The Peaceful Life Of A Maid Who Hides Her Power And Enjoys It - Chapter 106
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 106
‘Ashneike… wasn’t that the sickly prince Natasha often mentioned?’
Princess Natasha’s siblings could generally be classified into two categories.
Those Natasha called ‘trash’ and those she called ‘blood relatives.’
I didn’t remember the name Inastasha, but I definitely remembered Ashneike.
He was the only member of the royal family who had cared for Natasha as a sibling even while she was being crushed among her brothers.
‘So he ascended to the throne.’
Come to think of it, where did Natasha go? Why haven’t I heard any news about her?
“Does the Head Maid know Natasha too?”
The Head Maid glared at me with sharp eyes. It didn’t seem to be a topic she particularly liked.
“That’s a stupid question. Even if we’re siblings in name only, how could I not know her? My turn is over, so Miss Jin? I’ll leave the rest to you.”
Jin looked around at us with her characteristically upright gaze.
“I am Jin. I was abandoned with my sibling when I was too young to speak, so I have no surname. I learned swordsmanship with the single goal of killing Grand Sorcerer Mephistopheles, and eventually stepped onto the path of the Black Knight.”
“…Black Knight?”
The Head Maid looked at Jin with somewhat wary eyes.
“I understand that you could lose your reason if you’re not careful.”
“That’s correct.”
“Are you still learning swordsmanship?”
“Yes. But you don’t need to worry.”
When Jin turned her head toward me, the other two also looked in my direction.
“Senior can stop me. That’s why I’m not afraid. …And though I couldn’t say this earlier.”
Jin cleared her throat softly and continued in a somewhat quieter voice.
“After visiting Astrosia… I became convinced that being with Senior would let me see a wider world. And above all, I like staying as a butler at Weatherwax now. It feels like an ordinary daily life, nothing special or strange about it…”
Her words trailed off vaguely.
The puzzled expression didn’t leave Malicops’s face, but the Head Maid’s reaction was a bit different.
Though they were just a few unremarkable words, her green eyes had noticeably softened. As if she deeply empathized.
“Now it’s Miss Daisy’s turn.”
Three pairs of eyes focused on me.
‘Thank you, Head Maid.’
Thanks to you, even if I reveal my past, the reaction will probably be lukewarm. As expected, the secret of secrets is one’s hidden birth.
“My name is, as you all know, Daisy Pager. I was born on Quin Island and participated in the Mage War under the name Andert Pager.”
Was it because Deshero had already found out once?
Even though it was a secret I had desperately hidden for months, it came out quite easily.
“In the end, I even had a showdown with Mephistopheles. He died, though.”
“…Are you saying you died once?”
“Andert… Pager, you said?”
“Yes?”
The three looked at me with eyes that couldn’t possibly comprehend.
Well, if someone who had died was standing there perfectly alive, I’d be shocked unconscious too.
“Past tense. I thought I was dead, but it turned out I wasn’t. I was asleep for four years and woke up a few months ago. I had problems with my body, so I drifted to Midwintry looking for a way to deal with it…”
“Wait, wait a moment.”
The Head Maid urgently interrupted me.
“Your real name is Andert Pager?”
“Strictly speaking, it’s not my real name…”
“Not some other Andert Pager, but Andert Pager, Raphael’s sword and hero of the Allied Forces?”
“After dying and coming back to life, I seem to be called by that name…”
“Andert Pager the Deicide, who killed Mephistopheles?”
No, not that embarrassing nickname. What damn bastard came up with that?
When I didn’t answer due to my unpleasant mood, even Malicops stepped forward to question my identity.
“Hard to believe. Are you really saying you’re the hero Andert Pager?”
“Miss Daisy, surely you’re not playing word games with us right now?”
“Andert Pager was male. I once confirmed it with my own eyes. From a somewhat distant location, though.”
“He was said to be bold, honest, polite but friendly, always surrounded by many people, and witty. His eloquence was outstanding too, of course. It can’t be Miss Daisy.”
“Aren’t you just an Allied Forces veteran with the same name as the hero?”
Geez, they’re way too suspicious.
Then there’s no choice. I’ll have to show them directly through action.
Swish.
I drew my pearl sword and looked at Jin.
“How about it, Jin? Want to have a match? The hero Andert Pager will deal with your crude swordsmanship.”
Jin licked her lips with her parched tongue.
“I would like to learn from you.”
“No, wait! How are you going to fight in this small room…!”
We swung our swords at each other. The lightest yet most serious single move.
And naturally.
“Kugh!”
Jin was blown away like dust by a single horizontal sword strike, crashed into the wall, and collapsed. Perhaps because I put quite a bit of force into it, blood trickled from the corner of Jin’s mouth as she briefly lost consciousness.
I feel a bit guilty, but it can’t be helped. People originally need to be handled a bit roughly to become obedient.
“Do you feel like believing me now?”
I had defeated ‘that’ Jin Berkleighton in one move, so it would be even more troublesome if they couldn’t believe it.
“I’m Andert Pager. You know you can’t lie in a blood oath, right?”
The Head Maid, who had been blinking blankly with soulless eyes, slowly parted her lips.
“Au.”
“Au?”
“Au, autograph…”
What? Autograph? That thing actors and singers write on paper?
“I don’t do that stuff.”
As soon as I refused, Jin, who had sprung up from the floor, rushed toward me.
“Lord Andert! Please teach me one more move!”
“M-Master. If you don’t have an autograph, please make one…”
“Wait. Everyone calm down. There’s something more important. Listen, Weatherwax Baroness.”
Thankfully, Malicops stepped forward himself to calm down the rioting employees. He asked me carefully with a face mixed with slight shock and doubt.
“By any chance… are we the only ones who know your identity? What about Duke Raphael Jenail, whom we’ll meet tomorrow? Does he know too?”
Malicops’s point was excellent.
“No, he doesn’t know.”
Raphael is the biggest problem I’m currently facing.
“Then let me ask one more thing. Do you plan to keep hiding your past? Or do you intend to appear in the world again sometime soon?”
Appear in the world.
What a nice expression. At the same time, it was a phrase that had no connection to me whatsoever.
I neither affirmed nor denied it. Instead, I picked up the wooden chair rolling on the floor, set it upright, and settled comfortably.
“I actually have a lot to say about that. Now that we’ve built trust with each other… shall we start the meeting about the Jenail party?”
* * *
Dawn on the day of departure for the Jenail Ducal Residence.
“Huff.”
I took a deep breath and hugged the bedpost tightly. The feeling of my waist and ribs being squeezed wasn’t very pleasant.
The Head Maid, who had tied the last ribbon behind my waist, hurried toward the clothing and said.
“That should be enough. Still, these days aren’t like the old times when they’d cinch waists like crazy. You should be grateful.”
“It’s still uncomfortable. Do I really have to do this?”
“Is there a reason you shouldn’t?”
“Everyone becomes obedient in front of fists anyway.”
“That’s true. But Master. I didn’t cinch your waist to show the world how beautiful, lovely, and strikingly gorgeous you are. It’s to make you look like an ordinary noble.”
“What’s different about it?”
“People… especially the upper nobility of Pen Rota put tremendous effort into first impressions. And there’s nothing they consider as important as outward appearance when judging others.”
That would be the case.
These were people who said one must maintain a minimum level of dignity (though I don’t know what kind of dignity) even during wartime.
I’d never thought it was particularly wrong thinking. I had a vague understanding of why the Head Maid was so concerned about my appearance.
“So to blend in quietly without being criticized, it’s right to follow their rules. Ordinarily expensive custom clothing that ordinary noblewomen wear. Earrings with large diamonds that are either refined or perhaps a bit crude. Leisurely gait and calm smile. Unobtrusive gaze…”
“The difficulty is too high to learn all at once.”
“That’s exactly why we need to pay even more attention to your appearance. This is the first schedule where you’ll appear as the Weatherwax Baroness.”
I looked in the mirror wearing a surprisingly perfectly fitted silk blouse and jacket, along with a blue gored skirt.
‘These are clothes Lu couldn’t wear. Now they’re finally serving their purpose.’
It was fortunate they were made to fit my size.
Jin, who was standing near the door, casually remarked.
“Still, it’s fortunate that the Head Maid will be able to help you greatly, Baroness. She must be well-versed in Royal Court etiquette and noble manners.”
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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