Chapter 51

"Hey, what's the matter?"

"A private and important consultation, just the two of us."

The birthday party for Ver was held as scheduled at the capital residence of the Margrave of Breichreiter. The number of invited guests was over two hundred, including nobles of various ranks and merchants.

The Margrave of Breichreiter himself, unusually, made an appearance, and it seemed he had also carefully selected the attendees.

Among the guests were the Minister of Finance Rukuna, the Cardinal of Hohenheim, the Minister of Military Affairs Edgar, and the Minister of Agriculture Brukner, all of whom were prominent figures. It was probably because of this that I felt I had to attend as well.

After that...

"Boy! Happy birthday!"

The recently popular 'Muscle Master' Armstrong, named by Ver, also attended and gave a handshake so strong it felt like his palm would fall apart.

"From now on, let's aim for the pinnacle of magic together!"

"Master! It hurts! It hurts!"

His shoulder was being pounded so hard it felt like the bones were breaking.

By the way, Ver quietly used healing magic to fix his palm and shoulder afterward. Perhaps he even had some bruises.

The party was a continuous stream of greetings and gift-giving. Ver seemed busy, but finally, his obligations were over. Next week, a smaller birthday party would be held for those involved.

The attendees would be El, me, Louise, and Elise, as well as Mr. Brandt, Master Armstrong, Mr. Artelio, Mr. Ehrich, Mr. Paul, and Mr. Helmut.

Additionally, Mr. Ehrich's wife, Miriam, and the Brandt couple were also invited.

Incidentally, Mr. Artelio was also invited, which might be a testament to his networking skills as a political businessman.

"Cake will be mainly by Elise. For the food, we will have help from us and the ladies."

The 'ladies' refer to Marion, the wife of Lord Rottger. She comes from a knightly family and can cook well.

Life for women from lower noble families can be quite challenging.

"The consultation is about Ver's present."

He himself says, "I don't really need anything. It's enough that you celebrate the party for me."

But everyone seems to be preparing something.

Mr. Ehrich has been giving Ver a present every year since he left home, and Ver always reciprocates. He is a lower-ranking official, so he doesn't have much money.

Still, he gives nice sweaters that can be worn casually and rare magic-related books he finds in the capital. They are not expensive, but his taste is excellent, and Ver has said, "I can't imitate his good taste."

The others must also be thinking about what to give.

"We need to think of something. Something with impact."

"Be careful not to go overboard and end up embarrassing yourself."

Louise is probably aware of Elise. I remember Elise was skillfully sewing men's clothes. She is good at sewing as well as cooking. Louise even exclaimed, "What, this perfect superhuman!"

When asked, Elise replied, "There are occasional charity bazaars organized by the church, so I sew clothes to be sold there." She also often makes or repairs clothes for the orphans.

In a way, "Don't underestimate the church!" It might be good to receive education from the church to become a good wife.

"So, to compete with such a high scorer like Elise!"

While saying this, Louise took out an old-looking book. The leather cover suggested it was a limited edition for a select group of enthusiasts. It likely had some antique value as well.

But where did Louise get such an expensive book?

"Where did you buy it?"

"I borrowed it from the Margrave of Breichreiter."

She borrowed it after the birthday party a few days ago.

"What kind of book is it?"

"A book to make Ver fall in love with us."

I remember my father once told me that the Margrave of Breichreiter's only hobby was collecting rare old books. This must be one of his valuable collections.

However, the connection between this valuable collection and making Ver fall in love with us was unclear.

"But, it's stingy not to give it."

"It's rare and might never be available again."

Some rare old books are so valuable that they can't be found no matter how much you search.

"What kind of book is it?"

While saying this, I looked at the cover. It read, "The Maids' Afternoon, Beast-like Master."

Correction: Borrowing this book is enough.

"The title alone gives me a bad feeling."

"Since the Margrave of Breichreiter lent it to us."

Deciding to read it, I opened the book. But did the Margrave of Breichreiter really read this? My image of him as a calm and collected statesman is about to collapse.

No, maybe he reads such books to relieve stress.

"Well... 'We are the maids who love our master. But recently, our master might be getting tired of us.'"

Despite the title, the opening shattered any hopes. The writing is ordinary, even to a layperson.

The content seems to be a novel for adults, occasionally banned in the capital. The text uses many kanji, which might be the only high-quality part of the book.

"I'll keep reading."

"Okay..."

Summarizing the content, it's a story about two young maids trying to keep their master from getting bored with them.

Chapter 1: Mini-Maid Chapter

Chapter 2: Cat-Ear Maid Chapter

Chapter 3: Male-Dressed Maid Chapter

Chapter 4: Get the Uniform of a Popular Café

Chapter 5: The Last Resort, Nighttime Gift Operation

There were more chapters, but the more I read, the more ridiculous it became, so I stopped.

"Absolutely ridiculous."

"Men seem to like this kind of thing."

The problem is what to take as a reference. Should we wear extremely short maid dresses, cat ears and tails, dress as men, or get the uniform of a popular café in the capital?

"Eina, I think the last one is effective."

"It's the most embarrassing."

According to the book, on the master's birthday, they should be naked with ribbons tied around them, saying, "We are the p-r-e-s-e-n-t."

In reality, this is an impossible scene. But for a high-ranking noble, maybe they would actually do it. My judgment is getting clouded.

"It's just embarrassing. Besides, if we do it, things might end badly."

If Ver is happy, we win, but he might also be disappointed.

"But it's from the Margrave of Breichreiter."

"If you say that..."

Our lord is the head of the main family, so not doing anything would be a problem. Also, it's too embarrassing to do without a reason.

However, just because others do it, the Margrave of Breichreiter giving us such a scary book is also concerning. Since we couldn't send a fiancée from the family, he must have high hopes for us.

"Anita, follow the book."

"Stop!"

This might be disrespectful to the main family, but if Anita, who is over forty, tried to seduce Ver in the outfits described in the book, even Ver would be angry. She might stop the foster child and cry to Mr. Ehrich.

"Well, there's no choice..."

Sadly, we are just vassal daughters. We couldn't disobey the Margrave of Breichreiter's orders. We didn't know the consequences, but that was the case.

"The color of the ribbons, I'll be blue and Eina will be red."

"Matching our hair colors..."

It's a trivial matter, but we bought the ribbons and spent time preparing for the day.

---

"Yawn! I'm sleepy."

On the day of the execution, the birthday party was held in a cozy atmosphere and ended happily. We all enjoyed the food, gave Ver presents, and watched him blow out the candles on the cake.

Ver seemed to have a great time, and it was a wonderful party.

That night, it was time to execute the plan.

"Good that we managed to get into Ver's room."

"The secret technique of the martial arts school, 'Silent Presence,' was useful."

It feels like a waste of a valuable technique, but now we just need to wait for Ver to enter the room.

"It's not embarrassing. This is for Ver, for us."

"I don't think you need to justify it. This kind of thing is silly but fun."

Just as we were talking, Ver entered the room, rubbing his sleepy eyes. It was time to start the operation.

"Um..."

Naked, with ribbons tied around the parts that would be embarrassing to show, and a bow tied at the head to make it visible to Ver, Louise and I were ready.

Ver seemed surprised by the sudden appearance. There was no choice but to push forward.

According to the ridiculous book, if we hesitated, it would be even more embarrassing later. Instead, we should let go and move forward for future victory.

"(No turning back!) We are the p-r-e-s-e-n-t."

We said the lines together and showed Ver the poses we had practiced.

Despite Ver's usual restraint and occasional kisses, and even his quick glances at Elise's chest, this naked ribbon attack should be irresistible.

The book had issues, but it was in line with the Margrave of Breichreiter's wishes.

"(Now, how will he react? Maybe...)"

Considering the possibility of an excited Ver, I waited with Louise to see how he would react.

Suddenly, Ver hugged me.

The unexpected outcome surprised Louise as well.

"Ve, Ve! Ver!"

"Yeah, I know. I know."

I didn't know what he knew, but Ver continued.

"Louise must have suggested it. Eina wouldn't do something like this on her own."

"Hey, is that my image?"

In response to Ver's suggestion, Louise seemed dissatisfied.

"Ver?"

"To be honest, I was very excited. But Eina's charm is clear even without doing something like this."

"Um..."

"Me..."

Louise, accused of being the instigator, was already half in a daze. It was a good lesson that our usual behavior has a direct impact in such situations. Indeed, Louise was the main culprit.

Ver's image of me is probably that of a calm and serious woman.

And he finds that appealing.

It might be a bit off-topic, but we could make a good partner (or couple).

"Recently, I've been influenced by important people, but I will marry Eina and Louise when I come of age. But you don't have to push yourselves."

After saying this, Ver put his shirt and the bed sheets on us and left the room.

We were left alone.

When I calmed down, I realized how embarrassing it was to be naked with just ribbons.

What did the Margrave of Breichreiter gain from making us do this?

Maybe I was overestimating him.

The more I thought, the more unnecessary thoughts came to mind.

"Hey, was this a success?"

"We heard a proposal-like statement, so it might be a success."

Sometimes, it's good to try something out of character. And it was a good discovery to find out that Ver was unexpectedly handsome, despite his usual aloofness.

---

"Those two tried to seduce me with a naked ribbon attack..."

I barely managed to escape the temptation. Recently, Elise's chest has been quite distracting, and I wish they would cut me some slack.

"(I will wait until I come of age!)"

Vedelin's inner self thinks this, and I have no intention of changing it. We usually kiss, but in my previous life, kissing was a greeting in the West.

So, I decided that in this world, kissing is an extension of greetings.

"(I'm sorry, that's a lie. I really wanted to kiss a cute girl.)"

I'm not sure who I'm apologizing to, but since the incident with the strange frog, I ended up kissing three men, including the Muscle Master.

"But, having three wives when I come of age. Is this what it means to be a winner in life?"

However, I promise to be unrestrained after coming of age. I can't wait to reach the age of adulthood.