“Ugh… tch! Phew, I’m still alive today.”
A girl, wrapped in a thin piece of blanket, stretched and muttered.
“Ah… the morning air is always refreshing and nice.”
As she stretched her arms high and lightly bounced her knees, the girl opened the cracked window and took a deep breath of the morning breeze, smiling refreshingly.
It wasn’t quite morning yet since the sun hadn’t risen, and a dark curtain covered the mansion while the two moons still hung in the sky, but for those working at the Evergarden mansion, this was indeed morning.
“Ah… is it already morning? Oh my.”
“Brr, it’s cold…”
“I only blinked once, and here we are…”
“Sisters! Wake up!”
“Bennet… there’s probably no one in the whole world who likes mornings as much as you do besides noble ladies.”
As the fresh morning wind rushed through the corners of the room, the figures that had been crawling under the blankets like caterpillars slowly awoke with groans.
They were the women serving in the Evergarden mansion, working as maids.
The means by which nobles flaunted their wealth included vast territories, expensive jewels, dresses, and many luxuries, but undoubtedly, the most brag-worthy asset was people.
To be precise, it was about how many people one could employ.
The more people a noble had at their disposal, the more they could hold their head high among their peers, and the foolish head of the Evergarden family, despite being a bit silly, wanted to be recognized among them.
As a result, a whole section of the Evergarden mansion had been turned into lodging for the servants, boasting enough employees to fill rooms with at least four people each.
“How can you be so lively every day? Aren’t you tired?”
“Well, I was a shepherd before coming here. In a way, I like working here more. They serve food!”
“…Ah, I see.”
Hearing Bennet’s response to another maid’s question, who was complaining about the daily labor and fatigue, she couldn’t help but think that she and this girl were fundamentally different.
Extreme optimism.
That was Bennet.
“Ah, I’ll head out first! I’m in charge of fetching water today!”
“Okay, good luck.”
“Goodbye, Bennet… cool—”
Not only did Bennet open the window to wake up the others still in the room, but she also quickly changed her clothes and hurried out of her quarters.
Today, she had to rush because she was in charge of fetching water for breakfast.
“Wow… everyone’s already gathered?”
By the time Bennet hurriedly finished dressing and grabbed a bucket, she arrived at the well to see the other maids responsible for fetching water lined up one by one.
“Hi, Bennet. You’re in charge of water today, huh?”
“Henry! Hi! Did you sleep well?”
The maids standing in line would spend some time chatting during this moment.
“I’m worried since suddenly the workload has dropped.”
“Yeah, it used to be much busier. It seems like one by one, people are leaving already.”
As Bennet returned to the back of the line and met her peer, Henry, they discussed the recent happenings in the mansion.
“Why do you think that is? Last time, they told us to move incredibly expensive valuables to storage.”
“Bennet, you haven’t heard? I heard they’re planning to sell all of it!”
“What? Really? How much will it be worth?”
“Well… I wonder if we could buy a small brooch with enough of us gathered here at the well…”
“Wow… that’s amazing!”
“Then why do you think they suddenly decided to sell it? And on top of that, now they’re saying we have to leave the mansion.”
“Right…”
This led the two maids to recall what Freya had said two days prior when she had gathered them all in the central hall for a discussion.
In the middle of work, Freya suddenly called all the employees in the mansion and said, “I appreciate the hard work you’ve put in for us, but due to financial difficulties, we must regrettably reduce our staff. Instead of just letting you go, I’ll write recommendations so you can work in other noble houses.”
At Freya’s words, the gathered employees tilted their heads in confusion, wondering if they had heard her wrong.
What shocked them was not the sudden news of having to leave their jobs, but that Freya had said “thank you” to them.
Having worked in the Evergarden mansion, they had only ever been subjected to insults, never receiving any compliments, so their reaction was only natural.
After that, Freya announced a list of selected employees, and she also conveyed that anyone wanting to leave the mansion in the future should mention it to receive a recommendation.
“There seem to be many people wanting to leave, even if their names weren’t called.”
“Yeah… it must have been tough. I still have the marks of the cane I got from making a mistake with the lady last time.”
“Me too…”
“Must be why so many people want to leave this miserable mansion.”
“Henry, what about you?”
“I can’t go. My family lives here.”
However, many people were unable to leave this territory, so there were many who worked reluctantly, unable to give up the opportunity to escape this miserable mansion, including Henry.
“I see… heh.”
“What? Are you happy I’m not going?”
“Yeah! I’d be sad if someone my age disappeared.”
“…Well, still, these days, haven’t the young masters and ladies changed a bit?”
“Oh… right! Definitely!”
Amid their conversation, the topic naturally shifted to the members of the Evergarden family.
“Something… what should I say?”
“AFLF…?”
“Yeah! They’ve become kinder! The last time I accidentally spilled some sauce on the table during dinner, they didn’t say a word!”
“Me too. When I made a mistake brushing the lady’s hair, she just let it go.”
Originally, those who would unleash harsh reprimands and wield violence disguised as punishment for even the smallest mistakes had reportedly stopped using violence against their employees lately.
At that moment.
“Hmm? What’s everyone doing gathered here?”
“Uh… eek?! We see the head of the household!!”
“““We see the head of the household!!!!”””
As a new figure appeared at the well, the faces of the maids, who had been chatting in small groups, turned pale, and they bowed their heads deeply.
That new figure was none other than Dariann Evergarden, the noble count and owner of this mansion.
“Oh, there’s no need to be so stiff. I just stopped by to quench my thirst after my morning exercise. Take it easy.”
“Uh…”
As Dariann walked over, waving his hand, he observed the scene of dozens of maids bowing their heads in his direction.
Dariann’s hair, very dark, was damp with sweat and clinging to the side of his face.
His red eyes glistened as if they were about to ignite, and his prominent nose and sharp jawline were visible.
And, surprisingly, Dariann had tossed his shirt aside, only draping a piece of cloth over his shoulder to wipe off sweat, causing Bennet and the other maids to barely hold back gasps of admiration.
With broad shoulders, defined muscles, and clear abs, he had a physique that wouldn’t pale in comparison to any knight.
“Ah, should I wait in the back if I want some?”
“Oh, no!! Um, if it’s not too much trouble, the water I fetched is freshly pumped…”
“Oh? Thanks! But I don’t have a cup.”
“I’ll bring one right now!”
“No, I’ll just drink it as is.”
“…Huh? Uh, whaaat?!”
“Ah! Wow! It’s so refreshing! Is it because it’s spring water?”
Feeling thirsty, Dariann strolled up and received the bucket of water from a maid who was holding it in front of him, gulping it down without a cup and smiling, clearly refreshed.
“Th-thank you.”
“You all seem to be working hard this morning as well. Well then—”
“Ah, yes…”
As the maid who had returned the now-empty bucket wore a dazed expression, Dariann turned around and left the well area, while the maids watched his back.
“…20….”
“What was that?”
Once Dariann completely exited the well area, the maids immediately began to murmur among themselves.
It was common for nobles who had to change clothes to show their bare bodies to their employees, but seeing a muscular body glistening with sweat from morning exercise at such an early hour was a different matter.
Also, the fact that the owner of those muscles was someone who, in the past, would have been groaning from a hangover in the morning now engaged in exercise was noteworthy.
Furthermore, the sight of a nobleman casually gulping down water from a bucket was something that felt different from what they had seen before.
The maids began to feel a disconnect between the Dariann they had known and the Dariann they were seeing now, who seemed so different.
But.
“Did you see…? The moment when the water flowed down from the head of the household’s chin and trickled down his collarbone to his solid abs?”
“Annie, you’re drooling.”
“I’ve never seen the head of the household smile before…”
“Wow. He’s so cool…”
“He looks so wild, like a wolf…”
“Was the head of the household always that toned…?”
“I wish I could have at least hugged him once…”
Dariann was simply following his usual routine, going for a morning workout, and since he was a man, he had casually removed his shirt—surprised at how comfortable it felt to drink the water he had obtained.
However, to the eyes of the young girls in their prime, that image was far too stimulating.
With his toned body, defined muscles, and handsome face, the maids even forgot that Dariann was their master and tried hard to memorize the scene they had just witnessed.
Meanwhile, Dariann was marveling at the taste of the water from this world, feeling a significant difference from the bottled water of the modern world, while scratching his belly.
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