The Maidens of the Duke’s Mansion

The sweets I brought back were met with great praise from the young lady.

Thanks to her glowing recommendation, Sofina’s pastries quickly became a hit throughout the entire ducal estate.

Because they were affordable, even the maids were able to enjoy them.

Every so often, the Duke would place a bulk order of confections.

Those that couldn’t be stored for long would be brought back by someone with ice magic…

So occasionally, I ended up being the unfortunate frozen courier.

Are we just convenient walking refrigerators now?

…Well, in any case, this means Sofina probably doesn’t have to go out and gather firewood anymore.

The income should be more than enough for them to buy proper fuel to get through winter.

As for the ring, the young lady gifted it to the Duchess.

From what I heard, the Duchess was absolutely enamored with it—so much so that she couldn’t bear to part with it.

Maybe because of that, the young lady grew even closer to me.

Our daily routine continued as always…

Before I knew it, winter melted into spring, and life returned to the world.

Even the snowman the young lady and I built together eventually melted back into the earth.

A shame, really, but truth be told, I prefer spring.

Not for any sentimental reason…

It’s just that winter bedding has this strange, magical power that makes me never want to leave it.

—Since the young lady now insists on having me prepare all her meals, if anyone else cooks, she gets fussy and refuses to eat.

Naturally, that means I have to wake up early every morning to make breakfast.

And winter mornings are simply too cold.

I never want to get out of bed.

…It’s been a bit of a problem for my duties as her exclusive maid.

One time, I overslept and didn’t get breakfast ready in time.

The young lady outright refused to eat the one I brought from the kitchen.

It took a long time to convince her…

I had to promise her a special dinner that night before she begrudgingly accepted.

…And even after she finished, she still said, “It doesn’t taste like Ailena’s cooking.”

When the head chef heard that, he cried for quite a while…

I do feel bad for the head chef.

But I can’t lie—knowing the young lady likes my cooking that much made me quite happy.

Though… it’s only after living like this myself that I finally realized how hard my little sister had it.

—Back in my previous life, to reduce my burden, my sister handled all the meals and chores.

No matter the season, I could always see her bustling around the kitchen in the early morning.

…I can’t help but feel a little nostalgic.

I shook my head to cast those thoughts away.

She was always a capable little sister.

Even without me, I’m sure she’ll be just fine.

Right now, I am Katarina Arnest’s exclusive maid.

I must fulfill my duties properly.

Today is the day Young Master Claude departs for Borren National Academy.

Everyone in the manor is running around preparing for the send-off.

Naturally, I’m no exception.

Aside from helping with the farewell banquet, I also have to make sure our young lady is dressed beautifully.

Perfect chance to try out a new hairstyle I recently learned.

But what’s strange is, even though her dear brother is leaving, the young lady shows no emotion.

“Young Master Claude is leaving soon.

Aren’t you sad?”

As I tidied her hair, I asked gently.

…I have to say, her hair is truly beautiful.

Smooth and silky like fine silk—an absolute delight to the touch.

“He’ll come back during the holidays, right?

We can play again then.”

“Haha…”

She’s trying to act mature, or maybe…

…

“Katarina?”

As I thought. She was just putting on a brave face.

Just as Claude was about to board the carriage, the young lady reached out and clung to his coat hem.

…So she was reluctant after all.

In this entire estate, aside from me, Claude is likely the one closest to her.

“When will you come back?”

She lowered her head and asked softly.

“There should be a long break in two months.

I’ll return then.”

“…Pinky promise.”

After a pause, the young lady slowly held out her pinky finger.

Claude smiled and extended his as well.

Their fingers hooked together.

“‘Pinky swear, hang it high, no change for a hundred years!

Break it and you swallow a thousand needles!’”

Once the farewell banquet was over, it was time for us maids to get back to work.

Even though I’m the young lady’s exclusive maid, I still have to lend a hand to others when I’m not directly serving her.

“Oh my, isn’t that Ailena?”

A familiar voice called out.

I looked up to see the same sunny smile as always.

“Long time no see, Miss Aina.”

“Long time no see!

So, how’s life as the young lady’s exclusive maid?”

“Not bad at all.

The young lady is cute and surprisingly considerate.”

“Really now?

I heard she used to be quite spoiled and unruly.”

…Well, that’s not untrue.

But it’s not her fault.

“Those are just rumors.”

“I see…

I also heard she only eats food you make now.

Sounds like she’s really fond of you.”

“Mhm.

She looks especially cute when she eats, kind of like a little squirrel.”

“Haha, now I want to see that for myself.”

Suddenly, Aina’s expression grew a little serious.

She lowered her voice.

“But aren’t you taking on too much work?

Are you getting enough time to eat and sleep?”

“It’s alright.

It’s definitely a bit hectic, but I do get some downtime after she finishes her meals…

About half an hour or so, and I usually eat during that.

As for sleep, I go to bed after coaxing her to sleep—around eleven, I think.”

“I see…

Just be sure not to overwork yourself, alright?”

“I will.”

After our brief chat, we both returned to our duties.

Even with so much work of her own, she still worries about me…

She’s a good senior—nothing like those two.

“Well, well, well.

If it isn’t the young lady’s exclusive maid.”

“Still haven’t run home crying for mommy?

You’ve got more grit than I expected.”

Speak of the devil.

…Linda and Mare, right?

Why do these two always have it out for me?

They’re only going to spout more useless insults, so I’ll just ignore them.

I kept my head down and walked straight ahead.

But they wouldn’t give up.

One of them even grabbed my shoulder.

“Ignoring your seniors now?”

“Listen, just because you’re serving a spoiled little noble doesn’t mean you can act high and mighty!”

“She’s just a bratty kid!”

“Like master, like maid, huh?”

Thud!

Before they even realized what happened, I’d already thrown both of them to the ground with an over-the-shoulder toss.

“Aaaaagh!”

Watching them roll on the floor clutching their heads was… honestly just disgusting.

But I still forced a smile.

“Oops, sorry—slipped.

That annoying buzz in my ears made me think there was a bug on my shoulder, so I reflexively swatted it off.”

“You… You little—”

“Hmm?

Did you say something just now, ‘senior’?

All I heard was insect noise.”

I raised my fists and cracked my knuckles theatrically.

“I am quite experienced when it comes to pest control, you know.”

“Eek…!”

The two of them scrambled to their feet, supporting each other as they bolted off without even throwing a parting insult.

“Haa…”

Well, I suppose that taught them a lesson.

Insulting me is one thing…

But dragging the young lady into it?

They really must have a death wish.

With that thought, I looked down at the spot on my shoulder where they’d touched me.

“…Ugh, this uniform’s dirty now.

Better go wash it.”