Chapter 47

“So, what were you doing?”

“Huh? Nothing at all.”

When I came back, I was shocked to see the two of them tickling each other and giggling. I blurted out my question, but they only looked at each other and shook their heads. Well, whatever they were up to, did it matter? Anyway, I hoped they weren’t discussing anything weird behind my back.

Since I only hit with the back of the sword and didn’t get any blood on it, I took my sword out of its sheath and checked it over before finally putting it down. For now, I decided to keep one sword here. It was unavoidable since a swordsman who used twin swords was just too distinctive.

“So, should I leave the sword here?”

“Just one, please.”

“Huh? Why’s that?”

“It’s quite noticeable if you have twin swords. On the other hand, many people carry just one sword around. Mercenaries, knights, and even regular folks for self-defense, you know?”

After answering, I picked up my maid outfit to change. As I started to undress, Yulia gasped and quickly turned her head away. She had seen me change several times already, so I wondered why she was getting so sensitive about it now. I thought about this while I quickly got changed.

Lilian pretended not to look but wasn’t really facing me either. Not like I was trying to put on a show, but was she being too obvious trying not to look? I could see her sneaking glances.

Unlike Yulia and Lilian, I wasn’t very well-endowed up top, but my backside wasn’t too bad… Wait, why was I even thinking like this? It was weird for a guy-turned-girl to be thinking about this at all. With a sigh, I adjusted the skirt of my maid outfit. Honestly, having a larger rear end just made dressing uncomfortable.

After I changed, I hung my sword on my left hip and noticed it dangling from the maid outfit’s skirt. To be honest, I wanted to stick close to Lilian, but given I had just harmed Charles Garington, there were risks involved.

“Alright then, I’ll be heading back.”

“What? Where to?”

“To the Princess.”

At my answer, Lilian’s eyes widened a little. They gradually turned into a triangle shape, and I tilted my head, wondering what I had done wrong. Then Lilian’s voice turned icy.

“…But I’m your master, right?”

“Don’t play dumb. You know it’s dangerous for me to stay here.”

“I don’t know!”

…Like she really didn’t know. I sighed internally and started to soothe Lilian.

“Even if I say I’m going to the Princess, you know that you are still my master, right?”

“…So it’s like when Guan Yu served under Cao Cao for a bit but still followed Liu Bei?”

“Huh? Cao Cao? Liu Bei? Who are they?”

“Ah, uh? Oh, nothing.”

…So this is what it’s like witnessing an otherworldly person make a blunder. It feels similar but different. While I pretended not to understand and kept my mouth shut, Lilian seemed to mull it over before speaking up again.

“So, even if you temporarily serve another master, will you still follow me to the end?”

“Of course.”

“Catherine…!”

“Because there’s still time left on our contract.”

“…If you hadn’t said that, I might’ve been touched.”

Isn’t that just common sense? Once our contract ends, I assume Lilian will get married. Of course, I could be kicked out before that happens. I might feel like a high-end resource, but maids like me are pretty common parts in noble households.

As maids accumulate years of service, their pay increases, so unless they are to be promoted to head maid, most maids switch jobs before they hit ten years. I guess I was the odd one out. Of course, I could become the head maid of the House of Portus, but since that family aimed for that “above a commoner, below a noble” status, they usually put daughters of lesser nobility in those positions.

For a perfectly common person like me to snag the head maid position… well, I’d need both the current head maid and Lady Portus’s consent. The former was manageable, but the latter seemed pretty impossible. We had barely exchanged words without turning red in the face once or twice.

Though, it’s not like I had outright confronted her. I’d just come in to blow off some steam when I was upset with Lilian, keeping quiet and rolling my eyes. Even that little action would send the timid Lady Portus rushing away all flushed.

For some reason, whenever I did that, Lilian would stare at me and her mother with a disgruntled look. I still didn’t understand why.

‘You are way too reckless, Catherine’

The Lady’s face saying that still lingered in my mind. She had been much more relaxed and dignified back then, unlike the current “Lilian,” who was clearly lacking in grace. Yet, oddly enough, Lilian still displayed some noble-like gestures, probably because she hadn’t learned etiquette formally, though she might have picked up some through osmosis.

Since I taught her based on instinct, it was indeed a bit odd. Sometimes when I looked at Lilian, she reminded me of the Lady, liking similar foods or stubbornly disliking things.

Of course, their reactions varied slightly. The Lady simply raised her eyebrows when eating her favorite food without a hint of expression. Most people wouldn’t recognize it was her way of showing joy, but I knew. In contrast, Lilian would express her likes quite openly.

If the Lady had been free of noble constraints and raised with love by the Portus couple since childhood, would she have turned out like this? I often found myself wondering. Of course, wondering didn’t bring the Lady back.

“Anyway, I’ll be heading back.”

“Really? You have to come back?”

“Why are you quibbling over something so obvious?”

“…Catherine, you’re too cold.”

As a maid, I had no choice but to act cold on the outside. Especially towards my master. Showing my personal side would make it harder to serve them properly. The reason I treated Lilian coldly while being warmer to others was because of that maid’s discipline.

The source was the head maid. She had shared her experiences about cases where maids caught feelings for their masters. It was a credible source, even though Lilian and I were both women.

I climbed out the window and parkoured my way safely out of the hotel. I jumped quickly across rooftops and returned to the lodging where the Princess was staying, entering the room I had slept in.

“…You startled me. You’re back?”

“Ah, Your Highness. Aren’t you going back?”

Upon entering the room, I found the Princess waiting for me in comfortable clothes. I wondered why she was here if she was already changing into something more casual. As I tilted my head and asked, the Princess stared blankly at me before responding.

“Back? Where to?”

“To Your Highness’s room.”

“But this is my room.”

Oh? I had been thinking I was barging into someone else’s space. Why was she dressed so casually? The Princess was staring at me wearing a slightly sheer nightgown, and I couldn’t help but think it was a bit much. My gaze slipped away modestly, and the Princess chuckled.

“Hmm, are you interested?”

“Wh-what are you talking about?”

“I’m just a bit relieved. I thought you were completely uninterested in me.”

….

As I clamped my mouth shut, the Princess moved closer and poked my cheek. I still didn’t turn to look at her.

“You know, I’m quite confident in my appearance. I must not have appealed to you with my personality, so I figured I should at least appeal to you with my appearance.”

Confident? Well, honestly, she was the most well-proportioned woman I had seen since coming to this world. Which is why I struggled to hold eye contact. The Princess let out a soft laugh by my ear.

“Heh, the more you react like that, the more convinced I become.”

The good thing was that the Princess at least maintained a boundary. She came close but didn’t reach out, clearly aware that pushing further might be dangerous.

When she got close, I felt the scent of soap, and I held my breath for a moment.

“Well, if you want to sleep here, I don’t mind. I’d even welcome the visit.”

“I’m not sleeping over! Hah… If I had my way, I’d rather go back to the hotel where the Lady stayed, but I can’t. I caused a huge incident.”

“Are you talking about breaking Charles Garington’s limbs? Hahaha, that was brilliant.”

True to her nature, the Princess laughed wholeheartedly, then playfully pulled back the curtains that had been drawn in the corner of the room.