Chapter 5: My master has changed!!!
POV: Seres
My master is cold-hearted.
Scorn for commoners is the norm. Insults and rude remarks are everyday occurrences.
Probably your typical noble scoundrel. That’s my esteemed master for you.
I have a heart too, you know! If I’m told hurtful things, I get irritated, and my mental state deteriorates.
I greeted him with a cheerful “Good morning☆,” but all I got was a disdainful “Tch” as a reply! My mental state is taking a beating here! I didn’t say hello to thin air, did I? Responding to someone’s greeting with another greeting is something we all learn, right?
Well? I’m a kind person, you know? He’s two years younger, so I can forgive him for acting like a cheeky brat. I’m a forgiving person, after all.
Hey, you little brat, little brat.
Good grief.
Dealing with an adolescent brat with a chip on his shoulder is difficult, isn’t it?
Oh, by the way, it’s not like I dislike my master. I’m just not in love with him. His spending habits are good, and well, I can endure the work… I guess.
So, I’ve been careful not to show my true self and have always used polite language, even when ignored.
Because my master’s spending habits are good!!!! If I get fired, I won’t be able to send money to my mom and dad back home!!!!
*Sigh* Nobles are quite a handful.
Honestly, about my master’s situation… Well, it’s a “don’t mind” kind of thing. His older brother, Lord Ganon, is an upstanding person. His father is a tsundere who’s extremely hard to read because he’s not good at showing emotions.
It’s a situation where I, who am not involved at all, can see it as relatively fortunate. But telling someone to be aware of that is pretty harsh!
Noble pressures and such don’t really affect me, but well, there are probably various things going on there. I don’t intend to take care of that.
I have a principle: I won’t do more than my salary pays for! I want to leave on time, even if I live here!! (Tl: I already like her.)
I had been enduring such days, but perhaps due to being consistently ignored and scoffed at, my patience finally snapped.
Even though I thought I shouldn’t say it, I did.
One day, my lord asked me to call my mastet, and I entered immediately after knocking. At this point, I was quite frustrated.
“Why do neither you nor your older brother knock before entering?” My master said.
And with this statement, after a very, very long time, my master spoke to me. So, if I was going to take revenge, now was the chance.
“Ha-ha-ha, isn’t courtesy reserved for superiors or respected individuals? Some people are unnecessary,” I replied.
I said something absolutely insane like this. I mean, I would never say something like this under normal circumstances! I just had a little too much pent-up frustration, and it exploded!
Oh my, my master had an incredibly cold expression!
My eyes got wet! Literally!
“Don’t make such a scary face. I’m just joking,” I said.
I was invincible that day. I managed to play it off without offering a sincere apology.
“Well, whatever. What do you want?” my master asked.
He didn’t get angry or scoff at me!?
Is this really my master!? Has he been replaced by an imposter!?
No, normally, if I said something like that, my usual master would either get angry or ignore me!
“…Alright. I’ll let him know you’re coming,” I said, hiding my unease and delivering the message.
“Got it. I’ll be there soon.”
“Yeah.”
…He replied not just once but three or four times.
This is strange. The fact that my master and I are having a conversation is strange in itself!!
Well, even treating my own master as an exotic creature is questionable, I must say, even to myself.
☆☆☆
x
As my master finished talking with my lord, he muttered something in the hallway. Was he grumbling again because he had been scolded and was dissatisfied? But with my master acting so strangely, I had a feeling he was thinking about something different… Maybe that’s wishful thinking?
“I understand,” my master said, nodding in response to something.
Curious, I couldn’t help but speak up from behind, “What do you understand?”
“Is it a habit of yours to sneak up from behind and talk like that?”
Oh, wow, he responded again. This is a miracle!
“It’s a habit, you know, sneaking up quietly. Just kidding ☆”
Once again, I tried to keep things light. Even though his eyes remained cold, they seemed somewhat warmer, and a touch of exasperation seemed to dominate.
“What were you talking about?” I asked.
Surprisingly, my master answered honestly, “It was a reprimand about my recent attitude in class. He told me to behave better as a member of the Lestinata family.”
Ah, it’s the usual lecture about that. The source of my master’s frustrations, even though he’s a bit of a hard nut to crack in that regard. I don’t usually do this… what they call going above and beyond the call of duty.
“…Please don’t dislike my lord. Even though he seems that way—”
“I understand. Despite being busy, he took the time for my sake. It’s clear just by looking at the piled-up documents on the table. If you really didn’t care about me, you wouldn’t have said anything.”
I couldn’t help but stare at my master… Zenon-sama, closely. Is he really the same person!? Has he been replaced by an imposter… an imposter, I tell you!!!
It seems that Zenon-sama has changed, and there’s warmth in our conversations now. The way he looks at me is no longer disdainful but rather filled with trust… or something like it.
It’s quite a mystery how someone can change so dramatically in such a short period, but in life, you never know what might happen over trivial matters. Zenon-sama must have experienced something significant, and this change is undoubtedly a positive one for both him and me.
So, if it’s this Zenon-sama…
I decided to take a chance and show my true self.
“Zenon-sama… did you happen to eat some strange mushrooms you found on the roadside?”
“I’ll fire you, you annoying maid.”
“Wow, it’s Ze-Non-Sa-Ma!”
“What do you mean by that?”
Not my master, but Ze-Non-Sa-Ma.
It looks like we’re going to get along just fine!
Dude was just top tier at ignoring her, lol.