Chapter 6

This is from Kei's perspective.

Exclusive maid.

It's not like she's a naughty maid or anything. Well, there are nobles who treat them that way, but in Arthur's case, of course, he's not thinking anything of the sort.

Generally, an exclusive maid is the pinnacle of maids, appointed by high-ranking nobles to the most trusted maid, entrusted with everything around them, and even allowed to use their name as a proxy in some cases.

However, not every maid has a chance to become an exclusive maid. Usually, it's for strengthening factions or for maids of noble birth who have been trusted and powerful since childhood. It's certainly not something a commoner, let alone a new maid like Kei, would become.

That's why Kei was confused by her sudden promotion. She had no recollection of the story about saving him, and her salary had more than quintupled from the day before. Confusion far outweighed her joy.

I knew that Lord Arthur was kinder than the rumors suggested, but why me as his exclusive maid...?

Arthur, unaware of her confusion, smiled contentedly, as if he had done a good deed, and then seemed to be lost in thought, reading an old, worn book. Kei had been allowed to read it too, but it was written in a language she didn't recognize, and when she said she didn't understand it, he looked disappointed.

"Lord Arthur, the tea is ready."

She called out to him, a bit nervous. Kei wasn't particularly outstanding as a maid. Though she was chosen as a castle maid despite being from a commoner background, there were many who could brew a better cup of tea than her.

"Thank you. I'll have it."

So... she watched Arthur take a sip of the tea, trembling a little, fearing he might say it was bad.

"It's quite different from usual..."

"I'm sorry. The tea leaves are the same, but there's a difference in brewing technique compared to Marianne... I'll brew a new one right away..."

She hurriedly apologized, and Arthur, surprised, widened his eyes and then smiled gently.

"No, I like the usual taste, but I also like the tea you brewed. Of course... of course, everyone is different, after all..."

"Lord Arthur...?"

He murmured as if deeply moved, but didn't respond. However, his serious expression as he pondered something important, unlike the rumors that he didn't care about the maids, made a different impression on her.

Until then, she had been so nervous in his presence that she felt suffocated, but now she found him approachable...

"Huff, I was so nervous... but he was kind."

The first day as an exclusive maid was finally over. Kei was recalling the day in the servants' changing room. She had been a bit wary, thinking there might be a catch or that he would ask her to do something unreasonable, but the work was the same as usual, if not easier, because she wasn't being given extra tasks by senior maids.

"Lord Arthur isn't the type to do unreasonable things, after all..."

Though their relationship was still short, on reflection, he seemed naive and sometimes got angry. But he would understand if you explained the reason, and he wouldn't hold a grudge.

Some maids who had upset him had been dismissed, but it was rumored that it was the work of nobles who wanted his attention, not him.

He may be detached from the world and hard to understand, but he might be a better person than I thought. He seems to have become kinder recently.

Kei, stroking the hand that had been healed, was changing in the servants' room, thinking about these things.

"Kei... do you have a moment?"

Answering Marianne, another maid, Kei replied nervously. Though a colleague, Marianne was a noble's daughter, around the same age as Kei, and served as a trainer, almost like a head maid.

She was strict with everyone, and Kei had been pushed hard. In return, she was strict with herself and was highly skilled. Kei remembered how different the tea she brewed tasted, even though they used the same leaves.

Recently, Marianne had been particularly enthusiastic about serving Arthur, to the point where rumors were circulating that she was aiming to become the exclusive maid.

That's why, after Kei was chosen as the exclusive maid, other maids had warned her to be careful of Marianne.

"Did you take good care of Lord Arthur? I won't forgive any rudeness."

"Of course, I did!!"

"Good, and you didn't fail at brewing the tea, right?"

Thinking back to the events of the day, she hesitated for a moment and was glared at. It's okay, Lord Arthur was pleased...

She reassured herself.

"No problems at all!!"

"Good... but, by the way, you don't intend to sleep in your own room, do you?"

"What? I do intend to..."

"Haaaaa..."

Marianne sighed dramatically. Kei wondered if she had done something wrong, and Marianne said, as if it couldn't be helped.

"You know, a commoner like you was chosen as the exclusive maid. Do you understand what that means? You're expected to serve him at night, too."

"But... Lord Arthur said I don't have to do that!!"

She asked, trembling, thinking that was what he wanted, but he was surprised and said, "Just being with me is enough."

When she explained this to Marianne, she sighed deeply again.

"That's just a formality. As an exclusive maid, you need to read between the lines. He's a chosen one, different from us ordinary people. But... it might be a burden for him. That's why he might have chosen a naive commoner like you as his exclusive maid."

Marianne looked at the direction of Arthur's room with a melancholy, worried expression. Of course, Arthur wasn't thinking about any of this and didn't even realize he was being treated specially, but Marianne didn't know that.

"I remember hearing a rumor that Lord Arthur's mother was a commoner. Maybe he sees his mother in you."

"Me as his mother...?"

Kei tried to deny it, but then she remembered his attitude. For example, he was surprised when she asked if he wanted something naughty, and he drank the not-so-delicious tea with a happy expression. Maybe the word "gratitude" reminded him of his mother. Thinking about it, Arthur's behavior made more sense.

But... is that really it? Kei internally questioned herself.

"Surely not. Even if he does, I don't know what to do..."

"That's not true. You just need to pamper Lord Arthur. And there's also baby play..."

"Baby play...?"

Hearing the unfamiliar term, she asked, and Marianne, blushing, explained various things.

"Fe-e-e-e..."

Kei let out a pitiful cry at the content. She had heard that some nobles had twisted hobbies, but she never thought her master would be one of them. Arthur's reputation plummeted in her mind.

"So, here, I prepared this for you. Try your best."

Saying this, Marianne handed her a paper bag and returned to her room. Kei thought, "But... that's something you do with someone you like... or, I've never even had a boyfriend, let alone become a mother..."

Her head spun as she opened the paper bag. It was some kind of fabric...

"──!!"

It was a revealing, so-called "special" undergarment. She was supposed to use this to seduce him, right? And why did Marianne have such a thing? Is she a pervert...? Kei put it on reluctantly, feeling gloomy.

"Excuse me."

Reluctantly, Kei went to Arthur's room, trying to avoid creating a certain atmosphere. She didn't really want to go, but she had to because Marianne would be angry if she found out.

However, there was no response. It was like a corpse. No, if it were a corpse, it would be a big problem.

"He must be sleeping. I should just go back."

Relieved, she instinctively checked the door lock, and it opened with a creak.

Oh... this must be it...

Kei cursed herself for not leaving after knocking and entered Arthur's room. She heard a groan and, though she flinched, she heard Arthur lying on the bed, looking pained and saying something.

"Lord Arthur...?"

"Ugh... it hurts... I'm sorry... but I didn't know what to do. I didn't know what to do..."

He must be having a nightmare, apologizing to someone, looking pained and distressed. Seeing this, she remembered how her sister used to look when she had nightmares, and Marianne's words about him wanting to be pampered.

Without thinking, she held his hand and spoke gently, as if to a child.

"It's okay. I forgive you. If you don't know what to do, just ask someone. If you can't ask someone, ask me. If I don't know, we can figure it out together."

She held his hand gently, remembering how she used to comfort her sister when she was in pain.

"..."

His groans gradually subsided, as if her words had reached him. Seeing this, she thought:

Lord Arthur seemed to be a person above the clouds, living in a privileged environment without any worries, but maybe that was a misunderstanding.

Just as he didn't know about us, maybe I didn't know enough about him.

Thinking this, she realized there must be some reason he chose her as his exclusive maid. While she didn't believe Marianne's theory about him seeing his mother in her, maybe he did want to be pampered. She remembered how happy he looked when he drank the not-so-delicious tea she brewed.

"I don't know what you're thinking or what you're dealing with. But if something happens, please rely on me. I am your exclusive maid, after all."

The words flowed naturally. She didn't know what he needed from her, but being relied on or pampered by him didn't seem like a bad thing to Kei.

"Well... I can't be a mother, but I can be a big sister. And I... actually wanted a little brother."

Though there was a bit of a misunderstanding, Kei opened her heart to Arthur.

Kei became Arthur's big sister...

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