Chapter 24
“Huh?!”
When Wendy opened her eyes, the sun was already setting.
Oh no!
What about today’s work?!
She had never overslept like this before!
Screaming internally, Wendy frantically threw off her pajamas.
There was no time.
Well, actually, she wasn’t even sure if she had any time to begin with…
As Wendy was about to put on her maid uniform, she paused.
Without realizing it, she almost put on the regular maid uniform she used to wear.
She quickly grabbed the exclusive maid uniform hanging next to it.
Exclusive maid.
A servant who serves closely by the noble’s side and receives high treatment.
In short, the closest confidant.
Until recently, Wendy was the youngest maid in this mansion.
Her sudden rise to becoming an exclusive maid was nothing short of a meteoric rise.
So, Wendy expected there would be a lot of talk around her.
The exclusive maid is a high position that can command the other servants in the mansion.
Since Wendy had leapfrogged over her seniors to reach this position, it was only natural that there would be some noise.
And Wendy’s expectations were correct.
There was definitely… a lot of talk.
-“So, Wendy, you’ve become our shield… right?”
-“Huh? Shield…?”
-“Wendy, if you’re having a hard time, make sure to tell us. Okay? We’re all on your side.”
-“Huh? Uh… thank you all…?”
-“Sob… our poor Wendy….”
-“Uh, unnie?”
After getting dressed, Wendy rushed out of her room.
She sprinted down the long corridor of the Ruelberta Mansion.
Thinking about it, it was a series of unbelievable events.
She became the Count’s exclusive maid.
She got accepted into the Empire’s top magic school.
She found out she was of the Hero’s bloodline.
She even discovered that the notorious Count… actually has a good side.
It felt like a dream.
Maybe that’s why she let her guard down.
Yesterday, Wendy took an exam and couldn’t fight off the drowsiness that followed.
As soon as she arrived at the mansion, she passed out, and that was last night.
She never thought she’d sleep so deeply.
Wendy ran.
The Count’s exclusive maid being late?
She couldn’t face the Count like this.
Wendy stopped at the Count’s office.
It was also her workplace.
Catching her breath, she knocked on the door.
“E-excuse me!”
She pushed the door open forcefully, but no one was inside.
It was 5 o’clock.
The time when the Count should be in his office.
Wendy was about to run out when she ran into a senior maid at the door.
“Julie unnie?”
“Wendy?”
“Where is the Count…?”
“Huh? Uh… he should be at the training ground….”
“Th-thank you…!”
Wendy ran.
So fast that she didn’t hear Julie’s voice behind her saying, “Wait, Wendy, today you….”
By the time she left the mansion, the sun was almost set.
She had to hurry.
Wendy took off her cumbersome shoes.
Being from the countryside, she was used to running barefoot.
She kept running.
Until she saw a figure in the distance on the training ground.
The figure turned round and then took the shape of a burly man.
Her master, Tristan Ruelberta.
He was standing on one side of the training ground, wiping off sweat.
Wendy stopped in front of him.
She bowed her head and spoke.
“Haah… C-Count… I’m s-sorry… Haah… for being late….”
“Wendy.”
“I… I overslept… I’m sorry….”
“Wendy.”
“As your exclusive maid… Haah… this is unacceptable….”
“Raise your head and listen to me, you fool.”
Only then did Wendy cautiously raise her head.
There, Tristan was looking down at her.
And with an expression that made the girl in front of him look like the most foolish person in the world, he said,
“You’re on vacation today.”
“……Huh??”
*
In the darkened audience chamber.
The girl sitting on the central throne was receiving an unexpected visitor.
“It’s been a while, Mondri.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The old man kneeling before her was Mondri Cremont, the Chancellor of Meikhael University.
“So… what brings you here at this late hour?”
The audience chamber was lit by magic-powered lamps.
The bright lamp on the ceiling illuminated her face.
Mondri slowly raised his head.
The girl on the throne was wearing a mask.
It was none other than a silver deer.
The girl wearing the silver deer mask crossed her legs seductively.
The Empress ruling the Empire, Lucy Meikhael, waited for Mondri’s answer.
Eventually, the words that came out of Mondri’s mouth were enough to pique her interest.
“The Hero has appeared.”
“Oh… But wasn’t that just a legend?”
“I thought so too, but… it seems the legend is true.”
“Evidence?”
Lucy looked at Mondri with eyes that seemed to see through everything.
“I saw it myself. That person using all elemental magic.”
“All elemental magic… If that’s true, then there’s no doubt that person is the Hero.”
Lucy rested her chin on the throne, lost in thought.
“If I recall… the appearance of the Hero is a sign that this world is in danger.”
“Yes. The Demon Lord might have been resurrected.”
The Demon Lord.
A being that, like the Hero, only exists in legends.
Lucy sighed.
“…I guess peace can’t last forever.”
Thanks to its advantage as an island, the Meikhael Empire had enjoyed peace for a long time.
Perhaps because they had been soaked in peace for so long.
Lucy never imagined that the Demon Lord would be resurrected during her reign.
“Where is the Hero now?”
“With Count Ruelberta.”
At the mention of that name, Lucy’s brow twitched.
But since she was wearing a mask, no one noticed.
“Count Ruelberta… You mean Count Tristan?”
“Yes. The Hero is his servant.”
“Huh…?”
The Hero… a servant of a noble family?
What kind of nonsense is this?
Lucy tilted her head, unable to understand, so Mondri added an explanation.
“The Hero seemed completely unaware of being the Hero. So, they’ve been working as a servant in the Count’s household until recently, when they realized it.”
“A late awakening.”
“Yes… But Count Ruelberta already knew his servant was the Hero.”
Mondri didn’t hide his hostility toward Count Tristan.
Lucy asked him again.
“Are you saying the Count intentionally hid it…?”
“Yes.”
“Why? There’s no reason for that.”
“I don’t know that far. But if it’s that Ruelberta… he must have some ulterior motive.”
Ruelberta….
Lucy mulled over the name.
Perhaps the name with the most power in the Empire.
Especially since his vast wealth had long surpassed the Imperial treasury.
Previous Emperors had feared Ruelberta’s power and tried to appease or restrain him, but all failed.
As a result, the Imperial authority had been declining with each generation.
In a way, the name Ruelberta was more concerning to Lucy than the appearance of the Hero.
Ruelberta’s dominance must end….
Lucy had sworn to herself.
“I see. Thank you for telling me, Mondri. But don’t make baseless assumptions. I don’t want to cause confusion among the people with unfounded rumors.”
“Understood… Thank you for seeing me at this late hour. I’ll take my leave now.”
“Hmm.”
After confirming that Mondri had left the audience chamber, Lucy muttered softly.
“Marco.”
“Yes.”
The voice that answered her was that of a deep-voiced man.
A large shadow emerged from behind the throne.
Lucy gave an order to the figure who appeared.
“You go and check. See if Mondri’s words are true. And if you judge that the Count has other intentions….”
Lucy removed her mask.
And with cold eyes, she looked at the window in the audience chamber.
Specifically, at the Ruelberta Mansion, as large as the Imperial Palace, visible beyond the window.
Staring at its insolent size, as if challenging the Imperial authority head-on.
“Show him what Imperial authority truly means.”
