#030
"There isn't a red-haired girl with blue eyes among the new hires, right?"
No matter what they were whispering about, Catherine snatched up the gloves and sickle, then grabbed a weed with one hand and crushed it.
Hmm. It's thin and small.
The weeds in Catherine's garden had grown so vigorously that they swayed near shoulder height. By comparison, the ones in the duke's residence garden—meticulously maintained—had puny roots.
"Watch closely. This isn't about brute force. You've got to find the rhythm."
The maids gasped as the weed was sliced clean in one stroke and its root yanked out smoothly.
Who would have thought the day would come when she'd be teaching the duke's maids how to pull weeds? Life really was unpredictable.
"My goodness, your arms look even thinner than mine, yet you do it so effortlessly. Is your father perhaps a tenant farmer?"
"You're so diligent and hardworking for someone so young. I heard you just started yesterday—what's your name?"
Her plain clothes aside, her clean face kept her from being treated like a thief. Still, she was at a loss for how to respond.
I can't just say I'm Chezare's contractor outright. Introduce myself as a business partner? Or...?
As Catherine pondered her identity, a sharp voice rang out from the path leading from the garden to the mansion's main gate.
"How dare you chase me out? Do you not know who I am? I am Rosa Mue—His Grace the Duke's cousin and a branch member of the Mue family! How dare a mere servant lay hands on me!"
To sum up the entire situation in just a few sentences was quite the talent. No need for backstory—it was the obvious tale. High nobles' estates saw this all the time. In vulgar terms, "distant cousins sniffing around for scraps" showed up endlessly.
Catherine glanced at the audacious young noblewoman in her early twenties causing a scene at the Christopher Ducal Residence.
"Ahem."
"Surprised? It'll be noisy for the next few days. The moment His Grace returned, all the distant relatives came swarming."
Noble society. Now just a story from someone else's life.
Catherine removed her gloves and whispered back to the maid beside her.
"Is this common?"
"Yeah, at least around here. His Grace holds so many territories and titles. Far-flung kin keep showing up nonstop, hoping to cash in."
"And he's so kind-hearted he can't bring himself to turn them away harshly... Word's gotten out that he doesn't, so now it's even more crowded. Ugh! Nobles are so shameless."
"...His Grace is kind?"
Chezare, kind? Were the maids and stablehands here all cold-blooded?
She'd heard he owned about eleven territories. Eleven families' worth of relentless relatives—terrifying to even imagine.
Setting aside how busy that must keep Chezare...
Catherine's mind kept circling back to that odd remark she'd overheard.
"Calling a Great Demon kind! These humans are terrifying."
The gargoyle, who had been munching on grass and playing, climbed onto her shoulder and muttered softly.
"Exactly! Even people he doesn't know by face or name get rooms here if they claim kinship."
"A week is the limit, though. If they overstay and keep making noise, they end up like that young lady..."
Chased out, apparently. Still, granting a full week of grace was generous. Catherine had assumed he'd boot them without a second thought—she'd been too narrow-minded about the man.
"Look at these mongrels!"
"Oh, my!"
It happened abruptly. The noble young lady suddenly charged over and grabbed Catherine's top.
The woman swung the seized fabric around like it was her handkerchief. Catherine could only let herself be flung about, wondering what was going on.
"This filthy maid gets to stay here—why can't I, a blood relative of His Grace?"
Kiiing.
Maybe because it was in cat form, but Yaong's displeased mewl sounded utterly adorable. Yet it sent a chill down Catherine's spine.
She recalled the gargoyle's strength when it had hurled that bald holy knight far away.
This monster already acted on whims. Who knew what chaos it might unleash? Transforming and rampaging here wouldn't raise eyebrows.
"M-Miss? This child is one of ours. Please let go... Eek!"
"Out of my way! If I leave, this thing leaves too. Got it? I'm not going!"
"Mind your behavior, miss! We all serve Chezare His Grace. If you manhandle us, we'll report it to him at once!"
"Hmph, that's exactly what I want. Go tell His Grace right now! Tell him his cousin is being evicted from the castle. He could never do this to kin!"
Kiiing.
Yaong mewled again. This was unmistakably—definitely—dangerous.
Even Catherine, who had grown indifferent to the world, wanted to avoid witnessing fresh human meat being born right in front of her.
"What are you waiting for? Fetch His Grace! He told me to make myself at home. You lot must be deceiving me. Otherwise, this..."
Grrrrowl.
The timbre of the growl shifted in that instant.
No time for deep thought—Catherine shot one arm up high. Her right arm, especially toned from housework.
"...filthy maid would never be allowed while I..."
Smack!
A clear strike echoed, and silence fell over the garden.
In that not-so-brief moment, a single thought looped in Catherine's mind.
Did it stop? Has Yaong calmed down now?
Meooow.
Catherine sighed in relief at Yaong's follow-up mewl.
Her palm stung a bit, but at least no human-hunting catastrophe would unfold here. She'd contributed, however slightly, to the ducal residence's peace.
"Whew, now I can breathe! I thought my fur was gonna burst! If not for Catherine, I'd have gulped her down in one bite."
Everyone pretended not to hear the gargoyle's loud satisfaction. Only Catherine seemed able to hear Yaong's voice.
At any rate, now she had the face to meet Chezare. If Yaong had grown huge and trashed the place, it might have made tomorrow's headlines.
Catherine flashed a rare proud smile at the nameless noble lady.
"You should be grateful to me. Without me, you'd have died a dog's death here today."
Of course, she hadn't swung blindly. Catherine had pegged her as from a branch family with no noble rank of her own. A collateral kin whose lands and wealth were all under Chezare's thumb—no need to look further.
In other words, even if she'd lashed out in haste, it wasn't a noble lady's cheek she'd struck.
And if the woman wasn't noble, Catherine had nothing to fear.
"What? Grateful? You... you lunatic—how dare you strike me!"
But the lady herself clearly didn't see it that way. Getting slapped by a maid-like girl wouldn't bring peace or joy.
"Do you know who I am? I am the cousin of Chezare the Duke, the most noble after His Imperial Majesty the Emperor and Her Imperial Majesty the Empress in the Iterana Empire! Not some baseborn wench like you can touch!"
Catherine was noble-born herself, technically.
Birth aside, yanking my hair like a weed isn't justified.
She worried the backlash might hit the gardening maids.
So...
Catherine decided to bolt.
"Whoa—don't drop me, hold on tight!"
And even mid-escape, she didn't forget the cat dangling from her shoulder.
"Aaaah! Stop right there! Do you know who I am? Rosa Mue of the Mue family—blood kin to the Duke!"
"This is Chezare's turf—being tight with him excuses everything, right? She's too loud; just deck her, Catherine! Shout to the world that you're the one he'll spend eternity with!"
That intro was ripe for misunderstandings.
"How about it, Yaong? Still chasing?"
"Hmm, hang on... Ugh! She's got that feral hunter face like me on a human hunt. Get caught, and you'll be meat too."
Yaong apparently didn't see itself as the cause.
What excuse to give Chezare if they ran into him? She'd boasted just minutes ago that she could convince him without suspicion...
As she debated fleeing the premises entirely, Catherine suddenly slammed face-first into something.
"Ow..."
"Did I miss a sports day while away? Otherwise, no reason to scamper like a flying squirrel."
"...Chezare?"
This was bad.
"Chezare! Monster alert! There's a monster in Chezare's house!"
"The only monster loose in my residence right now is you."
"Whaaat? Heh heh. Such sudden praise. Truly, the monster of monsters is this gargoyle, Lord Yaong!"
Irritation clouded Chezare's face as he looked down at her. In one hand, he held a slim leather pouch—clearly bulging with the cash she'd requested.
"I gave it some thought... Rather than cash, lending you the Royal Pendant seems better."
Trailing off, what he offered wasn't the pouch, but a resplendent golden pendant held alongside it.
The Royal Pendant. She'd only heard rumors, but here it was in the flesh.
This gold-forged pendant was, simply put, a moving blank check. Issued only to the uppermost elite vouched for by the Imperial Bank with verified identity and substantial assets.
In other words, no need to carry cash or jewels—this one pendant...
"Your Grace!"
"Gasp! She's here!"
Catherine turned from the gleaming pendant in her hand.
The woman who'd yanked her hair panted heavily just a few steps away. Impressively tenacious. A beast that wouldn't let prey escape, as Yaong said.
"Th-That... huff, huff! That lunatic! Heave, heave... Your Grace, you can't let that mad maid get away with this!"
"Mad maid?"
Catherine cleared her throat softly at the suspicious glance turned her way.
"Right now, sh-she's Your Grace's... ah, in front of..."
"Take your time. Even I can't make out words that are more than half panting."