Chapter 76

That night, deep into the night.

In the spacious room she had been assigned just three days ago, Eira lay on the bed.

Eira's room was about the size of a 16-mat room in Japan, which was exceptionally large for a servant's quarters.

The floor was covered with a fine carpet, and the furniture, including the bed and table, was all of high quality and elegant.

In the pitch-black room, Eira lay with her eyes closed for a while, but suddenly sat up from the bed.

"I can't sleep..."

She sighed deeply and held her head, recalling her current situation.

Three days ago, she had been directly ordered by Zirconia to "get Reise and Kazura together" and reluctantly accepted the task. However, even after three days, Eira had taken no action.

During these three days, Eira had accompanied Reise and Ichirou to the grain fields every day.

Eira only saw Ichirou when they went to and from the grain fields and during meal times.

Whenever Eira and Ichirou met, Reise was always with them, and it was almost impossible for Eira to be alone with Kazura.

Eira had never joined in their conversations, and it was always her duty to stand quietly a step behind them.

In other words, Eira had no opportunity to deepen her interaction with Ichirou.

Given the current situation, where they had only had formal conversations, it was impossible for her to take any initiative to bring Reise and Ichirou together.

Eira's initial plan was to gradually become friends with Ichirou, even if it took some time, and to create a natural setting where they could chat. Then, she would gradually weave in conversations that would raise Reise's stock in Ichirou's eyes.

However, the current situation was hopeless.

Eira couldn't speak to Ichirou when Reise was around, and when Reise was not, Eira had to focus on her work, and Ichirou was always busy, leaving no time for a proper conversation.

Eira was at a loss as to how to approach someone she couldn't even find a chance to talk to.

"If only I could switch places with Marie sometimes... but that's impossible, right..."

Marie, who served as Ichirou's attendant alongside Eira, had far more opportunities to interact with Ichirou.

If Eira could switch places with Marie, she might have more chances to talk to Ichirou, such as when waking him up in the morning, accompanying him before and after bathing, and checking the contents of his meals.

Marie, who had experience as a maid in the Rousseau family, performed her daily duties with remarkable efficiency.

On the first day, she seemed a bit bewildered by the unfamiliar workplace, but after being shown the locations of the kitchen, laundry room, and the flow of tasks, she carried out her duties almost perfectly, following Eira's and other maids' instructions.

When she encountered problems or couldn't manage on her own, she consulted Eira for guidance, preventing issues from escalating.

After the daily evening meeting, she summarized the day's tasks and reported to Eira.

Despite being only 13 years old, Eira felt that Marie was a very capable maid.

However, being capable did not mean she could immediately serve as Reise's attendant.

Reise had always been with Eira since childhood and only showed her true self to a select few, including Eira.

Reise strongly depended on Eira, who could interact with her without any reservations, and Eira was aware of this.

If Eira suggested replacing herself with Marie as Reise's exclusive attendant, Reise would likely firmly refuse.

Moreover, Eira could imagine that Reise would be deeply upset if she made such a suggestion.

In short, there was no solution.

If Marie were a common citizen, she would have two days off in ten, and Eira could have used that time to interact with Ichirou.

Unfortunately, Marie was a slave, and slaves were not given days off, so she would never be able to leave her duties as Ichirou's attendant.

Eira was completely at a loss.

Reise seemed to like Ichirou, and Ichirou didn't seem to mind either, so they might eventually get together on their own.

However, during the brief interview with Zirconia every evening to discuss Reise's schedule for the next day, Zirconia always asked, "How are the two getting along?" Eira couldn't just do nothing.

If Eira had a stronger heart, she could have told Zirconia, "Don't be unreasonable," but unfortunately, Eira was a coward.

Eira was anxious, knowing that if she didn't achieve some results, she might be reprimanded by Zirconia.

"... I'll have some tea."

Eira muttered this with a sigh, crawled out of bed, put on the pants she had left by the bed, and draped a shawl over her knee-length tunic.

"Hmm, what should I have today? I've been staying up late lately, so maybe I'll have echinacea."

The dim light of the hand-held candle illuminated her hands as Ichirou boiled water in a small pot on the stone stove in the empty kitchen.

On the table beside him were paper bags containing herbs, a white teacup, and a glass teapot in a wooden basket.

Ichirou took out the paper bags containing echinacea and licorice from the basket, cut the tape that sealed them, and opened them.

Echinacea, known for its immune-boosting properties, was a valuable herb when one was tired.

He had taken out the licorice to add a touch of sweetness.

"Ah!"

"Hm?"

When a voice suddenly came from behind, Ichirou turned around to see Eira standing at the kitchen entrance, holding a hand-held candle in her nightgown.

Eira had not expected anyone to be in the kitchen at this hour, let alone Ichirou, and she felt deeply embarrassed by her lack of preparation and the fact that she had let out a surprised exclamation.

Even though it was outside of working hours, appearing before her master in a nightgown was a serious breach of etiquette.

"Eira, good evening. Were you here to boil water?"

Unaware of Eira's inner turmoil, Ichirou greeted her with a smile.

"Y-Yes, I was thinking of having some tea... A-And I'm terribly sorry for my appearance. I didn't expect anyone to be here, so..."

"No, it's fine. It's outside of working hours, so there's no need to worry... Eira?"

Noticing that Eira, who was stammering, looked on the verge of tears, Ichirou was momentarily flustered.

But he quickly realized the cause was himself and, after a few seconds of thought, smiled at Eira again.

"Actually, I was just about to make some tea. Would you like a cup?"

"Eh... E-Eh? M-Me!?"

"Yes, I'm always grateful for your help, so I'd like to thank you. Please, come this way."

Ignoring Eira's unexpected hesitation, Ichirou picked up the small pot of boiling water and walked to the large dining room adjacent to the kitchen.

Eira hurriedly followed, and Ichirou pulled out a chair for her with a smile.

"Elderflower, rosehip, and... German chamomile. I hope you like it. This is herbal tea, made from herbs from my country."

As Ichirou spoke, he pinched some herbs and placed them in the glass teapot, pouring the boiling water from the small pot.

The herbs in the teapot slowly unfurled, gradually releasing their unique colors into the water.

"Damn, what am I doing with a glass teapot in front of Eira?"

Ichirou glanced at Eira, expecting a question, but she was staring at the teapot in silence, still tense.

Relieved that she didn't ask any questions, Ichirou thought it was probably because Narson had instructed the household not to pry into Ichirou's affairs.

Meanwhile, Eira, though confused by the situation, was captivated by the herbs floating in the teapot.

She had heard from Zirconia about Ichirou, so she didn't panic when she saw the transparent glass teapot.

However, the teapot was still an unfamiliar object, and she was mesmerized by the beauty of the floating herbs.

"Eira, what kind of tea do you usually drink? The kind the maids serve during meals?"

When Ichirou spoke to the still-stunned Eira, she looked up from the teapot, straightened her posture, and faced Ichirou.

"Yes, I often make tea with herbs bought from the city... Thank you for your kindness, but I'm dressed like this... Please forgive my rudeness..."

"No, no, don't be so formal. If you keep worrying so much, I'll get tired too. Let's be more relaxed."

"Even so..."

Despite her continued discomfort, Ichirou chuckled and picked up the glass teapot.

"Shall we see if it's ready?"

He took a teacup from the basket and placed it in front of Eira, pouring the freshly brewed herbal tea.

The gentle aroma of German chamomile mixed with the fruity scent of rosehip, creating a delightful fragrance that filled the air.

"Here you go. If you don't like the taste, let me know. I have various herbs, so I can make a different one."

Ichirou sat down and took another teacup from the basket, pouring himself a cup of herbal tea.

Seeing this, Eira took her teacup, thanked Ichirou, and took a sip.

"... It's delicious."

Eira finally smiled, savoring the taste and aroma of the herbal tea, and Ichirou smiled in relief.

"Good. And here, these are cookies. If you'd like, try them. They're delicious."

Ichirou then took a paper bag of cookies from the basket, opened it, and offered it to Eira.

Eira thanked Ichirou and took one cookie.

"Cookies are sold in the city, and I sometimes make them... Ah, they're delicious!"

Cookies were a common food in this world, made by mixing flour with salt and fruit and baking them.

Eira remembered that Ichirou was from Graciol, and if he really was from there, it made sense that he wasn't familiar with the food in this world.

Since Ichirou's meals were specially prepared by Marie, he probably didn't eat much of the local food, Eira thought.

"They're really delicious! I've never had such sweet and delicious cookies!"

"That's good... But cookies aren't rare. I don't know much about the food in this country... I'm sorry."

Eira's beaming smile made Ichirou scratch his head and chuckle at his own mistake.

"... Ah."

Eira's face momentarily lost color, realizing her comment might have embarrassed Ichirou, but seeing that he didn't seem to mind, she decided to let it go.

This was a good opportunity to become friends, and although it was difficult for Eira to speak casually to a superior she had rarely spoken to, she decided to suppress her hesitation and have a normal conversation.

"Um, I sometimes make cookies too. I usually mix in chopped fruit, but these cookies are very sweet and delicious without any fruit. What do you mix in to get this taste?"

"Well, these are store-bought, so I'm not very familiar with the recipe, but I think it's sugar, butter, and salt..."

"Sugar...?"

Eira tilted her head, still holding her teacup, and asked Ichirou, who was thinking.

"Yes, it looks like salt but tastes sweet. It's a simple sweetener, different from the sweetness of fruit."

"A sweet salt? I've never heard of such a thing... And I've never heard of butter either."

Eira's curiosity seemed to have overcome her, and Ichirou felt relieved as he answered her questions.

"Butter is made by shaking milk from animals in a container... I'm a bit fuzzy on the details, but I'll look it up when I return to my country. If it's possible, would you like to try making it together?"

Ichirou recalled a vague memory of making butter at a farm with his parents when he was a child, but he wasn't confident that it would work.

He thought he should look up the correct method online or visit a farm in Japan when he returned.

"Um, but..."

Eira was taken aback by the unexpected offer.

She considered dismissing it as a polite gesture, but if it was genuine, it was a great opportunity to deepen her relationship with Ichirou.

From what she had observed over the past few days, Ichirou was very kind and polite to the servants, so he would likely tolerate a bit of rudeness.

Eira decided to seize the opportunity.

"Then, I would be honored. We can use milk from the Myagi we keep on this estate."

"Wow, you're up for it?"

Ichirou had thought Eira would decline or politely turn down the offer, but to his surprise, she accepted.

However, Ichirou also wanted to deepen his relationship with Eira, with whom he interacted daily, so this was convenient.

Since he would be living in the Narson estate for a long time, he wanted to maintain good communication with those he saw regularly.

"Alright. I'll be returning to my country in two days, so I'll be back in Isteria in about 7 to 8 days. Let's try making butter on a day that suits you after that."

"Thank you. If we can make butter, I think we can make even more delicious cookies. I'll prepare some fruit too."

Eira's smile still had a hint of stiffness, but Ichirou nodded, thinking that with repeated interactions, she would eventually smile more naturally.

"Also, I usually come to the kitchen to boil water around this time. If you feel like it, you can come anytime. I'll treat you to herbal tea, and of course, cookies."

"Hehe, then I'll bring some sweets I made next time. I'm quite good at making sweets."

"Great, I'm looking forward to it. I'll have to think of a better herbal blend too."

Thus, the impromptu midnight tea party (irregular) and the butter-making class (date to be determined) were set.