Chapter 67

The eradication of the criminal organization was something I, who had been stopped by my aides, was thinking about as I greeted the morning.

Did I look that angry?

Maybe it was a mistake to talk as if I was going to take the lead myself.

"It's time to rise, First Prince."

"Good morning, Nomariola."

I had already sat up in bed before the maid spoke to me.

When I responded, she immediately prepared the grooming tools and left the room.

Nomariola is a maid who was dispatched at the same time as Wald.

She has dark red hair that looks almost black in dim light and blue eyes.

She is a maid provided by Her Highness and is likely a noblewoman with ties to the Lukaieos family.

At first, three were to be sent, but I made a somewhat pitiful excuse to Her Highness that I wasn't used to women and got it reduced to one.

(Sephirah Sefirot, how is Nomariola doing?)

While I washed my face and changed clothes, I used Sephirah to monitor her, taking advantage of the fact that she couldn't see me.

I showed my true self because Wald also confirmed it was safe.

There isn't enough evidence yet with Nomariola.

Actually, she's less active than Wald, making it hard to judge.

(I am on standby in the red room as instructed. I prepare meals and baths on time.)

(There's also the matter of the criminal guild, so I want to eliminate any sources of concern now. Has she had any contact with anyone?)

(I record the daily tasks and any visitors. If anything unusual happens, I write it down. I then hand it over to the attendant of the princess, who is connected to the Lukaieos family. The attendant doesn't pass it to the princess but sends it to the private residence of Duke Lukaieos.)

(Are there things to write about even though she's mostly confined to the red room? Is that the only contact? What about other maids?)

Wald comes from the finance department every day, so he also interacts with people there.

However, according to Sephirah's observations, he only hears about the harsh competition for advancement in the palace, as he is assigned to a less important position.

(No. Apart from contacting the attendant on the way back, she has minimal interaction with the left-wing building staff.)

I hope it's just within the palace.

Wald seems to have friends he goes drinking with outside of work.

Nomariola, who performs her duties methodically, never complains or expresses dissatisfaction about being my maid.

Actually, she hardly talks more than necessary.

This doesn't change even when she meets people from the Lukaieos family.

She seems to be a very cool girl.

"Nomariola, are you getting used to the work here?"

Since there's no reason to let her go, I decided to ask her directly.

Yeah, I might be a bit impatient because I really want to take down the criminal guild.

The location is the blue room, where Ikt and I are inside.

"Yes, thanks to the First Prince."

"Even though I haven't done anything."

I can dress myself, and my meals are just served and cleared, with minimal contact with me.

I feel a bit guilty for confining her to the red room, where she might be bored.

I also noticed that Nomariola avoids eye contact when responding to me.

This is a common practice for servants, but she is a maid.

(Given her status as a maid, which is higher than a servant, it seems the Lukaieos family sent someone from a less important position. Right?)

For example, Levain is a trusted retainer of the Strategus Marquis, who even apologized for him.

If he wanted, Levain could have taken the blame alone, and I wouldn't owe him anything.

Nomariola is unresponsive even when called.

Yeah, the time to observe her reaction is over.

There was a real assassination attempt, so it's better to act directly rather than play it safe.

"Why did you come to me, Nomariola?"

"Because Duke Lukaieos ordered me to report all suspicious activities of the First Prince."

She answered straightforwardly.

"Is it okay to say that? Won't you get in trouble, Nomariola?"

"To remove me, the First Prince needs a good reason. However, if you don't like being watched, Duke Lukaieos will reward me and send a more suitable person."

"So, it's better for me to keep you as my maid? That's a very convincing pitch."

I was impressed, and Nomariola's expression finally changed.

"Are you not seeking loyalty?"

"Without a reason to swear loyalty, what's the point? Besides, you don't seem to have sworn loyalty to the Duke either."

Misunderstandings are a problem, and the bad reputation surrounding me seems to stem from that.

Duke Lukaieos uses people if they are useful and spreads false rumors about me.

However, the nobles around him are the ones who start the rumors, and Duke Lukaieos can cut ties with them without any damage.

That's why he tried to defame me with Terry and incite others to frame me with Fel.

"Maybe it's a family connection, but if you're not dissatisfied with your current situation, then..."

"It's for the money."

She firmly stated that she works as a spy for Duke Lukaieos for the money, as if to contradict my words.

Her gaze remained lowered, but I sensed a strong denial of wanting to be seen as working for the family.

"Are you in financial trouble? Hmm, if you leak some information about Duke Lukaieos' movements, I can pay you for it. Can you tell me why you need the money?"

"I'll tell you."

Wow, a surprisingly positive response.

I thought she was cool, but it seems she just wasn't interested in me or my surroundings.

"My mother was the third wife of the Garadiola Earl and gave birth to my sister and me, but she died after childbirth due to poor health. The current Earl's wife is the fourth, and she has a son, which makes our value very low."

It's a complicated story, but I understand why she doesn't want to be seen as working for the Garadiola family.

Also, many women die in childbirth.

Even with magic, childbirth is a difficult task.

"My sister has a weak constitution. However, we don't receive proper treatment fees, so I work to cover the costs. I was originally a palace servant, and I became a maid here at the request of Duke Lukaieos."

I thought she was already connected to the Lukaieos family, but it seems Her Highness chose someone unrelated.

However, it appears her family is already involved.

"All I want is money. I will do any job that comes with a reward."

"Right now, you get a maid's salary and information fees from Duke Lukaieos. If you give me information, I'll pay you as well."

"How much for this information?"

Oh, she's sharp.

And her blue eyes are serious.

"I don't have cash on hand. Ah, if I give you Dink wine, can you exchange it for money?"

"Your Highness, that might be a problem."

Ikt stopped me.

Nomariola was also taken aback.

"I will review the information and determine the appropriate compensation. Payment can be made after verification, right?"

"Please pay half in advance. The part for the initial review is considered work done."

"That makes sense. What do you think, Your Highness?"

"Sure, that's fine."

With my agreement, Ikt presented twenty silver coins.

If this is the advance, the total is forty silver coins?

In the empire, twenty-four silver coins equal one gold coin, and four hundred and eighty copper coins equal one silver coin.

This difference is due to the large gap in the amounts used by commoners and nobles.

In fact, the coins used are different.

So, this information is worth about forty silver coins, but not as much as two gold coins.

"Ah, Dink wine is worth ten gold coins."

"That's true, but selling the popular Dink wine as a single woman could attract thieves."

"Really? That's scary. I'm sorry, Nomariola."

"I-I'm fine."

Her expression is usually expressionless, but her voice wavered.

She's not completely emotionless or purely calculating.

If money and family are important to her, she won't fabricate information or try to pry unnecessarily.

"Good, I'm glad you're here. I look forward to working with you."

When I thanked her again, Nomariola was surprised and wide-eyed.

Regular update

Next: Cool Maid 2