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

<Episode 53>

 

The morning of a day when the sun was particularly high up in the sky, the maid delivered the long-awaited news.

 

“Miss Daisy, do you remember the elder from Westwinterre that I told you about a few days ago?”

“Yes.”

“I got permission for him to let you visit. You’ll go with Rue sometime the day after tomorrow.”

 

But it wasn’t just the news about Westwinterre that had arrived at the Weatherwoods mansion.

Ring-rrring.

The doorbell rang.

 

Beyond the upright iron gate of the main entrance, silver hair shone in the midsummer sunlight. A sturdy suitcase and a black sword hung from the person’s waist. 

The uninvited guest bowed their head to us.

 

“Good morning, I’m Jean Berkeley-Gratten. I’m here to see Viscount Weatherwoods.”

 

The time had come.

The maid turned her head and met my eyes. Neither of us were really bewildered since we’d discussed it in advance.

 

The maid spoke first, moving familiarly to the main gate.

“I haven’t heard about you. Did you make an appointment beforehand?”

“It wasn’t an appointment. However, I made my intention to visit clear.”

“I’m sorry, Miss Berkeley-Gratten. The Viscount is currently out, I think you’ll have to come back later.”

 

Jean’s expression, which had already crumbled a little at the cold greeting, darkened even more.

 

‘That’s unexpected.’

 

Jean was educated and raised as one of the successors of the Duke.

The time she spent living as a noble wasn’t short, but she was very calm and not raising her voice to flaunt her authority even at the head maid’s cold reception.

 

I guess as long as she could learn the sword, status didn’t matter. That’s probably the reason she was so blinded by her goals that she was able to leave the Duke.

 

Then.

 

Jean, who was still standing at the main gate, knelt down.

“…Miss Jean Berkeley Gratten?”

 

Jean firmly expressed her intention in a clear voice.

 

“I don’t mind what kind of work you leave to me. I’m here to be taught by Viscount Weatherwoods. Please accept me.”

“W-hat- get up! Why would someone like the successor to Berkeley Gratten kneel down to a maid? Making you do odd jobs makes no sense, please get up…”

“I am no longer one of the successors of the Berkeley Grattens. Therefore, you may use me as a maid for this mansion, no, even as an errand girl.”

 

Sigh. The maid deeply sighed and after taking a troubled look around, let her in.

 

“Come inside for now. At this rate, there will be strange rumours going around.”

I approached Jean as soon as she stepped inside.

 

“Permission?”

I asked Jean with questioning eyes.

“Did you get permission?”

 

Only then did Jean reply with a calm attitude.

“I’ve received it. My right to succeed has been officially revoked.”

“He sent you here with no strings attached?”

 

“…….”

Was she not good at lying? She couldn’t control expression at all when I asked the right question.

 

And didn’t the swordmaster know that Jean was bad at lying?

 

“What were the conditions?”

“…….”

 

She didn’t answer.

However, this was unnatural to me. It didn’t seem like Jean was the type of person to walk in carrying a bomb into a place without any sense of shame.

 

I checked Jean’s arm just in case. A line, the imprint of an oath, was marked on the inside of her left arm.

 

“Is this the oath you shared with the swordmaster?”

“…….”

 

There was no answer again.

It wasn’t that she wasn’t answering. It was that she couldn’t answer because of the oath.

‘I can’t believe he’s sending her with such an obvious mark. This is clearly a provocation.’

 

Was the swordmaster always this crafty? And what was this oath about, anyway?

 

‘A vow to dig up all the secrets of the Weatherwoods family? An oath to search for the relics of Dian Cecht in the mansion?’

 

Of course, I could deter her by myself, but since an oath is involved… a corner of my conscience was uncomfortable.

 

‘This will setback the plan of accepting her for now and kicking her out later with some excuse. We can’t let someone who has an oath to a person trying to destroy the Weatherwoods into the house.’

Besides, an oath was a promise made with the soul.

If Jean fails to fulfill her promise because of my interference, she would surely die.

 

However, there was no fear of death in Jean’s eyes.

“This imprint is a burden for me to bear. I swear on my soul, I will never cause trouble to the Weatherwoods.”

 

The maid replied to Jean’s unwavering promise.

“You can’t even tell us what the oath is about. Can we believe you?”

“I will kill myself if I cause damage to the Weatherwoods family. If you wish, I will bring forth a wizard and make another oath upon it.”

 

Hmm.

 

‘If she’s so sure of herself, it surprisingly might be an oath that has nothing to do with the Weatherwoods.’

It could also be an oath related to the privacy of the Berkeley Gratten family.

 

“Sigh… in such a case, you must ask for forgiveness, not commit suicide.”

The maid seemed to think similarly. It might be all the more so because she didn’t know that the swordmaster was after the Weatherwoods now.

While neither I nor the maid could easily make a decision, Rou, who was sitting at the garden table reading the newspaper, casually said,

 

“Why don’t you just take her?”

“…Is there any reason for that, Mr. Rue?”

“She seems like Miss Daisy.”

 

For a moment, I was speechless.

I looked back at Jean.

 

‘A kid who knows nothing but the sword is me?’

The only thing Jean and I had in common were the fact that we were both swordsmen and had no family.

I wasn’t crazy about swords like Jean, and Jean wasn’t someone who was trying to live a carefree life like me.

 

What kind of similarity did we have?

 

“What about her is like me?”

“Well, perhaps the clear sense of purpose you have?.”

 

That was an unexpectedly ordinary answer.

I thought he would say something like, ‘You both foolishly only look ahead.’

 

“I’m now a wanderer with no ties. If you accept me, I’ll complete any task given to me.”

When she was kneeling again, the maid shook her head with a sad face.

 

“I’m sorry, but we can’t afford another maid. I understand your situation…”

“A maid… is it because I’m a woman that you can only give me that position?”

“It’s not exactly like that, but it’s not much wrong.”

“I see. I see.”

 

Shruk.

 

Jean, who threw her luggage on the ground, drew her sword from its sheath. But I didn’t block the maid from her. Because she didn’t have the least bit of murderous intent.

 

“If, as a woman, I cannot stay in the Weatherwoods family.”

Jean put a sword under her hair, which was tied up high.

“That means it’s possible for a man.”

 

Falling.

 

Her long silver hair was cut off and scattered. The finely scattered silver threads fluttered lightly like snowflakes, adorning the courtyard.

 

The maid looked blankly at Jean’s hair, now having been cut grotesquely.

“That’s…”

Jean, having fallen to her knees for the third time, shouted.

“Please, ma’am. Please accept me as a member of the Weatherwoods family!”

 

Will she accept it?

‘The head maid is really strict.’

 

However, that strict maid was looking at Jean with pricked eyes.

 

“How… how could you do away with that preciously grown hair at once?”

“If it means I can show you my sincerity, I will get rid of every strand of hair that gets in my way.”

“… I can’t deny it. It was an excellent performance that touched my heart at once. It pained my heart.”

“Thank you.”

 

What the hell are you thankful for?

The maid turned to me with serious eyes.

 

“Miss Daisy? Will you lift me and Rue up in your arms?”

It was a sudden request, but a maid must obey her superior.

 

On my right arm, I supported the maid’s buttocks, and with my left arm, I lifted up the bottom of the garden chair Rue was sitting on.

The maid asked Jean, who was blinking in surprise.

 

“This kind of power is essential to work in Weatherwoods mansion. Although you are an excellent swordsman, not all of them have strong strength. Can you do it?”

 

Jean nodded with grave eyes.

“I can do it. No, I’ll try my best to make sure I have no choice but to.”

“…Viscount Weatherwoods is a very busy man. You may not see him until you retire. Is that okay?”

“That’s all right. I’ll find him somehow.”

“The salary will be much less than what you can get from other mansions. It can’t be helped because this is an unscheduled employment. Does that matter?”

“I don’t care. I’m sure you’ll feed me well.”

 

Can you get off now? I quietly lowered my arms.

 

“As you suggested, our Weatherwoods mansion will employ you as a man, not a woman. And I’ll ask you for all the housework I can ask from a male employee. Hard, dangerous work. Can you take it?”

“I can take it. I rather welcome orders that will help in my training.”

 

Wait. Why was the atmosphere so good all of the sudden? Don’t tell me you’ll take her in just because she cut her hair a little short?

The maid with her eyes determined, announced to Jean with a solemn look.

 

“All right, Miss Jean Berkeley-Gratten, no, Mr. Jean. I’ll hire you as the butler of our Weatherwoods mansion.”

 

You, you scoundrel, could it be?

 You’ve captured someone again!

---

 

No one but the head maid ever wins in the Weatherwoods mansion. She got another cheap employee.

There is not ONE normal employee in this neighbourhood.

Also, don’t mind me fangirling over how Daisy lifted both the head maid and Rue’s weight at once AAA