The head maid was surprised to see us return earlier than planned. —Who is it at this hour…? My God, after all you managed it? It was time to consolidate what little trust the maid had in me. That night, after Rue returned to the Eachus mansion, I told the maid everything that had happened at the noble council meeting: from our meeting with Count Rosebell, my relationship with Yeager and Volkwin, the upper class factions, my small discussion with the sword master, the terrorist attack at the Iregiel Villa, to the encounter with Raphael.
The same happened with the duel with Jean. If I tried to vaguely hide one or two facts, as soon as they came to light, they would discover me and the trust that would be broken at that moment could never be repaired. To begin with, she didn't trust me much right now. But there was still one thing I kept to myself. It's better if I keep to myself the fact that the sword master is the client for now. I didn't hide it because I wanted to; there simply was no proof to show the maid.
Furthermore, it seemed she was satisfied with the information provided. —Miss Daisy, how did you defeat a famous swordswoman like Jean Berkley Gratten? —With this. The maid went silent when I waved my fist at her. She seemed somewhat convinced.
—…Mhm. I guess you, who can make a grown man fly with just your fists, can easily take care of a young swordswoman. In reality, it wasn't so. People who didn't learn swordplay thought physical strength was everything, which wasn't so, but I left it like that.
—Many incidents have occurred. I didn't even know there had been a terrorist attack at the Iregiel villa. I'm glad you came home safe and sound, Miss Daisy. I nodded. —Viscount Weatherwoods visiting Duke Zenail... Since water was spilled, there is nothing we can do. It seems you and I will have to cover each other in various ways.
—Raphae… No, it seems there is nothing good in approaching Duke Zenail. —Duke Zenail is the main war hero of the Allied Forces, no matter what others say. Now he is even the leader of the noble council. He has very sharp senses. It's not strange that he has doubts about our family, the Weatherwoods.
Unexpectedly, the maid didn't say a word about my background. Well, I guess the weight of the matter before us was so serious it was impractical for her to meddle in every small aspect that way. After meeting the sword master and Raphael, a question occurred to me that I hadn't considered before. How long can the Weatherwoods hide their master's absence? Officially, the head of the Weatherwoods family was Viscount Gray Weatherwoods. His existence, in which the head maid had firmly believed through the egg upstairs, proved to be Dian Cecht's relic. Therefore, the Weatherwoods family was practically without an owner.
—Head maid. The maid who seemed to be deep in thought looked at me. —Tell me. —Who pays us? —Payment? Of course, the Weatherwoods family will. —But there is no Viscount Weatherwoods. How are they going to pay us if we don't have a real employer? The maid closed her mouth with a look of surprise. —That… I discreetly slid our oath engraving in front of her. The maid, following the markings with complicated eyes, let out a sigh.
—…Ah. I guess now that we've reached this point, I can no longer hide it. There is an elder of the Weatherwoods family who takes care of the family's affairs. —¿The Count of Rosebell? —No, you see, the elder resides in Westwinterre, in the western region of Midwinterre. It happens to be the ideal time to pay him a visit. You can go there in my place.
Westwinterre? I clapped silently. Wasn't Westwinterre one of the reasons for my installation in Midwinterre? It's said they have one of Dian Cecht's relics on display in a private exhibit at a museum there. I would steal it while I was there. Anyway, it was very likely the museum had stolen it from someone else. There was nothing fairer than stealing from a thief.
The time came to briefly end the "Weatherwoods family conference" and return to our respective bedrooms. The maid called me as I went up the stairs. —…Miss Daisy, can I ask you a question? Here it comes. I nodded with a stern look. —Tell me. Half of the maid's forehead is wrinkled. —¿Tell me? What's with that tone? Well, it doesn't matter... What do you think of Rue?
—Rue? —Listening to your story, I've started to have doubts about him. I knew his magic abilities and wealth were amazing, but I never imagined he would even possess an airship. The grandeur you say he showed at the noble council has really been more surprising than I had imagined. Why does a man like that work as an employee of the Weatherwoods family?
I'm sorry, but I had asked myself that question hundreds of times. —Doesn't Miss Daisy think Rue is a dangerous person? Do you think he could have infiltrated the mansion to do harm? The maid was hinting at the possibility of Rue's betrayal. You must be worried even after having taken an oath to him. Traitors usually had two faces and, in most cases, a deep and desperate desire that could never be completely hidden. They were always too busy keeping secrets.
However, Rue didn't belong to any of those categories. Nor did he seem to have a great purpose or desire. Sure, he was searching for Dian Cecht's relics, but... I don't think it's a very important success for him. Furthermore, Rue was never much for hiding his secrets. In fact, that part of him was what intrigued me most. —If you are curious about my identity and purpose, make sure that flower blooms. Not only did he openly show his magic abilities without hesitation, but he also effortlessly revealed to me who the people following him on that ship were. Didn't it seem like this wasn't that serious for him?
—Mr. Rue said he is over 100 years old. In fact, he was over 150 years old, but I lowered his age to 50 to protect his privacy. The maid asked with surprised eyes. —Did he really say that? —Yes. Besides that, I don't know much about him either, but he has never lied to me about anything. No matter what happens. Has he… done it?
—I have traumas from the past, but Mr. Rue has helped me several times and I have overcome them with relative ease with his help. He also helped me reflect on myself. …but, didn't he bully me too? —In any case, Rue may seem suspicious, but I don't think he's dangerous. Duke Zenail and the sword master represent a much greater threat, that's for sure.
Why did I take that crazy guy's side? I lost all my strength as I spoke. The maid's eyebrow arched, bewildered by my sudden mention of the sword master, and she asked: —Do you mean Duke Berkley Gratten when you say sword master? Why? —I think he seeks Dian Cecht's relics. —Are you sure? —No, it's just a guess.
Therefore, it was completely up to the maid to believe or not my words. At least it was so until there was stronger evidence. If I stayed there standing, I would probably get into an even deeper problem, so I yawned and pretended to be sleepy, and went back to my room. I lay on the bed and closed my eyes. —Home is the best. Outside the house is dangerous. A sweet comfort I couldn't feel in the airship enveloped me. However, as always, it took me a long time to fall asleep to be able to rest well.
The next day. I started the day by checking my small plant, still the size of a baby. The first thing I did upon returning home was not to research Rogue, nor find the assassin butler, nor attend the head maid's daily social etiquette lessons that she forced me to take every day for 20 minutes. No, I was cleaning.
Cleaning and washing clothes were a maid's tasks and the meaning of her existence. And… my job! —While Miss Daisy was away, a lot of work accumulated. Let's work hard. —Yes. I worked like a slave after a long time.
Dusting the few paintings left in the family. Cleaning the frames. Putting them back. Dusting the stair railings and cleaning the stairs. Scrubbing the floors. Washing the bedding from the bedrooms that weren't used. Dusting non-stop. Cleaning the window sills. Washing the windows. Dusting the floors. Scrubbing the floors. Polishing... —Crazy. This damn house. It had been a while since I remembered the fact that I was practically a slave in this house.
I was planning to go to the pub to meet the assassin butler at midnight after eating the delicious dinner Rue prepared for me, and, yet. I had just fallen asleep. It had been a long time since I had such a good night's sleep in the Weatherwoods mansion.
The next day. Twenty minutes before lunch begins, after finishing the morning routine a little early. The class on social skills and public ethics for the maid began. The class on social skills and public ethics was something the head maid developed so I wouldn't behave as my mind wanted. However, today I had no intention of paying attention to such boring human lessons. Before her class began, I quickly raised my hand and raised a different question. —What is Rogue? —Eh? The maid who looked at me with a serious face nodded after a long time. —Okay, I'll replace today's class with a common sense class. I didn't know Daisy didn't know anything about Rogue. I guess I should have expected it. Ufff. I was glad the maid didn't question my level of common sense. I guess for her it was natural that I was stupid.