Risou no Himo Seikatsu - Volume 15 - Chapter SS

Appendix — The Lord and Maids’ Skill Guidance

The normal cause of significant change within an inner palace was the arrival of a new concubine. While Capua’s inner palace was far removed from the “general” inner palace in many ways, the same held true there as well.

Upon the addition of Freya as a concubine, there was a major change within the inner palace. Until that point, only the main building had been used, but now an annex was in use and inhabited by not only Freya, but the maids she had brought with her from the Northern Continent.

Fortunately, Freya was an extremely incisive person and had strictly selected the maids she would bring, keeping the number to a minimum. Therefore, the usual negatives associated with change within an inner palace had been all but absent. The changes themselves, though, could be considered even greater than was normal upon the addition of a new concubine and group of maids.

After all, Freya was a person to whom it was difficult to apply the word “normal,” and her husband, Zenjirou, was someone who gave her almost unprecedented freedom to express herself.

Freya’s confidante, Skaji, was allowed her weapons even within the inner palace. Freya had also learned how to ride a dash drake within the gardens and, once considered capable, mainly traveled on drake rather than by carriage. Of course, she could hardly do so wearing a dress, so she wore hunter’s clothing which had pants to cover her legs.

Inevitably, the maids then had to care for not just the dresses they were used to, but leather hunter’s clothing. Tending to the gardens was no longer just removing weeds and pest control, but re-covering areas of lawn the dash drakes had trampled, and the maids were saddled with work that would usually be left to those running military parade grounds.

For better or worse, there was another change taking place in the inner palace today: the installation of glass panes in the windows. The head maid, Amanda, was standing right in front of those windows, addressing the young maids assembled before her.

“This is a glass pane ordered from the Northern Continent. At present, they are only here in the living room and in Lady Freya’s living room in the annex, but we plan to install more depending on their reception. There are some points to keep in mind while maintaining it, but fortunately we have people familiar with the process here, so they will provide some guidance.”

As she spoke, Amanda swept her gaze over the three maids from the Northern Continent.

“There is a knack for cleaning glass panes properly, but I am sure you will all be familiar with it soon,” their representative, Ragnhild, said. Her role was managing the maids that Freya had brought with her, and the young maids had—with a single glance—called her a palette swap of Amanda. In the months that followed, that impression had been utterly cemented.

The younger two from the Northern Continent saw Amanda the same way, only in reverse, so apparently it was a widespread sentiment. While their hair, eyes, and skin were all different colors, the two women were similar enough that there were periodic rumors that they were actually related by blood. The strict expressions and way they carried themselves while instructing the younger maids, coupled with how precisely they wore their clothes, were all exactly the same between the two of them.

“Therefore,” Amanda continued, “those on duty for cleaning within the main building will be accompanied by Ragnhild, Elvira, or Rebecca so you can learn. I take it you all understand.”

The assembled maids all chorused their agreement. In addition, their thoughts were in unison as well. “Please be Elvira, please be Elvira...” was running through all of their minds.

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

Today the three on cleaning duty were Faye, Dolores, and Letti. They were joined by Elvira to make four. Either because their prayers were the strongest or due to sheer coincidence, the three problem maids were being taught how to deal with the glass by Elvira.

“So, allow me to explain,” the maid, her brown hair bouncing as she spoke. She was one of the three maids Freya had first brought from the Northern Continent, who had since been supplemented by more of the girls who were on standby.

Ragnhild was Freya’s aunt on her mother’s side and was here as supervisor for both the maids and Freya. Rebecca—another of the younger maids—was one of the people who had trained with Freya when she was taking her trials as a warrior and was a trusted friend of hers. In contrast, Elvira had strictly been selected for her skills and personality.

She was roughly the same age as Rebecca, but her abilities were closer to Ragnhild’s. She was intelligent, gifted in her work, and well-liked. She was perfect to integrate into a group and exercised her abilities well. The Capuan maids all had a definite degree of trust in her.

“As you can see, the window panes are somewhat complex. There are the round, transparent parts, which are made of glass, dark lead surrounding them, and the wooden frame. All of them require different treatment, so make sure you pay attention.”

As she spoke, she demonstrated, dipping a cloth into a cleaning liquid and then wiping the glass. As implied by her saying “round transparent part,” the clear parts of the window were made of circular glass.

Each individual piece of glass was around ten centimeters in diameter. They were held in a lead frame and lined up horizontally and vertically to make the window.

These were known as rondel windows, and it was an old style. Relying on the example Elvira had provided, Faye, Letti, and Dolores set about cleaning the glass.

“Hmm, it’s slippery, but it’s also surprisingly bumpy. Getting it properly polished is pretty difficult,” the maid with particularly short hair—Faye—commented.

Indeed, the individual rondels were far from flat. They were made through a process called the crown technique, which was, put simply, something that began in the same way as making a glass phial through blowing. The blank was then cut off and attached to a pole, which was spun at high speed. The centrifugal force drew the glass out into a crown—a flattish sheet.

The rotation meant that the glass sheet was inevitably circular, and the fact that it was spread out through centrifugal force put an upper limit on its size. Not even a skilled glassblower could get it as flat as modern glass sheets, and the leftover from cutting it loose from the pole would always remain. While the undulating glass rounds had a certain “vibe” to them, the fact remained that cleaning them was difficult.

“Where they are might be a problem,” commented the tallest of the maids—Dolores. “It might be fine for everyone apart from the exceptions like Faye, but some of the maidservants are as short as her.”

Dolores was right. The upper part of the windows were well within reach for her and her hundred and eighty centimeters of height, but someone like Faye—who was around thirty centimeters shorter—would find it rather difficult.

Fortunately, the maids working in the main building were all taller than her, but there were indeed some of the maidservants who were just as short.

It wasn’t far enough up that she couldn’t reach the top of the windows if she stretched, so it was at least possible. It was rather risky for something which required so much attention, though.

Even a one-in-a-hundred chance of failure would happen eventually if the task was done daily.

Elvira considered the comment for a while, tilting her head. “It is somewhat dangerous with Faye’s height. Considering how valuable they are, though, I imagine the maidservants won’t be cleaning them for a while. Lady Nilda is the only other maid of a similar height, but she isn’t involved with the cleaning, so it likely won’t be an issue. Faye has you in her group, so that won’t be a problem either, will it?”

Faye nodded along with Elvira’s explanation before darting her small hand into the air and turning to the roommate at her side.

“Dolores, the top’s all yours!”

The tall maid didn’t bother hiding the reluctant smile as she replied, “Sure, sure. In exchange, you get the bottoms and floor.”

Dolores was just as cunning as always, taking on the upper portions of the window in exchange for diverting more of the work to Faye.

“That’s right,” their third member—distinguished by her wavy, light-brown hair and conspicuously well-endowed chest, Letti—mused in her normal easygoing tone. “Nilda isn’t in this position anymore.”

Nilda, one of the minority of a similar height to Faye, was now the first maid of the annex Freya lived in. On the whole, being first maid of the annex was effectively like being the head maid there. She wouldn’t be personally cleaning windows in that position—though Amanda had often been seen with cloth in hand while they were short on numbers. Now, though, she was in much more of a supervisory and directing role.

Despite the addition of another thing to clean in the windows, the addition of Elvira—and her high level of skill—meant that the work was actually done quicker than when it was just the three of them.

With their work done for the time being, the three problem maids and Elvira could spend their time relaxing with tea and snacks in the dining room provided for them.

Currently, they were the only four within the room. At this time of the year, even the temperature in Capua wasn’t high enough to make hot tea a problem. Letti had baked something akin to cookies to serve with the tea, and had quickly brewed drinks for everyone.

Normally, making the tea and snacks for the maids’ breaks was done on a rotation, but the role was almost exclusively Letti’s when it came to the problem maids. Of course, it hadn’t been forced onto her, it was by her own choice. She’d always liked cooking, but with the comments about aiming for Vanessa’s role, she’d set about doing so with a real sense of purpose. In turn, work that required more stamina tended to go to Faye and Dolores.

Once everyone had their drinks and the small plate of snacks was in front of them, Dolores was the first to speak.

“Thanks for your help today, Elvira. You were really easy to understand,” she said, thanking her for the instruction in their new role.

The young maid from the North accepted the thanks with a smile. “You’re welcome,” she replied before shrugging. “Though I’m sure Lady Ragnhild would have told you everything in less time and more precisely.”

Just as Dolores’s thanks came from the heart, Elvira’s response wasn’t her being modest, but was instead a simple truth.

Understanding that, though, the three problem maids shuddered and shook their heads.

“I’d really rather not!”

“I’ll say it again, thank you. I’m glad you were the one teaching us.”

“Not Lady Ragnhild.”

It was an unsurprising reaction. While Ragnhild would certainly beat Elvira in terms of her ability to instruct, there was an even greater difference in how strict said instruction was. It would be one thing if Elvira was a poor teacher, but with Elvira being a skilled teacher—just not as skilled as Ragnhild—there was no reason to actively choose the latter.

Elvira couldn’t help a rueful smile at their reactions. “Lady Ragnhild is nothing more than another maid working in the inner palace now; her instruction wouldn’t be that overwhelming,” she said, covering for her coworker who was old enough to be her mother.

However, Dolores shook her long black hair. “That makes her even scarier. She never drops acting like we’re equals, or her manners, or even her tone, but still gives really precise instructions.”

It felt even more overwhelming than with Amanda, who actually spoke from a superior’s position. Ragnhild would always cushion her statements with things like “pardon me for mentioning, but...” and “I would normally refrain from mentioning it in my position, but...” or “This is merely a suggestion, but...” and the only real response any of them could give was an apologetic agreement.

While officially they may have been on equal footing, the differences in age, accomplishments, and ability made for an inevitable hierarchy. Even now, while the three problem maids and Elvira alike were equals with Ragnhild, they still added “Lady” to her name, and that was the norm. Addressing her without an honorific simply felt too abnormal.

“If anything,” Dolores said, her eyes distant, “I feel sorry for Nilda. She’s officially Lady Ragnhild’s superior.”

While treating someone who would normally be your superior as an equal was difficult, being the first maid of the annex meant that Nilda was officially ranked higher than Ragnhild. Elvira giggled as Dolores considered the heartache that must cause before casually dismissing her concerns.

“Oh? I doubt you need to worry. Lady Nilda is doing exceedingly well. While she still has much to learn about her position and how to carry it out, she is doing shockingly well with Lady Ragnhild.”

“That’s a surprise,” Dolores said, doubt evident on her face.

“Yeah, I can’t really believe she’s acting as Lady Ragnhild’s boss,” Faye agreed.

While Letti didn’t say anything, her expression made her agreement clear. Elvira moved her teacup back from her face towards the table with an elegant motion as she answered them.

“That isn’t quite what I meant. Lady Nilda is acting the same way as she always has. Always accepting Lady Ragnhild’s advice without issue and playing her role as first maid.”

“Ah, that’s what you mean,” Dolores said. Being the sharpest out of all three of them, she was the first to understand what Elvira meant.

If you were to describe Nilda in a word, it would be “naive.” She almost seemed incapable of believing anyone in the world would have ill will towards her, and was almost frightfully open when you looked at her. However, that made her get on very well with people that engaged earnestly with her.

Ragnhild was an extremely exacting instructor, but none of that harshness was out of unkindness. That meant that Nilda would get along very well with her, as she’d accept the words that were said.

Unfortunately, Nilda was not a particularly fast learner, so even with accepting and responding to the things Ragnhild pointed out, there were many occasions when her actions did not follow suit. Still, with how gifted Ragnhild was as an instructor, she could tell the difference between people who were just giving lip service but not actually putting in effort and those who were truly trying to put the advice into practice but didn’t have the skill to follow through.

Thus, while Ragnhild may have found herself exasperated as Nilda repeated the same mistakes several times, she had no animosity towards the younger girl.

“That definitely makes me think it might be Lady Ragnhild that’s in the worse position,” Letti said in her characteristic lilting voice.

Elvira smiled and simply said, “Definitely.”

The three problem maids burst into laughter.

The four of them carried on their chat as the tea flowed.

“I have to say, though,” Elvira commented, thinking back to the rest of the living room, “the three of you are more familiar with cleaning glass than I thought. I suppose there are a lot of similar items in the room.”

“Now that you mention it, there are,” Dolores agreed. “There’s the TV, the computer, and the mirror. The glass panes are obviously made out of the same thing as well.”

She was right, a large number of the things Zenjirou had brought from his own world used glass in one form or another, so the inner palace maids were already used to cleaning it to an extent. However, it would be dangerous to completely conflate the things Zenjirou had brought from Earth with the rondel windows they had imported from the Northern Continent.

“The smooth feeling is definitely the same, but the windows are all bumpy and feel even more fragile,” Faye mused.

She was more or less completely correct. The glass items Zenjirou had brought were different from the glass items of this world in both manufacture and strength.

Unlike modern glass, which had all impurities removed to an absurd degree and was all but completely transparent, the windows here would both color and obstruct the light passing through them if it was too thick, so they had chosen to make them as thin as possible to improve the transparency. While the material used for both might have been fragile, thinning it out as they had made it even weaker still.

Elvira nodded at Faye’s comments. “Today was the first time I’ve touched them, so comparing them to the windows is difficult, but it certainly feels like I need to pay more attention to the glass. I gave the warnings while I was teaching you, didn’t I?”

The three problem maids nodded as one.

“That means we should probably assume they’ll break at some point,” Faye commented.

“We’ll need to report that right to Sir Zenjirou,” Dolores agreed.

“Broken glass seems like it would be dangerous. Is there anything we’d need to be aware of cleaning it up, or anything special we’d need to do, Elvira?” Letti finished.

Elvira found herself briefly dumbfounded by the way the three set about discussing what to do if it broke without a hint of timidity or fear.

“You three really have a lot of faith in Sir Zenjirou, don’t you?”

Elvira’s comment was put the best way she could make it. Frankly, the way the three were talking could be considered mocking their lord. Fragile or not, making plans for how to deal with breaking something in their workplace could certainly be taken as an outright declaration that they’d do so eventually.

Faye, Dolores, and Letti didn’t seem to understand why Elvira had a strained look on her face, though, and just looked blankly back at her.

“Of course we do. Why do you mention it, though?” Faye asked, wondering what from their conversation had prompted the comment.

Elvira managed to somehow maintain a smile as she answered. “While someone may eventually make a mistake and break the windows, the way you can so calmly discuss what to do if it happens rather than how to stop it happening is because of your faith in him, right?”

Faye and Letti finally realized what she meant and exchanged looks.

“Now that you mention it...”

“You’d normally get at least yelled at if you broke part of the estate, even if it was an accident.”

If the staff damaged the furniture and fixings in the estate they worked, it would usually be cause for at least a scolding. Depending on their lord, it could also require compensation and even affect their future prospects.

Zenjirou’s way of thinking that scolding someone for a genuine accident was pointless and would just ruin morale—though a purposeful breakage would be another matter—was rather bizarre for this world. In fact, the only maids who had accepted his explanation at face value were these three problem maids and Nilda. The others would all have to fight down their fear if they broke something in the course of their duties, readying themselves pointlessly.

“It might not be normal elsewhere, but Sir Zenjirou’s values are a priority here,” Dolores said with a smooth expression. “We’re just doing our best to follow them.”

Unlike Faye and Letti, Dolores was purposefully interpreting Zenjirou’s words for her own ends. Her saying that they’d need to inform Zenjirou directly was part of that stubborn intention.

Normally such reports would go to either Ines—who was in charge of the cleaning—or Amanda. Going directly to Zenjirou was part of Dolores’s cunning. She knew that Zenjirou was the one with both the greatest say and softest disposition.

“What happens if someone does break one of the windows soon? It’ll take a while to order a replacement from the Northern Continent, won’t it?” Faye asked casually.

Letti cocked her head as she answered. “Huh? But we have a glass worker from the Northern Continent here, don’t we? Can’t we just get him to make it?”

The inner palace in Capua was somewhat unusual for inner palaces in that it was not only Zenjirou who could come and go as he pleased, but also Aura and Freya. The maids could come and go relatively frequently as well, so they were not cut off from information solely because they were in the inner palace, and it wasn’t uncommon for those who paid attention to hear rumors about events in the palace—or the country as a whole.

Letti’s comment prompted a somewhat concerned response from Dolores. “Wait? Is that going to cause problems? I’d have thought poaching craftsmen would.”

In the Southern Continent, glassworking was considered cutting edge and top secret. Dolores’s concerns were hardly unfounded.

Elvira was the most familiar with the situation on the Northern Continent, though, so she didn’t really panic and just asked for clarification.

“Say, Letti? Do you know what country they came from?”

“Uhh, I’m pretty sure it was...the Kingdom of Bohevia?”

“How old is he?”

“I’m not sure exactly, but he’s pretty old.”

Now that Elvira had finished finding out the circumstances, there was a distinct note of confidence in her voice. “Legally, then, there probably won’t be an issue. Bohevia’s glassworkers are either under direct employment by the state or part of the glass guild. The former wouldn’t be in a position to accept a foreign nation’s invitation, so we can assume he is from the latter group. Considering his age, there is a decent chance that he has already left the guild. I cannot say for certain, but that would mean that there was no legal issue.”

“Does their guild have an age limit, then?” Faye asked.

Elvira shook her head. “No, the guild regulations don’t have anything to do with age. However, when craftsmen in Bohevia reach a certain age, if they are considered to have a certain level of skill and knowledge, the country gives them the title of Domini. They are treated in the same way as state-employed craftsmen, so they wouldn’t be allowed to go to a foreign country. An older craftsman who was allowed must not have been given the title. Those who haven’t managed to gain the title after a certain length of time are—to put it rather harshly—given up on by the guild.”

For such craftsmen, leaving the guild was not overly difficult. Those with the title were not allowed to leave in the same way as state-employed glassworkers to prevent their knowledge and skill from passing between nations.

In other words, someone old enough that didn’t have the title therefore didn’t have enough skill to worry about another nation gaining.

“That’s from the Northern Continent’s norms, though. The Southern Continent isn’t as advanced in glasswork, so I’m sure he’ll be valuable here,” Elvira said, doing her best to couch her words.

Dolores didn’t hide her amusement at Elvira’s consideration. “You can put it more bluntly. We’re more behind in everything. Apart from magic, at least.”

“We are, aren’t we?”

“Looking at Rebecca’s and Elvira’s things, I got that impression.”

Faye and Letti joined the conversation with interest. Those from the Northern Continent, not just Freya, had been able to bring some of their personal effects. In the case of Freya, Skaji, or Ragnhild—who were royalty, from a relatively highly ranked family and a well-regarded warrior, and Freya’s aunt, respectively—it could be taken as just a difference in status, but Rebecca and Elvira were from lower-ranked families and still had much nicer things than would be the norm on the Southern Continent.

The best example would be something almost every maid had—their sewing equipment. Needles, scissors, and thread. Even at a glance, there were clear differences between the two continents. The most obvious difference was in the scissors. The metal they were made of was a higher quality, and they were very precisely made. Buying a pair of a similar quality in Capua would take a sum that even nobility would think twice about.

The thread was also different. Specifically, the number of colors was different. In Faye’s sewing kit, for example, she had white—actually closer to a very light yellow—and black—which also wasn’t black, strictly speaking. Rebecca and Elvira, though, had red, blue, green, yellow, and other colors besides. They even had the luxury of sewing repairs in thread close to the garment’s original color so the repair didn’t stand out; that’s how cheap dyed thread was sold. Of course, they would be out of reach for the general public in the Northern Continent, but even the lower nobles would be able to afford it.

In terms of pure strength and economic power, Capua outstripped Uppasala by far, but Uppasala was far ahead of Capua in mass-producing such things.

“You’re really informed about the rest of your continent, though,” Dolores said. “Are maids usually taught that much in Uppasala?”

Elvira carefully modulated her voice so she wouldn’t sound too proud of herself as she answered. “Knowing that much isn’t particularly common. I attended a lot of lectures at the capital’s university, mainly focusing on law and logic, so I have a little more knowledge than average.”

“A university?” Faye asked.

“What’s a university?” Letti echoed.

“Umm, it’s an organization that gathers knowledge and history and conducts research. Every country on the Northern Continent has one, I think?” Dolores answered, using what she’d picked up on her travels.

“Dolores’s explanation is fairly accurate. If I was going to add to it, I’d say that they also exist to provide education and cultivate intellect. For state- and church-sponsored universities, they also train the people needed to run those institutions.”

“Wow.”

“That’s amazing.”

“The Northern Continent’s really impressive. You said you went to one... So women can attend?”

The three of them marveled over the existence of such an organization. Dolores’s question prompted a regretful look from Elvira.

“No, women can’t enroll in the university in Uppasala. Attending lectures like I did is the closest we can come.”

There were universities in countries like Złota Wolność and Emilia where women could attend, but even those usually had one female student a year at most. At present, the world of academia was even more dominated by men than the military. With that in mind, Elvira making the effort to go to a university made her a superlative maid, but definitely not a normal one. Still, she definitely had some similarities to a general maid. For example, she enjoyed romantic gossip.

“Oh, Elvira, did you hear about Mirella changing posts? She’s moving from the main building with Queen Aura to the annex with Lady Freya. She was one of the maids who went to the welcome event for Prince Yngvi, right? It’s what I think it is, isn’t it?” Dolores said suddenly.

Elvira was rather interested in the topic herself. “I think so too. Mirella will be his partner, at least tentatively. Fortunately she’s one of us, so Her Majesty can reassign her to get her used to how things are in Uppasala and the laws before she actually gets married.”

There might have been slightly too much politics in there for pure romantic gossip, but such things were usually what made their way to noble girls. In fact, such politics were often used to liven things up as obstacles to overcome, or “paths of destiny.”

“Which means that Mirella’s basically getting a crown princess’s training there. Ah, that sounds difficult,” Faye commented.

Faye knew that the more highly ranked you became, the more bothersome your duties became and the harder it was to protect yourself, so she couldn’t help but sympathize. It probably wasn’t necessary for Mirella, though. Mirella was someone who would see marrying a person more highly ranked than herself as a victory.

Dolores knew that and directed a lidded, exasperated look at Faye. “Mirella isn’t like you. She’s probably over the moon about it.”

“That sounds like her,” Letti agreed with an amused laugh.

“Well, it’s probably still tough,” Dolores admitted. “I was only there for a little while as a guest, so all the new sights were fun, but there were so many differences in life over there that I think it’ll be a struggle.”

Spending a short time in a different culture was very different than moving into it permanently. Despite showing that concern, though, Dolores wasn’t overly worried. She knew that Mirella was strong to her core and had been raised as the model noblewoman. She wouldn’t shy away from adapting to her new environment. As long as she could somewhat get along with her spouse, Mirella would be fine, at least in Dolores’s opinion.

Letti seemed to have come to the same conclusion, but there was a hint of concern in her voice as she picked up the conversation. “Mirella will probably be okay, but I wonder what kind of person Prince Yngvi is.”

Although Dolores had met him on the Northern Continent and Faye had participated in the welcome party, it was hard to say that either of them really knew him. Inevitably, all three of them turned to Elvira. She didn’t flinch even slightly at the intensity of their looks, just offering them a reassuring smile as she answered smoothly.

“I believe he is very well matched with Mirella. He speaks and makes decisions very rationally and also likes to take the initiative in his personal life as well.”

Whether it was her original disposition or a result of her education, Mirella tended to want the man in a relationship to take the lead. With Yngvi’s preference to do exactly that, it certainly did sound like they were well matched.

“Lady Freya is naturally more familiar with him,” she continued. “With her personally telling Mirella about him, I’m sure she will be able to adapt. Lady Ragnhild is part of the annex as well, so if Mirella can win her favor, I’m sure she will write to Lady Felicia.”

Ragnhild was the older sister of Felicia, the second queen, who was also Freya and Yngvi’s mother. Additionally, she wasn’t here solely due to the blood relation, but as a minder, so Uppasala clearly put a lot of trust in Ragnhild. A missive from her that praised Mirella would have a good influence on not just Felicia, but on King Gustav as well.

“Shall we tell her, then? That she should work hard in the annex to get Lady Ragnhild’s approval, I mean,” Letti suggested.

It was well meaning, but Elvira immediately shook her head. “You shouldn’t. It will definitely have the opposite effect.”

“Huh?”

Dolores then suggested something very close to the truth. “Oh, is Lady Ragnhild someone who doesn’t recognize efforts when they’re just for a reward?”

Such a point of view wasn’t rare. People made judgments based on a person’s normal conduct, and if a person only put the effort in when there was some reward to be had, those judgments were not good. It was a logical way of thinking.

Elvira offered a small nod. “That’s half correct. She wouldn’t completely discount it, but acting like that for a visible reward would be less worthy. In other words, if we were to let Mirella know there was the chance for a letter like that, it could make her efforts need to be that much higher. Don’t worry, Letti. Mirella’s usual efforts will be enough to pass muster with Lady Ragnhild.”

There was no “should” or “I think” in her statement. It was just a confident “will.” Her casual judgment was just like her easy smile; it gave an odd amount of persuasiveness to her words.

“Right. I hope she’s happy,” Letti said.

“Me too,” Faye agreed.

“That would be the best. If she is, then both countries will benefit from it,” Dolores added.

The conversation broke off, but it was a comfortable silence between the four of them. It was broken by the door to the room opening.

Another group must have finished their work for the day. Several maids came in, chattering away. Among the gaggle of darker-skinned and dark-haired maids, one with pale skin and long, straight blonde hair—Rebecca—stood out the most. She noticed them and strode over.

“Elvira, good work today,” she said. “Faye, Dolores, Letti, did you learn how to treat the glass already?”

As she spoke, she took an empty seat and flopped down into it. She always acted so familiar and cheery with them. Unlike Elvira’s immense skill, Rebecca’s disposition was much closer to the problem maids’ despite also coming from Uppasala. Because of that, despite how little time they’d spent together, Rebecca had gotten to the point where she was happy to almost mock them like this.

“It’s not that hard.”

“That’s right, Elvira’s a really good teacher.”

“Well, it might’ve been another story if you were the one teaching.”

Rebecca obviously laughed at their answers, but so did Elvira.

“You’re right. It’d probably take more than a day for me to teach you three. I can’t match Elvira’s teaching.” The faux modesty she used to mock the three of them prompted the problem maids to fire back their responses.

“Just in teaching?”

“Is there anything you can beat her in?”

Indeed, in all areas of being a maid, Elvira was better than Rebecca. Despite Faye and Dolores needling her, she purposefully didn’t make a sign, simply flexing her right arm.

“A fight, of course!” she said confidently.

“Rebecca...”

“That’s not a thing, Rebecca.”

“I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to be proud of that.”

While the three problem maids looked on in exasperation, Elvira laughed in amusement.