The issue of Adelia’s maid conversion was important, but there are still many matters left unresolved, piled up like a mountain. Leona and her mother are scheduled to visit the estate soon, and Cherry, who has disguised herself, will also be visiting shortly.
Leona is aware of information about Adelia, and Cherry is closely related to my identity. Therefore, I intentionally excluded stories related to Cherry. Although I provided a rough explanation in the letter, it’s much better to hear directly from the individuals involved than to read it.
I explained in detail to my mother, seeking her opinion on how to proceed in the future. Both of my parents are aware that Leona is a beastwoman. Especially my father, having experienced conflicts with beastmen in the border areas during his active duty, witnessed his comrades falling to the savage beastmen with his own eyes.
Naturally, there is bound to be resentment towards them. As mentioned before, there is a deep concern that my father might vehemently oppose it. Although the whole situation has come about weirdly, Leona’s affection towards me is sincere. She passionately rubs her face as if she has truly become a cat, and even her tail sways.
The incidents arising from cultural differences between humans and beastmen don’t bother those around us. To the extent that others expressed that they see Leona not as a competitor but as a pet. This is a shared opinion between Marie and Cecily.
And then, as if indifferent to the explanation, mother opened her mouth.
“Don’t worry about that. Both I and your dad don’t pay much attention to it.”
“Even Dad, Mom?”
“Yeah. At first, he frowned a bit, but he respected your choice.”
Unexpectedly, even Dad responded calmly. It seems I worried for nothing, and it kinda made me feel disappointed.
“But the child is coming just with her name, right? Being the daughter of the third wife, she has nothing, right?”
“Yes. She said the other wives, except the first one, are spoils of war.”
“Is there anything that child can help you with?”
“Well…”
I heard my mother’s question and thought deeply. Leona is known not only among students but also among professors for her excellent reputation, as she is dedicated to her studies.
Her intellect is extraordinary, and although she may be stern, she is also eloquent. I’ve heard that she even had a debate with a professor last time, although she ended up losing. However, the professor highly praised her curiosity and gave her a perfect score.
Because of this, professors are making efforts to bring Leona in as their assistant. However, Professor Elena, who is in charge of history, seems indifferent. In her freshman year, she couldn’t adapt due to the complex political situation of human society and beastmen, but by the second year, she expressed her talents and abilities without reservation.
“Her reputation within the academy is really good. You could say she has a promising future as a scholar.”
“A scholar… What kind of scholar does she want to become?”
“I’m not sure about that. Leona’s goal is solely to graduate from the academy.”
Leona, in order to make her mother happy, entered the Halo Academy while hiding her true identity. Her sole goal is to obtain a graduation certificate from the Halo Academy.
If she only needs the certificate for graduation, there’s no need for her to enter a specific department; she just has to complete the courses until the fourth year.
“Not aiming to become a scholar?”
“Yes. She told me that she’s just going to get the graduation certificate to make her mother happy.”
“A rare dutiful daughter. Hmmm…”
After hearing my story, my mother picked up a neatly cut piece of fruit and put it in her mouth. After a few thoughtful moments, she shifted her gaze to Adelia.
Adelia’s face is still red from the recent incident. It seems she’s too embarrassed to even lift her head properly.
“Well then, Leona, how about assigning that girl, too, to maid duties?”
As if she had just come up with a good idea after staring intently at Adelia for a while, my mother opened her mouth.
I widened my eyes at her words.
“What? What are you talking about? You want Leona to do maid work, too?”
“Wouldn’t that be the best? ‘I am a person with outstanding abilities, enough to employ a woman who graduated from the Halo Academy as a maid!’ It’s something to show off about, isn’t it?”
Is that so? I tilted my head in response to my mother’s suggestion, which seemed to make sense but carried a subtle nuance.
I vaguely recall hearing a similar story in my past life. I can’t remember the details, but it involved a method frequently employed by wealthy individuals obsessed with honor.
Furthermore, even in this world, there exists a certain level of educational elitism. The difference between scholars who have graduated from the Halo Academy and those who haven’t is quite significant.
However, the method my mother proposed seems to take a considerable amount of time, so it might be best to put it on hold for the time being. I should also consult with Leona; her opinion matters the most after all.
“Alright, I understand. I’ll ask Leona about it, and we can take our time to think it over…”
“That’s a good idea. And… Adelia?”
“Yes, yes?”
Adelia, startled by mother’s call, raised her head with wide, sky-blue eyes filled with surprise.
“I’ll talk to Dana, the head maid. Starting tomorrow, go to her for education. Since training may be necessary, I will inform my husband as well.”
“Thank you, Lady Baroness.”
“Don’t mention it. Instead, promise me. Promise that you’ll stay by Isaac’s side no matter what happens.”
Was it the sincerity and kindness in mother’s question that resonated in her heart?
As soon as Adelia heard her mother’s request, she hesitated for a moment, then clenched the fist she had placed on her thigh tightly.
At the same time, her expression changed infinitely serious. The maiden who had been embarrassed just a moment ago disappeared without a trace, and only a resolute knight remained.
However, regardless of the atmosphere, she seemed to be unsure, opening and closing her mouth repeatedly. Despite her usually carefree demeanor, this revealed the delicate side of her inner self.
Grab-
To alleviate her burden even a little, I placed my hand on her fist, which was resting on her thigh. As I did so, Adelia looked at me with surprise.
Without saying a word, I gently smiled and nodded, causing Adelia’s tightly clenched fist to loosen.
Eventually, holding our hands that were previously closed, we shared warmth with each other. Adelia’s hands were calloused and tough from rigorous training, rough and hard.
In response to my reassurance, Adelia gained confidence, and the corners of her mouth curled up, showing a confident smile.
“Of course, lady baroness.”
Finally opening her mouth, Adelia held my hand tightly as if she no longer felt the need to hide.
“Whatever happens, I will protect Isaac.”
A determination so firm that it couldn’t be broken. In response to those resolute words, Mother nodded with a satisfied smile.
Upon hearing Adelia’s decision, I smiled contentedly. She had all the qualities, but she lacked the courage to take a step forward. One might say she lacked ambition.
I hope today serves as an opportunity for her to gather courage and a bit of ambition. Adelia deserves to be loved by someone.
“I understand your feelings well. Then…”
Mother checked Adelia’s expression, then, with a clap of her hands, spoke cheerfully.
“Shall we go measure for the dress now?”
“What?”
Adelia replied with a puzzled voice to the unexpected suggestion. The serious atmosphere seemed to once again quietly fade away.
Nevertheless, she still tightly held onto my hand, trying not to let go. It seemed she was unaware, so I left it alone.
“You are Isaac’s exclusive maid, right? Especially since Adelia is tall and has a good figure, measurements must be taken for sure.”
“Oh, I see. I understand.”
“Next… Isaac?”
When Adelia was making a bewildered expression, mother called me this time.
Without much thought, I faced her and answered.
“Yes, mother.”
“Do you have any specific design in mind?”
“Design?”
“Yes, design. Exclusive maids can order the attire their masters desire.”
Is that so? I don’t know much about maids, so I’m not sure if it’s true or false.
If you see a person’s expression, you can understand their intentions, but my mother always has a smiling face. Every time we talk, she makes that expression. I wonder if there’s a reason for it.
Adelia? Adelia is someone who dedicates herself only to martial arts, to the point of not even knowing polite language. Even now, she’s reacting with a bewildered face, as if questioning if this is right.
So, it means I can say exactly what I want about her attire. I cautiously opened my mouth while glancing at Adelia.
“Can I show it later in a drawing? It’s difficult to explain it here as it emphasizes practicality.”
“Of course. Even your mom is curious.”
Adelia couldn’t join in our conversation and sat quietly in the corner. She blinked her eyes like a big cat, only making eye movements.
While talking with my mother, I smiled inwardly. Even as an exclusive maid, there must be conventional clothing. However, seeing that mother suggesting this, it means I can go with what I want. In that case, I should.
“Adelia noona.”
“Uh, yeah?”
“Noona, will you wear any clothes, no matter what?”
Adelia rolled her sky-blue eyes and answered in a hesitant voice.
“Yeah, of course. As long as it’s not weird…”
“It won’t be weird at all. As I mentioned earlier, it’ll be practical and comfortable.”
“Then, okay…”
She sent a reluctant gaze, but accepted. Since she gave permission herself, all that’s left is submitting the design.
‘I look forward to it.’
I hope the day when Adelia wears the maid outfit comes quickly.
*****
The maid incident with Adelia was resolved smoothly, but work still piled up like a mountain. Not only can I not publish the side story until the publisher completely moves to our territory, but I also have to prepare for the exhibition.
In that sense, I moved to the study to help my father with his work, but…
“What’s all this?”
“Documents.”
As soon as I saw the stack of documents piled high on my father’s desk, I couldn’t help but panic. It was stacked so high that it reached my eye level.
No matter how much progress has been made and even with the construction of the new temple, isn’t this too much paperwork? I watched my father, who was wearing glasses and meticulously reading and signing the documents.
From the perfectionistic tendencies that have been carried on since his days as the commander, they were still being displayed now. One could suggest just quickly signing them and being done with it. However, the problem is that each document is very important.
The buildings that are currently under construction, as well as the tariffs coming from other countries, are all matters to be concerned about. It’s not just one or two things.
Of course, all of this is because of Xenon’s Biography and the exhibition. Originally, the territory that should have developed years later was rapidly growing due to the exhibition.
The meaning of planned development later implies that personnel appointments will also start from that time. In other words, all document processing has been handled by my father.
“Didn’t they say they dispatched personnel from the imperial palace?”
“They did, to this extent. More than half of these are approval documents.”
My father answered without even lifting his head in response to my question. He was so busy that his hands never rested.
In a world where even computers have not been invented, not to mention calculators, the importance of documents goes without saying. Probably because people calculate manually, there are more than a few cases where mistakes occur.
As a result, professions like accountants belong to the highest level of talent. However, until just a few months ago, our territory was nothing more than a rural backwater. Although support from the imperial palace was provided, it’s inevitably insufficient.
“Don’t just stare, do you have any intention of helping Father?”
“Do I have the authority? You mentioned approval documents.”
“…No, you don’t. If it were up to me, I would want to pass on the job to you right now.”
I wonder how difficult the work is for him to say such a thing. Just looking at the piled-up documents would make you nauseous, and it must be dreadful to be in a position where you have to approve them.
In the end, my father briefly stopped and took off his glasses. Massaging his temples to express fatigue was an added touch.
“So, what brings you here?”
“I thought there might be something I could help with.”
“There’s plenty to do. Welcoming future guests and inspecting the estate. That alone is sufficient.”
“Like the last exhibition?”
If it’s something like that, it’s easy. Just like the last exhibition.
But that was a complete mistake.
“Yes. And you’ll also have to play the role of a guide. Not only for the Ters royal family but also for our empire.”
“Excuse me?”
As I was getting confused by the news I heard for the first time, my father continued with an indifferent tone.
“Moreover, there’s been communication from Helium and Alvenheim. They want to enjoy this exhibition together, so they’re asking for guidance.”
“··· ···”
“My son.”
With a complex expression, my father asked me, who was staring blankly.
“What on earth have you been up to?”
“… ..”
“Even Grand Inquisitor Kate, what did you do to make your old man so troubled?”
I was just overwhelmingly sorry.
Translators note:
Accidentally posted again. Fixed.
