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Following Shione’s words, the spirits and I entered the shop, and soon enough, the place was brimming with numerous conversations.

Having rented the shop at a high cost, it felt a little wasteful to just chat briefly and leave. Just like I sensed in the letters exchanged between us, she was the kind of person I could communicate well with, so I quickly blended into the atmosphere.

By now, my reputation had spread throughout the kingdom. People could guess what I was involved in. After a few conversations sparked by discussing her extravagant flights, I managed to let go of the awkwardness that I couldn’t quite erase.

“Did you receive the notebook I left behind?”

“Of course! It had not only your tastes but even your sleeping habits meticulously noted down. Thanks to that, I was able to adapt quickly when I was first assigned as your attendant.”

“No, no, wait…! It noted my sleeping habits? Where?”

“Didn’t you see? It was written small in the middle.”

“Right! Because I tumble around so much on the bed, I had to fasten the sheets tighter, and the bottom was also cushioned—”

“Stop there! You don’t need to say more!”

Naturally, since it was a bonding moment through Shione, our common ground, it was inevitable that she would suffer.

Well, what’s wrong with having bad sleeping habits? The knights who saw her sleeping like a log would tend to not know this side of her. Only Herrel and I would know about her rolling around in blankets at the Count’s House. Ah, Ainhael might know by now too.

After a while, beyond just sleeping habits—

“By the way, does the Baron know about that habit? When Shione-sama’s mind isn’t settled, her cheeks puff up.”

“That’s—”

“Of course. When she’s in a good mood, doesn’t she scamper around like a squirrel?”

“Oh, that’s true…! Since she was little, whenever something delighted her, she’d run around like a little animal. Especially on her fifth birthday—”

“…Not like that! The nanny remembers it wrong.”

I poked at Shione a bit more.

Well, Shione didn’t mind this at all. In fact, she now smiled softly and accepted it, so it was feasible. Thus, the right to decide when this conversation should end was firmly grasped by Shione.

Maybe she felt that Herrel and I had become flexible enough.

As Shione slowly organized the playful atmosphere, she gently asked Herrel.

“Nanny, have you decided on a place to stay at the Count’s House?”

“I’m thinking of a quiet inn on the outskirts.”

“Well, accommodations there might not be very comfortable…”

“Perhaps, but there’s an opportunity to enjoy the serene beauty and let the songs of insects lull me to sleep, isn’t that worth it?”

The worried expression on Shione’s face contrasted with Herrel’s calm smile.

‘She said that Shione’s nanny doesn’t come from a wealthy background.’

Although she had earned her position as Shione’s maid, she was a commoner. It felt a bit odd for me, a mere servant, to say this since I became an attendant from the very beginning. Yet, it is undoubtedly true that she was quite an exceptional case.

‘I heard that Herrel’s entrance into the Count’s House was largely due to Shione’s father.’

While I’m not well-versed in Herrel’s past before joining the Count’s House, I do know that luck allowed her to attend the Academy. During that time, she earned the trust of a person who passed away earlier, which helped her enter the Count’s House.

However, considering Herrel’s past of climbing up to her current position by straddling the mistress of the Count’s House, her worried expression and Herrel’s awkward smile indicated that she found herself in a situation more financially tangled than expected.

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to offer a room in the Count’s House for you to stay in. What do you think?”

Yet, despite Shione eagerly making the suggestion, Herrel couldn’t easily accept her goodwill.

‘Of course, that’s understandable.’

Shione’s desire to invite Herrel was already known to Siabel. And it was Siabel who connected Herrel and me for this purpose. She graciously offered to arrange the invitation directly from the Count’s House if desired. Thanks to her, Ainel would also vaguely be aware of this.

While the Count’s House wouldn’t particularly block her visit, stepping into a place where she had previously experienced several matters, even if the judgments from a recent trial were cleared, wouldn’t be easy for Herrel.

“If I were to stay at the Count’s House, I wanted to show you how I’ve changed since I’ve become quite different with the support of a dependable attendant who helps me greatly. I’ve also become quite skilled at archery and even have my own order of knights now.”

Herrel’s expression, lost in deep thought and anxiety, interrupted Shione’s ramblings.

It seemed that Shione was also conscious of this. If Herrel were to step into the heart of the Count’s House again, who knows what reactions may follow?

Realizing this was indeed a form of coercion, she merely took note of Herrel’s body language.

“It must be quite burdensome. I was a bit selfish. I’m sorry—”

However, Herrel shook her head slowly, as if she couldn’t let Shione’s apology go on.

“Please don’t apologize. If it wouldn’t be an imposition to the Count’s House, I would gladly accept Shione-sama’s kindness.”

“…”

“If you keep apologizing, I won’t have the chance to speak, will I?”

“Really? Would that be alright?”

“I heard you wanted to show me something. How could I refuse or be greedy about that?”

As Herrel spoke, the joy began to rise on Shione’s face.

Then she quickly blurted out.

“Great! When we return, I’ll tell them to prepare a nice room immediately!”

Once entangled, it seemed like I wouldn’t have a chance to escape the situation.

*

After a day of watching a play and meeting with Herrel, I returned to the Count’s House as the day began to fade away.

‘Tania and the other spirits seemed quite satisfied.’

As the cute spirits all entered my room, they seemed to bounce on the bed, obviously waiting for this moment to share their thoughts about the day.

They said the play was fine, and they had lots of different street foods, making them very happy.

As Elvis, who had appeared so calm outside, entered the room, he caused a ruckus even more than Tania, leading to him being quickly subdued by her.

In the future, it would likely be better to spend even more time like this with the spirits after any operations.

‘Herrel entered the Count’s House, too.’

And now, as a result, Herrel, who had been invited by Shione, was relaxing in a room allocated in a corner of the annex where Shione stayed.

Both of us, including Shione, had been cleared of any sins due to trial verdicts from the past, and since she had been Shione’s nanny and maid, I had advised her well on how to handle things. Within this annex, she wouldn’t have any trouble.

‘Once she comes out, things will certainly be more interesting.’

If she treats Herrel casually as we tend to do, that person would have to bear Shione’s wrath.

I could wager that a mere servant’s mental resilience wouldn’t suffice against Shione’s infamous penchant for sarcasm when she was in a bad mood.

Thus, as I surrendered myself to the fatigue accumulated throughout the day, slumped over on the bed,

Someone knocked on my door and called for me.

“It’s Ahrela. You’ve been working hard at this hour.”

The identity was none other than Ahrela Feldart.

However, noticing the deep dark circles under her eyes compared to before, I handed her a vitality potion.

“You look very tired. This vitality potion I received from Diolia should help. It’s great for when you’re feeling exhausted.”

“Is it alright for me to take something given by Lady Diolia?”

“Our leader has a rather hearty personality. If she hears that her gift reached someone in need, she’d be pleased.”

Actually, I had been hoarding the potions she had been giving me every time we met, but since it wouldn’t hurt anyone, I figured it was better than letting them gather dust.

Feeling a bit of admiration from Ahrela toward me, I then asked her why she had come, and she replied with an even friendlier tone.

“Shione-sama wishes to see you for a bit. She wants to talk about today’s outing and Herrel-san…”

“Ah, understood. Please let her know that I’ll stop by after I finish preparing.”

“Of course.”

She clearly had no intention of leaving me be.

I sent back the spirits to their realm, tidied my appearance, and finished preparing before heading to Shione’s room. She calmly opened the door for me.

“Shione, I’ve come as you called. I hear you wish to discuss Herrel-san—”

Screech—bang.

As if to cut off my words, the moment Shione’s hand touched the door,

Click.

The sound of intricate mechanical parts engaging echoed.

Slowly moving towards Shione, who sat on the bed, she crossed her legs in a rather unreasonable manner.

“Ray, I didn’t expect you to prepare such a grand gift for our date today. It really delighted me.”

At first glance, Shione’s gaze was cold and composed, yet it held something entirely different beneath.

“But you know, did you ever hear?”

She leaned forward, placing her elbows on her crossed legs as she propped her chin on her hands.

“While the daytime date is important, the nighttime one is just as crucial.”

Her confirmed lilac eyes were ignited with an uncontrolled fiery desire.

 

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