Chapter 31 – She Is Cute

TL: Kay (kkrivulet)

“I’m glad you’re back, Your Grace.”

“While I was away, was there any problem with the castle?”

Cabellenus replied briefly and immediately took a step.

There was a line of people outside the castle waiting to welcome his return, but he was not particularly impressed.

Having arrived in Schwarhan earlier than expected, the fact that his time would be interrupted was just unpleasant.

“The heads of major aristocrats have come to celebrate Your Grace’s return.”

“They’re doing useless things.”

“I’m sure everyone wants to see Your Grace’s face and check your safety. You’ve been away for a long time after all.”

Cabellenus glanced at his deputy, Gazeff, who had read his innermost thoughts.

“The heads of the North are all stubborn people, so they won’t leave the castle until Your Grace meets with them. Since that’s the case, wouldn’t it be better to meet them quickly and then kick them out?”

“…….”

“Anyway, they are the heads of the families that support the North, so we can’t ignore them, and if you leave them here for no reason, a useless story may arise.”

Unless they hid Alicia somewhere, it would be virtually impossible for her presence to remain undiscovered.

Additionally, the fact that she came back with Cabellenus was inevitably enough to draw attention to her.

However, there was no reason to advance the timing.

Until Alicia got used to Schwarhan, her presence was better off undetected.

“The old men are useless and talk too much.”

“Everyone is anxious because they want to make you their son-in-law.”

Even though Cabellenus was of marriageable age, he still had no fiancée.

In some way, it was only natural that the influential people of Schwarhan were working hard to establish family ties with the unmarried Grand Duke. Under these circumstances, it was not beneficial for Alicia’s existence to stand out.

“……I can’t.”

Cabellenus sighed briefly.

“While Your Grace meets with the heads of the family, I will go and visit my aunt.”

“Yes. I’ll try to finish it as soon as possible.”

Gazeff laughed when he noticed Cabellenus’s worries.

For now, Alicia was in a pre-arranged room, so she did not have to be revealed to many people.

All the people next to her were trustworthy, but considering her, who would be tense in an unfamiliar environment, it would be better for a familiar person to stay by her side.

Gazeff gave a brief silent tribute to Cabellenus and then immediately turned to leave.

* * *

“Hello, my lady. I am Baroness Lylett Morco, the maid of honour who will be serving the lady from today. You can comfortably call me Mrs Morco.”

“Oh, yes, hello.”

“And, the names of these children are Shizuna and Shirin. As your exclusive maids, they will be with me to assist you.”

“I’m sure I have a lot of shortcomings, but I look forward to working with you.”

Alicia smiled awkwardly with her hands folded.

All the people, including a middle-aged woman who introduced herself as Mrs Morco and others, were favourable to Alicia, but Alicia had not forgotten her identity.

Although Gazeff told her that there were no slaves in Schwarhan, it was unavoidable to feel strange about this situation.

“My lady, you must lower your words to your subordinates.”

“What do you mean by subordinates?”

“I’ve heard everything from Gazeff, so you don’t have to be too nervous.”

‘Did she hear that I was a slave?’ 

Looking at Alicia with her eyes wide open, Mrs Morco chuckled. Rather than mocking her, she had a friendly look as if she was looking at her daughter.

“Do you know Sir Gazeff?”

“He’s my nephew.”

She felt relieved to hear that Mrs Morco knew someone she knew.

Alicia responded to her gaze with a more natural smile.

“Now that I look closely, I think you resemble Sir Gazeff a lot.”

“Gazeff’s mother and I are twin sisters. So Gazeff, too, is like a son to me.”

“I see.”

“You don’t have to be so afraid. Both Gazeff and I are on your side.”

“That’s…… it’s still a little strange.”

All Alicia had ever seen was Neinstein, and that was only the inside of the castle.

The endless view of the snowfields and the sheer size of the castle that seemed easy to get lost in could not erase the feeling of falling into an enormous kingdom.

“Come to think of it, this is your first trip, right? It must have been quite  difficult to come all this way to Schwarhan.”

“No. It wasn’t that hard.”

At Mrs Morco’s gesture, the maids helped Alicia take off her coat.

Alicia awkwardly allowed the maids to serve her.

“I’m glad to hear that, but the excitement of the trip comes after the tension is relieved. How about taking a hot spring bath while the servants unpack? The hot spring water of Schwarhan is so famous that His Majesty, the emperor, also praised it. Warming yourself in the bathwater with a glass of Pelee will make you feel much better.”

“A hot spring? What is that?”

“Oh, you may not know about hot springs since you’re from outside the country. Hot springs are hot water coming out of the ground.”

“Hot water comes out of the ground?”

“I’m not a geologist, so I don’t know the principle, but hot spring bathing is a culture loved by the noble ladies of Schwarhan. After bathing in a hot spring, your skin feels smoother than white jade. I’m sure you’ll fall in love with it once you experience it.”

Mrs Morco smiled kindly and approached Alicia.

She did not realise it when Mrs Morco was further away, but the middle-aged lady with soft brown hair was a head taller than Alicia.

“Mrs Morco is very tall.”

“I’ve never heard anything like that before. Most Schwarhan women are about this tall.”

“Is that so?”

“You have to be strong to survive the harsh weather. Most Schwarhan people have good physique. They are warriors who can carry one game while having a bow in their hands, regardless of whether they’re women, men, or old people.”

Mrs Morco laughed openly and put her hand on Alicia’s shoulder.

The eyes of Mrs Morco, which remained sharp even though she was smiling, was definitely a warrior’s.

“Thanks to you, I am now your maid of honour and escort.”

“You’re going to be my escort?”

“Yes, and that’s the same for those kids.”

The maids who made eye contact with her smiled.

The girls, who seemed to be Alicia’s age, were tall and slender, just like Mrs Morco.

“Is this place dangerous enough to need an escort?”

“It’s not that. On the contrary, this place with Your Grace is safer than anywhere else on the continent. Simply put, you can understand that it’s not really about something that will happen, but rather, being able to respond to something unexpected.”

Mrs Morco gently brushed Alicia’s shoulder, then grabbed her hand.

Mrs Morco’s hand was also quite large, which was a stark contrast to Alicia’s hand.

“Don’t worry too much. As long as I am with you, nothing will happen to you.”

“Thank you for taking care of me.”

The hand covered with calluses in the shape of a sword handle reminded her of a man.

Alicia recalled the face of Cabellenus that suddenly came to mind, with a smile on her lips.

*Knock, knock–*

“My lady, aunt, if you don’t mind, may I come in?”

“It looks like Gazeff is here, my lady. May I tell him to come inside?”

Mrs Morco asked for Alicia’s instructions in a soft tone.

“Oh, yes. Of course.”

Alicia nodded clumsily, and the maids opened the door right away.

“I’m here to make sure you’re comfortable, my lady.”

“I’m fine.”

Alicia answered softly with a relaxed face.

It was not the face she expected, but she was glad to see him again.

“You must have already greeted my aunt. She will continue to support you, so if you feel uncomfortable or need anything in the future, please tell my aunt, and she will take care of it neatly.”

“It’s an honour for me to serve you, my lady, so please do as Gazeff said and be comfortable with me. You can consider me as your hands and feet.”

Mrs Morco bowed once again to greet her in an elegant gesture.

“No. I’m more honoured to be with someone as beautiful as Mrs Morco.”

“Oh my lady, you’re a good talker. If you learn a little, you’ll be good at social activities.”

Mrs Morco’s eyes twinkled.

“Social activities?”

“Your Grace said you don’t need to do social activities, but you are in the position to do so. It would be good to learn basic etiquette. I’ll tell you about the qualities of a noble lady in the future.”

“I’m not a noble lady”

Alicia shook her head urgently, but Mrs Morco did not seem to care much.

“But it would be better to learn it in advance. If you become a noble lady, you will have a lot of work to do, and you won’t have time to learn basic education.”

“But…….”

Alicia shuddered.

A slave, the lowest-ranking citizens, could not become a noble lady.

It was meaningless to learn the skills of a noble lady.

“By any chance, do you not want to learn?”

“No. I like learning about things. But you know, about my position.”

“Don’t worry, I’m a very tight-lipped person.”

[T/N: A ‘tight-lipped’ person is someone who is not willing to speak about something. Mrs Morco is saying that she will not tell other people about Alicia’s ‘slave’ status.]

“…….”

“Or, maybe you should learn it once, and if you really don’t think it’s going to work, please tell me then. It’s a shame to give up without trying it from the beginning.”

Alicia hesitated and eventually nodded at Mrs Morco, who tenderly touched her back as if she was cheering for her.

For Alicia, who had just learned the joy of learning, Mrs Morco’s offer was tempting.

“You thought about it well. Even if I look like this, I’m famous as a social studies teacher in Schwarhan. You won’t regret learning from me.”

“I wondered who Sir Gazeff, who was sweet and friendly, resembled. It turned out he must resemble Mrs Morco.”

“He’s sweet?”

Mrs Morco tilted his head as if she was puzzled.

“In fact, I’ve been taking lessons from Sir Gazeff before I came here. He taught me so well and spoke so kindly every time.”

“It’s probably because he’s a dog to the man in power.”

[T/N: Mrs Morco is likening Gazeff as the dog and Cabellenus as the master. :> Also emphasises how loyal Gazeff is to Cabellenus.]

“Aunt. You’re using a vulgar expression in front of the lady.”

Gazeff groaned and touched his forehead.

His aunt was one of the most elegant ladies in society, but she was also a knight who once shook the battlefield.

Perhaps because of the rough battlefield, there were times when she laughed casually and spat out harsh words.

“But isn’t that right?”

“That’s…….”

Gazeff reflexively glanced at Alicia.

Alicia, embarrassed by the strong expression, only blinked her eyes with her mouth slightly opened.

“My aunt must have surprised you.”

“You’re so surprised. My lady is so cute.”

“Pardon?”

“Aunt.”

Gazeff called Mrs Morco urgently.

“Okay. I got it. So, stop looking at me like that and just run an errand for men.”

“What kind of errand?”

“Instead of me, go to the Morco mansion. Go bring me some clothes that Lyrin hasn’t worn yet.”

“Why are you looking for Lyrin’s clothes?”

“I can’t believe it, but the lady’s stuck in between a bunch of guys, and she looks ridiculous. We need to prepare appropriately here in Schwarhan. Go now while the lady has a hot spring bath and come back quickly.”

Although Alicia’s dress was a fashionable design in the capital, in the keen eyes of Mrs Morocco she did not approve of it.

Even if Alicia wore a bunch of precious jewels and golden embroidery, it would not suit her at all.

Even if she wore a gorgeous dress with her pretty and modest face, it would only look awkward as if it were borrowed from someone else’s clothes, let alone pretty.

“……Do I look that bad?”

No one had ever criticised what she wore.

Alicia looked at Mrs Morco with a troubled face, but Mrs Morco only gave a gentle smile.

“No. My lady is not a problem at all.”

“But you just said that I look ridiculous.”

“You don’t have to worry too much. The problem is not with you but the poor aesthetics of the men. They don’t know that you have to wear clothes according to the characteristics of the person wearing them.”

“Poor aesthetics…….”

Alicia, who unconsciously repeated Mrs Morco’s words, paused and smiled awkwardly.

“Don’t worry. As long as I’m your maid of honour, there won’t be any more mishaps.”

Mrs Morco raised her chin with a graceful smile.

The fact that she had finally met Schwarhan’s mistress was more exciting than anything else.

T/N: I have to say Mrs Morco is so sweet and lovely! (I love her honesty and warm personality). I’m so glad we have another nice new character. Also stay excited to see how Mrs Morco will dress Alicia’s so that the clothes suits her better heheheh.