Is it just me or are these chapters only getting longer? I wonder if it’s normal to spend six hours translating one chapter? I sure hope not. Let’s hope all this work will help me improve and get faster, or maybe trying to write English prose will always take this damn long for me. Also, in this chapter you’ll see my best impression of what a robot sounds like in text, since I didn’t want to just do something boring like capitalise random letters. Whatever, here’s chapter 4. Enjoy!
Returning to the flowerbed, it seemed that Alisa was obediently waiting there as commanded. Confirming Lilia’s return, for some reason the maid let out a sigh of relief.
“I’ve spoken with Father. He allowed me to grow flowers here.”
At Lilia’s abrupt declaration, Alisa gave a bow in agreement.
“This flowerbed belongs to Mistress. So…”
“For now, Alisa, bring me tools. Immediately.”
“Eh, ah… Yes. Certainly.”
Though she was looking somewhat dissatisfied, Alisa still ran off to retrieve the tools. Looking on as her maid departed, Lilia simply stood there waiting. Sakura made a sound in protest as if she had something to say, but it was ignored.
Alisa returned shortly, and in her hands she carried a basket filled with a small spade and other various gardening instruments.
“Thank you for waiting.”
“Yes. Well then Alisa.”
Under Lilia’s intense gaze, Alisa held a panicked expression, unsure if she had done something to displease her master. Probably completely unaware of Alisa’s inner thoughts, Lilia continued.
“From today on this flowerbed belongs to me right?”
“Yes… That is so.”
“However, I have absolutely no idea about how flowers are raised.”
Towards Alisa with her head tilted in confusion, Lilia presented the paper bag containing the seeds. As she received it, Alisa’s bewilderment only deepened.
“You, will raise them.”
“Eh.”
“Of course since this is my flowerbed, I will be helping. That’s why I’ve come this far together with you. I’ll be giving you my assistance, so you’d better make these flowers bloom beautifully when the time comes.”
Finally seeming to understand her intentions, Alisa’s eyes widened. The muffled snickering coming from Sakura was a little bit unpleasant, but Lilia still had one thing she wanted to say.
“You are my personal maid. It is my wish to see these flowers bloom brilliantly. You can make that happen, yes?”
Alisa nodded repeatedly, and gave a vigorous bow.
“Yes! Thank you very much, Mistress!”
While feeling a little thrill from giving commands as a superior, Lilia immediately began her instructions. Bringing out the spade from the tools Alisa brought,
“Well then let’s get planting. Will you teach me how to do this, Alisa?”
“Yes! Of course!”
Lilia had to narrow her eyes a little at the overwhelming brilliance of Alisa’s beaming face.
Finishing her gardening with Alisa, Lilia once again went for a bath. Having ordered Alisa to bring her a fresh change of clothes, Lilia headed towards the baths.
—Well ain’t you just a blushing schoolgirl?
On the way, Sakura’s cheerful teasing voice came out. At being ignored, Sakura simply continued.
—You did things in such a way to raise the plants together while maintaining your pride as the master, but Alisa probably already has you figured out you know?
—Oh shut up. I followed what you said so you should have no complaints right?
—Why of course. You did very well.
—Your tone just always has to be so irritating, huh…
Lilia was well aware by now that trying to retort any more than this would simply be foolish endeavor, so she stepped into the bathroom without another word.
Finished with the bath, Lilia changed into the dress Alisa had prepared for her and headed to the dining room. With the time spent working in the dirt, it was almost time for breakfast.
—I wonder what’s on the menu today~. I’m looking forward to it.
—It’s not like you’re the one that’s going to be eating here.
—Fufufu. Behold, one of my special angel powers! All of your sensations are shared with me!
Sakura boasted with an “Ahem!”. If she had a body she would certainly be puffing out her chest in pride. At being able to easily picture such a sight, Lilia couldn’t help but let out a smile.
—So, you’re not really an angel, are you?
—0F C0UR53, 13N’T 1T 0BV10U5. (monotone)
—Why are you talking like that…
While wondering what kind of existence Sakura could really be, Lilia opened the door to the dining room.
A large table stood at the center of the wide dining room. The rest of the family were already seated there. Lilia’s father Kelvin, her mother Ascha, her elder brother Klaus, and younger brother Theo made up the four currently sitting at the table. Together with Lilia, these five were the Aldis Duke family that resided in this estate.
With Lilia arriving at the table, the servants brought in the food for breakfast. With the center of the table lined with fresh bread, bowls filled with soup were placed in front of the diners. A jam-like substance made from mashed fruits was also brought out.
Though it was quite a simple breakfast for this Duke clan who’s power was second only to the royal family, this was normal at this mansion. Alisa’s mother preferred to have modest meals, so big feasts that couldn’t be finished in one sitting were foreign to this house. This was one of the things Lilia was dissatisfied about.
—How embarrassing it is to have your meals be inferior even to the barons of this country.
—Well, hey. It’s delicious so isn’t this fine. The taste here is better than what you’d get at the occasional banquet you went to right?
Lilia shook her head, unable to comprehend Sakura’s point of view.
With everyone now gathered, they began to give their prayer. To the god of this world.
No one spoke during the meal. The silence stretched on as they ate. According to her mother, this was the best way to show appreciation towards the people who made them the meal. In the end, the reasoning behind this was incomprehensible to Lilia as well.
—So the one behind all the un-duke-like things here was Ms. Ascha. Isn’t that great.
—I can’t understand it at all. To not use the privilege bestowed upon you.
—Ahaha. Lilia sure is a natural born aristocrat.
Though Lilia felt like making a comeback, it would just be wasted effort, or rather pointless emotional exertion against Sakura. Without minding it she made to finish her meal.
—Yep. It was quite delicious after all. This jam was especially nice, wasn’t it.
—Are my senses really shared with you right now? By the way, what kind of things do you hate?
She had thought it was just another joke, but their senses really did seem to be connected from the delighted tone of Sakura’s voice. While being a bit surprised at this, Lilia showed a mischievous expression.
—Green peppers. No way to that bitterness!
—Very nice. I’ll remember that well.
—Wait wait what are you gonna do no way hold up really the thing I hate is that jam you know!
After that point Sakura kept on insisting about her “real” hated food, but it was all ignored. With the silence around the time that the meal was finished, Lilia tilted her head slightly, pondering her next move.
—I’m sorry… If anything, please just stay away from raw green peppers… I’ll deal with anything else…
It was an absolutely tearful voice. Hearing it Lilia reflexively spat out the water she was drinking. Astonishing her surroundings, the servants hastily rushed over, but Lilia’s mind was completely preoccupied with something else.
—It’s just a joke, I’m not going to do such weird things alright!
—Really?
—Really, really, I promise.
—Lilia… Thank you so much!
This time it had completely flipped over to a voice so happy it was dancing for joy. Though it almost felt mad with enthusiasm, it didn’t have that much of a bad connotation to it.
With the dirtied table quickly cleaned up by the servants, Lilia’s father slowly opened his mouth to speak.
“Lilia. About what we talked about this morning…”
Wondering what it could be about, Lilia turned to face her father. Since she had done nothing wrong, looking closely at her father’s face he seemed to be returning an awkward gaze towards her.
“I heard the story from Alisa.”
“Is that so. Are there any problems?”
While Sakura deemed that there should be no problems here, her father’s judgement might differ. She nervously waited for her father to continue.
“No, no problems. It seems that you will be raising those flowers together with Alisa from now on huh.”
“Yes. Ah, that’s right, Father. I would like to personally have Alisa as my maid, would that acceptable?”
Confusion appeared in her father’s eyes. Though, as he straightened his neck, it had already disappeared. In it’s place her father had a wry smile.
“Though in the first place, Alisa was supposed to be the personal maid assigned to you…”
“Huh? My apologies, Father. I didn’t seem to quite catch your words…”
It was only with these words that her father spoke in a small voice. It wasn’t heard clearly the first time, but, well her father simply shook his head this time.
“Don’t worry about it. Regarding Alisa, there’s no problem. You can take her as your personal maid.”
“Really? Thank you very much, Father.”
—Lilia! Smile time!
At Sakura’s sudden exclaimation, Lilia’s expression reflexively turned into a dubious frown. It wasn’t as if anything really good happened, so it seemed out of the ordinary to smile here. Even so, at Sakura’s urging, she would just follow along for now.
Thanks you very much, Father.
Expressing her thanks once again, she showed a smile. She had been trained on how to smile from a young age so there were no problems. However, Her father’s wry smile only got deeper.
“There’s no need to for a smile. Don’t worry about it.”
—Wait a sec… Was it a failure?
—Ehh??
It seems that Sakura wasn’t omnipotent after all. It seems like her own judgement was also required, Lilia thought as Sakura’s evaluation was lowered just a little. She quickly returned her sight to here father as he cleared his throat.
“Back to the topic but, I heard you’re going to raise the flowers with Alisa. To be honest, since you’ve only ever thought about yourself I was quite surprised.”
“My, that’s horrible Father. I am always concerned about my surroundings though?”
As her father’s face twitched ever so slightly, her mother and elder brother let out small sighs. Only her little brother had a blank expression as he gazed at everyone else’s reactions.
“Well, yep. Alright. Lilia. Do take care of the people around you.”
At her father’s conclusion, taking his leave, he departed from the dining room. Her mother followed, and her two brothers also left the room in a hurry. Alone in the dining room, Lilia was simply left there, with her head dubiously tilted to one side.
just you
LikeLiked by 2 people
If you look closely, each chapter has a slightly larger file size compared to the previous one. I swear it’s not because I’m doing anything strange like having added colour tags or anything… ;)
LikeLiked by 5 people
;D
LikeLiked by 1 person
Holy Anri that’s some variation. Is this Tilea?
LikeLike
yupp
LikeLiked by 1 person
hahaha. but green peppers are delicious though?
LikeLiked by 4 people
They do tend to be slightly bitter compared to the red or orange ones though.
LikeLike
The bane of many an enfants japonais which many of us gaijin have trouble understanding.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am a gaijin. To me, colored peppers are gross and even just their juices gives me indigestion. Black pepper burns my mouth, even in small amounts. So, yeah, I can understand pepper hatred.
LikeLike
With a name like “PEEMAN”, what child in japan wouldn’t be terrified
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nah, they just taste really astringent, and not in a good way like coffee.
Not bad enough that I won’t eat them but they’re probably one of the least interesting vegetables you could eat.
LikeLike
Kukuku that is quite funny…. at least she got someone to talk too… ah I ask me what Sakura will do during an important banquet?~
Green Pepper hostage..?! No wait… the green pepper threat.. vile Lilia… do never threaten anyone with green pepper T_T
But the reaction when she said, she always cares about her surroundings…. delicious~ kuku
(Nobody can resist Sakura! The inner chunni (most likely xD) voice of reborn evil- er cuteness!)
Thanks for the chapter^^
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for the chapter :D
By the way, since this chapter is (currently) uncategorised, it didn’t appear on Novelupdates.
You should probably categorise it :p
Since only Lilia can hear her, Sakura is having fun while saying random things :p
Well, I’d do the same :p
But seriously, Alisa’s reaction to the flower request and the family’s reactions to Lilia’s statement were the best :D
LikeLike
Thanks for reminding me. Categorised now.
LikeLike
3 9, 4 +#3 C#4p+3r
LikeLike
San kyu for the chapter… Is it?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lilia, do you people?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lilia don’t think it be like it is, but it do.
LikeLike
How teh heck does she know robot word? Author error?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Haha that was my bad. Changed it now to not actually clash with the setting.
LikeLike
It’s fun how completely out-of-touch she is. She doesn’t even mean to harm anyone, she’s just got the social skills of a really well-spoken two-year-old.
LikeLiked by 4 people
And a well spoken two-year-old who wields enormous authority at that.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for the chapter. Great work!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wait Lilia knows what is a robot?!
LikeLike
Hah, that’s just my accidental fantasy anachronysim. I’ll change it to make a little more sense.
LikeLike
A different sort of obliviousness… :/
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks 4 the chapter!
I’m imagining jaws dropping when she stated that she’s always concerned about her surroundings.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Reminds me of Seo Yuzuki.
LikeLike
Thanks for the new chapter!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Loli in training~ how nice <3
LikeLike
There was a loli here? Where, where is she-we must fully assess such imouto potential here at oniichanyamete
LikeLiked by 1 person
I see Lilia isn’t the smartest of the bunch… The smile probably didn’t work cause it was fake.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This reminds me of another story, instead the person took over everything but the way the body speaks. Mouth full of venom but a heart of gold almost. (mainly the MC is trying to survive)
The little twists make these stories more enjoyable.
LikeLike
I think I’ve heard of that one too… Though I can’t seem to recall the name ATM.
LikeLike
That would be My Death Flags Show No Sign Of Ending.
LikeLiked by 3 people
thanks XD
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for the chapter Jaon-chan! By the way can you ask Sheep-chan if there are any GL in the Grand library I would like to start a translation project of my own ~.
LikeLike
I think Este would delighted to have more partners in spreading good taste on stories to the English speaking world. Send him a message on one of his pages, and see if you can work something out! I can’t really say anything since I haven’t seen your work yet, but if he somehow turns you down please don’t take it personally as I’m sure he’ll have his reasons. But don’t worry he was really nice when I first reached out to him so, good luck~
LikeLike
Mm. I kinda just want a recommendation. Since I have trouble reading kanji right now So I was asking for something that would motivate me to get better. My kana is fine though.
LikeLike
Hiya! Why didn’t you ask me! Even if I’m busy with exams, I’m always prepared to obtain another slav- ahem, uh, partner.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Sorry, Sheep-chan. I was just asking the arbiter at hand. So anyway about those Yuri novels…
LikeLike
Oh, they pretty much all suck. You’d be better sticking to yuri manga.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Say it’s not so Sheep-chan! Oshiete
Sheep-chan! Do even the fluffy Shoujo ai novels suck?Uchi-sama can only translate novels at the moment due to me being too poor to have a computer. …what about background Yuri novels?
LikeLike
Hardly any yuri web novels on syosetu at least.
LikeLike
Hm…. Well maybe I’ll create sone nyself instead of using wordpress as an idea dumping ground.
LikeLike
Thank you for translating this chapter!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Eh? 6 hours is not strange though. I used to try translate Mushoku Tensei to Thai Language and the make 1 and a half day for a full chapter…
That my first and last chapter I am translating something. OTL
I can say with all my heart All Hail Sir Jaon!!
LikeLike
Hahaha thank you good sir, glad to know I’m not alone. I’ll keep working at it and hopefully my speed will improve.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Regarding the l33t speech, wouldn’t it be more natural to Begin Every Word With Uppercase And Avoid Using Punctuation? The reason robotic sentences sound robotic is because none of the words are strung together properly, and the best way to convey that would be denoting every word is pronounced like she’s starting a sentence (individually), with no punctuation to symbolize the lack of natural tonal shifts and pauses.
So, in short, “Of Course Isn’t It Obvious”. Or, to hammer home that she’s speaking very stiffly, “Of-Course-Isn’t-It-Obvious”.
If that doesn’t quite work, switching that line’s style to preformatted and bolding it should do the trick too. Font/formatting shenanigans are my fav style cheat.
…I don’t know why that one bit stuck with me, but it just seemed kinda jarring?? I guess it’s because the translation has been exceptionally smooth and stylish so far.
LikeLike
Haha, you’re probably right, but it was strange whim of mine so I hope you’ll ignore the little incongruity. I’ve actually been trying to hold back quite a bit, so I am really really looking forward to when April first comes around.
LikeLike
Still really liking this one! Thanks so much for all your hard work!! Looking forward to more~~
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hmm..
Duke’s daughter – Check
Does her own garden – Check
Ignorant of her surroundings – Check
Destruction end – Check
Ladies and gentlemen, we have discovered the second black hole!
[All of your sensations are shared with me!]
> ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for the chapter!
LikeLiked by 1 person
My english is shit, but I can see some errors.
LikeLike
Hm. Usually the only thing ‘comedy’ types do is make me annoyed. For some reason this I find genuinely funny.
LikeLike