Reincarnated as the mother of an otome game's villainess?!

Chapter 22. Break it down again.

As usual, I woke up to find that Violett had pushed the covers and half of our pillows away from the bed. Her legs were resting over my stomach. She moved quite a lot while sleeping, but it didn't bother me enough to wake me up. Trying to not wake her up just yet, I moved her to a side carefully, and slid off the bed. I started my daily routine with a few stretches and warm ups, but I was interrupted before I was done.

—Mamaaaa... —I heard a sleepy voice coming from behind me.

Violet was waving her arms in the air, as if trying to find me. Her eyes were still closed.

—Good morning, Mama is right here —I said, sitting on the bed—, are you awake already?

—No... —she said—, pick me up.

This kid.

She was already five years old, but she was as demanding as always. I knew I needed to be a bit stricter, but, well... she was still very young. I couldn't just suddenly give her the cold shoulder. And she was doing fine in her etiquette classes, her teacher didn't have anything but praises for her.

Besides, seeing her like that made me want to spoil her just a bit.

So I picked her up in my arms and took her to the bathroom, we washed our faces and our teeth, and kept getting ready for the day. She was only fully awake about 5 minutes after that, when she was already clean and dressed. Coincidentally, it was around that time when we heard a knock on the door.

—Good morning, Madame, Young Lady —Sophie said as she entered the room —I see that once again you were faster than us.

—Yes, we are independent and capable —Violett said, inflating her chest, as if she had made her look decent on her own.

—Go-good morning, my ladies —the rose nymph behind Sophie added timidly.

Eve was now almost as tall as Violett, and just as smart as her. She had started to mimic whatever words Violett learnt and what the rest of us said, she was even more talkative than my daughter. But at first we thought she was just repeating noises, it was only a year or so after that it became obvious she was trying to communicate. At that moment, she could talk perfectly clearly.

Lately she has been insisting on becoming one of our attendants. I suppose she always looked interested in them and the chores they would perform. I didn't quite feel comfortable with that idea, and I told her it wasn't necessary, but she kept insisting. I had to cave eventually, and she had started training under Sophie, though for the most part, she was still Violett's playmate and companion.

—Good morning to the two of you —I said.

Their arrival almost always was a sign that breakfast was ready to be served, so we moved to the first floor of the mansion.

—Do you like my dress? I picked it up myself! —Violett said, omitting the fact that she had picked it before going to sleep.

—I-It is beautiful, and... it really makes your own loveliness more noticeable —Eve replied, following the lessons she had learned from the other attendants.

My daughter grinned. She knew that answer was a bit forced, Eve was reciting what she has been taught, but nonetheless, Violett was happy to be complimented. We greeted almost everyone on our way to the dining room, but Alyssa only appeared after we had sat down. She entered the room almost as if she was dragging her own body against her own will.

—Coffee —she said, as she slumped into the chair.

I cleared my throat.

—Coffee, please —she repeated slightly annoyed, and Eve soon brought the coffee pot to her, along with her favorite mug.