Chapter 70

After breakfast, Rize stood in front of the bronze mirror in her room, allowing Eira to tie up her hair.

The hairstyle Rize is making is generally called a chignon.

It is also known as a bun.

According to what she heard from Ichirou at breakfast, it seems that they will be installing waterwheels in the grain fields until the evening.

Since they will be walking there without using a carriage, she has changed into light clothing and is also altering her hairstyle to something more practical.

"Hey, what do you think about what happened just now?"

Rize, who had been silently letting Eira tie her hair, suddenly shifted her gaze from her reflection in the mirror to Eira and spoke.

"Um... Do you mean the talk about me serving as Kazura-sama's attendant?"

"Yes, that. Even though there were other maids serving Kazura-sama, why do you think I was chosen?"

"Why...?"

Eira, without stopping her hands from tying Rize's hair, pondered and hummed.

"Perhaps it's because I have relatively more experience as a maid and my age is close to Kazura-sama's. From what I can see, Kazura-sama appears to be in his mid-twenties, so that might be the reason."

"Hmm..."

Rize was about to say that it didn't seem right, but Eira interrupted her.

"Or perhaps..."

Eira continued.

"Zirconia-sama might be trying to make Rize-sama interested in Kazura-sama. It seems like appointing me as Kazura-sama's attendant could be a way to create more opportunities for the two of you to interact. Considering that Kazura-sama has been invited to join the family meals, which were previously only for family members, it seems like a reasonable assumption."

"Yes, I thought the same thing."

Rize nodded in agreement with Eira's opinion, which matched her own thoughts.

"A few days ago, Mother even came to my room to talk about Kazura-sama, so I think it's clear that she's trying to make me interested. But, there's one thing I don't understand."

"Something you don't understand?"

When Eira asked, Rize tilted her head slightly, looking puzzled.

"Why Mother won't tell me which country's noble Kazura-sama is from. Don't you think it's something that doesn't need to be hidden?"

"Indeed..."

When Rize heard about Ichirou from Zirconia, Ichirou had mentioned that he was from a noble family in a certain country. However, when Rize asked which country, Zirconia refused to answer. Normally, there would be no reason to hide such information from Rize, especially if they were trying to make her interested.

"Maybe he's a noble from Barbeur?"

"What? I don't think that's likely..."

"But, if we consider the major nobles from nearby countries, isn't Barbeur the only one that comes to mind? There shouldn't be any prominent nobles in Clayrats to the east, and Protia is even further beyond Clayrats, and they aren't particularly close to Arcadia."

Clayrats, the eastern neighboring country, does not have any major nobles with significant power. This is due to the direct democracy political system that Clayrats has maintained for a long time.

Direct democracy is a political system where each citizen can directly participate in politics. In Clayrats, all citizens aged 18 and over have the right to vote on issues brought to the parliament. All positions, including those responsible for national governance and foreign affairs, are selected by lottery, and their terms are limited to one year. Therefore, there is no concentration of power in any particular individual. While there are still nobles in Clayrats as a remnant of the past when politics were run by nobles, their status is not much different from that of commoners.

In essence, Clayrats is a nation centered around ordinary citizens. There is certainly a gap between the rich and the poor, but all citizens have equal rights, and most of them are ordinary citizens. Clayrats has multiple cities in addition to its capital, and these cities form a strong alliance, often referred to as the "Clayrats City Alliance."

Protia, a kingdom to the east of Clayrats, is a monarchy with powerful nobles, but until recently, there was not much interaction between Protia and Arcadia. It was only after the war four years ago, mediated by Clayrats, that the two countries formed an alliance to counter Barbeur, leading to more frequent interactions. Trade between the two countries had been active through both land and sea routes even before the war, so their relationship has been good.

Incidentally, the relationship between Clayrats and Protia is currently very good. Although there were occasional tensions over maritime rights before the war, the common enemy of Barbeur brought them together. However, this improved relationship is primarily due to their shared interest in countering Barbeur, so it's unclear what will happen after the war with Barbeur settles down.

Further to the east of Protia is the kingdom of Eltair, which was also part of the same alliance as Arcadia during the last war. The size of the country is similar to that of Protia. The relationship between Arcadia and Eltair is even thinner due to the distance, as the land route is too long and involves crossing three borders, so trade is mainly conducted via sea routes.

"But, I can't imagine that Zirconia-sama, who hates Barbeur so much, would invite a noble from Barbeur to stay in the house, let alone have him join the family meals."

"But, if that's the case, it leaves Protia as the only option... By the way, why does Mother hate Barbeur so much? I understand that it's natural to hate them for suddenly invading, but there's something more intense about it..."

For those who live and work in this house, it is a well-known fact that Zirconia strongly dislikes Barbeur.

When it was decided at the international talks four years ago that a ceasefire agreement would be signed, it is a famous story that Zirconia had a heated argument with Nelson. According to rumors, Zirconia strongly argued that instead of signing a ceasefire agreement, they should coordinate with the northern barbarians to attack Barbeur. Even when the current situation of Arcadia and other countries was explained, Zirconia did not change her stance and even called Nelson a coward. It is said that she cursed Barbeur harshly and claimed that all Barbeurians should be killed, though the truth of this is uncertain.

For several days after the ceasefire agreement was signed, Zirconia was in a very bad mood, to the point where even Nelson and Rize could not talk to her. After a few days, she seemed to have calmed down and apologized to Nelson and Rize, and since then, she has returned to her usual gentle self. In fact, she has become even more gentle and considerate towards others, though she remains uncompromising in military matters, such as training.

However, whenever the topic of the past war with Barbeur comes up, Zirconia's eyes become frightening, so Rize avoids bringing it up.

"...I heard a rumor."

Eira, looking down, spoke to Rize, who was deep in thought.

"A few months before the war with Barbeur, some villages in the northern mountainous region of Isteer were attacked by bandits. The residents of the attacked villages were either massacred or kidnapped... It seems that..."

Eira hesitated, struggling to continue, and Rize looked at her intently.

"Zirconia-sama is said to be a survivor from one of those villages. I don't know the details, but she later volunteered to join the Isteer army as a soldier, was noticed by Nelson-sama, and got married just before the war."

"...Who did you hear this from?"

"I overheard some of the senior maids talking about it when Zirconia-sama and Nelson-sama got married... But, it's just a rumor, so I don't know if it's true."

"..."

Hearing this story about Zirconia's past for the first time, Rize fell silent, looking complex.

If the rumor is true, the bandits who attacked the villages in the northern mountainous region were likely from Barbeur. This would explain why Zirconia strongly hates Barbeur and is sensitive to the topic. While it's unclear why she married Nelson, it's likely related to Barbeur in some way.

"Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"It's not the kind of story to bring up... Besides, it's just a rumor."

"Right... You're right. Eira, your hands have stopped."

"Ah, I'm sorry."

Noticing that Eira had stopped, Rize returned her gaze to her reflection in the mirror.

While Rize was getting ready, in one of the rooms at the Rousseau residence, Havel was sitting across the table from his father, Noll. Noll's expression was stern, while Havel remained calm.

"Father, that's a misunderstanding. I did not try to push Marie onto anyone."

"Then why was Marie chosen? It's natural to assume that you anticipated this and had Marie take care of Kazura when he stayed at our house."

Noll questioned Havel sternly, but without raising his voice. However, a hint of anger was visible in his eyes.

"Compared to the other maids who are more skilled in cooking, Marie's skills are slightly inferior, so I only had her assist with cooking and take care of Kazura-sama's daily needs. Your accusation sounds like a fabrication."

"Hmm. Then why did you take Marie as your attendant on the last outing? Any other maid would have been fine."

"That was the day Father and Brother returned from the Gregorun territory, so I chose someone who could be spared from the staff dealing with their return. Besides, Brother dislikes Marie, and Marie is fond of me. Considering this, it was natural to choose Marie as my attendant."

"You've become quite eloquent... Well, I'll let that slide for now."

Noll relaxed his stern expression and sighed. While he was almost certain that Havel had tried to push Marie, he was impressed by Havel's logical reasoning.

"Marie will be temporarily lent to the Isteer family. When that man leaves Isteer, Marie will return to the Rousseau family."

"Temporarily lent...?"

Havel frowned slightly upon hearing "lent." He had thought, based on what Noll had told him earlier, that Zirconia had come to the Rousseau residence to formally request Marie's transfer to the Isteer family.

"Havel, do you remember the agreement we made before?"

"Yes, of course."

"Then you understand. There's no need to rush. If you advance in the military and take on a position that benefits the Rousseau family, I will give you Marie, along with the funds for her to become a freed slave."

"Understood."

"If you understand, stop your underhanded tactics. You wouldn't want to ruin our agreement and make a bad impression on me, would you?"

Noll's words made Havel's gaze sharpen slightly. He was concerned that Noll might use this as an excuse to break the agreement. In response, Noll laughed lightly and waved his hand.

"Don't look at me like that. I won't break the agreement. Well, it's about time for you to go to the military, isn't it?"

"..."

Havel bowed slightly to Noll and headed towards the door.

"Havel."

Just as Havel was about to open the door, Noll called out to him.

"What is it?"

"Your approach this time was a bit too forceful, but it was a good method. I'll retract my comment about underhanded tactics. Do better next time."

"..."

Havel frowned more clearly at Noll's words and quietly left the room.