Chapter 5:

Was it because she’d been teasing Leo too much? Or because she snuck out while the head maid was still asleep? Either way, whatever it was triggered her maid training event flag. The kind, gentle Lana that brought her to a warm home was nowhere to be seen. There was only Head Maid, Destroyer of Male Habits.

“What kind of lady sits like that?”

Eres flinched at the sharp words, immediately correcting her posture. It had been weeks since she’d been brought here. Every day was filled with the direction of the head maid, constant criticisms of her past life’s behavior, and training in duties. 

Lana stepped around her, observing her eating. Her hand reached out, lightly slapping the girl’s hand—not hard enough to sting, but stern enough to correct.

“Are you a turtle, stretching your neck out to eat? Honestly, Eres. Where’s that refined young lady I saw when you first arrived?”

Eres bit back a retort. Saying that she was never a refined young lady would only earn her another hour of lectures. 

“I apologize, Head Maid.”

Lana nodded, a smile dancing over her lips. “Well. At least your words are proper.”

She sighed. “You are finished for today. Maintain the dignity of the Fritz household, Eres. I expect you to continue your lessons on your own time.”

Eres bolted from her seat, avoiding the stern gaze of the woman who replaced her Lana during the day. So stern during daylight, so kind during starlight. Is she cursed? Is she a weremaid?

She let out a sigh as she walked to the garden. It was abundantly clear why Leo feared her, even with his adult mind. Lana was a fearsome woman, and quick to grab the switch. 

She slumped down on the fountain bench next to Leo. They both looked half-dead. They rolled their heads towards each other.

“Leo.”

“Eres.”

The trickling of the fountain filled the gap in their conversation. Eres sat up, causing Leo to look at her with his eyebrow raised.

“You still have energy?”

“This isn’t energy,” She replied, “This is desperation.”

Eres turned crazed eyes towards him. “Come on, Leo. Let’s ditch this whole place, go become adventurers! Right? Right?!”

Leo stared at her. “You’ve lost it.”

“AGGHHH I CAN’T TAKE THIS!”

Eres stood up in a tizzy, kicking into the grass. 

“C-calm down, what’s the matter?”

“What’s the matter?!”

Eres turned towards Leo. She pointed at him in accusation. “You bastard, you aren’t the one getting criticized for every action! Every! Action!”

“Yes, Eres, I was. Why do you think the head maid still haunts my nightmares?”

“That’s different, Leo. I’m a guy! A guy!”

“Not anymore.”

“Ack!”

Eres clutched a hand to her throat. Had Leo finally betrayed her? 

“S-so this is as far as our brotherhood takes us…”

Leo laughed. “What brotherhood?

“You’re the one that agreed to maid training, Eres.”

“Agreed? The choice was this or eating mud! How is that a choice?!”

Leo shrugged. “I don’t have an answer.”

“Tsk.”

“Did you just click your tongue at your brother?”

“I thought we weren’t brothers?”

“We’re not. I’m your older brother.”

Eres scoffed. “Eh? Older? With that little shrimp body?”

“Younger sisters shouldn’t talk back.”

“Sister? So that’s how it is, you cheeky bastard.”

“…I don’t like that implication.”

Eres crossed her arms, nodding her head. “As expected of a hardcore weeb.”

“I will have you executed.”

“Me? We both know the head maid cherishes me more.”

“Then you should follow her lessons diligently.”

Eres flinched. “T-that’s not…”

“Hmm~ it looks like my employee is being rebellious. Should I deduct your salary?”

Eres immediately curtsied. “Young master, dear young master, why-ever would you do something such as that? Does this young lady need to prove her skills?”

“No dignity at all.”

“Servants can’t afford dignity.”

***

Ah. Time. How it passes between your fingers like so many grains of sand. Eres nodded sagely to her own thoughts as she walked down the hall, cleaning equipment in hand. She’d been thoroughly trained into her role, taught the duties of the maids of the Fritz household. 

She and Leo still talked, though with less frequency. Their garden meetings remained undeterred. Perhaps it was because she was Leo’s first friend, but the maids whom she worked with treated her quite well. Still, wasn’t it a bit much to have a child work this hard?

Her experience in her past life as a retail wage slave did not go unrewarded. She picked up her chores quickly, much to the delight of Lana. She’d just finished up her morning duties when a commotion could be heard in the mansion.

Anne, the one who had helped her bathe the first day, was walking towards the sound at a quick pace. Eres jogged to keep up.

“Anne, what’s going on?”

She looked at Eres with a kind smile. “It looks like the Lady of the house is returning!”

Eres raised her eyebrows. She’d been here for some time, but had never seen Leo’s parents. She was curious. What kind of parents would leave their child alone for so long? 

The maids lined up in a row, with Eres at the end, her tiny body noticeably shorter than the rest. She was the only child who worked there, after all. 

A splendid carriage rolled through the gates, with handsome horses pulling it along. The driver pulled it to a stop, door facing the house, and jumped down to help the occupant out. 

The door opened, and Eres’s eyes widened as a woman with long, raven locks, wearing a crimson dress stepped out. Was that Leo’s mother? She nodded with approval. 

The woman looked stern, her face set like it was carved from pure marble. She stepped with grace, a queenly pressure exuding from each of her movements. She halted after a moment, her eyes landing on Eres. A look of pure confusion flashed across her face. 

Eres, who had lowered her head like the other servants after being spotted, caught the sound of approaching footsteps. Two elegant feet wearing exquisite shoes appeared in front of her.

“Child.”

The voice was deep for a woman’s, the tone commanding yet not unfriendly. Eres jumped, not expecting such attention.

“Y-yes, my lady?”

“Why are you here?”

The head maid stepped forward, beginning to speak. “My Lady, I brought her—”

“I was speaking to the child, Lana.”

“Ah. Yes, my lady.”

Eres felt the woman’s fan press her chin, lifting it to look upward. Eres met her eyes. 

“Why are you here?” She asked again. 

“I work here under the head maid’s guidance, your grace.”

“Hmm.”

She used the fan to turn her face left and right, observing it. 

“Lana.”

“Yes?”

“Is she working under normal duties?”

“Indeed, I have her assigned with one of the senior maids.”

“How is her performance?”

“Excellent. Were it not for her size, she’d likely be among our best workers. She’s surprisingly skilled.”

“Hmm. She will be Leonard’s personal maid.”

“Y-yes, my lady.”

The Duchess looked over her shoulder. “Are they familiar?”

“They are friends, your grace.”

She halted. A bewildered look ran across her expression for the first time. “Friends?

“My Leo?”

“Yes. They spend all of their free time together, your grace. Leo is quite fond of her.”

The Duchess looked at Eres again with appraising eyes. Her lips bloomed into a radiant smile. 

“This I must see. Come, child.”

She turned and began to walk away. Eres stood there, stunned, but Anne pushed her forward, tilting her chin in the Duchess’s direction. 

Eres stumbled after her, bewildered. What kind of event was this? Why her out of everyone else?!

The Duchess walked toward the garden. She knows her son well, despite not being home often.

A short while later, Eres and the Duchess arrived at the fountain.

Leo stood to his feet, bowing his head as he did. “Mother.”

She walked to him. They stared at each other for an awkward moment, but she leaned in and hugged him. He stiffly wrapped his arms around her.

“Leo…how have you been?”

Her voice was softer than it had been. She brushed the top of his head, settling his bangs back into place. 

“Well, mother.”

“I hear you’re friends with this maid?”

Leo froze, before nodding. “Yes. We’re very good friends.”

Eres pumped her arms in her head. Nice, Leo! I would have been screwed if he denied it!

“I would like to assign her as your personal maid.”

“Personal…?”

“Is that not acceptable?”

“No, it is, I’m just surprised it’s the first thing we’re discussing.”

“I wish for my son to be well taken care of. I’ll handle the other matters on my own.”

Leo nodded. He moved to Eres’s side, causing her to stiffen. He smiled at his mother, the awkward expression from earlier falling away. 

“Mother.”

“Hmm?”

“Thank you.”

She turned her head to the side. With her stone-like expression, it was easy to see the blush that spread over her cheeks. She must have been pleased.

***

It wasn’t until dinner began that Eres realized an issue. Hmm. Now that she thought about it, almost every meal since coming here had been eaten at Leo’s side. No one had said otherwise, and Leo himself dragged her away from her duties when it came time for dinner. Upon that realization, she began sweating when Leo attempted to put her at the same table as the Duchess.

The Duchess looked back and forth between them. “This maid eats with you often?”

Leo nodded. “I ask her to dine with me every night.”

Her eyes settled on Eres. She shivered. The weight of the Duchess’s gaze was damning. Eres could already imagine what villain-tier dialogue she might say. Oh, a mere maid dares to dine withe ducal family? Lana! Send her to the gallows!

“Why…” The Duchess began. 

Ah this is it. Her life was over. Well, it was a fun ride. Shame she couldn’t tease Leo one last time before it ended.

“…Are you still standing? Are you not hungry?”

“…”

Eres shuffled her feet. “Is it not…inappropriate for a maid to dine with her employers?”

The Duchess nodded. “Of course it is.”

Eres wilted.

“But dining with my son’s first friend is another matter. Sit, please.”

Leo pulled the chair next to him out for her to sit in. Eres stiffly took a seat, scooting closer to the table. Where before she had only exercised her manners with the head maid, she now forced herself to act the perfect lady. 

Anne, who had been attending the table, served out food for the three of them. When she caught Eres’s gaze, she gave a sly wink. 

The Duchess ate her food with movements befitting a queen. Eres tried to copy her, quietly focusing on her form instead of the flavor. 

The Duchess wiped her mouth with a napkin. “So.”

Her voice rang out loud in the quiet room. 

“What is your relationship with my son?”

Eres froze. She swallowed her food, quickly wiped her mouth, and looked up. 

“U-um. Friends?”

“Just friends?”

“…B-brothers, I guess?”

The Duchess raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“Like…brothers from a battle. Bonded over blood.”

Eres’s eyes glazed over as she remembered Lana’s harsh lessons. 

The Duchess laughed, the sound like tinkling chimes. “Is that so? I supposed the head maid can be quite intense.”

Eres’s face flushed red.

“And you, Leo?”

He put his dinnerware down and pat his mouth. He smiled at his mother with a sparkling grin.

“She is my future wife.”

“…”

“…”

Eres’s face scrunched in a mixture of confusion, disgust, and betrayal. To think, this guy had aspirations like that…?

The silence dragged on until the Duchess finally spoke.

“It seems even my Leo is still a child.”

He shrugged. “I will only marry Eres in this life.”

“D-Duchess, this guy, he’s just joking, w-we have no relationship like that…”

“Hmm.” 

The Duchess stood and walked to Eres. She pinched her chin with a firm grip, before turning her face side to side again. “Well, it’s not impossible.”

“...?!”

Leo smiled. “Right?”

“You would be giving up significant political backing by not marrying someone from a noble family.”

“That’s fine.”

“You’ll both face discrimination from marrying a commoner.”

“I can ease that with force.”

“You’re set on this?”

“There is no other person to be with.”

“W-wait, wait a second!” Eres stuttered. “I never agreed to this!”

The Duchess looked at her blankly. “Well, you can’t marry until adulthood anyways.”

“Then,” Leo said, “I just need to get her to agree by then, right?”

“Hmm.”

The Duchess sat back down and continued her meal like nothing happened. Eres looked between her and Leo. She leaned in and whispered into his ear.

“You bastard, what were you thinking? Marriage? With you?”

“What, were you going to marry some random guy then? You know that maid contracts end with support for that, right? The Ducal family sets our workers up with decent partners to make up for taking a large part of their marriageable age away. You’d be shoved off to some random guy by the time you’re eighteen.”

Eres froze. That was a thing…? A future flashed through her mind. Years of working under Leo, only to be swept off her feet by an unknown thug, carried away to become a mother…she shuddered. No way, she’d never allow that! But still…this was way too bold. Had Leo harbored those thoughts this whole time…?

She inched away from him. His face darkened when he read her expression.

“Don’t be stupid. I don’t wanna marry some random woman either. You think I want some shrew whining in my ear for fifty years? 3D women are out of the question.”

Oh, right, this guy was a hardcore otaku. If anything, he was the only safe man in this world. He was essentially the only man she could marry and not have lay a hand on her. If it was like that…she could just barely buy the deception. 

They said little else, and the dinner passed by in awkward silence. 

When she stepped out of the dining hall, Lana caught her by her arm and dragged her to the side. 

“Eres. Are you aware of the duties of a personal maid?”

“Uh…no?”

Lana sighed. “Your duties are solely directed toward your charge. You will no longer be required to help with household chores. Instead, you will spend morning, noon and night by Master Leonard’s side, helping him with whatever he may need.”

“So…cleaning, that sort of stuff?”

Lana nodded. “You’re quite young, so I’ll assign someone to help you until you grow larger. It’s typical to assign an older maid, but I suppose her grace wished to give her son someone to talk to.”

“I see…am I really that small…?”

Eres looked down at herself. Her maid outfit drooped over her shoulders. She looked up at Lana with a pitiful expression.

A hand ruffled her hair. The head maid’s serious exterior broke, affection spreading over, and she leaned over and squeezed Eres into a hug.

“Aack!”

“Ah…what am I going to do with such an adorable child…?”