“We should be arriving soon, Elena-sama.”
“I would have preferred the town…”
Time rewinds slightly to inside a carriage heading towards a lakeside castle, one of the Dandole’s owned villas. From their attire and demeanor, two young girls, presumably daughters of nobles—and quite high-ranking ones at that—were conversing.
The red-haired girl was Clara, the direct princess of the Margrave of Dandole. Though still young, she possessed intelligent eyes and a composed demeanor, hinting at the great potential she would eventually blossom into.
The person Clara treated with such deference was a beautiful blonde girl with looks that rivaled Clara’s. However, her face showed dissatisfaction, causing Clara, her friend and cousin, to offer a slight wry smile.
The First Princess Elena adored her elder brother, Crown Prince Elvan, to an excessive degree. To cool her head, she was sent to Dandole, her mother, the Second Queen’s, family home, for “recuperation.”
However, Elena was neither selfish nor foolish. She only lost herself when her brother was involved; otherwise, she displayed the dignified demeanor of royalty.
Though her mother’s torturous, rigorous education had weakened her physically, it had also granted Elena an intellectual mind beyond her seven years.
The fact that Elena showed even a hint of dissatisfaction, rather than her royal facade, was likely because only Clara, her cousin and friend, was present.
While she was unhappy about not seeing her brother, Elena understood that she was causing concern for her father, the King, and the Queen Consort.
(How should I broach the subject…)
To make Elena, one of the villainous noblewomen, eliminate the “Heroine.” Clara had arranged for a carriage ride alone with Elena from the Dandole castle, wanting to talk with her cousin after a long time, with such intentions in mind.
In the game, Elena was jealous of the Heroine, who had caught the Crown Prince’s interest. She would make petty complaints and play mischievous pranks. However, as the story progressed and the Heroine became romantically involved with the Crown Prince, Elena would acknowledge the Heroine and become her ally.
At this stage, she wouldn’t side with the Heroine, who wasn’t yet romantically involved with the Crown Prince. However, it would be difficult to make Elena hostile towards the Heroine without the Heroine having any contact with the Crown Prince.
If she told a clumsy lie, the intelligent Elena would immediately sense something was off. That’s why this topic needed to be approached with caution.
(But there’s still time. If I can direct Elena’s malice towards the Heroine within this month-long recuperation period…)
“Clara? You’re awfully quiet today. Are you thinking about something?”
“…No, it’s nothing.”
For a while, only the carriage moved silently towards its destination. They used to be as close as real sisters, but a slight “discrepancy” had begun to emerge since Clara had remembered her past life.
Inside the carriage, Elena, who had been looking out the window, spoke up as she saw the lake.
“Clara, isn’t that the castle?”
“Yes, that castle will be the villa where Elena-sama will be staying.”
Remembering her position upon seeing the castle, Clara peered around from the window.
They were cousins and playmates since childhood, but she also had the role of welcoming the First Princess as the daughter of the Margrave.
As they gradually approached the castle, servants prepared by Dandole and the chamberlain lined the path from the gate to the entrance.
People were sent from the Royal Palace and Dandole, but they had to rely on support from other families for maids and servants. Among these relatives of nobles, many wished to work at Dandole or the Royal Castle, and they showed eager… or rather, ambitious faces while bowing their heads.
(…Eh?)
At the corner of the line, a young Cruz boy with tanned skin, trying to be inconspicuous, caught her eye.
She recognized that face. Theo Leighton… still young, but that boy was one of the “capture targets” who would accompany the Heroine as a butler when she entered the Magic Academy.
In reality, he was a Shadow Knight protecting the Heroine from the shadows. At first, he didn’t seriously guard the Heroine, who had no power, but he was inspired by her steady efforts and awakened for the sake of the Heroine he fell in love with after several events.
She never expected to meet him in a place like this, but it made sense if he was a member of the Shadow Unit.
However, what truly surprised Clara wasn’t him. At the very end of the maid’s line, on the opposite side of him, who was a butler apprentice, she saw the pink blonde hair she had seen countless times in the game and gasped.
(Could it be… the Heroine!? No, that can’t be. The Heroine should still be in the orphanage, and that maid is still a child, but she looks about 10 years old, so it must be someone else.)
“Clara…? Did you see someone who caught your attention?”
“N-No, it’s nothing.”
“Hmm?”
Elena, who had keenly noticed Clara’s change, narrowed her eyes suspiciously and looked at the scene Clara had been watching through the gap in the curtain, slightly raising the corner of her mouth.
“Well, it seems we’ve arrived. Clara, please guide me.”
“…Understood, Elena-sama.”
Then, Elena, after getting off the carriage, used her insight to find a girl from the direction Clara had been looking and said she wanted her.
The blonde girl, whom I was supposed to be monitoring from the shadows, said she “wanted” me.
From my perspective, I could somehow understand that the girl was interested in someone her age, but Sera and the head butler, who had common sense as nobles, didn’t think that nobles would want someone who couldn’t do their job, and they continued to persuade her.
“That one is still in training and is scheduled to do menial work here. It is absolutely impossible to have her attend to His Highness.”
“If she finishes her training and is deemed suitable here, we may consider her as a maid apprentice in the Royal Palace. Until then, we ask that you reconsider whether she is truly necessary.”
“Even a commoner apprentice would be 10 years old, right? I don’t intend to have a young maid suddenly take on the role of a lady-in-waiting. However, I like the way that child looks. Surely, I can have her nearby to relay messages to my lady-in-waiting, right?”
In one of the living rooms in the castle, I stood in the corner of the room, waiting for my position to be decided.
The maids and butlers in the room didn’t change their expressions at these conversations, but the maids who were also in the corner of the room, probably relatives of nobles and wanted to connect with the girls’ families, glared at me with ogre-like eyes.
It’s too late to feel anything from being glared at by young ladies who have no combat experience, but more than that, “His Highness” means that the girl is a member of the royal family? I don’t have the strength to escape abroad yet, so I hope they’ll spare me.
After several more exchanges, the head butler sighed deeply.
“She is just a child who can’t even speak properly yet. If you understand that, I will allow her to be added to the staff of your room only while you are staying in this castle. That is the maximum concession I can make.”
“Of course, that’s fine with me. But if I truly like her and it’s not just a whim, send her to the castle as a formal maid apprentice after her training. That’s the maximum concession from my side.”
“Understood.”
“…Aria, come here and greet her.”
It seemed that my position had been decided regardless of my will. I decided to prepare myself to escape and become a wanted person if my life was in danger, but for now, I would accept that my surveillance mission had become easier and stepped forward at Sera’s voice.
The current me is no match for Sera and the head butler, let alone one of the knights protecting the girl. I vowed to catch up with them someday and bowed my head in front of the blonde girl as I had been taught.
“I’m Aria, a maid apprentice. I look forward to working with you.”
“Aria… is it? I’m Elena. Serve me with all your heart.”
[Elena] [Race: Human Female]
[Mana Capacity: 120/120] [HP: 33/35]
[Overall Combat Strength: 50]
This is the first time I’ve seen a child with the same or higher Mana Capacity than me, who has learned Light Magic and Dark Magic.
Judging from her HP, she doesn’t seem to have any close combat skills, so she probably has multiple Magic Skills.
Elena, who speaks in a haughty manner befitting a noble, according to my “Knowledge,” doesn’t sound as harsh as her words. But the red-haired girl behind her was giving me a sharp, glaring look without approaching me.
“Aria, your surveillance mission remains to assist us, but from now on, you will also serve as a liaison. Is that clear?”
“Yes.”
“Also, with your assignment to a private room, I’ll disclose additional information. Elena-sama is a member of this country’s royalty, and the other is Dandole’s daughter, Clara-sama. These two will be your surveillance targets, but Elena-sama has the higher priority for protection. Don’t make a mistake.”
“Yes.”
“And with their arrival at the castle, we’ve received reports that individuals from factions who dislike one or both of them have begun monitoring their movements. They probably won’t take direct action, but if they try anything, protect both you and His Highness if you’re nearby.”
“Yes.”
“Also, since His Highness directly told you her name, you will refer to her as Elena-sama, not ‘His Highness.’ Clara-sama will be referred to as ‘Ojou-sama.'”
“…Yes.”
I confirmed the subtly long list of changes from Sera and nodded slightly, then returned to the surveillance targets who were starting a stroll in the garden with Sera.
Not that there’s anything special to do. If this hadn’t happened, I could have just been weeding or doing chores, keeping an eye on them from a ‘child’s perspective’ to make sure they didn’t suddenly disappear, but now that I’m assigned to a private room, my new job is to stand quietly behind the other maids.
“Aria, come here.”
“…Yes, Elena-sama.”
But Elena doesn’t seem to want to let me do that. I don’t know what she likes about me, but she keeps me, who can’t serve or do anything, by her side.
When I approach, Dandole Ojou-sama shrinks away as if frightened, and because I called Elena’s name, the maids who aren’t allowed to call her by name glare at me with something close to hatred. Elena, seeing this, turned her lips into a joyful smile.
…She has quite the personality.
“Aria, you have quite the personality, don’t you? Are you the type who doesn’t care much about other people’s opinions?”
“…I’m honored.”
It seems Elena and I are alike in some ways.
Of course, our personalities are different, but if there’s a battlefield for nobles, she must have had something happen that steeled her nerves. I found that way of being slightly appealing.
The maids are in a separate place, and the ladies-in-waiting don’t approach unless they have business.
Dandole Ojou-sama also tends to leave the area when I’m there, so after a few days, I’m often the only one near Elena.
“Honestly, Mother is too weak-hearted. That person who became the First Queen is a good person, but she’s just a Viscount’s daughter who hasn’t received proper Queen’s education, so without Mother, the Second Queen, this country’s politics wouldn’t function properly, right? She should have built a foundation domestically and internationally… don’t you think?”
When only I am nearby, Elena started to grumble in a voice that only I could hear. …Is she really the same child as me?
Dandole Ojou-sama also uses mature attitudes and words, but unlike Elena, she gives the illusion of talking to an adult who has really experienced things.
I heard that Elena received an abnormal amount of elite education from her mother. She must have been desperately struggling to survive, using the “knowledge” she was crammed with.
“I don’t know.”
“Aria, you’re really cold. But that’s what makes you cool. We’re going shopping in town tomorrow, so you come with me too.”
“Understood.”
When it’s just the two of us talking, Elena doesn’t mind if I use casual language.
But we’re not ‘friends.’ She never breaks her position as the master to the maid, and I don’t intrude more than necessary.
I probably won’t serve her. But I don’t dislike this atmosphere I’m feeling right now.
In the slow… quietly flowing time, Elena, who was drinking tea at the white table on the terrace, occasionally turned her eyes to the clear blue lake.
With the “knowledge” she was crammed with, just like me, what has she seen and felt until now…? And what is reflected in her eyes now?
I also stood diagonally behind her, looking at the same scenery. As we were doing that in silence for a while, Elena suddenly opened her mouth.
“Aria… what do you see?”
Elena asked, looking at the scenery, and I slowly opened my mouth while still looking at the lake.
“Probably… the same thing.”
The next day—a week after Elena entered the castle—we went shopping in the town where Dandole Castle is located.
Still, since we’re not coming in an official capacity, Sera’s companions will be the ones acting as guards, mixed in with the townspeople. The visible guards will only be three knights, along with two ladies-in-waiting and two butlers, and four maids.
I’m included in those four maids. But Sera and the senior butler weren’t among the ladies-in-waiting and butlers.
There’s a reason why neither of them can leave the castle, but the biggest reason is that Elena refused to let the two nagging people come.
However, I heard that the senior butler will be monitoring while blending in with the citizens, so unless something really happens, it shouldn’t be my turn.
Dandole Ojou-sama, who should have been participating, is apparently taking a break due to poor health (after hearing that I would be accompanying).
“As expected, this is a big city, second only to the Royal Capital. It seems there are plenty of clothing-related stores that even commoners can afford. Aria, should I buy something for you too?”
Elena, looking at the cityscape from the carriage window, asked me, and I quietly shook my head.
“That’s right. Aria, you seem like the type who gets what you want with your own power.”
We arrived at one of our destinations, a high-end clothing store.
One of the knights went around to the back, one stood next to the entrance, and one accompanied us inside.
This store is reserved for today, and there are no other customers. I think it’s probably been checked many times, but there are only three female clerks besides the owner, and I didn’t sense any other presence with my detection.
“Thank you for coming today. Please take your time and look around.”
“We will.”
After exchanging light words with the owner, Elena looked around at the fabrics and ready-made scarves.
Whether someone heard Elena say she would buy me something, the maids who couldn’t come in the same carriage looked at Elena with greedy eyes, but since it’s the ladies-in-waiting’s job to look around with her, the “four” maids, including me, can only watch from a distance. …But,
“…Where did one of them go?”
“I don’t know.”
The maid with noble connections who antagonizes me turned her face away with a haughty look when I noticed that one of the maids was missing.
Even they wouldn’t just disappear on their own. I had a bad feeling and did a detailed search, and I couldn’t sense Elena, who had gone into a private room to have her body measured.
I hurried to the door of that fitting room, but one of the knights stopped me.
“I won’t allow even you to enter without permission.”
“I can’t sense Elena-sama. Check inside immediately.”
“What are you…”
“Understood.”
One of the ladies-in-waiting, who had heard about me from Sera, knocked and, after confirming that there was no response, opened the door.
“Your Highness!”
Entering with that lady-in-waiting at the lead, Elena, who should have been inside, was gone, and one of the ladies-in-waiting who had entered with us was collapsed.
“Where is Her Highness…?”
“The female clerk who went in with her is gone too!”
“There’s a hole here!”
I heard the butler’s voice and peeked from behind the knight. There was a hole in the floor that a child or slender woman could pass through.
“It’s underground!”
“Where are the stairs?”
“I’ll go ahead.”
Slipping through the knights who had started looking for the stairs, I called out, folded the hem of my skirt, and jumped into the hole.
I landed using the spring of my Body Enhancement-enhanced legs after falling several meters. I immediately used Night Vision to look around and sensed a slight disturbance of Mana Particles from the back. I called out towards the ceiling where the hole was and headed towards the back.
Hoping that the people above would catch up quickly, I ran towards the back and found not Elena, but one of the missing maids with noble connections, sitting there dumbfounded.
“What are you doing here? Where did Elena-sama go?”
“…I, I didn’t know. I… I just leaked some information, and that clerk said she’d give me money… but I didn’t know it would turn into this…”
“Where is Elena-sama?”
“Hii!”
I lightly used Intimidation to bring her back to her senses, and she pointed to a small side hole in the corner of the basement while trembling in fear.
“…………”
The female clerk is the ringleader… I used the charcoal I had been given to write down the necessary information on the plaster wall for the knights who would be catching up, then entered the small side hole and chased after the kidnapped Elena.
The protagonist gets caught up in it right away.
Next time, Aria chases after Elena and the battle with the kidnappers.
The next one will probably be on Tuesday or Wednesday.