episode_0040

Since the time I stopped responding to Ethan’s irritating calls every hour, another month had passed.

With some free time amidst my busy schedule, I was trying to make the most of it in the most efficient way possible.

Naturally, the ban on Release going outside was still in place, and as a debt maid, I couldn’t just leave the mansion freely.

So, making the most of my time was limited to things I could do inside the mansion.

I subtly tried asking the head maid for permission to go out again, but her reaction was not promising.

“Maid Head, if it’s alright with you, may I go out this holiday?”

“…Release Rosewood? Are you trying to forget the trouble you caused last time and shamelessly ask for permission to go out? Right now, to the etiquette classroom…”

“Oh, no! If you have any business to attend to in the commercial district, I, I just had something to ask! So, that’s…”

Judging by the head maid’s recent reaction, it seemed like it would take more time before Release would be granted the freedom to go out.

I quickly had to come up with another excuse to appease Melissa’s anger.

Facing off one-on-one with the dragon lord in the etiquette classroom was a diplomatic mission, even for me.

Thus, my ways of spending time inside the mansion were limited to a handful of activities.

And the most productive activity happened to be knitting.

“…Release, you misplaced that.”

“Oh, right. It could have been a disaster if I found it later.”

Lately, whenever I had spare time, I gathered in Isabelle’s room to learn knitting, stacking up productive resources as much as possible.

Characters in comics or animations spending time knitting always puzzled me before, but now I somewhat understood why such characters were created.

Apart from earning money through knitting, in this darn medieval fantasy world, the entertainment maids could engage in was quite limited.

Electronic devices like smartphones were non-existent, and even books or paper were hard to come by.

Wearing these cumbersome maid outfits, there was no chance for activities like working out.

Knitting, relatively easy to get materials for and sell finished products, was the most popular pastime among the maids.

I regularly bought knitting materials from the delivery man who shuttled between the commercial district and the mansion.

Sometimes, when I completed a knitting project, I sold it back to him.

Knitted goods made by Blackwood Mansion’s maids were reasonably profitable items.

Saving money bit by bit was essential for preparing for life after leaving Blackwood Mansion.

If I were to start a second life as an adventurer somewhere, having at least some capital was a basic necessity.

Starting as an adventurer without initial capital was quite a tough profession.

There were costs like guild registration fees, basic money issues for equipment and lodging, not to mention that it wasn’t easy to earn money until reaching higher ranks.

This applied not only to adventurers but to other professions as well.

Setting up a shop anywhere required a substantial amount of money, whether in this life or the previous one.

In regions with high foot traffic suitable for business, land prices naturally soared.

At least in this world, there were no franchise fees, which was fortunate.

Anyway, no matter what the future holds, for me, collecting these small coins one by one was a somewhat important aspect.

These days were spent learning little by little from Isabelle and creating knitted goods.

“In reality, if you want to properly save money, becoming an adventurer and hunting monsters with magic is the most efficient way… ”

Damn it, being stuck in this cursed maid role with debts. Finally leveled up, but can’t make use of it and have to be stuck inside the mansion.

…Well, still. Nowadays, things aren’t as bad as they used to be.

Just gathering in Isabelle’s room like this and chatting away was a happy thing in itself.

“Hey, Lillis. How are things going with your work these days?”

“Not much. Just… waking up the young master in the morning, tidying up his bed, doing cleaning and laundry. That’s all.”

“When Lillis became the exclusive maid, everyone thought she’d be so busy, being the exclusive maid and all.”

“I, I thought so too…”

“…Well, the first few months were quite hectic with various tasks. But now that everything has settled down, it’s manageable.”

Work hours were adjusted through amicable agreements. …Although our lives did hang in the balance during that process.

Of course, if there was a genuine need to call for a maid (like accidentally breaking something in the room), Ethan would call for me. However, there hasn’t been a single instance of him playing pranks on me since that day.

In hindsight, it was fortunate that my emotions exploded back then, leading me to rush at him.

Moreover, ever since the incident where I was scolded for eating improperly, nowadays I seem to awkwardly hold a fork and knife while eating.

Perhaps swearing at that crazy guy is the only way to get through to him.

“By the way, Lillis, you’re amazing.”

“Huh?”

“Ethan Young Master, he used to be famous for not attending the maid chief’s etiquette classes. But recently, he’s been attending diligently according to what the maid chief says.”

“Oh, I, I heard that too… You’re really something, Lillis…”

“How did you manage that, Lillis? How did you convince the Young Master to attend etiquette classes?”

“…That’s none of your business.”

And it should remain none of their business.

If word got out that I had corrected that brat’s behavior, my life within the mansion would be in danger.

Whispering disgust about me at the dining table was no different.

Especially when Harold hears about my antics, the punishment will likely be far worse than what Ariana Alicia faced.

“Ugh, here we go again. There must have been something between the Young Master and Lillis, right?”

“There was nothing.”

“Yeah, right! If Lillis says there was nothing, then there was nothing!”

….”

Isabelle sends a slightly suspicious look towards Katarina, who is openly wrapping herself around me.

If there truly was nothing between Katarina and me, ‘Sharp Isabelle’ might have triggered and uncovered the secret between Katarina and me.

The fact that I can use magic and that Katarina thinks of me as a noble lady and is keeping it a secret.

Fortunately, our relationship with Katarina wasn’t solely based on that.

The incident where I cleared Katarina’s name was already known to Isabelle, and thanks to that, Katarina’s overt attitude towards me wasn’t questioned.

“Let’s keep it this way, just like this.”

By the way, Katarina also believes that Ethan’s change in attitude is because of me.

Not just due to my education as the exclusive maid, but because as some noble lady from somewhere, I negotiated with Ethan.

Of course, it was an absurd misconception, but now it’s too late to correct it as I’ve come too far down this path.

Katarina wasn’t the type of child to spill secrets about me, so I let it slide.

Shifting my gaze back to Isabelle, I warned her about the suspicion she had just raised.

“Isabelle.”

“Yeah?”

“I understand your curiosity about Isabelle, but it’s better not to mention the Duke too much.”

“Yeah?”

“You saw how Lady Aeria reacted in the etiquette classroom when she spoke out of turn to the Duke.”

“Oh, right….”

“I, too… The Duke was terrifying back then….”

Harold was as extraordinary as his love for his children, capable of emitting a chilling aura with just the words “Edan lied.”

It was best not to provoke Harold unnecessarily by vaguely mentioning that the Duke had changed or was different from before.

Undoubtedly, Isabelle would ask, “So what was Edan like before?” while looking serious.

Although he had a relatively lenient personality for a noble, a few words might not lead to severe punishment, but there was no need to unnecessarily provoke the “Sword Master who can use body enhancement magic.”

“Oh, Isabelle. Can you show me how to finish this seam here naturally? To seamlessly connect this part…”

“Here? It’s best to finish it by filling the gap with a needle. Here’s how you do it…”

And so, Isabelle, Katarina, and I spent another ordinary day as maids, passing half a year together.

From the moment I regained my memory, a year had already passed.