The Fallen Lady Should Have a Touch of Arrogance
I never expected all three of them to sign at once.
Karin, who had thrown a punch in a fit of rage only to get punched herself. Constanze, wearing an expression like the world had ended. And Maron, who somehow seemed deeper than she looked.
I figured each of them would resist at least once. Improving that attitude was supposed to be my job.
But then.
“Do I just write my name here?”
“Maron, you’re signing right away?”
“Yes. Is that not allowed?”
At a completely unexpected moment, Maron stepped forward.
She said she would sign immediately.
“I’d like to ask why. As you can see, the other two who came with you aren’t exactly friendly toward me.”
“Umm, well…”
“Call me whatever you like. Young Master, Baron’s son, Fabian—anything is fine. Speak comfortably.”
“It’s because you don’t seem like a bad person, Young Master?”
“Me?”
That was another reaction I hadn’t anticipated at all.
There was no way a man who bought three slaves and planned to raise them at home would look like a good person by any common standard.
“You carry a pleasant scent, Young Master. The unique fragrance of children, the rich smell of soil from the fields, the forest aroma that spreads across the land. Those things cling to you.”
“You mean you like the environment I live in?”
“Yes. I’ve seen it with my own eyes since arriving here, and the scent carried by the children around you contains only gratitude and joy. I believe you will create many things for me to feel grateful and happy about as well, won’t you?”
“I suppose so. The contract states that as long as you stay here, I’ll accommodate whatever you want.”
“Then I will write my name.”
“Good. Write it here. …Is that Druid script?”
“Yes. I learned it from my mother. Is there a problem?”
“No, it’s fine.”
Even so, Maron’s favorable attitude toward me was almost something to be grateful for.
One headache had vanished.
Still, I couldn’t show too much delight. If I did, the initiative would flip.
Maron was a Druid, after all.
Though she looked young, there was a high chance she wasn’t as young as she appeared, so I couldn’t simply welcome her with open arms.
It remained to be seen whether she would truly accept the salvation I offered and begin to feel attached.
I would leave the slave brand as insurance for now and find a way to keep firm control.
“What I want in exchange for staying within your fence, Young Master, is simple. A vegetable garden connected to a ley line and a staff I can use. That should be enough.”
“Perfect! That’s easy. Don’t worry about the budget. Alice!”
“Yes, Young Master. Alice, reporting for duty.”
“Take Maron and give her a suitable plot for cultivation. Buy her whatever she wants. Put it on my account.”
“I will carry it out immediately. Lady Maron? Please follow me.”
“Thank you. Miss Alice.”
For now, I would act like I was generously handing out gifts and observe the situation.
Our territory had been devastated in population density anyway, so there were plenty of empty fields, and money wasn’t much of a burden.
That left two.
“Alright, Karin. You first.”
“No!”
“I see. You still need more time.”
Or rather, just one.
The current Karin was in no state to hold a conversation.
She tore the official orphan contract to shreds while growling that she hated it. There was no reasoning with her like this.
“Fine, I understand.”
“Grrrr…”
“Go back to your room and rest. The maid who brought you here is waiting outside.”
“Huh?”
“I said rest. Just rest well.”
I decided to leave her alone until her head cooled off.
If I tried to close the distance by force right now, it could backfire completely.
Karin moved slowly, as if trying to read my true intentions, then grabbed the doorknob, glanced at me once more, and left.
That left only two people in the room.
Me and Constanze.
“Constanze Eisner.”
“…”
“How long do you plan to stay silent? Even though we started in a rather vertical relationship of slave and master, if you read the contract, you’ll see I have no intention of treating any of you like slaves.”
“…”
“Silence, then? Fine. Just listen.”
Karin’s outright hostility was tricky to handle, but I already had a scenario prepared for Constanze. I’d thought it through inside the carriage on the way back to the barony.
“I heard the Eisner County collapsed when the Margrave of Eisner conducted black magic experiments and brought ruin upon himself.”
“…”
“Don’t you want to redeem your predecessor’s mistakes? From what I understand, the Eisner family first received their count title because the founding ancestor’s extraordinary achievements in black magic were recognized by the imperial family.”
“…!”
“So if you can obtain that same level of power, you should be able to restore your count title. Or more precisely, reclaim it.”
The founding Eisner patriarch had been a genius so exceptional that the emperor had granted him nobility despite his common birth in order to preserve his bloodline. Constanze simply needed to follow the path he had already walked.
Inside her head lay the accumulated magical research of the Eisner family, refined since the founder’s time, and her talent was officially recognized in the story as rivaling that of the first patriarch.
All she had to do was follow the answer sheet. The hurdle for success was actually quite low; it would simply take time.
“You’re going to throw away this chance to restore your family while you still have the opportunity, without even opening your mouth? The previous margraves must be weeping in their graves.”
By this point, even an idiot would understand what I was getting at.
And Constanze seemed to grasp my intention as well. A spark began to return to her eyes.
I saw that spark clearly.
“Well, if you don’t want to, I can’t force you.”
I deliberately looked away.
People often lose their resolve after just three days. Especially dangerous were cases like Constanze, whose spirit had already been broken once.
So.
“Alfred! Are you there?”
“Yes, Young Master.”
“This one won’t do. I’ll have to use her as a maid for now, so take her and give her some proper training. Starting tomorrow, I’ll receive my meals through Constanze.”
I gently crushed the noble pride that had just begun to stir back to life.
I would make her body have no choice but to think she must reclaim the Eisner County title.
It probably wouldn’t take long.
While locked in that iron cage, she could play the role of a despairing heroine with a blank face, but once she started working as a maid, the thought that this couldn’t continue would drive her insane.
“What are you doing? Stand up.”
“Ah… uh…”
“Go and take your lessons.”
“Follow me. I will educate you thoroughly.”
“Ugh…”
When I saw how tightly Constanze’s body tensed as she was dragged out for maid training, I became certain.
It hadn’t been obvious because she hadn’t eaten properly and had been trapped in a cage for so long, but she had clearly resisted just now.
Her noble pride was writhing. Having heard a way to reclaim her position as a count’s daughter, she couldn’t stay slumped forever.
“Good. Resist with all your might like a proper fallen lady, Constanze.”
Only then would she gain intense motivation to dive into black magic research. And in the process, the defenses of Arnold Barony would naturally grow stronger.
I wouldn’t try to hold her back when she eventually leaves our territory, so just share a little of the benefits that come from her reinstatement.
*
The next day arrived.
I woke at seven in the morning, took a quick shower in the bathroom attached to my bedroom, and headed to the Young Master’s office.
Then I began work.
“Hmm, hm.”
I checked the changes in the barony’s agricultural indicators.
The active orphan welfare policy had brought in R-rank orphans who joined the guard unit, while those not suited for guard duty flowed into maid or tenant farmer positions.
As a result, crop yields had increased noticeably.
It wasn’t yet enough to boost exports to other territories, but the share for the residents and the barony’s reserves had risen visibly.
“The death rate among free-range livestock like cattle and chickens has also dropped significantly. Probably because the increased guard personnel allow faster responses to raids.”
Many positive indicators were visible across the board.
The investments made over the past few years were finally bearing fruit, and the sight was deeply satisfying.
Suddenly, the office door opened, and in walked a golden-haired maid with glossy, perfectly groomed hair—completely different from our first meeting.
“…I’ve brought your meal.”
In just one night, Constanze had regained her ability to speak.
Alfred had done an excellent job with her education.
“Thank you. I’ll enjoy it.”
Medium-rare steak, crispy honey-drizzled french fries, and other favorites.
Prepared with care by the chef.
“Yes. I hope it gets stuck in your throat.”
“Huh?”
“I said, please chew thoroughly so it doesn’t get stuck in your throat. Do you have a problem with your ears?”
“Um…”
There were parts that grated on me, but I picked up my fork and knife anyway.
I cut into the steak that the chef seemed to have prepared with extra care since I’d returned from a long trip, and brought a bite-sized piece to my mouth.
Medium rare.
A reliably good taste.
“It’s delicious.”
“What a shame.”
“…?”
Next came the crispy french fries and honey-based sauce.
They paired surprisingly well with the steak, so after requesting them a few times, they had become a regular side dish.
I finished the steak, fries, and the rest of the menu exactly to my taste, cleaning the plate completely. Then I spoke.
“Can you bring some dessert to cleanse my palate? And a cup of tea, please.”
“May I spit into the teapot?”
“Um…”
I was sure now.
“The education went very well.”
“I think so too. I never imagined that just one night of maid training would restore my broken resolve so firmly. A maid for a barony’s young master? Me? It’s so absurd it’s almost funny.”
“Even while dying of resentment, you’re still using polite speech. It really worked perfectly.”
Her eyes and tone had become quite venomous, but her noble pride had indeed come back to life just as I wanted.
“If you want to escape maid life quickly, you’ll have to start researching black magic in earnest. You need to reclaim your count title and the honor of a margrave’s daughter, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct. Once you finish your tea, could you bring me that document from yesterday so I can sign it?”
“I will. Just don’t spit in the black tea.”
“As if I would. A count’s daughter doesn’t go around spitting everywhere.”
I think it worked out well.
At this level?
She had recovered enough to look forward to her future performance.
“You look much better than when you were depressed.”
“W-who do you think is doing this because they want to hear that kind of nonsense from you? This is for me. For Constanze Eisner.”
See? Her face was full of vitality now. It was a pleasure to look at.
