Interlude 1
The Maid
Anne's Point of View
Translator : PolterGlast
I was bewildered by
the unexpected order.
The instruction given
to me by the steward Raymond-sama, who oversaw the maids, was something I had
never imagined.
"Anne, from today
onwards, you will officially become a maid of the Solis baronial family. At the
same time, you will serve Takuhir-sama as his exclusive maid and
bodyguard."
I had always thought
that I would serve the eldest son, Dalek-sama, who would eventually inherit the
baronial family.
With that goal in
mind, I had endured rigorous training.
My mother had strictly
disciplined me to become the head maid in the future, and my father had given
me intense combat training every day so that I could serve as a bodyguard and
accompany him into battle.
Raymond-sama's
instruction completely overturned everything I had aimed for.
Frankly, I didn't like
Takuhir-sama.
His words and actions
showed absolutely no awareness of being a lordly noble.
You might think it was
because he was a child, but observing him daily, there were many instances
where his behavior was clearly not childlike, and he could easily be considered
an adult.
He looked like a
five-year-old child.
But his actions and
thoughts were clearly not those of a five-year-old. They were those of a
full-fledged adult.
At times, he would
deliberately feign a childish tone and attitude, which, to me, was transparent
and even evoked a sense of aversion.
If he weren't a child,
and I changed my way of thinking, then his actions lacked the awareness of a
noble.
This became a hidden
irritation, and I think I responded to him with outwardly polite but inwardly
rude behavior.
"Please consider
behaving more like a noble."
I gave up on saying
these words soon after I began serving him.
Instead, I said
calmly,
"If the baronial
family treats you so casually, as if you were a commoner's child, the other
party will also feel at ease and not be intimidated by you as a noble."
Of course, this was
also a remonstrance.
The reason I could
only express myself in such a spiteful way was probably due to my frustration
at losing my goal and wanting to intentionally distance myself from this eerie
child.
However, at some
point, my feelings towards Takuhir-sama suddenly changed.
He was desperately
thinking about the future of the Estol territory in his own way.
He read many books and
was trying to dedicate his accumulated wisdom to the future of the Solis
baronial family.
It was because I
realized this.
I came to understand
that his eccentric behavior was part of his efforts towards that goal.
The workshop he often
visited was run by craftsmen who were proud of their skills and would not fawn
over nobles.
They, who had become
familiar with Takuhir-sama through his un-noble behavior, now treated him with
respect.
Meanwhile, I was
sulking over personal matters, acting out my petty thoughts on a child who had
done nothing wrong.
Takuhir-sama continued
to treat even me, who was like that, without change.
I was truly ashamed.
I was made to realize
that I was the childish one.
・Starting with the development of a never-seen-before
[waterwheel].
・A new portable preserved food called [dried noodles].
・The establishment of [granaries for famine relief] by
taking advantage of the [bumper crop].
・The baronial family always stood in an advantageous
position to the merchants, foreseeing the future.
・The utilization of a food that no one paid attention
to, [turnips].
・The [great famine] of the following year, as if it had
been predicted.
Anyone who knew the
series of events would tremble.
Everything was linked
from the very first step.
And to the
impoverished citizens, he extended a helping hand without discrimination with
[refugee measures], not just giving but also properly considering the path to
self-reliance.
This person possesses
the qualities of a ruler. I thought so.
And next, he was
predicting the invasion threat from an enemy country, something no one had even
imagined, and was conducting the [development of powerful new weapons].
His thoughts always go
far beyond my imagination.
And I realized.
I held a sense of
respect for this child who was ten years younger than me and still very young.
"I swear upon my
life, I will protect you with all my heart and soul."
These words came out
unconsciously. They were not something I was instructed to say as a duty, nor
were they a mere repetition.
I vowed.
I would become
Takuhir-sama's greatest supporter.
I would actively lend
a hand to help him achieve what he was trying to do.
His un-noble behavior,
which I had previously frowned upon, no longer mattered to me. I had come to
think so.
As usual, I reported
today's actions of Takuhir-sama to Raymond-sama.
I tried to report as
objectively as possible, but recently I sometimes spoke with passion.
After the report,
Raymond-sama said something unexpected.
"Anne, you have
become Takuhir-sama's second worshipper, huh?"
I shrank back,
thinking I would be reprimanded, but he had a gentle smile on his face.
"The second...?"
"I have no
intention of relinquishing the first seat."
Saying so,
Raymond-sama smiled gently.
I felt that I now
clearly understood why I had been made Takuhir-sama's exclusive maid instead of
Dalek-sama's.
And I thanked
Raymond-sama once again for giving me this task.
Finally, I conveyed my
feelings of gratitude.
"I also have
confidence in becoming number one. I am grateful to Raymond-sama for entrusting
me with such an important task..."
-----
Thank you for my Patrons !!
[Platinum]
Swagaraga
[Gold]
B random
DavidA
Nepheos
[Silver]
Creris
Fred A.
Frédéric Bertrand-Hudon
Matthew Fraser
Anton Lim
Ctdela
Curious Panda
Read Advanced Chapters only on my Patreon
-----
