episode_0013

Katarina Rain.

One of the senior maids who started working at Blackwood Manor a year before me and Isabelle.

In other words, she was one of the three seniors who left kitchen duties to me and were idling around.

“….”

“H-hiccup…!”

As our eyes met, she burst into tears and panicked.

Why are annoying guests flocking to the kitchen today of all days?

If you’re going to delegate tasks, at least see them through properly. I never imagined she would come to spy on me even in the early hours like this.

“Senior Katarina, is that correct?”

“Yes, yes… that’s right…”

“….Yes?”

“Oh, no… I-I’m sorry…. I apologize…”

“…?”

It was strange when she suddenly used formal language, so I asked, but she continued to lower herself further and apologize to me.

Although she seemed timid, she didn’t seem like the type to use formal language even with junior maids.

Initially, until yesterday, we talked casually without honorifics. It was inevitable to feel puzzled by her sudden change in attitude.

Katarina Rain.

To be honest, in the original game, she was a character who not only lacked presence but didn’t exist at all.

I only found out about her existence recently after starting kitchen duty.

She never appeared in the main story of “Luminor Academy,” nor in side stories, solo episodes, or even fan creations.

There probably wasn’t even an official illustration of her.

If there were any traces of her being drawn, it would likely be as a background character appearing without a face in some cut scene.

So, seeing such a character next to Ariana Alicia was initially intriguing.

Unlike Katarina, the two characters mentioned earlier were figures you would encounter if you followed the release route.

They were maids who tormented Release alongside Ethan and monitored her to prevent her from escaping in “Luminor Academy.”

Having seen Release’s ending a dozen times, I was quite familiar with their names and appearances, but I had never discovered a character like Katarina around Ariana Alicia.

Perhaps she exited the main storyline just before my arrival for various reasons.

Well, regardless of her role in the original work, based on the impression she gives me now, she was honestly a bit intimidating.

At the moment, Katarina was one of the three senior maids who handled kitchen duties and then left, potentially becoming a nuisance to Ariana Alicia in the long run. However, her actions weren’t significantly different from the other two.

…No, in some ways, she might even be more malicious.

Especially considering she doubted my flawless completion of kitchen tasks for two consecutive days and was now scrutinizing me from behind.

“Senior Katarina.”

“Yes, y-yes!”

“What brings you to the kitchen at this hour? Wasn’t the ‘seniors’ start time’ clearly 6 in the morning?”

“I-I’m sorry… I apologize, Release, ma’am…”

“…Release?”

“Oh, no… Re-Release, Miss…”

…I can’t seem to have a proper conversation with her at all.

Every word she utters makes her seem like she’s the worst sinner on Earth, making it impossible to progress in our discussion.

First and foremost, I should find out why this senior maid is approaching me with such deference.

Sharing stories seemed to be about unraveling misunderstandings one by one.

“First of all, may I ask, Senior Katarina?”

“Go ahead, Miss….”

“What exactly is this ‘Miss’ about? And on top of that, you’ve been using formal language since earlier. You didn’t do that until yesterday, right?”

“Well, until yesterday… I didn’t realize that Miss Relise was a noble…”

…Noble? Me?

At the sudden mention of dangerous topics by the senior maid, a chill ran down my spine.

Curious about what words would come out of her mouth, I decided to pretend to sleep a little longer.

Depending on what Katarina said, there might have been a need to ‘quietly’ make her silent.

“Why do you think of me as a noble, Senior Katarina? Can you explain?”

“I saw it….”

“What did you see?”

“Miss Relise, well, using magic….”

“Magic?”

“Cleaning the restaurant with clean magic, and handling potato peels in the kitchen with magic…. Magic is a blessing that only nobles can use, so naturally, Miss Relise is a noble….”

…Ah.

So, she assumed I was a noble just because she saw me using magic, not because I had any solid evidence of being one.

It was fortunate, at least I didn’t need to ‘forcefully’ shut her mouth.

Although the situation of being caught using magic wasn’t exactly pleasant.

“Senior Katarina.”

“I’m sorry, Miss Relise…. Please forgive me for my mistake….”

“I’m not trying to talk about that, so calm down first.”

“I really didn’t know…. And I didn’t do it willingly…. I’ll handle all kitchen work for the remaining time….”

“Alright, listen to me first, Senior. This way, we can’t proceed with the conversation….”

“Unlike with Aeliana Alicia…. I will definitely be punished without a doubt…! The moment the master finds out that I passed off work to Edan and Miss Relise….”

“Just shut up and listen to me for now!!”

“Ugh…!!!”

Frustrated by her incessant rambling without listening to me, I involuntarily raised my voice.

Katarina finally stopped her trembling voice and tightly sealed her lips.

Sometimes, they just don’t get it when you say it nicely.

“For now, I understand what you’re talking about, Senior Katarina.”

“….”

“I’m busy preparing today’s ingredients, so could we continue this discussion tonight? We can clear up any misunderstandings then….”

-Drip, drip, drip….

…Water sound?

I carefully listened, thinking water might be leaking from the kitchen, but the sound seemed to be coming from inside the prep room.

Realizing it was closer than expected, an expletive slipped out of my mouth.

“Oh, damn.”

“I’m sorry…. I-I’m sorry….”

Katarina’s maid outfit, now soaked from the center, was drawing a yellow circle on the prep room floor.

…These people, causing all sorts of trouble.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

After using Clean Magic to erase the traces of the idiot maid who peed on the floor out of fear from just a single word.

I spoke to Katarina, now wearing a slightly tidier maid outfit, in an intentionally irritable tone.

“…Don’t wet yourself next time.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”

“And please stop avoiding my eyes and apologizing. It only makes me more uncomfortable for no reason.”

“….”

*Sigh*

Katarina, this time, keeps her mouth shut completely, maintaining silence as she was told not to apologize.

She wasn’t exactly the owner of a good impression from the start, but with the recent incident, my evaluation of her has significantly dropped.

It’s annoying enough dealing with a bratty kid, but now seeing a senior maid cleaning up urine on the floor is just too much.

Whether it’s a kitchen maid or a babysitter, it doesn’t matter.

Thankfully, being able to use Clean Magic was a huge relief. If that wasn’t an option, I would have had to clean up the mess myself with a mop.

Washing a maid uniform soaked in urine would have been entirely impossible.

As a guy, I couldn’t bring myself to touch even the panties, so they are probably still damp.

But if she has any sense left, she won’t say anything to me about that now.

In the first place, her washing the uniform was quite a concession on my part. It was probably out of some strange sense of guilt because I yelled, I wonder.

“Senior Katarina.”

“Let go of…!”

“Let’s discuss the details later after work separately, and please don’t use weird titles like ‘Miss’ awkwardly with me.”

“How dare you address a noble lady like that…”

“If I tell you not to, then don’t.”

“…!”

After speaking sternly, Katarina finally understood and nodded urgently.

Now, it seemed like I had a better idea of how to handle this timid maid.

Since being nice and gentle didn’t work the first time, being firm and direct from the beginning seemed to be the most efficient way of communication.

At the moment, this woman has two major misunderstandings about me.

One is that she thinks I’m not just a maid but a noble lady disguised as one.

And the other is that she thought we shared the workload together.

Whether the second misunderstanding is resolved or not doesn’t matter, but it seemed better not to resolve the first misunderstanding.

Especially since I can’t cover up the fact that I used magic.

It might be more effective to maintain the misconception that I am a noble and then use my authority to keep her quiet.

“For now, the fact that I’m a noble should not be known to others, so please do not casually reveal it to anyone, Senior Katarina.”

“…What?”

“Don’t ask for reasons. If you show such an indecisive attitude, when the information about me being a noble leaks out somewhere later, naturally, I will have to suspect you first, Senior Katarina. …It wouldn’t be pleasant for a mere maid to directly confront a noble.”

“I-I will never tell anyone that you are a noble! I swear!”

“If you truly intend to hide it, then remove that title ‘Lilith’ and quickly revert to using informal language.”

“H-How…how can I…”

“…Do it.”

“Ugh!”

Startled, Katarina reflexively clutches between her thighs.

However, the serious tone seems to have some effect, as the next words that come out of her mouth are not grand titles and formal speech.

“O-Okay… Lilith…”

“You did well, Senior Katarina.”

“….”

She may be a bit uneasy, but for now, silencing her should suffice.

I’ll have to call her separately after work to discuss the details.

Initially, I should be cutting the vegetables for today’s portion right away. Wasting time chatting leisurely with Katarina is out of the question…

“……….Ah.”

As I casually glanced at the clock on the wall, a sigh escaped my lips involuntarily.

The number 5 had already become distinctly visible some time ago, and the number 6 was starting to appear semi-transparent as well.

Moreover, the sound of servants preparing for an early morning outside the corridor.

In the process of resolving issues related to Katarina following Edan, I ended up wasting far too much time unexpectedly.

The clock indicated that there was barely 30 minutes left until the other two senior maids arrived for duty.

…And the vegetable preparation that should have been completed earlier was still at a stage where it hadn’t even begun.

“Oh, I might lose it for real…”

Thirty minutes until Aeria and Alicia arrived for work.

To avoid suspicion, I had to somehow finish all the vegetable cutting within that time frame.

And I had to do it with just this pitiful-looking maid by my side.