06. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Favorability Gifts Are Great.

[Episode 6] - Favorability Gifts Are Great.

"...Ainsel, want to run away with me?"

My heart was pounding with the desire to escape this castle right now, but in reality, running away in this body wasn't an easy task. I couldn't even step outside the castle without an escort.

For all intents and purposes, I was under 24-hour surveillance whenever I was outside my room. Ever since I possessed this body, I honestly hadn't been alone outside my room even once.

Even if I tried to go for a short walk, the maids would follow me, and if I tried to look at the garden for a moment, they would follow me there too, so I had given up on that long ago. Usually, queens would have a lot of work to do... but for some reason, I had absolutely none.

-Where are you planning to go if you run away? And, if you say you're running away from here, I can't help you. Did you forget? I told you I have work to do at the Royal Palace.

...Now that I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠think about it, you did say that.

-Anyway, even if that work is finished, I was planning to leave for somewhere else. Even if you go outside the Royal Palace, I won't help you.

"Wow... you're really cold-hearted."

-What can you do? You didn't even make a 'contract' with me.

"Contract?"

-A Familiar Contract. Ever since Vivian died, my contract with her was severed. In fact, the reason I'm helping you here is just a 'bonus' on top of my personal business.

"Then make a contract with me-"

-I'll think about it once you fix your face first.

Ainsel refused coldly and looked down at me with an expression that said she really hated the idea. Then what should I do? In effect, my path to escape had been blocked. Even though I knew this world to some extent as a game...

That was just the content of the game; reality was completely different.

"Then... what if I help you with that work? Can you help me a bit more?"

-...I'm sorry. To be honest, I don't know when my work will end. And, I don't even have a clue as to 'what problem' caused this to happen.

"What on earth is it, anyway?"

-...I can't tell you yet. It's just a 'guess' at best. However, if you stay here, you'll find out someday. What kind of things are happening here.

I was completely blocked.

I couldn't escape without someone else's help here, the Emperor, who was my only sliver of hope, was a bum who stayed in his room, and I had absolutely no confidence in persuading the old farts in the Council of Elders.

"Hehehe."

It wasn't even a marriage I wanted, but here I was, struggling not to get a divorce. I couldn't help but burst into laughter at this ridiculous situation.

'...Even if I don't have the confidence to persuade the old farts in the Council of Elders, I should at least do the bare minimum.'

I lay on the bed and glanced at the vanity next to me. On the vanity, there were high-end cosmetics—though I didn't know much about them—and jewelry accessories scattered about carelessly.

"As expected, a gift offensive is the best way to buy favorability."

-Huh?

"For now, even if I can't get them on my side, I need to raise Vivian's reputation."

Whether in reality or in the game, the best way to raise favorability was to give expensive gifts. People in any world would be the same; who wouldn't be happy to receive an expensive gift?

"For starters... shall I begin with Ellie?"

*

Ellie was currently extremely flustered.

'I'm full, so share this with the other maids.'

'Yes..?'

'Do I have to say it twice?'

'Ah, no! T-thank you for the food!'

In the room of the Queen, where it was fortunate if you just came out without getting hit, she was not only not getting hit, but even receiving high-end snacks that were difficult for even nobles to eat. Ellie found it hard to accept this reality.

Ellie stared blankly at the cake on the plate in front of the Queen's room. One, two, three. Exactly the number of times she had bumped her head earlier, there were slices of cake of different types on the plate.

"Is this a dream..?"

When she pulled her cheek with one hand, it hurt, just as expected. To think this wasn't a dream but reality—could such a thing really happen? The corners of Ellie's mouth soared high into the sky.

If she were greedy, she would want to eat it all by herself, but she feared the backlash from her colleagues if they found out. There were five people serving the Queen, including herself.

Thinking that it would be fine if they shared a bite each, Ellie ran excitedly toward her colleagues. On such a happy day, it wouldn't be enough even if they shared it!

They shared the cake like that, and a day, two days, and then a week passed.

Ellie and the fellow maids could finally understand. The Queen had died and come back to life, so she had finally gone crazy. Otherwise, such things could not possibly happen.

One day, it was perfume.

'It's a scent I'm tired of now, so you take it.'

One day, it was bath salts.

'I bought something else, so you take it.'

One day, it was even jewelry accessories.

'It's out of fashion, so I don't need it anymore; you take it.'

This didn't just happen to one person; it happened to all the fellow maids. It reached the point where they would fight among themselves over who would serve the Queen.

It was something that would have been absolutely unimaginable until a week ago. The fellow maids, who now had some leeway, were able to experience spending money on themselves for the first time.

That was the same for Ellie. Ellie, who had always had her salary confiscated ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠by her family back home due to debt, was able to have a dress tailored at a dress shop for herself for the first time.

The clothes she had worn until now ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠were always hand-me-downs from her older sister, and the sense of fulfillment from buying new clothes with the money she earned was indescribable.

Now, she even found herself looking forward to the days she served the Queen.

Human greed is fickle, so she couldn't help but have expectations, wondering, 'What kind of gift will she give me today?' However, it was fine even if she didn't give anything. Because she didn't order them to bump their heads like before anymore.

Feeling as if she had finally become a real 'maid of the Queen,' Ellie headed to the Queen's room with a pleasant gait. After preparing warm water for washing, she gently knocked on the door and opened it.

As she opened the door and entered, she saw the Queen, who was still fast asleep. Ellie smiled softly, approached the Queen, and whispered in a gentle voice.

"Your Majesty, it is time to wake up."

At the sound of Ellie's voice coming to wake her, Vivian frowned as if she were in a bad mood and opened her eyes. She had been nervous because that face was still scary, but this tension didn't last long.

"...Good morning, Ellie."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

After all, she didn't get cursed at even when she woke the Queen up now!

*

My gift offensive for favorability could be described as a huge success. By now, the maids were following me to the point of obsession. As expected, expensive gifts are the best, right?

In the game, there were tons of favorability gifts. If you gave specific gifts to specific NPCs, your favorability would rise significantly, or if they didn't like it, it would go down.

If you gave an NPC the gift they wanted, your favorability would rise to the maximum... Anyway, such a system existed. For example, was it the wig that the princess gave to the bald Vin Chaud? I think that was it.

Seeing the princess gift a wig instead of a hair-loss treatment, it must mean that even in this world with magic, hair loss is like an incurable disease. Poor Vin Chaud.

Anyway, for the past week, I had focused on giving gifts to the maids. I asked Vin Chaud, the Chancellor, to use the 'maintenance budget' allocated to me to order things the maids would like as much as possible.

I showered them as often as possible with things like creams and cosmetics so their hands wouldn't chap, perfumes that smelled good, jewelry with gems, and things that would be worth money even if they sold them.

By launching such a gift offensive, the maids' attitude toward me changed as if flipping the back of a hand in a very short time. Since the only method I could use right now was throwing money at them.

I could call this a huge success.

"Your Majesty, what are you thinking about so deeply?"

"Hehe, it's nothing much. Do I have any schedule today?"

"No, you don't have any yet. If so, since the weather is nice, how about taking a walk in the garden? The garden is full of the scent of roses."

Look at this. Ellie, who had trembled in fear looking at me at first, was now suggesting a walk to me first. I let out a laugh at this change and looked at Ainsel right next to me.

Ainsel didn't seem to like the change in the maids' attitude for some reason. Ainsel, with her lips pouting, muttered as if grumbling.

-What's so good about these bat-like kids who change their attitude like flipping a hand... Even if you keep such maids close, you'll be betrayed someday...

Mumble, mumble, mumble, mumble.

I didn't know what she was so unhappy about... I was worried that if this continued, she might really get sulky and run away, leaving me behind, so I decided to lift Ainsel's mood.

I looked at Ellie, who had beautifully arranged my hair, and smiled brightly. Ellie looked at my smile and, feeling shy, lowered her head, blushing.

"As expected, you are the child I trust 'second' most. I really like you."

"Second..? It's a shame I'm not the first... Then, by any chance, could you tell me who the Queen's first is?"

"You wouldn't know even if you heard the name. Ainsel, that's the child I trust most."

Ellie tilted her head as if she had never heard of it, but Ainsel, reflected in the mirror, was twitching as if the corners of her mouth were going to soar into the sky.

Really, she's such an easy mirror.

-H, hmpf! Even if you say that, nothing comes out! Really! You're a liar every time you open your mouth! Ehehe!

Even though she said that, Ainsel was humming, seemingly in a good mood. Since I had lifted Ainsel's mood, and the weather was so nice, I decided I should go for a walk in the garden as Ellie suggested.

"I should go for a walk as you said, will you come with me?"

"Of course! I'll prepare the parasol!"

While Ellie went to get the parasol, I took an earring out of the vanity drawer and put it on my ear. It was a design that looked like a miniature version of Ainsel's full-body mirror, smaller than my palm.

-Great! Then shall we go for a walk together!

As I put the mirror-shaped earring on my ear, I could hear Ainsel's voice directly in my ear. I looked in the mirror to see if I had put the earring on properly, and a small Ainsel poked her head out from inside the small mirror.

It was said to be an earring that Vivian always wore when going out, and a mirror that could take Ainsel outside. I didn't want to wear it because the mirror earring was heavy and my ears hurt...

But last time, when I said I would go out without wearing the earring because my ears hurt too much, Ainsel cried so much that I had no choice. She cried so mournfully that I felt sorry just watching her.

"I brought the parasol!"

"...Yes, let's go."

-Departure!!

Ainsel seemed very excited, happy about going out for the first time in a while. Come to think of it, this was my first time going outside the building since I came here.

It was just the garden visible from outside the window, but... still, my heart felt fluttery for some reason. Watching Ellie, who was holding the parasol and following me with pitter-patter steps, I took a step outside the room.

...Not knowing what encounter awaited after this.

Just with an excited heart.