Chapter 9
"Yaaawn."
In the quiet study, his maid let out a yawn with no regard for propriety.
As a maid in a noble household, it was improper behavior, but Theo didn't mind that much.
It wasn't as though this woman had ever cared what he thought...
The real problem was...
'Why am I still stuck with her by my side?'
Edel's attendance, which Theo had expected to last just one day, had now continued for three.
On the second day, Theo went straight to the head maid to complain, but
'There are no other girls available, Master.'
It wasn't that the mansion was short on maids.
It was that the maids he'd chosen to spread rumors about him—Daisy, Mia, and Sully, whom he trusted—were unavailable.
'All three of them?'
'Yes.'
'Daisy, Mia, and even Sully? All of them?'
'Daisy took leave because of a family matter, and Mia is in bed with a bad case of the flu.'
'...What about Sully?'
'Sully injured her leg while cleaning yesterday...'
For all three of them to end up like that at the same time, as if they'd planned it...
Theo was dumbfounded, but he couldn't force the girls to come in when they were sick or had their own circumstances, so he told the head maid not to send anyone into his study,
'Master, you don't need to worry. Edel is a trustworthy girl.'
The head maid, smiling, seemed to trust Edel quite a bit, and in the end, Edel stayed by his side.
'How on earth did she fool the head maid?'
Since the head maid had been Theo's nanny since he was little, he knew how meticulous and strict she was about everything.
Especially when it came to judging people, even Theo had to admire her caution.
And yet... to win that woman's trust in such a short time...
'She's a terrifying woman.'
But today, she was quiet. In fact, ever since then, she hadn't asked him to hug her or anything, so Theo was able to focus on his work in peace, without getting stressed,
"Then I'll take my leave, Master."
"R-right."
He was able to end the day quietly, just like before.
'What on earth is she thinking?'
Had she given up?
That would be a relief, but if she had, why would a woman like her keep working as a maid?
Or perhaps she had some other plan...
"Don't tell me..."
A sudden thought flashed through Theo's mind.
Theo returned to his room, hurried to his study, and pulled out a book.
[Today, I Become a Noble]
For some reason, the book had been sitting on a shelf in his study for as long as he could remember.
It was a romance novel that had once been popular among nobles, about a commoner heroine seducing a nobleman.
Flip. Theo opened the book and soon found the passage he was looking for.
[Why didn't you come see me today?]
[I was busy.]
[Liar. The shop was quiet.]
[...You came by?]
[Have you found another man?]
[Were we ever in love? You... ]
[I love you! I finally understand how I feel. I thought I was going crazy when I couldn't see you today.]
[I-I love you, too!]
Squeeze!
At the same time, the heroine threw her arms around the male lead and smiled slyly.
Because this man—the male lead—wasn't the male lead.
He was merely a stepping stone for the heroine to meet a man with even greater power.
"It's disgusting no matter how many times I read it!"
Unlike his irritable tone, Theo gently returned the book to the shelf so as not to damage it.
'Anyway, that woman is definitely planning to use the same tactic.'
The maid who'd begged him for a hug every day since the moment they'd met had suddenly gone silent, even though they'd been alone together for two days.
It would be strange for her to keep working as a maid if she'd given up.
It's obvious. That maid is waiting.
Waiting for Theo to show her interest first.
'I've already figured out exactly what you're up to.'
Even if she had set a trap, it would be useless if he saw through it beforehand.
And even if he hadn't noticed, there was a reason this plan could never succeed.
'I don't like that woman.'
In the novel, things had happened because the man was attracted to the heroine, but Theo wasn't.
Theo didn't like a maid named Edel.
'I'll keep ignoring her from now on.'
Eventually, she'd grow tired of it and start begging him again, but at least until she gave up, he could enjoy some quiet days...
…
…
…
Whether or not things went as Theo expected, Edel said nothing to him the next day, or the day after that.
She just kept yawning, as if she were terribly tired.
Of course, other nobles might have scolded her for her attitude, but Theo said nothing, whether she yawned or did anything else.
'I will not give her any attention.'
He was ignoring her with that one determination in his heart.
Another day passed, and on the sixth day of Edel staying by Theo's side,
Edel spoke to him.
"Um, Master."
'Hah, has she already given up?'
Seeing Edel speak to him with a less tired-looking expression filled him with satisfaction.
In the end, she'd given up, and he'd won.
"What is it?"
He couldn't let his guard down until the very end, so without even looking at her, he answered curtly, his gaze fixed on the documents.
But even though it was obvious her plan had failed, Edel didn't sound frustrated.
Rather, in a cheerful voice,
"Would you like to play a game with me?"
Wasn't that a strange proposal?
"No."
"Come on. If you beat me, I'll grant you anything you want."
Surprised by her words, Theo turned to look at Edel, but her eyes seemed sincere.
"What's the game?"
"Don't you want to hear what I'll ask for if I win?"
"No need. It'll be..."
'She'll ask me to hug her. As if that's going to happen.'
He hadn't decided to play no matter what.
He could hear the rules first, then agree if he thought he could win.
"Hehe, all right. Then I'll make it a wish, too?"
"...I didn't say I'd definitely play."
Their eyes met for a moment, and Theo immediately turned away, speaking curtly.
It was because he felt his face might flush after looking directly at her for the first time in a while.
"Here's the game!"
Edel took a small pebble and some little cups from her clothes and held them out.
Then she turned three cups upside down on the desk, put the pebble under one of them, and...
Swish, swish.
"When I stop after moving them around like this, you have to guess where the pebble is! Easy..."
"I'll do it."
"What?"
Maybe she hadn't expected him to agree so quickly, because Edel's already-large eyes widened as she looked at Theo in puzzlement,
"I said I'll do it."
"Then..."
"But first."
Theo reached out, took the pebble, and used a pen beside him to engrave his name on it.
It was to prevent her from switching out the pebble partway through.
Edel seemed a little flustered when she saw him do that, but only for a moment. She took the pebble with Theo's name carved into it, picked up the second cup, put it inside, then placed both hands over the cups.
"All right, then I'll start right away?"
"Go ahead."
The pebble disappeared beneath one of the cups, and at the same time, Edel's hands began to move quickly.
'I see... She's fairly quick.'
She was moving fast enough that an ordinary person would surely lose track of the pebble in no time.
She was quick enough to explain why Edel had proposed this wager.
But Theo was no ordinary person.
'She pretended to put it under a cup at the start, then hid the pebble in her right sleeve.'
It was a trick, but Edel had only asked him to guess where it was; she hadn't said it would be under one of the three cups.
It was a play on words, but Theo didn't care.
The match was already over anyway.
Besides, when Edel's trick was exposed, she'd be embarrassed, which would make this even better.
Swish, swish.
"All right! Take a guess!"
The cups had stopped moving before he knew it, and Edel asked Theo with a confident expression.
"Your right sleeve."
Theo was just as confident as he pointed at her arm, and Edel's eyes showed clear signs of confusion as she looked at his outstretched finger.
Certain he had won, Theo began to smile...
Swish.
"It's right here, though?"
"What?!"
The pebble was there. Inside the second cup Edel had lifted...
"You switched it!"
"What?!"
Theo reached out and picked up the pebble.
The name he'd definitely carved into it... was...
There it was. Theo's name was clearly written on the pebble in his own handwriting.
"S-show me your hand—roll up your right sleeve!"
"Umm, here!"
Edel looked a little displeased, but obediently rolled her sleeve up a little as Theo had asked, then even shook it out.
"That... can't be."
"Are you really not going to admit defeat?"
"..."
Theo couldn't say anything, and at his reaction, Edel let a faint smile tug at her lips,
"That's a little... pathetic."
"Ghk!"
She drove a dagger straight into Theo's heart.
'How is this possible?'
He'd clearly seen her hide the pebble in her right sleeve, but in the end, it was under a cup.
Even if she'd used a trick, he hadn't noticed it.
It was a complete defeat.
Theo decided to admit it cleanly.
"What do you want?"
"Hmm, well..."
Edel, her face brightening, drew out the moment. Theo didn't like that, but as the loser, he silently waited for her to speak.
'She's going to ask me to hug her anyway.'
But there was no problem.
He could just give her a quick hug and be done with it.
Even if she meant something more intimate, he could simply joke, 'Didn't you mean you wanted a hug?' and she'd have nothing to say.
The important thing was speed. Before she could add any unnecessary details to her wish...
'No, I'll just hug her right now!'
Theo immediately stood up,
"Tomorrow, would you..."
Edel began to say her wish, but he suddenly threw his arms around her,
"...go to town with me."
"What?!"
The moment he heard the rest of Edel's words in a tiny voice, Theo let out a scream and pulled away from her.
Perhaps Edel was flustered too, because her face was bright red as she said,
"...I was asking you to go to town with me."
She murmured her wish.
'Town? Does she mean the part of the village with all the shops?... No, more importantly!'
"It's a misunderstanding!"
He wasn't sure what exactly had been misunderstood, but...
Unlike Theo, who was flustered out of his mind,
"It's okay. Since I've been asking you all the time, I can see how you might misunderstand."
Fortunately, she seemed to understand.
'Phew, is that a relief...?'
As Theo relaxed, he suddenly felt something strange.
Of course, it was a situation that could easily fluster him, but what he felt seemed stronger than simple embarrassment.
And the reason was probably...
'Why is she so embarrassed?'
Edel's face was bright red, and she was fidgeting in a way unlike her usual self. Didn't it look as though he'd done something indecent to her?!
'That's ridiculous!'
This woman had been tempting and throwing herself at him every single day, so why was she blushing like an innocent maiden? It made no sense.
It had to be a strategy to make him think he had the upper hand, only to knock him down.
If so, he'd respond calmly!
"Your wish is to go to town together?"
"Ah, yes. Tomorrow's my day off."
"What's the purpose?"
"I just... wanted to spend some time with you?"
It was better than her openly suggesting something else, so Theo nodded.
"All right. A promise is a promise."
"...Yes. A promise is a promise."