Chapter 169: The Maid
“Was that you as the Lord?”
“Seems so?”
“Why the question mark?”
There’s a strong sense of disbelief in the air, and I feel a bit off about it myself, but I guess I am the Lord after all.
Without a clear destination for this lordship being thrust upon me, I ended up paying a fee and signing my name. I paid the herald of the Merchant Guild to check for any overlaps and registered the crest they made for me.
“Then, this person is the Candy Person…”
The Candy Person. It seems the maid muttered something to herself, referring to someone as if they were made of sweets.
“Apologies for the late introduction. This is Marlu, who wishes to be employed as a maid once the mansion is completed. Until then, she’ll be on a trial period, and it seems payment can be just one bag of sweets per week.”
That probably depends on the size of the bag. No, if it’s chocolate or something, wouldn’t a bag of sweets be worth more than a proper salary?
“I’m Marlu. I’ll do my best, so please take care of me.”
The maid with copper-colored hair bows her head. She wears a simple dress with a hat that looks like a folded cloth, the mark of a maid.
It seems there are more places preparing ready-made uniforms now, but it’s still not that common. When I think of maids, I have a strong image of a black or dark blue dress paired with a frilly white apron.
So, is the candy what I think it is?
“Just as you imagined.”
She affirmed without a hint of shame upon seeing the money.
“We didn’t discuss this.”
“When two people are quiet, there’s usually something going on behind the scenes. I didn’t expect it to be candy, but… it’s fortunate to know. My specialty is cleaning.”
The silver-haired one looks like she’s chewing on a bitter bug, while the maid beams with a full smile.
She has a slightly suspicious grin, but being a Changeling, she’s quite beautiful if you look closely. It seems she’s intentionally dressed to blend in. Speaking of smiles, Kin’s grin is also a bit dubious.
Is this a trait of fairies? Do they look down on people? Well, I don’t plan to get too involved, so as long as she has the skills, that’s fine by me.
“If you’re good at cleaning, then if you can agree to a confidentiality contract or a covenant as a maid, that would be great.”
At my response, the four of them fell silent for a moment.
“…I’m sorry if I’m wrong, but Marlu is a Changeling, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Marlu answered, retracting her earlier smile at Soleil’s words.
“Before confirming, may I ask your names?”
Soleil smiled. Come to think of it, I hadn’t introduced myself.
“I’m also Soleil.”
“Oh my. —Then, Lord Soleil, you’re aware that Marlu is a Changeling, correct?”
“Yeah.”
“Why don’t you ask her for work?”
“Well, I was planning to ask her to clean.”
“Ah! I see, you want her for dirty work like Auro and Kiel!”
Marlu’s smile returned as she answered Soleil’s question.
“Yeah. Speaking of dirty work, what’s the situation with the latrines?”
“Right after they’re emptied, the smell can be quite strong, but it seems the residents generally appreciate it. However—”
“Let’s not phrase it like we’re carrying the latrine buckets ourselves. We’re paying the residents to do it properly.”
“Wait. Dirty work means cleaning up waste…?”
“You’ll be cleaning the toilets, right?”
The maid doesn’t do water work, but maids do, right?
“Are you saying you’ll be hired as a maid?”
Soleil confirmed.
“Isn’t that what she is?”
What are you talking about?
“Assassination work or something…?”
“Why would I need to do something so dangerous?”
“Setting a building on fire disguised as spontaneous combustion…”
“Stop it. We’re in the middle of building it; it would be a problem if it burned down.”
“Experiencing pleasures that humans can’t even fathom…”
“I don’t want that!”
Marlu turned awkwardly towards Kin and Gin, as if she might squeak.
“We’re only currently working on the mansion’s construction and the island’s development.”
Kin replied with a subtle expression.
Is it common for Changelings to be used for such… purposes?
“If you want to, I could order you to go get the Vice Guild Master Katsura from the Merchant Guild.”
There are certainly those skilled assassins or thieves who boast about their techniques. It’s just a story, though.
“No, no, I’ll clean the toilets, I’ll clean the toilets!”
“Just the toilets would be a problem.”
Suddenly, Marlu began to enthusiastically express her desire to clean the toilets.
“That’s normal, normal.”
Marlu looked like she might start dancing with joy.
Normal means she’s that happy about not being asked for assassination work? If she’s thrilled about cleaning toilets, I might need to look away.
“Um, may I suggest a candidate as well?”
“Huh?”
Soleil, who had been observing us, asked cautiously.
“There’s a black-haired girl named Faramia—she’s also a Changeling.”
“A maid?”
“She can do both maid and lady-in-waiting duties.”
“If she’s not of a bad temperament, then go ahead?”
“…”
Kin sighed at my answer.
“I’ll inform you since you seem unaware, but the Black Ones often have spirits that harbor hatred towards humans.”
And Gin provided an explanation.
Ah, the Black Ones. The contracted spirits I just named are about half normal and half black; the black ones are targets to be captured if they make eye contact, but it should be fine.
“I know Faramia as well. She’s a Changeling on the human (Kiel) side. She may seem cold at first glance, but she doesn’t have a harmful nature. However, others might not view her favorably.”
That’s good; it doesn’t seem like she has a strong spirit presence. It would be troublesome if I accidentally grabbed a woman’s head out of reflex.
“As long as there’s no friction with the residents, that’s fine. We’ll be hiring residents for livestock care and field work, and since the island is small.”
I won’t be staying here, and I fully intend to leave any disputes to Soleil.
“I’ll have her stay inside!”
Soleil brightened up, looking as if she might burst into song.
“Even though she’s related to the Shadow Wolves…”
“Could it be that you’re just passing her off because you can’t handle her…?”
Kin and Gin sighed with somewhat complicated expressions.