episode_0022

It had been a few days since Eiria and Alicia were sent to the Silverwood Territory.

After the stream of visitors for Edan’s well-wishes finally subsided, Isabelle and I could return to our original duties.

Instead of pouring our time and stress into entertaining guests and kitchen chores, we now wandered around the mansion together like before, handling odd jobs like cleaning and laundry.

…Although there was one slight change that made it not quite the same as before.

“Lilith, uh, no, Lilith! I’ve cleaned all the floors on the second floor! Is there anything else you need me to do?”

“No, if you’re done, just go ahead and rest.”

“Oh, should I clean the windows instead? Actually, until last year, I almost always cleaned the windows on the second and third floors by myself! Lilith, uh, Lilith can finish faster than you!”

“No, this is my job. Just rest after finishing the hallway. Isabelle and I will take a break once we’re done with our tasks.”

“Well, but… Lilith is still working, so can I rest first…?”

“Remember, Katarina is your senior. Stop worrying about me and just go rest.”

“Okay…”

Since Katarina joined us, almost all tasks unfolded in a similar manner.

Normally, Isabelle and I would leisurely complete tasks at our own pace, but Katarina ended up taking on about 70% of the workload alone, leaving us dawdling while work got done.

Given that Eiria and Alicia were far away, working with Katarina didn’t seem too strange.

Truth be told, thanks to her, tasks finished quicker than before, allowing more downtime physically, though…

“It’s getting quite burdensome, this situation.”

Katarina’s tendency to take over tasks, even those assigned to me, was starting to weigh on me mentally, aside from the physical fatigue.

I wasn’t fond of relationships where one only received without giving back.

Either a dry relationship where nothing was exchanged or at least a give-and-take dynamic was preferable.

Leaving everything to Katarina each time felt uneasy.

“Just a little more, and I’ll be done. Please, Katarina, take a break. You already cleaned the second-floor hallway alone; how much more of our work are you going to snatch?”

“Alright… Then, I’ll, I’ll go rest…”

Seeing Katarina walk away with a gloomy expression due to lack of tasks, a tinge of guilt crept in.

Yearning for the days when Isabelle and I worked peacefully together was an unavoidable reality.

“She’s genuinely kind, but…”

Of course, I could somewhat understand her feelings.

With the Tanasia necklace theft case resolved, all suspicions against her vanished instantly.

Even the unjust maid status she held was restored, so if I were in a similar position, I might have felt immense gratitude towards Lilith.

Nevertheless, expressing such intense gratitude might burden the other person unnecessarily.

“Can’t we just treat her like an ordinary fellow maid?”

“Indeed, dealing with Katarina feels a bit overwhelming.”

“What a surprise.”

Lost in my thoughts, Isabelle crept up beside me and almost startled me with her agreement to my soliloquy, just like last time.

She’s really sneaky, getting so close when you’re not paying attention.

“I’ve finished cleaning the windows, Lillis?”

“Just three more to go now.”

“Well then, I’ll help too! Let’s finish quickly and go rest together!”

“Thank you.”

Isabelle took one of the dry cloths I was holding in my hands and started cleaning the windows together.

Yeah, this distance was just right, not too burdensome.

Rather than feeling pressured to rest first because she would take over, it was a light suggestion to finish together that made it easier.

This way, I could approach helping Isabelle next time without feeling burdened.

“Senior Katarina, what should we do?”

“Why? Did Senior Katarina offer to do the work again today?”

“Yeah. If something isn’t said clearly, it seems like things will continue like this.”

“While it’s fortunate that the suspicion hanging over Senior Katarina has been cleared, she does seem a bit too happy, as Lillis mentioned.”

“Well, considering the rumors about Aeria and Alicia going to the Silverwood Territory, it’s not surprising things turned out this way…”

The fact that Aeria and Alicia went to the Silverwood Territory was already publicly known within the mansion.

Harold intentionally let the rumors spread to show what consequences await those who handle Tanasia’s belongings recklessly.

Some of us servants also understood the ‘truth’ behind the punishment of being dispatched to the Silverwood Territory.

“She said they went to the Silverwood Territory, right? If Lillis hadn’t been there to dispel the suspicion, I wonder if Senior Katarina would have actually gone there.”

“…That could have been possible.”

“They say it’s incredibly cold there year-round, to the point where snow never melts? And there are many dangerous monsters. I wouldn’t want to go there either…”

Isabelle seemed unaware of the true meaning behind being dragged to the Silverwood Territory.

Well, if she didn’t know, there was no need to reveal those details. It wouldn’t feel good to hear the truth about some senior maids being taken as slaves.

In that sense, perhaps it was truly fortunate that Katarina was rescued. If she had ended up enduring a lifetime of slavery as a punishment for a crime she didn’t commit, she would probably have wanted to die.

Of course, rescuing her from such a miserable fate did not justify the current situation.

It wasn’t an act done in anticipation of reciprocation, and if we were to be critical, my actions were akin to taking advantage of Katarina’s predicament when I sent Aeria away.

Perhaps it was simply an action taken to save myself from future dangers, not with the actual intention of saving her position. So, expecting gratitude was odd in itself.

Even if I were to explain this to Katarina, she wouldn’t believe it, but still, claiming that I helped her was a fact, and voluntary acts of kindness would likely continue in the future.

“Sigh…”

The problem was that the longer Katarina’s behavior persisted, the more inadvertently conspicuous I became.

Originally, there were around fifteen maids in the mansion, including us three. Including other staff like butlers, guards, cooks, etc., there were roughly 50 to 60 servants in total.

Among them, my actions could appear as if I were favoring Katarina, setting a hierarchy among lower maids and delaying work, which could be seen in a negative light rather than a positive one.

As previously mentioned, whether it’s good or bad, receiving attention itself wasn’t desirable for me.

Moreover, due to recently finding Tanasia’s necklace, I’ve been attracting attention from various people, including Harold.

Any further viral marketing would be detrimental to Relise. It could potentially reveal the fatal secret that I can use magic.

However, despite repeating warnings numerous times, there was no improvement. Yet, I couldn’t outright refuse or shout in front of Isabel.

Observing Isabel worrying about a problem that might explode in various ways, she subtly offered me advice.

“If dealing with Senior Katarina is burdensome, why not confront her decisively?”

“We’ve already confronted each other several times…”

“No. Instead of just asking her to stop talking, have Relise properly request something from Senior Katarina.”

“….Hmm?”

“Ask Senior Katarina for a reasonable favor, and consider it as repaying her previous kindness. She might agree somehow, right?”

“As expected of ‘clever Isabel.’ She certainly excels in practical wisdom.”

She excels at work, has a sharp mind, and is quite pretty too.

If only she didn’t lack combat abilities, she could have easily become a sub-heroine of the Luminoir Academy.

Nodding in agreement with her plausible advice, I replied positively, “Isabel, your suggestion seems like a good idea.”

“Really?”

“But I’m not sure what favor to ask for. Just randomly requesting maid duties like now might not be taken seriously by Senior Katarina.”

“Well… Senior Katarina worked at Blackwood Manor a year before us, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“How about asking her to take us on a tour of the Blackwood estate next holiday? Senior Katarina probably knows much more about the estate than Nana or Relise.”

“Hmm?”

“I heard Senior Katarina’s name was cleared recently, and the debt maid measures were lifted. Perhaps she’ll gladly agree?”

Isabel kept proposing convincing suggestions one after another, almost as if she had prepared them in advance.

Thanks to Isabel’s wisdom, I momentarily forgot my situation and almost agreed that it was a good idea.

Unfortunately, Isabel’s proposal had one fatal flaw that I couldn’t follow.

“Isabel, I’ve been embarrassed to mention this until now.”

“Hmm?”

“In truth, I was sold into servitude due to my father’s gambling debts. I’m a debt maid working here. I probably can’t leave the manor.”

“Oh, I-I’m sorry… I didn’t know Relise was in such a situation…”

“That’s understandable. I didn’t disclose everything from the start. Still, I appreciate your advice.”

Isabel’s advice was indeed quite useful, if only I weren’t a debt maid.

If I could freely enter and exit based on my status alone, I wouldn’t be strolling through the Blackwood estate but hunting slimes in the back mountains to utilize my overflowing magical power, nearly 20 times my maximum stamina.

Despite that, “Relise recently played a significant role in recovering Tanasia’s belongings. Maybe if we ask the head maid nicely, they’ll allow it?”

“…Will that really work out so well?”

“Go ahead and bring it up once; it can’t hurt. If it doesn’t work out, you can think about it then. I’ll take care of things here, so why don’t you go see the head maid for release.”

“Oh, okay….”

With that, I found myself half-pushed towards the maid head’s office at Isabelle’s suggestion.

Without much hope, I asked her if it was possible to get permission to go out.

“So, you want to go to Blackwood Estate town on the next vacation?”

“I-I just mentioned it once. I’m a debt maid, so I can’t leave the mansion, so even if you say no, there’s nothing I can do…”

“I understand. Since we can trust Lillis Rosewood, I will specially grant you permission to go out.”

“Really…?”

“You’ve been through a lot with this recent incident. Take this opportunity to rest assuredly with your colleagues.”

“Oh, okay….”

I was actually a bit taken aback by how easily the maid head’s permission was granted.

…I couldn’t believe it, but it looks like this is real.