The Maid With a Child - Chapter 42

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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42. The Countess
The Butler Chief nearly dropped the disassembled toy pieces in his hands, while Adlen came close to hurling the Baby across the room.
“M-m-master!”
“Oh, oh, y-you’ve arrived!”
Caught so deep in gossip that neither had noticed their master slip in.
Adlen and the Butler Chief scrambled to bow.
And it wasn’t mere gossip, either—they’d been gossiping about the master himself. This was the sort of thing that would earn a scolding even from a friend, let alone an employer.
Rackart passed by, looking down at the trembling crowns of both their heads with a cool gaze.
“I wasn’t talking about anything that wasn’t true. Why are you shaking like that? Afraid?”
“N-no, sir! Or rather, yes, sir!”
“Yes, that’s right! We—…”
It was only natural that a servant caught speaking ill of their master couldn’t bring themselves to lift their head.
But what Rackart found more interesting than the fact that they’d gossipped was what Adlen had said after the word “afraid.”
‘A master who looks after us well.’
Those words had come from Adlen’s lips.
He believed in doing what needed to be done, and he made an effort to provide for them without want—though he knew, being human, there were probably gaps in what he offered. But seeing her wear the Hair Ornament he’d given her, hearing her say he looked after them well… he found himself feeling quite validated.
It was a pleasant feeling.
He wasn’t sure how to make them fear him less, but if taking better care of them made him a better master, then surely it was worth doing.
Becoming a better master seemed remarkably simple, after all.
And the opportunity for Rackart to become that better master wouldn’t take long to arrive.
* * *
‘If at all possible, I’d love to receive help from the most capable person available!’
Adlen’s request for Maeltina’s help in preparing for the party turned out to be surprisingly difficult to fulfill.
‘I’m busy.’
After waiting for some time with no response, the reply that finally came was just that single line.
Yet giving up wasn’t an option.
Because there was no one else in her circle to ask for help.
So she went so far as to appeal to the King himself.
The result: she succeeded in getting Maeltina to agree to come.
“Thank you for answering such a sudden request.”
“Oh, don’t mention it. When His Majesty heard the news, he was so delighted that he raised the royal mail service’s budget allocation by a whole percentage point!”
Despite having said she was busy, Maeltina had come running the very next day, and she seemed genuinely thrilled.
“Welcome, Maeltina!”
“Oh my, it’s been ages. Our pretty little maid.”
“It’s Adlen.”
“Yes, yes, Adlen. I’m so glad to see you again.”
“And I’m so grateful you came, Maeltina! Thank you so much!”
Adlen seemed equally delighted.
Anyone watching would have thought the two were the ones getting married.
“Well, I’ve taken care of what needs caring for, so there’s nothing keeping me away.”
“But you said you were terribly busy…”
“I was just pretending to be busy.”
“Why on earth would you pretend to our master?”
“Oh dear, do you think I was too coy about it?”
Rackart watched the two of them fit together like a perfect duet, and he pressed his folded arms tighter across his chest.
There was something subtly irritating about it.
The fact that Adlen, whom he’d only met twice before, was wagging her tail like a dog who’d found her true master was bewildering. And it was equally exasperating how Maeltina treated her with such gentle kindness, as though Adlen were her own pet.
He simply couldn’t fathom why they acted that way.
“I apologize for the pretense, Rackart. I thought it was what you’d prefer.”
“I appreciate the consideration.”
The private exchange between them ended there.
Rackart cut it off so cleanly with his response that there was no opening for further conversation.
Only Adlen, caught in the middle, found herself biting her lip in disappointment.
But with her master showing no interest in continuing, a maid couldn’t very well force the matter. There was only so much she could do.
Having finished with the greetings, Maeltina moved directly to business. Her busyness seemed not to have been a lie, for she appeared quite pressed for time.
“Now then. So we’re preparing this little one’s Social Debut. There’s quite a bit to do.”
“There is?”
“Indeed. Normally, preparations begin the moment the child’s sex is confirmed at birth. With less than a month left now and preparations only just starting, we’re practically working at a sprint just to put on a decent show.”
Adlen and Rackart exchanged looks at the exact same moment.
If they’d tried to manage something this enormous on their own, they would have been in serious trouble.
“And are you planning to take the baby with you, Rackart?”
Rackart glanced at the baby sitting on Adlen’s lap, then extended his arms.
The baby stared at his hand and Rackart’s face before looking up at Adlen.
“Go on, little one,” Adlen urged gently.
Adlen softly pushed the baby’s bottom toward Rackart.
“Uh-uh…….”
But the baby braced itself, tensing its entire body. In the next instant, the expression on its face shifted dramatically—if it could speak, it would surely be cursing.
“Oh well.”
Rackart snatched up the baby and pulled it toward him. Scooped like a ball, the baby landed on Rackart’s lap, and in that moment…….
“SCREEEEE!”
Not crying—the baby was absolutely furious.
This was the first time anyone had ever seen the baby truly angry.
It shrieked at the top of its lungs while thrashing its limbs wildly in every direction—genuinely threatening.
Thump, thump, thump—fists and feet pounded against Rackart’s arms, chest, and belly. Yet his body was far more formidable.
It was the baby’s own hands and feet that began to swell red.
“Oh no, it’s going to hurt itself!”
Adlen quickly took the baby back and cradled it again. The moment the child burrowed into her embrace, ragged breathing poured from its lips—sharp and gasping. Had she waited another moment longer, flames might have come pouring out as well.
“That won’t do.”
Rackart, having completed his experiment, reported calmly to Maeltina.
Maeltina’s soul had nearly departed her body at the sight of the fierce struggle unfolding before her eyes.
The baby who had seemed so adorable and well-behaved when they’d met at the Royal Palace now looked positively feral—downright terrifying.
“The baby seems incredibly particular about strangers, doesn’t it?”
“It is rather shy that way…… It’s fine when we play together, but when it comes to being held, it’s always like this.”
“Is it only that way with Rackart, or does it act like this with others too?”
“Yes, it only lets me hold it. Oh—would you like to try?”
Adlen never let an opportunity slip through her fingers.
If her master wasn’t keen, she’d at least try to win over Maeltina first.
When her master married, this adorable baby would come along as part of the bargain!
“No.”
……
But Maeltina shook her head decisively.
“I’m not fond of children.”
……
“Children are only cute when they belong to someone else and you can admire them from a distance.”
“I…see.”
Her plan had crumbled before it even began.
She’d been hoping that if the baby took well to Maeltina’s arms, she might somehow persuade her to let the baby enter the hall in her stead. That scheme was now filed away permanently in the rubbish bin.
“If Rackart cannot take the baby alone, then Adlen will simply have to accompany them.”
“That’s correct.”
“Oh dear. Then the problem lies with Adlen instead. I wonder if it can be managed within the schedule.”
Maeltina began calculating, her eyes moving between Adlen and the baby.
“My…preparations? What sort of preparations?”
Adlen asked carefully.
Maeltina’s assessment didn’t look good at all.
She welcomed any investment in the baby, but she didn’t want Maeltina spending unnecessary money on her.
“Can’t I simply borrow the former Countess’s dress again—the one I wore when I saw the King last time?”
“What? Don’t be ridiculous!”
And she was scolded for it.
Maeltina snapped her fingers and raised her eyebrows sharply.
Adlen had no idea why she’d been rebuked and clamped her mouth shut.
“That occasion was different—you weren’t appearing before others! Of course, even so, it was already pushing it to do that at the Royal Palace…… If you wear the same dress this time, you’ll become a laughingstock for Sigelion for generations to come. That’s how serious a matter it would be.”
“Gasp……? That serious?”
“That serious, I’m telling you. That dress is absolutely not for parties. And besides, you’re not going as a maid attending the party, are you?”
“No, I’m not.”
“You’re attending as the guardian of the baby who was invited to the party—so you’re no mere maid. Even if it’s an enemy nation, you’re the Royal Prince’s nanny. So you need to think of yourself as having the status of at least a Countess.”
Adlen’s eyes went wide as saucers.
“A Countess?”
“Yes. If you don’t match at least that level of propriety, the baby’s standing will suffer as well.”
Cold sweat ran down Adlen’s spine.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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