episode_0023

Having received permission from Maid Chief Melissa, the subsequent process proceeded swiftly without any delays.

The only task left was to ask Katarina to take a stroll in the Blackwood Manor town on the upcoming holiday.

Given that they worked in the same team, there had been countless opportunities to meet Katarina and share stories.

“Katarina, senior.”

“Oh, yes, yes! Miss Relis!”

“Just call me Relis.”

“When it’s just the two of us, should I address you as ‘Miss,’ or is that not…?”

“I never gave such an order. Whether it’s just the two of us or in front of others, feel free to call me Relis as if addressing a subordinate.”

“Uh, okay…. Oh, got it….”

This wasn’t a comedy routine happening every time.

It seemed like it would take quite some time to shed the title of “Miss Relis” that reflexively popped out of Katarina’s mouth.

Anyway, seizing the moment when Isabel was briefly absent, I casually presented the request I had planned to Katarina.

I suggested going out together to the town of Blackwood Manor on the next holiday and exploring various things.

“You want to go to the town of Blackwood Manor?”

“Yes, Senior Katarina. It’s only been a year since I started working at Blackwood Manor, so I thought you might know more about that part than I do.”

“Oh, yeah! I don’t know much either, but if Relis wants, I’ll help!”

Katarina responded enthusiastically, seeming genuinely pleased with my proposal.

So far, Isabel’s plan was progressing quite well.

“Thanks to Relis, I’m no longer indebted as a maid…. If Relis wants, I can also guide outside the manor….”

“…That’s good to hear.”

However, I still couldn’t go outside without permission as a maid unless debts were cleared.

Come to think of it, I found Tanashia’s necklace; perhaps some leniency in my debt owed could be considered?

While outright asking for complete forgiveness was out of the question, reducing the contracted service period by 1-2 years would be helpful.

Escaping early from the Blackwood lineage still didn’t seem easy.

“Oh, and Senior Katarina.”

“Yes?”

“If it’s alright with you, would it be okay to bring Isabel along on the next holiday?”

“Huh? Isabel too?”

“It’s a rare outing, and leaving only Isabel behind while we go out feels somewhat rude. Now, it’s the three of us in the same team—Relis, Senior Katarina, and Isabel.”

For the record, this suggestion was mine, not Isabel’s.

Leaving Isabel alone on a rare outing felt somewhat uncomfortable, and having three people around might make things less awkward.

And probably, Katarina wouldn’t refuse my proposal.

At least, she had built up a considerable liking towards me, and there shouldn’t be any reason for her to hold ill feelings towards Isabel.

“Oh, yeah! Of course, it’s fine! Since it’s what Relis suggests… naturally, I should agree….”

“There’s nothing you should naturally agree to. Stop treating me so specially.”

“Uh……”

If only the fact that I knew how to use magic hadn’t been revealed, I would have dispelled any misunderstandings about me being a noble.

But now that it was out in the open, I had no choice but to maintain this lie as it was.

Objectively speaking, revealing the fact that a commoner can use magic was a much riskier endeavor for me.

While it didn’t seem like Katarina would blab my secret anywhere, her occasional slip-ups and fragile nature made me uneasy about where things might lead.

If control is difficult, it’s better to give out as little information as possible.

“Anyway, Senior Katarina.”

“Yes! …Oh, no, uh…!”

“Since you’re helping Isabelle and me with our city outing at my request, after this favor, you’ll owe me a debt of kindness, so don’t try to take over my tasks, okay?”

“Uh, okay?”

“Not ‘uh, okay.’ Senior Katarina, you can’t keep tiptoeing around my feelings forever.”

“I… I mean… It’s not a big deal to continue like this in the future…”

“No more tiptoeing? Got it?”

“…Yeah, I understand….”

Though a bit abrupt, I managed to conclude the conversation decisively.

…I hope I won’t have to force the issue again later.

Quietly, I wished it wouldn’t come to that.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

And then, three days later.

Blackwood Territory’s city center. Upon arriving at the commercial district, we got off the carriage one by one.

As soon as I stepped down from the carriage, a natural groan escaped me as I stretched my slightly sore body.

“Ughhh…!!”

Sitting still in the carriage for almost 30 minutes left me feeling quite stiff in various ways.

In my previous life, even riding for two or three hours didn’t leave me this exhausted.

Compared to a car, the rigid seats of the carriage only heightened my fatigue.

The second reason was Lily’s chest pressing against my shoulder, swaying up and down in sync with the not-so-small carriage’s vibrations.

“I really want to rip this off. There’s no point in enduring strange looks.”

To men, Lily’s body may be endlessly attractive and beautiful, but her chest had yet to become familiar to me after almost two weeks.

The unnecessary weight tormenting my shoulders and back muscles, along with the blatant stares from men every time her chest caught their eyes.

Even now, a middle-aged man stole a glance at my chest pretending not to notice.

“Cough, cough.”

Well, thanks to this man being intrigued by my chest, we could comfortably make it to the city center.

In general situations, having a pretty appearance certainly had its merits.

It seemed there were a few items from the Blackwood family that needed to be brought from the city to the mansion.

Since I had asked to take two other people along to the city, we could cut the usual hour-long walk in half. And we were sitting comfortably, not walking.

Of course, on the way back, with likely more luggage, we’d have to squeeze in a bit with the two others for the ride home.

“Well, ladies, enjoy your outing. We’ll depart again in half a day, so come back here and wait! The carriage must return on time, so don’t forget if you’re late, we can’t wait.”

“Yes~!”

“Yes, yes….”

“Thank you for driving us, sir.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

As soon as he realized I noticed his gaze, the carriage driver quickly averted his eyes and pretended to talk to someone else.

I was someone who could read between the lines, so I didn’t bother mentioning the fact that he sneakily glanced at my chest.

There’s no point in making things awkward by nitpicking. Good things are good things.

Initially, it was quite amusing that I, who had been a man in my past life, was making a fuss about showing a bit of my collarbone.

“I wish I had worn something a bit more presentable.”

Given that I was originally sold as a debt-made maid named Lillis, there was no separate outfit for going out. Even if there were, Maid Chief Melissa probably wouldn’t have allowed it.

No matter how much it was a holiday, being a maid of the Blackwood family meant having to maintain the behavior of a servant at all times.

Well, considering that even if I wore different clothes, I wouldn’t be able to stray from the realm of flowy skirts or dresses, maybe sticking to the familiar maid uniform would be better after all.

In this world, for a woman to wear pants was an act that required considerable courage and risk.

“Considering the attention I might attract, it might stand out more than the maid uniform.”

As I pondered such thoughts, the carriage driven by the coachman who brought us began to enter the commercial district.

The three maids remaining at the city entrance glanced at each other in turn.

“Uh, uh, where should we go first? Is there a store you want to visit, or perhaps something you want to eat?”

“Well, since we don’t know much, please guide us well, Senior Katarina.”

“I’ll just follow Katarina and Lillis wherever they want to go, so you don’t have to worry about me.”

“Uh, okay… Then shall we start by taking a look around the market…?”

“Yes~.”

Katarina guided me and Isabelle with a strangely confident expression.

It seemed like we had only ever seen her as someone always full of vigor, but now, in front of her juniors, she seemed to have taken on a certain level of confidence in her field, shining brightly.

Seeing Katarina like this, it seemed like asking her to guide us through the city was indeed a good choice.

…Up until that point, we were unaware.

This outing into the city for a change of pace would soon lead to a small incident.