Chapter 30
Chapter 30
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: Exclusive Maid (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"I'll be entering now, Master."
"We'll meet again next time, Miss Lilith Rosewood."
"......Yes."
The door to the Blackwood estate's study closed with a careful creak.
Harold Richard Blackwood watched the maid's retreating figure vanish along with it, sinking into quiet contemplation.
"......"
No matter how he thought about it, she was a strangely peculiar woman.
On the surface, she looked like just a somewhat pretty maid, but inside, she carried herself with a completely different demeanor and presence, as if another person inhabited her body.
She'd been suspicious ever since her testimony at the disciplinary committee led to the recovery of the necklace Aeria had stolen from Thanacia.
Those suspicions had only deepened with the monster subjugation incident in the commercial district just three days ago.
And now, through their private question-and-answer session, Harold had finally formed a rough assessment of this Lilith Rosewood.
A bold spirit that could courageously stake her life against a massive monster, unlike the average commoner who would flee in terror.
A cool-headed composure that allowed her to calmly assess enemies in dire situations and pinpoint their weaknesses.
And a bizarre personality that harbored no hesitation even if it meant sacrificing herself for others.
That was Harold's simple evaluation of Lilith Rosewood as she left the study.
"It might have been better to raise her as a knight rather than a mere maid."
She was a commoner girl sold into debt, so Melissa had probably just slotted her into one of the estate's servant shortages without much thought.
It wasn't a wrong decision. The fates of debt-bound commoner girls were mostly predetermined upon arrival. Anyone, not just Melissa, would have made a similar call.
In fact, Lilith Rosewood's appearance was a beauty optimized for hospitality in several ways.
He himself had sworn never to love another woman besides Thanacia, so he felt no particular stirrings, but from an objective male gaze, she possessed considerable allure.
With just a bit more cunning, she could have seduced some frontier noble and married into a household instead of being sold as a debt maid.
For a woman with such potential to end up as a servant in the Blackwood Family was surely nothing more than coincidence.
...But.
"She resembles her."
Was it truly just coincidence that he felt, from a mere commoner maid, the sensation of encountering a beloved figure he'd sent off long ago?
A woman who disregarded her own safety or status to confront injustice and danger head-on.
Harold had known only one such woman, long ago.
And he had loved her for a very long time.
"Thanacia...."
Gazing at the framed portrait of one woman on his desk, Harold murmured softly.
Thanacia Louise Brycewell.
The second daughter of the Brycewell viscount family on the frontier, whose holdings consisted solely of farmland and undeveloped woods.
She was also the name of Harold's late first wife, whom he had loved for so long and still could not forget.
"I thought I'd gotten over any lingering attachments since it was so long ago."
Yet seeing someone who resembled her brought back visions of Thanacia in her most beautiful days, proof that feelings still lingered in his heart.
Especially since that girl had helped recover the necklace filled with memories of Thanacia, making the resemblance feel even stronger.
"No wonder Ethan takes to her so well. There was a reason."
Perhaps that girl could even stand in for Thanacia as Ethan's mother figure.
Of course, expecting too much from a single maid was unreasonable, but at the very least, she could provide considerable comfort to Ethan, who had begun to stray after losing his mother.
He had already confirmed through Melissa's reports that her abilities as a maid were impeccable.
Her tight lips and deep loyalty toward Ethan had been verified firsthand during the previous incident.
Her meticulous observation and memory were evident from recognizing Thanacia's necklace at a glance.
And though it might not be necessary, she seemed capable of protecting his son if the need arose.
Having mulled over these thoughts, Harold nodded and reached a decision.
"She's too young to assign to Ethan, but... she'll be the best fit after all."
His only son, Ethan Richard Blackwood, who had finally awakened from a long curse and recovered his health.
The moment had arrived to appoint his exclusive maid.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Ugh, I'm dying...."
The next day, back to duties at the Blackwood estate.
I rubbed my numb legs as I dragged myself up from the etiquette classroom on the first basement floor, finally released after three grueling hours.
"I expected a lecture, but making me kneel the whole three hours while ranting is too much...."
After about an hour, I couldn't even remember what Melissa was saying. It was mostly repetitions anyway.
'Is it sane for a little girl like you to charge at a dangerous monster like a garoullni?! What happened to all the ladylike etiquette I drilled into you until my mouth went dry?!'
'And as a servant of the Blackwood Family, protecting your own body is basic of basics, isn't it?! You're a failure as both a maid and a lady! A total failure!!!'
Last time, with four of us sharing the scolding, it felt relatively lighter.
But enduring that voice—like she'd boiled a dragon's vocal cords—for three straight hours alone? It drained every ounce of energy from my body.
My legs were numb from kneeling so long, too.
"Just grounding me from outings would've been fine. Why the lecture too...."
Even in a world where double and triple punishments were the norm, this seemed excessive.
Well, the outing itself was courtesy of Head Maid Melissa's favor, so the grounding was inevitable.
For a debt maid like Lilith, this punishment was practically default.
If I'd actually caused an incident outside, the head maid who approved my outing would've been in trouble.
Luckily, it ended without casualties this time. Hearing I'd been carted off to church must've given her a scare.
...Still, three hours of lecture madness felt a bit overkill.
"Spouting all that with that insane volume—doesn't she ever get tired?"
At least, the silver lining was that I'd managed to level up to 5 before the grounding hit.
Not hitting 6 was regrettable in many ways, but another chance would come eventually.
Even if I weren't a debt maid free to outing on holidays, reaching level 5 this quickly would've been impossible.
Without basic spells, Lilith needed ages to kill even a slime with raw attacks.
"In that sense, it was a blessing...."
"A blessing... how?"
"Gyaah!!"
The deep mid-range voice right by my face made my body jolt backward in shock.
And there stood the young vice head butler I'd met yesterday, staring at me with an unchanging expression.
"......"
Oh, crap. Forgot his name again.
I remembered Colin something, but the rest...
"Ditmaier Colin Evercroft."
"S-Sorry...."
Vice head butler or not, why does a servant have a middle name?
Names are hard enough to remember, and the short middle name sticks out as the useless bit.
"......"
Ditmaier the vice head butler wore a strange expression, unclear if he accepted my apology.
Wondering if he was annoyed at forgetting his name twice, I followed his gaze—his pupils fixed slightly below my face.
The moment I cupped my chest, he hurriedly shifted his eyes upward, pretending he hadn't noticed.
'Right, he's a man too.'
As I'd said before, Harold was the only man in this estate who didn't leer at me.
Even this blank-faced vice head butler with his emotions seemingly scooped out couldn't ignore Lilith's chest easily.
I get it as a fellow man. Instincts are hard to fight.
"Miss Lilith Rosewood."
"Yes."
The vice head butler, who had glanced at my bosom, now met my eyes calmly and called my name.
I replied without pointing it out.
"I have a message from the Master."
"......Pardon?"
I swear I was summoned yesterday... again?
No, Harold showing interest in a mere maid two days in a row?
A chilling unease crept up my spine.
And it didn't take long for that bad feeling to become reality.
"Wh-What message...?"
"Effective tomorrow, it has been decided to reassign Miss Lilith Rosewood from junior maid."
...No way.
"In the Master's judgment, he believes Miss Lilith suits a position slightly better than junior maid...."
No, no it can't be. It won't be.
"Perform your assigned duties until today, and starting tomorrow, you will leave the status of junior maid and...."
No. It's not that.
Please shut your trap, you Ditmaier bastard.
"I have come to inform you that you have been appointed as the exclusive maid to Young Master Ethan Richard Blackwood."
Ah.
Fuck.
This has to be a joke. Right?
"Congratulations, Miss Lilith Rosewood."
"......"
Shut your mouth, you clueless bastard.