episode_0005

Asher witnessed the hallway transformed into a battlefield. The hem of her clothes, which she held tightly with her small hands, became even more wrinkled.

“What happened…? We just read the diary…”

“Maybe reading the diary was the trigger.”

I left maid C’s room. Then Asher came out of her own accord as if she had been tied up with rope.

“It looks like the beast has been scratching me here and there…”

“If it really is a beast, it must be huge.”

“Yeah… All the marks that appeared look like they were stabbed with a sword.”

A mysterious phenomenon appeared right before his eyes. Perhaps because of this, Asher unexpectedly skipped the stage of denial of reality.

However, the reason I inferred the size of the monster was because it existed on the ceiling, not on the floor or walls.

“Look at that, Asher.”

“Up? Why up all of a sudden… gasp.”

Suddenly, Asher’s breathing became choked. The ceiling she looked up at was clearly engraved with a murderous message.

[Give it back!]

A message of unknown meaning.

Should we call this handwriting? The rough, raised letters on the ceiling insisted that the owner of the message was extremely angry.

“You want it back…? Butler, did you steal something?”

“Would you like it?”

“Yeah, right? If you stole it, it wouldn’t look so dirty…”

Even when he was terrified, Asher had a great talent for stirring people up. If only he could shake off the hem of his clothes and play hide-and-seek.

What can I do?

Like it or not, you are my last hope.

“Let’s get going.”

“Uh, where to?”

“I just told you about the maid’s room. You’ll have to go around the mansion from now on, so you should familiarize yourself with the locations.”

“Ugh…”

Asher couldn’t easily shake off his hesitation.

I can understand it superficially.

Because she, who wants to live unlike me, will be very sensitive to the emotion called fear.

“Nothing will change. If you don’t move, you’ll just grow old here forever.”

“…”

“In a cursed mansion with no one to talk to.”

“There is…right?”

“Who are you?”

“You.”

I blinked on the spot. I was surprised to see that he was treating me like a conversation partner.

But that was Asher’s self-centered thought.

“I am not a talkative person. If Ash gives up, I have no obligation to serve you, no reason to talk to you, and nothing will get involved between us.”

“What?!”

“I’m talking to…”

“No, that’s not it…!”

Asher asked back with a look of great shock on his face.

“You won’t listen to the market…!?”

“Oh.”

“Huh? You just now…”

“…… No, nothing.”

She was truly a princess through and through. It was clear how much the emperor had cared for his daughter.

Still, it seemed as if the boycott declaration had some effect, as Asher turned the hem of his clothes he had been holding onto into a sleeve and stood side by side.

“Ugh… Let’s go.”

I took a step forward, trembling with fear. With that one step, Asher advanced toward me.

What can I say about the sight of you trying so hard to be brave?

‘That’s amazing.’

I guess it’s the same logic that the worse a child is, the more their good deeds are noticed.

Asher turned his gaze to me, who had been standing still for a while.

“Why are you just sitting there? Aren’t you going?”

“… Let’s go.”

I hope that this remarkable progress will continue in the future.

I really hoped so.

◇

1st floor of the mansion – north hallway.

Unlike the maid’s room, which was covered in scratch marks, the rest of the space was relatively clean. Fortunately, Asher’s tension was also relieved.

“Wow, that’s amazing. How out of touch with fashion must I be to have so many things that aren’t available these days?”

“Which one is behind?”

“Look at that. There are stuffed animals, right?”

Asher poked at the animal faces decorated at intervals on the wall.

“It’s not a real stuffed animal. It’s an artificial sculpture like a mask. It’s called a ‘tal’.”

“Tal…”

It has a familiar feel. Is it a coincidence that the name and purpose are the same as those of traditional crafts from a previous life?

“Look, the deer-shaped one is a deer mask, the pig-shaped one is a pig mask, and the dog-shaped one is a dog mask. And that person’s face shape is… um, was it a ghost mask? Anyway, they’re all masks! ”

“… I see.”

“But this went out of style at least 300 years ago? You can probably only see it in museums now.”

As expected.

Asher gave me a burdensome look with sparkling eyes, like a child who wants praise after doing a good deed.

I should have ignored it.

“This… Seeing…”

He must have noticed that I was intentionally ignoring him. His once sparkling eyes had darkened and filled with resentment.

At that moment, Asher, who had been glaring at me for a long time, dragged me to the display case.

“Butler, look at this. There’s a note attached.”

[Always have a conversation at eye level! Let’s listen from the other person’s perspective!]

-B to ■■. With common sense.-

The recipient’s name is messily erased, as if weathered by time.

“Don’t you usually end it with “with love”? How uneducated do you have to be to even write down such basic things?”

“Well, I also have a strong desire to send a letter with common sense.”

This is for the foolish princess who has no idea what the other person’s position is like.

As Asher was about to leave, looking very disappointed, she suddenly looked at the note again.

“Wait! Isn’t this a note written by B? It must be Maid B, right?”

“Maid B’s records are the first.”

“What’s the point of the first one… It’s just a stupid note. I’m saying you should at least keep a diary.”

Asher grumbled and hurried his pace, but continued to ponder as if he was brainstorming.

“What kind of person was B? Even if you just look at A and C’s diaries, the focus is mostly on B.”

She was fixated on B because she found the note.

“He must have been someone who stood out.”

“Right? Just like C said, she has the looks and personality of an angel. She must have enjoyed a smooth life.”

“I can’t guarantee that.”

“Why do you think so?”

Certainly, a beautiful appearance and a kind personality are a good combination. Maid B must have been the ideal that everyone aspired for.

But sometimes, conditions that don’t fit the fountain can actually be detrimental.

“She was just a maid. You must have seen her often in the palace. What kind of ending do those with the same conditions as B usually have?”

“Ah…”

Asher groaned as he understood the meaning.

There were countless cases where beautiful and good-natured women were sold off to be the mistresses of noblemen. If not, they would live with scandals attached to them just by breathing quietly.

Even for a maid working in a closed environment, it was obvious that it would be difficult to handle with just any common sense.

“Anyway, being pretty is a sin. Even I’ve been tired more than once or twice.”

“The people around me must have been more tired.”

Asher immediately covered her mouth. After a few seconds of silence, she cautiously opened her mouth.

“Excuse me, butler. I have something I want to ask you seriously.”

“Please speak.”

“Am I really that pale? Don’t I have any pretty parts?”

You have a style that becomes more beautiful the more you keep your mouth shut.

… the words rose to the tip of my tongue, but I somehow managed to stop them.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a woman. If I find a decent picture of Maid B later, I’ll have a comparison group.”

“Isn’t the standard too high?! Just looking at the description, it’s almost like there’s no goddess…!”

“Have hope. It could be a close match between the two of you. Are you not confident?”

“Who, who says you’re insecure? Huh, how dare someone as low as me dare to say that I, the jewel of the palace, is more beautiful than you.”

I think I’m starting to get a feel for how to handle Asher.

Childish thinking must be countered with childish words and actions in order for the story to make sense.

After that, Asher, who had been walking around in a dazed manner, stopped in front of a large door.

“Butler, where am I?”

“This is a public lounge.”

“Oh, that’s good. I’m tired from walking for so long, let’s take a short break and go.”

“Do as Asher wishes.”

Asher opened the door to the common room without hesitation.

As expected, a space that had lost its sense of life and warmth welcomed us.

There is a long, empty sofa and a table used for tea time. And three or four folding beds are neatly placed as if to confirm the personality of the owner.

Meanwhile, a statue of a majestic knight stands guard over a cold fireplace.

“Oh my goodness, not even a maid of the palace can rest on a cot? How can you let your servants lie down while on duty?”

“This… surprises me too.”

I was as surprised as Asher was.

At the beginning of his diary, he wrote that he couldn’t believe that he had gotten a job at the Arkaden Mansion, and it seemed like it wasn’t just an empty boast.

“I was going to rest right away… but that won’t work. I’ll have to search first and then either lie down or sit down.”

“Wow…”

It’s a good attitude. However, I didn’t say it out loud because I was afraid that if I praised him honestly, it would become a bad habit.

“Butler, should we get our swords first? Look at this. It’s a statue, but it’s not a formal sword, it’s a real sword.”

“Do you know how to swing a black sword?”

“I told you I was the top student at the academy, right? Of course I was first in swordsmanship class too. The royal family is born with superiority in every way!”

Asher lifted the fairly heavy sword with one hand. This proved that it was true that he was born with dragon powers.

If so, then being born with a disability would be the only disadvantage.

A moment later, Asher started to argue while putting his sword in his leather pouch.

“Heh, butler. You don’t know anything about swordsmanship, do you? If you keep doing this, I might end up having to protect you. How unmanly.”

“I don’t particularly want to be protected.”

“P… Pride is threefold.”

How nice it would be if I could be killed. If it weren’t for Asher, wouldn’t it be the monster in the mansion who could kill me?

Even though I know deep down that it’s unlikely, I still find myself hoping.

“Huh?”

At that moment, something shiny inside the fireplace caught my eye.

I quickly walked over and searched the ash-filled fireplace, lifting things out.

“Coin…?”

In an instant, text appeared before my eyes.

[Item: Coin]

[If you have it, something good might happen…?]

Even when I got my hands on the diary, no message was printed. So it would be reasonable to assume that this coin is an item that contains special abilities, like a leather pouch.

I handed the coin over to Asher.

“Keep it. You’ll definitely find a use for it.”

“Huh? Okay. If the butler insists, there must be something. More importantly, the fireplace…”

Asher put the coins in his leather pouch and crouched down in front of the fireplace. Then he volunteered to search the soot-filled interior of the fireplace with his bare hands.

“Butler.”

“Yes, Asher.”

Ash, who had been quietly searching the inside of the fireplace, spoke up for a rare moment. Since she had an unusual expression on her face, I also listened to the story that was coming out.

“You know what? A fireplace is a very suspicious place?”

“Is there a reason?”

“Yeah.”

Her eyes droop as if she is steeped in sad memories, while her lips form a gentle curve in a self-deprecating smile.

“My first brother often sent me poison. But do you know how he dealt with the poison?”

“…”

“Break it in the fireplace and set it on fire. Then all the ingredients will fly away. I don’t understand it, but that’s the kind of poison it is.”

After that, Asher quietly searched the fireplace and then smiled as if relieved.

“Haa, at best, there are only a thousand pieces left. The material isn’t that bad, but who threw it away? It must have been a waste to just use it as a servant’s salary.”

Asher threw the blue piece of cloth back in and grumbled in a natural tone.

“Ashe.”

I somehow got the impression that she was talking nonsense. In fact, Asher’s eyes were increasingly slanted to the left, as if embarrassed.

An awkward silence fell over us for a while.

Then, it was Ashe who attempted conversation first.

“Butler. Am I so strange?”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m trapped here because of you… So I feel really wronged, and even now I want to slap you in the face and beat you up…”

Asher, who had been squatting, put her butt on the floor.

She wrapped her arms around her knees in that position and swayed her body like a grasshopper, keeping her balance.

“You, who I’ve only known for a day, seem like the only person on my side that wasn’t even in the palace. Is it because I speak carelessly because you’re my property? You don’t even flatter me… Come to think of it, it’s been a long time since I’ve trusted someone.”

Asher is still arrogant.

She held out her little finger.

“Butler.”

“Yes.”

“Don’t betray me.”

“…”

“Okay?”

He speaks softly, half-forcibly linking his little fingers together.

“Is that a promise?”

You can’t stamp your thumb.

Because if only I could die, I would gladly give up my life and leave you behind.

It was difficult to meet the wishes of a girl who was ignorant of the ways of the world.

“… I promise.”

But in the end, we gave each other thumbs up.

As if I was being swept away by a rapid current.

They even made a covenant.

Even if that cute behavior is just a deception to an innocent girl.