Chapter 6

When we recruited maids for the general public, as expected, there were few ordinary applicants, only three in total.

The ideal candidate would be someone with experience as a maid or lady's maid in a noble household, but all three applicants were commoners with no experience working in a noble mansion. While their status as servants is irrelevant to hiring, I doubt they would be suitable even after interviews.

They would likely be intimidated, and since they are commoners without experience working for nobles, it would inevitably take time to educate them. This recruitment is for Rira's marriage, so we can't afford to spend the time.

Currently, most of the servants in my household are commoners, but they are all former knights.

They pledged loyalty to the king, so although they may seem rough, they have been educated in the basic etiquette and manners required for dealing with nobles and their masters. Their mindset is closer to that of a knight than a servant, but it's still better than having no background at all.

Therefore, I had almost given up on hiring someone with general maid experience and used my connections in the knight's order to spread the word about the maid recruitment to former female knights. If they are housewives, they should adapt more easily to the work of a maid or lady's maid, and they would likely have a tolerance for stern faces.

Surprisingly, 22 people applied.

I wonder if there has ever been such a high number of applicants for a maid position in the Claudel Duke's household before. Perhaps it was easier to apply because the main job was to take care of the duchess.

Initially, I wanted to hire at least one exclusive lady's maid for Rira, but with this number of applicants, we might be able to hire maids in addition to the exclusive lady's maid.

Since I am often away from home due to my work, I was also considering Rira's protection, so this is perfect.

While it's unlikely that someone would sneak into a house where the head of the household is the chief of the knight's order and most of the servants are former knights, you never know what might happen.

If something were to happen while I'm away, it might be difficult for a male servant to enter Rira's bedroom where she sleeps alone.

A former female knight could be hired as a lady's maid and bodyguard.

"Hello."

"Welcome."

Today, I was determined not to miss any of her actions or words.

When Rira got off the carriage, Filio was in my line of sight, but Rira's gaze never wavered from me.

I felt relieved by this.

Rira greeted me with a slightly stiff expression, but when I showed my welcome, she smiled in relief.

Last time, it seemed that my attitude was noticeable enough for Filio to notice, so perhaps I had made Rira anxious. If that's the case, how regrettable.

Thinking that my attitude might have hurt Rira's feelings made me feel very guilty. I should be the one protecting her.

Today, all the servants were gathered to welcome Rira's visit.

After glancing at the servants from one end to the other, she smiled at me.

I didn't notice her gaze lingering on Filio at all. Compared to last time, it seemed like she wasn't paying any attention to Filio at all. It's surprising how such a small thing can lighten my mood... I must be simple.

"The Claudel Duke's household has such good servants!"

"Can you tell? That's right. They are all former knights, so they may look strict, but they are all good people, so you can rest assured."

"Okay, I see."

Rira's cheerful response was too adorable.

I must have made her anxious with my attitude last time.

I didn't expect that such a thing would affect her so much, but I need to be more careful in the future.

After having tea together in the salon, the interviews for the lady's maids and housemaids began.

With 25 interviews in total, we need to get through them quickly.

Despite saying she wanted to participate in the interviews, Rira just sat next to me and listened without asking any questions to the applicants.

However, after each interview, she would give her opinion, saying things like "Sorry, but that person..." or "I want to hire that person."

"If you have any questions, Rira, you can ask them too."

"No, I'm fine just observing. I can get a sense of things from the Q&A with Valerio."

"Is that so? You have a good eye for people?"

"Yes, my judgment is never wrong! Or so I think."

"Haha! Okay, I'll trust you."

Rira's fragile impression was at odds with her mischievous smile, which made me laugh out loud.

Unlike last time when she was so down, today was enjoyable.

I was feeling relaxed.

When Rira suddenly widened her eyes in surprise, I thought I had made a mistake.

I remembered that in the past, Antonio had said that when I laugh, it looks like "the head of evil has come up with the most terrifying evil plan, making it even more frightening." I usually try not to laugh in front of women.

I thought she might be scared, but Rira quickly smiled softly.

"Cute..."

"Eh? Did you say something? I didn't hear."

"No! Nothing at all."

"Is that so? Aren't you tired from so many interviews in a row? Are you okay?"

"Thank you. I'm fine."

Rira's gentle smile felt like a stab to my heart.

It felt like my heart was contracting tightly, or something in my chest was plummeting. I think I experienced a physical change I had never felt before.

After that, Rira laughed happily for a while.

◇

"Ah! Ahh!"

"Y-Yes, I'm sorry!"

"…………" Shaking violently

The interviews with the commoner women who applied through the general recruitment were tragically as expected.

Even former female knights sometimes had their faces contort when they saw me, so it's not surprising.

Although it was expected, I didn't want Rira to see how other women perceived me. I hoped my expectations would be wrong this time.

Rira's concerned gaze made me feel even more uncomfortable.

"It's just like always. I'm used to it, so don't worry... hehe... hehehe."

"Everyone is too misled by appearances! If they talk to you, they'll see that Valerio is a kind person! Valerio, don't get used to this!"

"…Thank you."

I could tell Rira was genuinely angry, frowning and puffing her cheeks.

(She's getting so angry for my sake.)

An indescribable emotion welled up inside me. If I had to put a word to this feeling, it would be "moved" or "impressed." There was joy, surprise, and something that welled up even though I wasn't sad.

Because Rira was angry for me, I didn't feel as down as usual when I was feared.

Rira and I chose eight former female knights.

Three who both of us had a good impression of, two whom Rira said "seemed compatible with me," and three whom I thought were good.

Since the lady's maids, housemaids, and bodyguards would all work closely with Rira, compatibility with her was important.

However, the former female knights who applied this time had been retired for many years due to marriage or childbirth. Most were in their 30s or 40s, not in the same generation as Rira.

I chose three who were now the wives or widows of low-ranking nobles, all close in age to Rira. Since they hadn't been out of the knight's order for too long, I expected them to still have the skills to be bodyguards.

Moreover, I thought it would be good for Rira, who would be spending more time at home, to have servants of a similar age to talk to, even if it was a master-servant relationship. However, Rira didn't seem to like two of the three I chose. She didn't explicitly say "no," but her reasons for disliking them were vague.

Background checks were conducted for the eight chosen, just to be safe.

Since they were former female knights, they had undergone background checks when they became knights, but some had been out of the order for a long time, so it was a precaution.

The five women chosen by Rira and me had no issues at all.

However, the two women I alone thought were good, and whom Rira particularly disapproved of, were found to be unsuitable for the duke's household.

One was currently the wife of a low-ranking noble, but it was discovered that she was a relative of a family that was dissolved in a coup six years ago. She had left the knight's order six years ago for that reason. It's better to be cautious.

The other was now a widow, but she had a debt to a common man. There were concerns about her conduct, so we decided not to hire her.

The remaining one I chose had no issues.

At worst, her family life was not going well. She was on the verge of divorce and wanted to leave her home as soon as she got a job. Servants with families rent their own homes, but those without families can live on the premises. If she divorced and left her home, she could live in the servants' quarters on the estate.

Looking at the investigation results, I thought that Rira's words, "My judgment is never wrong," might not have been a joke. Even if she said it to lighten the mood, the results seemed to confirm it.

She has a pure character and noticed my change in attitude last time immediately, so she must be sensitive and delicate.

Initially, I planned to hire at least one exclusive lady's maid for Rira, and ideally, a total of three. However, we were able to hire a total of six female servants, twice the number I initially planned.

While it might be too many at once, since they all have families, they will commute from home. With this many people, we can also have rotating night shifts, ensuring Rira's safety even when she is alone at night.

We decided to observe their performance until Rira moves into the house after the marriage to determine who will be the bodyguard and exclusive lady's maid and who will be the housemaid.