They Won't Let Me Wear a Maid Uniform

"Two hours from now...? He's busy, isn't he...?"

"No, Julius-sama said he could meet you right away, but we commandeered those two hours."

"Huh?"

"Now then, Riko-sama. We only have two hours, so please come into your room and get ready."

"Huh? W-wait, I..."

"I wonder how much we can do in just two hours? A massage is a must."

"Choosing a dress will take time, too. Your skin is a little dry."

"Let's tidy up your hair a bit... What kind of makeup should we go for?"

"Waaaaait!?!?!"

Despite my futile resistance, they tossed me into the lovely room and stripped me of my clothes, while my screams echoed...

Two hours later―――

"Hehe, it looks lovely on you."

"Nngh...! ...It's all thanks to the attendants..."

Julius-san praised me in a gentle voice touched with sweetness, and a strange sound escaped me.

I'd begged them through tears to let me wear a maid uniform, but they refused, and we somehow settled on a simple sky-blue dress. Since I wear pants one hundred percent of the time, the fluttery hem made me feel very uncomfortable.

They skillfully trimmed my damaged hair, then loosely braided it. I politely declined a hair ornament.

(Someone who's about to start working has been all dolled up like this... Even someone as kind as Julius-san might think I'm getting carried away...!?)

"A-um, actually, I think there was some sort of misunderstanding. My room is incredibly fancy, and the attendants are looking after me like I'm a young lady...!!"

At my words, Julius-san stared back at me with a puzzled expression. I thought he was older than me, but this expression made him look a little younger and cute.

(Did he not understand? Um, maybe I should put it more simply...)

"I-I came here to work, but they won't let me wear a maid uniform, and they won't even let me go to the servants' quarters!!!"

Once I put it that plainly, Julius-san blinked slowly, then his shoulders began to shake as he laughed.

"Heh heh... You'd look good in a maid uniform, too, but I prefer what you're wearing now. Besides, you don't need to go to the servants' quarters."

Julius-san, still smiling, took me by the hand and led me to a chair. Delicious-looking sandwiches and cupcakes were arranged on a white wrought-iron table.

"First of all, I have no intention of making you work here."

"Huh?"

I hadn't been hired. I was unemployed.

(So they're just letting me stay here, and I'll have to find a job on my own...

And eventually, I'll have to find a place of my own or they'll kick me out...)

"I don't know what you're thinking, but I think you've got it wrong."

"You're an honored guest of House Ashford... someone we're welcoming with the utmost care."

"Of course, as befits a ducal house, we'll provide you with the finest food, clothing, and lodging indefinitely, my lady."

"M-my la...?!"

With a fluid, graceful motion, Julius-san brought my hand to his lips and lightly kissed it.

His sudden action made my face, which had gone pale just moments ago, turn bright red. The heat in my hand felt like it might set my whole body on fire.

"B-but I can't give you anything in return!"

"I can't cook without my smartphone to look up recipes, I don't know how to make things from my world, and I don't know enough to suggest things like health insurance or schools. I can't pull off any modern-knowledge cheat stuff!!!"

In my panic, I rattled all this off in a rush. Julius-san's eyes widened in surprise, then softened. He gently stroked my head, careful not to undo my braid.

"...You don't have to give anything back, Riko. I'm not expecting anything in return."

"Huh..."

"Since we dragged you into this through no fault of your own, it's the official policy of the Kingdom of Viene to protect you and guarantee your livelihood. It would be a disgrace to the kingdom to abandon you just because you don't have some conveniently useful ability, wouldn't it?"

His voice was gentle, yet carried an unwavering conviction.

"Being able to live here in good health, with everything you need—that's the kingdom's natural responsibility, and your right."

Her words resonated gently in my ears.

"My... right..."

As I murmured in a daze, all the cold-hearted isekai tropes I'd read came rushing through my mind.

(I won't be abandoned just because I'm useless? They won't look down on me and kick me out? Or kill me?

I won't have to live on my own from now on, with no one to rely on...?)

The thought I'd carried deep in my heart all this time—that this world had no need for me because I wasn't the Saint—began to gently unravel.

The hollow in my chest filled with warmth, and before I knew it, my vision blurred and large tears came tumbling down.

"...Ah..."

"Riko..."

I wiped my eyes with my fingertips, but the tears kept streaming.

"N-no, that's not it... I don't want to cry... I'm just relieved... I..."

Between breaths that wouldn't quite become words, I forced out the anxiety I'd been carrying alone, unable to tell anyone.

"...Can I... live... in this world, too...? Is there... a place for me here...?"

――Could someone like me, with no power at all, really be allowed to stay here?

In response to my trembling question, Julius-san gave me a gentle nod without the slightest hesitation.

"Of course. ...Riko, stay here."

"U-uuuu... Waaaaah...!"

The thread I'd kept taut to its limit snapped, and I could no longer stop the tears pouring out.

Gently held in his arms and surrounded by a soft, woodsy scent, I couldn't help clinging to his back.

As if melting away all my fear and loneliness in this strange world, I cried loudly like a child for a long, long time...

"――Have you calmed down, Riko?"

Before I knew it, I was sitting snugly on Julius-san's lap.

(Why!?!?)