Episode 184
<Epilogue>
Hello? My name is Amy.
I am a new maid who has not been at the Monlepe ducal house for very long!
Originally, I was a maid belonging to the Holy Temple, in charge of various chores at the Great Temple.
However, I ended up getting caught with a secret document I had hidden deep inside a drawer…….
“To think I would see such a vulgar collection of writings! Sister Amy must surely be possessed by a demon!”
A vulgar collection of writings!
I had simply written a 19+ novel about the world’s coldest Duke of Monlepe, who doesn’t realize he has fallen in love, and the Saintess who ran away to avoid such a Duke in his ‘denial-of-entering-fandom’ phase!
How delicious—no, how wonderful it was…….
Anyway, I was kicked out of the Great Temple.
I almost faced execution by burning, but I survived thanks to my capable older cousin.
And so, I became a maid at the Monlepe ducal house.
Of all places, the Monlepe ducal house!
No matter how thick-skinned I might be, even I had a conscience about working under the subject of a 19+ novel.
“Why here of all places? You could have put me in the Sunrise ducal house where you work. I heard you’re treated like a total VIP because you’re so capable.”
To be honest, I don’t really know exactly what my brother does at the Sunrise ducal house.
I heard something about him being a stable hand, but I don’t know how a stable hand could pull someone out from being burned at the stake and get them into the Monlepe ducal house, but it’s none of my business anyway.
My cousin, Jet, said:
“No, not there. Instead, there’s something you need to do at the Monlepe ducal house. If the Duke of Monlepe meets a noble whose face is unknown, be sure to let me know. There’s no way that person could have left like that……”
“Wow, are you asking me to act as a spy right now? I didn’t see you that way, Brother—”
“Then go get burned at the stake.”
From that day on, I became a spy.
Yes, in truth, I am a new maid and a spy.
I feel sorry for writing a 19+ novel and even acting as a spy, but what can I do. I have to survive first.
The Monlepe ducal house was a place so grand and beautiful that it was hard to believe it almost went bankrupt a long time ago.
Especially the training ground is the best.
Under the blazing sunlight, knights with bronze muscles dedicating themselves to training while shedding thick drops of sweat. Ahh…….
I went to the training ground every day to watch the knights.
Because of that, the head maid told me to stop playing around and get to work, assigning me the task of wiping the baby lizard statue in the center of the training ground.
This lizard is the legendary divine beast that helped the Duke of Monlepe and saved the declining ducal house 16 years ago, right?
“Legendary divine beast, please grant my wish.”
I prayed every morning while offering strawberries, just like the knights do.
Please, any knight is fine, just let one fall for me……. A man with bursting muscles would be even better…….
While doing that, I happened to overhear the knights’ conversation.
“The Duke is truly pitiable. To think he still hasn’t been able to forget the young lady of Count Erzébet……”
“That’s probably why he remains unmarried.”
Oh dear.
I had heard plenty about the family of Count Erzébet who died 9 years ago.
But I didn’t know he still hadn’t been able to forget Lady Erzébet.
In my next story, I should pair him with Lady Erzébet instead of the Saintess.
Then, perhaps the miraculous lizard divine beast will appreciate my sincerity and send down a handsome man with bursting muscles.
Eventually, I borrowed a full year’s salary to buy a portrait of Lady Erzébet from when she was alive.
Since I would need to know what she looked like to be able to write a realistic description!
Whether it was drawn by peeking secretly, the colors were faint and the outlines were blurred, but there was no problem in confirming the Lady’s image.
The problem was in my head.
“Huh, why does she look like the lizard statue?”
I haven’t told anyone, but I have one talent.
It’s that I am amazingly good at recognizing people.
No matter how much someone disguises themselves, I can see through to their identity through that person’s unique image.
However, no matter how much I looked and looked again, the Lady in the portrait was the lizard statue at the training ground itself.
It makes no sense, does it? A human being an animal itself.
If it were a beastman, which has been a hot topic since the exchange with beastmen opened a year ago, maybe, but how could such a thing make sense?
In the end, I concluded that the portrait I spent a whole year’s salary to buy was a fake.
I immediately reported the artist who sold the portrait and ended my idle life at the training ground.
“Lisa! I’ll wipe all the window frames here from now on!”
“Mr. Pan! I’ll take over the job of giving fodder in the stables starting today!”
Fortunately, the Monlepe ducal house was structured so that the more work you did, the more salary you received.
Everyone gave me extra work with pitying eyes, asking if I had fallen into debt.
It was around the time my life as an idle new maid was gradually turning into the life of a real maid…….
The incident happened on the day I was planning to go on a vacation for the first, very, extremely long time.
“I’m sorry, Amy, but you’ll have to go on vacation next time.”
At the head maid’s sudden declaration, I ended up dropping my luggage bag.
Of all things, why did this happen on the day of my vacation?
Was it caught that I secretly stole and ate the strawberries from the lizard statue because I was so hungry?
Or, was it caught that I offered a banana instead because there were no strawberries when I tried to put them back?
Or was it a problem that I hummed about it being a baldy while scrubbing the smooth head of the lizard statue?!
I definitely checked to make sure no one was around!
“An important guest is scheduled to visit soon, so we are very short-handed.”
“Sniff, sniff, sniff, what should I do? If I’m not there, there’s no one to take care of my sick younger sibling……”
“You’re an only child, aren’t you.”
“…….”
Thus, I was put into the task of welcoming the important guest.
I’ll watch to see just how important a guest it is that they would even cut off a maid’s vacation.
“Amy, isn’t it heavy? What are you doing standing there?”
“Oh, I’m coming, I’m coming!”
Before that, I have to carry these flower pots first…….
They are mysterious tulips shaped like stars, and apparently, one root is equivalent to my entire year’s salary.
To think 1 tulip = 1 Amy.
Just then, it became noisy outside.
Checking out the window, I saw the Duke and the knights heading out the main gate.
They must be going to greet that very ‘important guest.’
“Does it take you a million years just to bring one flower pot?”
Pan, the stable hand in charge of the same area, frowned and said something or other.
I let it go in one ear and out the other as I picked up a towel to wipe the pots.
To think even a stable hand was put into this task, they really must be short-handed.
But that wasn’t what was important.
Suddenly, I had an intuition that the ‘noble whose face is unknown’ my cousin mentioned might be this guest.
I’m the type whose intuitions like this are remarkably accurate.
How much did he say it was per piece of spy work?
I think it definitely exceeded a year’s salary.
“Mr. Pan, my younger sibling suddenly came down with a fatal illness, so I’ll be out for a moment.”
“What? Hey, you said you’re an only child—!”
I roughly stuffed the towel into my pocket and bolted toward the main gate.
Thinking about it now, I think I could have just waited at the mansion, but I don’t know why I ran off back then.
“Pant, pant……. What, where did everyone go? Grandma, have you seen the Monlepe knights?”
“They were heading toward the warp gate by the harbor.”
How much was the warp gate fee again……. Is it about 10 years’ worth of my salary?
Fortunately, the gate manager who recognized the maid uniform sent me to the harbor, saying, ‘The Duke must have left something behind, I suppose?’
Free things are the best!
But why are there so many people at the harbor today of all days?
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