Chapter 63

"Then, the next agenda item. Please start with the reports."

This was a meeting of the maids. It was a bi-monthly regular meeting held by the maids working in the royal palace of the Kingdom of Marita. The participants were the heads and deputy maids of each department, with the head maid Maria serving as the chairperson and her assistant Vanessa as the vice-chairperson.

This meeting, which began among the working maids at the time of the founding of the Kingdom of Marita, was an important one with a long history. It was held to discuss issues and improvements in daily maid duties and to aim for the cultivation of high-quality maids. However, in recent months, the nature of the meeting had changed. This was due to the arrival of a certain girl.

"Alright. I will report from the first team responsible for Lady Sheena. Lady Sheena's health is showing signs of improvement. Following the instructions of Elder Sand, she is having three meals and snacks at 10 and 3. If she requests anything else, we provide fruits as appropriate. She is taking her medication properly, but she seems to dislike the newly added medicinal baths. Her sleep is still on the longer side. She seems to be uncomfortable without a nap, so we may need to adjust her study schedule."

"Indeed. It seems she is not yet fully recovered. We will coordinate with the teachers. Fortunately, her progress is good in all subjects except dance."

Head Maid Maria nodded with concern. The maids checked their notebooks and reorganized the schedules, confirming with each other.

"Next, from the second team. For improving Lady Sheena's physical strength, the use of recovery magic has decreased. Her walking time in the garden has also increased. Regarding the dance, she learns the steps quickly, but her progress is slow because she runs out of energy halfway through. I think there won't be any problems if her physical strength improves."

"Right, as expected of Lady Sheena. She is enthusiastic about all subjects. However, she must not overexert herself. The care teams, please be mindful of this."

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Next, about the developments between Lady Sheena and Prince Jinklett."

The moment Head Maid Maria said this, the maids let out excited murmurs.

"Quiet, please! Now, the report."

"Yes! From the first team. After the engagement between Prince Jinklett and Lady Sheena was decided, they have been as affectionate as before. Additionally, multiple maids have witnessed Prince Jinklett clearly and repeatedly expressing his love to Lady Sheena!"

At these words, the maids exclaimed, "Finally!" and "He finally managed to say it!"

"Lady Sheena, despite being told so frequently, blushes and panics every time! It's so cute!"

"I have also witnessed it. Indeed, Prince Jinklett's behavior, which seems to be a reaction to suppressing his feelings until now, might be a bit too intense for the innocent Lady Sheena..."

The maids nodded in agreement with Head Maid Maria's distant gaze. If Prince Jinklett goes too far, Lady Sheena's feelings might drift away. They must not let the two, who have finally started to get along well, break up.

"Kiri, what do you think? How should we stop Prince Jinklett?"

The maids' eyes all turned to Kiri. Despite the attention, Kiri remained calm and spoke quietly.

"I don't think that's necessary..."

Kiri's words made Head Maid Maria look puzzled.

"Is that so...? From my perspective, Lady Sheena seemed troubled."

"Lady Sheena is straightforward about things she dislikes. She has clearly told the prince to stop in public... I think she panics because of the presence of others."

"...... So, Lady Sheena is accepting Prince Jinklett's deep, heavy... no, deep words of love...?"

"Before the engagement, he occasionally behaved like that, so she doesn't seem to mind it much."

The head maid's cheeks twitched. The reports from the maids had included words that suggested intense possessiveness or even confinement... To not be bothered by that...

"Lady Sheena understands Prince Jinklett and accepts him as he is. She deeply trusts him, so if he goes too far, she will handle it herself. I don't think we need to worry..."

The maids sighed in relief. They were impressed by Lady Sheena's broad-mindedness.

"However, there is one thing I am concerned about..."

Kiri hesitated, her cheeks slightly red.

"What is it, Kiri?"

The head maid's eyes sparkled. Kiri, who was unmatched in caring for Lady Sheena, was trusted the most by her. Kiri could be gentle and also scold Lady Sheena like an older sister. The head maid respected her so much that she entrusted the final decisions about Lady Sheena's care to Kiri.

"I am not familiar with the customs of this country, so I feel embarrassed asking... But, is it common for couples to share a bed before marriage here?"

The room fell silent. A pin could have been heard dropping.

"O-of course not! Such a thing should never happen!"

Head Maid Maria's face turned red. The maids let out cries of shock.

"...... I see. In the Kingdom of Daido, premarital relations were also not allowed. It's difficult to say, but..."

"Impossible! Prince Jinklett!"

"I have been preventing it, but he often tries to be alone with Lady Sheena and sometimes ends up lying next to her when she is napping. I have been telling Lady Sheena to be more cautious, but she is very unguarded because she lacks awareness of being seen as an object of desire, despite having knowledge about such matters."

The maids nodded deeply, picturing Lady Sheena and Prince Jinklett. Despite their engagement, Jinklett still seemed nervous, and Sheena, though mature, had a certain innocence. The maids' efforts to make Sheena appear more grown-up to bring the two together had backfired in this way.

"This is not something that can be handled internally by the maid meeting. I don't think Lady Sheena has the physical strength to endure such activities. The wedding is a year away, and if she were to become pregnant before then, it would damage her reputation!"

Head Maid Maria crumpled her notebook in her hand.

"Kiri, thank you for bringing this up despite the embarrassment. Everyone, please keep a closer eye on Prince Jinklett's actions and report to me or Vanessa if it gets out of hand!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"I will report this to the queen. We need to either have the queen advise Prince Jinklett or have a male figure subtly warn him, as this is a delicate matter."

Head Maid Maria and Vanessa stood up hurriedly. They needed to consult with the queen and adjust Sheena's current education curriculum to prioritize lessons on marital relations, which would require reorganizing other classes.

Sheena and Jinklett's engagement was still provisional because her adoptive family had not been finalized. Elder Sand and Lord Kailat were fiercely competing behind the scenes to adopt her, which was also fueling Jinklett's anxiety.

The wedding was scheduled for the next flower season after the next one, to avoid conflicting with Aran's wedding in the next flower season and Lute's wedding in the harvest season. Despite Jinklett's wish for a quicker wedding, the engagement period was unusually short, but for him, even a year might seem too long to wait.

Even so, for him to take such drastic actions while still in a provisional engagement... On one hand, Maria thought Jinklett had grown up from the boy she knew since childhood, but on the other, she wondered if his education had gone wrong, causing her a headache.

Afterward, Jinklett faced humiliation when his behavior was reported to his parents and mocked by his brothers, who lectured him with smug expressions. The maids' surveillance became even stricter, making it difficult for him to be alone with Sheena, which only increased his frustration.

Sheena, who began receiving education on marital relations, tilted her head in confusion at the sudden change in curriculum but approached it seriously.