Eily's Oath and the Fiancée's Portrait
How on earth did my master end up with such a reputation? "Arnold's scary as ever today~" "But I've heard he's changed a bit lately?" "No way, you're lying!" Why does he get treated like that? His true heart is so kind and gentle.... Why won't anyone even try to see the truth and just keep believing the rumors?
Meeting my master has changed my life over and over. He forgave me when I was about to be branded a criminal, threw me a lifeline when I was on the verge of being torn apart by Dire Wolves, and ultimately saved my family's future too. How can I ever repay this grace? How can I become someone worthy of standing proudly by his side?
Just thinking of his face makes my cheeks flush and my heart pound. "What's so sorry about? Eily." "M-Master...!!" It started in earnest during the Dire Wolf incident, and now whenever I see him, my heart goes haywire. What... what should I do.... I want to repay the grace he's shown me while cherishing these feelings.
...... But I'll probably never manage it. The kindness he’s shown me is far too immense: I doubt I could repay it all in a lifetime. Still.... Even so, from now on, I'll change. No longer just a maid who sheds tears and receives help by his side—I'll become a strong servant truly worthy of him. No longer a stumbling block, but his steadfast shadow.
Until the day I grow strong not as a weakling pleading with tears, but as his maid and knight. I'll strive... and keep striving.
— Your Maid Eily
I swear my loyalty to you, Master, even if the whole world becomes your enemy.
"Master!"
After treating her sister Julie, Eily's demeanor returned to normal.
"Good morning!"
As if she'd cast off all that gloom and hardship, she greeted me with a bright, open smile.
"Eily? How's your sister doing?"
"After taking the medicine you gave us, she made a full recovery overnight!"
She beamed innocently and bowed so deeply it seemed the floor might cave in.
"And thank you...! For saving my little sister!"
"Really... truly..."
But for a fleeting moment, a solemn air passed over her.
"I don't know how to repay this gratitude—"
She must want to convey just how profound her thanks were.
"I didn't do it expecting any reward, so don't worry about it. It was my call from the start."
I gave a slight smile and brushed back her hair.
"Still, this is a life debt."
"It's a grace beyond any money's worth."
"....Always—"
Yet Eily never stopped expressing her gratitude toward me.
"It's not that big a deal. I'm not even that good of a guy to begin with."
A bit embarrassed, I rubbed the back of my neck and downplayed it.
"No!! Master is truly, truly a good person...!! I guarantee it!"
She suddenly shouted with desperate fervor.
"Huh...? Is it that big a deal...?"
"Ah... um... yeah, thanks. I'll accept your feelings gratefully."
A little flustered, but... it was a nice sentiment, so I let it slide.
"Anyway, you're not quitting now, right? Seeing your bright face puts me at ease."
To liven up the somewhat flat atmosphere, I shifted the topic.
"Ah, yes! I'm honored to continue serving you, Master!"
At my welcoming words, her cheeks flushed faintly, and she practically bounced with joy.
"......"
What can I say? Maybe because I pat her head so often, but...
"Hehe~ Master!"
Watching Eily smile so radiantly made her feel like a puppy I was playing with.
"You look happy."
"Of course! Because I have you, Master!"
She looked like she'd be wagging an imaginary tail furiously.
"Today too! No, from now on, always! I'll serve you, Master!"
At least Eily seemed full of energy again. That was a relief.
"Hmm..."
Time passed into a peaceful afternoon, with nothing much happening afterward.
Just the usual daily routine—
"........."
But unlike that tranquility, I was now rubbing my chin between thumb and forefinger, deep in thought.
"Something's bothering me~"
The reason? There was something in the original story that rubbed me the wrong way.
When I first arrived in this world, I'd jotted down game knowledge and info in an empty leather book.
But after the Purple Corruption incident, I'd decided to beef it up with more details.
This time, I resolved to record item types and performance, combinations, material locations, acquisition methods—everything.
"........."
In the process, I'd added some notes on the endings too.
"It might just be speculation—"
But one ending caught my eye.
It was the protagonist's harem ending—the one where he ends up with all the heroines.
"......"
Why does it bug me? Well...
The harem ending was the only route where Arnold doesn't die. Normally, the corrupted Arnold loses to the protagonist and meets his end, but in the harem route, it's different.
There, he barely clings to life and manages a narrow escape.
And in the post-ending epilogue, alongside the protagonist's whereabouts, there's a brief mention:
'Arnold seems to have vanished into another dimension.'
The key here is "another dimension."
That could be the clue to returning to my original world.
Guiding the protagonist to the harem route doesn't sound bad, then? I'll add it to my goals for now.
"That'll do for organizing thoughts. Time to read a book?"
With my mind somewhat sorted, I tucked the book away deep in a hard-to-reach drawer.
Click—
The moment I grabbed the doorknob to head out—
Bang—!
"Master!!"
Eily's sudden intrusion startled me.
"Ugh...?!"
She yanked from the opposite side, nearly throwing me off balance.
"Master! Master!!"
She'd burst in without knocking, calling out to me frantically.
"What is it...?"
"Ah, wha—?! S-Sorry! I should've been more proper...!"
"More than that...! I have urgent news!!"
After a brief apology for her blunder, she bulged her eyes, too rushed to even catch her breath.
"What...? Did something huge happen?"
What could she have heard to make her this panicked?
It'd been ages since I'd seen Eily like this.
"Th-That is...!"
Panting as if she'd sprinted full-tilt, she wiped sweat from her chin and finally spoke.
"The family head... is looking for you, Master!"
And then—
"My father?"
The news Eily brought...
"Yes!! He's set your arranged marriage—"
Was shocking enough to send chills down my spine.
"Arnold, you've heard the news, I assume?"
Right now, I was face-to-face with Gregory Stenman, head of the Stenman family—and my biological father.
"Yes..."
Like the original Arnold, something about him filled me with an inexplicable aversion, even in his voice.
"As you heard, your fiancée has been decided."
But that wasn't important now.
"Considering your age, it's about time."
Just as Eily had said, he launched into talk of the arrangement.
"An arranged marriage?"
"Indeed."
Fiancée, huh...
Honestly, from the moment Eily told me, a certain 'someone' had come to mind.
Because in the original story, Arnold had exactly one fiancée.
"It's good to get familiar with her face beforehand, as your future bride."
Gregory Stenman twirled his mustache and handed me a single photograph.
"......"
He passed me a photo of one woman.
"...!"
It was exactly—without the slightest discrepancy—the woman I'd pictured.
"Father, don't tell me this woman in the photo—"
She had lustrous platinum hair shining brilliantly, sapphire-blue eyes,
"That's right."
a simple yet elegant black dress, and beauty like a sculpture from a painting.
"......"
This pretty much confirmed it.
"She'll come here in a week."
Honestly, I could've guessed who it was from this alone.
"Her name is Elisha Grain, eldest daughter of the Grain family. About your age."
Hearing her name sealed the certainty.
"Understood—"
The woman I'd be meeting—
"I'll meet her."
she was the first heroine in the game.