***Arc 7 One Who Bare Their Fang on Reason, Chapter 169 Giterns Father and Daughter***
――It is rare to see such a healthy baby.
It seemed that those who watched her being born repeated those words in their mouths.
The room was filled with the sound of loud crying. Naturally, there was no memory of it. It was a baby.
Apparently, the name was chosen quickly compared to the two older brothers.
Anne, named after Arnelius, the goddess of spring.
Among the gods, she is a particularly gorgeous, lively, and bright goddess, and it is said that she was the perfect match for the lively Anne, who was born during the thawing of the snow.
After she learned how to crawl, she crawled around the mansion by herself, and when she was able to stand up, she ran out of the mansion and was taken home by a neighbor.
Arne was said to have been a very energetic and curious child.
Her parents thought it would be best to give their tomboyish daughter who had too much energy something to do as soon as possible.
Her parents thought that way, and so they arranged for her to have various tutors in such subjects as etiquette, violin, and academics, but it was a very cramped life.
Arne, who wanted to play around, had nothing but frustration, and it was impossible to motivate her to learn.
Although she now understands her parents' reasoning, Anne thought that a child should have been allowed to grow up a little more relaxed as a child.
Her two older brothers were certainly talented.
Although it can't be helped to compare her with them, she was still able to do things on par with other people.
They should have let her be a little more after all.
One day, in the midst of such a hard life, a bard came to the mansion.
Entertainment that descends into boring and cramped daily life.
During his several days stay, Anne remembers asking him to tell him stories over and over again.
One of her favorites was the story of the princess and her servant.
The servant she loved dearly was stolen from her by her evil mother, and she took revenge――that's the plot of the story, and the bard's good narration probably played a part as well.
The servant tried to protect the princess from her evil mother's attempts to educate her, but she was unable to do anything and was killed.
When the princess learns of this, she was furious and takes up the sword only out of love for her servant.
It was a tragic love story, and the end of the story was so sad that she cried a lot.
The story was so memorable that she still get teary-eyed when she thought about it.
It was after that that Anne developed a kind of longing for a servant.
She puts a lot of effort into studying etiquette, and when she has free time, she helps the servants at the mansion and learns a lot.
‘Arne, umm... I'm glad that you're motivated, but... you're imitating a servant in your own estate is...’
‘No, Father. After all, I am still immature. I thought it would be better to learn from my mistakes while I am being cared for by my parents, rather than causing trouble after I went out. Recently, I have fewer failures and I am making good progress!’
‘Well, well, Argosh. I don't really understand, but Anne is really motivating me to study in the future. Pouring cold water on it is...i-it's true that she haven't had many failures lately, and she’s doing her best.''
‘U-uumu…’
Mistaking them for weeds, she pulled herbs from her father's vegetable garden, wiping a paintings dry.
Mistaking the pattern on the vase for dirt and polishing it until it was smooth――she made many mistakes in the beginning, but she learned a lot from the mistakes over the years, and despite some minor flaws, she had grown to the point where she could handle most things.
‘I've asked the other side to take care of it, but the royal territory is under His Majesty's control. Try not to get carried away and do something unusual. There are many people in the royal mansion. Maybe someone who will like you――‘
‘Yes, I will aim to be a splendid servant, father (Otou-sama)!’
‘No, a servant is not what you should aim for...’
‘Please leave it to me! I will definitely meet father’s expectations!’
‘N...now, Argosh, this kind of thing should come naturally...like it happened to me and you too. Anne, is fine like this.’
‘U-uumu…’
Her efforts were recognized and her parents encouraged her to move to the royal territory.
Perhaps because of the efforts she had made up until then, life there was not that inconvenient.
She was a little bored, but that was probably due to the fact that she had learned too much beforehand.
The life in the royal domain was a glamorous one, but not a different one, as she welcomed guests and took care of them.
She learned the rules of the royal territory and got used to life there――although the life wasn't bad, it felt like she was immersed in lukewarm water.
As expected from the royal territory.
All of them were a splendid servants, but she couldn't meet anyone who made her feel that person is the one.
It's different from the ideal life of a servant that Anne had imagined.
After all, longing is longing, and a story is a story.
One day, while living with such resignation――
‘I heard that the Margrave Christand will be welcomed here, Anne. He will stay in this estate while he is in royal territory.
‘...That's rare. Margrave Christand...’
‘Don't tell me, you don't know?”
‘Of course I know, Giterns is also in the north.’
There was no one in the north who didn’t know Bogan-Christand, a hero of the kingdom who accomplished many military feats.
He was originally a baron or a count of a castle, a genuine warrior who rose from a lowly nobleman to become a margrave, the pinnacle of military service, in his own lifetime.
He now commands an army as a general in the northern part of the kingdom, was is said to have taken further credit for preventing a major invasion by the Holy Empire in a recent war.
He was popular among commoners and young nobles.
However, it was rare for him to be assigned lodging in a royal estate like this.
The royal estate was literally the king's garden.
Even if the estate was used as a temporary place to change clothes, it was only guests from other countries or those who are members of the royal family that were allowed to sleep in the estate, and it was rare for a mere nobleman to be allowed to stay there, even if it’s a Margrave.
As she was pondering just how much of a military feat it was,
‘...It seems like someone over there ordered it to arrange something like that.’
A colleague who listened pointed to the royal castle and announced in a low voice.
After all, it is the life of a member of the royal family.
‘Be more careful than usual. In particular, Orthal-sama has told me to treat the servant Argan-sama as if she is the margrave's wife.''
‘A servant as the wife?’
‘yes. It's a famous story, but don't you know it?’
‘Um...not at all.’
‘You really are…’
Margrave Christand lost his wife several years ago.
He was a great aristocrat with a great reputation.
If that happens, he will naturally be approached by people from all over the place to find a new wife――but it seems that Margrave Christand continues to refuse all such offers.
This was a strange story considering that he had no concubines and only had a daughter and an adopted daughter.
It was not unusual for a woman to become the head of the family, but such cases were usually due to unavoidable circumstances such as the death of a brother.
It is not very desirable for a woman who is at risk of dying in childbirth to inherit the family, and it is normal for a woman to want a new spouse in order to have a male child in her direct lineage.
In such cases, it was common to choose a new partner either by marriage or from among the servants, but this narrowed the focus.
The situation with the Christand family, despite its size, there was only one servant――the sister of the deceased margrave's wife.
She is in her mid-twenties, but it is not as if she has returned to marry someone else, and is said to be a beautiful woman, much like the late margrave's wife.
Considering these circumstances, perhaps the younger sister would take the older sister place and become the margrave's wife――that was apparently the rumor among the noble.
‘…You really know a lot about that kind of thing huh.’
‘You, knowing this kind of information is part of your job, Anne. Indulging in gossip isn't just laziness.’
No matter how she looked at her co-workers who usually enjoyed gossip, she couldn't describe them as anything other than slacking off, but that aside.
You have to be careful, she continued.
‘To be the only servant in a great noble house like Christand, she must be a very difficult person. She might be surprisingly jealous.’
‘…I see, certainly.’
If you think about it honestly, it would be strange to have only one servant in the mansion.
The work inside an estate is enormous.
There's no way one could manage and maintain it by themself, and normally other servants would be involved.
If the Margrave Christand was not an extremely stingy person, he probably had his own reasons for not having any servants.
It's quite possible that she doesn't like people, and it's also possible that she strongly dislikes her husband being leered at.
‘――What kind of person would it be?’
Anne nervously waits for that day.
‘Please don't be so nervous. Krische-sama doesn't really care about etiquette, and neither do I. It's fine as usual.’
In a way, it could be called love at first sight.
A beautiful, silver-haired, fantastic young lady and a glossy, red-haired, ever-so-gentle servant.
Her demeanor was graceful and lovely.
She had both an enveloping atmosphere and a somewhat ephemeral beauty.
Bery Argan, the servant she met that day, was exactly the ideal servant that Arne Girtens had envisioned.
“――From that day on, I aim to be a wonderful lady and servant like Argan-sama, Father.”
"I-I see..."
After the various confusions had calmed down a little, Argosh Giterns met Anne in a room in the estate, courtesy of Christand.
He held his eyes shut as his beloved daughter told him, endless stories about ‘Arne Giterns' past and future.’
Of course, this was not due to excitement, but from fatigue.
‘How and where did I go wrong?’
Her daughter had gone off in some unknown direction, and his head was aching wondering what to do.
Argosh had not sent Anne to the royal domain to help his daughter grow up to be an ideal servant.
Both of his sons were married, both had grandchildren, and it was smooth sailing.
Anne was the only one left to worry about.
Personally, he would have been relieved if she had found a good partner in the royal territory and married into a family somewhere, but there was not even a hint of that.
Even if the other party was not a noble, it doesn't matter even if it’s a merchant gardener.
He thought it would be fine as long as it made his daughter happy, but――no love talk ever came out of Anne's mouth.
‘Haaa’, he took a deep breath.
He understand her words that Bery Argan is indeed a wonderful servant who can be respected as a woman, but that was a different story.
Not as a noble, but as a parent, he was worried about his daughter's future.
“Thus, now, Argan-sama is the number one servant in the kingdom who is deeply trusted by Her Majesty the Queen...and now I usually work as an attendant to Her Majesty, so my intuition was not wrong after all. ”
"...I understand your point well. That's enough."
Argosh waved as he drank the tea her daughter had brewed.
Almost plain black tea without even a teaspoon of honey.
This was probably done out of consideration for Argosh, who didn’t like sweets.
As expected, he would like some sweetness in the black tea, but to not notice such consideration, made him truly feel her daughter hadn’t changed since before.
“But, Anne. Is that really okay?”
"...?"
"That's right... I think it's about time for you to think about marriage. Do you have a good partner?"
"A good partner..."
Anne tilted her head and shook her black hair.
"I don't care who it is as long as it makes you happy. I'll welcome him even if he’s not a noble. What do you think? Feel free to say it."
"...Hmm, at the moment there are no."
She never expected to be asked such a question.
That's the look on her face. Argosh also knew it well.
Although she couldn’t be called a gorgeous beauty, she did have a lovely face, similar to her mother, but why was there not even a single flirtatious story concerning her?
Argosh was very doubtful.
“I had a busy life in the royal territory to begin with, and now it’s even more so… since I work as a servant, I shouldn’t have such ulterior motives――”
“I see.… It was my fault.”
In the first place, the purpose of making her daughter a servant was for her to make connection and marry, but Anne's idea that she should be a servant was certainly not a mistake.
Argosh also knows that she was strangely serious.
She must have taken it in the wrong direction.
He sighed, remembering that her mother was similar to her.
Improving herself as a servant. That in itself was not a bad thing.
Her mother also used to be Giterns’ servant.
Although she was lacking in some way, Argosh falls in love with her sincerity and her calm and kind personality, proposes marriage, and they become husband and wife――not a bad outcome if you think about it like that.
But she was in Christand.
The head of the family, Selene, a woman.
Younger sister Krische, a woman.
Servants, two women. No butler.
It's impossible to find a partner in Christand, where women live and not a single hint of a man, and if there was one, it's probably from the guest.
However, the problem here was that Anne usually works alongside Her Majesty the Queen.
That in itself was an honor, but it was unlikely that any nobleman would have the courage to approach, Anne the Queen's attendant――looked like the Queen’s attendant.
Christand itself had become so prestigious that it is difficult for an outsider to approach its servant.
Hid daughter's future marriage seemed to be in jeopardy.
Even for a royal attendant, it was difficult to get married.
It was not uncommon for a woman in such a position to remain single for the rest of her life, and there was a good chance that this would happen to Anne in the future.
"If that's the case, Anne, why don't you get her permission and come back to home?"
“To Peels?”
"Ah. It’s not like I don’t understand what you're saying about wanting to find someone to emulate as a woman and improve yourself... but if things continue like this, we won't even meet each other. What do you think about getting married in the future?"
"……marriage"
Argosh nodded and looked into her eyes.
"Yes, don't you want to be like your mother? You like children too, don't you want to see your own son or daughter?"
"I respect mother, and I certainly likes children. ...I might be lying if I said that I don't have those feelings at all, but..."
"There are plenty of marriage opportunities, and I know many good young men. Why don't you meet them face to face?"
‘Hmm’, Anne tilted her head as if troubled.
“Compared to Argan-sama, I still have a long way to go. I doubt that I will ever catch up with her… But even though I am like this, I feel that I am thankfully needed here. There are only three servants, and although Argan-sama is a wonderful servant, she only has one body. Although she is by Her Majesty's side, she cannot take care of Selene-sama and Krische-sama."
There must always be at least one servant by Kreschenta’s side.
Not only that, but even as her time were tied like that, the mansion as well as small chores―― work that should normally be done by a dozen people is now being done by Bery alone.
She couldn’t put any more burden on Bery.
"I'm glad to father's concern, but let's put that aside for now..."
“You might say that, but if things continue like this, you might end up running late. How many years has it been since you went to the royal territory?”
“…About five years.”
"Yes, time passes by in the blink of an eye. You're already in your twenties...it's about time you started thinking about things like that. You're stubborn, and I don't want to get into a fight like before. I won't force you... but please think about this once again.''
Argosh said to Arne and looked around the room.
Even though it belongs to a great noble and was also where Her Majesty the Queen spends time, the furnishings were minimal.
The room wasn't extravagant, but considering their position, it seemed simple.
“I understand that both Her Majesty the Queen and the people of Christand are kind and wonderful people as nobles, and I am glad that you are liked in this way. As the head of the Giterns family, I am honored that you are working like this.''
"ts,....Father."
“However, as a father, I also want my daughter to have as much happiness as possible. If things continue like this, you may end your life as a servant of the kingdom. ...Of course, considering the situation in the kingdom, it's a hectic time right now, and I won't say it's going to happen right away, but...you understand right?”
Nodding deeply, Anne's eyes immediately moistened and she wiped it with her sleeve.
"...What are you crying about, idiot?"
"T-to think Father would say something like that to me..."
"What are you saying. Of course I'll nag you, but...the reason I can't leave you alone is because you're my cute daughter."
Argosh stood up, smiled bitterly, and gently stroked her trembling head.
“The reason why I was angry when you resigned from the royal territory is because I was worried about you. Above all, I'm glad that you're doing well now. But human beings are greedy, and when I see you in good health, I want to see what you will do next. ......How will you live your life from now on? Think about it again.”
"......Yes, Father."
‘I love you Anne’, as Argosh said that, Anne pressed face into Argosh's chest, wetting his clothes.
There was a look in Argosh's eyes as he reconciled with his daughter, with whom he had a falling out.
He tried his best to hold it back and massaged the corners of his eyes.
His tendency to be easily moved to tears was one of the countless flaws that Argosh himsels was aware of.
