The first day I returned to Weatherwoods without Rue, the head maid scolded me.
—What dangerous thing did you get into? I told you to rest well, relax and come back after delivering the letter. This time you even got hurt!
—That's not what matters now. Mr. Rue has betrayed us. From now on, the head maid will have to cook.
—...That seems like a serious matter. Explain it to me in detail.
In detail, eh? Where to start and how to explain it? I couldn't reveal my past, so I had to combine the facts and create a plausible lie.
—Well, it turns out that Duke Berkley Gratten had his eyes on our family's egg keeper. Mr. Rue fled because he was afraid of the duke.
—What? Tell me more, please.
A little more detail. I took things slowly and followed Malcolm's advice. Although I wasn't sure exactly what I was saying, the maid's complexion darkened as if she understood.
—It seems Weatherwoods will be in danger.
—That's right.
—...Well, as you may have heard in Westwinterre, the Weatherwoods mansion is being managed with the help of Mr. Malcolm, a close friend of the former Master.
—I know.
—Some time ago, after discovering the true identity of the egg, I asked Sir Malcolm about the truth I didn't know about the Weatherwoods. He replied that the egg was not the heir, but a memory of the previous owner, disguised to protect it from external threats. The master's will for it to succeed him was a lie in itself.
So that's what happened.
—I don't know what the clear reason is why I have to protect this strange egg, but… since that was the true mission I had been entrusted with, I decided to accept it without complaining. Please take good care of it too, Miss Daisy.
I nodded with a thumb up.
—Of course.
Late summer night in Weatherwoods. When I lay alone in bed and looked at the ceiling, memories of the time I spent with Rue on Queen Island came to my mind like fog. After a careful comparison, the Rue of fourteen years ago and the Rue of now were different in many ways, but they were still the same.
"Back then she was like a princess who wouldn't lift a finger to do anything, but now she not only cooks, but also goes out to look for ingredients..."
However, her cold smile remained the same. And her bitterness was still intact. Plus, the fact that he was an extraordinary mage.
—Was he more tender and playful when we met? He still has a mischievous side, but now he seems sensitive and thorny.
Could he be going through a second stage of adolescence right now? It seems plausible that one experiences adolescence twice when one is around 179 years old.
"I want to scold you as soon as I see you…"
Thinking about him made the dawn pass a little faster. Then I suddenly felt curious. Did Rue really try to bury me on the cliff when I died?
The second day back in Weatherwoods without Rue, I illegally occupied Rue's mansion. After a simple lunch, during the given rest time, the first person who greeted me when I silently infiltrated the mansion was…
—Hehe. Welcome, please take a seat and wait. I'll bring you some tea.
A bandit dressed in a maid's suit... No, it was a member of the Berithlet. I was traumatized by seeing him. A beard that covered his entire chin. A cute ribbon tied in the middle of the beard. Bulging muscles on the shoulders and legs. The maid's outfit was swollen as if it were going to burst!
I was about to fall into shock, but I came to my senses with great difficulty thanks to the assassin butler who appeared belatedly.
—What the hell did you do to him?
The assassin butler countered with an indifferent expression.
—I promoted him to maid as you demanded.
—Maids don't laugh like that.
—Is that your problem? I know that too. But I didn't teach him. More importantly, I obtained information from Berithlet.
The information, no doubt, was obtained from the bandit maid.
—Well, we'll talk about that later. I have to leave Midwinterre again. I'm very busy because I have to bring back your master who fled.
—Is that so? That sounds important. Understood.
—Have you settled your affairs with Jean yet?
—That woman knows nothing. Besides, she was a complete failure as a butler. She has a lot to learn.
I nodded my head and made eye contact with the assassin butler, who had an extremely serious expression.
—And this time, I acquired secret information about the master that you won't know.
Why? For some reason, I wasn't looking forward to it much. I asked with a complaining voice.
—What is it?
—The master is… a swordsman.
Was he so?
—And he is an excellent master. It is very rare for an exceptional mage to also be a good swordsman. I think the master is much more formidable than we expected.
I suppose so. Because he was the Calepa of Rogue.
I completely ignored the assassin butler's demand to settle the debt since he had brought useful information.
"He doesn't know anything about Rue even though they live in the same house."
In other words, Rue was very good at hiding things.
The third day back in Weatherwoods without Rue. After much deliberation over the last two days, a new plan occurred to me.
—I need to bring back Mr. Rue, head maid.
The head maid and Jean, who were drinking diluted potato soup, turned their gaze towards me.
—Bring him back? Do you know where he went?
—Yes. He went to the Northern Continental Union. I need funds for the trip.
The head maid's expression quickly turned cold at the mention of funds.
—Do we really need to bring back someone who left on his own? We can look for a new chef. It might cost a bit more, but…
—No, we can't. We can manage with the food somehow, but no matter how much money we spend, we will never be able to find a mage of Mr. Rue's level. Without him, it will be difficult to protect the Weatherwoods family.
—We have you.
Are you suggesting that you would entrust the safety of the mansion to a maid? You're a psychopathic maid!
—Head maid, this may be the first time you hear this, but Mr. Rue even managed to discover the assassins who watched Weatherwoods. I'm not as sensitive to these things as he is.
The head maid wiped her mouth with a slightly surprised expression.
—Did such a thing happen?
—You should know better than anyone how incredible Mr. Rue is, Jean, as the heir to the Berkley-Gratten family and a talented swordsman, right, Jean?
Jean was surprised to be suddenly dragged into the conversation, but she nodded calmly.
—If it's true that the duke has the Weatherwoods family in his sights… my senior's words are correct. We definitely need Mr. Rue's skills.
—Wait. Why does everyone think we're going to have a physical war with the Berkley-Grattens?
—Because he actually keeps sending people.
Sighing deeply, the head maid rubbed her temples and waved her hand.
—...This requires a bit more thought. Let's finish our meal first. We have a lot to do in the afternoon.
At night, after finishing all the day's work, Jean came to my room.
—Senior.
I looked at her, satisfied with how much more butler-like she had become, and checked the status of her training.
—What about the task I gave you?
To sleep at night without thinking for a week. Not even reading a magazine. Jean's expression was somewhat strong, as if she hadn't missed a single day.
—I've been acting well. However, I have something to ask you, Miss, which is why I came here at this late hour despite knowing it's rude.
—What is it?
—Please take me with you to the Northern Continental Union.
By no means, if I take you there the head maid will go crazy. …were the words with which I should have rejected her. However, my lips moved in a completely different direction.
—Why?
Jean replied a bit hesitantly, unlike usual.
—I've heard that in the Northern Continental Union there are many swordsmen who use a completely different style of fencing than the Empire. I want to follow in their footsteps and broaden my horizons.
Was it because of that damn sword again? I remembered Jean's face from the dream I had had, as she invaded even my inner world.
—Please teach me how not to hurt those I trust. Teach me to be able to win like you, senior, until the end.
Damn leech. She was completely blocked from everything the world thought and only focused on her goals, quite the opposite of Andert. Andert was also stubborn. I don't know how the two managed to live in the same family.
—Please teach me how not to hurt those I trust. Teach me to be able to win like you, senior, until the end.
Stop it already.
—Please teach me how not to hurt those I trust. Teach me to be able to win like you, senior... until the end.
I said...
—Please teach me how not to hurt those I trust… until the end.
Damn it. Okay, I get it! Then I'll teach you!
—Okay. It's not a big deal.
With a puzzled look in her insecure eyes, Jean asked cautiously:
—Are you really granting permission?
—Why? Are you surprised that I'm so cool?
—Yes.
—I'm surprised too.
I never expected to bother with such trivial problems. But I didn't understand exactly what she meant by teaching. I ended up with another worrying thing. If I showed Jean the continent as she wanted, I could probably get what I wanted.
On the fourth day of return to Weatherwoods without Rue. I declared war on the head maid telling her I would take Jean with me to the continent.
—No, you can't.
Of course, I was rejected immediately.