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A few months later. In the intervening period, Emma finished her duties as a time traveler for the Monarchy of Reauxvil. And, in her second life, Marquess Stephenson proposed to the king on her behalf that a dinner party in her honor not be held. She had no desire to relive the disaster of her original life, even tangentially. The original celebration had been held at the king’s request because of his desire to reward her service to the nation, so the function had been a foregone conclusion from the start. But this time she was determined to get her way.
Glen still refused to consider her request to be Brigitte’s lady’s maid, which meant she worried incessantly about her employment prospects. Before she knew it, the day of their graduation exam came and went. In a few short days, the graduation party would be held.
Today, she was visiting the Duchy of Bering in the Olano Kingdom, the same house and line Glen used as his alias. As her eyes traveled in awe around the spacious parlor, she posed a question to him, her voice anxious.
“Th-This home… Are your mother and father not in residence?”
The question was a foolish one. She already knew the answer based on what he’d told her in the past. But she didn’t know what to do with this much time on her hands, so she tried to fill it with such an inane topic.
“Why would they be here when they have their own set of extensive private chambers in the Ulster imperial palace that are heavily guarded for their protection?”
“R-Right… Of course…”
Blast, she thought, hearing Glen’s impish reply.
“Whenever I return to Ulster, I use my given royal name. Otherwise, I use my name and title from Olano.”
Over the years they’d known each other, Emma had deduced Glen wasn’t the son of Duke Bering, but Duke Bering himself. Naturally, he needed to keep such information mum.
“So you live here alone?”
“No. There’s one more person here. Wait here, and I’ll introduce you.”
With that, Glen left the parlor. If he didn’t reside here with his parents and siblings, then who in the world could it be? Troubled by the mystery, Emma waited restlessly in the vast drawing room.
She was here at his mansion for one reason—at his behest. He had invited her, saying he wanted to take his time discussing things with her before they graduated. She doubted it would be about her desire to become Brigitte’s maid.
Tempering her expectations, she had received permission from the Magic Academy to leave the campus. She and Glen then proceeded to the heart of the city, where Glen utilized his teleportation magic to convey them there directly. His dwelling and estate were much, much larger than the Eslan residence.
Yet she noticed the house lacked any inhabitants, which she found mysterious. A house on this scale should have had at least a dozen, if not more, servants in its employ. Perhaps he instructed everyone to leave for the day? If that was the case, his staff had followed their master’s orders perfectly.
Except that steam rose from the teapot in front of her on the tea table. That meant someone had cast difficult life magic on it to keep it warm. Through the large windows, she looked out into the massive garden outside. The table on which the tea rested was pure white marble. And the sofa she sat on was of high quality, too. Everything in the refined salon had its place and purpose. Nothing unnecessary here.
Kerchak. When the door opened behind her, she turned around to find a middle-aged man stepping inside. Fitted in a crisp and starched formal shirt and well-tailored jacket. He had an impeccable posture. A single glance told her he was a servant of the finest caliber. He might be the family butler, then.
“Lady Emma, I have brought snacks to accompany your tea.”
With a respectful tone, he placed the plate on the table in front of her. Her eyes widened as she stared at it. These are… Cookies. Cookies rested on the plate. Not just any cookies. The same ones Glen used to give her during their intense practice sessions to help her control her magic a year ago.
“Are… Are these cookies the usual fare in the Olano Kingdom?”
“No. In fact, I bake them myself.”
The man, probably the butler, responded, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully at Emma’s question.
“Wow! So you can make pastries? How silly of me to assume a pâtissier was in charge.”
“You’re not far from the truth in this case since these cookies are very special.”
“Very…special?” She tilted her head curiously as the man gave her a soft smile.
“Yes, indeed. As you might be aware, my young master was born with extraordinary powers. Since his abilities awakened, his parents assigned tutors to him for various subjects, and he excelled. Yet there were many other things he couldn’t do well, despite his best efforts. In order to aid my hard-working young lord, I concocted these special cookies to make magical control easier.”
Stunned by this revelation, Emma responded with great difficulty. “That’s amazing… You can make something like that?”
“Of course, I didn’t succeed from the get-go. I did a lot of research and tried my utmost to arrive at an effective recipe. It’s easy for someone to say they’ll devote themselves to their work, but it’s my duty as the young master’s chamberlain to give truth to those words by doing everything I can for him. If it’s for my lord, I welcome any amount of labor.”
Though his tone was slightly mischievous, the man’s eyes were gentle. Emma understood that he had watched over Glen since he was a young child. This… This is how I want to protect and care for a young lady. If possible, she wanted to be part of a staff led by someone like him. When she thought that, the parlor door opened again.
“Emma!”
“Lady…Brigitte?”
The little girl bounded her way into the room.
“Wait… This is who you meant by the other person who lives with you?”
“Yes, precisely.”
While she compared their almost identical features, she recalled what Glen had said about the little girl’s “complicated circumstances.”
“Is she, perhaps, your illegitimate child…?”
“You must be joking, right?”
At Glen’s dumbfounded expression, in her heart, Emma replied, “Of course I am.” In the meantime, the butler poured tea for the three. For a while, they enjoyed tea time leisurely, chatting about nothing of import. Then Glen turned toward Brigitte.