Ironically, the young ladies who have several servants below them sometimes find themselves in the position of being a servant.
Though there are cases where commoners work as maids, in a society where social classes are divided, those at the top do not expect the ones below them to serve them out of necessity. They see it as a natural thing rather than something to be desired.
Therefore, rather than that, they want someone who can testify to their high status just by being beside them.
It is quite common for a maid who serves a princess or prince to be the daughter of a high-ranking noble family. Even if it’s not the royal family, a noblewoman from a relatively high-status family may serve a noblewoman from a lower-ranking noble family.
A maid is in a position where she must act respectfully in front of the person she serves, no matter what.
A noblewoman from a small noble family, whose family is too insignificant to properly supervise each daughter, often returns after learning manners from other noble families. Alternatively, she may succeed in marrying the son of that family. Either way, those in a lower position benefit.
However, I have never lived like that even once. Though, even if I were the daughter of a marquis from the start, I would not have been in a position to become a maid in another noble family.
I try to fulfill the role of a perfect maid, but honestly, I still have a long way to go to reach perfection.
“What is this…?”
Still, lately, I am slowly beginning to understand what ‘pride’ as a maid feels like.
Especially when Seyla or Ayla admire what I’ve done. Of course, Ayla rarely expresses admiration, so it’s mostly Seyla’s praise.
And I never expected to feel this way about the Baron.
“Is all this food from the Count’s territory?”
The Baron asked me.
“Yes, Baron. I believe it would be impossible to produce such items in any other nearby territory.”
I am the head maid of this mansion. Given the age and experience of the servants, I could be considered young and inexperienced for a maid, but at least no one here resents my position.
Rather, when I do something, they often smile with pride or seem to cheer me on, which makes me uncomfortable. I’ve spent almost my whole life claiming to be a “bastard,” but could it be that to them, I still haven’t shaken off the position of the “late-found young master”?
No, maybe now I’m a young lady. That’s a little bittersweet.
Anyway, I assert it for myself, and neither my master, Ayla, nor Seyla deny it, and none of the servants of this mansion oppose me, so I was indeed the head maid of the mansion in both name and practice. Naturally, when a noble guest like the Baron visits, it’s my job to guide them to the meal.
Until the main dish was served, the Baron’s reaction wasn’t that dramatic. Since most of the food in the witch’s forest storage was still fruits, the meat used for appetizers and the main dish was just the regular kind that Ayla and Seyla would use for their meals. It wasn’t embarrassing to serve in front of nobility, though.
The Baron was truly shocked when the dessert was served.
As someone preparing the meal, I knew this would be the best timing to surprise the Baron, so I asked the other servants to pay extra attention to the food.
As a result, the dessert was not only abundant but also extremely varied. It was a rainbow of colors. Moreover, the syrup used for the dessert was refined sugar produced through magic. This table was filled with the latest food technologies that could be seen.
“These fruits couldn’t possibly grow in the kingdom, could they?”
It seems the Baron has at least this much common sense.
“We secured a trade route for them.”
“Isn’t that too much? If you wanted to impress me, you didn’t need to go this far. The Count’s territory already has a lot of debt. I would prefer if you didn’t add to the amount I have to pay.”
“Baron, the debt of the Count’s territory will be repaid by Lady Ayla, the owner of the land. I greatly appreciate your kindness, but Lady Ayla asked me to respectfully decline your offer.”
“Hmph.”
The Baron snickered and reached for the dessert.
He lightly scooped a bite with a small spoon, put it in his mouth, and then his eyes widened once again.
Well, I’m sure he’s never tasted anything like this. Such expensive fruit is hard for a noble like the Baron to enjoy in abundance. With the same amount of money, he could have bought chickens, pigs, or cows, and it would have been much more beneficial.
“If you wish, Lady Ayla said she could send some with you when you leave. Although, since these fruits are quite sweet, they may spoil quickly.”
This is something we should also consider.
There are ways to maintain the freshness and receive more money, but we can’t always keep it as a luxury food.
What if we processed it by drying or other means to create something a bit cheaper?
“You can eat as much as you want. We can prepare as much as you desire. We also plan to serve similar food to those who came with you.”
The Baron looked at me as if confirming the truth of my words. His expression didn’t seem like he figured anything out, and he glanced back down at his meal.
His hands didn’t stop. He seemed to enjoy it.
I just hope that meal becomes poison to the Baron.
Late at night, I headed into the forest with Ayla.
It wasn’t just Ayla and me. A shadow walked beside us, and my younger brother followed that shadow.
Although my younger brother’s status was much higher than the shadow’s, it now felt like he was the one being guarded.
“What on earth happened? Did he get pierced through the nose?”
I looked at my younger brother with that thought in my heart.
No matter how much the shadow walked around in clothes that exposed much of the chest, it knew its worth well. A noblewoman’s reputation should be free of rumors to be treated properly. The shadow knew how to use her appearance but respected the boundaries and didn’t cross them. If my younger brother really got involved, it must have been his first experience.
“I didn’t know you were that kind of person.”
I looked at my younger brother with that feeling.
He frowned and glared at me. Since we were both behind the shadow and Ayla, this was possible.
The emotion in his expression was nothing but “annoyance.”
Hmm, well…
It was my decision to send my younger brother, after all.
For now, should I just let it go? I’ll need to hear what happened later on a different day, late at night.
Luckily, Ayla didn’t recognize my younger brother. As the legitimate heir of the marquis family, he’s quite a well-known figure. He attended many banquets, but there was never any intersection between him and Ayla. The marquis family is a household that guards the kingdom’s borderlands, while the count’s family is located in the kingdom’s most secure grain-producing region.
“So, you built a secret base in a place like this and went out to meet people every night?”
Ayla’s question made me flinch, and my younger brother smiled at me. His expression seemed to say “serves you right,” which irritated me. But right now, I’m Ayla’s maid. Responding to my mistress’s words takes priority over showing my emotions.
“Did you know about this?”
Of course, the only thing I could say was that. I thought it was possible, but I never expected to be found out so soon.
“Don’t worry.”
Ayla replied with a sigh in her voice. She didn’t even look my way.
“I didn’t follow them, though.”
It seemed like she hadn’t heard anything further.
“So, what exactly are Daisy and her father? Are they disguised elves?”
“Didn’t you see them?”
Well, elves are almost mythical beings in this country. Everyone knows they exist, but there are very few elves remaining in the present era. Since their lifespan is so long, they don’t care much about leaving descendants. If a witch were to have a child… it would feel like something morally wrong to do.
“Could it really be true?”
I couldn’t lie outright, so I decided to answer somewhat evasively.
“They come from the Witch’s Forest.”
“…I see.”
This time, Ayla let out a heavy sigh.
“So, who exactly are you? Are you some hidden daughter of the king? I thought those people rarely interact with outsiders.”
Originally, the elf’s forest existed first, and humans began settling around it, forming the area. The forest doesn’t claim its land as independent from the kingdom, but on the other hand, the kingdom doesn’t really try to conquer or suppress it either.
Although there are villages a bit far from the forest, the kingdom’s territory isn’t so small that every corner is packed with people.
“…It’s just a coincidence.”
“If that coincidence happens a few more times, the kingdom will be turned upside down. What exactly are you trying to do… No, never mind. Don’t tell me now.”
“I’m sorry.”
“There’s nothing to apologize for.”
Ayla let out a last incredulous chuckle and confidently walked toward the forest villa guarded by Daisy and her apprentice.