Turning to Eliza, she spoke, "First of all, I am sorry, Young Miss. To be honest, you've returned at a… rather bad time. I would be considered rude, but I think you need to know this."
The maid, Linda, paused slightly as she took a deep breath. As she exhaled, her breasts moved slightly, up and down. "The Lord, your father, has changed lately."
"Father?"
"Yes." Linda nodded slightly, glancing at me. "I guess this is related to the church too, but please keep it a secret. I don't want Madam to feel… burdened, so…" Then she glanced at Emilia.
"Ah, I don't need to hear it."
Noticing the subtle glance, Emilia spoke first and stood up.
"May I look at the garden in front of the mansion? They seem to be beautiful and perfect to kill sometimes." She continued with an aloof expression, the one she often wore when she taught people in the academy.
"Please feel free to." Linda smiled softly at Emilia. She opened the door and gestured for her to leave. "This is the way, Miss Emilia."
"Thank you." Emilia walked to the exit as she said so. When she passed me, she gave me a wink and whispered. "Good luck."
'That woman…'
My eyes followed Emilia's back as her hips swayed with each step until she disappeared into the hallway.
'She knows what I planned to do.'
I smiled slightly when I realized it. Among the girls who attached themselves to me, Emilia seemed to be the most mature and understanding of my situation. Maybe it was because she was a teacher? But I liked that part about her.
That was also why I could trust her to do what I ordered without messing up and became my representative in dealing with things that I was too lazy to do.
Clack!
And when Linda closed the door once again and locked it, she looked at me with a serious face and bowed deeply.
"Please help the Madam, Sir Vainglory."
This was totally unexpected. Even Eliza got surprised and looked at Linda with widened eyes.
"M-Mama? Help her?" My childhood friend asked with a cracked voice. "W-What's wrong with her?"
Linda, why couldn't you be a bit subtle about it?
Eliza had experienced a lot lately, and her emotion wasn't stable yet. Heck, it was just stabilized a little while ago when I consoled her, but now she freaked out once again.
Noticing my sharp gaze, Linda coughed and continued.
"N-No, it's about the trial she mentioned earlier. It's just… it burdened her slightly."
Thankfully, she noticed my cue and decided to make it a bit softer.
"Madam had been the one who took care of almost every document related to the fief lately due to Lord's… getting a bit tired. I am unaware of the details, but it seemed Madam needed some rest. That's why I asked for help." She said in a reassuring tone and smiled slightly.
'She's lying.'
Well, I knew that she was lying because I sent a sign to her to be more subtle. But would Eliza believe something like that?
"I-I see…" Eliza nodded with understanding and a serious expression. "Mama is working really hard."
Ah, it seemed like she believed Linda. How did I say it? Eliza sometimes was smart and sharp and could guess my emotions correctly. But sometimes…
'She's like a naïve child.'
That difference was something that made her cute, but it would definitely bite back at her if she met some liars. Not that I would let her be harmed, but…
Returning to the topic, Linda glanced at me, telling me with her eyes why she should hide this stuff from Eliza. I didn't say anything and turned my attention to Eliza.
"Come to think of it, why don't you go to your mother, Eliza? I will hang around with teacher Emilia around the city in the meantime." I proposed and smiled at her. "You must've missed her quite a lot, no?"
"Huh? But…" Eliza replied hesitantly, looking at me and then at Linda before stopping at me. "Isn't Mama busy? Linda said that–"
"Please don't worry, Young Miss. Madam has finished all her business today. She just needed to relax after signing two more documents, so she would have some time to spend with you."
Linda added before Eliza finished her sentence, confusing my childhood friend further. She tilted her head cutely.
"But–"
"Madam would like to spend some time with you, Young Miss." The maid interrupted once again, stepping away from the door. "Madam is usually in the study room or her private room if you want to find her."
The maid approached Eliza with a smile and prompted her to get up from the couch. She put her hands under Eliza's armpits. Her breasts were pushed against Eliza's back as she raised the brown-haired girl.
"W-What are you doing? T-That tickles me, Linda!"
"Come on, Young Miss. If you want to cheer Madam up, then just meet her."
"I-I know. I get it, I said! S-Stop! Get your hands away from me!"
"Now, Young Miss, you will just run away and refuse to see your mother if I release you, so I will take you to her."
"Linda! I am not a child anymore. H-Hey, Arthur! Help me!!" She extended her hand toward me, seeking help. But I didn't do anything.
Eliza kept shouting as the maid half-forced her to get out of the room and closed the door behind them. I was left speechless, blinking repeatedly while looking at the closed door.
That was unexpected. I gestured for the maid to keep silent and hinted that Eliza needed to leave the room. But I never thought she would do it… forcefully like that.
By Eliza's reaction earlier, it seemed like this happened a lot when she was a child. So I decided to get comfortable for a few minutes until Linda returned, which I guessed would be the case.
And just after I ate the snack I took from my inventory, the door was opened again, and Linda entered.
"My apologies. I only thought of Madam and forgot about Young Miss."
The door behind her was closed at the same time Linda bowed her head.
"I almost told Young Miss something that I should keep a secret from her. I was a failure of a maid due to my impatience. So I thank you for stopping me with your gesture, Sir Vainglory. But I must ask something…"
She raised her head, looking at me with a judging gaze.
"If you've already settled the matter with the Duke, what might be the reason you come to the Rose Barony? Surely it's not for homecoming, no? What do you know about our situation? And why did you stop me before I even said anything to Young Miss?"
"I know nothing." I shook my head and shrugged my shoulders. "I just thought that maybe what you wanted to say isn't something that Eliza should hear."
"I… see… My apologies." Linda apologized once again and bowed.
"It's not a problem." I said. "More importantly, what do you need my help with?"
The maid gritted her teeth, holding the edge of her short skirt.
"As I said earlier, it's about Madam. But before that, allow me to tell you about something." She started explaining with a cracked voice about the situation within Rose Barony.
First, she told me how their lord had changed in the past few days. Second, she explained what he did all the time, sneaking out of the territory and returning without any money on him.
Some maids were also harassed, something that had never happened before. The Lord somehow pushed all the works to Madam and only worked when the engagement letter arrived, but he turned once again after he sent Otto out.
And then, this morning was the end of the straw.
"He exuded an unpleasant aura, a sign that his Sins had been piled up to the point his Virtues had dried up. He then hit Madam once before disappearing." Linda ended the story while biting her lips. She then looked at me with a hopeful gaze.
"Please, Sir Vainglory. As a Paladin, surely you know the case of his sudden change to the point he hit Madam in the open. I believe in you. Help us to find out why the kind Lord suddenly became like a hooligan. Please!"
Linda bowed deeply, on the verge of kneeling. I looked at her with a pitiful gaze.
However, inside, I had a different thought. Why? Because I already knew the reason behind his sudden change.
'It's happening.'
I couldn't let my real thoughts be shown on my face. So I stood up and approached Linda, putting my hand gently over her shoulder.
"Don't worry."
My voice was calm and soothing. She raised her head, and our eyes met.
"I will try to find out the reason behind the Lord's change. However, I can't promise he will go unpunished because, from your description, he now has more Sins than the Virtues he accumulated all his lifetime."
"Even so, do you still want my help?"
"I am loyal to Madam." The maid replied almost immediately with a firm expression. "If I judge my Lord is not suitable to be Madam's husband anymore, I will keep him away from her even if Madam punishes me later. So my answer is yes, Sir Vainglory. Please help, Madam."
"Very well." I nodded at her, smiling at her conviction. "Let's find out the reason together. That way, we can tell Madam Vivian the truth."
"Yes."
