“Can I ask you something, Lainie? Do you ever feel like you want to get back at Ilia?” I asked. “Huh? What are you talking about, Lady Anis?” she asked. She seemed briefly confused, then gave me a look of both annoyance and disbelief. As her secretary, Lainie was almost always by Euphie’s side, and I seldom had an opportunity to talk to her. That was precisely why I couldn’t let this chance slip by. No matter how cold her gaze was, I wasn’t about to back down. I wouldn’t! “When I heard you wanted to talk, I thought it would be about something serious…,” she scolded me. “It is serious. So you’ve never felt that way?” “I don’t think so… Besides, what would I need to get back at her for? I don’t recall her doing anything that would make me want to retaliate against her,” she answered, tilting her head as she pondered my question. I clenched my fists. This problem had been plaguing me for a while now, and I desperately needed her as an ally if I was to solve it! As such, it was important we speak honestly here, so we could understand each other’s thoughts without falsehood or pretense. “I mean, don’t you ever feel like she’s got you wrapped around her little finger?!” “Bwah!” Lainie burst out with such force it almost sounded like a fit of coughing. Once she had her breathing under control again, she stared at me like I was full of nonsense. It was a rare expression from her. “Can I go now?” she asked. “Not yet! Come on, Lainie! You have to have felt that way at least once or twice, right?!” I clung to her, unable to let go. Her demeanor became extremely cold. “…Did Lady Euphyllia do something to you again?” “Wh-what?! Th-this isn’t about me!” “Then why are you bringing this up?” “I was just curious…” “Could you at least look me in the eye when you say that?” Her expression was terrifying… Yes, the reason I went out of my way to consult Lainie did indeed have to do with Euphie. Euphie and I were in love. I cared about her more than anything else in the world and respected her more than anyone. I adored her. But however I felt, we still had to maintain an appropriate distance. In other words, I didn’t think it was good for Euphie to coddle me so much! At this point, I could almost hear the sound of her mouth on me! My body couldn’t handle so much love! But at the same time, I couldn’t bring myself to tell her to stop. If she could just step back a little, I would be able to accept it normally. Right! The real problem was that Euphie was getting full of herself! She pushed too hard, leaving me no room to escape! I had to find a way to balance the scales, but I couldn’t tackle it alone. Lainie’s help was essential! “Come on, Lainie. You must have felt this way before!” “…Why do I have to tell you?” She looked away, her cheeks turning bright red. Neither of them showed it in front of me, but from what I gathered, Ilia positively doted on Lainie. On more than one occasion, Euphie had excitedly told me about how cute they were as a couple. From what I’d seen, Ilia was the sort of person who loved intensely. I knew she didn’t open up easily because of her past experiences, but she devoted everything to those she cared about. I didn’t want to say anything bad, given how many times she had saved my life, but I did sometimes worry about Lainie. In a way, I could relate to her. “See! You looked away! You know exactly what I’m talking about!” “I might have had an inkling…” “Why not join forces with me, then?” “You must realize how suspicious that seems…,” Lainie said warily, backing away slightly to put some distance between us. She was a good person with a gentle temperament. I hadn’t expected her to agree to join me immediately, but making my case was tougher than I thought. Still, I wasn’t about to relent, so I followed after her and took her hands in my own. “Are you sure, Lainie? There will be no end to it if we keep letting them do whatever you want! Do you really think either of us will be able to withstand them forever?” “…Well, um…” “Do you?!” Are you listening, Euphie? Ilia? You might not be here now, but I want you to hear this! Being loved is great! I couldn’t be happier! But there are limits to everything! Flowers will drown in too much water! And so will I! We had to push forward. If Lainie joined my side, the tides would turn. “You know what I mean. You don’t hate it, but there are times they do too much. But you can’t just tell her to stop, can you? Those two definitely know what they’re doing, don’t you think?!” “…I can’t deny that.” “Then we need to get back at them!” Lainie seemed unconvinced by my passionate argument. She groaned slightly in the back of her throat, then slumped forward with a sigh. “I feel like you’re dragging me into something I’d rather stay out of… But let’s say I did want to get her back—what can I actually do?” All right! I had her now! Now I had a real chance to win! “That’s what we’ve got to figure out! I know Ilia pretty well, and you’ve been spending a lot of time with Euphie, so let’s exchange ideas and come up with a solid plan of attack!” “This isn’t a personal grudge between you and Lady Ilia, is it, Lady Anis? I don’t want to get caught in the middle.” “Oh, come on! That isn’t the case at all!” It looked like Lainie could see right through me after all… It wasn’t like Ilia had just embarrassed me or anything! I was just trying to prove I had the dignity of a fully grown woman! “We’re allies, aren’t we, Lainie?” “…Haah… I don’t want you doing anything weird, so I suppose I should keep you company…” “Huh? Why do I feel like you think I’m a hopeless case…?” “That’s not true,” she said with a gentle smile. Was she treating me like a child? I wanted to think it was only my imagination… “So how exactly do you want to get back at them, Lady Anis?” “The same way she always gets at me! I want to see Euphie’s cute side! So I need to take the initiative!” “…” “Wh-why are you looking at me that way?” “Putting aside her ‘cute side,’ why can’t you take the initiative normally?” “You’re asking me that directly?!” How could she ask that with a straight face?! Did she think I wasn’t able to do it?! But Lainie rolled on. “To be honest, I think Lady Euphyllia would hand over the reins if you really pushed for it, Lady Anis,” she said. “You make it sound like I’m not pushing for it.” “Perhaps it’s more a case of…er…not being very good at it…” “What did you just say?!” “Perhaps you’re a pushover?” “Ugh?!” “So you are aware of it…” I can’t let her speak to me like that! Why is she coming after me…?! I wasn’t a pushover! I wasn’t…! “Wh-what about you, then, Lainie…?!” I said. “Me?” “I mean, your difficulties…with Ilia…,” I asked. Lainie’s expression gave way to an awkward smile. There was no negativity in her eyes—I could sense the happiness radiating from her as a warm, ticklish emotion. “Yes, Lady Ilia can be a handful at times. But I realize I have my own faults, too, so I can’t say I’ve ever felt dissatisfied…” “What faults?” “I can’t honestly accept the affection she shows me, and I know the fault lies with me.” “Ugh…!” “I take it you’ve realized that about yourself as well?” N-no…! …W-well, maybe I had. All right, there was no maybe about it… “…Okay, maybe I am to blame sometimes…,” I admitted. “But don’t you get scared? It feels like drowning.” “…Yes, it can, at times.” “So you understand? I mean, I know she loves me! But she doesn’t need to smother me all the time!” “It can be a lot to handle all at once…” Haah… We both let out deep sighs. It looked like we did feel the same way, at least on that score. “I’m glad Euphie loves me,” I said. “But I wonder if I’m capable of giving back the same amount…” “Well, I do want to do something for Lady Ilia,” Lainie admitted. “Exactly! So we need to fight back!” “I think that’s a very disappointing way to put it, Lady Anis…” “Disappointing?!” Was it me, or was Lainie being awfully harsh today?! Who was disappointed with whom?! “To be honest, I think it would be best just to be more straightforward…,” she said. “But that’s hard!” “…Yes, I know.” “That’s why we need to do something about it!” “I feel like we’re losing sight of our goal.” “To take the lead, you’ve got to catch your opponent off guard!” “Huh?” “I’ll come up with a surprise for Ilia from you, so you help me think of a way to surprise Euphie, okay?” “I’m not really trying to catch Lady Ilia off guard, though…” “Don’t you want to see what she looks like when she’s flustered or embarrassed?” I suggested. “…!” At last, Lainie gave me a very different kind of reaction. She did want it. I could almost hear her heart crying out. Yet it took Lainie a moment to voice those thoughts, closing her eyes and scrunching up her face. I don’t know how long she stayed like that, but eventually, she let out a deep sigh and gave me a sulky nod. “All right, all right… I’ll help you, Lady Anis.” “You ought to be more honest with yourself, Lainie. You can just say you want it.” “Lady Anis?” she said, breaking out into a smile and pulling my cheeks hard. “Ouch, ouch! You’ll tear my cheeks off!” Her smile was beautiful, but also intimidating. When at last she let go, it felt like she had stretched my cheeks. They really stung… I rubbed them with my hands to distract myself from the pain, when Lainie continued, “So, you were talking about surprising Lady Euphyllia?” “Yep…” “To catch her off guard, you’ll have to try something you wouldn’t normally do. Wouldn’t you say?” “Do you have something in mind?” “Hmm…” Lainie crossed her arms in thought, and the motion emphasized her chest in a cute way. It was no wonder she had so many secret admirers. Not that I expected her to get involved with anyone else, certainly not someone with ulterior motives. She pondered the question for a moment before answering. “You could actively seek affection from her, maybe?” “No! That would be missing the whole point of this!” Would I offer a sheep to a wolf? I wasn’t about to sacrifice myself! “I’m sure it would succeed in catching her by surprise,” Lainie said. “I didn’t mean like that! I want to mess with her a little!” “Haah…” “You think I’m being troublesome, don’t you?” “I said nothing of the sort.” Did she realize how insincere that sounded? “Well, what do you hope to achieve by messing with her, Lady Anis?” “I want to see her all flustered and confused.” “…I see?” Was it me, or was she looking at me like I was crazy? But she switched gears so quickly it might have been just my imagination. “…For example?” she asked. “Like if you pretended to dislike Lady Euphyllia and tried distancing yourself from her?” “Yeah.” “What would you do if she took you seriously and let you drift away?” “I—I don’t want that!” “I thought not. Okay… If you did do that, hypothetically…I think she would still end up dragging you around.” “Ugh… Yeah, she totally would…” Euphie didn’t know how to take a joke. Plus, she could be a bit of an airhead at times. And she was so serious that she might not understand what I was doing, which would make things incredibly awkward… “I don’t think it’s a good idea to play games with Lady Euphyllia,” Lainie warned. “You’re telling me to be more up-front, then?” “Yes, I think honesty would be the way to go…” “…You can’t think of any other way?” “Hmm… Another way to push her buttons… To act in a way you normally wouldn’t? You want to repay her for all the love she’s given you, yes?” Lainie asked. “Y-yeah… R-right.” “Then why not just do your best to support her?” “Support her…?” With that, an idea sparked to life in the back of my mind. Caught by the momentum, I shook Lainie’s hands up and down. “Thank you! I just got an idea!” “Just to make sure it’s a safe one, would you mind telling me?” She was wrinkling her nose, like she had a bad feeling about this. But I responded with a grin. “I’ll be her maid!” “Good morning, Your Majesty.” “…? What are you doing, Anis?” my beloved Euphie asked, visibly confused. Of course she was. I was standing in front of her dressed in a maid outfit. Yes, this was the plan. Something I would never do…like being a maid! Euphie had been raised with a proper, noble education, so the notion of me working as a maid would have been out of the question. My strategy was to serve her diligently. If that didn’t catch her off guard, I didn’t know what would! Confident in my plan, I greeted her with a graceful smile that had already received Lainie’s approval. “Hello. I’m Anis, and I’ll be your personal maid today.” “…?” “Shall we start by getting you changed?” “…Hmm.” Euphie seemed to be thinking, What on earth is going on here? She nodded vaguely—and before she could ask any further questions, I started gathering her clothes. Thinking back, I had helped her get changed once before, back when she first joined us at the detached palace. My feelings were completely different now, of course. Seeing her this morning, I was stunned by at how beautiful she was. This could be kind of fun. With that thought, I almost started humming a soft tune. But of course, I was a maid. And so I buried those emotions in a flurry of activity and proceeded to help her get changed. Euphie’s shock seemed to wear off a little by the time I finished helping her get dressed. “What kind of game are you playing, Anis?” she asked with a suspicious look. “As your personal maid, I want to serve you with all my heart, Your Majesty.” “…?” I could see it in her face—she still didn’t follow. I couldn’t help but smile. Yes, this was exactly what I wanted—to catch her off guard like this! Pretending to be her maid was definitely the right decision, especially since it meant I could dedicate my every action to her. I was a genius for coming up with this idea! Euphie looked like she wanted to ask me something, but I hurried her into the dining room before she could get a word in. Since becoming a spirit covenantor, she had lost most physical desires—including for food. Nonetheless, she needed to maintain her human habits, so my next task was to make sure she enjoyed breakfast. It was with those feelings in my heart that I had prepared the morning meal for her. “Today’s breakfast was made by me. Please, enjoy.” “You made this, Anis?” Euphie startled as she surveyed the arranged dishes. She glanced at me, then quietly started eating. Her movements were so graceful. I could never grow bored watching her. So I thought when our eyes met. I had to fight to hold back my smile. I was a maid today, so I had to keep any response modest. She glanced at me several more times as she ate, while I watched with a faint smile. At last, when she had finished, I approached with another question: “Would you like some tea?” “…Yes, please.” I had practiced serving tea with Lainie as well—for as long as it took for her to give me a passing grade. When I was alone, I tended to throw a drink together without giving it much thought. This time, however, I consulted Lainie for guidance. Lainie was gentle and sweet, but she was a strict instructor. She didn’t yell or shout, just cut right to the chase to point out all my mistakes. Thanks to her, I could brew and serve tea to a decent standard. Now, it was time to put that practice to the test. I watched nervously as Euphie took a sip. “…This is nice,” she said at last. “I’m flattered,” I answered. Whew. I breathed a sigh, a wave of relief washing over me. So far, so good. My plan was proceeding perfectly! “Today is a holiday, so you don’t have any official duties, Your Majesty. Do you have any requests? If not, I was thinking of helping you relax a bit.” “Helping me relax?” “Yes.” “Then why the maid outfit? If you wanted to cheer me up, I’m sure there are better ways to go about it.” She gave me a sidelong glance, resting her chin on one hand. Her provocative gaze almost sent my emotions spiraling out of control. Damn it, she knew just how to tease me! Couldn’t she imagine what it was like to be me, being flustered all the time?! But today was different! I was a maid. I was a maid! I wouldn’t be affected by these things! I wouldn’t back down! I wouldn’t let her cow me! “Please stop teasing me, Your Majesty.” “Am I teasing you…?” “Yes, you are.” I was not going to let her toy with me! Not today! She narrowed her eyes for a moment, and a shiver crept down my spine. “Hmm… Is that so? You’re my maid for the day, then, Anis?” “Yes, of course.” I was going to spend the day pampering her under the guise of doing maid work! This would be fun for me, too! As I was thinking that, Euphie flashed me a faint smile. “If you’re my maid, you have to do what I say, don’t you?” “…Huh?” Uh-oh. By the time I realized what she was doing, it was already too late—Euphie had jumped to her feet and pushed me up against the wall. I tried to run, but she slammed a hand against the wall to block my escape. Trapping me there, she leaned in close to my face. Ah, that chill I felt earlier definitely wasn’t just my imagination! I had triggered Euphie’s wild side! “Um, could you wait a moment?” I asked. “Talking back to your lady? You are poorly trained…” “I told you, don’t toy with me! Stop! Stop!” I had to get out of here, but my eyes were locked with hers! If I moved the wrong way, I would end up trapped for sure. She was like a snake, and I was the frog caught in her sights. At that moment, for whatever reason, she breathed an exasperated sigh. “It’s adorable, how you think you can play these jokes of yours and expect me not to respond… Now, what shall I do?” she asked warmly. Whenever she spoke like this, it was either because she was calm and collected, or she was trying to sweet-talk me. This was unmistakably the latter case. “So? How exactly did you think this would go?” “Eeep…! I—I…! It’s not fair! You’re always so relaxed, no matter what I do! Sometimes I want to pamper you, you know?!” For a long moment, Euphie stared back at me, puzzled, then she heaved another exasperated sigh. “You could have just said you love me.” “You’re always so indifferent about it! That’s what gets me so worked up!” “…Is that so? Hmm…” With that, her eyes slowly narrowed. A chilling aura emanated from her. Hold on… D-did I just say something I shouldn’t have? “Euphie? Er, Lady Euphyllia…?” “You have no idea how I feel, do you…? You have no idea how much I want you to take the lead sometimes. Or maybe you do—but then, how awful of you.” “Um… Hello? Euphie…?” “Hah… You’re not the only one who’s upset. Besides, bad maids need to be properly educated. Wouldn’t you say, Anis?” Gently, she reached out and traced my jawline with her fingers, before continuing down to my neck. A shiver ran down my spine. N-no, wait! We only just had breakfast! I’ll be in serious trouble if I let her sweep me away like this! “Euphie! Stop!” “Oh? Are you done pretending to be a maid now?” “Your eyes! They’re not smiling…!” “You were mistaken. Did you actually think this would shake my feelings for you? Maybe I haven’t expressed myself as well I should have. I’ll need to reflect on all this. In the meantime, we can take it slow so you don’t get any weird ideas. How does that sound, Anis?” “Ugh…! N-no! Let go!” “Oh-ho. You’re a naughty maid, disobeying your lady,” she giggled, dragging me along. Why did she have to be so strong when I didn’t want her to be…?! “E-Euphie…! I’m really sorry! Please, forgive me…!” “That depends on your attitude from here on out.” “No…!” “That was awful!” I vented to Lainie when reporting back to her. “I did warn you,” she answered dryly. My plan to surprise Euphie by becoming a maid had failed spectacularly. “You didn’t say it would turn out like this!” “I thought you would have seen it coming. If you ask me, it was a foregone conclusion…,” she said with an exasperated shrug. My shoulders slumped in defeat. In the end, Euphie had her way with me. It was awful! Just thinking about it made me want to curl up and die. I had to shake my head to stop the memories from resurfacing. “Ugh… I’m going to get her back one of these days…!” “You’re steadily losing your dignity as the older one in your relationship…” “It’s terrible!” Lainie could have phrased that in a nicer way! At that moment, I remembered something that had been bothering me earlier. “Speaking of which, how did it go with you?” “Huh?” “I mean, with you and Ilia?” While I was working on my plan to become a maid, I had helped Lainie develop her own strategy with Ilia. Sure, our consultation had ended up being somewhat one-sided, but we were allies here, so I hoped she’d managed to score a win against Ilia. At that moment, Lainie flashed me an indescribable smile as she shook her head. “I never said I would actually do it.” “What?!” “I mean, I don’t have any complaints with the way we are now. And I admitted I’m partly to blame, in any event.” “Ugh! You’re a sneak, Lainie! That’s cheating!” “Cheating…?” “You can’t keep letting her have her way with you! Before you know it, she’ll start taking more whenever she wants!” “Oh-ho. Is that what you think, Lady Anisphia?” came a chilling voice from behind me. Slowly turning around, I found Ilia staring at me. “…Ilia? How long have you been there?” “Since a few minutes ago. As your elder, let me offer you some advice. Trying to make others feel unhappy is a surefire way to make yourself miserable,” she scoffed. Ugh! There was no denying that…! But all the same— “N-no way!” I shot back. “I was only trying to help! I wasn’t trying to make you unhappy or anything…!” “Yes, I suppose you are narrow-minded enough to convince yourself of that. I’m glad my worries were unfounded.” “Sh-shut up! I hate you all!” Ilia’s sarcastic reply cut me deep. All I could do was cry out in defeat and run away. You’re merciless when it comes to Lady Anis, Lady Ilia. I watched as Lady Anis threw out a parting shot and then darted away like a frightened rabbit. Lady Ilia watched her leave as well. The minute she was out of sight, her expression softened, and she let out a quiet sigh. “There’s no helping her, is there?” “A-ha-ha…” “…Well, the fact that she put up such futile resistance probably speaks to how happy she is. Love is far from straightforward.” “Happiness can be frightening in its own right, can’t it?” Lady Anis had had a complicated upbringing, and because of that, she struggled to accept happiness. When she was pushed beyond her capacity, she often found herself getting shy and embarrassed—but there was no way Lady Euphyllia had failed to realize that. Well, Lady Anis wasn’t the only one at fault. Lady Euphyllia had her own set of flaws; as smart as she was, she had no patience when it came to Lady Anis. That was why she gave her more love than she could readily accept—though still, as Lady Anis herself said, she wanted to be able to take it with grace. “It’s only natural. After all, Lady Anisphia has been offering so much for a long time now… But more importantly, Lainie…” “What?” “If you have any complaints about me, please come out with them directly.” “I don’t. But if you have any about me, please let me know!” Lady Ilia truly cared about me. The reason I could keep going without breaking down in shame like Lady Anis had was because I had her respect. To be perfectly honest, Lady Anis should have consulted with Lady Ilia rather than me… Knowing her, however, she would be too shy to approach her about that. Perhaps there was no helping it… At that moment, Lady Ilia reached out to stroke my head. “For my part, I wouldn’t mind you indulging me a little more.” “…More than I already am?” “Yes.” “That’s a tall order.” “You’re too modest, Lainie.” “Maybe that’s just my nature…?” “I wouldn’t mind if you were a bit bolder.” “…I’ll work on it.” …Maybe I was causing Lady Ilia unnecessary headaches, too? I was in no position to be criticizing Lady Anis. But I didn’t want to rush and drive myself into a corner like she had. I did feel sorry for her and Lady Euphyllia. Just give me a little more time to prepare myself. Best of luck, Lady Anis! I’m always here if you want to talk or need advice. I’m wishing happiness for you both.
Chapter 141
23 min read