After the death of the great man Fuuga Haan, many expected the world to fall into chaos.
However, Souma, King of Friedonia and leader of the Maritime Alliance, swiftly eliminated Krahe—the traitor responsible for Fuuga’s death—and then took command at the ensuing summit of world leaders. By dividing the Great Tiger Empire into three separate nations and skillfully balancing the interests of each, he managed to minimize the resulting turmoil.
In time, every country—except for the self-governing domain of the dragons in the Star Dragon Mountain Range and the Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom—joined the newly formed Union of the Southern Continent, an evolution of the Southern Maritime Alliance. These nations would gather at the Southern Continent Union Conference, hosted in the neutral Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom, to discuss international concerns and prevent the outbreak of large-scale disasters like war or famine. (The Dragon Knight Kingdom, acting as a neutral party, chaired the conference and received a special invitation to participate.)
Maria had once called for the world to unite under her ideals. Fuuga had tried to unite it through sheer will and martial strength. But ironically, the world ultimately came together—albeit loosely—under the Union of the Southern Continent, guided by Souma, the very man who had crushed Fuuga’s ambitions.
Later generations would describe it like this: Maria laid the groundwork, Fuuga built the castle, and Souma lived in it with his family.
The reason that sounded like Souma took all of the good parts was probably the spite felt by those who’d supported Maria and Fuuga.
Still, since Souma’s family included Maria herself, as well as Fuuga’s younger sister Yuriga, there was some magnanimity in the sentiment too.
While the northern hemisphere would go on to carve an exciting history full of adventure, the southern hemisphere entered a long period of peace and stability—one that would endure for centuries to come.
This loosely bound world came to be referred to, with a mix of sarcasm and envy, as Souma’s Empire. Even without an imperial crown or throne, the people had begun to see him as an emperor in all but name.
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I’m Carla Vargas, a maid working in Parnam Castle.
As head maid, it’s my job to oversee the other maids and manage the daily affairs of the castle’s staff. I inherited the position from the former head maid, Madam Serina, after her retirement, and I’ve been training junior maids alongside my regular duties for several years now. Before long, I’ll have spent more time in this role than I did serving in the air force.
When I was first appointed head maid, some of the other maids looked up to the heavens and pumped their fists in triumph... Yeah. Fellow victims of that sadist, no doubt.
Even after retiring, Serina continues to go to the castle for tea parties with Her Majesty Liscia, and never misses a chance to gleefully watch us squirm as we’re made to wear some truly humiliating outfits. She might have stepped down, but she clearly hasn’t mellowed out. She’s getting on in years, after all—not being a long-lived dragonewt like me—so I wish she’d slow down a little and take it easy.
That thought crossed my mind one afternoon as I was gathering up the sheets from where they’d been drying, when...
““Lady Carlaaa!””
Two energetic voices rang out, followed by the patter of feet. I turned just in time to see two identical young maids racing towards me.
“The east tower stair cleaning team is finished!”
“The west tower stair cleaning team is finished!”
The pair, who looked to be in their early teens, came to a stop and saluted in unison. Not just their faces, but their voices, tone, and gestures were all completely identical. It was hard to believe they weren’t twins.
Smiling, I reached out and placed a hand on each of their heads. “Well done, Marin, Maron.”
These two were Marin Panacotta and Maron Panacotta, daughters of Sir Poncho, the minister of agriculture and forestry. They were working in the castle as maids to receive etiquette training. Marin was Madam Serina’s daughter, while Maron was the daughter of Madam Komain.
They both had the same adorable, round faces, but Maron had inherited her mother’s darker skin tone, which made it easy to tell them apart.
When the other maids had heard that Madam Serina’s daughter would be joining the castle staff, they had braced themselves, anxious to see what kind of sadist she might have been. But once the truth came out, Marin proved to be just as earnest and hardworking as her sister Maron. The two quickly won over their coworkers’ hearts.
Everyone assumed their good manners were thanks to the other Panacotta wife, Madam Komain, whose reputation—despite few having actually met her—rose dramatically in their eyes.
I thought back on that as I told the girls, “Well then, you two. Tell the cleaning teams to move on to their next tasks.”
““Yes, ma’am!””
They saluted in unison, then ran off to carry out their orders.
Strictly speaking, that was poor etiquette for a maid, but they were still apprentices. And in truth, watching them dart around the castle brought a smile to everyone’s faces, so I let it slide without comment.
Once I finished folding the sheets, I headed inside.
They dry fast in weather like this... That idle thought crossed my mind as I walked down a corridor bathed in the warm glow of the afternoon sun.
“Carla.”
The sudden voice made me turn. Standing there was my liege.
“Your Majesty? What is it?” I replied. He should be at work at this hour. What is he doing here?
As I puzzled over it, His Majesty scratched his head awkwardly, clearly struggling to find the right words. He seemed unable to meet my eyes, his gaze wandering everywhere but my face.
“Um... Well... You know...”
“Hmm? Did you have business with me?”
At that, a look of resolve crossed his face. Then...
“Um... Carla!”
“Y-Yes?”
He suddenly dropped to one knee before me.
The ruler of a nation was kneeling before a maid carrying in the laundry. If anyone had been around to witness it, they’d have been utterly baffled. I, myself, was flabbergasted—but it didn’t take long for me to snap back to my senses.
I asked him what he was doing and urged him to stand, but instead, His Majesty pulled a small box from his pocket and offered it to me. The lid snapped open.
“Huh?!”
Inside was a ring.
A kneeling man, presenting a ring to a woman.
Even someone as ignorant of romance as I was...understood what that meant.
His Majesty pressed on, his voice firm and sincere. “Please, marry me!”
“...”
I was speechless. The suddenness of it left me frozen. But he continued, desperation creeping into his tone.
“My fiancée Sharan said she could accept it—‘If it’s Lady Carla,’ she told me! And even Kazuha said, ‘I’ve known you were head over heels for Big Sis Carla since we were kids, but if you ever start neglecting Sharan because of it, I’ll clobber you!’ So I (sort of) have her permission too! By my own name, I swear... I swear I’ll make you happy! So please, I’m begging you—be my queen!”
“K-King Cian...”
On that day, I received an honor far greater than I ever deserved: a proposal from King Cian—my best friend Liscia’s son.
(To be continued in the epilogue...)
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