The Peaceful Life of a Maid Who Hides Her Power and Enjoys It

<Episode 45>

 

But I couldn’t think of a better move.

I’d been racking my brain for a while. Wasn’t this the best plan I could make in the short period of time I had? It wasn’t like a maid could say ‘Just do it.’ to her master, and it was also true that the Weatherwoods were short-staffed.

 

Yeah, I did my best. It was enough… I consoled myself like that..

 

Rue, who was the only one among the swirls of silence to raise the corners of his mouth, gently swept my chin with his hand and praised me.

 

“Oh, is that right? Well, if she’s a swordsman, she must have good stamina, right? Good, good. You’re so smart, my Daisy.”

 

Rue was the only one on my side. I was so relieved I could sing.

 

“We got our answer, then. This is a situation where I can’t exactly argue with my husband on right now, so I’ll accept the Duke’s request. However, you should keep in mind that depending on the situation, we can send her back right away. Will you understand?”

 

The swordmaster stared at me with a mysterious look. He was used to hiding his inner thoughts since the war.

“Of course.”

 

Did he notice that I was Viscount Weatherwoods?

Logically, the probability of that was significantly lower now.

 

“And to say something to the conversation you were having here before I interrupted. All matters relating to the Imperial Southern Archipelago have long been entrusted to Duke Raphael. It is a matter of a region closely related to state secrets, and disobedience could result in treason and the death penalty for violating the National Security Code.”

 

I pretended to not hear him and didn’t react, but I was actually listening to everything.

Indeed, even four years ago, he was a man who was good at things even other than the sword. 

 

‘Still, treason…’

I devoted myself to defeating Mephisto and his army, and yet my return is deemed treasonous…

It was something I’d caused, but I was still a little dispiritied.

 

Rue, who saw my face, shook his head and put on a smile with what almost looked like ridicule.

“The laws of the Penrotta Empire are very belligerent… Hm. Well, that’s fine. Duke Zenail, I will comply with your request. However, I have a condition. Let my husband be the one to comply with the interrogation, not Daisy.”

 

What?

‘Can I do that?’

 

As Raphael’s eyes narrowed, Rue added an uncharacteristically long explanation.

 

“Don’t get me wrong. I mean, let my husband act as Daisy’s representative. Daisy is a child who knows all the secrets of our family. I’m afraid I don’t know what slip of the tongue she’ll make, so I’ll first have my husband question Daisy and then send him to the duke. If my husband’s testimony and information is deemed insufficient, you can take Daisy with you then, is that alright?”

 

It sounded like a pretty big waste of time, but on the surface, Rue was not disobeying the duke’s demand for an investigation. He also said he would take care of their personal affairs by having to go a step further, so if you thought about it, there was nothing disadvantageous here for the other party other than a time delay.

 

The question was whether Raphael would accept his condition.

 

“That’s not a problem.”

“It’s a relief that our interests are now in sync.”

“I’m glad you think so, too.”

 

Raphael, who turned to me, continued his sentence as if giving a warning.

“I hope that it will continue to be the case until the end.”

After that, he turned away without hesitation.

 

Raphael disappeared behind the villa after listening to a brief report from the knights in white uniforms.

 

‘Hmm. I didn’t expect you to accept it so easily.’

 

The fact that the Weatherwoods family had attended the noble council for the first time in years might’ve been convenient this time.

 

‘It’s the same as before. They’re acting more sweetly than normal because of our position.’

 

The swordmaster, who was silently watching the scene, smiled softly at us.

 

“Don’t worry, Mrs. Weatherwoods, there will be no big problem. Duke Raphael is not as difficult as he looks. I’m sure the interrogation will be over quickly. Now then, please allow me to escort you all to the shelter.”

 

The swordmaster, with Rue at his side, moved ahead while me and the two boys followed. Seeing that I heard the name Gray from their conversation, it looked like the duke was asking about where he was and how he was doing.

 

Soon after, the nobles huddled in front of the villa also moved to the annex following the flight crew’s guidance.

 

“Mrs. Weatherwoods seems to care a lot about you.”

Yeager, approaching me, whispered quietly.

“I was surprised. I never thought that she would actively block you from Duke Zenail. Wow.”

 

Volkwin smiled at me too.

“The husband and wife truly are one. I can see now why she chose Gray and moved to Penrotta from her faraway home.”

 

Their attitudes were as gentlemanly as ever even before me, a maid.

I hadn’t expected that. Since I was treated recklessly, I didn’t ignore them.

 

“We were lucky.”

“Ha ha, it’s not luck. The Weatherwoods are a member of the noble council, so the results were natural, if you think about it.”

 

It was a short answer, but it had a lot of implications.

Because if the Weatherwoods weren’t a member of the noble council, they couldn’t have dared to present a third party for the investigation even with Raphael’s consent.

 

“You might not be aware of this, but the reason why so many people have gathered here is to gain the advantages and connections that come with being familiar with aristocratic society. You see, the aristocrats often exchange favors, both big and small, with each other, all while staying within the boundaries of the Imperial Law. Well, at least under broad daylight.”

 

That’s why they accepted Rue’s offer.

We moved to the basement of the annex. There was a large iron door waiting open for us. This seemed to be a temporary shelter.

 

“It’s bigger than I thought.”

The shelter was a tight underground space with no sunlight.

However, unlike usual basements, the interior was well-decorated, and it was bright and pleasant, so it felt more like a common hall than a shelter.

 

“Go inside and take a rest. There are enough chairs for everyone.”

“Thank you, Daisy? Come here.”

 

Was this what it felt like to be someone’s pet dog?

I sat down next to Rue, and closed my eyes as I rested my head on his shoulder.

 

Enough. I wanted to go home now.

 

After a while passed, the shelter’s iron door closed with a loud bang.

The interior was as bright as day thanks to the arrangement of numerous lamps operated by magic stones. With knights in black and white uniforms guarding the door, the swordmaster climbed up to the highest platform in the shelter.

 

The swordmaster’s calm voice flowed into the space and caught everyone’s attention despite not being overly loud.

 

“Our distinguished guests. First, I’d like to apologize. 12 unidentified wizards infiltrated the Iregiel Villa last night and set up a large mental magic trap that caused chaos. It is presumed that they’d been preparing for this since at least one day prior.”

“Oh God, who the hell would…”

 

Perhaps because it was underground, even small voices echoed throughout the room.

The swordmaster let people whisper and speculate to their heart’s content and then moved his lips again.

 

“You must have been startled, but you can be at ease now. All intruders have been successfully captured. We’re currently checking the villa for any additional traps, and afterwards, if everything is safe, you’ll be escorted to your rooms.”

 

“Then the rest of the schedule won’t be cancelled?”

“No, the schedule has been completely cancelled. Volunteers from Ragel are expected to arrive within seven hours, and we’ll be able to leave Iregiel around 8 p.m. Psychological treatments for any who’ve suffered any damage from the mental magic trap will be performed subsequently. Do you have any other questions?”

 

Everyone was quiet.

No one in the basement expressed any anxiety anymore, nor did they complain and point fingers at the duke. People seemed very relieved that the swordmaster was protecting them.

 

I could see the solidity of the trust people of the empire had in him.

 

‘If a man like the duke steps up to reassure people…they have no choice but to believe him.’

 

The inside of the shelter, which had been filled with small chatter, became quiet at some point. The people were exhausted.

 

They were those who had been shaken by fear and anxiety while suffering from mental magic traps throughout dawn. The peace that had been achieved in just half a day made them relaxed and most of them dozed off.

 

Krrng.

 

It was then.

 

The iron door, which had been tightly closed, opened in a hurry. The man who appeared from behind it quickly approached the Duke and lowered his head.

 

“Your Excellency, we….”

 

I wondered what the news was. My ears perked up.

Others also began to stare at the two with their necks stretched out, wondering what new news had just arrived.

 

‘But I’m the only one who can hear what the two of them are talking about. Jealous, right?’

 

“A strange airship has requested anchoring. We weren’t able to identify the owner or any flags, so we’ve refused to give them permission to dock for now.”

“A strange airship? Is it not Duke Raphael’s airship?”

“Yes, I asked him, but he answered that it was an unknown vehicle.”

 

It was when the swordmaster and the man were about to leave the shelter. Rue stood up suddenly and tried to lead us outside very confidently.

 

The man stood in our way with an embarrassed face.

“I’m sorry, ma’am. You can’t leave the shelter until we’ve confirmed everything’s safe. If you need anything, please let us know….”

“I don’t need anything.”

 

Forgetting Morian’s usual duty to be lovely, Rue put on a sour expression and pointed to the door with his chin.

 

“My airship seems to have arrived. I’m about to go home, do I need permission for that too?”

___

 

that’s it for the random mini mass release. I tried my best. Rue being a menace contributed a lot to it lol, I love him so much.

Hope you enjoyedd!