Home/The villainess's personal maid is very good at her job/ch 41

Episode 41

"Leaving already?"

"If I don't go now, I'll be stuck here forever."

"What? Has it gotten that late already? Did I make you miss dinner? Aren't you hungry? Want to grab a bite with me?"

"Not necessary."

"Haha, so prickly. You know, moments like this make you look just like Julietta. Like a couple of prim little kittens."

Prim little kittens……?

At the completely unheard-of analogy, Kendrick lost even the will to retort.

Shaking his head, Kendrick walked past him.

"Hey!"

Scrambling to his feet, Oscar followed after him.

"Ken-, brother."

"……."

"If you ever need my help, just say the word. I'll help you as much as I can. Okay?"

"……."

"So……."

His usually talkative voice quieted a little. Then—

"Let's meet again. Please."

The pleading addition finally stopped Kendrick in his tracks.

Since childhood, Oscar had often played with the twins.

After their tenth birthday and Julietta began to stray, the visits grew less frequent.

But Oscar still loved the twins.

'But……'

He never imagined it would come to this.

"……"

"……"

In the brief silence, Oscar clenched and unclenched his fists.

"Sorry I couldn't stop it back then."

He knew exactly when 'back then' meant.

The Ashleyad War.

A mere fifteen-year-old child pushed by adults onto the battlefield.

Even knowing it was absurd, Oscar could do nothing.

At the time, Oscar was still a minor.

His birth mother had long since passed, and while the Empress—his mother's relative—watched over him, she was still just a 'relative.'

The Imperial family couldn't actively intervene in a Grand Ducal family's affairs.

He'd sent his younger brother to that horrific place, knowing he might die.

His helplessness made his blood run cold.

Crushing guilt constricted his throat. So when Kendrick returned alive, he was overjoyed.

Oscar had been the first to greet him. But—

"……."

The moment he faced the returned Kendrick, he understood. The Kendrick of his childhood no longer existed.

He had already died on that terrible battlefield.

As if to prove it, Kendrick had shut himself away in his room, and Oscar felt that crushing guilt once again.

But he couldn't stop there.

After Kendrick left for the war, Oscar had done his utmost to gain power.

He never wanted to feel that helplessness again—the helplessness of having to send a beloved sibling off to war.

Seeing Kendrick return with a dead heart only strengthened his resolve to become stronger.

What he could do was study and build his reputation.

Physical endeavors had never been his strength, so he poured his efforts into what he could do.

Winning people's favor had always come easily to him.

And so, he began to build his own backing.

He also never forgot to occasionally curry favor with his father.

Though the Grand Duke was equally indifferent to all his children, even so, some fingers hurt more when bitten than others.

Just as Oscar was forcing a smile while recalling the past—

"Why should you be sorry."

Kendrick answered casually.

A look of disbelief flickered across his narrowed eyes.

"Thinking that what happened was because you couldn't stop it—that's just overconfidence."

Overconfidence……?

Echoing the word blankly, soon a cheerful laugh burst from Oscar's mouth—"Hahaha!"

"Ha, haha. Is that so? Is that overconfidence?"

As Oscar laughed with tears at the corners of his eyes, Kendrick clicked his tongue.

Oscar hurried to catch up as he walked forward again.

"Still, if you ever need your big brother's help, just say so, Ken-, brother. I have some influence now."

"Never mind that. Just take care of Miss Janet's business."

"Okay, okay. Of course! The two of you looked like close friends at a glance—I should take good care of my little brother's friend, after all."

Just as Oscar said that with a mushy smile—

"Hm? What's that look for, brother."

At Kendrick's dissatisfied stare, Oscar beamed.

Tsk. Clicking his tongue once more, Kendrick looked ahead and said.

"Don't act too chummy with Miss Janet."

Hm?

Ooooh?

Oscar's head tilted deeply.

Looking up at Kendrick, who had once been shorter than him but was now a head taller, his eyes sparkled.

What is this.

What in the world is this.

Good heavens, oh my goodness.

'……This is too fun!'

---

Chapter. How to Leave Childhood Behind

"Thanks to you, handmaiden, Lord Geron's condition has improved greatly. He says his stomach doesn't hurt and he feels no discomfort."

"I'm glad to hear I was helpful."

After a few days, a hint of color had returned to Geron's face.

When he'd been lying in bed languishing, he'd looked like a living corpse.

Rolling his eyes, Geron shyly said.

"Thank you, Janet……. And thank you, sister."

At the fairly clear voice, Julietta, who had been pinching the child's cheeks, blinked.

"What? You, little one. You speak well now?"

"I…… I practiced……!"

Though the stutter hadn't completely disappeared, it was a tremendous improvement.

"Joanna…… taught me patiently…… and waited for me."

At Geron's words, tears welled up in Joanna's eyes.

Swallowing as if holding back tears, she raised the corners of her mouth.

"It's all because his lordship practiced so hard."

"Hehe."

The child, blushing and smiling, looked at ease.

It was a stark contrast to the old days, when he was always nervously checking others' expressions.

Leaning slightly toward Janet, Joanna whispered in a low voice.

"I tried not to show my anxiety, as you advised. So that my unease wouldn't spread to his lordship."

"You've worked hard, Madam."

"I'm truly grateful. I'm so glad I met you."

"Not at all. By the way, there's really not much time left until the birthday banquet, is there?"

About three days remained, if she remembered correctly.

Thinking about it, it really felt like it was just around the corner.

"Yes. I'm actually a little worried about that."

"Worried? Is there something wrong with the little one's birthday party?"

"No, there's nothing wrong."

Hesitating for a moment, Joanna lowered her voice.

"It's just that his lordship's condition hasn't fully recovered yet. I'm concerned that people might notice."

"That's true. Our little one does look a bit frail."

At the words from above, Geron's eyebrows drooped.

"……My Lady."

"Ahem."

At Janet's warning call, Juliette cleared her throat.

"Well. I personally think even a frail little one is adorable."

Stretch, stretch.

Juliette added as if making an excuse, stretching the child's cheeks like cheese.

"Mm."

As Geron protested weakly, Juliette laughed and pressed his cheeks.

Watching them, Joanna's shoulders trembled slightly.

"……Heh, heh."

Hearing the awkward laugh, Janet whispered.

"Are you holding back the urge to stop them?"

"Th-this much is just the kind of play between affectionate siblings."

The old Joanna would have made a fuss about what kind of behavior that was.

Without realizing that it made the child anxious.

Watching the heartwarming scene, a thought related to the birthday flickered through Janet's mind.

"Madam Joanna. How about holding the birthday ball as a masquerade?"

"A masquerade?"

"Yes. If everyone wears masks, his lordship's complexion would be hidden as well."

Janet paused, realizing something.

"Actually, there's only three days left until the birthday ball—suddenly changing the theme might be difficult."

The invitations had been sent out over a month ago.

Many nobles would already be in the capital to attend.

At this point, suddenly asking everyone to bring masks wouldn't be easy.

But—

"What are you talking about, Janet? That's not a problem at all."

"Pardon?"

"Exactly. Handmaiden. Time is not an issue at all."

"……Pardon?"

Unlike Janet, who kept repeating "Pardon?" like a parrot, Joanna and Julietta were completely unfazed.

"This is Ludwig. His lordship is Geron Ludwig."

"In Ludwig, nothing is impossible, Janet."

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