episode_0010
by fnovelpia“Edan, are you alright?!”
“…Yes.”
“It seems fortunately there is no harm to your life. Perhaps you fainted from being too startled.”
“Thank goodness, Edan. If something were to happen to you, undoubtedly even the master would…”
Awakening from a brief, cozy slumber, Edan opened his eyes and immediately surveyed his surroundings.
The familiar room scenery. And the attendants gathered around him.
Realizing he had been moved to the bedroom after collapsing, despite his young age, Edan quickly grasped the situation.
The attendants, instead of their usual expectant gazes towards him, now only cast worried looks.
Edan could instantly discern the sudden shift in emotions directed towards him.
For some reason unknown to him, the abrupt change in everyone’s gaze.
The only thing different from his usual self was just one.
His stumble on the central staircase of the first floor that led to his fall below.
Merely that slight change brought about such a stark difference in the way he was looked at.
Through this process at a young age, Edan inadvertently began forming misguided values.
This speculation turned into complete certainty right after his father entered his room.
“Edan! Edan!!”
A desperate tone and contorted expression never before displayed by his father.
Edan was not foolish enough to not realize that it was out of concern for him.
Having felt countless gazes of emotions directed towards him since a young age.
From the tight embrace in excitement by his father, Edan could fully sense those blunt emotions.
“Edan! I’m relieved you’re unharmed… If you were gone too…”
The love of his father that he had never thought he had experienced before.
That he could feel so directly just from one instance of injury and collapse.
Merely from stumbling once on the stairs.
Edan, at a young age, had oddly learned how to be loved in a peculiar way.
For two years, Edan strived to be loved by others.
“Edan, are you alright?!”
“Lord Edan, if you skip morning training, the master will worry.”
“Have you missed etiquette lessons today… Please remember tomorrow, Lord Edan.”
“Lord Edan. If you come out of your chamber like this in the middle of the night…”
“Lord…”
Every time he was hurt, broken, or made a mistake, the gaze full of expectations towards him quickly vanished, replaced by looks of concern and caution.
And as time passed, people who did not expect perfection from him.
As emotions of those around him gradually changed over time, Edan felt them akin to love.
Some said that Edan had become foolish since the day he fell down the stairs, but that was far from the truth.
Rather, he only grew more cunning.
After realizing that no one could criticize him, Edan practically roamed the mansion as he pleased.
From sleeping sprawled until midday to eating whenever hungry, even if it wasn’t mealtime, no one restrained him. Neither swordsmanship training nor magic education could entangle Edan, and even if his body deteriorated and the minimum manners expected of nobility of his age disappeared, no attendant could control Edan’s actions or scold him severely.
Everyone knew that Harold, his last remaining family and blood, adored Edan terribly.
The young master’s mood was often disturbed by mistakes, leading to being sent to harsh workplaces instead of the mansion or even losing his servant status and being expelled.
No one inside the mansion could stop Ethan from any action he chose to take.
He simply hoped quietly to regain his senses and become more like his father, Harold.
In this vast mansion, there was only one exception: a new maid.
“I apologize, Master Ethan. I made a mistake due to my ignorance turning into fear.”
“….”
Despite knowing that he was Ethan Richard Blackwood, there was no sense of expectation in his cold gaze.
Being adept at reading others’ eyes, Ethan could easily decipher the maid’s gaze flowing from her eyes.
Until now, the servants who first met him all harbored a strange expectation that faded over time, but this maid, despite clearly meeting him for the first time, did not look at him with any expectation.
To Ethan, who was used to reading people’s gazes, the different demeanor of this girl sparked considerable interest.
“If you find the quiet corridor intimidating, I can accompany you.”
“It’s alright, Master. At your age, you might get hungry in the middle of the night.”
“Just leave it; I’ll clean up later.”
A calm demeanor that remained unchanged no matter how disappointing his actions were.
From those eyes that seemed to say he had never held any expectations from the start, Ethan found himself reminiscing about someone he had long missed.
“Giving in to others’ expectations is unnecessary, Ethan. Your mother loves you no matter who you are.”
“….”
Returning to his room from the kitchen he sneaked into at dawn, Ethan secretly thought, “If I come to the kitchen at this hour tomorrow, I might meet that maid again.”
⁎ ⁎ ⁎
On the third day of kitchen duty.
As 4 a.m. approached, he involuntarily opened his eyes and got out of bed.
“To work, Lillith?”
“Oh…did I wake you up again?”
“No, I just woke up on my own…”
I really tried not to wake her up today.
Feeling sorry for Isabelle, who had been losing sleep for days because of me, I considered sneaking out without waking her. She seemed to be having trouble sleeping, especially at this time.
Although I didn’t choose the kitchen duty willingly, and starting work at 4 a.m. wasn’t my decision either.
“If the upstairs bed is uncomfortable, you can come to my place and sleep. I have to go to work now anyway.”
“Okay…”
Isabelle came downstairs to occupy my spot, finding the upstairs bed uncomfortable. It was oddly cute how she wriggled under the blanket I had just covered her with.
Well, considering her age in the original world, she was still a high school student who hadn’t even entered college yet, so looking like that was natural.
“If the second floor is uncomfortable, would you like Isabelle to sleep in my place from tomorrow? I’ll sleep on the second floor.”
“It’s okay…it doesn’t really matter…”
“Hmm?”
“Mm…it’s warm…”
Making incomprehensible sounds, Isabelle burrowed back under the blanket I had covered her with, falling asleep again.
After confirming that she fell asleep again, I cautiously opened the door and stepped out into the mansion corridor, now completely familiar with the early morning Blackwood mansion corridor.
Just walking like this reminds me of the time I served in the military, doing night shifts.
Although the current night shift duty has a fatal flaw that the shifts don’t change even when the day turns over.
*Rustle.*
“Huh?”
“….”
What was that?
I thought I heard some sound from behind just now.
Thinking Isabel might have followed me without my notice, I turned my head back, but there didn’t seem to be anyone following me.
Blaming it on my mood, I shifted my tired steps towards the kitchen, my destination.
“Sigh… I really don’t want to chew garlic anymore….”
Yesterday, after Edan disappeared, I ended up chewing garlic for over an hour while preparing vegetables, leading to a natural reflection.
The results of working so hard dwindled as soon as the second day arrived.
『Current mana 245 / 245』
I had prepared myself for a decrease in efficiency, but I never expected it to drop this much.
Roughly calculating, the amount of mana consumed was almost the same as the first day. It’s just that due to the increase in my maximum mana capacity, the efficiency wasn’t as high as before.
Still, the fact that my mana capacity was growing was undeniable.
Initially, I had already come too far to give up now.
And partly because the senior maids were expecting me to finish all the work.
“Lilith, you did well today~. Counting on you tomorrow too~.”
“Of course, since Lilith is here~. Will we continue working together in the future as well?”
“….”
Are they crazy? Expecting me to work with these juniors who barely know what they’re doing.
I’m only putting up with them for now because the magical training environment is good. Once this shift ends, I’ll avoid those damn senior maids as much as possible.
*Squeak.*
With those thoughts in mind, I opened the kitchen door and stepped inside, involuntarily letting out a sigh.
A pile of vegetables restocked as if by magic after a day. Realizing that my tasks remained unchanged today was a moment of revelation.
…However, I had failed to consider the possibility of another unexpected person inside the kitchen.
“Aah….”
“Maid, are you taking a break right now?”
“….Huh?”
Just now, an unpleasant voice seemed to come from nearby.
Thinking I misheard again, I cautiously looked around, but unfortunately, my guess was off this time.
As I faced a short and plump silhouette below the kitchen, I almost blurted out a curse.
…Nevertheless, given the circumstances, I had to contain the impulse, even though it was difficult.
“The maid was taking a breath because she didn’t feel like working~. Should I tell Dad~?”
“….”
“Maid, I’m hungry. So, cook for me again today.”
…Sigh, really.
They manage to stretch my patience right before work starts.
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