Inside the Castle of Univance
「This is…」
A woman who had been researching alone noticed the description and stopped her hand.
The documents borrowed by the boy who was 『his』 subordinate… all belonged to people involved in that incident from ten years ago.
Upon further investigation, documents regarding the facility where his wife had been, and the people involved with it, had also been lent out.
「It seems he truly loves her.」
Chuckling, the woman closed the ledger where the loan records were kept.
「…Head Maid-sama!」
「It has been a while.」
As soon as the maids, who had likely entered to clean, spotted her, their faces turned pale, and their expressions stiffened with tension.
The Head Maid… Sieck approached them, naturally checking and correcting the attire of the maids who had lined up.
「Disordered clothing leads to a disordered heart.」
「「Yes!」」
「And that disorder appears in your cleaning」
With a swift motion, she touched part of the shelf with her fingertip.
Sieck showed her fingertip to the maids, who trembled.
「It leaves dirt like this.」
「「We apologize deeply.」」
The maids, their faces white rather than just pale, bowed their heads deeply.
Understanding that she had intimidated them sufficiently, Sieck decided to stop there without imposing punishment.
「Never slack off in the future.」
「「Yes!」」
「Then begin your work.」
Saying this, Sieck watched the maids finally start moving and left the area.
-0-
「Say, haven’t the maids’ eyes looked dead recently?」
I continued working as usual and asked a maid for tea.
The maid assigned to this office, who had brought it, had eyes like a stagnant fish that had been caught about five days ago, which bothered me greatly.
「Ah～. That’s certainly true.」
Krea, who had been released from the cake ban, nodded in agreement with my words while eating cakes like a madwoman.
I wouldn’t complain if she did her work properly, but she looked quite hopeless as a noble’s daughter. I wondered if she was properly looking for a lover?
「I heard there is a scary person.」
「A scary person?」
「Yes.」
Inel stopped his work and began to speak.
「It seems that maids working in the castle are once entrusted to a certain place where they are taught everything from etiquette and so on… and apparently, the person who teaches them has recently come to the castle.」
「…The Head Maid.」
It made sense. In other words, she was the Head Maid in the truest sense. That purple-haired… scary… Head Maid-sama.
「Head Maid?」
「Haven’t you seen her, Krea? The maid who keeps poking Camille.」
「Ah～. That slightly elderly—」
「Cough! Krea? Since you are both women, could you be a bit more… you know? About age?」
Krea seemed unable to understand my words, but the topic of Sieck-san’s age was probably a landmine.
I felt like if I stepped on it, I would be shown an unimaginable hell.
Although she didn’t understand the meaning, Krea, as a fellow woman, seemed to have grasped the situation and changed her phrasing.
「You mean that lady in her prime, right?」
「Yeah. Probably.」
「Hmm～. She looks strict, but she didn’t look particularly scary～」
Krea, stuffing cake into her mouth, didn’t know the true extent of that person’s scariness.
She had both His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen wrapped around her finger, my idiot aniki had always seemed ready to dispose of her, and I had seen her carry off the future Princess under her arm multiple times. She had also rubbed my head vigorously.
Wait? Normally speaking, isn’t a maid who can act so freely just… bad?
I felt she had not even a shred of loyalty or respect toward the Royal Family.
Did she hold some immense power behind the scenes?
「By the way, why do you know so much about the maids?」
「Eh? Because I always go with them when buying cakes, so we talk often?」
「Heh～. Hmm～. Is that so.」
Stopping my thoughts, I looked around and saw Krea pouting while stuffing cake into her mouth.
Inel, looking confused, looked at me for help, but since I wasn’t tacky enough to interfere in someone else’s romance, I returned a lukewarm gaze and smiled gently.
How nice～. This is truly youth. Is Krea aiming to become a tsundere character?
-0-
「Damn it.」
Halfren threw down the documents and put his feet on the desk in irritation.
Leaning his back against the chair and looking up at the ceiling, he scratched his head.
The person he was searching for had appeared right under his nose and was plunging the maids into the depths of terror.
Even when he rushed over upon hearing reports of her discovery, she knew almost all the hidden passages in the castle and escaped easily.
Since starting the search, Halfren had continued to strike out day after day.
「My Lord. Your feet are in the way.」
「……」
Reprimanded by the tall maid who had brought drinks, he reluctantly lowered his feet.
The desk was wiped clean, and the drink was placed upon it.
「Sieck cannot be found?」
「Yes. Finding that person, who is my master, is extremely difficult.」
「…Shall we use Mische?」
「Who knows? A hunting dog might be able to track her, but even with that child’s power, 『capturing』 her would be difficult.」
Indeed, 『capturing』 her was truly difficult.
「It would be easier if we could just assassinate her.」
「…Her Majesty the Queen would be saddened and cry.」
「I know. That is precisely why she is an opponent I cannot lay a hand on, which is why I am so troubled.」
Facing such a troublesome opponent, Halfren scratched his head again.
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