How to Spend a Holiday (2)
Aileen and I stared at each other in silence.
I still had no idea why she was here, but first things first—I needed to get a handle on the situation.
The young lady was nowhere in the room. Instead, Aileen sat on the bed. Strangely enough, she was wearing the young lady’s nightgown. Why? How?
More than that, if the Third Princess Aileen had come here, the entire estate should have been in an uproar. Yet when I had seen the Duke that morning—and even now—the Katram Estate was unnaturally quiet.
And Aileen herself looked thoroughly flustered.
That could only mean she was in a state she absolutely could not afford to be discovered in. Had this been an official visit, she would have tossed out a casual “Hello” and then steamrolled the whole situation however she pleased. The fact that she hadn’t told me she had never once imagined I would catch her.
So then—why was Aileen here, and why was she panicking?
Putting the pieces together left only one answer.
I seized her by both shoulders. She rushed to speak.
“Frey! This is, um—”
“Aileen. It’s completely useless.”
“Huh?”
She blinked up at me blankly. I delivered my verdict straight to that vacant face.
“Even if you put on the Katram young lady’s nightgown and show it off to me, it is not the slightest bit seductive. That outfit only looks beautiful when the Katram young lady herself is wearing it.”
“……?”
Aileen stared at me as if I had grown a second head. Heh. No—she was simply stunned that I had seen through her scheme so cleanly.
“Sneaking in while the young lady is away and trying on her clothes. With the full might of the Imperial Family behind you, that would be easy enough. And then you planned to seduce me with it, didn’t you?”
Yes. Aileen had thrown herself at me physically any number of times, and when that failed she had clearly decided to attack my preferences instead!
There was no other reason she would be in the young lady’s room wearing the young lady’s clothes! Right now the young lady was surely out walking with the Duke!
Aileen blinked once, twice, then clapped her hands together in agreement.
“Y-You’re right! That’s Frey for you. You saw right through me in one go!”
“Haha. My eye for these things has improved a little, hasn’t it?”
“All that training paid off. Very well done.”
“So, Aileen, leave this place at once. Illegal entry into the Katram Estate? If the Duke finds out, it could cause real trouble between the Imperial Family and House Katram.”
“Okay. Got it.”
“You do have a way out, I assume?”
“Nope.”
“Excuse me?”
She answered with complete confidence.
“I don’t have anything like that.”
“Then how did you get in?”
“That’s an imperial secret.”
“Do you honestly think this is the time and place for that line?”
“What, you want me to spill a secret?”
My mouth snapped shut. Well—secrets were secrets. You weren’t supposed to spill them.
“So you used this ‘secret’ without even preparing an exit strategy?”
“Y-Yeah. That’s right.”
“Aileen, I’m sorry, but have you always been this stupid?”
I looked at her with genuine pity. Until now she had at least kept a bare-minimum plan. Why would she pull something this boneheaded?
When I scolded her so openly she pressed her lips tight. Oops—had I gone too far?
“I-I’m just panicking right now, okay?”
“Forget it. You really are an idiot. A chicken-brained princess dumber than a complete moron who wouldn’t even do something this dumb.”
“I never said anything that harsh!”
If I actually said that out loud I’d be executed on the spot!
“Haa… While the young lady is still gone, let’s get you out of here as fast as possible.”
“How are we supposed to escape?”
“Aileen, how many maids and butlers do you think work at the Katram Estate?”
“Huh?”
“The motto of House Katram is to live alongside the common people. In other noble houses, maids and butlers are often the sons and daughters of lesser nobility. House Katram is the exact opposite.”
The Duke regularly hired maids and butlers simply to create jobs. The practice, handed down from previous generations, was so extensive that dozens of maids and butlers reached retirement age every year—and dozens more were hired to replace them.
“Which means this is the perfect place for the old ‘hide a tree in the forest’ strategy.”
“Don’t tell me…”
“Put this on.”
I opened my spatial pouch and pulled out a maid uniform. Conveniently, there was one that would fit Aileen perfectly.
She took it in a daze, held it up against herself, then shot me a look of pure contempt.
“Have you been carrying this around just so you could dress me up like a servant and boss me around?”
“What kind of misunderstanding is that? I just happened to have it.”
“Why would a branch member of House Katram even have something like this?”
Well—because I was originally the head butler.
Maids’ clothes tore easily with the nature of their work, yet they could never let it show. Whenever I spotted a maid in a frayed uniform, I immediately handed her a fresh one so she could transform into a clean, presentable servant again.
“As a bonus, I’ll transform into the head butler so nothing looks out of place.”
Polymorph.
I cast the transformation magic. My body grew a little taller, and my appearance aged in proportion.
When the spell finished, I looked every bit the seasoned head butler one might find in any great house.
“Oh, I’ve never seen Frey transform before.”
Aileen watched me with open curiosity. Of course she would—there was not a single trace of Frey’s appearance left on me now.
This perfect transformation magic was exactly how I could perform the duties of head butler for House Katram. If a green youth claimed the title, visiting nobles would laugh, and the house’s honor might even take a hit. So whenever guests arrived, I appeared in this form.
As an aside, it was also the reason my true face was never known outside the estate. Whenever company came, I always transformed.
“I’ve become the estate’s head butler, so no one will bat an eye if I walk around with one maid in tow. I’ll keep watch outside. Change as quickly as you can.”
“Okay. You can peek if you want.”
“I will not look.”
I carefully stepped out in front of the young lady’s door. Fortunately, no one was wandering nearby.
Aileen, as if deliberately teasing me, made a long, rustling sound of clothes sliding off. But I did not waver. I had seen far more inside the grimoire; a little noise alone was not going to rattle me.
…Well. Maybe it bothered me a tiny bit.
Any lingering distraction vanished soon enough. Before long, Aileen emerged in the maid uniform.
“Frey. Is this good enough?”
“Hmm.”
Was a member of the imperial family really allowed to look like this?
A white frilled headpiece neatly framed her blue hair. The black top and skirt, set off by a pure-white apron, clung snugly to her figure. The skirt was a little short for ease of movement, and the thighs that peeked between the fabric flaunted a sensual charm.
I had given her a uniform meant for a maid of similar build, yet somehow it emphasized every curve. Her chest… her chest… It looked less like a proper maid uniform and more like a maid-style dress.
Simply put, the outfit suited her far too well.
“Well? Does it look good?”
“It shouldn’t look good on you, Aileen. Though… it’s passable, I suppose.”
“I’ve always dreamed of trying something like this on.”
“You wanted to experience menial labor?”
“Mm. That might be better? So, do we just walk out like this?”
“Shh.”
Right on cue, two maids were approaching from down the corridor. I whispered into Aileen’s ear.
“Stick close behind me, keep your head slightly bowed, and follow. Do not open your mouth.”
“Got it.”
“Let’s go.”
We walked naturally so that our path would cross the two maids. Recognizing me, they greeted us.
“Oh my, Head Butler. Are you coming from seeing the young lady?”
“No. Just passing by. Are you two on laundry duty?”
“Yes, that’s right! But who’s the maid next to you?”
One of them frowned as she looked Aileen over.
“I don’t think I’ve seen a girl like her before?”
“She’s an apprentice. I ran into her on the way back from the village today. She said she wanted to work for the house, so I brought her along.”
“Oh my, really? If she caught the Head Butler’s eye, she must be decent.”
“Not at all.”
I cut her off flatly. We needed to leave the estate, after all.
“I brought her because she claimed she would work hard, but she has no skill and nothing but pride. If I’m not careful she’ll only cause trouble for the Duke and the young lady. I’m about to throw her out.”
“Oh dear. She looks so well-behaved, though.”
“Doesn’t she? She looks so well-behaved, right?”
“……!”
Aileen’s eyes suddenly sparkled as she turned to the maid. What on earth was she doing?!
I tried to stop her, but Aileen would not be stopped.
“Maid—no, Senior—do I look well-behaved to you too?”
“Uh, w-well? You’re very pretty. And you look like you’d be good at the work.”
“How do you think the Head Butler sees me?”
“Hmm.”
The maid studied Aileen carefully. Then she said something utterly absurd.
“I think he’d like you a lot? You’ve got exactly the kind of atmosphere the Head Butler goes for.”
“Really? You’re not lying?”
“Of course not. I’m quite the senior around here. I know the Head Butler’s tastes well.”
She was indeed a senior, and she had spent a long time working with me—but that statement was absolutely wrong.
“Cheer up, Apprentice Maid! We’ll be rooting for you!”
“That’s right. Head Butler, don’t be too cold about sending her away. Hoho!”
The two maids left laughing. Once they were out of sight, Aileen grinned up at me.
“They say I’m the kind of woman you like.”
“The idle chatter of commoners. Forget it.”
Honestly… I had no idea how the rest of this day was going to go.