The Call Bell and the Crêpe Catastrophe

Four days after the assassination attempt, the atmosphere within the ducal manor had settled back into a serene calm.

Rhine, too, had been released by Philip, and his life had returned to its usual rhythm.

If there were any discernible changes, it was that Marin had become even more reclusive, while Rhine’s standing among the servants had noticeably risen.

However, some of the ducal manor’s interrogators now deliberately gave him a wide berth.

After that whole mix-up, Philip, feeling rather sheepish, no longer had Rhine perform menial tasks for him without compensation.

Instead, he granted Rhine the freedom to exclusively attend to Audrey.

It was curious, considering how long Rhine had been there, that despite being called a manservant, he had barely performed any manservant duties.

It seemed he was almost done with the side quests before even starting the main story!

Given that the capricious young mistress preferred solitude most of the time, Rhine had no need to constantly stand by her side, acting as an emotionless tea-serving machine.

This led to the creation of a wondrous magical artifact—

And so, behold!

[The Call Bell]

An Audrey-commissioned seal, specifically crafted for her, hung from the handkerchief pouch on Rhine’s chest.

Whenever the young mistress rang her bell, the seal would emit a soft, chiming sound.

The manservant would then appear as promptly as a university student rushing to the cafeteria, a truly convenient arrangement.

It also carried a peculiar charm, a subtle declaration of ownership.

However, the manservant himself was far from pleased with this arrangement.

“Young mistress, if I may speak frankly, have you ever heard the story of ‘The Boy Who Cried Wolf’?”

Audrey sat at her room’s writing desk, swinging her legs idly.

Before long, boredom set in, and she picked up the bell, giving it a few playful jiggles.

This promptly summoned a certain individual, who rushed over in haste, only to discover it was merely a prank.

His blood pressure spiked instantly.

“Don’t fret so, I was merely testing if the bell worked. And it seems rather effective, wouldn’t you agree? You may return to your duties. I promise not to ring it whimsically next time.”

“Very well.”

The young boy maintained a professionally pleasant smile, though his expression hinted at a silent expletive.

He slowly unclenched his fists.

“Young mistress, perhaps you should attend to something more productive,” Rhine advised, his tone laden with earnest counsel.

With a final glance back every few steps, Rhine exited the room.

Audrey craned her neck, watching Rhine’s retreating figure, her excited gaze then flitting back and forth between him and the bell.

‘Audrey, you must compose yourself. Rhine is not a toy… Yet, seeing him so utterly flustered is simply too amusing… How can he be so utterly adorable?’

The young girl suppressed the urge to tease him further by ringing the bell again.

Reluctantly, she placed the bell back into its box and closed the lid.

“Ahem, yes! Today, I must also attend to proper business; important matters come first!”

She picked up her quill, and on the parchment, she penned the first line of Norman script:

“Esteemed Apothecary Ursula Morano, I, in the name of Cavendish, wish to invite you to the Ducal Household of Lanburg County, to continue our discussions regarding the research and development of the plant growth regulating potion…”

It was five days later when Ursula, carrying her suitcase, presented her invitation letter to the gatekeeper knight at the ducal manor, finally arriving for her visit.

She wore her brown hair in wavy curls, and her typical brown office attire accentuated her refined and educated demeanor.

Of moderate build, her skin was fair and well-maintained, though the heavy, undeniable dark circles beneath her eyes lent her an air of profound weariness.

One detail she personally preferred not to mention was that the parts of her body typically associated with feminine allure could hardly be described as voluptuous; rather, they were entirely without undulation.

They were, in fact, quite comparable to the flatness of her suitcase.

Upon entering the ducal manor’s grand gates, she set down her suitcase and settled into the waiting room, anticipating the arrival of the servant who would escort her to the young mistress.

In an unoccupied corner of the room, after glancing furtively left and right, she couldn’t help but cover her face with her hands.

‘Ah, no, no, this is terrible! It’s all over! Last time, I made such confident boasts, but my meddling relatives hounded me about marriage, and my research made absolutely no groundbreaking progress! Will she just toss a gold Koller at my face and kick me out now?’

‘What should I say later? If she asks, ‘Explain your research progress to me clearly,’ I can only reply—’

‘Given the current circumstances, and having surveyed the complete situation, and after thorough analysis, it might be suggested, in conclusion, that you are likely to discover… that while it may not be pleasant to hear, the prospects are, in any event, rather delicate, and at this stage, this is all that can be anticipated…’

Just as Ursula was spiraling into deep anxiety, muttering to herself, two soft knocks sounded at the door.

She quickly straightened her posture, adopting an air of serene elegance, as if calmly sipping tea.

“Excuse me, are you Apothecary Ursula?”

The visitor was a handsome young servant.

His humble and proper demeanor perfectly complemented his charming appearance, making her instantly declare him a work of art and fall for him at first sight.

“Yes, that would be me.”

Her voice was several pitches higher than usual.

“Young Mistress Audrey invites you to the third-floor parlor for a discussion. Please follow me.”

Ursula reined in her nervousness, and picking up her suitcase, forced a strained smile as she said:

“Certainly.”

As they ascended the stairs, the young servant glanced back at her, and seemingly out of kindness, inquired:

“Are you perhaps troubled by your legs, madam? I noticed your legs trembling as you climbed the stairs. If you require it, I could fetch some ointment for rheumatism…”

“There’s no need,” she interjected, almost stumbling from the unexpected concern.

“Uh, are you one of Audrey’s newly hired servants? I don’t recall seeing you before.”

“Indeed, I am.”

“Well, then, to serve the esteemed young mistress must be quite arduous… I mean, quite challenging indeed.”

She awkwardly averted her gaze, missing the sight of the servant’s charming face, where his rosy lips twitched sharply to one side, completely out of character.

“Let’s hurry upstairs.”

As they stepped into the third-floor parlor, the dignified and graceful young mistress had clearly been waiting for some time.

Sunlight, like an obedient ginger cat, lay curled by her right side, then playfully reached out to scratch at her soft, flowing gray hair, reflecting a captivating brilliant white.

The vibrant splendor of the spring flowers blooming in the garden outside the window only served to further enhance her ethereal and tranquil beauty.

The serene tableau of the spring morning was like an oil painting rendered with ink by the most masterful realist, refreshing to the soul.

And Audrey, without a doubt, was the most radiant and captivating protagonist within this masterpiece, igniting its very soul.

The starlit expanse beneath her long eyelashes cast its gaze upon the two, where fleeting starlight rotated through day and night.

Her delight was palpable, radiating from her entire being.

It was not until she uttered a rather ill-timed remark that the overall harmony of the scene was shattered:

“Rhine, bring me a crêpe.”

“Go get it yourself! You’re getting too big for your britches, aren’t you?! The crêpe is right in front of your eyes, less than a meter from your hand! Are you blind, paralyzed, or do you have stumpy arms that you need me to hand-feed you a crêpe? Why don’t you just lie down in a baby carriage and drink milk?!”

In Ursula’s eyes, as an astonished bystander, the young servant suddenly erupted into a torrent of unrestrained expletives without warning.

And it was… astonishingly… directed at that… that woman.

‘Is he planning to hang himself from a southeast branch tomorrow?!’

It was a shock that would last Ursula an entire year!

Audrey pouted slightly, then continued to jingle the bell.

“Ah, yes, yes, very well then. I command you to personally feed this young mistress her crêpe.”

‘Oh, so I must be dreaming. I should still be tucked away in my research institute bed, not yet awake. Otherwise… ha ha, how could I possibly witness a demon lord being cursed at and still manage to laugh?’

‘What? The servant is actually reaching out to stuff the crêpe directly into her mouth? Does he think that woman is a hamster?!’

Seven parts mental exhaustion, one part girlish sentimentality, one part melancholic reflection on spring’s passing, and one part dazed unease finally shattered the paper-thin mental state of a certain doctoral student.

‘Wah! I have no defenses! I want to go home, I want to go home!’