Chapter 7

As Pierre was making the final checks for dinner, going back and forth between the kitchen and the dining room, he was caught by Dior.

"How is Rize? Can she come out to the dining room?"

"She seems fine. However, she keeps apologizing. She said she could help with peeling vegetables."

The serious Dior frowned and said, "What is that?"

"It seems that the sense of business has deeply ingrained in her. She feels guilty about eating without working."

Dior murmured, "I see."

"Does she need a job?"

"Yes."

Pierre's master, who usually did not do things to please others, was not bad at reading the situation.

"Thank you. You may go."

Pierre bowed slightly and returned to his urgent task.

***

An hour later, I was led to the dining room by Pierre.

The Duke was already seated and waiting, which made me jump.

... Talking to him won't get me executed, right?

"Rize, did you sleep well last night?"

I nodded, trembling.

"That's good. Eventually, your family might ask you to come back, but ignore them all and wait for my instructions. Do you understand?"

I turned pale, thinking of my parents.

Come to think of it, I came here without saying anything. If they find out I'm slacking off and eating delicious food here, they might get angry.

"Your answer?"

"Y-Yes."

The Duke narrowed his eyes slightly, looking a bit displeased.

"From now on, my word is absolute. Even your family must not take precedence over my orders."

"S-Such a thing..."

He sounds like a tyrant!

Perhaps my small resistance was conveyed, as the Duke's face became even more intimidating.

"I won't allow any backtalk. If you don't follow my orders, you will be severely punished."

"Y-Yes!"

"You may eat this if you understand."

A large piece of steak was brought to my seat.

Ugh... The Duke is scary, but I want to eat the meat.

Driven by my desire for the meat, I quickly took a bite.

"～～～～～～!"

What is this? I've never had such tender beef!

The Duke, who was watching me eat intently from across the table, asked, "Is it good?"

"Amazingly good!"

"I see. Eat until you're full."

I inadvertently met his gaze and stared back at him.

This person, despite his extremely uninterested attitude, might actually be a good person...

After all, no one around me has ever given me such delicious food.

"Ah... Thank you..."

I was afraid that if I spoke first, I might be bitten. I nervously thanked him, and the Duke, with an uninterested look, replied, "Don't worry about it," and returned to his meal.

The Duke looks scary, but he doesn't seem like the type to bite.

Perhaps because I was thinking strange thoughts, the Duke suddenly said,

"Do you dislike dogs?"

I jumped again.

"Huh...?"

"I'm asking if you have any aversion to large dogs."

"N-No, I like most animals... as long as they don't bite."

"They won't bite, but there is one that is a bit mischievous."

"R-Really!?"

Wow, I really want to see it! I couldn't keep a big dog at home, but I actually like them.

"Hmm. Then I'll give you a job. You need to work to pay for the food you eat."

"Y-Yes, of course."

My mother always said, "If you want to eat, you have to work," so I nodded without hesitation.

"Starting tomorrow, you will be in charge of walking our Felirus. He's quite a troublemaker. It will be a challenge to take him for walks and play with him every day."

"Y-Yes!"

I sighed in relief. I was just thinking that I wanted to do something to show my gratitude.

Once I decided I would get a job, my mood improved, and I enjoyed my meal even more.

***

Meanwhile, at the Rivière Magic Tool Shop.

Rize's parents were in a bind, reading the letter sent by the Duke.

It stated, "After examination, a serious magical burn was observed in Rize, so she will be temporarily taken into custody."

This was a problem for them.

They were supposed to prepare the materials today, but a large amount of unprocessed materials remained.

"What do we do? Thanks to Artemisia, our orders have skyrocketed, and this is a crucial time..."

The Rivière Magic Tool Shop was recording its highest sales ever.

With this much, they could semi-retire immediately and live a life of leisure. They planned to use Artemisia's connections to make one last big profit, then close the business, send Rize to a convent, and live as nobles.

Unfortunately, Rize, who could only do odd jobs, would not be wanted by any noble. If they provided her with a dowry, it would be a huge loss. It would be a waste of the money they had earned!

So they agreed to send her to a convent.

Then Rize dropped out.

Their plans were thrown into disarray.

"We have no choice but to start from scratch."

They hurriedly activated the magic for processing the materials. They had been relying on Rize for so long that they were unsure how to activate it.

They worked together for a while, but when they counted the finished items at lunchtime, they were far short of the required number.

"That's strange... Even Rize, the slacker, would finish everything by noon, no matter how long it took."

"Maybe she was slacking off. We need to pay more attention to quality from now on."

"Exactly."

By mid-afternoon, the severity of the situation became apparent.

At this rate, they wouldn't meet the deadline.

"Hey, this is bad. The magic thread spinning isn't progressing at all!"

"It's just a matter of getting used to it. Even Rize, who was only half-trained, could do it. The speed will improve eventually."

"That's true..."

They spent the whole day on odd jobs.

"This is strange... It's not progressing at all."

"What's going on?"

They tried to calm themselves, telling themselves they still had time.

Three days later—

"It's no good, it's not progressing at all!"

"We can't keep doing odd jobs... The first deadline is right around the corner, and the next ones are coming up fast."

"Let's buy the materials to make up for it."

They rushed to buy the materials, but they couldn't get the required amount, and the prices were so high that they incurred a loss.

"Well, it can't be helped. We have no choice this time. Let's process and finish them..."

The Rivière Magic Tool Shop had been supported by the couple's craftsmanship.

Their skills determined the quality of the products.

However, they failed in more than half of the processing.

"Damn! Another failure! And we're out of materials!"

"This is strange... Why can't we do it properly?"

"It's just too difficult! You keep giving me subpar materials!"

After venting their frustration over the poor quality of the materials,

Their hatred turned towards Rize.

"Hey, why hasn't Rize come back yet? She's been absent for three days! Unbelievable slacker!"

"Complaining about a magical burn. It's a path every craftsman goes through."

"Exactly. If a worker took time off for odd jobs due to a magical burn, they'd be fired immediately! She's just being lazy!"

"We need to bring her back!"

Thus, they decided to go to the Duke's house to lodge a complaint.