I must show the dignity of a head maid.
Of course, I don’t think of this as an obsession at all.
This is a very serious matter.
Even if the title of head maid is treated as superficial, at least Ayla’s gaze toward me had to be one of trust.
So, you see.
Thwack.
I had no choice but to quickly deflect the approaching hand and step back.
“Hoho, young master. Your skills have improved considerably. To move so swiftly even in a new body!”
“I’m honored by the compliment, but I don’t plan to let myself be caught easily.”
“Ah, of course, young master. I didn’t plan to catch you easily either.”
Morning—though it was still quite early.
In truth, sensing a suspicious atmosphere the night before, I took it upon myself to guard the mansion. Yet, after being in a heightened state of alert for a week, the other maids advised me to rest.
“You’re the one who should be by Ayla’s side, young master. If someone like you falters because you can’t manage your condition, who will be able to protect Ayla? Or should I be the one to guard her instead?”
Helena, the maid in the butler’s uniform, said this. In the end, I had to agree with her reasoning.
I had managed to catch a little sleep over the past few days, but I was too much of a perfectionist to leave everything in the hands of one witch. Until I had meticulously checked every detail, I couldn’t fall asleep easily.
That’s why I fell asleep.
When I awoke to the suspicious aura, I found maids standing beside me. Each one held something in their hands.
“…To attack while the head maid is asleep—isn’t that cowardly?”
“But young master, you wouldn’t have accepted the makeup we offered you.”
Helena spoke with a polite demeanor.
“As you said, I’m someone who doesn’t need makeup.”
Though I joked about being a lady in front of my younger sibling, that was, of course, just to tease.
“Oh my.”
Agnes, standing next to Helena, cupped one cheek with her hand. Once slender, her jawline had become rounder over the years. Hadn’t she mentioned having four children? Even back then, her eldest son was only about five years younger than me, and she went on to have three more children.
Although not all of them had come of age, they were old enough to be trained.
I had seen her active during early pregnancy, but given her physical changes over just a few years, perhaps she had retired not long after I left the household. Then again, even back then, she was more of an instructor than an active maid. I had learned from her too.
“While your beauty is admirable, young master, it’s a shame to let it go to waste without any embellishment.”
“…….”
“In order to gain the upper hand over someone, you shouldn’t hesitate to use any means necessary.”
“I never learned such lessons from you, Agnes.”
“Well, back then, you were still just a ‘young master.'”
“……What’s the point of beautifying oneself as a woman to attract another woman?”
“Even women can appreciate beauty as beauty. Anyway, since we don’t know Ayla’s preferences, wouldn’t it be best to try everything?”
Helena smiled and took a step closer.
Behind her, countless other maids had sharp gleams in their eyes.
“Now then, Ayla will wake up soon. It might take a bit of time to prepare before then.”
“The one you should be serving is Ayla, not me.”
“To us, you both are to be served.”
Helena replied firmly, then softened her expression slightly.
“Even if you don’t think so, young master, Ayla will surely have occasions when she needs makeup. If you’re the one to apply it, wouldn’t that give you a chance to hold her gaze up close for a while?”
She asked gently.
Ah.
Is that how it works?
In a moment of hesitation, while I briefly pondered and let my guard down,
“Now! Grab him!”
“Yes, Captain!”
The maids didn’t miss their chance.
I tried to flee in haste, but that moment of distraction was far too much for me.
Even so, as long as they called me “young master,” they wouldn’t do me any real harm.
Besides, they knew my personality well enough to understand the boundaries.
In the end, I was captured and dragged into the bathroom. Alone inside, I racked my brain for an escape plan, but unfortunately, the situation wasn’t favorable.
The bathroom wasn’t under surveillance or anything, but the walls were so perfectly sealed that even prying off the tiles seemed impossible.
“…….”
Eventually, I quietly accepted my fate. After washing up, drying off, and getting dressed, I was seized by the maids again and forced into a chair.
For the next hour, they meticulously groomed me.
“……What on earth happened?”
When Ayla saw me that morning, she asked even before I could greet her.
I seriously deliberated what to say.
There was no way I could admit that the “head maid” had been overpowered by the “maids” and forcibly made up like a lady.
“Since Ayla rarely does her own makeup…”
“So, you experimented with makeup on yourself to practice for me?”
“That is correct, my lady.”
Ayla stared at me blankly for a moment before letting out a laugh.
“Pfft, haha, oh, I’m sorry.”
Unable to contain herself, she clutched her stomach, chuckling uncontrollably for a while. Finally, after regaining her composure, she exhaled deeply.
“……So, that’s how it is, hmm.”
“Yes, we experimented with makeup suitable for your face, Ayla.”
“Let’s go with that. Life as a noble lady truly comes with its challenges.”
It seems Ayla has reached a conclusion.
For some reason, she believes I hold a grudge against the Count and am looking for a way to exact revenge by entering this household.
The servants I brought in are the ones I used to employ, after all. From Ayla’s perspective, it all adds up.
And, truthfully, it’s not far from the truth.
I wanted to kill the Count. The Baron who sold Ayla as well. From the moment they first took Ayla from me, I felt that way.
But rushing at them would only lead to my death, so I bided my time and grew stronger.
By the time I thought it was all over, the Count had died, unable to even touch Ayla. That was a stroke of luck.
The accident that befell me, however, was a misfortune.
Yes, I must uncover the truth behind my incident. Though I don’t need to act alone—His Excellency the Marquis is surely investigating it.
“If you think it looks unsightly, I apologize. I’ll go and remove it right away.”
“What? No, that’s not it. Hmm, I see now.”
Ayla, lounging on the sofa, lazily waved her hand.
“Come closer.”
As I approached, Ayla spoke.
Stopping just short of half a step away, I leaned in closer to Ayla.
Leaving only about a hand’s breadth between us, Ayla gazed up at my face intently.
I kept my expression as steady as possible, lowering my gaze slightly—not out of embarrassment, but because it wasn’t proper etiquette to look one’s master directly in the eye.
“It suits you, but it’s not quite to my taste. Alright, next time, try experimenting with a different look.”
“Understood, Lady Ayla.”
I responded politely.
“So, what’s the schedule for today? Are we once again reviewing and critiquing the traps your servants have set?”
“They’re not my servants—they’re your servants, Lady Ayla.”
“Oh my. You sound as if your servants would follow my orders perfectly.”
“Of course, Lady Ayla.”
That’s what I believe. They wouldn’t disobey an order from His Excellency the Marquis.
“If I ordered them to strip and dance, do you think they would obey?”
Ayla’s words caught me off guard, and I hesitated for a moment before replying.
“Didn’t you claim you could do that yourself?”
“Of course, Lady Ayla.”
“And yet, you’re blushing just from having your face this close to mine?”
“I can do it.”
When I answered, Ayla scoffed.
“Very well. Then—wait, what, what are you doing!?”
When I started taking off my clothes in a fit of defiance, Ayla shouted in alarm.
“Because you ordered me to strip, Lady Ayla.”
“When you say it like that, it sounds strange! I never told you to strip!”
She was just as flustered as I was in this absurd situation.
“Fine. So that’s how you’re going to play it.”
However, Ayla’s expression was much livelier than when I first met her.
Her gaze burned with determination, as if she was resolved to win against me.
Ayla suddenly stood up.
The slightly loose silk robe she wore parted slightly, revealing glimpses of her skin.
Startled, I instinctively took a step back. Ayla reached out.
Her fingers grasped the button of my shirt.
Pop.
A button came undone.
“You’re trembling, aren’t you?”
Ayla asked.
I bit my lip slightly—without even realizing it.
“Hehe.”
A laugh, as if it had a musical note at the end, escaped her lips as Ayla withdrew her hand.
“Well, fine. It’s better than a maid trying to outdo her master.”
Her cheerful voice eased my nerves a bit.
“What’s the schedule for today?”
“Nothing specific. Do you have anything in particular you wish to do, Lady Ayla?”
“Let’s see.”
Ayla replied.
“First, let’s set up the traps again. This time, let’s make them a bit more reasonable.”
“Understood.”
“And if there’s time left, I suppose we could train. Come to think of it, you’re weaker than me, aren’t you? A personal maid should be able to protect her master, shouldn’t she?”
“Your words are perfectly reasonable.”
I bowed my head as I answered.