Chapter 57: – The Maid’s Devotion

How many days had passed, she didn’t know.

Anna came every day, preparing tea and meals for her.

Compared to the food at the mansion, the meals were simpler, but food made by strangers was terrifying. She couldn’t bring herself to eat it. If it wasn’t something Anna brought, if she didn’t know for certain that Anna had prepared it, she probably wouldn’t even touch it.

She knew that if she didn’t eat, her strength would decline.

But even knowing Anna was worried, her spoon never moved any faster.

The days she spent sinking into bed increased.

The time she spent sleeping increased.

Yet Anna never told her to get up. She simply fussed over her with quiet concern.

Even while sleeping, there were times she was tormented by nightmares and had to be awakened by Anna.

Then suddenly, she sensed something nearby.

Thinking it might be Anna, she turned her gaze.

Instead, there was a strange pale-green creature that looked like some kind of chubby stuffed monster.

…Cute.

Wait.

Was this one of those creatures you were allowed to pet?

Its slightly upturned eyes peered at her. Their color resembled malachite, a deep green that looked almost emerald depending on the light.

There were horn-like protrusions on its head, though they weren’t sharp.

Perhaps because of its round belly, it crouched to get a better look at her, then promptly tipped over.

Unable to get back up, it wiggled its limbs helplessly.

Yes.

Very clumsy.

She felt a strange sense of kinship.

She was fully aware that her own athletic ability was equally hopeless.

Rolling the little monster child upright, she helped it stand.

The creature happily let out tiny sounds like “Pii” and “Gii.”

What is this?

It’s adorable.

When she patted its head, it felt like finely tanned leather that had grown smoother and richer through years of use.

Apparently pleased by the attention, it narrowed its eyes contentedly.

But where had it come from?

Had something this tiny really broken through the barrier?

Perhaps Anna had brought it as some sort of pet therapy.

After all, even though Albertina loved animals, her father had never permitted pets in the Latitche household, so there were no dogs or cats there.

“My lady, I’ve brought your herbal tea— What is THAT!? Don’t touch it!”

Holding a tea set, Anna swiftly set the tray on a nearby shelf before rushing to the bed.

Wow.

She’s fast.

Could Anna secretly be a ninja rather than a maid?

“…You suspicious creature!”

Grabbing one of its horn-like protrusions, Anna lifted the stuffed-animal impostor—still staring blankly at her just like Albertina—and hurled it straight out the window.

“…Annaaaaa!?”

“Fuu. I don’t know what it was, but it’s gone now, so that’s fine. My lady, are you hurt?”

“N-No? It was only looking at me. It seemed like a child. You didn’t have to throw it out the window…”

“…My lady, I have lived far longer than you, but I have never seen a creature like that before.”

“It might be a magical beast or someone’s familiar.”

“A magical beast got through the barrier!?”

“Yes. Weak magical creatures occasionally can. That’s the only explanation I can think of.”

“Your barrier rejects everyone you do not acknowledge.”

“You are supposed to be the only one capable of entering this room—rather, this entire Vayu Palace.”

Waaah!

An animal trap instead of a honey trap!?

How did anyone find out about her love of animals?

And not even a conventional puppy or kitten.

Had her weakness for slightly odd creatures that sat in the gray area of cute somehow become public knowledge too!?

While she panicked internally, Anna firmly warned her not to approach unknown creatures.

Seriously, how had that thing gotten all the way into the room?

It looked unusual.

Could it belong to some noble or royal family?

If possible, she wanted to enjoy that wonderfully smooth texture a little longer.

Seeing her fingers twitch with longing, Anna wore a slightly troubled expression.

Though usually expressionless, Anna actually had quite a few subtle facial changes.

“Did you like that thing?”

“Yes… I thought it was very cute.”

“…Understood.”

“If I investigate it and determine it’s harmless, I’ll retrieve it later.”

I’m sorry for being such a selfish noble lady.

In any case, the tea Anna prepared was growing cold.

And so their quiet morning tea time began.

The Vayu Palace was larger than expected.

The white palace could easily be called a castle.

Having once housed queens, crown princesses, and royal princesses, it was both majestic and imposing.

Neither of the current queens had ever been granted permission to use the Vayu Palace.

Only the king’s spouse and royal women of equivalent status were allowed to reside there.

There was also an unspoken requirement.

The Royal Eyes.

Only women of royal blood who possessed undeniable proof of that heritage were permitted to use this palace.

By being granted the Vayu Palace, it had effectively been announced to the entire nobility that Albertina possessed the Royal Eyes.

Even among kings of this nation, there had been rulers whose eyes failed to meet the standard of the Royal Eyes.

Such kings were required to marry women who possessed them.

Merely by residing here, Albertina’s existence now greatly influenced the royal succession.

Though she tried to act cheerful, she had expanded a barrier large enough to envelop nearly the entire palace while rejecting the outside world with all her might.

She never appeared visibly exhausted.

Yet her appetite had clearly diminished, and her once-soft cheeks had begun to hollow.

Even in her weakened state, she remained beautiful.

But it was painful to witness.

If she learned that people were trying to force a succession she never wanted upon her, her suffering would only deepen.

Anna released a bitter sigh.

After being brought to the royal palace and given the Vayu Palace—which was essentially house arrest—Albertina’s deterioration had been severe.

For some time she had done little except cry from fear and confusion.

She allowed no one except Anna to approach or touch her.

Even seeing someone move within her field of vision frightened her.

Fortunately, that overwhelming panic discouraged maids and knights from approaching.

Witnessing her condition also made high-ranking nobles, ministers, and even members of the royal family hesitate to request meetings.

Then there was the barrier, completely shutting everyone out.

It was good that Albertina had finally shown genuine happiness after so long.

But that strange stuffed-monster creature was suspicious beyond belief.

Still, if Albertina liked it, then it couldn’t be helped.

Anna headed in the direction she had thrown it.

She had no idea how it had entered, but birds and insects lived around the palace.

Perhaps it had simply been categorized similarly.

Occasionally even slimes slipped through magical beast deterrents.

They were simply too weak to trigger a reaction.

And when she found it, she encountered a rather troublesome sight.

If Albertina had been present, she probably would have exclaimed:

“Oh… the Sukekiyo style.”

The monster-like creature had become stuck headfirst in a gazebo.

Only its lower body protruded as it helplessly wiggled.

Its tiny feet paddled futilely at the sky.

After struggling for a while, it eventually stopped.

Then a bird landed on one of its feet.

Startled, it began flailing again.

The birds seemed amused and pecked at it, causing the creature to panic further.

“Piiiiiiiii!”

It let out a pitiful cry.

Unable to see anything, being touched by unknown things was apparently terrifying.

What should she do with this little monster?

Pull it out from above?

Or from below?

Entering the gazebo, she discovered that there was a gap between the roof and ceiling.

Only its head and upper body had become wedged inside.

Pulling it from below seemed impossible.

Anna was an excellent maid.

But she was only an excellent maid.

She wasn’t nimble enough to climb onto a gazebo roof like an acrobat.

For now, she would have to find a ladder.

Her beloved young lady had requested this bizarre creature.

Though Albertina was somewhat naive for a high-ranking noble lady, she was gentle and incredibly lovable.

As a child, she had possessed a cruel temperament, almost as if a demon dwelled in her heart.

But after the kidnapping incident, she had completely changed.

It was as though she had become a different person.

Anna generally had little interest in people.

But she never wanted Albertina to return to that cold-hearted person she had once been.

Present-day Albertina was unusually innocent and sheltered for her age.

In Anna’s opinion, that was almost entirely the fault of the Duke’s overwhelming doting.

Whenever Greil lavished affection upon his beloved daughter, all traces of his usual coldness vanished.

Fortunately, Albertina had not become a spoiled monster because of that devotion.

Anna considered the resulting eccentricities acceptable.

Greil had somehow managed to provide both the highest noble education and what was essentially toddler-level protection.

Everything related to romance or intimacy was removed from Albertina’s sight.

Even bedtime stories involving princes and princesses were banned.

Fairy tales were eliminated.

The only exception was the occasional romance novel introduced through fashion research or conversations with Jibril.

And even those were exceptionally pure, beautiful stories of platonic love.

As a result, her fear of the unknown quietly worsened both her dislike of men and her shyness.

At the same time, she became absurdly trusting toward anyone she considered safe.

From Anna’s perspective, even seeing Albertina smiling happily around the suspicious Julius was bad for her upbringing.

If Albertina hadn’t been the daughter of that Greil von Latitche, that man would have long ago manipulated and seduced her.

Even Greil regarded Julius with suspicion.

Yet the talented schemer somehow possessed absurdly good luck.

No matter how dangerous the assignment, he always returned unharmed.

Once he had walked back covered in blood from chest to toe.

Anna had assumed someone had finally stabbed him over a grudge.

Yet somehow his body had been completely uninjured.

Julius never explained what happened.

But he had behaved unusually quietly afterward, proving something had occurred.

Lost in thought while searching for a ladder, Anna found the task difficult.

The Vayu Palace was enormous.

It was never meant to be maintained by a single maid.

Ideally, the entire Latitche servant staff should have been brought here.

Then she noticed another shadow overlapping her own.

There shouldn’t have been anything nearby to cast one.

“—!?”

“Pikii.”

Turning around, she found a tall figure dressed entirely in black.

A Shadow.

One of the guardians assigned to Albertina.

Someone who should never appear openly.

Someone who wasn’t supposed to be seen.

The figure wore a black mask that concealed even its face.

Its height alone was intimidating.

But Anna’s attention immediately fixed on what it carried under one arm.

The tiny monster.

It happily swung its tail and limbs while chirping “Pi!” and “Gi!”

Its toy-like hands were enthusiastically tearing apart the Shadow’s waist cloth.

Perhaps it possessed more strength than expected.

Or perhaps the fabric was designed to tear easily to prevent captors from grabbing it.

Regardless, the tiny creature was in an excellent mood as it shredded the cloth.

Meanwhile, the Shadow looked visibly confused.

Awkwardly, it held the green creature out toward Anna.

Realizing it was about to be handed over, the creature cried:

“Piiiiiiiii!”

It desperately tried to cling to the Shadow.

Unfortunately, the belt it had been shredding was already far too short.

Its tiny limbs merely flailed uselessly through the air.

Still, Anna had something far more important to ask.

“Why didn’t you save Lady Albertina!? You were supposed to be protecting her!”

She grabbed the Shadow by the collar, ignoring the ominous sound of strained fabric.

“Even against Duke Fortuna, you could have done something if you had struck first!”

“Poor Lady Albertina has been terrified ever since!”

Tears glistened in Anna’s brown eyes as she glared fiercely at the Shadow.

“…There were simply too many nobles present.”

“To openly oppose the Fortuna family would have been impossible.”

“Even for Shadows skilled in assassination, defeating that warlord unharmed would have been impossible.”

“We would have suffered heavy casualties.”

“Even if Gandalf had been eliminated on the spot, the next Duke, Kriftof, would only have become even more determined to take Lady Albertina.”

Anna bit her lip.

The metallic taste of blood spread through her mouth.

Yet she continued glaring.

The tall man spoke calmly.

“If that happened, the Fortuna family would certainly ally itself with the royal family and seek support from the Almondine and Frings families.”

“Even though the Latitche family possesses the greatest power among the Four Great Ducal Houses, young Lord Kishtaria and the others would struggle against the royal family and the remaining three ducal houses united.”

“If the Duke himself were present, the situation would be entirely different.”

“But a full-scale conflict between Latitche, the royal family, and the three ducal houses must be avoided.”

“But…”

“Our highest priority is Lady Albertina’s safety.”

“Until Lord Greil returns, she must not suffer even a single injury.”

“At the very least, Duke Fortuna never intended to harm her.”

“If anything, he likely believed he was protecting a granddaughter with the Royal Eyes by removing her from a ducal estate that had been infiltrated while its lord was absent.”

“That’s nothing but trouble!” Anna snapped.

“Lady Albertina cried and trembled the entire time after being brought here!”

“Didn’t he see that!? That old rock-headed bear is blind!”

“He probably believed she was traumatized by Renaria’s attack.”

“Lady Albertina has long been rumored to be physically and emotionally fragile.”

“I have heard the same was said of Lady Christina and Lady Sistina.”

Though the Shadow explained calmly, Anna’s anger refused to cool.

She had cared for Albertina for years.

Her feelings had long surpassed those of a servant.

Though she had not yet realized it, they resembled the affection one might feel toward a younger sister or even a daughter.

“…Duke Fortuna broke through the barrier once. What was that about?”

“Unable to bear not seeing his granddaughter, he begged the king and the royal court magicians for permission.”

“He was allowed to force his way through exactly once.”

“It was an extremely reckless act that placed a tremendous burden on himself.”

“After Lady Albertina directly rejected him, he has spent every day wandering outside the barrier.”

Anna could easily imagine it.

That giant grizzly-bear-like man endlessly pacing around the palace he could not enter.

She already knew the Fortuna family had long been concerned about Albertina due to lingering issues dating back to Greil and Christina’s marriage.

Albertina resembled her mother.

And now she possessed the Royal Eyes.

That opened many possibilities.

Whatever they were planning, Anna hoped they spent eternity wandering outside.

As far as Anna was concerned, the entire Fortuna family could perish.

Click.

She clicked her tongue sharply.

For a moment, the Shadow seemed to flinch.

But when she continued staring silently, it said nothing.

No matter what, Anna refused to believe that one of the Duke’s legendary Shadows could possess such a fragile heart that a maid’s tongue click would unsettle him.

These were Shadows.

Experts in stealth, assassination, and covert protection.

People who operated behind the scenes.

There were still many things she wanted to say.

But for now, she accepted the green creature.

“What exactly is this?”

Expecting no answer, she asked anyway.

Surprisingly, one came immediately.

“It’s a type of fairy or spirit.”

“It possesses no malice.”

“It apparently resonated with Lady Albertina and wandered in by accident.”

“…Probably an infant.”

“Can it be kept?”

“Is it dangerous?”

“We have confirmed that if left alone, it falls into ponds and tumbles down stairs.”

“If you intend to raise it, placing it in a box would be advisable.”

That wasn’t the kind of danger she had meant.

She knew it was clumsy.

But apparently it was even worse than she thought.

Where were its parents?

Why had they abandoned something like this?

According to the Shadow, they had been observing the bizarre little creature for several days.

However, it had been so harmless and so unbelievably clumsy that they simply ignored it.

The little beast happily kicked its feet while resting in Anna’s arms.

It clearly enjoyed being held.

There wasn’t a trace of wildness in it.

Perhaps it had originally been raised by someone.

The royal palace housed Royal Court Magicians who conducted magical research and served as magical soldiers.

Perhaps it had been some failed experiment abandoned in the gardens or palace grounds.

Normally such beings existed in places rich with magical energy or were worshipped in special locations.

The powerful ones became legends and folklore.

Weak fairies and spirits, on the other hand, lived hidden lives.

Unless someone possessed exceptionally sharp senses, they would never even notice them.

Or they survived under the protection of stronger beings.

She had heard that weak mystical creatures simply vanished if neglected long enough.

Ordinary people rarely learned accurate information about such supernatural existences.

Perhaps that mystery itself was what inspired awe and admiration.

…If it eases my lady’s heart, then that’s enough.

A fairy.

A spirit.

It didn’t matter.

As long as it wasn’t dangerous.

Back then, Albertina had smiled.

For the first time in a long while, it hadn’t been a forced smile.