The Maid With a Child

Chapter 26. A Method to Boost Morale.

 

Adelen, still hesitant but determined, proposed another idea with her red lips.

“Then… since the baby sleeps through the night now… what if I return to my room after the baby falls asleep and come back before sunrise?”

She seemed utterly desperate to return to her room, no matter what.

The maid’s quarters, which Rakalt had casually glanced at before, weren’t particularly pleasant. Though tidy and functional, they were essentially shared spaces with the bare minimum of furniture.

The sofa bed Adelen was currently using in his room was several times more comfortable.

From Rakalt’s perspective, her insistence made no sense.

“Why are you so eager to go back to the maid’s quarters?”

“Well… I’m worried people will start rumors about me being a maid who shares her master’s room…”

“Rumors?”

Rakalt tilted his head at her unexpected reason.

He thought she simply disliked the room or felt uncomfortable being around him, but there was more to it than he had anticipated.

“Rumors about what?”

“Well… back at another household, I saw maids who cleaned their master’s room constantly plagued by rumors.”

“What kind of rumors?”

“That, well… spending so much time alone with their master… something must have happened.”

The noble social circles and the gossip among servants weren’t all that different.

Even in high society, the most common topics were always ‘Who was with whom, and what happened.’

But Rakalt had never paid attention to such trivial matters.

“If it’s not true, why not just ignore it?”

“Because it doesn’t work that way! Servants gossip about everything. If people start saying I was a maid raising a child in my master’s room, regardless of whether anything happened or not, my chances of romance or marriage will be ruined forever!”

Adelen declared this with great conviction.

If she were simply unlucky in love and remained single for the rest of her life, she could accept it as fate. But to be exiled from the marriage market over baseless rumors?

That was an injustice she couldn’t bear!

“Hmm…”

Rakalt let out a low hum.

He could understand her reasoning. Reputation was indeed crucial in matters of relationships.

What he had intended as a purely practical decision for security had consequences he hadn’t foreseen.

Still, he couldn’t simply give in to Adelen’s wishes.

“Do you not realize your body is no longer your own?”

“What? Whose is it, then?”

“His Majesty has given an order. Until your mission is complete, your body belongs to Teplan. Enemies might try to approach or threaten you to lure out the prince. Could you handle that on your own?”

Adelen gulped as she recalled the sternness in the king’s gaze.

The king’s authority was intimidating, and the idea of encountering unknown assailants was even scarier.

Perhaps she had been taking the situation too lightly.

“Ah, I understand. I’ll stay in your room… sniff…”

Her agreement didn’t come from willingness but from resignation. She couldn’t help the tears that began to well up, feeling unfairly trapped.

Seeing Adelen’s reaction, as though the world had ended, Rakalt clicked his tongue.

Morale was critical, even for soldiers. At this rate, she would run away. But for now, he had no choice but to keep her tethered.

 

***

 

Adelen wasn’t the type to resist actively.

She was the epitome of someone born to be a maid.

Her ‘maid-like’ tendencies fit her so well it was almost impressive.

Whatever her master ordered, she would reply with a meek, “Yes, sir.” If scolded unfairly, she would assume she was at fault and reflect on herself. Even the slightest praise would brighten her mood, leaving her grinning.

And yet, despite carrying out a royal mission, she seemed utterly deflated.

“Baby… let’s be happy together… okay?”

Her behavior hadn’t changed much. She was still devoted to feeding, playing with, and putting the child to sleep.

“Master, you’re back…”

“…”

Yet, for some reason, she grated on Rakalt’s nerves.

If she were doing it on purpose, he might have scolded her out of annoyance. But that wasn’t the case. She was trying her best, yet her lack of energy was palpable.

At first, he barely noticed her presence, treating her like part of the furniture or wallpaper.

Maids and servants were supposed to be like that.

But now, it was as if he had started noticing the wallpaper’s patterns, and he couldn’t stop paying attention.

Every move, every tone in her voice—it all got on his nerves.

“Hah…”

In the past, whenever he entered the room, she would stick to the corners, watching him nervously. Now, she would merely greet him before retreating to her own thoughts.

During the day, she sat by the window, sighing heavily like someone who had lost everything.

“…Did she really lose everything?”

As Rakalt continued to ponder, his thoughts reached an unfamiliar depth.

He had never focused so intently on anything outside of strategy. It baffled him that he was concentrating so much on understanding the feelings of a maid, someone who was no more than an extension of his will.

But Adelen wasn’t just any maid; she was a vital asset, personally appointed by His Majesty.

From her perspective, she might feel as if she had lost everything, like someone with their claws and teeth pulled out.

After all, she had once wished for nothing more than meeting a man, marrying, and building a family. Now, all of that seemed impossible.

She was tethered to the child indefinitely, under conditions that made finding a husband unimaginable.

“There’s no clear solution.”

The more Rakalt thought about it, the more hopeless it seemed.

His own marriage was a distant prospect, and while her confinement would end once her safety was assured, there was no telling when that might be.

If left as she was, she wouldn’t just desert her duty—she might wither away entirely.

“Even generals share fresh game with soldiers to boost morale.”

It was a strategy Rakalt had employed often.

Meat, especially when caught and offered by a superior, always lifted spirits.

Humans were, after all, animals at their core; satisfying basic needs like eating and sleeping often restored morale.

“Does Adelen even like meat?”

Come to think of it, he’d never seen her eat anything substantial.

All the food seemed to go directly to the baby. While the butler must have been providing her meals, the fact that Rakalt had never actually witnessed her eating was strangely unsettling.

How had they spent months together, and he hadn’t noticed?

“Let’s start with the basics.”

What would make Adelen happiest was probably introducing her to a man, but she’d likely reject the idea outright. So, appealing to more instinctive needs seemed like a better approach.

“Let’s talk.”

Adelen slowly turned her head at Rakalt’s call.

“…Yes? You mean me?”

“Yes. Come sit over here.”

“Okay…”

Adelen hesitantly approached and sat down across from him on the sofa.

In the past, she would stare at him with wide, nervous eyes, holding back whatever she wanted to say.

Now, she avoided eye contact altogether, staring only at her hands resting on her lap.

Watching her fidget with her nails, Rakalt broke the silence.

“I’m thinking about redecorating this room.”

“…Redecorating?”

“Yes. Since you’ll be staying here for the foreseeable future, I thought it might be worth tailoring it more to your needs.”

Finally, Adelen lifted her head. Rakalt felt a jolt, like the rush of a successful ambush. Simply managing to capture her interest struck him as a significant victory.

“Redecorate…? How exactly?”

Adelen tilted her head in confusion, her gaze darting around the room.

Without delay, Rakalt summoned the butler.

“You called for me, sir?”

“I’m planning a complete renovation of this room.”

“A renovation, you say?”

“Yes. The child will be raised here for the long term, and the current setup is unsuitable. We’ll need to make substantial changes.”

The butler’s face lit up immediately.

“Oh, wonderful! I’ve been meaning to bring this up for ages. But with you always away at the battlefield, I couldn’t suggest it… You know, it’s tradition to renovate the master’s quarters whenever there’s a new head of the family!”

The room had remained untouched since the previous head of the household had used it. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to address that.

Though the butler had been disappointed about the failed party preparations, this was a chance for him to truly shine.