fact that I was over my limit. But at that time, I truly hadn’t realized it myself. So I ended up replying that it was nothing. After that, the gears slowly began to slip. Small mistakes I normally wouldn’t make started piling up, and then something big happened for me.

It was when I took over the errand work for Canaria-san, who was off sick with a cold. I completely forgot about it. That was why my coworkers started talking behind my back.

“If she’s going to forget, I wish she wouldn’t take on the job in the first place!”

“You mean Flora, right? She really has been running around uselessly.”

“Right? Because of that, my workload increased…”

The moment I heard those words, I froze and couldn’t move. Strangely enough, at that time I didn’t feel anger or anything like that. My cheeks were just painfully hot, and my mind went completely blank. It was then that I finally realized I had lost sight of everything around me. So for a while, I couldn’t move from that spot. I had wanted to be helpful, but instead I had only caused trouble. I wondered if there was even a place left for someone like me to return to.

But at that moment, Noah-sama discreetly beckoned to me.

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